Tell Me a Story – Part XXXV

Kate wants to know where she is. And what happened.

I’m guessing you all want to know that, too. And I made you wait a week, so without further delay…

 

~~~

Eli checked his watch. “Somewhere over the Pacific I’d imagine.”

“Where are we going?” I held up my hand before he could answer. “No, that’s not the right question. What happened? The van? Anton?”

“Anton played Meera’s men. Slipped something in their coffee while they were up there waiting for us.”

“What about the game?”

“I was able to give Anton a back door of sorts. He accessed the data and wiped it.”

“So, it’s gone?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny metal case. “No. It’s all here.”

“Oh.” I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. “And Anton?”

“He’s fine. Headed for a safe location – with Meera still out there, he couldn’t risk staying in Seattle where he could be found.”

I hadn’t thought about that. “You think she’ll come after us?”

“She may. Depends on the promises she made to her buyers, how much she stood to gain from the sale.”

I hugged the blanket to my chest and tried to take a deep breath. The air in the plane felt thick, and breathing took effort. Eli sat next to me on the bed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright, Kate?”

My eyes were heavy. I dropped my head down into the blanket and mumbled into the soft fabric. “I’ve lost everything. My best friend may or may not want to hunt me down, my other friend has to go into hiding, and I can’t go home. What do you think?”

I felt myself sway and couldn’t decide if it was the movement of the plane or something else.

Eli stood up. “You should lie down and get some more rest. I’ll wake you when we’re ready to land.”

I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to talk.

I laid my head on the pillow and closed my eyes, mumbling. “Eli, who do you work for?”

“We’ll talk about it when you wake up.”

~~~

I opened my eyes, disoriented. I had the same blanket, my blanket, the one that smelled of lavender and mint, but I wasn’t on the plane anymore. I rolled out of the bed and walked across the cool bamboo floor and out on to a beautiful terrace. Eli was leaning against a post, talking on the phone.

He looked up and smiled, ending his call.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck. Or more accurately, the inside of a van.”

“I’ve got a doctor coming by later to check in on you.”

He grabbed a pitcher from a table and poured water into a glass, handing it to me.

“Thanks. How did I…?”

“I tried to wake you when we landed, but you were resistant to the idea. So, I loaded you in the car and here we are.”

I looked out at the pool, and beyond that an emerald ocean. “And where exactly is here?”

“We’ll get to that.” He held his hand out. “Sit.”

I lowered myself into a chair and he did the same. “Okay. I’m listening.”

“I’d like you to meet who I work for.”

I stiffened and sat up. Eli smiled and laid his hand on mine. “There’s no one else here, Kate.”

“But…”

“While I do occasionally take on projects from various agencies and private individuals, I am my own boss.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There is no buyer.”

~~~

What does Eli want with the game?

In other news, The Bookshelf Muse hit some amazing milestones and is giving away a Kindle Paperwhite, pre-loaded with TEN books. Head over there and you can win the Kindle (and guess who’s book is among the pre-load choices??)

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