Chapter 50

Chloe
Chloe showed up at Fritz’s office for their preflight briefing. She found David spinning around in an office chair, clearly bored.

“Why did we have to get up so early? And what’s this all about?” Chloe asked as she plopped down next to David.

“We have a long flight today, and we’re about to get the ‘Scared Straight’ talk for our trip,” he predicted.

A man in his late thirties who moved like a jungle cat came in, followed by two younger versions of himself.

“Fritz, Paul, Chuck, may I introduce my traveling companion, Chloe,” David said to make the introductions.

Fritz went to the head of the table.

“My job is to keep you safe while on our trip,” he said. “The ideal outcome would be for you to have a great time and not die. If anything should go sideways, look for any of us”—he pointed at himself, Paul, and Chuck—”and do exactly what we say. We’ve been trained to ensure nothing will happen to you.”

“My mom is worried that Colombia might not be safe,” Chloe said.

“Bad stuff can happen to you in LA if you aren’t paying attention to your surroundings. When we leave the Sandoval compound, don’t draw attention to us. The Colombians say, ‘No dar papaya’—it roughly translates to ‘don’t walk around showing off your valuables,’ meaning stuff like phones, jewelry, and money. And I’d advise that you dress like the locals,” Fritz said.

“That explains the packing list you sent,” David said.

Chloe had gotten one, and at first thought it was a joke. It listed stuff like jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and canvas tennis shoes, all very casual and entirely unlike what LA girls typically wore. She’d had to shop for some of the items on the list and wondered what was wrong with her usual clothes. She realized now that the list was to help them blend in with the locals.

“If you get separated from the group, call an Uber and go to one of the hotels on this list,” Fritz said. He handed out a card that had three hotels listed. “If the driver doesn’t speak English, just point to one of them.”

“They have Uber?” Chloe asked.

“They have them all over the world,” David shared. “Do you have the app?”

“I do, but does it work there?” Chloe asked.

“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve used it in other countries. We can ask Alex or Nat once we get there,” David said, obviously not worried.

“Some other rules,” Fritz said. “Absolutely no social media postings while we’re there. When you go anywhere, take one of us, and preferably you two stick together. You both could be potential targets if the wrong people get it in their heads that you might be worth something to them. For the most part, use the same common sense you would employ here in LA, and you should be fine.”

“Anything else?” David asked.

“I have one,” Chloe said. “What’s it like where we’re going?”

“Alex lives on a former coffee plantation outside of Cali,” David said. “I guess they still have coffee fields and their own drying and roasting facilities from when it was a working farm. Alex says it gives his dad something to do when he has free time.

“Cali is a large city of over two million people. I was told that it was founded in 1536, so it has a rich history. When I went to Cuba, I loved that everything wasn’t all shiny and new. There will be some areas of Cali that harken back to the eighteenth century, while others will be modern.

“Alex also told me it’s very affordable. A nice hotel will cost less than $40 per night, and you can get a decent meal for a couple of bucks. What I’m most excited about is that this area of Colombia is known for salsa dancing. Nat said we could take a class during the day and go to clubs and dance that night,” David shared.

“What about...” Chloe began before David cut her off.

“The flight there is six hours. How about we go to the airport so we can be on our way?”

She smiled and nodded her agreement.

Chloe hadn’t realized that David would be their pilot. He’d hired a copilot because it was such a long flight, and they were traveling to a foreign country and through the airspace of others. Besides, the plane was certified for two-pilot operation, though only one needed to be rated in the type, and that wasn’t David.

So technically, the hired pilot was the pilot in command. But he also had an instructor’s certificate, so David could log the trip as the pilot in command. The professional pilot would also be helpful in dealing with the Mexican and other air traffic controllers. Once over the Gulf of California, David joined her in the cabin.

“I was a bit surprised you decided to come.”

David was talking about the media circus that had landed on her family’s doorstep. Her mom and dad had paid a college-admissions consultant to guarantee that she and her sister, Veronica, got into their dream school. Unbeknownst to them, the consultant paid USC coaches and admissions staff to slip them in via the athletic admissions process, which wasn’t as rigid as regular admissions.

While her older sister didn’t have the grades to get into USC, Chloe did. She’d also found a place on the USC rowing team as a coxswain. Chloe had finished the summer session but was advised she would not be welcomed back for the fall.

With the FBI investigation ongoing, and the intense scrutiny of the press, she was taking the fall semester off. She also had to find another school willing to accept her.

“I had to get away,” Chloe told him.

“Did you know Alex and Nat when you were in high school?” David asked.

“I didn’t know Nat, but Alex was a big deal in soccer. While he wasn’t one of the cool kids, he held his own. I did get to go on his yacht once. It was a great party.”

“I wonder if that was the same party Lexi Andon attended.”

“I forgot that you know her. She was a total drama queen in high school. Believe me, I stayed far away from that group,” Chloe explained.

“I guess Alex remembers you.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“He said you were cute,” David said, which surprised her.

Her face must have given her away.

“You have a crush on Alex,” David guessed. “He’s very single, if you want to take your shot. And I can help you.”

“I’ve never dated a guy before. I mean, you know ... you’re the only...”

“Relax. Alex is a typical guy. All you have to do is get his attention and, when he’s listening, tell him how it’s going to be. If he thinks you’re into him, Alex will become a good little house pet,” David said with a big smile.

“But I’m a virgin,” Chloe worried.

