Dreams Unleashed (29 page)

"Are you a guy who grills?"

"I was
made
to grill."

I laughed. I gave him the marinated steaks, tongs, and asparagus, and sent him to the back patio.

"Sinéad, play a U2 mix."

"Isn't Sinéad gonna be jealous you're not playing her music?" he asked, calling over his shoulder.

I chuckled.
I never thought of that
.

Paul finished grilling, and I had the scallops and salad ready. We sat at the kitchen island to eat.

"Ann, you must have heard about the chaos at the Canadian driver's licensing offices."

"I did. When I picked up the dinner ingredients at the Co-Op, my friend was telling me all about it. You must be thrilled about the news," I said, prodding.

"I am. For such a thing to happen is a...gift," he stated sincerely.

A gift.

"Hmmm. I think you're right."

Paul turned to me and looked directly into my eyes. "They want to meet you in Portland tomorrow morning at one in the afternoon," he blurted out.

I just looked back at him.

Does he mean
...

My heart started to race. "Who wants to meet me?"

"The parents."

"What? Who?" I asked, panicked that Paul wasn't who I thought he was.

Previously, I had always been contacted directly by GOG. They would usually leave a note for me in my house with a call-in number, or left me a note in some other way.

Is Paul government
?

"I know they don't usually contact you like this. But this is an unusual event, as you know. Ann...I've known for a very long time."

"Known what?"

"I saw you, three years ago, at the Gaslight Brasserie. I know about the meeting."

I could actually feel the heavy beating of my heart and wondered if Paul could hear it.

"Who are you?" I said, moving slightly away from him.

"It was my job that day...outer electronic security. I was parked outside the back of the restaurant with electronic equipment, jamming any possible peekers. I am part of the organization."

"Tulips," I said, challenging him with the codeword, looking directly at him.

I needed to know that he was really GOG.

"Skagit," he replied, confirming the codeword calmly. "Now are you satisfied?" he asked me, moving closer to me.

"I am," I said, embarrassed that I had doubted him.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I asked quietly, the tension between us palpable.

"You already know the answer to that," he said, moving away to his chair.

In the organization, we were not supposed to voluntarily share our membership status with anyone, no matter how close they were. The only real way to know other members was to work on an assignment together. Then it was possible to get to know other members of the underground. That was the only way it was supposed to happen. Such cautions enhanced the likelihood that the organization would remain secret from the government, and it made penetration of GOG very difficult for outsiders.

"So you've known for three years?" I asked, peering into his eyes.

"Yes."

"That's why you were at the Pan Pacific that weekend."

"Yes. I had a very slight feeling that you could be part of the organization. I mean what's the chance that we would both be a few blocks from the Gaslight Brasserie on the day of the job? When we passed the restaurant during our walk, you looked at it as we passed, and I had a strong suspicion that you were there for the same reason I was."

I realized suddenly what this meant. No longer did I have to keep so many things about my life a secret. I could be who I was without being so guarded. Well, at least in my safe house with Paul.
What a relief
. I could finally trust another person.

"Would you like me to go with you to Portland? I'm assuming you're going to take a personal day. I can do the same," he eagerly asked.

"That would be wonderful," I said with a smile.

"Your flight is already booked to Portland. You're leaving on the nine-ten AM flight from Bellingham, Alaska Air. Let me see if I can grab a seat on that flight."

"What time does the flight land in Oregon?"

"Eleven-fifty. It connects in Seattle."

"Sinéad, does the nine-ten AM flight departing from Bellingham to Portland have one more seat?"

"Yes. There are nine seats open on the Bellingham flight, and three open seats on the Seattle to Portland flight."

"Let me book it," Paul interrupted as he pulled out his iPhone, looked up the flight, and booked the ticket as I watched his face. He was all business.

"All booked," he announced with a smile.

"Do you think anyone will suspect anything, with both of us gone on the same day?"

"If you're taking a personal day, I'll call in sick. That way no one will suspect anything."

"That's a good plan. You'd better start coughing."

"I'll call in the morning---I'll have worked up a sore throat by then. If I stay here till three AM, I won't need to work up a frog in my throat; I'll have one from lack of sleep," he joked, giving me a wink.

As I watched his mouth move in that delicious way, with his eyes sparkling playfully, I felt my body respond.

"What?" he asked, with a curious expression.

"You're really something," I said, smiling.

He moved closer to me, until he was a couple of inches from my face. "You're pretty terrific yourself," he quietly responded. He looked into my eyes, then planted a juicy, lingering kiss on my lips.

Chemistry
, I thought, as I enjoyed his mouth on mine, with the taste of lemonade---sweet and tart like that first kiss---enduring.

He backed away slowly, opening his eyes to look at me again. "Wow. If that's any indication of what's to come, then..." he said, smiling wide.

"What?" I asked, returning his smile.

"Oh...nothing," he said, adjusting himself in his seat. "There is something I want to know, Ann."

"What?"

"I want to know how you did it," he said, looking at me intensely.

"Did what?"

"You know what."

"Can't I have
any
secrets?" I teased.

