“I came as quickly as I could,” she says, taking off the sunglasses and revealing eyes as blue as mine.
“Victoria, meet my daughter Lilith,” my dad says. “Lilith, this is Victoria. Tim’s girlfriend.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say automatically, unsure what my dad’s bodyguard’s girlfriend is doing here. I know my father hires only people with special skills, knowledge, or connections, but I don’t see how she could help. Her gaze travels up and down my body, then she crouches next to the bag and opens it.
“What...?” I ask, frowning when Victoria takes out a wig that looks nearly identical to my hair and puts it over her natural black.
“Tim called Victoria, because she used to work for a secret agency and now... she does private work. Since Tim is her boyfriend, there was nothing suspicious about their conversation, at least not to the outsiders.” My dad winks at me. “She’ll go instead of you to meet Raphael.”
“What?” I grip the armrests, my eyes wide. “But Raphael will see she’s not me!”
“Not until he gets close,” he says.
Victoria is expertly putting on makeup, and I see a gun peeking from the bag. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ve done this before.”
“But... what if they realize she’s not me too soon? Or if Caleb gets caught in the crossfire?”
“Victoria’s team will make sure that doesn’t happen,” my dad says confidently.
“Team? But Raphael’s men will see them coming...”
“No, they won’t,” Victoria says.
“Then I’m going with you,” I say. “Or do you think I’m going to stay trapped here in the bank?”
“Honey...” my father starts, but Victoria cuts him off.
“You can come. It might be helpful if I can contact you. Tim will give you all the instructions.”
“Won’t Raphael’s men be able to detect the signal?”
“It’s a special frequency. Only a few people use it, so it should be safe. It’s highly unlikely Raphael knows anyone like that.”
“Wait a minute...” My dad shakes his head. “That’s a terrible idea. My daughter has absolutely no experience...”
“Doesn’t matter.” She turns to me. “You’ll stay close, but not close enough that they spot you or hurt you, okay?”
“Sure.” I bob my head.
“Look, I understand how nerve-racking it is not to know what’s going on, but whatever happens, do not come out from your hiding place.” She gives me a stern look.
“Of course.”
My father sighs, then pulls me into a hug, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “Stay safe, honey.”
“I will.”
Victoria tosses the almost empty bag to me. “You can’t walk out of here like this. There’s a black wig inside. Make sure you look like me. My car is right across the street. Use the key and you won’t miss it. No matter what, follow Tim’s instructions. Oh, and give me your phone or anything else Raphael might use to track you or identify you.”
I grab the bag and pull out the wig. “I really hope this works.”
“Don’t worry,” she says. “It will.”
When I’m done applying makeup, I look at myself in the mirror and realize I seem like a completely another person. This better work or I don’t know what I’ll do.
I thread through the tall grass, careful not to be seen. Sweat is trickling down my back under my protective vest, but I do my best to ignore it. In front of me, I can see an old building with dilapidated walls surrounded by tall grass and trees. Four men who have come with me are silently and quickly wading through the grass. Their plan is to take out Raphael’s guards without alerting anyone while Victoria deals with Raphael.
I just hope that Raphael will assume that I’m not crazy enough to get anyone else involved with this and that I want Caleb enough to risk my own life. Or maybe he thinks I’m stupid and arrogant enough to come on my own thinking that money will protect me and that he won’t harm me. Well, if it hadn’t been for my father’s idea, maybe that’s exactly what I would’ve done... except I’d bring my father’s guns, too.
