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We drove in silence for hours before the car stopped at a small airfield and the mask was removed. I was in a limousine, and Radcliff was sitting across from me in silence. The two men by my side stepped out first and told me to come out.
I glanced at Radcliff who was still in the limousine and nodded. “Thank you.”
He pointed at a private jet. “It will take you back to Indonesia. You take care of yourself and always remember that family comes first” was all he said before he closed the car door, and shortly after, they drove off.
I just stood there on the airfield looking completely lost.
I was really free.
It took me a while to process it all, but once I did, I walked up to the jet and took the short stairs up to board it. It was first class. White leather seats and golden fixtures. The captain and a waitress greeted me with a glass of champagne, which I declined. On the table, I found my phone. I took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and called Elise. For the first time in my life, I was truly free and could do whatever I wanted. But all I wanted was to be withher. We could live here. We could live there. We could live anywhere.
The phone started ringing, and I waited to hear her voice. It had been days, but it felt like years already.
She didn’t answer the call.
I checked my phone and realized I had several missed calls from the same unknown number. I hadn’t seen it on the notifications because someone had tampered with the phone. I shook my head and dialed the number that called me. It rang, but no one answered.
I tried not to freak out. There was nothing to worry about anymore. I was a free man, the CIA director who tried to set me up was taken care of, and Elise was safe from Marcello.
The plane was about to take off when the phone started ringing. It was Elise! A rush of adrenaline and excitement flooded me.
“Andrei,” came a voice, soft as a whisper. “Andrei?” she said again.
I held my breath. “Elise. It’s me.”
“Thank God! Are you okay?”
“I am. I’m coming home.”
Elise started crying gently at the other end. “Really? The CIA lady here, Nancy... she told me they were trying to arrest you. Then I saw your video...”
“It's a crazy story. But I’ll tell you everything when I get back.” I glanced at the waitress who smiled back at me. “All I can say for now is that I am a free man.”
“I can’t believe it. I’m so happy. I have been going crazy not hearing from you. Please tell me you are on your way back—” were her last words before the call broke off and the plane leveled itself out in the endless blue sky. The sun was shining brightly into my face as I looked at the clouds underneath me.
What a hell of a ride, but finally, fair or not, the beast was loved and was free.
“I think I might have that glass of champagne now,” I said to the waitress in a voice that reminded me of a man who was deeply satisfied with his life.
Chapter 25
Elise
My heart had been beating desperately since the video he sent. When I heard his voice on the phone, the panic had left me, but excitement and anxiety stepped in its place. He was coming home. My mind tumbled over itself, thinking of the things I wanted to do before he came back.
Last night, I shaved where it was important. This morning, I got out of bed, plugged in the vacuum cleaner, and got to work. The floor was made of tiles and had rugs in some places. I cleaned the room, arranged the bed and his things, and aired the place out. Then I walked out of the bedroom. Nancy had left last night, wishing me all the best, so I removed the sheets she had slept with and put them in the washer. Then I took a long shower, scrubbing every inch of my body and applying the crème he loved so much.
I had set the alarm clock on my phone to five p.m. If he took off last night, he would probably return around six p.m. by my calculations. The plan was to drive to the airport an hour before his arrival. But I still looked at my phone every few minutes. I checked it impatiently each time I heard it make a sound too. I thought he’d probably text when he was getting close. Then, I would drive the truck to the airport and pick him up.
I watched television, keeping an eye on my phone on the table, but after a while, I got up, walked to the closet, and brought out the mop again. Why not give the floor a second, well, third round of deep cleaning? It was another hour or so of waiting, which almost killed me. In all my life, I’d never felt this way for a man.
I walked out onto the terrace, wanting to clean there first, when I heard his voice.
“Darling,” he said from behind me.
I turned around slowly as the mop slipped from my hand.
It was him. He was back!
