by Storm Chase
“If you got out more, you’d meet more interesting people.”
“Well, maybe we’ll get out and about a bit when we get home.”
“Right, in Hawaii.”
He laughed. “Nope! Wrong again.”
She laughed. Trying to outwit Xavier just wasn’t possible but it was fun to try.
“Xav,” she said on impulse. “I want to go online.”
Xavier was frowning. “Until this op is over nobody goes online except for me, Panda. Security.”
“Nobody uses the iPad apart from me. I’ll keep it on me all the time. I just want to read the news.” She struggled to explain her emotions. “I’m feeling sort of out of it. At home I had this routine of checking the news sites every morning and evening, you know? Even if I’m not there, I want to read about home.”
Xavier sighed. “There’s something you should know,” he said reluctantly. “Admiral House was bombed the day before yesterday.”
Pandora’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Oh my God! Was anyone hurt?”
“Ten people dead, a dozen in hospital,” Xavier said briefly.
“Sir Harry?”
“Out for a long lunch with Miss Pickles.”
“Pity,” Pandora said without thinking. She didn’t notice Xavier’s grin at her callousness. “Oh my God, Xav, who would do such a thing?”
Xavier shrugged. “Not us, that’s for sure. We’ve been making some nice money out of that set-up.”
“Revenge by the brigadier?” Pandora asked uncertainly. “Because he didn’t get what he wanted?”
“Very unlikely,” Xavier said. “Bombing attracts attention and nobody in our business wants that. It’s easier to try again or just to move on to a new mark.” He frowned. “Mind you, the Committee is worried that this is part of our turf war. It doesn’t make sense to me, but they might be right.”
“People often destroy things out of spite, not because it makes sense,” Pandora pointed out.
Xavier thought about it. “That’s true. But in this case it means they can’t ever get back in either.”
“It’s all part of cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
“I don’t get that,” Xavier said. “But I’m sure you’re right, Panda.”
One thing about Xav was that he could never be spiteful. After her experience with Richard, this was one of the things Pandora really appreciated about him. It was the first time she’d thought of Richard in days, and it reminded her of something she wanted to look up. “I really want to see the news,” Pandora said firmly.
“All right, Panda,” Xavier said. “But keep the iPad on you all the time. And no texting anyone, okay?”
“I know, I know!” Pandora said impatiently. “I’m dead and I’ll stay that way.”
Xavier looked at her carefully. “You’re twitching a lot, Panda. You feeling okay?”
“Just impatient to find out what’s going on,” Pandora said. “Don’t worry, Xav. I’m fine.”
But after seeing the devastation of Admiralty House, and the bodies of people she’d worked with, she wasn’t fine.
“They weren’t friends, Xav,” she explained as she went to him for a hug. “But I knew them. We said hello in the corridor and the canteen. And now they’re dead. It’s horrible.”
“I shouldn’t have let you see that,” Xavier said.
“You can’t wrap me in cotton wool,” Pandora pointed out.
Xavier sighed. “Actually, I can. My people think that’s exactly what I’m doing. If they knew you were online, they’d freak.”
“Then we won’t tell them,” Pandora said firmly. It was good to know that she was persuading him to go against his people. But to be sure he didn’t reconsider and block her Internet access again, she changed the subject. “How’s the project?” she asked him.
As she’d hoped, Xavier was instantly distracted.
“They didn’t realise how many rebels were in that area,” he told Pandora. “It’s amazing how dense that jungle is. We’ve discovered a village right on top of the diamond mine. Nobody even guessed it was there. I’m shifting them but it’s taking a bit longer than we thought. We’re going to be here an extra week, I reckon.”
“Are your clients upset?” Pandora asked nervously. Having the guns around still terrified her.
“Not at all! The more intel they have, the better!” Xavier grinned at her. “And now you’ve distracted me nicely, are you going to tell me about the rest of your news?”
Pandora laughed. “Can’t fool you, huh?”
“You’re still twitching.”
