Cowboy
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.”
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