Chapter 25 #2
She nodded and stared up at him worriedly. Did he really still think there was a threat?
He shook his head. “I don’t think there’s a threat, baby, or I wouldn’t let you leave.”
Did he really just call her baby? She thought she’d dreamed the last time he said that, but maybe not.
He closed his eyes for a long moment. “I probably shouldn’t have said that. Stay safe, Stowaway, and behave yourself.” He patted her on the shoulder.
Ouch. That felt like she’d just been rejected. Or put firmly in the friend zone.
Not that she could blame him. Who would want her?
Turning, she headed over to where her sisters were waiting. Butch was saying something to Monroe, who was frowning and looking worried. She nodded and headed off through the security line.
Dotty scowled at Butch. “You’re a dick.” Then she marched off after her sister.
Addie walked up beside Butch and glared at him. “Meanie.”
She couldn’t call him a dick. That just felt too harsh and not really a word she would use.
Butch raised his eyebrows. “You don’t even know what I said.”
No, but Addie stuck by her sisters. Always.
With a shake of his head, Butch frowned. “Just want all of you to take care.”
Oh, maybe she’d misjudged him. While he seemed somewhat grouchy, that didn’t mean that he didn’t have good intentions, or that he meant to be sharp with Monroe. People tended to think she was a bit scattered and flighty, but she really wasn’t.
So Addie just nodded and turned away to walk with her sisters through security.
When they got through, they walked straight toward the gate. She was going to feel so much better once they got on the plane and got out of here.
Are you, though? Or do you wish you could turn around and walk straight back to Cash?
Addie attempted to look over her shoulder to see if he was watching, but there were too many people to see him.
No doubt he was already on his way back to his vehicle, back to his life, where he’d forget about her.
She was being an idiot. They hadn’t even known each other long. She just needed to set her mind on something else.
Like how to help Monroe, who was looking rather glum. Walking up beside her sister, she took her hand in hers. Monroe gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry, Addie. I’m all right.”
Dotty shot Monroe a worried look. But when Monroe looked up at her, Dotty had wiped the worry clear.
“Of course you will be,” Dotty said. “We’ll get that divorce, don’t you worry, and we never have to come back here.”
Addie wasn’t sure that she never wanted to come back, but she just nodded.
“I’m going to feel better once we’re all home and back to normal,” Dotty told them as they reached their gate.
She frowned when they got there and found no one was boarding. They checked the electronic display board.
“Shit,” Dotty muttered. “It’s been delayed.”
Monroe ran her hand over her face. “I’ve got a really bad headache. Can we go get some painkillers while we wait? Maybe some water?”
“Yes, sure,” Dotty said. “I guess I could use some coffee.”
They headed to the convenience store and got Monroe some painkillers and a magazine before they went to the café next door for some water and coffee.
Addie didn’t get anything. Her stomach was too tied up in knots.
Time ticked by painfully. Dotty got out her laptop and started to work. She answered a few calls. Monroe sat there and just stared at the same page on the magazine for ages.
Addie tapped her hand. Her sister looked up at her. “Are you okay? Did Butch say something to upset you?”
Shoot. Her voice was basically non-existent at this stage, and Monroe gave her a worried look. “You need to stop talking or you’re going to lose your voice altogether.”
Yep, she knew that, but she was worried about her sister.
“Don’t worry about what Butch said. He was just speaking the truth. I’ve got to start taking responsibility for the things that I do.”
Is that what he’d actually said? It didn’t seem fair. Sure, she might have married a man that she barely knew, and then tried to track him down in a series of bars, but she hadn’t asked for any of this to happen.
“Don’t worry so much, babes.” Monroe patted her hand. “We’re just going to go home and go back to our normal lives, right?”
Right. Except it didn’t feel like something she wanted anymore, which was strange, since Addie liked the routine of living in the same place, eating the same food, and doing the same things day after day.
Somehow, what had once felt comfortable now felt almost boring.
Weird.
Dotty turned away from her laptop. “There seems to be some weather issues at the other end. I think maybe I should try and see if we can get home via a different route.”
