Chapter Fifty-Three Ella
Chapter Fifty-Three
Ella
This can’t be real.
Lex is standing there.
My heart leaps with joy.
He really is here… they are really here.
He steps aside, and Rhia comes into view.
The lump in my throat swells until I can’t swallow. For a heartbeat, I just stare at my best friend, frozen, before the dam finally bursts.
Tears stream down my face as she opens her arms and rushes forward. I close the last few steps and crash into her embrace.
We cling to each other, sobbing. Weeks of fear and tension pour out of me until I can finally breathe again.
When we pull apart, she cups my face, her eyes wet and swollen. There’s so much love there, it undoes me all over again.
“I’m so sorry, El,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry.”
Why is she sorry?
She drags me to a sofa, and Lex presses a glass of water into my hand. I sip, but the lump refuses to move.
“How?” My voice comes out rough. “How are you here?”
Rhia squeezes my hand. “Oh, El, I’m so sorry.”
“Stop saying that. Why would you be sorry?”
“Because if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this mess. You were right about Gualtiero from the start. You didn’t want to go out with him, but I pushed you.”
Tears fill her eyes again.
“Rhi, you can’t blame yourself,” I say quickly. “None of us knew what would happen.”
“But your gut told you to stay away,” she insists.
“Maybe. But I made my own choice. Please don’t do this to yourself.” I can’t stand seeing her so distraught. “How are you even here? It’s not safe. You know Tiero has you watched.”
“I know. My super-spy of a boyfriend figured that out fast.”
“Super-spy?” I blink at her, confused.
When I study her and Lex, I detect a tension between them that’s never been there before.
Rhia leans back, crossing her arms.
“Didn’t you know? My boyfriend’s been living a double life.”
Lex groans from his post by the window. “I keep telling you, I’m not a spy. That word’s outdated.”
I gape. “You’re kidding.”
“Afraid not,” she says dryly. “But he’s redeeming himself by getting you out of this mess.”
Garrett, who’s joined Lex by the window, chuckles.
“Please start from the beginning. How did you work out that I was in trouble?”
“Well—” but before Rhia can fill me in, Lex interrupts her.
He crosses the room and sits opposite us.
“You can tell her later, Trouble,” he says, putting all his attention on me. “We need to discuss a few things. We don’t know how long we’ve got before Gualtiero tracks you down.”
“I think he already has,” I say, needing him to know.
“Have you seen him?”
“No, but I could sense him earlier.”
“Then we might have less time than we thought.”
He nods at Garrett, who heads for the door. “I’ll go into town and see if he and his goons are here.”
“Sorry, I was doubting you,” I call after him, feeling suddenly stupid for having wasted time and put us both in danger of being discovered.
Garrett turns and smiles. “No, I’m glad you questioned everything. Given what you’ve been through, that’s wise.”
Then he disappears, and I sink further into the sofa, exhaustion taking over.
“I’ll be working with Garrett at Freemont Security,” Lex explains after he leaves. “He and his wife Miranda were on vacation in Greece when he got the call to help. Garrett saw you escape at Monza yesterday.”
Was that only yesterday? It feels like another life.
“And is Miranda working in security as well? Where is she now?” I ask.
“No, Miranda is a personal shopper for the wealthy in Atlanta. She’s out putting a new wardrobe together for you and getting a few other supplies.”
My throat tightens. “You’re all helping me?”
I’m overwhelmed by the sudden salvation that has come out of the blue. Only an hour ago, I thought I was up against the criminal world on my own.
“Why is Freemont Security helping me? You don’t start working there for another month,” I ask Lex.
“I’ve worked with them over the years, and they owe me a favor.
Carl, my new boss, Garrett, and I have worked out a plan to keep you off De Marco’s radar.
We’ll get you to Atlanta. That’s where Freemont Security is based.
There’s a secure company apartment waiting for you, and Carl is offering you a job with their canine unit. ”
I stare at him, speechless. “You’ve been planning all this?”
“For days,” he says gently. “We couldn’t get near you with De Marco’s men always around, but we never stopped looking for a way to get you out. Then you found your own escape.”
It’s strange to hear Tiero referred to by his last name. It’s so impersonal, which I guess is the point, but it hurts my heart having to distance myself from him like that.
Despite everything, I miss him… badly.
As if reading my mind, Rhia rubs my back reassuringly.
“We’ll be able to talk again every day through Freemont’s secure channels once you get to Atlanta. And Lex will have to travel there regularly for work. No one will raise an eyebrow if I go with him, and we can see each other.”
My heart aches. “You’re not coming with me,” I mutter as the realization hits that Rhia has to stay in Dublin.
I knew this, of course, but in the joy of seeing her, it got pushed to the back of my mind.
Tears well up again at the thought of not living close together. Rhia too wipes under her eyes and forces a smile.
“No, she can’t,” Lex confirms. “But you will see each other a few times a year and talk often. Until Gualtiero gives up on his search for you or is taken out by his enemies, we can’t risk the two of you being seen together.”
I nod sadly. I’m just not used to not having her around.
“In fact, we shouldn’t even be here. It’s too risky,” Lex continues. “But there was no stopping this troublemaker.” He looks at Rhia with so much affection, and she smiles back at him.
