Freya snorts. “Please, if I wanted that, I would’ve gotten rid of you ages ago. Besides, you’ve been acting like a sitting duck.”
“That’s because you and Cove put me in charge and I’ve been struggling to get the hang of this. It’s not exactly a business you can take an online course for.”
“Sure, but that’s not an excuse to do nothing. So, get off your ass and get shit done. That’s the only way this will end.” she scolds.
“I’ll think about it.”
The idea as a whole seems terrible to me. For one, if I were to just up and leave, there’s a possibility Arlo would never forgive me. I’m not sure if I would ever be able to handle losing him. He’s the light of my life, the only ray of sunshine in thisdark, terrible world. On the other hand, I can’t help the plan that already starts to form in my mind. I’d be working with Kaya closely, and that means that the moment she spots Paul, I’ll know, and will have the opportunity to grab him before he can flee again. The news has been covering his escape since the moment they realised he’d left the prison. Everyone’s eyes are on his family, but he isn’t stupid. He won’t just waltz back into his home as if nothing had happened.
However, this man has been a politician for decades. He has connections, he has dirt on people. There are plenty of his former colleagues who would have no other option but to help him out, unless they wanted their dirty laundry aired.
The longer I think about it, the less I hate the idea and the more appealing it becomes.
I can’t tell Arlo about the plan about running away and going after Paul myself, because he’ll protest. He’ll claim it’s unsafe, and that I’ll get hurt, but I could get hurt anywhere, at any time. He wouldn’t let me do it, but right now, I have no time to waste.
Damn you, Freya, for getting inside of my head.
“Fine, let’s say I go for it, what about the things here? You put me in charge. I can’t do both at once.”
Freya shrugs. “It’ll force Arlo to come back, and I’m good with that.”
I sigh. “You’ve truly thought this out, haven’t you? You have an answer for everything.”
“Well, yeah,” she chuckles. “I wouldn’t just offer something like this without thinking it through first.”
“That’s a good point,” I say, and as I’m about to start commenting further, the door of the base opens, then closeswith a loud slam. Freya and I are in one of the bedrooms, and although I can’t see who the person is, I can tell by the clicking of high heels and the shift in the air.
The door swings open, and Kaya enters. She glances at Freya, though it’s brief, barely half a second, before her eyes settle on me.
“Good. You’re here. Something happened.”
My heart sinks to my feet. “Is it about Simmons?”
“No, but I think I’m closing in on him,” she says, then sits next to me. “Ever since you got kidnapped, I took the initiative to put a trail on other Alexander Hawks’ off-springs.”
I blink. “You mean his son and daughter?”
She nods. “And the boy… Well, he’s not relevant here. However, something happened to Theodosia.”
Immediately, I straighten in my seat. A wave of chills runs down the length of my spine, and something in my stomach twists and turns, as if I’m being repeatedly stabbed with a sharp, piercing knife.
“What is it?”
Kaya bites the inside of her cheek. “Her grandparents have just reported her missing.”
“What?!” I yell out, and Kaya nods.
“Yeah, apparently, she took the bus to school yesterday and hasn’t been seen since. She was not in school.”
“Wait, where is she? The States or in Greece?”
“That’s what’s bothering me, it happened in Greece.”
My whole body litters with goosebumps, bile rising in my throat, “Tell me everything.”
“Unfortunately, there’s not much to go on. Around her house are some street cameras, and they definitely captured her getting in on the bus. I saw her face and all, it’s definitely her. Then, I tried following the bus, but there are some stops that don’t have any security footage, and then the next thing we see is the school. However, she never got off the bus, and she was definitely not inside.”
“Fuck,” I breathe out, running my fingers through my hair. “It can’t be a coincidence, can it?”