Monroe frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We could fly into Los Angeles and drive home,” Dotty suggested.
Addie shrugged and nodded and Dotty started tapping on her laptop again.
How long had they been waiting now? Probably only about twenty or thirty minutes, but it felt like forever. She didn’t really like flying, because it felt like they were sitting ducks out here.
Should she have messaged Cash and told him about the delay? But what could he do without a ticket? He couldn’t get back here. Maybe Dotty should have bought a ticket for one of them, so they could sit here until they got on the plane with them.
Urgh. She was worrying about nothing.
Then she glanced up and saw them, a group of four men coming towards them.
Immediately, she knew that they were bad news. Panic held her immobile for a few seconds.
Snap out of it, Addie.
She was so tired of being like this. And right now, her sisters, neither of whom had noticed these men, needed her.
“They’re here. We have to go.” She forced herself to speak as loudly as she could. Her voice cracking, her throat burning in protest.
Getting to her feet, she grabbed both of their hands and tugged.
“Addie, what are you doing?’“ Dotty said, looking up at her. Addie pointed at the men who were nearly upon them. Dotty’s eyes widened, and she grabbed her laptop, snapping it shut before standing.
“Go. Run!” Dotty cried.
“What’s going on? Why are we moving?” Monroe asked as Addie tugged her up.
“Those men!” Addie cried before she started to cough.
How did her sister not sense the danger? Perhaps this is part of the reason why she’d ended up married to a man who obviously wasn’t a very good guy.
“Quick, head into the women’s toilets,” Dotty said as she dragged them along. There was a line, but they pushed their way forward, ignoring the other women who protested.
“Sorry,” Addie said. “Being chased.”
“We’re being chased!” Monroe cried. “Oh my God! What is happening?”
“Who’s chasing you?” a dark-haired woman asked with a frown.
“Four men,” Dotty said, breathing heavily, as she stopped to pull out her phone. “I need to call the police.”
“Hey! You can’t come in here.”
Addie turned to see the men standing at the entrance to the bathroom. Several women were blocking their way, but they pushed at them, causing one of them to fall back onto her bottom.
She yelled, and somebody else pulled out their phone.
“Oh God, Oh God,” Monroe said. “They’re here for us.”
Addie screamed as one of them got through the crowd of women. They were so close. To her shock, one woman clobbered him on the head with her handbag and he turned toward her.
“Monroe, Addie, get into a stall now. Lock the door,” Dotty said.
Addie grabbed Monroe, and was about to shove her into an empty stall just as they heard a commotion at the door.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” a man yelled. “Why is my wife calling me to say you’re harassing her?”
One of the women in the line must have called her husband, and when he stepped into the bathroom, Addie could see how big he was. He was built like a wrestler, and he was angry too.
But it was four men against one.
“Security!” someone yelled out. “What’s going on in there?”
“There are several men in here attacking us,” one of the women yelled back as Addie stood in front of Monroe, trying to protect her.
“Addie, get behind me,” Monroe said.
She stayed where she was. It was doubtful that she was the target. It had to be Monroe.
All of the women in the bathroom were pointing at the four men, and security headed toward them. There was a scuffle, and some of the security guards went down before the four men disappeared out the bathroom door.
The big guy that was the first to come in chased after them, while the women all cheered.
Dotty turned to look at them, her eyes wide, breathing heavily. “Oh my God. What are we going to do?”
Things were bad if even Dotty didn’t know what to do. But for once, Addie thought she did. She grabbed out her phone and quickly hit Cash’s name to call him.
Her entire body was trembling as she held her phone up to her ear. “Addie, who are you calling?” Monroe asked.
“We need to get out of here,” Dotty said. “We’re a target here. We can’t stay in the airport. But we can’t just leave either. We don’t know where those guys went. They could be waiting outside the airport to grab us.”
“Addie, is everything okay? Are you in the air?” Cash asked.
“Cash,” she said in a voice that was barely there anymore. “We need help.”