As soon as the plane lands, we make our way to the main terminal.
I hire a car using the passport and credit card provided by my cousin and tug Leah along as she looks around. She's like a little kid, wanting to touch everything and talk to everyone. I am mostly annoyed until I see that smile of hers. Breath taking, every time. She's never been away from Mexico City, away from Charlie and Sue, or the compound really. This is her real first step away from her caged existence.
"Jake," she says hurriedly, lacing our hands as she catches up with my long strides, "Can I drive?"
I look at her like she's lost her mind which only makes her pout.
"Maybe once we get to near we are going. There's less people." I tell her as I simultaneously search for the row of our hire car, pulling her along.
I help her into the car and throw the bags into the back seat. The car is a newer model SUV and its leather seats are comfortable for our journey.
"Can you tell me where we are going now?" Leah asks hopefully, pulling out a pair of glasses she had purchased inside the terminal.
"Not yet," I tell her as I adjust the rear view mirror.
Turning to her I grasp the back of her neck softly in my large hand and run my thumb over her soft cheek. "Those glasses are not inconspicuous at all." I chuckle, watching as she tears down the sun visor and checks herself in the mirror.
She slaps my hand away when I start laughing at her panic.
"You're a bit of a jerk," she grumbles as she flicks off her flats and sits cross legged in the passenger seat.
"We can't all be perfect all the time," I grin at her. "Unlike you."
"Trust me, I'm about as far from perfect as you can get." she says as she reaches into the back seat for a water bottle on the side of her back pack. The tone in her voice bugs me and I'm not sure why. "Do you think I will be able to call Jasper when we arrive?"
I shake my head, "Sorry, I wish you could."
She huffs out a breath and leans her elbow near the window of her door watching as we pull away from the terminal and toward our destination.
.
The first part of the drive is mostly silent with Leah falling in and out of sleep. We stop and while I pump gas in car, she is sent on a mission for snacks. I lean against the dark car keeping my eyes on her at all times through the windows. Even though we are in the states, we still have to be careful. When I spot her talking to a tall blonde haired boy inside I shove the nozzle back into the bay and head inside. He's fairly non-descript and looks about sixteen.
"I'm just visiting," she tells him, hands full of snacks.
He's leaning against a row of crisps, acting confident even though I know he's probably shitting himself. "Right, so where you heading. Are you with your family? You want to exchange numbers or something?"
Leah shrugs, "Sorry. I don't have a phone."
"Oh. What about email?" he pushes, clearly interested.
"I don't have internet connection on the road. Nice meeting you." She turns back in the line, waiting to pay for the gas and items in her hands.
When I see him go to reach for her elbow I bump into him a little, offering a small 'sorry' as I move past him. I stand next to Leah and wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her hip towards mine. "Hey, babe." I announce loud enough for the dweeb to hear. "Car's all good. You ready?"
Leah looks up at me with a raised brow, but understands. Even though I want to scrap with the kid, I know it would only bring negative attention and maybe even Police attention. Both of which we don't need.
I look back to the young boy who is flushing red. Winking at him I slide my hand from her waist to the back pocket of her jeans until it's her turn to pay and we head out.
As soon as I get in that cabin of the car she whacks me with her palm. "That's for trying to cope a free feel."
I hold my hands in the air innocently. "Just trying to help."
The smile on my lips won't quit and I can see hers threatening to lift.
"Are you sure you're thirty-four?" she queries with a raised brow. She blows me off before I can answer and snuggles back in her seat. "The next one won't be free."
.
We find a small motel and pull in for the night. The lodgings are less than the extravagancy Leah is used to but she doesn't seem to mind.
She lays down on the comforter and mewls. "Finally. A bed."
Peeking through the blinds I make sure no one has followed us before grabbing one of the bags and taking a seat next to the small side table. "We need to stop for supplies tomorrow. I need a gun and you need to change your look." I tell the teenager who is rolling around on the bed like a puppy.
She sits up on her elbows and looks at me inquisitively. "What do you mean change my look?"
I pull out some shorts from the bag and reach for a new toothbrush. "You need to look older or something," I mumble, almost in embarrassment.
"Older?" She queries with a laugh. "Men are usually looking for the opposite."
"I'm not most men," I huff as I stand and make my way to the small bathroom. As my hand lays over the knob I turn back slightly. She's still watching me, waiting for some kind of explanation. "We need a cover before we get where we are going. Bringing a seventeen year old with me is going to raise questions that we can't answer."
She nods her head. "Okay, so what's the cover?"
"We need to go to a jewellery store."
"Why?"
