๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ โข ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐ ๐จ | ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ
I am late for my book signing. And well, the literary agent failed to send me the full schedule a week before. Being ahead is always important. I know my hair looks like I rolled out of bed without having time to fix anything.ย
With my lungs burning, the time being 10:03 am, I speed towards Gate 27, which happens to be written on the ticket. In my hurry, I bump into someone, causing most of what's in my carry-on to roll out. My kindle skids away and halts a few feet from a sneaky-looking janitor.ย
There goes my reading streak. I just stare at my Kindle and the janitor. "Last call for economy passengers leaving for Rome."
Oh. That's me. I gather most of my stuff, but he grabs my notebook, pens, and finally my Kindle. He's brave if he is walking right up to someone who looks very out of place to retrieve my lifeblood. As I take it from him, my tattoo, CarpeDiem, Peeks out.ย
"Gate 27 is a bit of a trek from here," he said. "You're heading to the Seattle flight, right?"ย
Even though his smile puts me at ease, the news that the flight had just left without me was not.
"Well... when's the next flight then?" I asked the person at the desk.ย
๐๐:๐๐ ๐๐ฆ โข ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐ ๐จ, ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ
I sit on one of the chairs, just thinking for a bit before deciding to eat a protein bar. My phone rings just then. Captain Lazonby calling.ย
Answering the call and putting it to my ear, I say, "Yes, Captain?"
The sigh tells me he is tired of me calling him that, especially since everyone at his job does that already to him. I am still chewing.ย
"You don't need to call me that, you know?" he says, and I smile. Teasing him is definitely one of my favorites. "How the heck do you crank out so many books?"
"The same way, there are too many stories running through my brain."ย
"You know how to reload a gun, right?" he asks me.ย
"Yes, sir," I reply.
"How about taking one apart and putting it together?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"ย
"Atta girl..." he says before going quiet for a bit. I hear sniffling.ย
"Dad?" I gently prod just as the guy who gave me my Kindle back says, "Tell him you're with a friend."ย
"What?" I say again cause I didn't get it the first time around. "Dad, it's fine. I am with a friend. Um.... Please don't cry. I know what happened to mom."
๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ โข ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐ ๐จ, ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ
"Listen to me," he says, shifting in the seat, facing me. "If you know what happened to her, then you know why these men are here. You know that Kindle isn't just a readerโit's a lighthouse, and every second we sit here, the light is getting brighter."
"We need to move now!" he adds. Who even is he? Well, I cut the call and decided to follow this mysterious savior.ย
We move through the airport, my Kindle clutched tight. He leads me through the 'Employees Only' door, the heavy metal thudding shut behind usโcutting off the frantic hum of the terminal. The stark smell of jet fuel, concrete, and cold air hits us immediately.ย
He keeps a firm but careful grip on my arm, guiding me towards the service stairs. Wherever he is leading me, I should trust him. He doesn't slow down, and I catch a glimpse of an earpiece.ย
"I know this isn't the 'Rome' you had in mind," he tells me, voice low and steady as we descend the metal-grated steps. The clatter of our steps is louder to me than it is supposed to be. "And I know your brain is trying to find the logic in a man you just met telling you your life is a target. But the fact that you know about your mother... that tells me you've been waiting for this 'glitch' your whole life."
๐๐:๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ โข ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ'๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง
The van smells like ozone, stale coffee, and high-end server racks. It's cramped, dimly lit by the glow of four different monitors, and humming with the sound of cooling fans. I had never questioned why mom would want me to be sent to my dad, cause I love spending time with him.ย
I loved seeing the discipline he put in everyone, including me. I try to get my breathing to a normal rate.ย
"Ethan, I've bypassed the O'Hare security loop," the man who is diligently working says. Okay, whatever, that means is not making any sense. "But we've got a problem. That Kindle isn't just 'pinging.' It's broadcasting a handshake protocol. It's looking for a receiver that hasn't been active since 2004."
He finally spins his chair around, looking at me with a mix of curiosity and respect. "I'm Luther, and I've got to tell you... Your mother's encryption style is a work of art. I've been trying to crack the sub-layer of your 'manuscript' for ten minutes. I can't even get past the first stanza of the poem you used as a cipher."
When I am finally calm. "How? She was a librarian. Absolutely boring."
Ethan leaned in close, locking eyes with me. "A librarian is the perfect cover for someone who needs to organize, hide, and retrieve sensitive information. It's not boringโit's professional. If Luther can't crack it, she wasn't just filing books; she was filing secrets."
The lies are unfolding, and yet I am not about to believe that my mother is a spy.ย