“I’ll take it. Thank you, Francesca. I appreciate you even trying.” He could hear the phone ringing on the other end of her call. “Out of curiosity, who are you calling?”
“You wanted FBI help, I’m getting you FBI help.” When the call picked up, she put the phone on speaker and set it down on the table.
A groggy voice slurred out, “Frankie, it is the middle of the night, so unless you’ve been stabbed again, call me after eight a.m.”
“Cruz. Time is crucial. I’m calling in a favor.”
WHAT’S BLUE AND DOESN’T WEIGH VERY MUCH?
Glennon
In the darkness,she felt the vibration of her phone. Pushing herself off the floor of the derelict building, Glennon groaned. The tiny town of Puente del Inca was sleeping, but as soon as the sun began its ascent, the locals would stir in the market. By the time the first shop raised its shuttered window, the climbers would begin arriving.
After what felt like an eternity on the road, she’d finally made her way to the small village that served as a popular stopping point for those climbers brave enough to take on Aconcagua. Stopping here was a calculated risk. However, an American white woman wouldn’t necessarily stand out since there would be others in the small village and wandering the trails before attempting to scale the mountain.
She twisted one direction, cracking her back, then turned the opposite direction to crack it again. Too many years of sleeping in Guillermo’s bed, whether at the compound or in luxury hotels, had caused her to get soft. The aches and pains she was feelingnow would be with her for a while. Or until Guillermo found her. She preferred the aches and pains, thank you very much.
Once she was stretched out and her thoughts clearer, she pulled her phone from her back pocket and turned away from the window to prevent the screen from lighting up her face for anyone who might peek inside the building. Granted, the window was caked with dirt, and she could only see the barest outlines of the town when she looked out from the inside, but it paid to be careful. She also dimmed her screen as low as she could and changed the background to dark mode so any light it shone would be minimal.
It was a single text.
M:I HAVE A JOB LEAD
A sudden rush of air expelled itself from her lungs without thought. It wasn’t until this exact moment that she realized how desperate she felt. When he’d answered her initial texts, her adrenaline pumped too hard to take in the astronomical odds that she’d reached him.
After their exchange, her brain decided to push her into paranoia. What if it wasn’t him? What if it was someone from the CIA using his old number and the conversation to locate her? She should ditch the phone and head in a different direction. Get to the coast. See if she could somehow get herself down to Tierra del Fuego and attach herself to an ecotourism group. Maybe she could get back into the States or somewhere in Europe.
Within two minutes, the panic had subsided. But still. Could she trust him? Just because he didn’t work for the CIA didn’t mean he wouldn’t hesitate to turn her location over to them. She’d have to be careful.
G: DO I NEED A RESUME?
M: NOT YET
M: QUIET THERE?
G: YES
M: WHEN YOUR PHONE RINGS PICK UP
It was half a minute before her phone vibrated again. This time, the screen showed an incoming call from a different number. Trust him? Don’t trust him?
The phone was on its fourth ring before she decided she had nothing to lose.
“I’m here,” she answered.
“What’s blue and doesn’t weigh very much?”
She stood there, stunned. Then she had to cover her mouth to keep the hysterics from running rampant. It was really him.
Not wanting to let on how tired and scared she was, she worked hard to include the signature snark she’d always wielded with him. “I hoped your jokes would have gotten better over the years.”
“Hey, G. You secure?”
She looked around the darkened room. “Depends on what you mean by secure. I’m alone. For now.” She paused, allowing a hint of vulnerability through. “I honestly didn’t think your number would work anymore.”
“It probably shouldn’t have.” She heard him move in the background, the slide of material against material, like he was trying to get more comfortable in a chair. “I don’t want to keep you on the line long.”
“Probably a good idea.”
