Allegiant (30 page)

“
When did you have time to
pack?” I ask.

“
Jack did it for me before
he left,” he says. “So that I could warn you.”

Once the car is loaded, we head back to my
place to wait for James with LB. Garrett pulls his phone from his
pocket and takes a seat next to me on the couch. “What’s your
number?” he asks.

“
Since when have you had a
phone?”

“
Since always.” He
navigates to his contact list. “Your number?”

I recite it to him and watch as he enters
it, saving it without a name assigned. I notice he has only two
contacts.

“
I won’t call you until
things are safe,” he says and studies my face. “Or unless Lucas
calls with another warning to move.”

“
Because they can trace me
through James?”

“
Yes, and they can trace
James through me. I still carry some of his bond. I’m not fully
human yet.” He looks remorseful. “That reminds me,” he says and
opens a notes app on his phone. “I need your bank
information.”

“
What for?”

“
Lucas transferred an
obscene amount of money into my account to facilitate this move and
any others that might come up; he’s been the one supporting me. He
requested that I get your information, so that he may do the same
for you.”

“
Really?” That’s kind of
nice, I guess.

“
Believe it or not, he
feels bad. He doesn’t enjoy hurting others.”

I shrug. What the hell? It’s not like I’m
rich and this Lucas is apparently loaded. I don’t think he’s going
to drain my account. I give Garrett my bank name and checking
account number.

I glance at the time and James’ hour is
nearly up. There’s been no word from him. Garrett paces as I
mindlessly flip through the television channels for a distraction.
I guess I should start thinking about which direction to drive.
Should I head north and stay in Michigan or drive out of the state?
I’ve never been further west than Chicago, when we went there for a
weekend school trip. Maybe I should pick a big city; it would be
easier to get “lost.”

Garrett’s cell phone rings, scattering my
thoughts and making me jump.

“
Hello?” he answers. I
watch him look at me and nod. “We’re leaving now.” He hangs
up.

“
Who was that?” I ask, my
nerves rattled.

“
James,” he says. “It’s
time to go.”

“
Where?”

“
Kalamazoo International
Airport.”

It takes only fifteen minutes to get there.
I lug my overstuffed backpack and LB inside; Garrett carries my
suitcase. We find a long bench opposite the ticket counter, and
Garrett takes a seat.

“
Now what?” I ask. “Where
are we going?”

“
Only you’re going,” he
says and looks around. His eyes land back on me. “But I don’t know
where.”

I roll my eyes. Fabulous. More unanswered
questions. I plop down next to him on the bench. The stress and
anxiety of the last couple hours is taking its toll. It’s late and
I’m exhausted; my interrupted nap did nothing to compensate for my
lack of sleep over the last five nights. I yawn as I ask, “So, what
do we do? Wait for James?”

He nods.

Well, he should be here any minute, diligent
Guardian that he is. I try to people watch as I comb through the
possibilities. Where would James want me to go by plane? He must
want me to get as far away as possible. Alaska? I shiver at the
idea. I hate the cold. Garrett said James didn’t want me to be
alone. I have no family out of state except a few cousins in
Colorado that I never see. That must be it. James has never met
them, and I’ve never visited there. But, wait, no. They would be
sure to call my parents and let them know I unexpectedly traveled
across the country to visit unannounced. My mind continues to spin
and then starts to fade as my eyes grow heavy. I find myself
falling asleep and then jerking awake as soon as my chin hits my
chest. Garrett notices.

“
You can lean on me if you
want.”

The offer is enticing. What I wouldn’t give
to lie down right now. He nods toward his shoulder and I lean over,
setting my head against it. He wraps his arm around my back and
side to keep me upright. I feel myself fading into sleep again as I
wonder what is taking James so long. Let’s do this already.

