I just need her to give me a fucking chance. I can’t live without her.
CHAPTER 11
Elena
My stomach’s in my throat as I drag my carry-on through the crowded airport. On the ride here I managed to find a flight leaving in thirty minutes for Michigan. I booked their last seat. Now all I have to do is make it through security, run to the gate, and I’ll be on my way out of this nightmare.
Glancing at the airport signage, I follow the arrows to the security section. A long line of people shuffle through. My heart lurches. If they don’t hurry this up there’s no way I’ll make it to my flight. Though being on the other side of this gate, where no one can get in without a ticket, does give me a sense of safety. I just need to join the cue.
I’m one step closer to freedom.
I find the end of the line and step toward it. A group of teenagers rush forward at the same time, jumping into line ahead of me. They pay no attention to me as they boisterously chatter with each other.
Taking one step back, to make room for them, I bump into someone behind me.
“Sorry,” I mumble, gliding my luggage closer so that I take up as little space as possible. The cue’s so crowded it’s challenging not to jostle into other passengers.
Plus, flying commercial is a totally new experience for me. I’m used to meeting the jet in the hangar, or on the tarmac, where there is no security line or screening with hundreds of other people.
This is taking forever. I’m going to miss my flight. Panic pulses through me but I breathe through it.
As I weave back and forth through the cue, my gaze flickers at the crowd all around. There are way too many people. I feel crushed, closed in on, but also obscured by their shuffling bodies. Maybe there’s safety in numbers.
Finally, I reach the front of the line where I have to remove my shoes and step through a strange machine while uniformed people give me orders. I follow them as best I can, relieved once I’m through and can put my shoes back on and retrieve my belongings. I made it. I’m through security.
Just as I have that thought, the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I look up and my gaze collides with Maximo’s. Somehow, through the packed crowd in this airport, I immediately spot him. Fists clenched, broad shoulders stiff. He looks furious.
For several thundering heart beats, we stare at each other. Neither of us move.
He can’t get to me. The realization slams me in the gut.I’m free.
Momentary insanity overtakes me and I do something I’ve never dared do before. I flip him the bird. His scowl deepens into something lethal. Promising punishment for that.
As much as I’d love to revel in this moment, I don’t have time. Grabbing my bag, I sprint to my gate.
My third flight finally lands me in sunny California. Los Angeles to be exact. I stopped looking over my shoulder when we flew past the Rocky Mountains. Even if Maximo did snoop through my laptop, and find the real estate listings, I’m nowhere near those cities. In fact, I’m waiting a while before leaving LA. This city’s large enough to disappear in. For now, that’s my goal.
As soon as I step out of the airport, I feel like I’ve arrived on an alien planet. Mars perhaps? The warm, dry air leaches away the moisture in my skin.
This is all wrong. That thought steamrolls me into the ground.
Faultering, I try to shake it off. This can’t be wrong, I just arrived. I’m free. This is what true freedom feels like.
I slide into the backseat of a cab. “Take me to the Beverly Hills Marriott, please.”
On our descent, I booked a room there because it was the only location name that I recognized. Everyone knows Beverly Hills.
As the cab rolls, driving through palm tree lined city streets, I gaze out the window waiting for a sense of excitement that never comes. I’m struck by how harsh this place looks. Rolling desert hills, prickly landscaping… It's oddly depressing.
I shake my head at myself. What’s wrong with me? I’m on the West Coast, California, exactly where I’ve been planning to land. This is my dream.
So why does it feel like a nightmare waiting to happen? Why am I already missing my sister and cousins?
Maybe I just need some time to get used to it. Disappointment swirls in my gut as we arrive at the hotel. I pay the driver and check into my room.
From the top floor, I gaze out across the city to the setting sun. It’s obscured by a hill, casting orange light over the green and brown landscape. This moment should be a new beginning, but all I feel is dread.
CHAPTER 12
