Page 93 of Xavier

“Because I took Brianna out for her birthday.”

I grin as he conveniently skips the fact that this wasn’t the first time we left the house. He also didn’t say that we left yesterday and stayed out all night and got a hotel room.

Not to mention all the passionate sex we’ve been having. Dad definitely doesn’t need to know any of that.

It takes several moments for Dad to speak again. Maybe he was putting the pieces of the puzzle together and figured out that we have been out all night.

“The house where you are headed, is it safe and secure?”

Xavier gets on the interstate, heading south before glancing my way.

I whisper, “Where are we going?”

Xavier doesn’t answer me, he answers Dad. “It’s one of the most secure places I know. Safer than most military bases, actually.”

“What is your estimated ETA?”

“Two hours.”

Great, two hours in the car with no idea where we are going. I flip through the radio channels until I find a song that I like.

“Land, water, and air?” Dad’s cryptic question leaves me confused.

What does he mean land, water, and air?

Land? Yes, we are driving on land. Yes, the house we are going to is presumably on land.

Water? No, we don’t have water because we had to leave in such a hurry. Are we traveling on water? Not yet, but not knowing where we are going makes it hard to answer my own imaginative questions.

Air? Yes, we are breathing air. No, we are not traveling by air, at least not yet.

Xavier answers without looking at me. “Space force. Next door. Neighboring small, international half an hour.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” I ask loud enough for both Xavier and Dad to hear.

Dad laughs on the other end of the phone call while Xavier barely cracks a smile.

Dad’s voice returns serious. “Got it. Call me when you get there. We will strategize a better plan. I’ll call Hudson and fill him in.”

Xavier ends the call without acknowledging anything Dad just said.

I turn in my seat, wanting to see Xavier’s expression. “What did Dad want to know when he asked you about the land, water, and air? And what did your response mean? Clue me in because I know that was a special secret code.”

Xavier chuckles. “Your dad was asking for landmarks near our destination.”

“Landmarks for land. Okay, I got that. And you said Space Force, so I assume there’s a Space Force base nearby?”

“Patrick Space Force Base is just south of where we are going. There’s also the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum just north of our destination.”

I open the glove box and look for a folded up map, but come up empty.

Xavier continues. “He was asking if our destination is near water, and if there is an airport nearby.”

I try to remember what he said. “For water, you said next door. Does that mean the house is on the beach?”

“It’s not a house, it’s a condo building, and yes, it’s right on Cocoa Beach.”

I gasp and my mood instantly perks up. Sure, we might still be in the same situation, but at least I’m close to water.

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