Chapter 18: Chapter 18

“Attention, passengers. We will begin our descent into Dallas in approximately twenty minutes. The temperature there is seventy-eight degrees….” The pilot continued, giving information about where the plane was headed next, what to do if one were looking for connecting flights, etc., but Ella’s mind was on what was going to happen when she stepped off of the plane. Would they be followed, or would they make their entry into the United States undetected?

It was weird not sitting next to Rome. She had for the first flight, the longest leg, but when they’d switched planes in Bolivia, they’d decided it would be better if they weren’t spotted together, just in case. So she was sitting a few rows ahead of him.

The plan was pretty straight forward. She’d get off first and head to the rental car counter where she already had a reservation in her fake name, one she’d picked herself this time. They’d had King send the new passports that matched their current appearances, which weren’t too far off from what God had created, though Ella’s short red hair was her own. She wasn’t Ella anymore, though. She was Ramona Spears.

Rome’s hair was a white blond, partly from the bright sun at their home of the last several weeks, but also a bit from a bottle. His skin was darker than it had ever been though, as was Ella’s. He looked like a bronze god as she caught a glimpse of him making sure his seatbelt was buckled tightly for landing. Soon enough, they’d be in a car headed to California--assuming no one was watching this particular airport too closely.

She’d get the car while he got the bags. Then, she’d swing by and quickly pick him up, and they’d take off together to make the long drive west. After that, the stakes got a lot higher.

If his father had been watching the real estate market closely, he might know that Rome had bought the house in his own name. He’d had little choice but to do so, unless he wanted to trust someone else with a lot of money. They’d bought it a few weeks ago, so there was a chance that would help because any spying would’ve been over with, or they could be walking into a trap. Either way, they’d have to be careful.

She wouldn’t be able to see anyone in person for who knows how long. The idea of hiding from the world wasn’t comforting, but she had to continue to remind herself that she was doing this for Rome, that she was willing to go into hiding in order to give him his dreams. She’d still be able to start her own marketing company or work for another one from home. If she dared. The fact that she might run into her father or someone that knew him was one that made her nervous.

The plane began to descend. The tightening in her stomach and the feeling that she was floating had more to do with what she would be doing once they touched down than the fact that the plane was in the middle of a controlled plummet out of the sky.

The wheels touched down, and she let out a deep breath, looking around at the other passengers. They were checking the time, pulling out their phones, gathering up their belongings. Ella was just trying to breathe.

She’d have her phone on and in her pocket the entire time, connected to Rome so that if anything went wrong for either of them, they’d know right away. What she would do if she heard Rome in trouble, she wasn't sure, but she’d do whatever it took, including shouting that there was a bomb in the airport or that someone had a gun. She’d learned that the man who’d been grabbed at the airport when Bart was leaving Italy had been released without being hurt, but if they sunk their fingernails into Rome, who knew what they’d do to make sure that he got back to his father’s house?

Ella unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her carry-on bag, waiting her turn to head down the aisle. She couldn’t help but catch Rome’s eyes, even though he was now Billy Shaker, someone she didn’t know. She didn’t smile, just looked at him, silently praying that this worked and they were both in the car soon.

As she headed down the aisle, she heard a voice in the back of her head telling her they were there, that Rome’s dad’s men were at the airport, that they were being hunted again. She had to push it aside and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other because if she didn’t, she’d crumble then and there, cause a scene, and bring more attention to herself than she could afford.

“Have a great day,” the flight attendant said as Ella passed her.

“You, too.” She managed a smile.

“Welcome to Texas,” another said.

“Thanks.” If everything was bigger in Texas, hopefully, that made it easier to hide.

Rome waited for Ella to get off of the plane and followed her at a distance as far as he could, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious. He didn’t think they’d see anyone on this side of security who might be a threat. His dad was rich but too cheap to buy a ticket to get behind the security keepers if he didn’t have to.

Once they were outside, Rome took a deep breath and let Ella go from his sight. It wasn’t easy to do. He wanted to stay behind her, to make sure she got the car safely, but he had a job to do, and if the airport was under surveillance, chances were they were looking for him and not for her, since, as far as he knew, everyone still believed Ella was dead.

At least, if they followed him, she’d be safe. Then, she could contact the lawyer to try to track him down. He prayed that wouldn’t be necessary.

He took the escalator down to baggage claim, looking over each shoulder as he went, trying not to look as if he were worried. Perhaps he was just looking for a friend….

Downstairs, he saw two men in suits hanging out near the revolving baggage wracks. Were they men on a business trip, or should he be suspicious? Neither of them seemed to glance in his direction as they appeared to wait for bags to come down the line.

Would his dad send men in suits anyway? Or would he send people who would blend in better, especially considering Rome had known that his henchmen were wearing suits in Italy?

The bags started to come out from his flight, so Rome checked for his and Ella’s. Not seeing them yet, he backed away slightly, getting as close to the corner of the large space as he could so that he could observe everyone.

Down near the third carousel, two men looked around. Dressed like vacationers, in Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts, they didn’t look like Rome’s dad’s people, but then, perhaps that was the point.

He had a Bluetooth device in his ear that let him listen to Ella, who hadn’t said a word until now. She was talking to the person at the reservation desk, getting the car. Everything seemed to be going fine. They had a code word for if they thought there might be trouble. It was “cowboy.” He hadn’t heard her say that yet.

Keeping an eye on the suspicious duo, Rome crept back over to the carousel that was spitting out bags from their flight. He saw Ella’s black bag, recognizable from a pink ribbon she’d tied around the handle. A few seconds later, his own green bag appeared. He’d just need to get them and head outside to meet her.

He heard Ella say, “Thank you very much. Have a great day,” and then the sound of her walking on what sounded like concrete. Was she in the garage already?

Rome grabbed the two bags off of the carriage. He surveyed the room slowly, as if he was looking for a friend. Then, he took out his phone and pretended to text someone, as if he were just discovering he was supposed to meet the person outside. If anyone was watching, they wouldn’t think he was alone, and Monty was looking for a person by himself now, wasn’t he? Either that or four people, depending upon what his Italian workers had told him.

Heading for the door, Rome glanced back over his shoulder. The two tourists had bags now, and they seemed to be coming his direction. The fact that one of the bags was a pink rolling bag was suspicious. Had they just grabbed some unclaimed baggage from the carousel?

Not wanting to alarm Ella, Rome asked quietly, “Baby, can you hear me?”

“Yes. I’m in the car now. Just heading toward the exit.”

“Okay. We may have to come up with a plan B.”

“Why is that?” he could hear the panic in her voice now.

Rome was outside. He took a few steps down the sidewalk and saw the two tourists come out the door. One of them was on the phone now. Were they arranging his kidnapping?

Or was he just being paranoid?

Seeing a way out, Rome said, “El, I’m going to get on the tram that goes to the parking garage.”

“What? Why?” she asked.

He waited for the line to the tram to go down and then darted on, just as the doors were about to close. He saw the two tourists react. They definitely didn’t like that. They were there for him, all right, and somehow, despite his costume, they knew who he was.

Rome had a one word reply for his wife. “Cowboy.”