Gasoline, fumes, and sweat…
I push away the thought of the motorcyclists as the car merges onto a main road. The lanes break into three and the vehiclepicks up speed, traveling away from the mountains. I have to let them go.
“Mommy!” Otis tugs my hand, taking my attention from the road. “What about home?”
“It’s time we build a new home together, baby. Somewhere new. Just the two of us.”
“But what about La Vegas?”
His undeveloped pronunciation of the place never fails to amuse me. “We’re gonna have a fresh start, honey, in New York. There will be deer in the back garden. Maybe, if you’re careful, they’ll let you pet them. How cool!”
Otis looks up at me with searching eyes, like he’s not buying the marketing. “But what about home?”
Not that damned question again. I force a smile and dramatically shake my shoulders, hoping that I look excited, not constipated. “Something better is in store for us, baby. Just you wait.”
“What about the lizards?”
I cackle and almost throw back my head. It would appear the little stinker has been eavesdropping in on mine and Sadie’s conversations.
“You will not miss the lizards,” I chuckle. “I promise.”
We arrive at the airport in good time.
But really it’s bad time—I was hoping to be in the car long enough to pull myself out of the gutter. The one I’m still in as Otis and I advance to departures.
Otis looks up at the terminal building like it’s threatening to swallow him whole.
Same.
It’s a challenging walk up to the entrance, but I make it to the revolving doors in one piece without them slicing me in half.
I grip Otis’s hand and guide us over to the check-in desk, where I’m greeted by a woman who looks much too happy to be working there.
“Passports please, miss.”
I stick a hand into my pocket and retrieve the documents, handing them over making a mess of myself.
The woman takes the passports from my shaking hand, opening to the correct page for me since I’m unable to do so myself. She probably thinks I’m a nervous flyer.
And that would be so much better than this.
She prints off our boarding passes and hands them over while I’m still shaking profusely.
“Security is to your right, miss. Enjoy the flight.”
Right decisions aren’t easy, I remind myself as I take myself and Otis in the direction she indicated.
How can I bring up a child when my life is being threatened by dangerous Irishmen?
And these threats aren’t empty. Conrad O’Neill has a plan. Considering the success of his auction, it would seem there’s nothing this mancan’tdo. If he can organize covertunderground events and keep them secret, he can successfully kidnap one single mom.
The bikers want to help, but I know how these games go. Somebody will get hurt, and it’ll be my fault.
I push on toward security, lacing my hand with Otis. I join the line and exhale a deep breath. My heart hitches each time the line bumps up one, and before I know it, I find myself at the front working up the courage to scan my boarding pass.
As soon as I enter security, there’s no going back. This is a one-way door, and my fate is sealed the second it closes. For good.
I reach for the boarding pass and hover it over the scanner.
