Evita sat down, her body folding elegantly, her hands placed on her knees. “If you’re worried, don’t be. I won’t tell anyone you’re here.”

I eyed her suspiciously, but it was hard to gauge whether she told the truth or not when her face was obscured by her hat.

She tilted her head back slightly, revealing dark colored lips that curved at the ends in the tiniest of half smiles. “I’m no stranger to running.”

“I’m not running.”

“No?” Her smile deepened as she crossed one leg over the other, the slit in her dress revealing pale white skin. “Then what else could you be doing at the airport? It’s not like VanGuard to discharge someone.” She spoke like a person who understood every inch of the universe.

“I…” I looked around, trying to come up with a proper excuse. As I did so, I noticed that she also traveled without luggage. Strange. “Well, what are you doing here?” I shot back, hoping to turn this conversation on its head. “Don’t you work for the company, too?”

“Not quite,” she answered. “I’m just an acquaintance.”

“But you were the one who sent us on the search mission for Mavis and Roxanne.”

“I don’t work for VanGuard, per say, but I have the power to pull some strings here and there. I needed a favor,” she explained, but I still had no idea what to make of this woman. Every word she offered me just placed her motives in a further fog.

Who was this woman?

We sat in silence for a moment. My brain was working a mile a minute, just trying to make sense of the situation. “Why are you here?” I asked. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Not quite.” She chuckled, the sound soft and musical. “But it’s time I leave.”

“Why?”

“I’m needed elsewhere. London was never my home.”

I found myself nodding my head. Once in my life, I’d thought it the greatest city in the world. Now, I just saw it for what it really was. A shit hole.

Again, silence settled around us. It didn’t seem like she was much for talking, but I couldn’t stand it. Slowly, it was driving me insane. “So, why aren’t you going to turn me in?”

“You’re the only person who can shape your own fate.”

Huh. What did that mean?

She leaned forward. “I was like you once.”

“I don’t think I understand.”

Suddenly, the overhead announcer called my flight number. I got up. I couldn’t miss my chance to start a new life.

“Emil,” she called out before I could walk away.

“Yes?”

“Just remember, sometimes, love is more powerful than freedom.” For an instant, her face flashed into view. Pale. Ghostly. Eyes hollow with a prior trauma. Without another word, she got up, her black dress disappearing among the crowd.

I was left standing there, my confusion so thick that I almost choked on it.

What did she mean?

I didn’t love Cassandra. She didn’t love me. I scoffed at the idea, dismissing the woman as insane. What did she know, anyway?

Still, even as I headed for the boarding gate, I searched for her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. I was starting to think that Evita was some sort of apparition that popped up only to leave a second later. Her sole purpose was to confuse and mystify.

I’d be better off forgetting about her. It didn’t matter. I was going to start my new life in Australia. There, everything would be better. I’d build up a reputation bit by bit until I was just another bloke walking down the street.

But as I waited in line with all of the other passengers, the guilt started to settle in. Thoughts of Cassandra, with those fearful eyes, penetrated my mind. I knew, first hand, what Roxanne was capable of. I had seen her handiwork plenty of times before. She was cruel – sadistic. Cassandra would never make it out of her clutches alive.

Would I really be okay with being her executioner?

No. I couldn’t think about it that way. I was just doing what I needed to do for my own survival. That’s all it was. It was nothing against her, personally. Well, maybe a little bit, but already, the anger was waning. Of course Cassandra had found it difficult to trust me. I had a track record of deceit. She was just being cautious.

I would have done the same thing.

Fuck.

What had I done?

Suddenly, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I broke from the line and started into a sprint for the exit. The security guards perked up, grabbed their nightsticks, and chased after me. I ignored them, dashing down the emergency stairs.

At this point, I didn’t care about anything other than getting to Cassandra. I needed to save her before it was too late. My heart tightened just thinking about everything she must be going through. Why had I been such a fool? Why had I betrayed her? She was the one woman who had given me the time of day, and I had ruined it.

I ran as fast I could to the parking garage. There, I headed for the rental cars. I knew from experience that the keys were already hidden somewhere – behind the license plate, under the windshield wipers.

As I searched, the guards got closer and closer.

“Don’t move!” They aimed their guns at me, but I knew they wouldn’t shoot.

Finally, I found the keys tucked away in the underbelly. Quickly, I unlocked the door and got inside.

As I reversed out of the parking spot, the guards ducked for safety like a couple of bowling pins. In another situation, I would have found it funny, but right now, I was incapable of laughter.

I had to save her.

Even if she hated me for the rest of her life – even if I went to prison for the rest of my life – I needed to make sure she was okay.

I loved her.