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“Unfortunately, we cannot text once we arrive,” I explained. “In fact, I’ll be collecting our SIM cards once we arrive at the airfield.”
Trish looked deflated. “Okay. I guess I understand.” She lowered her voice so Kaylee couldn’t hear. “But please be safe?”
“We will.”
Jordy gave her a hug, and said, “Oh, by the way. I arranged a surprise for you and Kaylee today. When Mehmet arrives at the gate this morning, let him in. You can trust him.”
“Oh, okay!” Trish gave him another hug. Then, after a short pause, she hugged me, too. Her body was warm and soft and fit perfectly in my arms, so much so that it took an effort to make myself let go. She glanced at Harrison, who stared back at her defiantly, and then gave him a little wave instead.
We drove to the airfield in silence, removed our SIM cards and placed them in a locker, then boarded a Sikorsky S-61R transport helicopter. It was the same model used primarily for search and rescue in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and hopefully wouldn’t arouse any suspicion. It was also a model in which I had over a thousand flight hours logged.
As we took off and headed north, I sighed happily. It felt good to be piloting a helicopter. The last few missions hadn’t required it, and it was a muscle that I loved to stretch. If we everdidget a chance to retire from the mercenary life, I would want to do something that involved flying. I had no idea what, though.
That is a problem for the future. For now, I need to focus on the present.
We stopped in Constanta, Romania to refuel before continuing the rest of the way into Ukraine. Crossing over into their airspace brought with it a tingling sense of anxiety. We were now in an active war zone. Granted, we were well behind the front lines where the combat was taking place, but still. It also reminded me of the last time we were in this part of the world, back in 2014 when we had escaped Crimea in a hurry as Russia invaded.
A cluster of Ukrainian officers were waiting at the airfield. After a short introduction, Harrison and Jordy were led off to the rest of the base. I didn’t join them; my job was to be prepared to depart at a moment’s notice, so I returned to the helicopter and settled in.
And then my thoughts immediately returned to Trish. I wished I could text her. Not only to let her know we had arrived safely, but because I wanted to talk to her.
There might be a way,I realized as I examined the on-board equipment.
18
Trish
The guys had been gone for about half an hour when there came a buzz from the intercom by the front door. I pressed the button that looked right and said, “Uh, hello?”
“This is Mehmet,” came a man’s response. “I am at your gate.”
“Oh! Right! Let me buzz you through…”
Mehmet pulled up to the front in a black town car. He was in his fifties or sixties, and wore casual clothes. He gave me a slight bow as we made introductions.
“Mr. Jordan arranged for a private tour of Istanbul for you and Kaylee today,” he said in fluent English tinged with a Turkish accent. His smile was warm and inviting. “It should last approximately three hours.”
I helped Kaylee get dressed and then we got into the back of the town car. As we made the short drive into the city, Mehmet gave us a quick history of Istanbul. From the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire, all the way through the Ottoman Empire, to modern times.
As he parked the car and we got out, I felt very intimidated about being in a new city. Especially one so culturally different than anything I had ever been in! I was keenly aware that I was a sheltered American without any world experience. But after about ten minutes walking through a city square, I felt completely safe. We walked around street markets and popped into shops. Then we made our way to the Hagia Sofia, where Mehmet gave us a private tour of the mosque. Kaylee thought it was neat that we had to take our shoes off before entering certain parts.
The only exception was when we were walking back through a public square to where our car was parked. The hair on the back of my neck went stiff, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched. I quickly turned around and thought I saw someone staring at me from a distant alleyway. But then I blinked, and after the flow of pedestrians in the square had ebbed, the figure was gone.
I’m being paranoid, I thought.Who would follow a nanny from North Carolina?
Mehmet drove us around the city, and then we headed back home. Kaylee asked him lots of questions about the country. Apparently she had been learning about world capitals in school, and she was curious why Ankara was the capital of Turkey rather than Istanbul. Mehmet was patient and friendly and answered her questions better than I possibly could have.
After we said our goodbyes and went inside, I put Kaylee down for a nap. And as I closed her bedroom door, my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN: We arrived safe and sound. No need to worry.
Me: Jordy?
UNKNOWN: This is Archer, actually.
Me: I thought you weren’t supposed to text?
UNKNOWN: I found a way to use our vehicle WIFI as a hotspot with a VPN to hide the location. Along those lines, please don’t use any location specifics in the chat, just to be safe.