I breathe out a long breath as my hand tightens on the knob. "There's only one reason I would go home. We need to make it seem as though we are married."
Not waiting for an answer I step into the bathroom and take a much needed shower.
.
Finding a local mall the next day we make our way around the shops. The credit card from Quil comes in handy again as we make several purchases. While Leah visits a hairdresser I contact a local gun shop and give my details and order over the phone to arrange a pick up time. Not wanting to wait for Leah inside the shop, I hover outside, making my way around several boutiques, making sure to keep my eye on the small shop across the way.
"Can I help you?" a woman around twenty five asks. She's a pretty little thing with brown curls.
I blink at her in confusion and look down at the rack in which my hands are rummaging through. I was clearly not paying attention.
"Oh yeah. Just looking for something for my wife."
She swoons at the sentiment. "Do you know her size? I'm sure we can find something you'll both like." The woman pats my hand knowingly.
As she picks out suggestions, she explains that husbands would often come into the store looking for gifts for their wives and girlfriends, and that is was quite normal. I panic and pick out a set in red and allow her to wrap it so I can be on my way.
Leah takes another hour in the shop and I grumble when she finally comes out. That is until I take in her new look. Instead of the lopsided straight cut, her hair is lighter and cut softer, complete with a natural looking wave. Instead of jet black her hair it's now a dark brown and honey colour. My mouth is slightly ajar as I look over her.
She chuckles as she walks up. "You like it?" Doing a twirl, she grins up at me.
"It looks, wow."
Her eyes sparkle and she nods her head. "It's a bit different but I thought what the hell."
"It suits you." And it does make her look older. By a few years at least. I know it will be easy to convince people that she is older than she is, not only by her hair but by her body. She has a woman's body and I was sure she knew that fact. The high waisted jeans she wears are extremely distracting, as well the cute little green blouse with capped shoulders she had on.
When her eyes slide down she notices the bag in my hands and raises a brow. "Is that for me?"
I clutch the bag and pull it away from her. "No. Not for you."
She rolls her eyes.
"Come on, time to find some rings."
As we browse in another hole in the wall shop I tug Leah's elbow and pull her towards the back of the store. I have to make sure that what I am doing isn't stepping over the line.
"Leah, are you okay with this?"
She tilts her head slightly. "If we need this as a cover then, yes."
I scratch the back of my head. "I want you to know that this doesn't mean you need to feel obligated to do any wife like duties."
She waves off my concern. "I know that, Jacob. Look. It's just for a few weeks right?" When I nod she continues. "Well then there's nothing to worry about. I will ask one thing of you though."
It's my turn to quirk a brow.
"You need to promise you won't get hurt."
"I don't follow."
She takes a breath. "If anything happens. I need you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid. If they somehow find us and they-"
"They won't find us. And they won't take you." I tell her seriously, brushing some of her dark brown honey locks from her cheek. "Leah, when I took this job I promised to keep you from harm. Nothing has changed. It will never change. Even when this is all over, there is nothing that would stop me from keeping you safe."
.
Clicking the ammunition into the gun I twist it with an outstretched arm. The metal is light in hand and the balance of the weapon feels good. Placing it in a concealed holster, its weight clings to my waist. The feeling of it comforts me slightly as I leave the gun shop and jump back in the car. Leah is flipping through a magazine nonchalantly, her eyes focusing on each page as if she is looking for something.
I put the car in reverse and get back on the highway.
"You gonna tell me what you're looking for?" I ask as I indicate and merge into the steady flow of traffic. The shiny band on her finger gleams in the afternoon light. Something inside my stomach rolls looking over the simple band of jewellery.
She smirks when she finds the page she's looking for and folds the magazine over. "It's the photoshoot at the Byone."
Glancing over I take in the photo. Her pretty neck is draped in finely twisted silver jewellery as her face looks intensely at the camera. Her body is twisted as she sits in a dark green dress, almost looking as though it is a second skin. While she looks the same, there is something different about her when she's behind the camera. She's almost a different person.
"Alice takes good photos."
Leah snorts as she looks over the picture. "She does. She was pretty interested in you that day."
"She gave me her card, asked if I modelled," I tell my companion, amused thinking back on the tiny flitting fairy that was Alice.
"Oh, she wanted you to model, alright. Preferably in the nude."
I frown at her statement as she continues to flip through pages before setting the magazine down.
"Okay, we need to come up with a back story. How did we meet, where did we get married, how many children we plan to have," the teenager smirks as she pushes her glasses off her face and into her hair. The fact that she is more than willing to go along with the plan makes me wonder if she would actually want something like this.
"You're right. We've only got another night or so and then we'll be faced with our biggest challenge. My father."