Jaxon, Olivia and I are having chocolate bread rolls with steaming cups of hazelnut milk tea. While we happily chew on the rolls and sip on our tea, a couple walks over to us. The guy is tan with curly brown hair and light green eyes definitely a few shades lighter than my own, the girl has blonde hair and blue eyes. Both look tan from being hours under the Sun, they hold hands as they approach us.
"Olivia is that you?" asks curly haired guy.
"Andreas, hallo Betty please grab a seat," encourages Olivia, scooting over to sit beside me to make room for them at our booth.
"Hello, you must be Ava and Jaxon, Olivia mentioned both of you in her texts."
"Nice to meet you both," I tell them.
Jaxon just silently nods in their direction, observing them with a steady gaze.
"So, how was you trip?" asks Andreas looking at Olivia.
"Good, it was a pleasant drive," she replies.
"Look we don't have time to waste, can you tell. them why we're here," says Jaxon impatiently looking at Olivia.
"Right, Andreas I was wondering if Betty could help run a scan of faces that Daddy could have met within the last six months."
"Why?" He asks but nodding and taking out a laptop and charger.
"We're looking for a lady in particular, it's hard to describe what she looks like, I figured Daddy may have known who Ava and Jaxon were talking about when they tried to describe her to him."
"How'd you figure that?" asks Ava.
"I overheard one of his conversations on the phone with a woman, pretty sure it was the blonde Ava met in the toilet," explains Olivia.
"So you want to scan for female faces he met in the last six months, sure one long list coming right up," says Betty. Within an hour, all our heads are crowded around the laptop screen trying to see the list of pictures the software has come up with. Betty goes through each one carefully, with the screen directly in front of me.
"No, no,not that one....." I say after a few minutes.
"Wait, go back," I tell her.
She does, I tell her to stop once a familiar face catches my eye.
"That's her," I say pointing at the screen. "I'm sure it's her, the blonde lady I met in the washroom at Four Seasons Hotel."
"Joanna Bryce age forty five years old. Assistant Director at Bryce and Cyson Companies," reads Betty out loud.
"Are you sure, that's her Ava?"
"Yes it's her, why do you ask?"
"Daddy was dating her, somewhere last year but it wasn't for long. I met her at one of the business evening dinners, that Daddy has to attend at times," clarifies Olivia.
"She must have cared for you a great deal", I say reassuringly to Olivia as she looks at the photo of Joanna Bryce.
"Who would want to kidnap her and me?" Olivia asks out loud.
"Maybe it's to do with this," says Andreas pointing at an article on his laptop. The article title reads 'Nuclear Weapons Programme in the Netherlands Aggravates Rest of Europe.'
"Didn't you say your dad dealed in dangerous business?" asks Jaxon.
"Yes, but not on the scale of nuclear weapons," replies Olivia her eyes big and round in anxiety.
"Well it appears Dad may have had intel on the programme," says Jaxon sarcastically.
"Great we're all doomed," he says after that.
I'm so annoyed with Jaxon I kick him in the shins underneath the table.
"Ouch," he says looking at me with annoyance.
"Look from what I can tell whoever these people are they're really dangerous I'm talking on an national and international level, because it involves nation's here. I think it's best if we did not dig any further and just ensure Olivia here doesn't go anywhere alone not even for a second," says Andreas looking weary all of a sudden.
"Hmmm, let's hope you're right, which reminds me what our next move?" asks Jaxon looking from me to Olivia.
"Olivia is technically still unprotected, I suggest you return home and go along with your dad's scheme to marry you off to some dude who hopefully can keep you guarded 24/7," says Betty all of a sudden voicing her thoughts out loud.
"Easy for you to say you're not the one marrying a total stranger!" Retorts Olivia with a hint of anger in her voice.
"True, but I can't blame your father for escalating things in order to protect you," replies Betty calmly meeting Olivia's angry stare with a cool one of her own.
"I think Betty is right, we can't go digging where our noses don't belong," says Jaxon weighing the odds.
"Technically speaking, Olivia is no longer our responsibility and we can't be responsible for her because the safety of our families are at stake, I'm sorry Olivia but this is for your own good," Jaxon adds on.
"I know that and I'm not asking any of you to stick your necks out on the line to satisfy my curiosities either," says Olivia.
"Andreas, Betty I have something for both of you," she pulls out two matching gold bracelets and gives it to them.
"I'm going to miss you Andreas," she says tearfully.
"I will miss you too, Livia," replies Andreas solemnly.
"We hope to be present at the wedding," teases Betty trying to make light of the situation.
"Yes, I'd love to have all of you there," says Olivia wiping away her tears and putting in a smile.
"Well we best be off it's getting dark and knowing the seriousness of the situation I think it's best we went to the motel before it gets completely dark outside," suggests Jaxon.
"Agreed,I'm headed home with this babe. It was nice meeting you both till next time," says Andreas hurriedly packing his laptop and charger away and Betty's laptop. We leave the coffee shop together, we get into our respective cars and Jaxon drives us straight to Lavender Motel where we check in.