“I read that Richard is the city’s current scandal. He’s been fired and he’s up for fraud charges.”
“Hmmm,” Xavier said. “Are you all right, Panda?”
“Yes,” Pandora said honestly. “Actually, it didn’t bother me a bit. I also read that my father had a new contract, and he’s expanding the business, so clearly nobody is missing me. I also looked at my Facebook page and saw a few dozen RIPs. And funnily enough, that doesn’t bother me either.”
Xavier frowned. “Are you sure? I thought you’d be upset.”
“Me too,” Pandora admitted. “But it just doesn’t seem important anymore. I never got on with my family, and the people who left those RIPs weren’t close enough for us to keep in touch when I moved. They’re all strangers. And in a funny way, the Pandora they knew is a stranger too.”
“You seem the same to me,” Xavier said.
“Maybe it’s because you saw the real me,” Pandora thought out loud. “I mean, you read my private diaries and you saw me when I was all alone at home. You didn’t see the social me.”
“Could be,” Xav said happily. “You’re really good at understanding people, Panda. I wish I had that. It’s very useful, having insight.”
“I wish I had your brains,” Pandora sighed.
“We make a good team.”
Pandora grinned and took Xavier’s hand. “I know one thing that we’re brilliant at together. Let’s go to bed.”
They continued their routine until finally, three weeks to the day that she’d first met Xavier, he came bouncing into the bedroom just before sunset.
“I’ve finished,” he announced. “Let’s pack up, Pandora. We leave in an hour.”
Her stomach lurched with excitement. Pandora jumped to her feet. “You want me to pack all this stuff?” she said looking around.
“Just clothes, iPad, toothbrushes and my razor,” Xavier said happily. “I travel light.”
Piling everything into the backpack took five minutes. Pandora was surprised to see how little they had. Even on a week’s holiday she’d always needed two suitcases yet she’d been in the apartment for three weeks and hadn’t missed anything.
I’m becoming less materialistic, she thought to herself in surprise.
Wandering into the living room, she noted Xavier, Tan and Soo were packing the computer equipment lovingly. Everything was protected in bubble wrap, taped with felt and covered in shock proof cardboard before being cased in waterproof plastic.
She’d known that Xavier could speak Cantonese and Mandarin but she’d not realised how fluent he was. They were chattering away in Chinese with Xavier sounding identical to Tan and Soo.
When the big computers had been carried off, Xavier put on a baseball cap and sunglasses. He picked up a small case holding a laptop and turned to Pandora. “Ready to go?” he asked.
Pandora nodded. She felt light-headed with excitement but her stomach was also roiling with nerves. I’m afraid to go out, she thought in surprise. I’ve been here three weeks and I am afraid to leave. How can this be?
“Come on then,” Xavier said. He took the backpack from her and motioned for her to leave. “They’re waiting for us downstairs.”
Standing next to Xavier in the lift, she could feel her heart thumping against her chest.
“You okay, Panda? You look a bit pale and you’re breathing a bit quickly.”
“I’m all righ
t,” she answered hoarsely. But when the lift opened, Pandora shot back and plastered herself against the wall.
Facing the lift were six men in army fatigues. They were carrying machine guns. A dozen more stood behind them, all looking out into the street. She had the terrible feeling that they would take them outside and shoot them.
“Come on, Panda,” Xavier said holding out his hand. “This is our escort.”
“Escort?” Pandora gasped. “This is an escort?”
“Sure, I told you, there’s a civil war on. These guys will make sure we’re not bothered on our way to the airport.”
Pandora’s knees were shaking. “Xavier, I’m afraid,” she whispered.
He frowned. “Oh.” Abruptly he put down the backpack and the laptop. He put his arms around her, pushing her face into his shoulder. “Don’t look, Panda. Just come with me.” Holding her close, he walked her out. “Can someone get my backpack and laptop?” he said out loud.
