"He's looking at his boarding pass," I assured her, already having assessed and dismissed him."Remember what I said—act normal.Nervous people attract attention."
She nodded, squaring her shoulders with visible effort.The girl had guts, I'd give her that.Twenty years old and already weathered more shit than most people twice her age.
I handed her the boarding passes I'd printed at the self-service kiosk."Hold these.I'll handle the bags."
Dante tugged at my jeans; his head tilted all the way back to look up at me."Are we really going on an airplane?"
"Sure are, little man."I hoisted our single carryon—all we'd had time to pack before leaving the motel at dawn."Have you ever flown before?"
He shook his head, eyes wide."Does it go super fast like a rocket ship?"
"Not quite that fast," I chuckled, surprised by how easily the sound came.I wasn't known for laughing much around the club."But, still pretty amazing."
The security line inched forward.I positioned myself slightly behind Ophelia and Dante, giving me a clear view of both them and anyone approaching.Old habits.When you've spent as many years watching for rival clubs and undercover cops as I had, situational awareness becomes second nature.
"Boarding passes and IDs," the TSA agent droned when we reached the front.
I handed over my driver's license, hyperaware of Ophelia's tension as she presented the fake ID Pretty Boy had arranged.Good quality work—should pass a standard check.Still, my muscles coiled, ready to move if anything went sideways.
The agent barely glanced at them before waving us forward to the screening area.First hurdle cleared.
"Mommy, I don't want to take off my shoes," Dante protested as Ophelia knelt to help him.
"It's just for a minute, sweetie.Everyone has to do it."Her voice was steady, but I caught the tremor in her hands.
I crouched down next to the kid."You know why they make us take our shoes off?"I asked, keeping my voice casual.
He shook his head, momentarily distracted from his protest.
"It's like a superhero checkpoint.They're making sure nobody's hiding their secret identity."I tapped his Spider-Man backpack."Even Peter Parker has to follow the rules sometimes."
Dante's eyes widened with understanding, and he immediately sat down to pull off his Velcro sneakers.
"That was good," Ophelia murmured as we placed our items in the gray bins."Thank you."
I nodded, not making a big deal of it."What lane are they putting us in?"
"The regular one, I think."She glanced nervously at the body scanner.
"I'll go first," I said."Then Dante, then you.Keep him in sight at all times."
The line moved agonizingly slowly.I maintained a relaxed posture while my eyes never stopped moving, assessing everyone around us.A security guard chatting with another agent.A family with teenagers bickering over who carried what.A businessman rushing past, late for his flight.Nothing concerning.
When my turn came, I stepped through the scanner without issue, collected my boots and jacket, then positioned myself where I could watch Dante follow.
"Arms up like a starfish," I heard Ophelia instruct him.The kid giggled and struck a dramatic pose before walking through.
"Good job, superhero," I said, helping him find his shoes while keeping one eye on Ophelia.She made it through without setting off any alarms, but the tension in her shoulders remained.
We redressed quickly.Fifteen minutes until boarding.The departure board showed our gate was at the far end of the terminal.
"We need to move," I said, slinging our bag over my shoulder."Dante, you want a ride?"
Without waiting for an answer, I hoisted him onto my shoulders.He squealed in delight, small hands gripping my head for balance.
"Hold on tight, Spider-Man," I said, setting off at a brisk pace.Ophelia hurried alongside me, her eyes still scanning behind us periodically.
"Are we running away from bad guys?"Dante asked from his perch, thankfully keeping his voice low.
