“It’s more than I deserve.”Harper’s tone was contrite as he lowered to drop the essentials into the bag.“Thank you again, Andrew.”Pushing his palm out toward the old captain, Harper met his eyes when they shook hands.“We’ll be out of your hair as soon as you say the time is right.”
“Aye.”Andrew cast an eye over me.“I’ll come back when the coast is clear.We don’t normally get boarded by officials for checks, but just in case...”
My stomach knotted at the prospect he painted, an image of uniformed officers exploding in my mind’s eyes.I’d seen enough men in uniform to last me a lifetime, and the last thing we needed were government representatives poking their noses around.Harper hadn’t mentioned his plans to get around border checks indefinitely, and I hadn’t dared to ask, but we’d need a strategy once he had his hands on the box hiding in a Swiss vault.
“It shouldn’t be longer than ten minutes or so.”Nodding, Andrew retreated to the door Harper had just screwed me against.
“We’ll be waiting,” Harper assured him as Andrew disappeared into the small hallway.
I offered him another smile before he slipped out of sight.After months of abuse and depravity, it was heartening to know there were still some good men left in the world.
Chapter Four
Adam
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IT SHOULD HAVE BEENquite the fall from grace.Commander General Adam Harper, the man who’d been the second in command of Ian’s new regime, concealed in between dirty pallets of vegetables in the back of a truck.Sitting there with Caroline, though, I was anything but disgraced.Sure, the low thrum of apprehension remained stuck in my gut, reminding me that we were far from out of the woods in our endeavor to be free, but so far, everything had transpired the way I’d expected.
Despite Macmillan not showing at our designated meeting point, we’d made it out of Britain, andCarlahad got us safely to the continent, where Andrew’s contact had agreed to drive us as far as Switzerland.I had enough money to pay for a far plusher mode of travel, but until I’d got my hands on my euros and Swiss francs, and the remaining contents of my safety deposit box, I was far happier staying under the authorities’ radar.The E.U.had no love for Ian’s new order, but they’d traded with us just the same.That might mean I was recognizable, even out of uniform, in the sweater my mum had bought me.
Staring down at the blue fabric, my memory returned to the woman who’d brought me into the world.What would she have thought about the trouble her only son had gotten himself—and a whole lot of other people— into?I liked to think she’d have forgiven me most things, but overseeing the immoral detention of thousands of British citizens was likely a step too far.Shame knotted in my core at the conclusion.
“I love you, Mum.”Leaning back against the inside of the truck, I whispered the words into the gloom.“I’m sorry.”
“Sir?”Caroline’s voice was croaky as she lifted her head from my chest and flicked on the flashlight Hans had given us for emergencies.“Is everything all right?”
“It is now.”I gazed down at her, unable to stop myself from smiling.Even with limited sleep and wedged within the shitty confines of our getaway vehicle, she was truly breathtaking.“I didn’t mean to wake you.Go back to sleep.”
“You should rest, too.”She pressed a kiss to my sweater, her head thrillingly close to the place she’d earlier paid homage.“You need to look after yourself, too, Sir.”
“Are you telling me what to do now, little girl?”My tone was intentionally wry, my voice raised slightly to be heard clearly over the sound of the hurtling lorry.
I didn’t like to think about how fast we were moving, nor how good a driver Hans was.Those were things out of my control.I needed to focus on the elements I had authority over, like finding the bank in Zurich, and the gorgeous Caroline.
“I’m taking care of you,” she insisted with a mischievous grin.“That’s my job now.”
