I hope you enjoy this.
Chapter Seven:
"Your daughter is in a lot of trouble," Hitchens said to Boris and Nadia Barinov.
They met in the Oval Office an hour after Lilly came out of the woods with a bruise on her head and a horse following her.
"Our daughter is missing!" Boris yelled.
"After hitting the First Daughter," he said fiercely. "Let me be honest here, I think my daughter is hiding something. I don't believer her story about Lina knocking her out suddenly while they took a break from riding. I think she has gone rogue. Lina told me about your assassination plot and begged for amnesty, a big word for a little girl."
They didn't say anything at first. The Barinovs merely stared him down.
"What do you want from us?" Boris asked.
"I keep this assassination plot secret and you don't go to the press or the authorities about your missing girl," Hitchens said. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she is found. I just don't want the publicity and neither do you."
"Fine," Boris said. "Are we done then?"
"For now," he said.
"We'll find our way out," Nadia said as they walked away. "We didn't care for her that much anyway."
Hitchens watched them leave. When the door was shut, he sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose. Something spooked the Barinov girl. He wished he knew what as he stared at Lilly's little wooden pony.
…
Lilly's parents were letting her rest. Every time her mother looked in, it appeared that Lilly was reading while listening to music. She was really listening to her father in the Oval Office. Lina had stolen one of her receivers, but not the only one. Upon hearing that her father would not put out an alert that Lina was missing, she realized she had to take matters into her own hands.
She really was looking for aliens when she hacked the CIA and was disappointed when she didn't find any. There were no books on hacking, but there were guides. Kids were being taught the basics of coding before they could walk with small, sturdy picture books, so there was a market. It didn't take her long to master the basics and enter the Dark Web.
There was a board for missing children there. It was used mostly by desperate parents and the occasional savvy young relative. It didn't hurt to post Lina's passport photo (easily accessed through the State Department) with a brief description:
"This is my friend Lina. Her real name is Lisa Diana Reid and was taken from American biological father to be raised as a Russian spy. She is on the run here in Washington, DC. The American government refuses to look for her because she knows too much. Please help her! I know this all sounds crazy, but it is true, and she needs help."
She signed off as "Raven Twilight"
Lilly wasn't raised to be religious, but for once in her life, she hoped a higher power was looking out for her friend.
…
Arnica was a slave to her monitors. She even slept in the same room with them and ate most of her meals there. It could be exhausting, but right now, she didn't care. Lisa Reid was her priority.
If there was a higher power, He (or She) must have been listening when an alert came with Lisa's Russian passport photo. Lisa was on the run, confirming her and Raisa's theory about who the source was. It wasn't hard to figure out who the source of the post was either.
"So, the apple falls far from the tree in this case," she said with a smile.
She knew what to do now. It was time to get Lisa home.
…
After tying Storm to a tree and throwing Lilly and my cell phone into separate creeks, I walked in the opposite direction until I found a quaint little American subdivision to hide in. It wasn't hard, and I ended up in Carson Springs Development. Identifying the oldest house where the residents weren't present, I picked the locks and found an old laptop with a steady internet connection. I then pulled out some soda and other food that wouldn't be missed in what appeared to be a family of four. After grabbing some sheets from a linen closet, I located the crawl space with plans to hide there for the night.
For a few hours, I listened to the family of teenagers argue with their parents as I researched who I was. I had friends with deep pockets. A 'Lisa Diana Reid' fundraiser for missing children was held every year by a David Rossi, a coworker of my father and best-selling author. He even dedicated his latest book to me. If there was any hope of finding a way to prove who I was to someone, it might be him.
He lived locally. It took a little digging around the Dark Web, but it is impossible for anyone to hide forever. Where he lived will take me most of the day to walk to, but it will be worth it when I arrive. I hoped.
Things in the house settled down around midnight, and my exhaustion finally gave way to sleep.
…
I got up before the rest of the house woke up and creep out the way I came. Hopefully they will never know a wanted Russian spy hid there.
Walking is no fun. It takes up a lot of time and energy. I consider stealing a bike, but there are too many cameras around. Crossing highways is treacherous. Halfway through, I grow thirsty, but I push on. I needed to keep moving, even if it kills me.
To my total and complete shock, none other than David Rossi is sitting on his porch as if he was waiting for me. When he saw me approaching, he smiled.
"Hello Lisa," he said pleasantly.
I gasped. "How did you know I was coming?"
"Your friend Lilly posted about how you were missing on the Dark Web along with your passport photo, which triggered an alert abroad. We've been looking for you Lisa. You're safe here."
I am exhausted and barely know this man but somehow, I already love him to pieces. With tears in my eyes I rushed forward into his waiting embrace.
After holding on for at least a minute, he pulled away and asked the most amazing question:
"Would you like to talk to your father?"
