We made our way out to the rental vehicle. This time, she rode beside me in the passenger seat, her arms no longer bound. I hoped I wasn’t making a massive mistake.
The drive was a good few hours, so we might as well get comfortable. I put the radio on low to break up the silence.
“Remember that people will be looking for me,” Kaja said. “My father has men everywhere.”
“I know, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”
Maybe I should have given putting her in a disguise some more thought, perhaps dying her hair blonde, but then she wouldn’t have matched her passport photo. Besides, I didn’t want her to be blonde. It would remind me too much of Jodie, and I was feeling guilty enough as it was.
We drove straight through, with no traffic to worry about. No one stopped us. I sensed Kaja tense as we hit the outskirts of Tallinn. It was no more dangerous for us in the city than it was out in the forest. At least here, there were other people around, and I doubted even Rasmus Valk was stupid enough to try something in a highly populated area.
I drove straight to the airport and returned the four-by-four to the rental company. I was poised for Kaja to throw herself at the staff and tell them she’d been kidnapped and beg for help, but she remained quietly at my side.
The airport wasn’t too busy, but I still moved through it with my hand on Kaja’s lower back to keep her pace up. Rasmus must at least suspect that whoever had taken his daughter would try to get her out of the country, and I fully expected him to have people watching out.
After the vast space and emptiness of the forest, I found the bustle of the airport unnerving. There were too many people here, from businessmen to holidaymakers, to cabin crew walking briskly, pulling small hard-shelled suitcases along behind them. A coffee shop opened onto the terminal, the metal chairs and tables occupied by people either waiting to travel or meeting people who were arriving.
It was a normal scene, but my hackles were up. I didn’t like that I’d had to break down my weapon and conceal it back in my bag. It made me feel vulnerable, and one thing I hated was feeling vulnerable. I still wasn’t completely sure what Kaja’s reaction to being around all these people was going to be. Would she break free from me and shout for help? I took her hand tightly in mine, my grip strong enough to prevent her escaping. I had the doctor’s letter as backup if she did decide to cause a scene, but I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I didn’t want attention being brought to either of us.
“Leo,” Kaja whispered to me. “Over there.”
She quickly ducked her face away, pressing her cheek into my shoulder.
It took me a minute, scanning faces through the crowds, but then I spotted who she meant. Two well-built men stood side by side, clearly keeping an eye out for someone. Though they were in casual clothes, they couldn’t have looked more like security guards if they’d tried.
Rasmus’s men.
Shit.
We needed to walk right by them to get to the private hanger where our plane was due to take off. If they saw us, it would be game over.
I stopped walking and turned so my back was to them, and then ducked my head as though I was embracing Kaja.
I spoke into her ear. “I’m going to do something. You need to stay hidden until I deal with them. Can I trust you to go to the toilets and stay there?”
She nodded. “You can.”
I hoped so. I was taking yet another risk, but it would be worse if they spotted Kaja. I wasn’t sure if they even knew what I looked like—had Rasmus figured out who’d taken his daughter yet? If he hadn’t, they wouldn’t be watching out for me, but they’d definitely be keeping their eyes peeled for her.
She left my side and hurried in the direction of the toilets. I watched until she’d got to the entrance and vanished inside.
I noticed some airport security. I was presentable in my white shirt and dark suit, and that always made people take me more seriously. They saw me approach and frowned, and one said something in Estonian.
“I’m sorry, do you speak English?” I said.
Both men turned to me. “Yes, a little,” one said in perfectly enunciated English.
I’d discovered that the British version of being able to speak a language compared to many other countries who were practically fluent and yet still only claimed to speak a little, was vastly different.
“I wasn’t sure if I should say anything or not, but do you see those two men over there?” I jerked my chin to where the men I’d pinned down as belonging to Rasmus still stood, peering over the heads of everyone else. “They’ve been acting strangely, and then I just saw them tampering with someone else’s bag. I don’t know if they put something in it, or perhaps took something out?” I frowned as though confused. “But either way, they did it when the other man wasn’t looking, I know that for sure.”
“Where’s the person who’s bag it was?”
I swivelled my head, taking in the terminal. “I think he might have left. If they stole something, they could be after their next victim. It certainly seems like they’re watching out for something or someone.”
The two security guards took in the sight of the men. There was no denying that they appeared suspicious.
“Okay, thank you for reporting this. Can you wait here? We may need to get your statement as a witness?”