I leaned against the wall, enjoying the sensation of my pounding heart—recording every last detail of my final moments with Rick. I never wanted to forget how I felt at that moment.
My flight to Colorado was leaving in about twenty minutes and I felt my body tighten; I felt on edge. I was glad to be leaving D.C. and the horror of its memories, but still had reservations about going home. I wished I could stay in Colorado and not continue on to Montana. I looked at Chris, who sat a row away from me.
I stood up and went over to him, sitting in the seat beside him.
“So, you’re going with me?” I asked, resigning myself to the idea.
“No,” Chris said.
“Will I have to go back to D.C. to testify?”
“Most likely not.”
“Why not?”
“They said they got everyone.”
“What about justice?” A deep ache spread through me.
“Justice will be served but usually with cases like this, deals are made. This kind of stuff is often kept real quiet. If they can keep it that way, that is.” My mind went crazy thinking about them getting a sweet deal. I’d have to write Jeremy to find out the details.
“Why are you here if they got everyone?”
“They think they got everyone.”
My heart pounded with dread. They hadn’t gotten everyone after all. Had Jeremy lied to me again? What were his exact words?
“They think? They think?” My voice was shrill.
“Look, we got everyone we knew about. It’s only been two days since we started rounding ‘em up. It can take months to be sure. Give us a chance to tie off all the loose ends.”
I stared at him wide-eyed, panic choking me, while I tried to remember exactly what Jeremy had said. “They’re all dead or in custody.” Did he just not know because he was in the hospital?
“Don’t get all crazy on me now. You’re safe, be assured of that.” With that, he stood and offered me his hand to help me up.
How could I be assured? I reluctantly took his hand, and got up. Then we walked to my gate where people were already boarding the plane. But I wasn’t ready to board. I needed time to digest what Chris had told me.
“Really,” he said, backpedaling, “Don’t worry your little head about it. I’m sure we already have everyone involved. I didn’t explain it right. You are safe.”
I listened with no comment. I didn’t know him. Could I believe him? I turned and walked over to get a drink at the drinking fountain. He walked back over to the chairs and took a seat. Jeremy had said more after he said that the terrorists were all dead or in custody. Something about the terrorists being on the run. Why hadn’t I really heard that while I was with him? I could have questioned him. I should have known when they made me wear this disguise. I walked into the bathroom for no particular reason. I was putting off the inevitable.
I stared at myself in the mirror, washing my hands over and over again. This was it, an end to my ability to change. In a few hours, I would be home. When it came right down to it, I was afraid to go home. Would people see me as a new, different person and accept me? I gently touched a few of the white-strips that dotted my face. I hoped I could make myself pretty like Marybeth had done for me almost every day of the trip.
Would they see that I had more to give than right answers, eloquent speeches, and pristine writing? Would they care about me if they found out what I had witnessed—that I had experienced something horrible? But I couldn’t tell. We had just been in a bus accident—that was all. My heart hurt thinking about how it would feel if no one saw the new me and liked it. I wanted to be noticed. I wanted to be valued. I wanted to feel included. I looked away from the mirror and that voice in my head came back.
Remember hope—believe.
The hurt suddenly turned to burning and my despair turned to hope.
I could hope. I could believe. I had to believe that things would be different—better even. I took a deep breath and smiled as I dried my hands. I didn’t understand why I felt so uncertain. It didn’t make any sense. Like Marybeth had said, I did have two amazing guys vying for my attention in D.C. Why not again? I had made friends, and I could again. The brightness of the hope I felt filled my whole soul.
When I came out, I saw Chris tipping his head to my gate, urging me to board. I looked around one last time and headed for Chris to get my backpack, my mind quieter and yet alert. I bent over to pick up the backpack and something started to buzz in Chris’ pocket. He stood up and grabbed my arm, hard, leading me into the family bathroom.
“What’s…” I started to say
He held his free hand up to lips, gesturing for me to be silent. Two large men fell in behind us and stopped at the door to the bathroom while Chris and I went in. He pulled out what looked like a pen and starting at my toes, he moved it over my body. Was it a bug detector? It screamed when he ran it over my backpack. Without talking, he opened my backpack and dumped the contents onto the floor. He ran the detector over it until he singled out the hygiene kit the rep at the check-in desk had given me. He went to the door and handed it to one of the two men outside the door and then came back to me, moving the bug detector slowly over my whole body and backpack one more time. No buzzing.
“Did anyone else give you anything while here at the airport?”
“No,” I said, before remembering the traveler’s necklace. “Oh yeah,” I laughed. “A nun in the bathroom gave me that charm,” I said, pointing at the charm on the floor.
He shook his head, running the device over it. It didn’t chirp, but he picked it up anyway and gave it to the guards outside the door. My insides turned to jelly. I felt so stupid. He’d told me not to accept anything from strangers.
He raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to explain.
I told him about the nun and everything that had happened and what we talked about. He rolled his eyes and sighed.
“We told you not to talk to anybody. I told you not to take anything from strangers. What were you thinking?”
I not only felt two inches tall, I wanted to disappear completely.
“I know it was stupid, but she was a nun. I just didn’t know.”
“That’s the point. You don’t know.” My face burned and my insides shook.
He put his hand to his ear and gave a description of the nun and rep. to whomever was on the other end.
“What’s going to happen now?” My heart battered my ribs. The terrorists were obviously alive and kicking.
“We’ll put a decoy with that necklace and kit on the plane to Colorado. You’re heading for Portland now and then home. Justin, a makeup artist, is on his way to change your look and get you on the plane to Portland.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I really am. But you accepted a kit from that rep., too.”
“Just do what we tell you from now on.” The harshness in his voice made me feel worse.
“I will. I promise.” It wasn’t fair, though.
He rolled his eyes again and breathed out hard through his nose. He didn’t try to make me feel better. He wanted me to feel bad so that I would be more careful.
There would be no question about me being careful. Fear crawled through each and every bone in my body, one by one, slowly chilling me. I wrapped my arms around my middle, hoping I wouldn’t start to shiver.
A few minutes later, Justin came in with a bag and had me change into different clothes. Jeans and a T-shirt, along with a hoodie. I wouldn’t stand out for sure. Justin was a breath of fresh air. He fitted a short brown wig on me and he sprayed makeup all over my face. He called it airbrushing. If you looked closely, you could see my steri-strips and scrapes, but you really had to look.
“This is the end of the road for us, Christy,” Chris said. “Good Luck.”
“Thanks,” I said, guilt dripping from my voice.
He left me with Justin.
“What’s your cover, Anna?” Justin asked.
I was Anna, now? He gave me a quick cover-st
ory about being in a car accident while visiting relatives in Maine. Of course, it became a bus accident for my parents. He had me practice talking with him, just in case someone was insistent on talking to me. He also reminded me to clean up once at the airport in Helena so that my parents wouldn’t freak out seeing me in disguise.
I liked Justin and his easy, light-hearted personality. We even joked and laughed while waiting at the gate for my flight. By the time I boarded the plane, I’d almost forgotten that I was a target and that the terrorists were still actively trying to get to me.
I had to believe what Justin had told me. That we had fooled them and I wouldn’t be found. What else could I do? I pushed the horror into a corner of my mind and sat back in my nice roomy seat, drink in hand, to watch a movie and escape D.C.
* * *
Look for
PROTECTED,
the next book in the WATCHED series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cindy Hogan graduated in secondary education and enjoys spending time with unpredictable teenagers. More than anything, she loves the time she has with her own teenager daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her snuggled up to the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party.
For more information on the author visit cindymhogan.blogspot.com,
watched-thebook.blogspot.com
Copyright © 2011 Cindy M. Hogan
No other part of this book, including the cover, may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Watched (The Watched Series) Page 30