Page 15 of Defending Love
“Plane lands in Orlando at 2:45 pm. Text me the address of the new facility.”
* * *
She sent a thumbs-up emoji.
Beyond the windows of the SUV, the dreary day accurately reflected my gray mood. Focusing on the man in the front seat didn’t do my emotions any better. Each time I recalled him telling me not to read more into his assignment than there was, I was reminded that Eli Rhodes was only here because I was a job. Even if he was concerned, that wouldn’t be reflected in anything other than his duties.
Larry brought the SUV to a stop in front of the ‘departures’ sign at Indianapolis International Airport. After retrieving our luggage, Eli and I entered the airport. As he scanned the crowd, he whispered, “Stay close.”
My pulse thumped within my ears as I realized that I too now saw people differently than I had in the past. Never before had I minded taking commercial flights, walking a few blocks to a restaurant, or entering a sports arena filled with thousands of people.
In the last two weeks all that had changed. Every person was a suspect. I imagined people looking in my direction, hundreds of eyes on me. Even small children turned their faces toward me and away.
Had they seen me on the news or in their media feed?
Did they know I was the daughter of the slain CEO?
I held my breath waiting for a reaction as I passed my driver’s license to the woman at the airline counter. She glanced at the picture and back to me before handing it back. I exhaled. The TSA pre-check line moved painfully slowly. The same anxiety hit me as I once again handed over my ID. This time the man scanned it.
No obvious indication of recognition.
It wasn’t until we were walking down the hallway toward the gates that Eli asked, “Are you all right?”
The question was laughable.
There was nothing about me that was all right.
I’d just buried my father and was on my way to my mourning and injured mother.
Instead, I responded, “I’m fine.”
He nodded. “If I’d just met you, I could believe that.”
I stopped walking and turned to him, lifting my chin to meet his stare. “I’m a little slow with all that’s happened. Are we or aren’t we pretending the past never occurred? Because your statement makes it seem like we have a history.”
“A history where I can’t recall you being as tense as you’ve been since we entered the airport.”
Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. It was all too much. My skin felt tight. Another couple walked around us, the woman’s shoulder brushing mine, causing me to flinch. “I’m not talking about this right now.”
“Then by all means, let’s go to the gate. Boarding begins in less than a half hour.”
As we sat at the gate in the connected black chairs, I varied between searching every face and keeping my eyes down.
Eli’s deep voice returned me to reality. “I’d like to see your laptop.”
Begrudgingly and with a sigh, I took it from my satchel and handed it to him.
Without asking, he turned it on, entering my security code.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“I helped you set it up.”
“And you remember it?”
He nodded as he pulled a thumb drive from his satchel and inserted it into the side of my computer. Within seconds, the screen was filled with scrolling letters and numbers.
“I have files I don’t want to lose.”