“Want to know a secret? Alex told me he is, too. I thought for sure he’d done the deed when we were in Greece. There were a bunch of Russian mail-order brides meeting wealthy men at the place where we stayed. We nicknamed one of them ‘Ivana Fuck-a-lot.’ But Alex was smarter than me and just let her give him head,” David overshared.

“You slept with her?”

“I tend to do some of that,” David answered as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

When David gave women that look, he was drop-dead, melt-your-panties, make-your-mouth-water gorgeous. You just knew that he was all danger and smolder and about to rock your world.

“Oh,” she said in a small voice.

“What I’m trying to tell you is Alex is as clueless and nervous about it as you are. Grow some lady balls and take charge. Alex will fall right in line, and you both could have some fun.”

David looked at his watch.

“Break’s over. I need to get back up front,” David said as he got up and went to the cockpit.

Could he be right? Did she have a shot at someone like Alex?

Toward the end of the flight, she felt the plane make a banking turn as they left the Pacific Ocean and made landfall over Colombia. They flew over a mountain range, and on the other side was a valley. David came over the speakers to warn them he was about to land.

They cruised over Cali and into the heart of what looked like farmland. Chloe could see an airfield in the middle of a coffee field. She heard the wheels come down and felt herself jerked forward at touchdown as David applied the brakes and seemingly reversed the engines. Later, he’d explained that the engines didn’t actually reverse. He’d deployed clamshell-like devices that caught the engines’ thrust and redirected it, creating a reverse thrust to help them stop quickly before they ran out of runway.

David guided the plane to their parking place in front of a hangar. Chloe could see armed men gather around the aircraft. Fritz stood up and was quickly followed by one of his security men. The other remained seated.

David came out of the cockpit and gave Fritz a questioning look.

“We need to sort this out. Wait here until I come get you,” Fritz ordered.

David opened the door and put down the steps so Fritz and Chuck could go talk to the Sandoval security team. Fritz came back on board after a quick conversation.

“Alex will be here in a moment. We’re supposed to remain on the plane until he arrives. I guess there’s been tension between the cartels. While nothing has happened here, there have been clashes in Bogota, and people have been shot. They’re just being careful.”

David looked out the door and shook his head.

“This is still way safer than Compton. No one is even close.”

He was right. In Compton, your chance of being a crime victim was 1 in 27.

When Alex showed up, tensions went down considerably. He and David hugged.

Chloe found herself feeling shy when Alex turned his attention to her.

“It’s been forever. How have you been?” Alex asked her as if they were friends.

“Besides a bit of FBI trouble, all’s good.”

“Come on. I’ll show you where you’re staying,” Alex said, ignoring her FBI comment and offering his arm to her.

David gave them a knowing look and followed a step behind as Alex pointed out different landmarks. Behind the mansion were an enormous pool and several guest houses. She and David would be sharing one.

“Unpack, and we’ll get together in half an hour. It’s a gorgeous day. Let’s meet at the pool,” Alex said.

Shouts and splashes echoed through the late afternoon, bouncing off the walls of the pool area. Chloe’s room had French doors with sheer curtains. She looked out to see what was going on. Her gaze stopped on a tanned male reclining on a patio chair, beer in hand, surrounded by laughing girls. It was Alex, and one of the girls had to be his sister, Nat.

Suddenly, his eyes met hers. Horror gripped Chloe. She was in the middle of changing and only wore her underwear. He had to have seen her. She dove to the side so she wasn’t exposed. Her heart felt like it might burst from her chest because he’d caught her spying on his party.

Maybe he hadn’t seen her. She peeked around the corner and saw him give her a little wave. She wondered if David would be up to taking her home.

Speak of the devil, David knocked on her door.

“You about ready?”

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Chloe called out.

David was only wearing board shorts and flip-flops. Chloe had put on a tiny black bikini and a white crochet coverup that was very revealing. When David saw it, he gave her a big smile.

“Hang on. I need to go call Crystal and tell her we’re done,” he teased.

Chloe felt her whole body flush from his compliment.

“You think he’ll notice?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll distract the girls so none of them puts an ice pick in your back for stealing the spotlight.”

And he did just that. David put on one of his dazzling smiles, and the girls fawning over Alex abandoned him to swarm David. Alex rolled his eyes and made her feel like she was in on the joke.

“Care if I join you?” Chloe asked.

“I was hoping you would.”

While David flirted shamelessly, Alex walked her over to the bar. Yes, there was an actual bartender.

“His specialty is aguardiente. It’s an anise-flavored drink made from sugar cane that you’ll become addicted to,” Alex promised.

“Si, very good,” the bartender assured her.

“I’d love to try it.”

When the bartender put it on the bar, she almost turned it down. It was dark green. She picked it up and smelled its sweet, fragrant aroma. When she took a sip, she found it had a robust licorice-like taste. Her sister would have turned her nose up at it since the anise in it had one of those love-it-or-hate-it kinds of spicy flavors. Chloe loved it.

She noted that Alex had gotten another beer.

“You suggest I get one, but not for yourself?”

“It’s a girly drink,” Alex said.

The two of them held up the bar while David talked the rest of the people into the pool. Alex explained that the girls were all Nat’s friends who insisted on meeting the famous movie star. Nat would be very popular all week with him here.

It turned out that Alex had noticed her. They reminisced about high school. He even knew about her best friend-slash-girlfriend cheating on her with a guy. Before she knew it, she’d had three drinks on an empty stomach. She caught a whiff of beer on Alex’s breath, but he didn’t seem drunk—just relaxed.

“Let’s go to the house,” Alex suggested.

“No,” she said quickly.