Dani glanced at a clock hanging on the wall. It was only ten a.m. They needed to get hustling if they were going to meet Vautour’s deadline.
“We’re a bit pressed for time,” Dani said. “Is there any chance we could meet Andreas today?” She could sense Theo’s body silently objecting beside her, but she was sorry—his sit-back-and-pray routine wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Lydia chuckled. “The sea is very large, and the ferry very slow. But if you want to fly—”
“No airplanes,” Maurice chimed in.
Dani shot her head toward Maurice, and then Dani glanced back at Lydia. Her head was tilted slightly to the side and her eyes squinted, wonderingwhyno airplanes. Good question.
But Dani already knew the answer. Airplanes meant airports. Airports meant people. Security. Identification. They couldn’t exactly hand over Theo’s passport to get on the plane. Maybe no one had recognized Theo after all this time—except Dani—but that wouldn’t last if they showed up at the airport.
“He lost his passport,” Maurice quickly followed up, motioning toward Louis. He must have sensed Lydia’s suspicion.“We’re waiting for a replacement from the embassy. But we have a speedboat back in Heraklion. We can drive ourselves.”
“That is not an easy journey, traveling all that way by speedboat,” Lydia said. “It’s quite far.”
“Then we’ll take a helicopter,” Maurice said.
Noweveryonewas looking at Maurice.
“Do youhavea helicopter?” Lydia asked with her brow raised.
“We do. I’ll need to make some arrangements, but if we get moving now, we should be able to get to Athens this afternoon if you want to give Andreas another call,” Maurice said almost like a command. He stood up and took a phone out of his pocket, then stepped outside.
Silence fell over the room, aside from the ticking of the clock.
Lydia’s gaze danced around from Theo, to Louis, to Dani, and to Maurice pacing outside on the phone before finally picking up her phone and calling someone. Lydia spoke to whomever she was speaking to in Greek, staring at Theo the whole time. He sat straighter, fidgeting with his hands as he listened. With the way the two of them watched each other intently, it was almost as if Lydia were speaking to Theo rather than whoever was on the other end of the phone call.
“Πρ?πει να ανησυχ?;” Lydia asked Theo once she hung up the phone.
“Δεν ξ?ρω, αλλ? ε?μαι. Συγγν?μη,” Theo responded.
“English!” Louis barked. He then immediately followed up, calming his tone, “If you don’t mind.”
Lydia blinked a few times at Louis, questioning him, then said, “Andreas will meet you this evening. Let me know where and when. But for now,” she said, reaching for a piece of paper and pen, “I need to get back to work. You can call here whenyou finalize your plans.” She scribbled some numbers on the paper and then stood up, passing the paper to Theo, which Louis instantly snatched out of his hand the moment Lydia looked away.
They all got up from the couch as she escorted them to the door.
“Thank you for your help,” Dani said.
“Thank you for not forgetting the forgotten. Good luck,” Lydia said, holding the door open for them. “And Theo,” she called out after they’d all exited.
He turned around—they all did.
“Yes?”
“Ξ?ρω ποιος ε?σαι.”
Chapter
Eleven
Theo
Ξ?ρωποιοςε?σαι.
Lydia’s words echoed through his head as they soared through the sky in a private helicopter on their way to Athens.I know who you are.
Theo didn’t know whether to be worried or hopeful. What did she know? Howmuchdid she know? And who was this person he reminded her of?
