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I reach for him with open arms, the way I used to when I was a little kid. My need to hug him is desperate. He sighs, like he’s about to deny me, so I lunge for him, wrapping my arms around him. We give each other a hug so brief, I barely get to close my eyes and absorb it. I’ve longed for this for years and it’s too short, too painful. Dad kisses my forehead and walks away without another word.
I stumble to reach my villa. When the door clicks closed behind me, my face contorts with emotion and tears cloud my eyes. I murmur his instructions over and over and over, giving them their own rhythm. “Family safe, social security number, false bottom, wait for instructions, ‘It’s snowing in the Black Hills’.”
My dad is alive, but I’m so confused. If I had allowed myself to imagine a reunion with my parents, in my wildest dreams, it would have had tearful hugs, laughs of disbelief, so many kisses and hands on cheeks, absorbing the presence of each other. Dad was almost in another world, one where I barely exist. But he’s alive. He’s alive.
I collapse on the bed and my mind whirls until I fall asleep hours later, alone in the dark.
* * *
The next two days turn into the opposite of what this trip was intended to be. Instead of relaxing and journaling and swimming with dolphins, I stay in my room and obsessively think over the present, the past, the future.
My dad turning out to be alive is a domino falling, with massive implications. Once I get this done, his enemies are arrested, put behind bars, ended. Then Henry Milenna comes back to the world, I’ll step down from CEO, he resumes his rightful role, everything flips again. I’ll be free to pursue my own wants and dreams, things will be so different.
That’s the future, but in the present, I still have to get this done. Who is going to be coming after me? Will I know danger before I see it? My sleep is filled with nightmares of running and falling in a black hole, planes dropping out of the sky, files with papers spilling everywhere. Everything grows heavier as questions plague me.
The hotel computer gets a lot of use from me as I do cursory research on the Vidovic Group. Simple scans of news articles bring to life just how atrocious this group is, especially its leader, Vanya Vidovic. A real villain’s villain.
I need to get home, to get the ball rolling on this mission. I can’t be here any more. I quickly call up my plane to be ready to leave in a few hours and send an email from the hotel computer to Everett that I’m coming back. It’s cutting my vacation short, but the secret is weighing on me like a boulder in a backpack that I can’t take off.
The whole flight back I think about the new direction my life is taking. Dad’s given me a straightforward task with maximum reward at the end: a reunion and a step back. I’m overwhelmed with the urge to metaphorically tidy up the company and make sure everything is ship-shape for his eventual return. There’s a new purpose, a new focus for now. Dad’s going to make a comeback, I’m going to be more free, it’s going to be amazing. Just a little bit of pressure, then it’ll be over.
CHAPTER 5
As I come down the steps of the plane, I’m greeted with the sight of Everett leaning against the town car, looking stunning without trying, pressing his tie to his chest to keep it from fluttering in the wind.
Exactly the person I wanted to see. Strong, steady, stalwart. Leaving soon. Comforting and unnerving at the same time. But then he starts pacing, shoulders tight.
“Hey,” I say as I get closer. “What’s wrong?”
He holds up his hand to stop my next word. He points to the car. I raise an eyebrow, then shake my head. I don’t understand.
“Listen to me,” he says, stepping away from the car and into my space. His voice is stern and low, and he leans in close enough to be heard over the jet engines winding down. “Don’t say anything about anything until we get home and I say it’s okay.”
“What?” I reel back from him.
“Don’t say anything on the drive home. I still have your phone and it’s off, so no one else knows you’re home yet.”
Warning bells are going off in my head.
“Ev, what’s going on? You think the car is bugged or something?”
He nods. “Do you trust me?”
Who do I trust? This news about Dad has a million repercussions and there’s an element of danger surrounding it. If I let Everett in on this and he leaks it to his protection agency, I’m unsure whether that’s a good or a bad thing. His agency has a global presence, and he said they’re looking into the Vidovic Group. It would be a relief to share this weighty secret with someone. I want to sleep without fear.
I look up into Everett’s dark eyes. Knowing that he has been nothing but loyal and protective of me, I find it hard to suspect him of betraying my confidence. His gaze is pleading, entreating, tugging on my heart.
“I trust you.”
He nods, relieved.“I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”
As promised, it’s a quiet drive home. I stare out the window at the blur of the city and feel like I’m in a snow globe, reeling from having everything turned upside down one too many times. Fear is rising, but I tamp it down. I only fear two things - paper cuts and snakes.
“What are you afraid of?” I suddenly ask Everett. “Do you have a phobia?”
“Knives.”
I smile. “You’re a bodyguard afraid of knives?”
