CL Hart -From A Distance

by CL Hart

  The guard shook his head and waved her through, "Nah, don't worry about it." He turned his back with a wave of his hand, returning to the discussion with his colleagues.

  Kenzie and Cori moved to the end of the belt where the troublesome plastic bag was waiting for them. Snatching it off the conveyor, Kenzie said to Cori, "Let's get out of here before we draw any more attention."

  They were through and on their way, and Kenzie couldn't have been happier. The process had been easy, too easy, but she wasn't going to object as she crossed the hard tile floor.

  "That's it?" Cori whispered to Kenzie, who was holding the door open for her.

  A smile of relief spread across Kenzie's face. "That's it. Welcome back to the United States."

  "Hey - you two ladies, stop right there." The voice of authority ruined their celebration. In unison, they turned to the guard summoning them. "Come back here, please." He motioned with his hand.

  Cori looked at Kenzie. "What do we do?" she whispered.

  For a brief moment, Kenzie looked beyond the doors. They were so close, but if they tried to run, there was no chance they'd make it past the doors. "Let's go see what he wants."

  Nervous, Cori followed Kenzie back to the guard at the x-ray machine.

  "In a bit of a hurry?" The guard's tone sounded accusatory as he glanced from Kenzie to Cori.

  "Is there a problem?" Kenzie asked.

  "You were down in Tijuana just for the day?"

  "Yes," Kenzie answered for them both. Where is he going with this?

  "You went down this morning?" He turned his full attention to Kenzie and the two locked eyes.

  "Yes. Is there a problem, Officer?" Cori interjected as she watched the two size each other up.

  The guard turned to Cori. "Should there be?"

  "You called us back, I just don't know why."

  The guard came around the end of the conveyor belt. "You forgot your jackets. It's kinda warm for jackets isn't it?" he said, holding out the two windbreakers.

  "We weren't sure how long we were going to be. It can get a little chilly toward the evening," Cori said.

  "Ah, sorry." Kenzie collected the forgotten items. "Thanks. I'm sure we'd be missing these later." The guard nodded and they turned and headed for the door.

  Cori walked through the door and out onto the sidewalk of San Ysidro, California. They were back on American soil.

  "So much for Homeland Security," she said as Kenzie stepped up beside her.

  "What did you expect?"

  "I don't know, but something better than that. They hardly asked us a thing. I thought that after 9-11 there would be better security."

  "Security is a state of mind," Kenzie commented as she glanced over the busy sidewalk, her eyes stopping at the row of automated ticket booths. "There." She nodded toward them. "We need tickets for the red trolley. That will take us into San Diego." She transferred her pinata to her other hand, gently guiding Cori forward and away from the building.

  They stood together in front of the ticket booth screen looking over their options. "What do we need?" Cori asked. When Kenzie didn't answer, she turned to her in question, but Kenzie's eyes were elsewhere. A tremor of fear rushed through Cori as she studied Kenzie's profile and her flexing jaw muscles. Her eyes were scanning their surroundings. "Kenzie? What is it?"

  "Nothing," she answered but kept her eyes moving. "I don't know...something."

  "What is that supposed to mean?" Cori wondered if she would ever be able to relax again as she looked around. "Something?"

  "Nothing. The trolley should be here soon. It runs every fifteen minutes. Let's get our tickets and get out of here."

  "Kenzie?" Cori placed a hand on the well-developed bicep. "Don't do that. I trust you and I trust your instincts. You got us this far. If there's something I should know about or worry about, you need to tell me. Trust is a two way street, you know."

  Turning her attention back to the automated ticket booth, Kenzie punched in their destination on the trolley. Coriis right. Trust is something earned and she's earned it, but... She hadn't really trusted anyone since Mifflin. She waited for the machine to print out their tickets. Who do I trust?

  As if hearing the question, Cori moved her hand to Kenzie's. "You can trust me, Kenzie."

