Mengliad (The Mengliad Series Book 1)

by Jana Janeway

  Again, Jessica bobbed her head. “What if it’s not some pervert? What if he’s a Purist?”

  “Then we’ll find a way to ditch him and call Marcy.” She hooked her thumb towards the exit. “I’m gonna go get Craddock. Just stay calm, okay? It’s bad for the baby.” She patted Jessica’s fake belly, hoping the joke would ease her nerves a little.

  Jessica, smirking in spite of her distress, moved to enter one of the stalls as soon as Bibi left. Since the space available to do so was limited, she abandoned the idea of pacing to settle herself, and instead took in a series of calming breaths.

  ****

  Waiting for Josiah to finish up at the check-in, Craddock absently scanned the boarding passes in his hand while leaning casually against a pillar nearby. He was completely oblivious to anything being amiss, until he saw Bibi’s expression as she approached, alone.

  Pushing off the stucco encrusted column, he stepped towards her, his heart beginning to race. “Where’s Jessica?”

  She forced an easygoing tone, knowing if she didn’t, his fear would escalate until he was creating a scene. “She’s fine, Doc, but there is something we need to keep an eye on.”

  “What’s that?” He calmed himself a little, but mostly for the sake of appearances.

  “There was a guy in line behind us that seemed just a little too interested in Jessica.”

  “What guy?” He spun around, scrutinizing the line’s occupants. “Point him out.”

  She looked as well, but then scowled. “I don’t see him now.”

  “Shit,” he cursed under his breath. “I knew this was a bad idea. People don’t just get out of line for no reason.”

  “Maybe he did have a reason.” When he threw her an incredulous look, she sighed. “Okay, but we don’t know the story, do we? It could be nothing.”

  “Or it could be exactly what it looks like!”

  “Fine,” she conceded. “How do you want to play it?”

  “We need to be cautious.” The thoughtful expression he wore indicated that he was trying to devise a plan. “Which bathroom is she in?” When she pointed it out, his eyes lingered on the door for a moment, anxious to get over to it. “You and Josiah go find a place, then come back and get us, okay? I’ll stay with Jessica.”

  “She’s in the women’s restroom.”

  He scoffed in response. “Like I care. I’ll just tell whoever enters, if or when anyone does, that I’m just helping out my pregnant, sick wife.”

  “At JFK, someone, at some point, will enter.”

  “Then I’ll tell them I’m there to help my pregnant, sick wife,” he repeated, annoyed. He then gestured towards Josiah with a subtle jerk of his head. “Let Josiah know what’s going on, after he gets out of line, but try to downplay it. The fewer people panicking the better.”

  As she made her way to the front of the line, to her husband on paper, Craddock headed towards the woman’s restroom just a few yards away.

  Reluctant to step inside at first, he poked his head through the barely open door, clearing his throat before calling out. “Hello?”

  “Craddock?” Jessica reached for the latch on the stall door, waiting until he answered before unlocking it.

  “Yeah,” he confirmed, entering. He smiled reassuringly when she stepped into view and stared back at him, with what could only be described as fear in her expression and eyes. “Hey,” he gathered her to him, “don’t panic, okay? We’re just being careful.”

  “So much for thinking we could pull this off without problems,” she muttered against his chest, almost angrily. “Problems seem to follow me! I’m jinxed or something!”

  “You’re not jinxed. And it’s not really a problem, so much as looking to avoid a possible one.”

  She took little comfort in that. “Maybe we should call Marcy.”

  “I think it’s too soon for that,” he said, careful to sound like he wasn’t dismissing her suggestion. “Let’s just see what happens, okay? I mean, the guy wasn’t even out there when Bibi came to get me.”

  Before she could respond, the door flew open, startling them both.

  The woman entering came to an abrupt halt as her eyes fell upon them; the three of them stood frozen in place, staring.