Yes, he wouldn’t have had a choice but to make this trip happen. Once Rhia has decided on something, she doesn’t deviate from her path. And I know Lex would do damn near anything to make her happy.
“We only have a few hours before we must return to Dublin,” he says. “Thankfully, it’s Saturday. We usually don’t leave our apartment during the day, but we’ll need to show our faces later tonight. We don’t want them to suspect anything.”
I don’t want Rhia to leave… not yet.
But I understand. For all of this to work, for there to even be a chance of a normal life down the track that includes my best friend, we both have to sacrifice some things.
Resigned, I nod.
I’m grateful we’ll be able to stay in touch. That’s something, right?
I need to focus on that. It’s definitely more than what I could have had if I had stayed with Gualtiero.
“So, how do I get to Atlanta?” I ask, reaching for the chocolate mint cookies Rhia just pulled from her bag and placed on the table.
My favorites. I give her a small smile, and she winks.
“Flying is not an option,” Lex says. “There are too many cameras. De Marco’s hackers would find you within the hour.”
Rhia and Lex reach for a cookie at the same time, their hands brushing. They share a heated look that makes me a little jealous. I won’t have that for a long time, if ever again.
No, don’t go there.
“We got you a job as kitchen staff on a cruise ship,” Lex says, clearing his throat. “It leaves Hamburg in Germany on Friday. You need to board the day before. Until then, you’ll lie low.”
“Garrett and Miranda will stay until then, but you’ll have to travel alone. We can’t risk anyone finding out Freemont is helping you.”
I nod, glad someone is going to watch over me. At least for a little while.
“The cruise is seventeen days and ends in New York, but you’ll get off in Halifax in Canada on day fifteen. One of the Freemont staff will meet you there, or instructions will be left where to go next. Questions so far?”
I shake my head. Lex really is in his element. So far, whenever I’ve spent time with him, he’s off duty and his jovial, relaxed nature shines, but today I get to see another side of him.
He’s focused on his mission to get me to safety and set up a new life. He’s direct and to the point. I can see why he would make a great spy, or whatever they call them these days.
“Even if Gualtiero doesn’t see me with any of you guys, wouldn’t he work out you helped me, Lex? You’re the obvious choice given you’re Rhia’s boyfriend. I clearly can’t do this on my own. I wouldn’t even know how to get a fake passport.”
“He might think you disappeared into some alpine village, hiding from him there. You wouldn’t need identification then,” Rhia suggests.
That idea had occurred to me, too. So maybe it’s not so far-fetched.
“But he’ll still expect me to get in touch with you, Rhi. And when he looks into Lex’s background, he’ll see that Lex is going to work for Freemont Security. They clearly have the means to help me disappear,” I say.
“Yes, we’re actually counting on that. We’re creating a diversion,” Lex continues. He pushes a hand through his hair, the only sign of strain I’ve seen from him.
“Rhia suspects you’re being held against your will and has engaged Freemont Security through me to track you down. It’s discovered you’ve escaped and that De Marco is searching for you.
“Freemont will generate a fake route of your travels and discuss this in internal messages. De Marco will naturally hack our messages and will be led to believe that we think you’re in hiding in Europe and we’re looking for you there.
It’s a proven technique, which involves creating credible sightings.
As far as they’re concerned, you’ve never left Europe. ”
Lex gets up and crouches in front of me. Taking my hands in his, he squeezes them reassuringly.
“You’re safe now, El. You’re not alone.”
His voice, usually confident, softens just enough to crack something in me. The tears return, hot and uncontrollable. I throw my arms around Lex and hold on tight.
“Thank you,” I squeeze out between sobs.
“You’re going to be okay, Ella. We’ve got you.”
Rhia rubs my back before putting her arms around both of us.
I sense her unease. She’s as out of her depth as I am. She prides herself on always having a plan and knowing what to do. But this is new territory for both of us.
After another minute, we pull apart, and Lex sits back down in the armchair.
“You’ll need a new identity. We’ve come up with a few name suggestions, which we’ll go over in a bit.
When Miranda returns, we’ll get started on your makeover.
Your look must change permanently. Wigs have been good up to this point, and you could change them when needed, but in the long run they’re not practical. ”
My eyes shoot to Rhia’s. I wish she was the one helping create a new me.
As always, she can read my mind. “I can’t stay long enough to help you become an even more beautiful you,” she says sadly, taking my hand in hers.
I nod again… I seem to be doing that an awful lot today.
This is a lot to take in. It’s making me light-headed, and I’m glad to be sitting down.
Lex rises. “We’ve covered the basics. I’ll let you girls catch up. Don’t leave this room. I’ll be next door.”
His gaze softens when he looks at Rhia. “Trouble, we need to leave in an hour. I’ll order some food.”
Rhia stands to hug him. “Thank you,” she whispers.
He cups her face and kisses her eyelids, first the left, then the right, just like he’s always done.
Watching them melts my broken heart. Amid all the chaos, their love feels like the one steady thing left in the world.
When the door closes, Rhia pulls me toward the bed. We lie side by side, staring at the ceiling, hands clasped between us. For a long while, neither of us speaks.
I breathe in the scent of her shampoo, the quiet hum of the room, the simple comfort of not being alone. My heart feels raw but full.
Finally, she says softly, “Now, sweets, tell me everything that’s happened since we last talked.
“I feel like you’re hiding something from me.”