Seconds later he decanted Pandora into the back of a truck. He jumped in after her, keeping himself between her and their escort who were piling in after them. As soon as she slid down the bench, he sat down next to her and put an arm around her. The warm strength of him infused her with courage; Pandora took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down.
“It’s all right, Panda,” Xavier said softly. “It’s an hour to the airport and then we’re off. No need to worry.”
“Right. I know. Sorry to be such a drip,” she said shakily.
“I used to be a bit tense about guns too,” Xavier said somewhat surprised. “I’d forgotten.”
“When was that?” she asked curiously. Anything to distract herself from the guns that were inches away.
“Oh, the first few years. Before I became too valuable to shoot.”
A piece of the puzzle slipped into place. This is how Xavier survived; this was how he’d built up that protective shell that kept everyone at bay. It wasn’t just acting tough; it was having skills that others wanted. This is how he had become invulnerable.
Pandora knew with instinctive certainty that this was something she would have to emulate. To survive, she would have to adapt like Xavier had. Somehow she had to build a wall. No more spinelessness.
Thinking of safety, Pandora looked at the guns crowded in the truck. “Where are Mac and the others?” she asked.
“My people are in the other truck with the computers. Mac and the girls get out tomorrow morning. I don’t want anyone knowing we’re on our way to the airport.”
“They’ll be all right, won’t they?” Pandora asked worriedly.
“Of course, Panda! After all, we might want to use them again.” Xavier was patting her reassuringly. “If we killed every contractor who worked for us, do you really think we could keep hiring?”
“That’s very practical,” Pandora said dryly.
Xavier grinned. “I can dress it up with some moral stuff if you like.”
Pandora looked at the guns again. She felt sick at the sight of them but she sat up straight, took a deep breath and pretended to be totally cool.
“I’m okay,” she told Xavier. “I guess I’d better get used to this. After all, I bet there’s guns when we get to your place in Rio.”
“Wrong again!”
Despite her fear Pandora couldn’t help laughing. She was beginning to adapt.
Chapter Eleven
It took 24 hours to get to Xavier’s home.
The first plane was a tiny jet that took them a few hours west and then dumped them at a small airport in the middle of nowhere. Hours later, a slightly bigger plane took them further west, delivering them at a large airport where another, even bigger jet waited for them.
At this point Tan and Soo peeled off. “They’re off to Hong Kong,” Xavier explained. “They can fly commercial from here.”
“And we’re off to Australia? The Barrier Reef?” Pandora said questioningly.
“Nope, guess again!”
Pandora looked out of the window. The sun was just coming over the horizon but all she could see was tarmac and aeroplanes. “Are we still in Africa?” she asked.
“We’re in Nairobi, Panda. Kenya.”
She wished she’d taken geography at school. She really had to get a map.
“Not far now,” Xavier promised as the plane took off.
Pandora looked at the iPad and found a map. Now she knew where she had been but her destination was a mystery. Three hours later, the plane began its descent. Looking out of the window, Pandora saw deep blue sparkling water, white beaches and a tropical looking island.
“Home,” Xavier announced. His eyes were sparkling with pleasure.
“Where is this place?” she asked excitedly. “It looks amazing!”
“Haven’t you guessed? You sent me a picture of it.” Xavier pulled out his phone. Pandora looked and began to laugh. It was a picture she’d seen online of Beau Vallon beach in the Seychelles. She’d captioned it, wish I were here!
“You’re kidding!” she whispered. “You live in the Seychelles?”
“Do now!” Xavier laughed. “I was living in Angola when I started watching you. It’s not a place for you so I told Ramon to get us a place here. I haven’t been yet but it’s ten minutes from the beach and we’ve got our own pool.”
Pandora looked at him in amazement. “You moved house, country even, just because of me?”
“Sure! I want you to be happy, Panda.”
She didn’t know what to say. Tears sprung into her eyes.
Xavier looked at her worriedly. “I got it right, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” Pandora threw her arms around him.
“It’s just that your eyes have gone all watery.”