  She looked as if she was trying to piece together some strange or confusing puzzle. Seeing a man in a women’s restroom was odd enough. Add to that, a seemingly pregnant and obviously distraught woman in his arms, and it would cause most people to drop their jaw in shock. Which was exactly what she did.

  “Morning sickness,” Craddock offered in explanation, touching Jessica’s fake belly like a doting husband and soon-to-be father. “I’m just helping her out.”

  With the barest of nods, the woman snapped her mouth closed and returned a tight, uneasy smile, and then she tripped over her own feet as she backed out of the bathroom.

  “We can’t stay in here.” Craddock took Jessica’s hand, leading her towards the door. “It’ll draw unwanted attention, and that’s the last thing we want.”

  Once back in the terminal, Craddock scanned their surroundings, noticing an alcove a short distance from the restrooms, where a janitor’s closet and an unmarked door were located. Making a quick decision, he gripped her hand tighter and headed for it. Positioning her at the back of it, against the door leading to places unknown, he stood in front of her to obscure her from passersby.

  Jessica leaned into him, her forehead resting against his shoulder. “You’re as worried about this as I am. I can feel it.”

  “Only because you are,” he lied. He wanted to appear confident, hoping that if he did, it would ease her back from the edge of panic.

  “You’re lying, but I know why you are, so, thank you.”

  He laughed a little; the break in the tension felt good. “Chimie has its disadvantages, it seems.”

  “I guess it does.” She relaxed a little, too, both of them feeding off each other’s emotions. With each bit of calm one achieved, the other would feel it, match it, and then surpass it. “You never did think this plan would work, did you?”

  “No,” he admitted, Marcy be damned. She was stupid for thinking he could hide his feelings from Jessica on the matter. “But I understand their reasons for wanting to do it this way.”

  “What if that guy is a Purist? What if he follows us to California?”

  “Then we’ll lose him at the airport there. We won’t head for the house till we’re sure he’s not around. California’s a big state. Trying to find us would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, okay?”

  “Okay,” she agreed, but mostly just for the sake of it. She wasn’t as certain as he seemed to be. She knew he wasn’t as certain, either. “I just want this to be over with.”

  “Me, too.” He kissed her hair, catching sight of his watch as his lips lingered. “Our flight leaves in forty-five minutes. Once on the plane, the hard part’s over.”

  “There you are!” The sound of Bibi’s voice brought Craddock’s attention back to the terminal behind him. “When you weren’t in the bathroom—”

  “I thought we’d be less obvious over here,” he interrupted, taking Jessica’s hand. He entwined his fingers with hers, both of them needing the firmer connection to the other. “You find someplace?”

  “Yeah.” She gestured for them to follow. “It’s an area under construction, not too far from our gate. We can hear the overhead announcements and everything.”

  “Good.” His stride matched Bibi’s, side by side with her, with Jessica on his right, keeping up. “You see that guy again?”

  “No.” She continued her brisk pace. “Maybe he realized he was at the wrong airline counter or something.”

  Though Craddock doubted that, he didn’t voice it. “Yeah, maybe. How’s Josiah?”

  “Fine, at the moment. He’s gonna take his cue from you on how to think and feel. If you seem confident that all is okay, he will be more likely to believe it, and remain calm.”

  He scoffed with frus
trated amusement. “Maybe I should become an actor. Seems like I’ve spent the better part of the last five days pretending.”

  Jessica knew that, in part, his comment was due to her. “I’m sorry.”

  In immediate response, he brought their linked hands up to his lips, kissing the back of hers tenderly. “Don’t be. No one forced me to do it. I did it because I wanted to. To help you.”

  “Just up there,” Bibi said, somewhat interrupting them, pointing.

  They could see the cloudy plastic cordoning off the area in the near distance, and a blurry figure standing just inside that they all knew to be Josiah. Ducking through the break in the barrier, they entered the forbidden zone, making sure to adjust the plastic before they all moved away and towards the back to avoid detection.

  “Should we call Marcy?” Josiah asked, concerned. He scowled when Craddock shook his head. “You don’t think we should?”

