It is this statement that triggers the realisation in my mind that I actually haven’t been alone with Elizabeth and Jordan since the first night we arrived. Jeremy has been with us constantly. They immediately look toward Jeremy sensing the change in the tone of his voice.
I embrace him, pulling his head toward me so I can whisper: ‘Please, one circuit on the monorail. It will be good for us and it will give me an opportunity to be with them alone.’
‘No, what if —’
I quickly cut him off with a promise. ‘I will take Martin and one of those other minders. We will get on, complete one circuit and get off at the same station. I promise you. Please,’ I plead with him. ‘We’ll be fine, honestly.’
Exasperation shifts to acceptance as he extracts me from his arms and strides out to arrange it personally with Martin. I sigh into the room as I acknowledge how even the simplest of things in my life have become increasingly complicated since meeting with Jeremy all those months ago.
He kisses me out the door, holding my chin between his fingers and making direct eye contact, as if to ensure he has my undivided attention. ‘One circuit — no getting off.’
I stand on my tiptoes and peck his lips. ‘I love you too, J.’
We leave serious Jeremy behind and the kids are thrilled we have the green light to go. Thankfully, they don’t understand the particulars of why this needs to be such a big deal, and are now so used to being trailed by our keepers, they don’t ask any questions. And so, we say farewell to a place they have loved visiting, one last time.
Jeremy appears to be calmer and in a much better mood when we return and even has a skinny flat white and a firm embrace waiting for me. He visibly relaxes the second we walk in.
‘See, safe and sound.’
‘Just as well, sweetheart, or I would have had Martin’s head.’
I look warily toward Martin, not necessarily doubting the sincerity of Jeremy’s words. He nods his thanks to Martin; they have already been through more than enough drama together because of me. It will end soon, I reassure myself. As soon as I give Jurilique what she wants. I hope. I stop my brain from considering the possibility of any other outcome.
I quickly drink my coffee as the minders take our bags to the stretch limousine waiting downstairs — more fun for the kids.
‘Alrighty, let’s go.’ We gather our things together as the kids pick up their newly-acquired stuffed animals and we assemble ourselves into the lift and out into the limo. I lean into the car to ensure the kids are settled in their seats and as I back out to collect my other bag, Jeremy shoves me straight back inside and closes the door. Good grief, what now?
The doors immediately lock and the kids stare at me with wide eyes and surprised faces. No doubt the look on my face isn’t helping. I gaze out the tinted windows to see Martin has apprehended a woman with a white envelope in her hand. She looks shocked and immediately drops it on the ground and tries to pull away from his grip. Hotel security arrives, though I can’t hear what they are saying with the windows up.
It appears to get sorted out rather quickly. Jeremy nods to Martin and he bends down to pick up the envelope and place it inside his jacket pocket. Jeremy then slides into the back of the limo with us as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. The kids remain silent, which is unusual at the best of times, awaiting my response.
I decide now is not an appropriate time to question Jeremy and suggest a game of I-spy for distraction as the car slides smoothly out of the Disney fantasy and into the real world. Jeremy looks relieved at having avoided my inquisition yet again.
The return trip to the airport seems to be taking much longer than I remembered on arrival, but the kids are chatty and happy so I fully engage with them and enjoy their giggles and recollections of our past week together. That is until I see high-rise buildings glittering in the distance against a clear blue sky and Martin is driving the limo on the freeway directly toward them.
Shocked, I turn to Jeremy.
‘Do you have anything you need to share with me?’ I utter the words under my breath, thankful the kids are now happily absorbed in their technology and not me. His grip around my hand tightens as he shakes his head. More silence from him. ‘Well, I think you do and I’d like you to share it now.’
I shuffle around in my seat so I can make better eye contact with him. He shakes his head again. Damn him, he knows I’m not going to make a scene in front of the kids.
‘Please tell me where we are going, J, because if I’m not mistaken, it appears we are heading toward Miami and nowhere near Orlando International,’ I say sternly and as quietly as possible. I try to release my hand from his grip, but he tightens it further instead. ‘You’re not going to tell me what’s going on are you?’
‘Not here, no.’ He indicates toward the children.
Jeremy never eases his grip on my hand. I can sense his nerves and anxiety, which just go to heighten mine. Our eyes eventually connect. His are cloudy, blanketed with intense emotions, and he mouths the words ‘I love you’ as I notice a tear well up in his eye. Oh, dear god, this must be killing him just as much as it is me. I close the distance between us and snuggle underneath his shoulder. He releases my hand, only to quickly clasp it again with his other hand, so he can wrap his arm around me. We remain this way in silence while we watch the rest of the world go by, on our way to our yet-to-be-disclosed destination.
Sex is the great unifier. In its big slower vibration, it is the warmth of the heart which makes people happy and together, in togetherness.
David Herbert Lawrence
Jeremy
I embrace Alexa as close as I acceptably can in the presence of the children. Martin is driving the limo fast, but within legal limits, to Adam’s penthouse in South Beach, Miami.
Adam is Leo’s brother. He inherited the same wealth as Leo and he is, potentially, Robert’s new boyfriend, based on their recent successful rendezvous in London. I contacted Robert, Alexa’s husband, after we received the letter, informing him that she was at great risk again. He agreed without hesitation to meet us on the East Coast and Adam offered his place as the meeting point given its convenient location and additional security. It also had a helipad if we happened to get hold of Leo in time. So our plans seamlessly fell into place.
I thought it would kill me not to discuss and work out a response to Jurilique’s letter, as per Alexa’s request, but in the end it worked out for the best. We’ve been able to ensure the kids weren’t affected and still enjoyed their holiday, and I’ve been able to make arrangements during the evening when Alexa has been asleep. If she thinks for one second I would let that bitch lay another finger on her, she can’t know me as well as I thought.
After pulling a few medical strings, I’ve been able to access Elizabeth’s medical records from when she was in hospital with appendicitis two years ago. It appears that she has type A blood rather than type AB like Alexa, so it is impossible for her to have the same unique allele, or alternative gene, that we discovered Alexa has during the experimentation process, which is something of a relief. But that’s assuming that this type of anomaly is genetic, rather than, say, being triggered by some specific medical condition or reaction … that would be highly irregular, though everything about Alexa’s blood is unusual to say the least. From the tests we have done to date, her particular anomaly only appears to relate to XX chromosomes, not XY, thereby specifically impacting females. If this finding proves to be true, there is then no need to test Jordan’s blood, and we could confirm that the children are of absolutely no value to Xsade, or anyone else for that matter. I haven’t wanted to bring it up with Alexa until we know for sure. Given that she wasn’t keen on the idea of testing the kids in the first place, I decided to let sleeping dogs lie, not wanting