Operation: Austin

Chapter Two Part Three

As the cabbie moved to open the trunk. Gary dismissed him. “She just has a bag. I’ll put it in the seat with us.” He opened the back door, and Paige got in and slid across; her movement was stiff as she transitioned from standing to sitting in the back seat. He followed her into the cab and instructed the driver, “The Radisson, here at the Airport.” The driver was East African, maybe Ethiopian; he noticed Paige’s face and looked at Gary. “At the airport?”

“Yes, the airport,” he smiled. “She is coming in from California; she was down there surfing and fell. I’m her uncle, just here to pick her up.”

Their driver nodded; his casual curiosity was satisfied. As a driver, he saw all kinds of things; a bruised girl did not raise too many questions. Paige just sat looking out the window, not making eye contact. The driver spun around in his seat and headed out of the Airport Parkway. The hotel was just a few minutes from there; the fare was a minimum of ten dollars, so Gary handed him a twenty and said, “Thanks,” as they slid out of the cab.

“Welcome. Thank you!” The driver was enthused. Without further interaction, they closed the car door and walked into the hotel lobby.

As they went inside, Gary suggested that she take this opportunity to use the bathroom. He explained that after the hotel, it might be a while before they would stop.

She looked at him with embarrassment. “I really have to pee, but I’m afraid to go alone. Will you come with me and stand outside the door?”

He smiled in return. “With pleasure.”

Asking at the registration counter where the bathrooms were, the young lady absentmindedly motioned them through the bar on the other side of the lobby. They walked on through, and Paige went inside, but not before touching Gary’s arm.

“Thanks for understanding,” she said, obviously relieved.

It was a simple gesture, but it felt trusting. She wanted to make contact, which told him she had not been completely robbed of her ability to connect. He knew he was probably reading more into it than was intended, but that’s how it felt, how he wanted it to feel. He did not even know her, but there was this spark between them that could not be denied. Every logical reason told him to forget it, and yet it was there.

She was back in a couple of minutes. There was a tear in her eye.

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded her head slightly. “It’s hard to see myself in a mirror.”

“I know,” he sympathized, “but it will get better. We will get you to my place, and you can just lie around in the sun for a week or two. That will help heal the bruising.” What he didn’t say was that the emotional trauma might heal more slowly, but at least after a couple of weeks, every time she looked in a mirror, she would not be reminded of the abuse she had suffered. “I have an idea which might help!” he smiled at her. “I’ll take down all of the mirrors in the house for a month!”

She frowned, but it held humor. “Thanks, but it would still be a reminder. Besides, I would probably be bugging you for a mirror to see if I’m getting better.”

That got a chuckle out of them both; they were making progress. While she was in the washroom, Gary sent for an Uber. A lady in a Prius was eight minutes out, so he accepted. When the car pulled up, they walked out of the hotel entrance, and the driver motioned for them to get into the back seat. Paige walked around to the driver’s side, and Gary opened her door; the driver did not notice Paige’s condition. Gary walked back around, got into the passenger side, then closed the door and mentioned the destination. He had put into the app that they wanted to go to the WinCo in East Portland, and without comment, the driver pulled out. She made some idle chatter, and Gary mentioned his niece was coming in from Cali, where she was down surfing. He explained that she had fallen, so he was here to take her to his home to let her rest. Not much more was said, and again, Paige played the part perfectly.

Everything was going according to his plan.

As the driver approached the store entrance, she asked him for a good referral. Gary said yes, and he would give her a tip, too. As the small car came to a stop, Gary touched Paige on the leg and asked her to wait there for a minute. He got out with the pack and walked around to help her out of the car, having seen her struggle to get in. She looked at him oddly, but he let it pass. They started walking toward the store until the driver was safely out of sight, then he motioned for them to cross the parking lot. “My Cadillac is over here. I know you are probably hungry; I have some food in the car, so let’s hit the road if that’s okay. I want to get out of town without any more contact.”

“Yeah, me too,” she agreed.

The further they got from the airport, the more relaxed she became. Although still unsure what was happening or where she was going, she was losing the nervous ‘rabbit-eyed’ look.

Gary was still alert. Scanning the parking lot to see if anything looked out of place or if anybody was watching. They had not been followed; he was sure of that, but when on an assignment, they were always aware of the surroundings, defense angles, and withdrawal paths. Nothing seemed out of place, and nobody was paying attention to a couple walking to their car from the store. His plan was laid out very deliberately in advance: where he would park, the types of transportation they would use, and the distances between them. Every element was intended to create serious challenges for anyone trying to track an abused girl escaping a trafficking ring.

He knew John did the same thing in Las Vegas, brushing out every track, leaving as little as possible to be found. That would be why her clothes were new; John would have been thorough. It’s their nature; in their business, a small mistake can kill you or someone on your team.

As they approached the car, he opened the trunk, grabbed a towel and some food out of the cooler, and then tossed the backpack in. After he had closed the trunk, he opened the passenger door for Paige.

“It’s going to be hot inside,” he said. “Just a minute, and the AC will cool it off.”

She paused before getting in. “You always do that.” It was not a question.

“Do what?” he asked.

“Open my door for me,” she replied.

It was a simple gesture, but it seemed significant to her. “Oh, yeah, it’s something my dad always did for my mom,” he explained. “If it bothers you,” he teased. “I will try to be less courteous.”

“No,” she quickly denied. “I like it. Nobody does that. It makes me feel special, like you appreciate me.” She slid into the leather seat. “O.M.G, this is a great car. It smells fantastic.”