Page 51 of Degrees of Control
“Yes, sir. We need to stop at the hotel and then run by the hospital. Chase’s head of security is recovering from surgery and will be here until he is strong enough to be flown home,” he says.
“Very well, I’ll have my men accompany you and ensure that you get up in the air safely. Please exercise all precautions with her on the way home. The ties between Interpol and Alfreita are concerning,” Vicenti says.
“Thank you, sir,” Sheldon says, not referencing the teams which surround the large estate, in the event we were followed or something went awry.
We are soon navigating the lush tropical road back to the main highway. I turn on my cell and review the messages from Chase telling me not to talk to Vicenti. We are barely at the entrance of the hotel when the vibration on my phone signals an incoming message.
Message:Where are you?
Reply:Back at the hotel. All is well.
Message:When do you arrive stateside?
Message:I am leaving for the states within the hour.
Message:Good.
Poor Lloyd, having to deal with what I am sure is a contentious and bad tempered Chase. We stop by the hospital and I don a scarf as Sheldon reminds me not to discuss anything except Jay’s health. He is sitting up in bed with his cell phone in hand when we walk in. He shakes his head as he puts it onto his bedside table.
“A message from Chase?” I whisper, knowing all too well that it is.
“I think we’re all going to catch a little hell when we get home. You probably more than anyone,” he says. It is good to see Jay smile and feeling a little better.
“I’ll be flying back to Chicago as soon as the physician clears me. It sounds like Lloyd has been bothering the physicians here constantly. They’re probably anxious to get my butt out of here,” he says laughing. We visit for a little longer, scribble down a quick update and then say our goodbyes before leaving the hospital.
The driver navigates the busy traffic and it is not long before we arrive at the hotel. Jenny and the security men are waiting for us as we pull into the covered entrance. The hotel porter places our bags into the trunk and she slides in next to me while the other men get into the car directly behind us.
“How did it go?” she asks.
“He’s working on a plan to get pieces of the tape released,” I say.
“I worked with Nate while you were gone. He’s got all the preliminary information and is ready to release once the tape goes live. You’ll have to call him though. He wants you or Chase to approve it,” she says.
“Okay, no problem,” I say, sending a text to Nate as the limo heads towards the airfield. The Prestian Corp jet is waiting as we approach and I breathe a sigh of relief that there is no sign of paparazzi. The security team moves us quickly from the limo to the plane and once we’re boarded I text my mom.
Message:About to take off. How’s Dad?
Reply:Good, stable. Lloyd, Chase’s attorney made plans to have your dad flown back to NY tomorrow.
Message:Poor guy!! I hope Chase is paying him well this week.
Reply:I’m sure he is! ?
Jenny reviews the rest of the social media plans she and Nate worked on while I was at the hospital and I’m duly impressed that everything has been laid out in such a methodic manner before exhaustion finally takes its toll. We pull the hideaway bed out from the seats adjacent to the window and I give her a pillow and blanket from the overhead before making my way into the plane’s bedroom.
I wake to a knock on the door and glance down at the time on my phone with a start. I’ve slept so long that there’s no time for a shower before we land. I slide into a pair of yoga pants, sweat shirt and boots, brush my teeth and twist my hair into a messy bun. I am barely seated and buckled in before the pilot announces the final decent and touches down at the O’Hare airport. As we get into the back of the awaiting limo my cell phone rings.
“Good morning, Katerina,” a gentle voice that I immediately recognize as Vicenti says.
“Good morning. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. We just landed,” I say.
“I spoke with Sheldon earlier and he informed me you were still sleeping or I would have connected with you sooner. The men have been working through the night to get the communications dispersed. The stories have already hit the Associated Press and many of the local releases will have it included as part of their headlines this morning due to the time difference,” he says.
“What should I expect?”
“While clearly exposing Alfreita and your uncle, the release will completely absolve Chase from any of the events last year. If Interpol has not destroyed the product from that shipment, they will be able to test it and Alfreita will be convicted for the rest of his life, if not worse,” he says.
“You can’t know how much I appreciate this. Thank you so much,” I say.