“Tears of joy,” Pandora said firmly.
Curiously they didn’t go through passport control. As soon as they landed, even before the plane stopped taxiing, Paco made a phone call. When Xavier donned the baseball cap and sunglasses again, Pandora understood the light disguise was part of his security.
“Should I wear a hat and glasses too?” she asked him curiously.
“You don’t need to. Nobody is looking for you, Panda.”
Pandora wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. If MI5 had been looking for her, it might mean an opportunity to get them away. Although it was exciting to be in a tropical paradise, the ever-watching Committee gave her the shivers.
Go with the flow, she told herself. Enjoy this moment and think about the rest later. She had to admit that being in the Seychelles was the single most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. Good exciting, that was. She’d had enough terrifying excitement for a lifetime.
The plane finally came to a halt. Minutes later three large shiny black cars rolled up. Sharp looking military types dressed in casual looking jeans, T-shirts, and baseball caps stepped out of two. Despite the balmy weather, they were wearing jackets. They dressed like tourists but from their bulging pockets Pandora knew they were all carrying guns. The third car was filled with officials in smart blue uniforms.
“Uhm, Xav, I just realised that I don’t have a passport!” she whispered frantically.
“Don’t worry! It’s all fixed. Come on, Panda. We’ll be off in a minute.”
When they disembarked, the military types instantly surrounded them. Two peeled off and stood near her and Xavier. By the way they acted, she realised they were Xavier’s personal security detail. Although the military types looked tough, Xavier somehow looked more dangerous. His face was expressionless, his muscles tense, his movements careful. After looking at him circumspectly Pandora deduced it was because he was edgy.
The knowledge that Xavier was tense made her twitchy too. With utter amazement Pandora watched as Paco approached the officials and handed them a wad of cash. She’d always thought that bribery would be clandestine; this was incredibly blatant. They stood and chatted for a few minutes before one of the men took out a stamp and solemnly worked his way through a handful of passpor
ts that Paco handed him.
Xavier seemed to breathe again. “All right, Panda. Time to go.”
They sat in the back seat of one shiny black car as Ramon got behind the wheel and Paco jumped in next to him. Minutes later they were racing out of the airport, escorted by the other black cars. At the gate, they parted company with the officials with a wave of the hand. The military types in the other car stuck with them.
Pandora looked out of the window catching tantalising glimpses of white beaches through the lush greenery that flanked the busy coastal road. Ten minutes later they entered a town, drove through some side streets and finally landed in front of a small condominium.
“Home,” Xavier announced. “Come on, Panda.” Leaving everyone else to empty out the van, Xavier and Pandora were escorted by two military types into the lobby and into an open elevator beyond. The guns stayed behind as the doors shut. Seconds later Pandora and Xavier were whizzing upstairs.
The doors opened into a small lobby. Xavier put down the laptop and backpack on a small table by the wall, threw his baseball cap and sunglasses on top, and took Pandora by the hand. “Come on, let’s explore!”
The huge apartment was built along luxurious lines. The living room had a giant television and an Xbox, the kitchen was equipped to cater for a dozen gourmet chefs, the gym was stacked with machines, and the bedrooms all had ensuite bathrooms, complete with large picture windows and sunken baths.
Crime does pay, Pandora thought. Then she brushed the thought away. She’d get herself and Xavier out of this, but while she was here she was going to enjoy herself. There was no point in moping in paradise.
The biggest bedroom had an inbuilt wardrobe that held clothes she recognised. Ramon really had managed to find everything she used to have in London. Funnily enough it didn’t seem creepy; it felt like having a small slice of home. She noted Xavier’s side was empty. Clearly his things hadn’t arrived yet.
Exploring happily, they found a staircase that led to the roof. Three quarters of it was covered in a lush garden, rich with thick grass and carefully tended boxes filled tropical plants and miniature trees. The other quarter was taken up by a deep pool. A set of loungers stood on the side, protected by a cheerful red and white striped canopy.
