Chapter Two.
After being whisked away by a driver in sleep black Bentley Continental GT, and deposited at her flat with strict instructions to gather only ht bare essentials in be downstairs in 20 minutes to board the private plane; Lynne rattled up the stairs, ignoring the lift and opened the door of her flat.
She walked into her lounge and found three people waiting; her boss Caroline Hyes Bowles, and two men she didn't know.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Lynne snapped, noticing her carry-on silver Samsonite case, already packed, Caroline spoke first, " Lynne you have to listen and listen carefully; these me are from the Government and they want you to be their eyes and ears while you're away with Patrick. I didn't tell you but we think he is dodgy, maybe not full-on crooked, but something is off about him and his money. You don't bank over £6 million a year like clockwork unless your revenue stream is off the books. These men want you to report back on anything that seems off to you," Caroline was serious and her tone flat.
The taller, handsome featured man, in a black well-cut suit, chimed in next, "Miss Lysoto or should I call you Miss Keyande; don't look surprised; we know about your true family. All we want from you is to contact us on this phone," His dark features: short well-groomed hair and well-manicured beard softened the deep piercing brown eyes. Caroline looked shocked at the suggestion that Lynne was who she said she was. She was about to speak; but then quietned lest her interruption would be unwelcome. However, she intended to quiz the two men on who Lynne was. He handed Lynne a phone and then held out his hand, "If you please?" Lynne, stunned, like an automaton, reached for her phone and handed it over, "All your numbers, texts and emails have been cloned onto the hard drive, even your passwords. You will have a number for your Great Uncle Tennyson or 'Sonny', as you would call him; that is the number to contact us."
"Sonny is dead!" Lynne's voice sounded small; this was a lot to take in.
"Yes, but when you call, someone will be on the end of the line, but she glanced back to Caroline as she stepped forward,
"Listen, Lynne, this is important, Patrick could be legit but the government are suspicious. I set you up that meeting with Patrick as you were a dead-ringer for his late wife. Whatever you do with him is unimportant but he wants you to go with him to Turk's and Caicos and that's an opportunity we cannot miss. If nothing comes of it, come home and you'll have that partnership waiting, " Caroline was nervous, Lynne could tell but her voice was sincere.
"Seven minutes!" The other man stood and picked up the silver carry-on luggage, "You have to go, Miss Kaynde or your past will catch up with you. My colleague, Massud will be monitoring your calls as he will join you on the island. He is an ex-marine, and very capable. If something goes wrong; you ring Uncle Sonny and he will meet you and bring you home safe and sound. You have six minutes," This man held her attention, he was rugged but there was a sharpness to him; an edge to compelled her to do as he said.
Massud took the case from his colleague, " Lynne, I will be there 24/7. I will be your shadow. I will bring you home!" His voice was soothing and confident. Lynne could smell his expensive aftershave, and could see beneath the suit was an athletic, toned physique that instilled a sense of security in her.
"Very well, I will call you, when I have anything to say! I do not believe all this. The man I have met is simply a grieving older attractive man!" She glanced at Caroline, " I'll do this but I want a huge bonus for this; this is above and beyond the call of duty!"
Massud held up the case, "Time to go!" Lynne walked out of the door and took the lift. Massud followed her and whilst in the lift reminded her of the protocols,
"Remember, keep the phone charged, your charger will fit easily and it's an hour-fast charge battery. There is a secret record facility on the system that records for an hour; without detection or catastrophic power drian. It is waterproof too. If you hear anything remotely relevant; send the audio segment to me. Do it in the toilet, it's the most private place I think you'll have. I expect your 'holiday' will be a week or ten days," The lift chimed softly and Lynne got ready to leave the elevator. She turned,
"I don't believe Patrick is a crook!" She missed.
"I hope you're right. I will be watching your back. Enjoy your flight!"
The whole exchange was 27 minutes long and she handed her luggage to the driver and then they sped away to the 'Flyte' private charter hanger within Stansted airport. The driver parked outside the hanger reception, lifted the carry-on to Lyne, smiled warmly and she went through to the reception. She was met by Patrick himself,
"Oh Lynne, I feared you might have changed your mind!" He stood up and walked over to her and gave a light tender kiss, "You are coming?" He looked genuinely nervous.
"Of course, I packed my favourite bikini!" She smiled.
" Excellent, do you have your passport?" He asked. Lynne fished through the front compartment of the case, pulled out a small leather documents wallet and found her passport,
"I haven't been to many places, it's a bit sparse in there!" She flushed, genuinely embarrassed that her passport was nearly empty.
"Something we shall have to remedy," He smiled and handed them to the pretty airline staff member, Patrick smiled at her and she became a little flustered. Lynne grinned at her girlish consternation, thinking that she would have to rough it in this man's company. Once the paperwork had been checked, they walked out to the plane, Patrick refusing to hand over Lynne's case and gallantly trundled it to a good-looking blonde, petite cabin crew member and had it stowed on board the plane. Patrick let Lynne climb aboard and he followed. The jet was opulent and decked out in cream-coloured leather swivel seats. Patrick helped her to her seat and took one opposite her. The cabin crew; a slim black-haired man in his 20s and a pretty blonde of the same age ran through the pre-flight tasks and then brought a drink of good quality champagne to them both.
Once in flight, a tasty dinner was served, with an excellent Mouton 1834 claret, and then coffee after sweet strawberries as a dessert. Once fed and watered the cabin crew retired to their section; leaving Patrick and Lynne to their own devices. Patrick had glanced at Lynne through their meal, chatted amiably about her life and he shared his. Lynne, now forewarned about Patrick's potential criminal business, was able to steer the conversation back to his business dealings, trying to ascertain if anything he said might confide in her, be criminal or even mildly dodgy. Having an excellent financial brian, she was soon mentally calculating how his year-on-year investments would be consistently in the millions.
