“Shit,” he mumbled as he squeezed her hand. Before he knew it, he’d purchased a navy-blue girly track suit, a pair of plain navy sneakers, socks, a unicorn hair clamp, tiny size panties and a new toothbrush. The more he watched her, the more he realized his Pooh Bear didn’t deserve to spend the night in the back of his shop, and he sure as hell didn’t want to sleep behind the wheel. The idea of her waking in the middle of the night and needing to pee worried him. Karli didn’t need to cop a squat on the side of his truck in the wee hours of the morning.
“Come on, let’s find a hotel for the night so you can get a hot shower and some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she said, rolling the suitcase with one hand and clutching the unicorn with the other.
Mentally, he made a list of all the things she was going to need, including hair ribbons, tights, and all of the crap his mother would buy for his sister. A motel wasn’t far from the eatery, but he opted instead for a closed-in hotel with a complimentary breakfast. They wouldn’t get to eat it, but at least he could snag fruit, cereal bars, and the like from the counter before they rolled out. The check-in to the hotel went smoothly, and they were given a room on the third floor.
Once inside the room, he turned on the television, which fascinated Karli. Raphael tuned to an all cartoon channel and her eyes lit up. She couldn’t stop staring. Then it hit him: she’d never seen a television. Another thought hit him as well, and he cleared his throat.
“Karli, what do you mean, I’m going to like her?” he asked.
“Willow Rayne,” she replied, pulling out the throw splattered in bright colors with the gayest looking unicorn he’d ever seen in his life. “You’re really going to like her. You’re going to like her a lot.”
“If you say so,” Raphael said, taking his shaving kit to the sink to brush his teeth. “I got you a toothbrush. When I’m done, come brush your teeth and get ready for bed. Shower tonight since we have a very early morning, and we need to go over the plan of how we’re going to get them out when they come to do laundry.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she said, opening the suitcase to place her sandals inside as well as the yellow sweater. Each were carefully added as if they were the most precious items in the world. He provided one of his tee shirts for her to sleep in, and she added the simple dress to the suitcase with the same amount of care after her shower.
Anger flowed through him, watching the attention she took with each item. The idea of a man touching her, harming her, and taking away this simple joy of an ugly ass suitcase and a gaudy yellow sweater made his blood boil. He tucked her in, passing the unicorn to her, and she held it tightly. Her eyelids drooped, and in no time at all, she was out like a light.
Raphael went to lay out her clothing for in the morning, but Karli had beat him to it. The socks, pants, and matching zippered hoodie lay on the luggage rack along with the unicorn bow for her hair. The items meant nothing to him, but for Karli, it was all she had.
Those simple items meant everything to her.
THE ALARM ON HIS WATCH went off at five in the morning. He rose, making quick work of his shower and morning routine and getting dressed before he woke Pooh Bear. Normally, when he made service calls for The Company, he wore a suit. It allowed him easier access into offices and buildings. People never paid much attention to a white man in a business suit. Raphael could come and go with no muss and no fuss and no one actually noticing him. On occasion he had to get down and dirty, but those times were rare.
Every job required a bit of reconnoitering before completing the assignment. As part of the tools of his trade, Mr. Exit maintained dark clothing in his shop, a pair of black slacks with matching cotton turtleneck shirt and black anti-tracking boots with smooth soles. For good measure, he added a dark cap to his head.
He didn’t want to stand over the bed when he woke Karli, but instead sat on the far side of his own and called her name. He said it again a bit louder, and her small eyes cracked open.
“It’s time,” Raphael said.
“I’m awake,” she lied, stretching under the covers like a lazy cat. Slowly, she dragged herself from the bed, taking her clothes into the bathroom with her.
Raphael heard water running and the flush of the commode, and to his surprise, she was only in the bathroom a few minutes, and she came out dressed complete with shoes. At the sink she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then for good measure checked her hair.
“Daddy, I’m going to leave the bow in the car until we have Willow Rayne and Dusty Rose safely inside the vehicle,” she told him.
“Sounds good. Are you ready?”
Karli looked around the hotel, ensuring she hadn’t left anything. Unicorn under one arm and the ugly suitcase in hand, and the little lady was ready to roll. He calculated a 30-minute drive from Williamsburg to Pine Knot if he took Highway 92 West. This would put him in the wood line just after sunrise at seven a.m. Several concerns rolled through his head relying on the intel from a 10-year-old, but by the time they loaded the vehicle and got part way down the road, the call he was expecting had come through.
“Mr. Exit,” he said into the mouthpiece.
“The laundry run starts at 7:15. The noisemakers arrive at 7:35. You must be loaded and rolling from the area no later than 7:42,” the Archangel said into the line.
“Uhmm, any word on how long the packages are to stay with me?” he asked again for clarification.
“A week or two tops,” the Archangel replied. “I’m entrusting them to your care until arrangements can be made for identifications, schooling, housing, et cetera.”
Raphael knew what the Archangel was doing, and he knew the response to the line, and with no hesitation he replied, “Arm me with watchful care.”
“Oh, let me not my trust betray,” the Archangel added.
“But press to realms on high,” Raphael stated, waiting for the last of the instructions.
“I know this is unusual for you, but there is a reason. She was chosen for you, so even if the lessons you are supposed to learn come from a pint-sized instructor, open your mind and heart to receive the blessings she’s about to bestow upon you,” the Archangel said.
“Or the can of whoop ass she and her two hippie mothers are about to unleash on my person,” he said, thinking of which weapon he would take with him.
“Have faith, Mr. Exit. You’re a clean worker. In and out. Seven minutes. Start the clock,” the Archangel told him and ended the call.
Seven minutes to enter an encampment of zealots and rescue two women who might not want to be rescued didn’t sound like a morning of fun for Mr. Exit. He thought of all the things that could go wrong and made the decision to go in strapped with his second favorite sidearm, the Nighthawk AA Recon gun with the predator grips. Raphael didn’t plan to take any chances. In the backseat, Karli held tight to the unicorn while snacking on a banana.
“Pooh Bear, let’s go over the plan one more time to make sure all is clear, what to do if anything goes wrong, but most importantly, getting back to my truck,” he said again. “If things go wrong, get back to the truck, press one on my phone, and talk to the man about what to do next, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy,” she told him, looking at him with eyes older than her years. “I’m not worried though. We got this.”