Chapter Six
Adam
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“THIS IS IT.”HANS FLUNGopen the doors of the truck, sending a sudden stream of cold air and a beam of intense light pouring into its dark confines.I started at his call, stirring Caroline beside me.“Welcome to Zurich!”
Blinking into the shadows, I tried to make sense of the abrupt wake-up.Had we arrived already?Caroline and I had been entwined since Hans’ impromptu pitstop, and yet again, the hours had rushed by in a flash.Initially, we’d laughed at the impertinent way she’d threatened to punish me, my indignation turning into whispered words and kisses as I held her.At some point, despite the uncomfortable setting, we’d slipped into sleep.After days of stress and anxiety, it was good to finally bank a little rest.
We deserved that much.
Not that we were out of the woods yet, and climbing to my feet, I knew it.Arriving in Zurich was only the first step in getting a new life organized for us, but it was an important one.Collecting my contingency funds and documents would mean we were on the right path.
“Bedankt, Hans,” I replied, averting my gaze from the flashlight’s beam as I rose to greet him.“Weet je waar UBS Bank is?”
There was no real need to ask the driver for directions to the bank.A branch as large as the one I sought had to be in the center of Zurich, and I was sure it would be easy enough to find, but I took the opportunity to ask, regardless.Normally, I’d have used online maps to find the location, but hurling my phone into the English Channel had temporarily put paid to that solution.Being without the device was like being flung back into the last century.
“UBS?”He shook his head.“You won’t find a bank open at this time.”
My stomach fell at his answer, the logic of his statement falling into place immediately.After arriving in Rotterdam early in the morning and traveling for the best part of nine hours, it was probably closer to nine in the evening than nine in the morning.That was why he was using a flashlight to illuminate our traveling space.Night had fallen as we’d slept in the back of his lorry.
Shit.I glanced at Caroline, who was slowly stirring on the floor.Nowhere will be open.
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WHY HADN’T I REALIZEDwe’d be arriving too late to go directly to the bank?I should have been able to work that out for myself, yet in the haze of breaking out of the regime I’d helped to create, I hadn’t acknowledged our timings.
“Heb je ergens waar je vanavond naartoe kunt?”Hans took a step toward me as he inquired where we would stay that night.
It was a bloody good question.I had no obvious answer and no foreign currency or passports to book into any local accommodation.The well of anxiety that had only recently started to calm stirred within me.With nowhere to stay in a foreign city, things looked suddenly bleak.
“I don’t know.”The weight of that confession tightened the knotting apprehension in my stomach.
What the hell was wrong with me?
I really hadn’t thought the logistics of my plan through properly, and such slapdash behavior wasn’t like me.Maybe that smack to the head Caroline had given me had caused more damage than I wanted to admit.
“I might know a place.”He pressed his lips together as if he wasn’t certain about making the offer.“Het is niet geweldig, maar het is veilig.”
It’s not grand, but it’s safe.The translation ran through my mind as Caroline climbed to her feet.
“That would be incredible, thank you.”If Hans could provide us with somewhere safe for the night, he’d be going above and beyond my limited expectations.Usually, I’d have been suspicious of such an act of generosity, but my reduced circumstances inspired more compliance.
“Is everything okay?”Caroline glanced between us, the light in her eyes conveying her concern.She couldn’t speak Dutch, but I had no doubt she could pick up on my bubbling unease.
