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She took over my life, ever since that day in London. Unlike me, she didn't get a pardon from Heller. I guess she had no place to go after losing her hacker friends, so she followed Belcheck back to Serbia. He gave her the keys to my apartment in Belgrade, which is just one floor above his, and let her live there, ever since. He looked a bit worried when he told me about it - like he was about to confess a mistake, but he did nothing wrong. I really don't mind. Probably I would have done the same, hadn't I been captured.

It hadn't taken them very long to find a useful position for me when I first arrived in Belgrade, years ago - and I guess that they gladly affiliated a woman with Chloe's abilities, in return for granting her -relative- safety. But for sure, the Serbians are not the ones who are behind this rescue mission. I am not worth that much to them and me, getting captured by the Russians, wouldn't be much of a harm to them.
This is Chloe's and Belcheck's mission. They organized that all. Belcheck had the necessary contacts into the underground world. Chloe had the abilities to either organize the funding or fake the transfers.

The Mexicans sent somebody to Russia to bid for me in that auction, months ago. They are a breakaway fraction of the former Villadoza cartel, one of Salazar's enemies. So even if they can still remember my name from somewhere, they'd for sure not be my enemies. Maybe that was why they were relatively humane to me. Chloe had contacted them with a fake story, offering them a lot of money for their services as a go-between, telling them that Belcheck represented an Ukrainian group that wanted me, and because of the political relations of Ukraine to Russia, none of their members could go there personally or bid for me directly.
The Mexicans bought the story. They were only in it for the money. To them, all of this meant nothing. They handed me over to Belcheck at the hacienda. He put the black hood over my head again and dragged me out to his and Chloe's car, rudely pushing me in in the back. We agreed to make this look as real as possible. He didn't need to treat me carefully. By the time we drove away the Mexicans were probably laughing, about making such a lot of money with such an easy work, and laughing about the poor guy getting roughed up by the ones who they believed to be Ukrainians. They expected him to bring me back in four weeks. Chloe transferred fifteen million dollars to a cayman account as a deposit, in case they wouldn't bring me back in time. They told me all that during the drive.

As we were a few miles away from the hacienda, they took the black hood off my head and gave me the keys for my handcuffs. We had to get away from Mexico, as quick as possible. There could have been spies of their groups anywhere, and they are not allowed to find out that I'm not really a captive.

Belcheck and Chloe planned that getaway very well. We stopped at a cottage that they'd rented, but not for long. I got rid of the shabby prison clothes and trimmed the beard that had grown in the past weeks to look like the man on the picture in my fake Australian passport. Chloe brought that one from Serbia, where I have a real collection.

We boarded a ferry ship in Veracruz, which is now taking us to Havana. This is the first time that anyone of us can relax somehow. Out on the sea, we're away from everyone who could be spying on us or be a danger.

As I locked the door to my cabin behind me, I sank down to the floor, trying to realize what happened in the past 24 hours.
Chloe is probably worried right now, because I wordlessly took the bag with my stuff that she'd brought along with me and locked the door from the inside. Does she really worry that I'd do something stupid?
No. I just need a minute for myself.

I can hardly move. I must have been sitting here for an hour now. My thoughts are racing, but I can't put them in order. I can't focus on anything. I stare at the bull's eyes of a window on the other side of the cabin. To be in here feels like being locked up in a cell again.
I don't feel free, even though I am. It will take a while.

I could go over to the bed... it looks real comfy. I don't even remember the last time I spent in such a wonderful bed. Must have been in Germany, half a year ago, when Belcheck and I travelled to London.

I can't go over there. I don't have the power to stand up.
Looking at it, knowing that it is there, within reach... at my disposal... that's enough for now. Just as good as really lying in there.

I feel my hands tremble. Maybe the low blood sugar, cause I haven't eaten anything yet. It's time to get up. They are worrying for sure.
They shouldn't worry about me. I'm safe, as safe as I'll ever be. I can go out there, down to the restaurant and buy myself something. I'm not used to that any more.

I don't know if that's also true for Audrey. She could be with Yokhanna now- then she's safe. If she didn't reach her, she's probably out there somewhere, straying around in the nether lands between China and Kazakhstan.

I don't deserve to be here. I should be with her, I should have a made a better plan for our getaway, or anything... having lost her that night feels like having let her down. I hope that she's not out there somewhere, hungry, or in danger... or even worse. Damn it, Jack, pull yourself together and do something against it! It's of no use to her if you sit her and wallow in self-pity!

I grab the door handle and pull myself up. Week-kneed, I make my way over to the bathroom in my cabin. My pants are only held by the belt I'm wearing, also the shirt is way too baggy. Chloe must have taken the clothes out of my wardrobe in Belgrade. It shows me how much weight I lost over the course of the past months. They once fit.

