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“Yes, I arrived fifteen minutes ago and found out what we’re up against.”
“And?” I prompt when he doesn’t continue straight away.
“I won’t lie, Ella. There are a lot of them here. It will be difficult to get you off the ship unnoticed.”
“Should I stay on then and travel all the way to New York? Or maybe you can get me off the ship while we’re out at sea?”
Though having suggested that, I hope he says no. The idea of having to jump overboard or climb onto a smaller vessel while the ship is moving is not my idea of fun. I’m definitely not an adrenaline junkie.
“No, the situation would be the same in New York, and getting you off the ship while at sea would be tricky to organize at such short notice. It’s also not without risk.”
“Then what are we going to do, Ade?”
I didn’t intend to give him a nickname. It just slipped out.
And of course, he noticed. “Ade… I like it when you call me that,” he says, his voice gone a little husky. It stirs things in my nether regions.
Seriously, Ella. Now?
Clearing his throat, he says, “We’ve prepared several backup plans in case of complications. Carl has activated one of them. You can’t leave through any of the official exits; passengers or staff. De Marco has guards posted at each one, and they’re filming every person leaving.”
“Every single one? Why?”
“They’ll run the footage through facial recognition software. The risk of you being discovered is too high.”
“Are they aware of what I look like now?”
“We didn’t put your picture in your work file, but that means nothing. He might have been able to hack into the camera footage of the ship. And if he found out your name, then pinpointing you wouldn’t be hard.”
“Shit.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“So what’s the new plan?”
“Do you know where the garbage is stored on board?”
“Yes. When I was working in the kitchen, I often had to take the scraps away.”
“Good. Go to that storage bay. A man by the name of Mario is waiting there for you. Don’t be alarmed when you see him. He’s Italian, but I promise he’s not one of De Marco’s men.”
I’m grateful for the heads-up. I’m sure I would have freaked out otherwise.
“Thanks for telling me. Without your warning, I might have tried to knock him over the head with something heavy.”
“Have you got anything you can defend yourself with should it come to that?” Aiden asks.
He’s in full operative mode now, in charge and directing everything. It’s oddly attractive… and reassuring.
“I’ve been searching this room, but there’s nothing. The sports locker is kind of on the way to the garbage bay. We could stop there and perhaps pick up a baseball bat?”
“No! No detours. Go the most direct route. Do you still have the pepper spray Garrett gave you?”
“Oh… how did I forget about that? Yes! Yes, I still have it.”
“Get it and carry it on you when you go,” he instructs.
“Okay. Claudette is coming with me.”