As I’m intermittently awakened by flight
announcements, I lose track of time. I fade in and out of
consciousness, and gladly too. My body and my mind need to rest. I
do think about LB though, and if she needs to use the litter box.
Poor thing. I hope Garrett’s reiki calmed those urges, too; I have
no idea where I could take her. As time passes, a deeper sleep
finds me and I welcome it.

“
Emma? Emma, wake
up.”

I hear James’ voice and feel my shoulder
being nudged.

“
Wake up, Em. It’s almost
time to go.”

I force my eyes open to a squint, and James’
face is fuzzy. “You’re here,” I croak, my throat thick with
sleep.

His face is level before me, and he gives me
a sad smile. “I am,” he says. “You need to start waking up. Your
flight will be boarding soon.”

I try to widen my eyes and focus. “What took
you so long?” It feels like I’ve been passed out for hours.

“
I brought someone to go
with you,” he says. “So you won’t be alone.”

My face twists. Is he kidding? That can’t be
possible. I blink and things go fuzzy and then clear again. I must
be dreaming. I rub my eyes to make sure. No, I’m awake.

James stands and steps to the side, so he’s
no longer blocking my line of view. Who he reveals makes me
second-guess my sanity. Maybe I am still asleep. That or I’ve
stepped into an alternate universe.

My travel companion steps forward. “Hey,
Grace.”

I’m speechless.

I look from Dane, to James, and then to
Garrett in disbelief. “Did you know about this?”

He nods.

“
Why didn’t you tell
me?”

“
I asked him not to,” James
says, redirecting my attention. He glances at Dane. “I wasn’t sure
if he would play along.”

I stare at James wide-eyed and then look at
Dane. He gives me a small shrug and shifts his weight
uncomfortably. Never in a million years did I think anything like
this would ever happen.

“
Come on.” James reaches
for my hand. “We have to get you two through security.”

He helps me stand and my legs feel stiff and
disjointed after sitting for so long. “What about LB?” I ask. “Did
you make arrangements for her, too?”

“
Shit.” James drops my hand
and looks at Dane. “We forgot about the cat.”

“
I’ve got it,” Garrett says
and stands, looking at me. “You need to get going. I’ll take her
with me,” he hesitates. “That is, if it’s okay with
you.”

I look down at LB. I know I’ll miss her if I
send her away. I lift the carrier off the floor, placing it on the
bench, so I can peer inside. The movement wakes her, and she hisses
at me. Apparently she won’t miss me as much. “Love you, too,” I
tell her and give her a sad smile. I stand and turn to Garrett. “I
think she likes you better anyway. Thank you.”

“
I’ll take good care of
her,” he promises.

My eyes jump to Dane, and I see he has my
suitcase in one hand and his in the other. I turn around to grab my
backpack and throw it on my shoulder, then pause. “Here.” I reach
into my purse and fish out my car keys, handing them to Garrett.
“You’ll need LB’s things, so you might as well take my car. It
doesn’t look like I’ll need it.”

He pulls the keys from my hand. “I’ll take
good care of that, too,” he says quietly.

Dane clears his throat. “We should probably
get these bags checked in,” he says. “Our flight leaves in less
than an hour.”

My eyes lock on James. He nods his approval,
and I follow Dane as he tows our luggage to the ticket counter. The
woman working the desk gives us a friendly smile and asks Dane’s
last name.

“
Walker,” he
says.

“
Party of two?” she
confirms.

“
Yes.”

“
Checking any bags this
evening?”

He eyes my backpack. “Do you want to carry
that or check it?”

It’s heavy and bulky. “Check it,
please.”

“
Three.”

The woman asks to see our ID and then
presses a few keys. “I’ll have your boarding passes in a moment,”
she says and steps away.

“
Wait,” I say in surprise.
“When did you buy the tickets?”

He gives me half a smile. “About three hours
ago.”

The woman returns with the passes, tears
them apart, and hands them to Dane. She then grabs the luggage tags
and loops them through each suitcase handle. I hand her my
backpack. When everything is tagged, she says, “You’re all set.
Enjoy the Caribbean.”

What?

“
Thank you,” Dane smiles
and turns away from the counter.

“
The Caribbean?” I ask
under my breath as we make our way back to James. “Isn’t that a
little extravagant?”

“
We’ll talk about it
later,” he whispers.

When we reach James and Garrett, Dane gives
them a nod and leaves me alone with them, walking several feet away
to lean against a post. My throat goes dry and my heart begins to
pound.

“
Stay safe,” Garrett says.
“Remember, I’ll only contact you if it’s necessary.”

I inhale like I’m confident. “Got it.” I
gesture toward LB. “Don’t let her take advantage of you.”

He gives me a timid smile. “I’ll try not
to.” He looks between James and I. “I’ll let you two have a few
minutes. I need to get going myself.” He turns and collects LB,
then looks at me sincerely. “Have a safe trip.”

I nod and my throat
constricts. When will I see them again?
Will
I see them again?

Garrett pauses next to James. “You too. Be
careful.”

James and I watch as Garrett carries LB
toward the exit. When he reaches the sliding doors, he gives us one
last look and a small wave, which makes the blood drain from my
face.

“
Hey,” James steps to my
side. “Everything will be all right.”

I give him a wary look.

“
Listen.” He stands
directly in front of me, placing his hands on either side of my
face, cradling it. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.
Got it? Believe in that.”

I close my eyes and whisper, “It’s not just
me I’m worried about.”

His cold lips graze my forehead. “I’ll be
fine.”

I open my eyes. “You promise?”

He nods and steps back, his hands sliding
down my arms. I catch a glimpse of Dane over his shoulder and ask,
“You’re sure you want me to do this?”

He gives me a questioning look.

“
Run away with
Dane?”

“
No. I want to be the one
you run away with.” He glances over his shoulder. “But since I
can’t be,” he turns back around, “he’s the next best
choice.”

My mouth falls open.

“
The most important thing
is your protection,” James says earnestly. “I remember what he did
for you last summer. He did something I couldn’t, and he’s here to
do it again.”

“
But…” I
protest.

“
Regardless of how I feel,
this isn’t about me. It’s about what’s best for you. Dane and I had
a long talk about it on the way here,” he says and looks into my
eyes. “Let him take care of you, Emma.”

I can’t believe I’m hearing this.

“
Um, guys?” Dane asks,
hushed, from behind James. “People are staring.”

I glance around and catch a young couple
avert their gaze.

“
It looks like you’re
talking to yourself,” Dane says.

I quickly adjust my features and focus on
Dane’s face. “Thanks.”

James looks from Dane to me. “You should go.
You don’t want to miss your flight to where ever,” he says, trying
to be lighthearted.

My pulse accelerates. “I don’t want to say
goodbye.”

“
Then don’t,” he says in
all seriousness. “I’ll see you soon. Before you know
it.”

I remain motionless as he steps forward and
kisses me softly on the lips. Every part of me wants to wrap my
arms around him, but I don’t. I don’t want to draw attention to
myself again.

“
I love you,” he
says.

“
Love you, too,” I barely
whisper.

And just like that, he vanishes.

I blink away the few tears that pop into my
eyes. When they’re clear, I raise my head to find Dane standing
with his back to me, blocking me from the view of the ticket
counter and the people that wait there.

“
He’s gone,” I say and step
around him.

Dane looks at me with a mixed expression. I
can’t tell if he feels bad for me or if he is irritated. He starts
to walk in the direction of the escalators, and I follow.

It doesn’t take us long to get through the
security line; Kalamazoo International is a relatively small
airport. Dane waits for me to retie my tennis shoes and slip my
jacket on before heading to the gate. We round a corner and end up
at gate four, destination Miami, Florida.

“
Miami?” I ask as we find
two empty seats.

“
We have a small layover.”
He leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees and gives me a wry
smile. “It’s the best I could do on short notice. Then it’s on to
St. Thomas.”