Matteo followed Anton’s directions to the airfield and she saw a shiny jet sitting beside a hangar, ready to go. They quickly parked the car, which would be retrieved at a later date by the owner, with repair costs already put on yet another credit card, and they boarded the plane.
The pilot was already in place and they took their seats as someone closed the door and locked it in place.
“We’re ready when you are,” Anton said to the pilot who gave him a thumbs up.
The mid-size jet was made for long-haul flights and would make the flight with plenty of fuel left, Matteo had told her earlier. As the pilot started the take-off procedure she looked around. It was a narrow plane, but the plush leather seats were luxurious and she had plenty of room to stretch out.
A dark-haired woman with a kind smile came around and made sure they were ready before she went to sit down herself and buckle in. Another plane trip, another moment of fleeing. Was it all worth it? Matteo had spent a small fortune on this flight alone, what had he paid for damages to the car and the cabin? What did he pay for the equipment, the clothes, Anton’s time?
For a moment, she thought about fleeing, running from them both. She had a bit of money in her purse, money she’d collected here and there when Matteo gave her cash to buy things with. It would keep her for a few months if she was careful. And maybe she could find a job somewhere that wouldn’t ask too many questions.
She’d file for divorce and he would be able to get on with his life. He’d said he’d be happy to give up his life in New York, and so far he’d proven that he was honest about that, but later, would he regret giving up all of that for some woman that probably couldn’t even get a job as a waitress?
She tapped her thumbnail against her teeth and stared out of the window as they launched into the air finally, but she didn’t see any of it, she was too caught up in her thoughts to see it. She could wait until they were both asleep tonight, ask the hotel manager to call her a taxi to the bus station, and catch a bus back to Louisiana, maybe.
He wouldn’t look for her there, and neither would Fiona the assassin. He wouldn’t think she’d go back there and Fiona would assume she was with Matteo. She’d be safe for a while anyway, and so would he.
Her eyes cut to him in the seat to her left and she saw he was staring out of his own window. After the aircraft leveled out, he let his head fall back and he closed his eyes. Within moments his chest settled into an even rhythm. He was that fucking tired, she told herself. That’s because of you, you stupid twit.
But, as she watched him sleep, the pain that came every time she thought of being without him overwhelmed her senses. Tears sprang to her eyes and she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t leave him, it would hurt too much. God, she’d thought about it so many times, for his own good, but every single time, panic took hold and she had to stop the thoughts or she’d suffocate.
She unbuckled the seatbelt and pushed the seat back to relax with her feet up. The woman with dark hair came back and offered her a drink. Marie asked for ginger ale and hoped it would calm her stomach. Anton was in the seat in front of Matteo, on guard even though the plane was in the air.
She calmed her thoughts and opened a book on the new tablet Matteo bought for her. She was reading books in the public domain since she didn’t have to register for an account to read those, and opened a tale of mystery and woe from 1920. It was amazing to read the thoughts the writer had expressed about how life would be now that the Great War had ended, how full of hope the author was about the future. A future that would see war breaking out barely 20 years later in Europe - the start of World War II.
Depression settled over her for a moment as she thought about history, the current state of the world, and her place in it. All she’d wanted was to not lose her home and maybe have a chance with a man that she’d loved even before she really knew him. She’d sensed that he was the man for her, even back then, and it was more than just sex and nothing at all to do with the money. The money only made their escape easier.
She loved him. She loved the boy that he’d been, and the man he’d hidden away under the veneer his depraved aunt had polished over him with layer after layer of cruelty. His happiness was all she wanted, and he’d told her more than once that she made him happy.
The woman came back and offered Marie a blanket. Marie took it, covered herself, and continued with the book. She’d only been reading for 20 minutes when her eyes closed and she fell asleep. She didn’t know she was that tired still, but it was obvious when she woke up that she’d been asleep for a while. She hadn’t changed position and her hip ached on that side. She went to the bathroom, glanced at Matteo, and saw he was still asleep.
The woman came back, offered her a rather fancy looking sandwich and Marie took it gratefully. Turkey on ham, with lettuce and tomatoes, with a pack of mustard spread over it, was just what she needed. She opened her book back up, sipped at another can of ginger ale, and ate her sandwich.
Before long, the pilot let them know they’d be landing and the woman came back to wake up Anton and Matteo both. The men stretched, buckled in, and before they knew it, they were on the ground in Houston. Marie put her coat over her arm, grabbed her bag, and walked off the plane with a wave to the woman.
“Well, here we are. It’s 2:15 pm, 72 degrees, and the sky is clear. What do you guys want to do?” Anton asked them, and they both looked at each other.
“Let’s get to the hotel and relax for a bit. We have a long drive tomorrow and we’ll want to be rested for that.”
“As you wish.” Anton smiled and went to ask about getting a taxi. One arrived ten minutes later and they packed their meager belongings into the car, all in new suitcases, and Anton told the driver where they wanted to go. Houston was huge, amazing, and so warm compared to Montana and British Columbia. Marie was getting hot underneath the black sweater she had on and wanted her t-shirt and shorts back, with a pair of flip flops to go with it.
“I want to go shopping, Matteo. If I take Anton with me, do you think it would be alright?” she asked as the taxi pulled up to the hotel they’d reserved. He was in the front seat and turned to look at her with concern.
“I’d rather be with you, but, uh, yeah. I guess. I’ll get us checked in and text Anton with our room numbers. Here, use this card.” He reached in his wallet and took out one of quite a few cards he kept in there. She knew it would be another secret account he had but didn’t ask about it.
“I won’t stay out long. I’m just going to get us a few things more suitable for the weather.”
“There’s a shopping mall a five-minute walk up the street if you’d rather walk, miss,” the taxi driver, a woman with fiery red hair that had to be a dye-job, told Marie with a smile. “You can get whatever you want up there.”
“Cool, thanks.” A smile beamed back at the driver as Marie slid from her seat.
“No problem. I’ll help your fella get these bags inside then. Welcome to Houston.” The woman winked at Marie and disappeared behind the car.
“I hope you don’t mind?” she asked Anton as they walked away in the direction of the mall.
“Not at all. I’d like to get a new phone for all of us, and a few other things that I’ll be able to get there.”