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I don’t want Rhia to leave… not yet anyway.
But I understand. For all of this to work, for there to even be a chance of a normal life down the track that includes my best friend, we both have to sacrifice some things.
Resigned, I nod.
I’m so grateful we’ll be able to stay in touch… that’s something, right? I need to focus on that. It’s definitely more than what I could have had if I had stayed with Gualtiero.
“So, how am I going to get to Atlanta?” I ask.
“Flying is out of the question. Airport security is tight these days. There are too many cameras that record the smallest thing. To get through there undetected would be a miracle. I imagine De Marco can access CCTV and run the footage through facial recognition software. To stay off his radar will be a monumental task.”
“He employs a guy called Uberto, who he says is one of the best hackers,” I add.
Ethan makes a note of the name and continues, “We got you a job on a cruise ship. It’s in the kitchen, sorry about that, but it was the only temporary job we could find on such short notice.”
“That’s fine, seriously. You have no idea how grateful I am for all your help. I wouldn’t even have barked if you asked me to clean toilets.” That makes everyone chuckle.
“The ship is leaving Hamburg in Germany in three days,” Lex tells me. “You’ll have to travel alone. We can’t risk you being seen with one of us, or they’ll work out we’ve helped you, but Ethan and Trina will shadow you until you board the ship to make sure you get there okay. The cruise is seventeen days and ends in New York, but you’ll get off in Halifax in Canada on day fifteen. One of the Freemont staff will meet you there or instructions will be left as to where to go next. Questions so far?”
I can tell Lex is in his element. So far, whenever I’ve spent time with him, he’s always been jovial and relaxed, but today I get to see another side of him. He’s in work mode now, focused on his mission to get me to safety and set up a new life. He’s direct and to the point. I can see he would make a great spy, or whatever they call them these days.
“Even if Gualtiero doesn’t see me with any of you guys, wouldn’t he work out you helped me, Lex? You’re the obvious choice given your Rhia’s boyfriend. I clearly can’t do this on my own. I wouldn’t even know how to get started getting a fake passport.”
“He might think you disappeared into some alpine village hiding from him there. You wouldn’t need identification then,” Rhia suggests.
That idea had occurred to me, too. So maybe it’s not so far-fetched.
“If I was him, though, I’d expect me to get in touch with you, Rhi. And then he’s likely to look into Lex’s background, and he’d see that Lex works for Freemont Security, who clearly have the means to help me disappear,” I interject.
“Yes, that’s all true and is what we’re expecting,” Lex agrees. “We’re counting on him not finding out in the next few days, though, which will give us time to lay the seeds to send him on a wild goose chase, which is the most important part of the plan.
“Basically, the diversion runs like this. Rhia is missing you and suspects you’ve been held against your will. She engages Freemont Security through me to track you down. It’s discovered you’ve escaped and that De Marco is searching for you.
“Freemont will generate a fake route of your travels and discuss this in internal messages with low-level encryption. De Marco will naturally hack our messages and will be led to believe that we think you’re in hiding in Europe and we’re looking for you there. It’s a proven technique, which involves credible sightings until no longer necessary. As far as they’re concerned, you’ve never left Europe.”
Lex gets up and crouches in front of me. Taking my hands in his, he squeezes them reassuringly. “I will do everything in my power to ensure you’re safe and able to start a new life in America. You have my word.”
I really wish I could stop crying today, but it’s a losing battle. After having found some composure, Lex’s words are my undoing. I throw my arms around him and let the tears flow.
“Thank you,” I squeeze out through a throat that’s too tight.
Hugging me back, he says, “We’ve got you, El. You’re not alone in this.” It only makes me cry harder.
Where are all these tears coming from? You’d really think I’d have none left. I’ve basically cried non-stop for a day now.
Rhia is rubbing both my and Lex’s backs, before putting her arms around both of us.
I sense her unease. She’s as out of her depth as I am. She prides herself on always having a plan and knowing what to do. I guess it’s new territory for both of us.
After another minute, we pull apart, and Lex sits back down in the armchair, and Ethan takes over the conversation once more.
“You’ll need a new identity. We’ve come up with a few name suggestions, which we’ll go over in a bit. When Miranda returns, we’ll get started on your makeover. Your look needs to permanently change. Wigs have been good up to this point, and you could change them if you needed to, but in the long run they’re not practical. Overall, we haven’t got a lot of time to make everything happen. We’ve got tomorrow, and then you need to be on your way to Hamburg and checking in on the ship by the afternoon. It’s tight but we’ll make it happen.”
My eyes shoot to Rhia’s. I wish she was the one helping me create a new look.
As always, she’s able to read my mind. “I can’t stay long enough to help you become an even more beautiful you,” she says sadly, taking my hand in hers.
I nod again… I seem to be doing that an awful lot today… and crying.
