The Shadows of Diplomacy

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Arya was a shell of herself navigating the route out of Germany. The road stretched endlessly before her, mirroring the seemingly endless expanse of guilt and regret within her. The echo of the explosion still resonated in Arya's mind, each reverberation a reminder of the chaos she had left behind. She couldn't escape the image of Alexei's face, the fear and confusion etched in his eyes as she left him. Unsettled by the quiet hum of her car along the lonely roads, Arya turned on the car radio, tuning in to a news channel with hopes of hearing what they would make of the explosions. Within an hour of driving the news broke. Her heart pounded hearing the words that left the reporter's lips. "Two explosions off the coast of Germany this morning have left the Nord Stream pipelines damaged..." 'The Nord Stream pipelines' echoed in Arya's ears. The pipes brought Russian oil to Europe. She knew Markus Keller and his entourage had sabotaged them.

Arya's grip on the steering wheel tightened as the news continued to unfold. "Authorities are probing possible foul play." The implication hung heavily in the air. It seemed to Arya that everytime she thought the stakes could not be any higher, they were raised. An overwhelming sense of frustration gripped her. 'Who the fuck is Markus Keller?'

A gnawing realisation took root—she had nowhere to turn, no safe harbour to weather the storm that she had found herself in the eye of. She thought long and hard about her next move. Keller's men had taken Alexei, Why? Keller had sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines, Why? What exactly was he playing at? Arya knew she was armed with very delicate information. How could she leverage it?

As she grappled with the magnitude of her predicament, a name surfaced in her thoughts like a lifeline — Cindy Hawthorne. An expert, who would know better than anyone else in Arya's network what to do. However, the thought was not without its reservations. The United Kingdom was an ally of the United States, if Keller was in fact American, Cindy might be put in a hard spot. 'What if her nation's diplomatic alliance with the United States outweighs her personal relationship with me?'

Yet, Cindy, with her position in the UK Embassy, possessed the resources and knowledge that Arya sorely needed. With a mix of trepidation and resolve, Arya made her way to the UK Embassy in Bern. The decision to seek help from someone with affiliations to another powerful nation was not taken lightly, but in the absence of better choices, it became a pivotal step toward protecting herself from the fallout of the explosion she had witnessed.

A stern-faced security guard greeted Arya at the Embassy's gate.

"I need to speak with Cindy Hawthorne," Arya spoke, her voice betraying a mixture of desperation and urgency.

The guard regarded her with scrutiny.

"Tell her it's Jamaica... and it's about my puppy love."

Following a muted conversation behind the glass of the security booth, the gates opened, and the guard motioned for Arya to drive in.

She took a seat in Cindy's living room. It was an open space, with an area for dining that was flooded by papers. Cindy sat next to Arya on her sofa, wearing a fluffy white robe.

"How many months?" Cindy's voice was stern, her expression void of its typical warmth. It was evident that she was disappointed.

"Five? Six? I'm not sure. I haven't been able to do a proper check up."

Cindy sighed, looking at Arya with tired eyes. Cindy's butler came in, placing cups of tea before each of them, then promptly leaving once more. Cindy took a small sip of her tea, motioning for Arya to do the same.

Arya cautiously took a sip.

Cindy waited for Arya to place her cup down before speaking again. "Was it him?" She asked.