"You can, just not that one. I am
dying
to know how you did the RFID hack. I want details."

I told him all about my remote viewing success.

"You know the offices in Canada have been closed all day?"

"I know, isn't it great? If they're closed down, they can't issue any more RFID licenses."

"They haven't released anything to the press yet, so no one knows what's happened. Hopefully tomorrow, in Portland, we'll learn something from the inside about what you actually achieved."

"I can't wait to find out," I said, giddy. "Hey, you wanna take Lulu for a walk? It's so pretty outside, and sunset will be soon."

"Sure. Just give me a minute to finish this steak."

Chapter 29

BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

The Year 2015

Paul and I agreed to meet on the plane at the Bellingham terminal to avoid any suspicion that we were flying together. I dropped Lulu off at Aunt Saundra's for the day. She and I had a very early breakfast together, visiting.

While driving to the airport, I decided to call Bob. I had a particular question for him.

"Hello?"

"Well aren't I a lucky girl to get you to answer your phone?" I teased.

"I think the luck is mine," Bob replied, sweet-talking me.

"I have a question for you."

"Go ahead."

"The location. Why were they a target?"

"The building was built with a full basement---unusual for that part of Shanghai, since it was prone to typhoon floods. We'd always watched it, because of activity there."

"But why is it a target
now
?"

"You should know the answer to that, Ann."

"You mean that what I originally saw was again taking place the day of my dream?" I said, remembering that the first time I remote viewed into the Bund hotel, there was a meeting in the basement.

Because of Yang Li's loss of his soulmate, he built the basement so that the Chinese underground could fight against the establishment, I suddenly recalled from my dream.

"Presumably so. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it's very likely."

"I understand. Thank you, Bob."

"Ann?"

"Yeah?"

"Now I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

"Have you been traveling recently, eh?" he asked with a Canadian interjection.

"You know, it's very rainy there," I replied, unwilling to answer his question on an unsecured phone.

"It certainly is," he responded forcefully.

"Was there anything else?" I asked, hoping that he wouldn't press me.

"Ann, be careful. Ask yourself why I would be asking the question in the first place."

"Okay, Bob."

"Stay dry, Ann."

"Bye."

Hanging up, I was shaken by his question. The only way Bob could know about my connection to the Canadian RFID hack was if the other agency was remote viewing it.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now," I said out loud, trying to reassure myself.

I arrived at Bellingham airport at eight AM, parked, and was in the terminal check-in line by eight-ten. That was a benefit to the tiny airport; I only had to show up an hour before the flight. As I was waiting in line, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ann, it's Paul."

"Hey there," I said cheerfully.

"I'm not going to be able to make it. I've been at the company since five this morning. We had a server crash. I thought I'd be able to get it back up in time, but it's more complicated than that."

"That's okay. I know where I'm going. I'll see you when I get back."

"Okay, bye," he said, sounding stressed and rushed.

"Bye."

I was looking forward to his company and being able to meet with GOG together. I stepped forward to check in for the flight. After check-in, I had about a half-hour before my flight would board, so I decided to call Elinor at college.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Mom," I said, exuberant that I had caught her instead of voicemail.

"Hi, Mom."

"I had a few minutes and thought I'd check in and see how you and your sweetie are."

"It's so good to hear your voice, Mom. We are both great, terrific actually."

"Oh, I'm so glad, Elinor."

We talked for about fifteen minutes. Elinor caught me up on school details and what she and Eliott had been up to. He hadn't popped the question yet, but Elinor was sure he was ring shopping.

"Mom, I love you and miss you."

"I love you too," I said. "Tell Eliott 'hi' for me, and give him a hug. You two take care of each other," I said.

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

I loved my little girl. Maybe she wasn't little anymore, but she would always be my sweet little girl.

They called for the flight to board, and I stepped into the line. It was a short flight to Seattle, only twenty-five minutes---a prop plane for this route. I never really knew whether I'd get a bumpy ride on this hop or not, but today the skies looked clear. As we took to the air, I looked out the window and saw the San Juan Islands below. Seeing them from the air always made me tenderly remember sailing the islands with Armond and Elinor in those perfect days. About ten minutes into the flight, we entered a Seattle-area storm, and the turbulence began. I always noticed how other passengers who didn't fly this route regularly would look a little green at this point. My own gut was rock solid, whether I was in heavy turbulence flying or in rough ocean swells below. This flight seemed like a roller-coaster ride, unexpected and fun.

When we landed at Seattle airport, some passengers were definitely peaked. After letting those who seemed in a hurry go in front of me, I exited onto the tarmac and walked up the stairs to the terminal. I looked for my gate; it wasn't far from my arrival gate, and I only had twenty minutes to wait before it started to board. I did some people watching, which was always fun. Seattle was such an eclectic city, filled with all sorts of colorful people.

We finally started to board the jet for Portland, and it looked like a completely full flight. Sinéad had moved me into the window seat of the emergency exit. It was the perfect place to sit because it had the most legroom, and there were no seats in front to recline and take up all my space. I didn't care if it was a full flight, as long as I had my window seat and some legroom.