Chapter Twenty-Six Ella
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ella
My tears are in freefall. There’s just no stopping them.
“Holy shit, El. I’ve missed you so much,” Rhia hiccups, barely holding it together.
I try to say something, anything, but my voice still doesn’t work. My throat is too tight, strangling every word until only sobs escape.
Rhia gently disentangles herself and reaches up to cup my cheek. Her voice trembles with concern. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying like this?”
That does it. The tears come even harder, spilling over as the worry on her face deepens.
“Ella, can you please say something? You’re freaking me out.”
I try to compose myself. I really do. But the tears refuse to stop. Why can’t I get a grip?
“El, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m—” Hiccup. “I’m not—” Sniffle. “—crying,” I manage between sobs.
Even I don’t believe that.
Still, I push on with my explanation. “It’s a—” Sniffle. “—a leaky tear duct.”
Claudette’s brows lift, her mouth twitching as she fights a laugh.
“A leaky tear duct,” Rhia repeats, staring at me.
“It’s okay,” Claudette says gently. “It’s her hormones. They’re all over the place right now. You haven’t seen anything yet. According to Tara, our naturopath up the mountain, it’s completely normal.”
Rhia drops to her knees in front of me and presses her cheek to my stomach.
“Hello, little one,” she murmurs. “This is your Auntie Rhia. We’re going to get into so much mischief together.”
That finally breaks through. A laugh escapes me, and at last, the tears subside.
About time.
My stomach chooses that moment to let out a thunderous rumble.
Rhia jerks back, eyes wide.
“That’s not Peanut,” I tell her.
“You haven’t eaten, El?” she scolds.
“Well, you rang and didn’t give us time to grab lunch before we raced down the mountain to get you,” I shoot back, elbowing her lightly in the ribs.
“How about you two grab some takeaway burgers from Mo’s?” Claudette suggests. “I know you were craving their cheeseburger the other day. In the meantime, I’ll secure us a place to stay. Barry’s cabins by the lake are empty this time of year. I’m sure he’ll let us use one.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say, my mouth already watering at the thought of gooey cheese and Mo’s homemade barbecue sauce. “But why can’t we go back to our cabin? I’m sure Ian and Miriam won’t mind a visitor.”
Claudette wraps her scarf tighter around her neck. “That’s not the issue. The impending snow is.” She tilts her chin toward the sky, where thick gray clouds hang low. “Rhia, can you risk being stuck up on the mountain until spring?”
I stare at Claudette.
“Since when are you so reasonable?” I mutter. “Where did nudie camp Claudette go?”
She laughs. “Hey, I can be reasonable. I just prefer not to be. Occasionally, I give in for the greater good.” She winks at me before turning back to Rhia.
I look to my best friend, whose expression has sobered.
“As much as I’d love to run my business from here, I don’t think it’s doable with only a satellite phone,” she says quietly. “And Lex would lose his mind if we were apart that long.”
She would too.
A few weeks is hard enough for her when Lex is on a job, but months would break her.
“Plus, Tiero might be onto you once you return to Dublin after winter,” I add.
The thought makes my stomach drop.
Would he hurt Rhia to get to me? I don’t know anymore, and that’s what scares me.
The realization stings, bringing fresh tears to the back of my eyes.
No, I’m not going to cry again.
My eyes are still puffy and sore from before, so I swallow the lump in my throat and force myself to breathe through it.
“Let’s stay at least a week at Barry’s then,” I say, reaching for Rhia’s hand. “That way, I don’t have to share you.”
“Well, you would with me,” Claudette says brightly.
“That’s okay,” I wink at her. “I can manage that.”
We watch Claudette march into the bakery like a woman on a mission. Barry won’t be able to resist her. She has a way of convincing people to give her exactly what she wants and making them believe it was their idea all along.
I wish I had that talent.
“Let’s get food,” Rhia says, looping her arm through mine and pulling me out from behind the bush.
Once we step onto the main street, my gaze sweeps everything around us again.
“And you’re two hundred percent sure no one followed you?” I ask. “What about the tracker in your phone?”
“You underestimate me, El,” she says calmly. “I’ve learned a thing or two from Lex. I took precautions.”
I smile at her. “Like what?”
Now I’m genuinely curious. She doesn’t hesitate.
“Lex set me up with two fake passports for emergencies. I used both. One for the flight to Calgary, the other to get here. I stayed in disguise throughout, switching it up a couple of times. It was kind of fun, pretending to be someone else. I only turned back into myself in the bakery bathroom, and only so you would recognize me,” she teases with a wink.
Of course, now I want to see what she looked like. Before I can ask, Rhia continues.
“My assistant Julia flew with me to London. She has both my phones. My regular one that Tiero hacked, and the Freemont-issued one I usually call you from. So if anyone’s watching, they think I’m still moving around London.”
“Is Julia doing your presentation to that big-shot CEO?” I ask.
“Yeah. I trust her with it. She’s been with me long enough and knows what I’d agree to and what I wouldn’t.” She nudges my side, and I lean my head against her shoulder. “It’s a big step for me. But you’re more important.”
My chest tightens.
“This is the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other,” she adds quietly. “I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing you before you were snowed in.”
“I’m so glad you did.” It was risky as hell, but some risks are worth taking. “When did you decide on this trip?”
“Yesterday morning,” Rhia says. “Before my flight to London. I pulled everything together as fast as I could.”
She glances around before continuing. “Julia’s my height and build. At Heathrow, we switched clothes and hair. Red wig, my jacket, the works. If Tiero’s men were watching, they followed her.”
Tension settles beneath my ribs. Would Tiero’s men really be so easily tricked?
“As far as Don De Marco is concerned,” she adds calmly, “I’m in London for the next few days.”
“So the phone you called me on is a burner?”
She nods a little sheepishly.
“But why not use the Freemont phone?” I ask. Then it clicks. “Lex doesn’t know you’re here, does he?”
Her smile gives her away.
“He’s on a recovery mission somewhere in Colombia,” she says. “No contact for over a week. If he checks my location, it’ll still show London.”
I shake my head, half impressed, half exasperated.
“You’re such a clever cookie.”
Her grin is wide. “Thank you.”
“Lex wouldn’t like you being here unprotected.”
“I’m fully aware,” she says lightly. “But what he doesn’t know…”
“Cheeky.” I smile. God, I’ve missed her mischief.
We head into Mo’s and order burgers. As we wait, Claudette joins us, holding up a set of keys like a trophy.
“Well done,” Rhia and I say in unison.
The thought of spending the next few days together unknots some of the tension I’ve been carrying.
“But if it starts snowing,” Claudette says, suddenly all business, “we pack up immediately and head up the mountain.”
“Yes, ma’am.”