  “We don’t know for sure that it’s even a problem,” Craddock answered evenly. “We haven’t seen the guy since the line, and we don’t even know what the story is. We call her and say. . . what? There was a guy standing in line? People stand in line at airports.” He laughed a little, like there was humor to be found in the situation. “Let’s just wait and see what happens, okay, Joe?”

  Josiah eyed him skeptically. “You really think this is nothing?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” he said truthfully, serious now, “but I do know that involving the Registry at this point, with as little as we know, would be a waste of time. They’ll tell us to do exactly what we’re doing. Lay low and watch for anything suspicious.”

  With Josiah reasonably placated for the time being, Craddock dropped both duffles, taking a quick look around. He spotted what he was hoping to find off in a corner, upturned. “One sec,” he said to Jessica, releasing her hand, leaving her standing there as he walked away. Seconds later he returned, a paint-splattered folding chair in hand. Setting it up, he took a seat, which surprised everyone, until he patted his lap and smiled up at Jessica.

  “For a moment, I thought chivalry was dead.”

  He grinned at her teasing sarcasm. “Not dead, just tired as well.”

  “What about us?” Josiah whined.

  Craddock rolled his eyes, accustomed to Josiah’s childlike petulance. “Find your own chair.” Taking Jessica by the waist, he helped her into his lap.

  The prosthesis limiting her positions, she ended up straddling his legs, hers to either side of his, facing out with her dress pulled tight between them.

  “Oh, this is ladylike,” she muttered, struggling to get comfortable. She gave up trying when it appeared to be impossible.

  Craddock pressed his chest against her back, sliding his hands from her hips to her thighs. “They’ll be calling our flight soon, not that airplane seats are much more comfortable than this.”

  Feeling him wriggling, and the natural reaction that followed due to the contact, she smirked over her shoulder at him. “Something tells me you’re not at all uncomfortable with this seating arrangement.”

  He chuckled, nuzzling her shoulder. “You look hot, even in this frock.”

  “I know that was meant as a compliment,” she whispered, “so I won’t bother taking offense.”

  “No offense was intended,” he insisted.

  “Which is why I’m not taking it.”

  “You got the only chair back here,” Josiah complained as he stepped back into view, a large empty paint bucket in hand. “Will this do?” he asked Bibi.

  “Do for what?” she asked in return, teasing him.

  “To sit on.” Josiah scowled at her, as if that should have been obvious. Bibi just laughed, relieving him of the bucket and turning it upside down before squatting over it. “Guess I’ll just sit on the floor,” he muttered, plopping dramatically onto the ground.

  Since Craddock and Bibi were ignoring Josiah’s sulking, Jessica decided to as well. “Ya’know what sounds good?” she asked casually, attempting to keep the conversation light, and her anxieties down, subsequently.

  “What’s that?” he murmured against her, continuing to nuzzle.

  “Chocolate cake.” Turning as much as she was capable of, she smiled back at him. “You know the kind with several layers, with that rich chocolate buttercream icing?”

  Josiah instantly perked up. “The kind with the little chocolate shavings on top?”

  She hummed dreamily before asking him, “You like Human food?”

  “Hell, yeah!”

  Craddock laughed at that. “Josiah likes all food.” Suddenly, he realized. “Hey, you guys’ll get along great then! ‘Cause you,” he pointed at Josiah, “love food, and you,” he pressed his cheek against Jessica’s shoulder, “are a cook.”

  “Hey! That’s right!” Josiah was excited now, as much as Jessica had ever seen him. “You know how to make the chocolate layer cakes with the little shavings?”

  “Sweetie,” she said with mock pretension, “I can make anything your fine little mind could think up!”

  “I think Josiah’s gonna be getting fat soon,” Craddock added to their bantering. “Just remember, extra pounds means you might not be able to do bike messenger jobs anymore.”

  Josiah shrugged. “Don’t think I’ll be continuing with that. California doesn’t have too many of those, I wouldn’t think.”

  “What will you do instead?” Jessica asked curiously.

  He shrugged again, seeming indifferent to his future career path. “I guess that’ll depend on what the Registry has to say.”

  Although he tried to hide it, Jessica caught Craddock shaking his head, and the slightly stern expression on his face that was directed at Josiah. It immediately caused her nerves to prickle.

  When Josiah looked away, penitent, Jessica stood and confronted Craddock. “What? And don’t try to sidestep the question!”

  Leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, Craddock stared at the floor, deliberating. He didn’t want to lie to her, but upsetting her right now, at the airport, in the middle of all they were going through, was not an option, either.

  But he had to tell her something. She was becoming impatient, her hands on her hips as she huffed an irritated breath.

  The decision made, he raised his eyes to hers. “Sometimes, the Registry will offer their opinions, on what you should do for a living. That’s all.”

  “If that’s all,” she challenged him, “then why did you shake your head at him? And why is he now cowering like a scolded child?”

  “I’m not cowering,” Josiah muttered, defensive, his eyes still downcast.

  “Jessica, please,” he pushed to his feet and slid the chair across the floor, “don’t make a big deal out of this, okay? This is not worth getting worked up over.”

  “Not worth it? Just how much of our lives are they going to be in control of?”

  Feeling helpless, knowing anything he said now would just fuel her fear and frustration, Craddock just stared back at her.

  Since it seemed Craddock wasn’t going to, Josiah answered for him. “Most of it.”

  “Joe!” Craddock spun around, facing him. “What did you just do?!”

  “She has the right to know!” Josiah defended himself. “You said so yourself! And I didn’t promise Marcy anything!”

  “Ever hear the phrase, timing is everything? This wasn’t the right time to tell her! With all this going on!”

  It took a second for that to sink in. When it did, Josiah’s previous concern, all but forgotten, returned. “You said all this wasn’t a problem!”

  Realizing he’d just implied something he shouldn’t have, Craddock got louder to cover the slip. “It’s probably not! But until we know that for sure, we shouldn’t be adding to her stress!”

  “Sshh!” Bibi pushed off the bucket she was sitting on and onto her feet. “Keep your voices down! Or we’ll have airport security in here with a barrage of stupid questions for us!” When both men conceded and backed off, she settled herself
. “What’s done is done. Now, she knows. Now, we deal.”

  In agreement, Craddock turned to face Jessica, approaching her slowly. “It’s not as bad as Josiah’s making it out to be.”

  She scoffed, just able to stop herself from rolling her eyes. “It sounds pretty cut and dry to me. Why did you sign up for this, knowing this would be the outcome?”

  Clenching his jaw, Craddock stomped his foot once, in frustration, then forced his fisted hands into his pockets. His gaze dropped to the floor, his entire body rigid as he stared at the cracked linoleum.

  “Just tell her, Craddock.”

  At Bibi’s meek suggestion, Craddock turned his head in her direction, but he refused to make eye contact. Instead, he only nodded in acknowledgement, just barely.

  “Without someone with you, without someone to take you under their wing, so to speak, to help you, and essentially keep an eye on you, you would have been, more or less, like a prisoner. At least until they were sure you could handle things on your own.”

  “Oh my God,” she gasped, staring back at him in shock, even though his gaze was still planted firmly on the ground.

  “I didn’t want it to be like that for you!” He finally looked up at her. “Even before I knew I was in love with you, I didn’t want it to be like that for you.”

  In sudden need of reestablishing their connection, she closed the gap between them and threw herself into his arms. “I’m not mad at you, Craddock. I’m confused by you, but not mad.”

  Clutching her to him, he rested his chin on her shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut tight. “Why confused?”

  “Most people wouldn’t do what you did.” Tears began welling and falling as she considered a very different outcome of the last several days. If not for his good and kind heart, where would she be now? “Making these kinds of sacrifices for the person you love is one thing, but you were willing to before you even fell in love with me?”