I'VE SEEN HER! (COMPLETE)

Chapter 17

I was so content when I woke the next morning that I felt like a new person. Something inside me felt new, and exactly what had been missing from my life. Looking at a sleeping James I knew he was that something new and indulged myself by watching him sleep. That would be creepy to those not in love, but ‘new love’ gave you rights and was using mine.

Lying there staring at him and listening to the world outside, cars, people, kids... wait children! I bolted out of bed and nearly fell over the balcony looking down at the pool. There were children.

“James, James,” I said shaking him awake. “There are children downstairs.”

He blinked heavily.

“Listen, that are children. I’m going down. Wait here,” I said grabbed a bikini and pulling it on. Tying a sarong around my waist.

“Wait, you can’t go alone,” James said finally awake enough to realise what I said.

“I am just going to have a quick look. I can’t have you walk down there. If she see’s you it might scare them off.”

“I’m going!” he said pulling his trunks on.

“Let me check first, if she is there I will text you straight away.”

I was shaking with adrenaline.

“Pack everything, if she is down there I will text, then cause a distraction and grab her back. I’ll pass her to you, you go straight to the airport and don’t stop. I will follow with the bags later.”

I hugged him and rushed off. My heart was going ten to the dozen. The lift too slow I took the stairs like a parkour champion.

As soon as I got to the door I could see it wasn’t her. It was a few other children. I stopped and pretended to take a call but was sneakily taking photos in case any were missing children. I sent them to James.

‘She isn’t here, check these on the database.’

I stayed there waiting for him to come down. Nearly an hour later he appeared. His face saying ‘no’, they were obviously just children with a pass to the pool. God knows how they got it on ‘couples week’.

“We need to have a better plan,” I said as he hugged me.

“Yeah.”

“Make sure you remove anything identifiable from our luggage. Keep it in one bag. If she turns up, we grab her and leg it, leaving the rest. Just get the hell out of here.”

He nodded. I knew he had her passport and that was how we were getting her out.

“If we can’t get to the airport, we go to the British Embassy. We need to find that route and run it a few times.”

He nodded. I had been so annoyed at the false alarm that I hadn’t noticed the toll it had taken on him. He looked heartbroken.

“I’m sorry,” I said stroking his hair. “Let’s go for a walk,” I pulled his hand and took us for a walk on the beach.

We sat on the beach, just staring out to sea in silence. In the end James lay back with his head on my stomach as I stroked his hair. Even with his eyes closed, he still looked sad.

“We’ll never give up,” I whispered. “If she isn’t here this time we will come back. I’ll leave my number with the waitress and she will call.”

“It’s too expensive to come back, if she isn’t here this time she could be gone for good.”

“Don’t say that. We will find the money from somewhere. I am not giving up.”