  Before she could deliberate on whether she could or whether she should, Kenzie turned her eyes to Cori's face. "I can't be certain, I haven't seen anyone, but if it was me...this is where I'd be - right here, waiting for us to come through the border crossing." She leaned down and retrieved their tickets. Her body ached with pain and exhaustion. She was tired, and maybe that was making her paranoid. When she stood up, tickets in hand, she automatically scanned the area again. She wanted to shake it off, but her instincts would not be silenced. That little voice of caution was screaming loudly. "Someone is out there. I can almost feel them."

  "Where?"

  "I don't know, but they're here. I'm sure of it." The red trolley came into view. "Let's go."

  "Any idea who might be out there?"

  "Isn't that what we've been asking ourselves since we left your apartment?"

  There was no time for Cori to answer as the trolley came churning into the station. This was its final stop before turning around and heading north to San Diego. The modern light rail system, the main transportation for people traveling from Tijuana, handled thousands of passengers daily. The five-car trolley came to a stop almost directly across from them and the hinged doors flapped open loudly. The train emptied its passengers, and soon people were lining up to get on.

  "Let's get out of here," Cori said.

  "You took the words right out of my mouth. I'll feel a lot better once we get a few miles between us and Mexico."

  By the time they got onto the front car, the only available bench seat was facing the back of the train. Sliding onto the red leather, Kenzie decided it was a fortuitous location. They would be able to watch the border station disappear as they pulled away.

  "I knew you weren't feeling well."

  "What?" Kenzie found it difficult to focus her attention on her traveling companion.

  "You said that you'd feel a lot better. I knew you weren't feeling well."

  "I never said that," Kenzie corrected as she moved the pinata around on her lap.

  Cori watched her for a few moments as the rest of the trolley passengers squeezed on board. She was tired and more than a little frustrated. It felt like they had been on the run forever, and she thought that once they were over the border she'd feel better, but she didn't. In addition, knowing that Kenzie was not feeling well only added to her inner struggles.

  "Would it kill you to admit that you're not invincible?" Cori said harshly, instantly regretting her tone. "I'm sorry, but if you're not feeling well then you're not feeling well. You're only human, Kenzie. I know you're supposed to be some tough-ass soldier chick, but sometimes you have to admit that you can't do everything by yourself. That's what friends are for - to lend a hand when you can't do something by yourself."

  Kenzie rolled the words around in her mind and chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked out the window. She didn't think that she was invincible, but at the same time, asking for help...it just wasn't done. Her training pounded in the necessity of being self-sufficient, reliant on no one but herself. All these years, she had only been responsible for herself...until now. Now I'm responsible for both of- "Son of a bitch!"

  She had been watching the people hustling to make the trolley before it pulled out of the station. He almost blended in - that was his job after all, as it was normally hers - but something about him looked out of place and it caught her eye.

  "What?" Cori leaned over Kenzie to look out the window.

  "We've got company." Kenzie draped her windbreaker over the back of the pinata and then crammed her hand through the paper of the little bull's neck. Fingers searching inside, she felt for the contraband she'd smuggled through the border.

  Cori watched Kenzie's
hand disappear inside the pinata. "What the hell are you doing?"

  "Cobra just got on the train."

  The words sent a chill through Cori. "Oh my God!" Her eyes darted over the people aboard the train. No one was paying them much attention and she didn't see the man who always seemed to be one step behind them. "Where did you see him?"

  Kenzie's fingers touched the gun. "He just got on the last car of the trolley," Kenzie said as a faint bell chimed and the doors to the train slammed closed. A moment later the trolley began its journey northward, making very little noise as it pulled out of the station.

  "He's here on this train?" Cori felt cornered and an adrenaline rush ratcheted her anxiety to new levels. "What are we going to do?"

  Keenly aware of the passengers closest to her, Kenzie pulled the torn paper bull toward her and repositioned her windbreaker to conceal what she was doing. "Nothing at the moment. He can't move between train cars while the train is in motion."

  "And what happens when we stop?"