I refuse to look into the mirror, as I step into the shower. This tiny shower in a second-class cabin on an old Mexcian ship feels like the Ritz.
Whenever something good happens to me these days, I'm always reminded of Audrey: I don't deserve this luxury. I can't let myself go and just enjoy it. Not until I know that she's safe.

As I step out of the shower I again avoid to look into the mirror. I hate to see my sunken cheeks and I hate the beard even more. I only wear it to look like the picture in my fake passport. My hair is not too long, but it looks shabby. I should go and let someone take care of that, to better fit the image of a traveling Australian high school teacher. Only one of the many fake stories that I've created to always have a way out.

I leave my cabin and knock at Chloe's door, just on the other side of the hallway.
Belcheck opens up. They're happy to see me, I guess they were already worried what took me so long. I just hope that don't start to ask questions about what happened to me in the past months. I don't want to talk about that because I'd hate to see the pity in their eyes when I tell them what happened. Above all, I don't want to think back.

Chloe sits on the bed. I wonder when I've seen her for the last time without any computer around. Here on the ship she has no internet connection. I guess she feels just as stripped as I do, when I don't have a gun.
There's a little table on the other side, where I sit down. Belcheck locks the door and comes over to me.

We have tickets from Havana to Budapest, he says, as he sits down on the other chair. Two more days on the ship, the flight leaves on Wednesday afternoon.

Tickets. Of course- they're planning to get me 'home'. From Mexico to Havana, a flight to Budapest and then home to Belgrade. It's not that far from Budapest, the border to Serbia is not controlled very tightly and nobody expects me to travel via Havana or Budapest.

I'm not going, I answer.
They're both taken aback by my words.

What?! Chloe slips off the bed and comes over to me. Why?

I have to search for Audrey, I answer.

Now she she thinks I've gone crazy. She and Belcheck exchange worried glances. Then she crouches down in front of me. Jack, she begins, Audrey...

She's not dead, Chloe.

She got shot in London. She didn't make it. The whole nation mourned her death along with James Heller. And you tell us that this all isn't true?

I have to stay calm. At least for now. She doesn't believe me. She's alive, Chloe, I repeat, I saw her. I hate to talk about the moments which have been the most precious ones of my recent life. And I hate to talk about what happened to me and Audrey.

Chloe is still worried. Jack, she was officially pronounced dead by the British authorities. They wouldn't make such a mistake. Not when it's the First Daughter of the United States.

They did.

Jack..., Belcheck says, to help Chloe, come on, we drove to Heller. Even I saw her coffin.

The coffin, right. I never thought about how they did it. How did the Chinese fake Audrey's death? How did they get her out? How could they fool the Secret Service, the British authorities, all the US agencies? Did nobody check if Audrey was really dead? The doubts that I always had try to come back. But I push them away.

Chloe comes slightly closer. Are you sure you saw her?, she silently asks. I can see her worrying about me. In the corner of my view I can see Belcheck shake his head in disapproval. He doesn't believe one word that I say.

Yes, I am sure, I answer. She makes me think. Am I really sure? Yes, of course, I am. She was there.

Where is she now?, Chloe asks.

I don't know. I don't even know if she's still alive. I don't know for sure. China. Or Kazachstan.
I guess it took me too long to answer. Not even Chloe seems to believe me.

Where did you see her?

In China. The Russians gave me to them before they handed me over to your Mexican partners. Audrey was there. I hate to talk about my time there. She was there. They had her, all the time, ever since London. They questioned her and brought me there to use me as a leverage against her.

Chloe takes a deep breath. She and Belcheck exchange worried glances again. They doubt my sanity.

We were both held by the Chinese. We tried to make a getaway, I go on. I have to tell them things to make them believe my story, we got separated and I didn't see her again.

Finally, Belcheck also stands up and comes over to me.
I still stare at the floor, at a point somewhere in between Chloe and him.

They can't just kidnap the daughter of the President of the United States and get away with it, he speaks, somebody would notice.

And if they did notice? I stand up now, too, looking into his eyes, What if they just haven't found her yet? They wouldn't tell the world.

Chloe has to go between us. She sees that my level of anger raises uncontrollably now.

Jack, she says softly, lying her hand on my arm, I can check this when we reach Havana. I'll check her medical records and the Secret Service orders.
She has to say that to keep me calm, I know. There's no other reason- because they still don't believe me.

I'm not tired, but I tell them that I'll take some rest, to get out of here.
I can't afford to argue with the only two friends that I still have on this planet.
But if they don't believe me... damn it, I can't prove anything. They don't believe the word of a man who got abused both physically and mentally, who got drugged for questioning and tortured. Well, I guess I wouldn't believe the word of such a person either.

Damn it.

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