by Maggie Thom
Bailey spun on her heel and grabbed her backpack, which she'd picked up on her travels to hold her meager belongings. "By the way, thanks for the clothes." She didn't bother to look down at the torn knee and filthy pants. They looked nothing like the new duds he'd bought her less than ten hours before.
"I forgot to say that this morning. I appreciate that you did that for me." She couldn't believe he'd bought her jeans and shirts and that he'd found ones that had fit her. And not only had he purchased her one set but two. Since she'd just gotten back to the room after a bit of a terrifying run through the downtown core, she hadn't had a chance to change. Actually she'd hoped she'd be gone before he'd returned. Some ugly people knew her mom. Some ugly people felt she owed them, even twenty years later. Unfortunately the one lady, Anna Marie that she'd hoped to find was gone, no one knew if dead or just moved on. Bailey stuffed her things into a backpack before picking it up and slinging it over her shoulder.
She snapped back to the present when his hand grabbed on to her forearm as she reached for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Where I need to." She grabbed the doorknob but stopped when she realized he hadn't let go. Facing him, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I appreciate what you've helped with." A frown marred her brow as she thought about that for a moment. If he hadn't found her, she wouldn't be in the mess she was now in. She gave him a half-hearted smile. "I need to do this on my own. I'll figure out what's going on. When the time is right, I'll get a hold of you and we'll see about meeting the relatives. That really was what your job was supposed to be, right?"
She'd had plenty of time over the last six hours to think about this crazy relationship. The guy was in over his head. Yes he'd been helpful in getting them vehicles and places to hide but he really hadn't signed on for the kind of life she was used to. Besides, she was a pro at disappearing. If she didn't want someone to find her they wouldn't. One of the many useful skills her mother had taught her, that and how to make it with nothing.
"Don't start giving me a lecture about what my role is or isn't. I'm in this with you. You think it's my fault that we're being chased, right?"
It was her turn to feel the heat crawl up her face.
"Well, I do too. If I'd left you alone, you wouldn't have guys trying to kill you."
After all that she'd learned that day, she knew she couldn't let him take the blame. "I'm sure at some point someone would have come looking for me. My mother was not exactly a person who endeared herself to people. She used them, spit them out and left. I found many of those people today and since she isn't here for them to get back at, I'm on the list."
"Care to tell me where you went and what you did?" He looked pointedly at her torn and dirty clothes.
She shook her head. The day had been nothing but a flop. A scary one but nonetheless, she'd found nothing. Not totally true, she acknowledged. She'd found people who remembered her, remembered her mother. People who felt she owed them for bringing the cops down on them, on their drug trafficking, stealing, other illegal things. A few had tried to show her the payback they had wanted to bestow upon her mother. Today Bailey could have added to their list of breaking the law - assault, threats and attempted kidnapping. Her eyes widened as she realized that seemed to be the flavor of her life. She almost laughed at the thought that she could have been stolen again. Fearing that she wouldn't be able to control her hysteria, she pushed it away. "I need to go."
"Not by yourself. I picked up our friend again. Or he picked me up. Not sure. However, do know he's the one who wanted us dead? But I'm not sure he's alone." He grabbed the doorknob. "We need to go. I'll go first but stick with me. Got it!"
He turned suddenly. She stopped but not quickly enough. The width of her hand was all that separated their faces. She didn't even have time to form a coherent thought before his lips came down on hers. It was quick and over before she could blink but the power of the punch behind it she knew was going to take a while to forget.
He shot out the door. "Come on."
It was time to move. There'd be time later to discuss that little situation that was not going to develop into anything further. She hadn't been a virgin in a long time but she also had been very careful about whom she'd slept with. Selective enough to get out without getting scorched and she was sure Guy would leave a blackened, burnt out mess when he left.
Running fast, she caught up to him on the stairs. Not sure if he really knew what he was doing, she did agree with the precautions he was taking. She wasn't going to put all her trust into him but as long as her instincts told her it was okay, she'd go along with him.
It wasn't until they were in the cab driving down the hill, heading across the river valley that she thought to ask, why the change in transportation. That's when she really noticed his appearance.
"What happened to you?"
Looking her over, he replied, "Not much different than I'm thinking happened to you. Care to share your story?"
The city scenery was a blur as she stared out the cab window. Anna Marie, her last hope, no one seemed to have known where she was. Several thought she was dead. Bailey felt a sadness that went deep. Anna Marie was the first person who had been like a mother to her. She'd dried Bailey's eyes when she'd fallen. Talked to her about life. Let her know she didn't belong in that world. Ironically, she'd been the reason Bailey had become an interior decorator. People would have laughed at that. Anna Marie lived under a stairwell in an old building. Torn, ripped drapes were her protection and her doorway to the world. A shredded blue comforter that had lost all of its feathers covered her concrete bed. Beads of all sorts strung together and draped under the stairs were her gateway to the world and her decorations. The colors and the little things Anna Marie had put up had made her feel like she had a home. She'd been a remarkable woman, living in an impossible place yet never letting that get her down. She'd lived with love and laughter.
Bailey tried to shake the melancholy she was feeling. The opening to her past seemed to be slamming shut with a steel metal door, locked from the outside and no one seemed to have the key. Anyone who had answers wasn't talking or had disappeared. Guy seemed to be the only one who was the link to her past. But what if trusting him cost her everything? Huddled against the door, she stared out at the scenery. Twenty minutes later they were dropped off at the Edmonton International Airport. Vehicles were being parked three deep in the drop off zone; it was a little hairy getting out.
