Canary by Tijan
Carrie
When we deplaned, Mary and her group got off before we did.
We walked past them on the jetway where they were waiting for their bags. Mary averted her gaze, same as on her bathroom trip. I noticed another less-faint white line over her lip, but that was for her friends to handle. It might even be picked up by drug dogs, if this airport had them. One of her friends noticed my look and realized what I saw. Her eyes went big, but then we were past them and up the ramp.
Stepping into the airport, Raize pulled his phone out and kept walking. I moved behind him. I knew my place, but I glanced back to see if I could see Jake or Cavers.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out. Raize had texted all of us.
Raize: Walk out, wait by the cab line. Jake, get your bag and find us. Cavers, stand fifty yards away. Jake, the same.
He had already put his phone away by the time I finished reading, and he’d picked up his pace. I hurried to catch up. Raize moved through crowds like I did. He kept to the side and found the path of least resistance through the oncoming people. His head was down, but when a security guy stepped out, Raize guided me to join a crowd in front of us, our heads turned to the side.
We didn’t want attention.
I doubted there were arrest warrants out for us, but in our world, you never knew.
I had to hand it to Raize, because while he was now moving not to attract attention, people around us still reacted. They instinctively moved aside for us, and they often wore a look of confusion as we slipped past, as if their bodies made the decision for them.
That was Raize, not me. People didn’t move for me. They didn’t notice I was there. I could stand in a shadow for hours.
I realized I was thinking too much. I needed to turn off my mind and go with Raize as if we were two ends of the same wave, one starting and one ending.
I could tell Raize noticed when I managed this because his shoulders relaxed, and he began walking more smoothly. He looked up, no longer hiding as much, and we moved as one when a security guard appeared. I almost faltered when we went past a guard with a dog in front of him, but Raize didn’t likely have anything on him. That’d be stupid. We’d pick up product or whatever his orders were after we left the airport. If we’d been transporting, we would’ve driven down.
As we got to the exit of the airport, the attention began to return.
People were looking for their loved ones. I could feel eyes on us, and no matter how or where I moved, those eyes never left. My forehead started itching. I didn’t like it, but I stayed with Raize, and as we stepped outside, he had his phone again.
He stopped, read whatever was on the screen, and looked up.
A blue truck waited by the curb.
Raize cursed under his breath. “Wait here.”
I shifted back, standing by the wall as people leaving moved past me. Raize went over to the blue truck.
The passenger window rolled down, and he bent forward, but stayed on the curb. The driver spoke to him, motioning, but Raize wasn’t moving. He was not happy. I knew that much. His back was straight, and he was alert. If he’d had a gun, he would’ve had it out by now.
Feeling a presence on my left, I looked.
Cavers stood ten yards away from me, waiting just outside the doors. He blocked the flow of people behind him, so they were moving around him. He looked at me first, then slid his gaze to Raize. His mouth pressed into a line, and he stepped away to the other side of the doors.
He stopped twenty yards away, but instead of moving to the wall, he took position just behind a post. He looked as if he were waiting for a ride to pick him up.
I went back to watching Raize, whose hand jerked at his side.
I gasped.
His hand flexed before he shook it out, and he moved his head from side to side as he turned and walked back my way. His jaw was tight.
Coming toward me, he saw Cavers and pulled his phone back out.
Another text came through.
Raize: Carrie, wait for Jake. Get a cab and I’ll send directions.
Raize: Cavers, grab a cab. I’m with you.
Cavers had his phone out and immediately switched position, going for the cab line.
Raize didn’t say anything, just made eye contact as he walked past me, following Cavers at a good distance.
I settled back against the wall. Who knew how long the baggage claim line would be.
The wait was thirty minutes.
Jake came out, bag over his shoulder, and he was pissed. When he saw me, we walked together toward where the cabs were waiting.
We needed to be talking.
Normal passengers who traveled together talked. They didn’t move silently, like they were oddly synchronized by the same thoughts.
Musing on that, I stepped up next to Jake. “How was the baggage claim?”
He cut his eyes my way. “Why?”
I lowered my voice. “Everyone is talking to the people they’re traveling with.”
He looked, too, and I felt some of his edge fading. He eased up and nodded. “Those bitches were there that were talking you up. They noticed me looking at you, and the cokehead wanted to know who I was.”
“Are you serious?”
He dipped his head in a quick nod, his tension coming back. “What’d Raize say to that one? She looked out for blood, thinking I knew you or something.”
“He threatened to kill her.”
He grinned, snorting. “Bitches don’t like threats like that. Think they’re above that shit. Fucking socialite princesses.”
“I think they’re just sheltered.”
We stepped forward, and I felt Jake studying me. “You know from experience?”
I opened my mouth to say, “My sister was the same.” But I caught my words.
Holy—I’d been about to spill to him.
I didn’t spill to anyone.
I’d gotten comfortable—comfortable enough that it was dangerous.
No one could know about my sister. No one.
But Jake was still studying me, still waiting.
I lifted a shoulder. “She’s a cokehead. What am I thinking?”
He frowned and murmured, “Those bitches are the kind that want your blow, but want you to fuck ’em while they snort it. She was frothing at the mouth, thinking Raize was her new drug dealer.”
I glanced sharply at him. “He comes off like that?”
“No. He comes off like an asshole or a soldier, but she saw what she wanted to see.”
Then the worker motioned for us, and we were at the front of the line.
A cab rolled up, and Jake waved him to stay in his seat. We held our bags with us and slid into the back. Jake pulled out his phone, reading the address Raize had sent in a text, and then we settled back.
We were on our way.
We were now in San Antonio.
I just didn’t know why we were here.