  "We'll play a little game of cat and mouse." She glanced up at the station map posted high on the trolley wall. Wedged between an ad for Red Lobster and the announcement of new crab cakes at Joe's Crab Shack, a colored legend detailed their approaching stops. According to the map, there were twelve of them between their point of departure, the station at San Ysidro, and Old Town in San Diego. Twelve stops. She leaned back against her seat. It's going to be a long game. It was only then that she really noticed the woman sitting directly across from her. She appeared to be Mexican, with dark, curly hair and dark eyes cast downward. Looking intently at her hands folded neatly in her lap, the woman was trying hard to be invisible.

  "What's your plan?" Cori asked, looking to Kenzie for the assurance she could not find in herself. "You have a plan, right? Tell me you have a plan, Kenzie. Tell me that we haven't been on the run for over a thousand miles for it all to end within an hour of your boat."

  Kenzie actually smiled, then reached to touch Cori's hand. "I told you to trust me." She searched Cori's eyes. "And I told you I would protect you with every ounce of my being. I meant it. Trust me."

  "I do...but that won't stop me from being scared."

  "I know." Kenzie squeezed her hand, and then interlaced their fingers. "But we have a few stops before Cobra will reach our car. My guess is it will take about four stops."

  "About?" She looked to Kenzie in question. "That doesn't give me much confidence in your plan."

  Kenzie released Cori's hand and then carefully pulled the gun out of the pinata. Using the cover of her windbreaker, she attempted to slide the gun into the plastic bag on her lap, but the bag caught on the gun's rear sights and it tumbled to the floor.

  Quickly she scooped up the firearm and shoved it into the bag. Disgusted with her clumsiness, she closed her eyes and squeezed them shut. Her head was swimming and she was having a hard time concentrating.

  "What the... That was in there the whole time?" Cori whispered into Kenzie's ear. "What if you'd been caught with it at the border? What if the guards had searched the pinata?"

  "They didn't, but if they had, we had a backup plan."

  Cori was not pleased that this information was all news to her. "Do I want to know?"

  Kenzie opened her eyes and turned to her. "Probably not, but let's just say we weren't alone at the border station, and there would have been a loud diversion."

  "Great." Cori leaned back in her seat with a sigh. "I've come this far with a crazy woman."

  "I wouldn't say crazy, just readily adaptable." With the gun safely stored away, Kenzie leaned over to the woman across from her. "Excuse me, do you ride this trolley often?"

  The woman looked up with a smile and nodded politely.

  Cori watched in astonishment as Kenzie started up a conversation with the stranger. Soon the two were chatting easily. Her name was Flora, she said, and she lived in Tijuana but worked in a warehouse south of San Diego. Once she got talking, she was quite chatty, and all Kenzie and Cori had to do was listen.

  The first station came along faster than Kenzie had anticipated. The trolley car slowed to a stop, and she felt Cori's body tense. Kenzie leaned closer to the window, resting her face against the cool glass as she placed a reassuring hand on Cori's shoulder. The doors opened and several passengers departed. Watching and waiting, Kenzie spotted Cobra stepping out of the last car.

  He stood out, breaking the number one rule: become part of your environment. He was not attempting to hide. He walked along the cement platform confidently peering into the windows of the trolley car next to his. What an overconfident asshole, she thought as she watched his every movement. Just as he got to the front of the fourth trolley, the bell chimed, signaling their imminent departure. Cobra quickly hopped through the opening before the doors slammed shut.

  One car, one stop, but what about next time? If he moves faster, he could cover the two cars that separate us. Kenzie turned back to Cori as the trolley pulled out of the station.

  "Where is he?" Cori asked.

  "Two cars back." "What are we going to do?"

  "I'm working on something," Kenzie said as she looked up at the trolley map, scrutinizing the next several stops.

  "Kenzie, we have one, maybe two more stops, and then he's going to be in this car."

  Flora leaned forward between them. "Is everything okay? I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but, I mean, are you two in some kind of trouble?"

  Unsure of what she should reveal, Cori looked to Kenzie. Despite Kenzie's calm and self-assured demeanor, her face was flushed and sweaty. Cori felt as if they were in trouble, even if Kenzie didn't want to admit it. She was certain Kenzie would be annoyed if she mentioned it, but she couldn't help confessing her fears to Flora. "Yeah, we're in trouble." Cori's concern grew when Kenzie remained quiet, almost too quiet.

  Flora watched the two women. Everything about their body language told her much more than their earlier conversation had. The dark haired woman, who said her name was Kathy, appeared not to be well. The blonde had said her name was Laura, but Flora didn't think that was her real name. Part of her didn't want to ask. After all, she did not know them and she really didn't want to get mixed up in whatever they were involved with. Nonetheless, she had been in need once and a stranger had helped her out. Now she felt an obligation to that debt. Karma was something she strongly believed in.

  "Is there anything I can do?" Flora asked as the women exchanged questioning glances.

  "Actually, yes." Kenzie reached into her pocket and felt the wad of bills Big Polly had handed her before they left. "How would you like to make a couple of hundred dollars?"

  "You don't have to pay me, Kathy. I want to help."

  "Maybe you should wait until you hear what I'm going to ask."

  The trolley pulled into the next station as Kenzie put her request to Flora. Cori listened intently, a little surprised at how easily Kenzie invented a plausible story about their predicament. When the trolley stopped, so did their conversation. Kenzie leaned against the window looking at each departing passenger.

  Cobra stepped from the fourth car back, but he did not immediately turn in their direction.

  "Is he there?" Cori asked.

  "Yeah, but he's not moving." Kenzie narrowed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead as she tried to figure out what he was doing.

  "What do you mean, 'he's not moving'?"

  "He's just standing there... Wait. There he goes. He's checking the third car. But he's taking too long, the trolley only stops for-" On cue there was a faint chime, signaling their departure. Kenzie watched as Cobra had to hustle, jumping through the closing doors of the third car.

  Kenzie leaned back in her seat and breathed a sigh of relief when the trolley pulled out of the station. "He didn't make it. He's on the third car now."

  "Leaving one car between us." Cori's heart was beating hard against her chest. No one had to be told that the next stop was going to be the end of the line, especially if Kenzie's plan
didn't work.

  "Are you sure you want to do this, Flora?" Cori asked.

  "My cousin, she too found herself on the run from an abusive husband." Flora leaned forward and patted Cori's forearm in understanding. "The family was there to help, and if they were all here now... Well, I'm sure you get the picture. I want to help."

  Cori returned Flora's reassuring smile. "I don't know how to thank you. It's been a long and frightening journey, but the whole time we were in Mexico, everyone was so helpful and kind. It seems as if every time we've been in real trouble, someone has come to our rescue. And if they couldn't help, they had a friend who could."

  "Or a cousin," Kenzie mumbled, her eyes shut, her head resting against the window as the trolley glided down the track.

  Cori stole a concerned glance at Kenzie, "Or a cousin," she echoed, and then turned back to Flora. "It's something the rest of us could take a page from. When did we all stop being courteous and helpful?"

  "People are too busy these days. In Mexico things are slower, and life is more appreciated." Flora leaned over further and whispered to Cori, "Is your friend going to be okay? She doesn't look very good."

  It was not something that Cori didn't already know. Kenzie's condition looked to be deteriorating by the minute.

  "I'm fine," Kenzie said. "I'm just...tired. Once we get to San Diego, everything will be okay."

  "She'll be okay," Cori said, more to convince herself than to reassure Flora.

  "Well, the next stop is Palomar Street, my stop, and we're almost there," Flora said, looking out the window.

  Kenzie slowly opened her eyes and focused hard on Flora's face. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

  "You don't worry about me, I can handle myself. Once I'm off the trolley, I'll be okay. It's a busy stop and there will be loads of people around, what with the end of shift and the afternoon rush and all." Flora leaned over to look out the window as she felt the trolley beginning to slow. "See what I mean?"

  Cori and Kenzie turned in their seats to scan the approaching station. Flora was right. The area around the station was crowded with people.