She was transfixed by the chaos. A beautiful woman with long blonde hair climbed out of a low slung black car. A gentle breeze caught her hair and tossed it over her face. Chuckling, she leaned down into the car, the short skirt showing a lot of leg, stopping just shy of flashing all that was hidden underneath it. The woman straightened, had a guard grab her bag from the open trunk and proceeded to follow him into the airport.
Annoyed at the woman for playing the simpering fool, Bailey climbed out. She'd had that dream when she was fifteen - her knight would ride in, save her and take her away from the life she'd had, but she'd woken up and realized that crap didn't exist in the real she not hers.
"Any time you need a taxi, call me."
Bailey pulled herself back to what was going on. Guy accepted the driver's card and shook the hand of the very happy man. After seeing the amount of money he was stashing in his pocket she could understand why. Once in the airport, they checked out the departures.
"There's one to Toronto, leaves in two hours. Perfect." Guy hustled off towards the Airlines.
Bailey watched him leave and then perused the list again. She headed in the opposite direction. She hadn't gone far though, when a familiar hand clamped onto her. She barely reacted, like she knew who it was, like she knew she was safe and that scared her and angered her.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"Why thank you so much for asking. That's so sweet that you give a damn what I want."
Yanking away from him, she continued on her way.
He r
an in front of her but instead of stopping her, he ran backwards, facing her. "Okay, I made an assumption we're going east. We're not?"
She shook her head emphatically and moved to get in line.
"We're going to your place, aren't we?"
"I've had it. I've had enough of this game. I quit. I'm going home. I can't do this anymore. If I'm done then this has to be over, right?" She tried to keep the pleading out of her voice but knew she'd failed when he said a few choice words that had a woman glare at him, with that I'd-love-to-wash-out-your-mouth-with-soap, look. He stared back. Bailey couldn't help but giggle.
"Not funny. We need to discuss this." He started to pull her out of line.
"Don't let him bully you, honey. I can blow this." A short, elderly lady fumbled around in the top of her loose dress before pulling out what looked like a referee's whistle. She put it to her lips.
Bailey's eyes opened wide. As much as she'd love to see that play out, she knew they didn't need any more attention than they were getting. She smiled. "Thank you. He's a good guy, just a bit rough around the edges. Don't worry I'll keep him in line."
The lady nodded her head sharply, her purple hairdo bobbing but returning to its original shape.
Bailey let herself be dragged away. She bit her lip. She thought about all that had happened to her in the last few days. Her lips twitched. She tried to focus on anything but what had just occurred. When Guy pulled her into the lounge, she couldn't hold back any longer. She started to laugh and laugh and laugh. She flopped down into a chair, clutched her stomach and continued to howl. The waitress gave her an odd look but smiled, then took the order from Guy and moved away. Several people had given her cursory glances but when she didn't stop, they openly stared. Normally, that would have been enough to end her attention getting behavior but for whatever reason the giggles just wouldn't go away.
"Care for a sip?" Guy was holding up a glass of water in one hand and a beer in the other.
That just set her off again. Gasping, she tried to catch her breath. Small vibrations started at her core and spiraled outwards, as she shook with uncontrolled hilarity. Her heart rate jumped to that of a marathoner's; her hands got clammy; her eyes opened wide. She was never sure whether she'd asked for help or whether Guy had been able to see that she was out of control and scared. He came around the table and pulled her up, forcing her to stand. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as physically close as he could. Then he started to hum, softly. His deep baritone melodic voice finally reached through her defenses and soothed her frayed nerves. It was so comforting that she never wanted to leave that space. If only it could last. He had given her more than anyone had in her lifetime, he could be 'it' for her.
When she felt strong enough, she pulled away and sank down into her chair. Staring at the beer in front of her, she grabbed it and downed half of it. As she set it back down on the table and played with the label, a warm hand landed on hers.
"It's okay. I know you're not used to asking nor accepting help but I'm not going away. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You've had more happen this week than many have had in their life time. Give yourself a break." He smiled reassuringly. "I know you want this nightmare to end. So do I. But I need you to trust me."
She couldn't quite meet his concerned blue eyes that looked as enticing as a blue sky on a clear day. She nodded and then drank the rest of her beer.
"Are you okay?"
Never one to shy away from responsibility, she let her gaze meet his. He smiled. It was so warm and genuine, something she wasn't used to, that it zipped right past her defenses and sucker punched her in the chest. She gasped.
Immediately, he was out of his chair and kneeling beside her. "What? What's wrong?"
She couldn't answer, she just pushed him away.
"You're alright?"
She nodded.
"I'm going to get us on a plane to Toronto. I know you want to go home but are you going to be able to get any answers there?"
She shook her head.
"Then we need to go my direction. That's... that's where I hope we'll get some answers. Okay?" She half-heartedly smiled. "I have a few things I need to check out. I think there's some surprises even I couldn't have guessed. I'm going to make a call and get us on that flight." He headed out of the lounge, stopping just outside the entrance.
Not wanting to think about how stupid she'd been acting, she thought back through some of the things she'd learned that week.
Her mom wasn't her mom. She wondered if that was why she'd never really felt connected to her or was that an excuse. Many kids didn't connect with their mothers. She was really no different. Someone wanted her though. Why? She didn't have any money. Her mom sure didn't. The house and store were owned by someone else. Her mom had given her letters that had weird information in them. Her doll hadn't been lost.
All of it meant... what?
What kept playing over and over in the background of her mind was how many people had her mother used and abused. That day she thought she could find people from her past who'd have answers. Who'd be able to make sense of a senseless life? Where she'd gone, the hangouts for bums and the shelters, had taken her back to the many times they'd slept in those places that do-gooders tried to make available, to get people off the street. It had reminded her of what a belly swollen with hot, empty air felt like. Getting in line for food, begging, lying and stealing, all in the name of survival.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE