“Correct,” he answers. “Do you want me to put some music on?”
“Yes, please.”
Winter turns the radio on and starts singing along, following the lyrics of a pop song. While he’s totally thrilled to be driving me home, my heart is racing at a thousand miles an hour, thinking about a plan to get rid of him.
I look out of the window and behind us; we are far but not far enough from the farmhouse. In order to execute the plan I have in mind we need to be really far from it. A few more minutes and we should be good. Winter keeps singing and dancing in his seat under the lyrics of a pop singer. He looks pathetic and I can’t help but roll my eyes at him.
I glance at my watch and take a deep breath in and out as I try to calm myself down. In a sudden move, I take the gun out of my waistband and firmly point it to him.
“Pull the car over!” I snap with all the strength I have.
Winter startles at my order and nearly begins to cry from it.
“Please don’t hurt me,” he whines between sobs.
Wow. I never thought he would break down like that, but I keep myself just as focused. Once he pulls over, I give him my second order. “Get out of the car.”
He hesitates a bit so I hold the gun with two hands and shout, “Now!”
Winter unfastens his belt and opens the door, stepping outside.
“Give me your phone and mine too.”
He runs a hand inside his coat and takes a smartphone from there. He tosses it onto the driver’s seat before doing the same with my iPhone. “What’s your code?”
“Three, four, three, four.”
I don’t dare to try it now because he could do any stupid move and I don’t want to have to shoot.
“Now go to the other side of the road.”
Winter keeps his hands in the air and after turning his back on me to safely cross the road, I leave the passenger seat and slide onto the driver’s seat. I close the door and press down on the pedal, the motor roars, and I’m finally alone. My gaze is as focused as an eagle on the road. I decide to go to Amsterdam rather than home, because home is the first place they will go to look for me. Time is not in my favor, but I have an idea.
With my iPhone in hand, I dial Eric’s number and call him immediately. The ringtone goes on, and on…
“Hello?”
I gasp, finally hearing his voice. “Eric, it’s me—Tess.”
“Gosh, Tess! How are you? It has been such a long time.”
“I don’t know if this line is safe, but I managed to escape them and now I’m on the road, heading to Amsterdam,” I tell him getting straight to the point. My tone is urgent, matching with my current situation.
“Escape? You mean, you were really abducted?” Sounds like he knew a thing or two about it.
“Yes, I need to go somewhere safe where they can't find me.”
“Come to New York, you will have full protection,” Eric suggests straight away.
“But I don’t have my passport with me, I don’t have anything.”
“Don’t worry,” he says, his voice steady and radiating confidence. “I’ll call the immigration office in Teterboro and get you on a plane to New York. Head to the International airport of Amsterdam and then go to the private terminal. There will be a plane waiting for you there.”
“Eric, thank you so much for this,” I breathe, trying to contain my emotions. I can’t break in tears now. I’m close, so damn close to leave this whole nightmare behind.
“How did you manage to escape?”
“I pretended to make a deal with Van Dieren,” I explain.
Eric sounds impressed. “So he knows you are out?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t know that I have zero intentions of following through though, until Winter, his minion, inevitably tells him.”
“Don’t worry,” he replies. “I’m gonna make a few phone calls and I’ll let my son know about your arrival.”
“Thank you,” I tell him once more. “Eric? Can I take my lawyer with me? Carice has been searching for me non-stop and I think she might also be in danger.”
“Yes, sure,” he says. “Well, I’m gonna make a few phone calls, alright? We’ll speak soon. Good luck!”
After we hang up, I type Carice’s number and call her right away.
“Hello?”
As soon as I hear her voice, I can’t hold my tears back any longer and let them fall down my cheeks. Oh gosh, it just feels so good to finally be able to talk to her. But I have to stay focused, so I wipe my tears away and say, “Carice, you have to come with me to New York.”
“Tess! Oh my God! Where are you?” she asks, sounding alarmed. “Are you in the Netherlands? I have been searching for you since December!”
“Yes, I managed to escape, but they’ll be looking for me very soon, and maybe you too. It’s not safe to stay here,” I tell her, pausing to regain my breath. “Eric is getting a plane ready for me to leave to New York. You should come with me. It’s safer.”
“Now?” she asks, like she isn’t aware of the gravity of the situation.
“Yes, now, Carice,” I snap. “Take your passport if you have one, go to the airport in Amsterdam and head to the private terminal. A plane will be leaving shortly.”
“Okay, um, I’m leaving the office now.” I can hear by the sound of her accelerated breathing that she is speeding up her pace. Good, at least she has taken me seriously. “Have you spoken to your daughter yet?”
“I’m gonna call her right after,” I say, not leaving my eyes from the road. “Carice, I’m driving, I can’t speak much longer.”
“Of course, well, we’ll see each other at the terminal. Bye.”
After hanging up, I need to take a few deep breaths and tame my emotions first. I don’t want to break down in tears again as soon as I hear my daughter’s voice. Once I get a hold of myself, I type in her number and put the phone against my ear, my heart thundering as I wait for her to answer.
The ringtone stops and I hear someone breathing on the other side of the line. “Petra? Can you hear me?”
“Mom?” Recognizing my daughter’s voice, I want to sob at how happy I am, but I focus on inhaling and exhaling and keep my composure. “Gosh, everyone thought you were dead! Where are you?”
“It’s a long story. Are you in New York?” I prompt myself to ask.
“Um, yes, we came back last month,” she says, my mind still barely believing that my little angel is talking to me on the other side of the line. “What happened to you?”
“Great,” I say, pulling myself back from my thoughts. “Can I talk to you in person?”
“Um, yes, sure. But, wait—are you coming to New York?” She sounds surprised. “Is everything alright?”
“Radars, ahead, please slow now,” I hear from Winter’s smartphone. Jeez!
“I don’t have much time to talk right now. Shall we meet in Park Avenue at around one tomorrow afternoon?”
“Tomorrow? Um, okay, but what happened?” she insists.
“Petra, it’s not safe to talk over the phone,” I tell her, stumbling over my words. “I’ll explain everything once I’m there. Please don’t tell anyone we’ve been in contact. No one,” I repeat, fearing she’d tell Van Dieren the truth. “Do you hear me?”