Hold On! - Season 1 by Peter Darley Page A

seventies. It’s been hidden away in the basement since he died,” he said.
    “Do you know how much is there?”
    “One million, two-hundred-thousand dollars. Well, minus a few grand I took out to buy the two vans and for a few living expenses.”
    “Oh. My. God.”
    “I want to try to get us to Italy,” he said. “Airport security isn’t quite as tight there. We should be able to get fake passports for the right price. We’re fugitives, remember? My plan is to drive the cash through Lombardy and get to a Swiss bank where no questions will be asked.”
    She gasped, her voice muffled through her fingers. “Are you serious? We’re really moving to Switzerland?”
    He grinned at the excitement she exuded. “It doesn’t take a genius to realize how much you love this place. I figured a Swiss bank account to invest the money, and the perfect place to find another cabin in the snow, would be just what you wanted. But it’ll be a place where we could go out in public more freely.” He then added coyly, “That is, if you’re sure you really wanna do this”
    She stood up, her eyes beaming with excitement, and hugged him tightly.
    He knew there were risks with what he was planning. He wanted to be with her so passionately, but didn’t relish the idea of endangering her. However, if what he suspected was true, she would be in even greater danger if she was to return to Denver alone.
    She crouched low again, glanced back at the sack, and then pointed to the two attaché cases beside it. “What are they?”
    “They’re filled with some pretty sophisticated tech I took from the facility I used to work at.”
    “Like the stuff you used at Carringby Tower?”
    “Yeah. Anyway, we’d better get packing. We’ve got one hell of a long drive ahead of us.”
    “Couldn’t we just fly to Canada in the Turbo Swan?” she said. “It’d be a lot faster, surely.”
    “Not a chance. We’ve got to look as inconspicuous as possible. We’re gonna be walking on dangerous ground as it is, without drawing attention to ourselves in what looks like a flying Ferrari. I just want to get near the Canadian border and then leave the Turbo Swan someplace where they won’t find it until we’re long gone.”
    “Good point,” she said, and followed him back inside. “But how will we get across the border?”
    “I’ll rent a car, put the money and our essentials in it, and leave the Turbo Swan and the attaché cases. They’re army property, so the authorities can take it from there.”
     
    Their packing was sparse at best. Belinda had the clothes she’d arrived at the cabin with and the few extras Brandon had bought for her in Aspen. He threw three pairs of jeans into a suitcase, a handful of shirts, tank-tops, bathroom essentials, and a backpack.
    All the time he was packing, Brandon second-guessed himself about leaving the government property. He couldn’t shake the feeling that between now and when they arrived at their destination, he was going to find himself in dire need of them.
    He took a fresh bowl of fruit, nuts, and the jar of honey around to the back of the cabin for Snooky. The little bear was already waiting for him. Sadness pierced his heart, along with the feeling he was betraying the only friend he’d had before Belinda came into his life.
    His history with the bear flashed before him. It had only been five weeks, but it seemed so long ago since they first met. He remembered how he’d paced the cabin living room for days after he’d cracked the code for the Everidge attack in Dallas. He’d used the sat-scrambler phone to call the corporation on the afternoon before the incident, and pleaded with the CEO’s secretary to believe him. She’d responded with contempt, hostility, and threatened him with the police.
    That night, he sat watching the news and learned of the death toll. It had crushed him. The guilt tore at him, rendering him unable to sleep. He tortured himself with the knowledge that he should