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He gives me a broad grin and his trademark wink. “We’re going to wing it.”
What? How’s that a plan?
We’ve reached the water and there, tied up to a thick pole, is a small boat.
“We’re going to borrow this skiff and go downstream. Once we’re a safe distance away, we hop off and find a car. Then we drive to a safe house Carl has secured for us. It’s about an hour away. We regroup there,” Aiden explains as he unties the rope and helps me into the boat.
His alpine scent hits me as I hold on to his arms for balance. Damn, why does he always have to smell so good? It reminds me of comfort, happiness and… home.
No, no, no.
“A safe house?” Claudette asks, sitting down on the bench. “That’s a terrible idea. At this point, we have to assume Tiero found Ella because he hacked your computers. It would be child’s play for him to get a list of safe houses in this area. They could be waiting for us, or at the very least, ambush us there later. We need to get Ella as far away from here as possible.”
“It might have been facial recognition software that tipped him off. Freemont has an unbreakable system,” Aiden fires back.
“Nothing is unbreakable,” Claudette argues. “Don’t underestimate that guy.”
Is she sensing Uberto’s abilities, or is she guessing? Since she told me about her eighty-twenty hit rate, I don’t know anymore.
“We shouldn’t rely on your resources. Not until we know how Tiero found Ella,” Claudette says with surprising determination.
Aiden opens his mouth to respond, but she cuts him off. “I might just know the perfect hiding place. But how to get there is the challenge.” She taps her fingers against her chin, thinking.
“First things first,” Aiden says. “Let’s get away from here before we’re discovered,”
He starts the motor and expertly steers us downstream. It’s a little cramped inside the small vessel, but what can you do?
Quiet settles over our little party, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
The rhythmic lapping of the waves against the bow lulls me into a sense of calm, making me forget for a moment all the drama in my life.
On the horizon, colorful sailboats dance with the wind. Their canvas catches the golden sunlight, casting vibrant reflections on the water. Smaller motorboats zip past, leaving trails of foamy white wakes behind them.
The scent of saltwater fills my senses as gulls soar overhead, their cries echoing through the air as they search for their next meal.
I lift my face to the sky, the warmth of the sun kissing my skin.
This is lovely.
Though, it seems odd to relax when we’re still in so much danger. If Tiero catches us, God knows what he will do to Claudette and Aiden for helping me. I shudder at the thought.
“How are we going to get a car?” I ask. My mind comes back online, needing to focus on something tangible. “I doubt there’s a rental place nearby.”
“We’ll steal one.” Aiden replies matter-of-factly as he navigates us through the harbor, our skiff gliding alongside other small vessels.
“We can’t do that.” I look at Claudette for backup, but she shrugs her shoulders, not fazed at all.
“Desperate times and all,” she says.
We pass by a cluster of fishing boats, their weathered hulls suggesting countless journeys. Fishermen, with their sleeves rolled up, prepare their nets for the next expedition.
“Loose the overalls, girls,” Aiden instructs as soon as we pass the boats. “They could identify us too easily.”
The men or the overalls, I want to ask, but just do as I’m told.
Aiden watches me and gives me a cheeky wink as I peel the unsightly garment off my body.
And yes, the damn blush is back, heating me up from the inside while Aiden’s gaze is doing the same from the outside.
