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My heavily armed escorts.
The hum of the engine is the only sound in the cabin, and thoughts of Rafael are starting to creep through the amazing plans I have to erase him from my memory. What a joke.
I close my eyes and replay the bittersweet conversation with Antonio—anything so I won’t think about Rafael. It doesn’t work. He continues to seep into my consciousness, where he’s lived for years.
When I can’t take it anymore, I pull out my laptop. The alphabetical list of cities pops up unprompted, like a sign from the universe. I skim through the graphs I meticulously created.
Either Rimini or Riga should be the next target of the traffickers, unless I’m wrong—again. You weren’t wrong about Oslo. The timing was off.
Just the timing, like it’s not an integral piece of the puzzle.
The truth is there are many European cities that begin with the letter R, although given the patterns, Rimini or Riga are the most likely to be hit next. Although I can’t be absolutely certain. But Quimper will come after. I’m sure of it.
There are only three European cities that begin with the letter Q, and also fit the profile. A woman was already abducted in Quartu Sant’Elena, and Queluz is in Portugal. It’s a small country. They won’t be back so soon. Not if the pattern holds.
There’s been no information in the media and no chatter on the dark web about the woman who was abducted in Oslo. Either she was poor and her kidnapping has been deemed not newsworthy, or she’s from a powerful family who has the ability to quash the story. The former is much more reprehensible than the latter, although both scenarios lack any sense of morality.
“My mother and her partners in crime did what needed to be done at a time when no one was doing anything. It was a moral imperative for them. Hard to quarrel with that.”
A moral imperative. Antonio’s words speak to my soul, rousing the part of me that everyone wants to quash. My father, Rafael, even my mother would prefer if I were less interested in immersing myself in controversy.
Is buying and selling women like cattle controversial? I think not.
I might have been off about the timing, but the location was spot on. I wasn’t wrong about that. If there was ever a moral imperative, this is it. I’m not wrong about that either.
With a new sense of purpose, I go to the front of the plane to speak to Ivy and Callum. We need a cogent plan before contacting my father.
55
ALEXIS
“Lexie, are you on your way home?” my father asks when he answers the call. He seems more relaxed than when we last spoke.
“Yes. I’m actually in the plane’s conference room with Ivy and Callum. We’re on speaker.”
“What’s the problem?”
“No problem. But I’d like to make a stop before London.” I need his permission to divert the plane.
“Where?” he asks.
I can almost see the prickliness in his expression.
“Quimper. I’ve talked it through with Ivy and Callum, and they believe we can make it work safely.”
“What’s in Quimper?” His tone is suspicious and far less relaxed than when he first answered.
“All sorts of things, but I’m interested in pottery. I owe a few people wedding gifts, and I’ll pick up Mum something nice while I’m there too.” It’s all technically true, and I feel only a small pang of conscience for omitting the fact that the traffickers are the main reason I want to stop in Quimper. I can’t think about the damage the omission could do to our new agreement—but I have to go.
He’s quiet, too quiet, and I brace myself to do battle. One way or another, I’m going to Quimper, although maybe not on his plane. That’s up to him.
“I’d like another day to get my head straight before I come home. I didn’t want to stay in Porto, but ... I really could use another day.” This is mostly true too. I didn’t want to remain in Porto, but neither my heart nor my head will be straight unless I go to Quimper.
“Callum and Ivy,” my father says, in a voice that’s deadly serious, “can you protect my daughter in Quimper?”
“Yes, sir,” they reply in unison.
“It’s not a bustling city, like London,” Ivy adds. “And it’s midweek. There are several hotels that can accommodate our security needs.”
