Chapter 53 A Little Below Zero
A few hours later, Elena sat on Mandy’s couch with her legs pulled up to her chest.
She was still shivering, even though the apartment was considerably warm.
"Welcome to my place, Elena. Frankly, I didn't think you'd be visiting me soon," Mandy winked and then waved her hands at the TV. "Make yourself at home, I'll take these to your room."
"Thanks," Elena mumbled as she rolled the heavy bags away.
Mandy's place wasn't hard to find especially with the GPS system to help her. But after a while, she ditched the car and it got tricky.
She was lucky a nice neighbor was able to point her in the right direction. In this city pretty neighborhood, all the houses looked the same and the house numbers weren't so visible. Or maybe she was just too disoriented to actually pay attention.
The sound of the rain hitting the windows was the only thing she could hear.
Mandy came back into the living room holding a steaming mug. She handed it to Elena. It was black coffee and Elena took it with both hands, using the heat to warm her frozen fingers.
"Drink it," Mandy said. She sat down on the coffee table right in front of Elena. "You look like you’ve been through a fucking war. I dropped your bags in the guest room. You really packed everything, didn't you?"
Elena nodded. She took a sip of the coffee. It burned her tongue, but she didn't care. "I had to. I can't stay there. Not after what I found."
She reached for the crumpled papers she had smoothed out on the table. She pushed them toward Mandy. "Read this. But you have to promise me something first. You cannot tell anyone I am here. Not Julian. Not my father. Not even your own family. If people find out I have these, I don't think I'll be safe."
Mandy looked at Elena’s serious face and nodded. "I promise, Elena. I’m your friend. You know I’m on your side."
Mandy picked up the papers. She started reading the first page, her eyebrows knitting together.
As she got further into the documents, her face went pale. She flipped to the last page, the one with the "Project Angel" heading. She read the sentence at the bottom out loud, her voice barely a whisper.
"Goal of Project Angel: To protect Elena Vance at all cost."
Mandy dropped the paper like it was hot. She looked at Elena in total shock. "This is insane. You’re saying Julian isn't a real person? That he was literally built to watch over you? Like some kind of human shield?"
"He’s Samson Miller," Elena said shakily. "The records in Savannah prove it. He was a soldier. He was supposed to be dead but some other people brought him back. They changed some of his features, his eyes, hair and name. Every single thing he told me about his life was a lie. Our wedding, our conversations, the way he acted like he cared about me, it was all a script."
Mandy shook her head, trying to make sense of it. "But why? Why would anyone go to all this trouble just to protect you? Why do you need protection in the first place? Your father is wealthy enough to keep you safe. I mean, I know Julian is powerful, sure, but this is like something out of a movie. This costs millions. It takes years."
"I don't know why yet," Elena said. "But my father told me today that I’m not even a real Vance. He said I was a charity case he took in. Maybe I’m the key to something. Maybe I have something they want. It doesn't matter. Julian already told me I was adopted. All I know is that I’m not his wife. I’m just a project to him. And he's not entirely human."
"Adopted?!” Mandy yelled and all Elena did was nod.
“Yeah. I knew it months ago and I've made peace with it."
“Oh my goodness, I can only imagine how hard this is for you."
"I don't want to talk about it, Mandy,” Elena sighed.
Mandy shrugged and looked toward the window. "Where is the Bentley? I didn't see it on the street when I walked in from the garage."
"I abandoned it," Elena said. "I drove it into that public parking garage three blocks away, left the keys in it, and took the bus the rest of the way here. I knew Julian would have the car tracked. It’s an expensive vehicle; there's no way he doesn't have a GPS on it. I couldn't risk him following me directly to your door."
Mandy looked worried. "Elena, you should have kept the car. We could have sold it. We could have taken it to one of those places that strips cars for parts and gotten cash. You’re going to need money if you’re going to run. You can't live off the grid with nothing."
"I couldn't," Elena insisted. "He would have caught me before I even found a buyer. He was right behind me, Mandy. I saw him in the driveway. He looked like he wanted to kill me."
"So what’s the plan?" Mandy asked. "Your family is gone. You’ve deserted your husband. You’re sitting in my living room with a bunch of stolen government papers. This is dangerous."
"I know it's dangerous," Elena said. She felt a tear slip down her cheek. "My own father told me to get out. He told everyone I was crazy. He denied that I was even his daughter. I have nothing left."
Just then, Elena’s phone buzzed suddenly on the table and both women jumped.
Elena looked at the screen. It wasn't Julian. It was her sister, Eva.
Elena stared at the phone. Her heart was beating fast. "It's Eva," she whispered.
"Are you going to pick up?" Mandy asked.
Elena hesitated. Eva was calling to mock her, no doubt. But maybe she knew something. Maybe she felt bad for what happened at the estate. Elena swiped the screen and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" Elena said.