Page 54 of Factory Controller

Heather shakes her head, her lips a grim line. “Not even close. She made me an offer.”

“An offer?” I echo.

“Well, more like an ultimatum,” she corrects herself.

“What kind of ultimatum?”

“She offered me five million dollars to ‘forget’ everything I’ve seen here as well as whatever had happened in the rainforest. Everythingshehas done. If I take the money, she says I’ll never see her again.”

I cock an eyebrow at her. “And if you don’t take the money, what happens then?”

“She’ll hunt me down and kill me.” Heather looks anxiously around us. “I’m afraid that if either of us sets foot outside of this airport, she’ll have us killed.”

“That little…” I clench my hands into fists under the table. “I should never have listened to you. I should have killed her when I had a chance.”

“Why? That wouldn’t have made me any safer—in fact, it could have made matters worse.”

“I just feel so damn helpless.” I slam my fist onto the table so hard our silverware rattles. Several other diners glance our way. Abashed, I lower my voice before I continue speaking. “I felt the same way when my parents were murdered by that drunk driver and the system worked to protect him. Totally helpless.”

I hang my head between my hands, unable to face Heather. “I’ve failed you, Heather. I’ve failed you.”

“Nonsense. You haven’t failed me at all. Without you I wouldn’t be here today. So please Trent, stop going on about it like that.”

I lift my gaze to meet her own and find her with an almost serene smile on her face.

“What’s that look for?”

“I’ve made my decision.”

“And what have you decided?”

“The hell with Isabella. She’s not going to get away with what she’s done to these children and their families, even if it costs me my life. Trent, you’ll come with me to New York, right?”

I nod. “Of course I will. I want to see this thing through, and you won’t be even remotely safe until that plane is in the air.”

Heather’s look grows pained. “But will you stay once we’re there?”

The waiter arrives just then. Talk about being saved in the nick of time. I can’t decide whether or not I’m going to stay with Heather or not. It’s not that I don’t want to. I really, really want to. I want it more than anything I’ve wanted in my entire life.

I’m just worried I may not be the man she needs. I care more about Heather’s happiness than my own, and I’d hate to break her heart.

We order our dinner at last, and line up at the terminal for our flight. The Factory has worked some sort of magic since no one seems to care we have no passport. They also sprung for first class, so we get to board first.

Even when we make it onto the plane, I can’t relax. I keep staring at every person, be they passenger or flight crew, with extreme suspicion. Would Isabella make a move on Heather, even with so many witnesses around?

I’m so paranoid I even watch out the window in case someone tries to mess with the plane. Only when we’ve been in the air for several minutes do I start to relax even a little bit.

Manhattan or bust, here we come.

HEATHER

It’s going to take forever to reach Manhattan. We have no less than three stops. Trent and I grow anxious each time we land, fearing an ambush while we change planes. If Isabelle does indeed work with a rogue part of the Factory, she has a way to learn our route.

I expect the worst. I’m so stressed, each time we lift off into the air in a new plane, I fear it will explode and crash.

I don’t have so many certainties in life, but one thing I know for sure, Isabella meant every word of her death threat.

I relax a little when we reach Miami. We get hushed through passport control to some administrative office where Trent and I are both given a brand new passport and a credit card each. Surprisingly, mine is from my own bank. I’m not sure about Trent’s.

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