That proved to be the case once Jake was done.
Raize ended his call, shoving his phone into his pocket. He jerked his head toward Jake. “You’re checking your bag. Everyone, put your guns inside. Wrap them up in some clothing. Give me the keys, Jake.”
He handed them over.
Raize went to the front and ducked inside to leave the bag of phones under the seat. He put the keys in a zipped compartment behind the front seat. Then he locked the doors before giving everything a once-over.
After that, we were ready for the airport.
Raize had us each enter through different doors and different security entrances. He and I stayed together, and he sent Cavers off first. Jake went next, with instructions to keep an eye on Cavers, from a distance. He nodded, heading off to check his bag.
Raize and I moved past him and through the farthest door and the farthest security checkpoint. I used to fly, back when I lived normally, so I knew not all airports were the same. Some had different security stations set up around the whole airport, which helped cut down the lines, but others had one large security line. Those were horrible to go through—they took forever.
I was glad these were sectioned off.
“Move.”
The command wasn’t loud or even a bark, but I jerked because I’d been daydreaming. So not something I did.
I picked up my pace, settling behind a group of ladies who looked like they were off on a girls’ weekend. They looked rich, mid-thirties, and they were eyeing Raize behind me. A couple seemed already sloshed, the others ready to get sloshed. I hoped they wouldn’t be on the same plane as us.
“You nervous to fly?”
I was surprised by Raize’s question, and turned toward him.
His dark eyes assessed me, but he didn’t seem as cold as he usually did.
I didn’t know how I felt about that.
I raised a shoulder. “No, just thinking about life before.”
He stared at me, then nodded and looked forward.
The women were openly staring at him now, whispering together.
I didn’t know women could still whisper like schoolgirls, but these ladies were doing it.
A couple of them smiled at Raize, who cursed under his breath. “Come on.”
“What?”
“I don’t want attention. Let’s do another security gate.”
We shifted forward, and I said, “We’re two groups away. Ignore them.”
He glared at me. “They want to flirt with me.”
“Duh.”
“I don’t flirt.”
I almost grinned at that. He was outright annoyed.
One of the women fell back, and I knew she was doing it to overhear our conversation.
The front of her group started through the security line, and that’s when she turned back. “Where y’all traveling to?”
“None of your business.” Raize’s hand touched the small of my back, and I almost jumped into the lady. But then I settled back and felt his hand open up, his fingers spreading wide.
His touch didn’t make my skin crawl. That was a shock. I pasted a smile on my face as the lady gasped. “We just got bad news from a family member. You’ll have to excuse my…”
“Husband,” Raize announced.
“Husband.” Seriously? Husband?
The lady stepped back at my statement, but her eyes darted to our fingers. No rings. She frowned, and I saw more questions coming.
I got there first. “Where are you all headed?”
“Oh!” She lit up as we progressed through the line. “My friend over there, Sadie, she’s getting a divorce, so we thought a trip down to Mexico would be the best way to celebrate. We love to go down there. We go once a year, sometimes more. You ever been?” She was asking me, but her eyes had returned to Raize, who shifted farther behind me.
I had to smother my grin. I shouldn’t be enjoying this reaction from him, but I couldn’t stop myself.
It was so…normal.
That was it.
This was a momentary escape from our lives, and I was going with it.
I moved forward as the woman did, after introducing herself as Mary. She asked our names, but the guard called for her. It was perfect timing. After that, she and her friends went down the right lane, and after handing over our identification and showing the tickets on Raize’s phone, we were sent to the left lane.
I didn’t have anything to pull from my bag, so I left it the way it was. No computer. Nothing like that. I didn’t have any liquids, so I toed off my shoes and put them next to my bag in the same bin. Raize did the same, putting his leather jacket in a separate bin.
“Did you send the tickets to the guys?” I asked as we waited our turn.
He nodded, touching my back again, and as the guard waved me forward, he gently pushed me ahead.
Going through, I spread my legs and put my hands above my head, barely letting myself think how this would be how I’d stand to have handcuffs put on. Nope. I wasn’t going there. When I got the clear, I moved forward and grabbed my stuff from the bin.
The ladies were waiting a few feet away. Mary migrated over, giving me a small smile as we watched Raize get waved through. They took longer checking him, waving him to the side for a further inspection. I kept an eye on his bin as Mary asked, “So where are y’all heading to?”
I started to answer, but realized I didn’t know. Shit. That was something I should know, but Raize had the tickets.
“We’re headed to Texas.”
“Really? We’re not flying into Mexico. We’re heading to Texas for a few days first. One of our girlfriends has a house down there, in Corpus Christi. Where in Texas are you going? Maybe we’re on the same flight.”
Fuuuuck. I needed to stall, but then I felt a familiar presence behind me. Raize’s hand touched my back as his rough voice answered for me, “Excuse us. We’re meeting some people.”
So abrupt, but so perfect.
He pushed me forward, still gently, and Mary stepped back. “Sure. Yeah… Have a good trip.”
He didn’t respond, directing me toward a busy walkway as he pulled his backpack back on.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“We’re flying into San Antonio and then driving down.”
“Down where?”
As the crowd swarmed around us, Raize moved to walk beside me. He dropped his hand and gave me a look. “Since when do you care about that shit?”
Right.
I’d forgotten. I was an employee, nothing more.
My moment of normalcy was gone.
“I don’t.” I shrugged it off, feeling the usual cold, numb wall sliding over me. Once it was locked in place, I could feel the distance between myself and these other travelers. I was standing almost shoulder to shoulder with them, but they had no idea how far away I actually was.
When we got to our gate, Raize had me wait in the open area just outside it. Jake and Cavers were already there, sitting in opposite sections from each other. I didn’t look at them after an initial glance to see they were there. I tuned out my surroundings.
“Do you have any headphones?” I asked Raize.
He frowned, but dug into his bag. He held them out, and I took them, not saying thanks.
I slid down to sit on the floor and took out my new phone. This life or a different life, I could still enjoy music.