Chapter 59. Surprised To See Me, Riley?
He sat with the other passengers in the waiting room. It was a weekday. Most of the plane passengers were executives who were going on a business trip abroad. His appearance in a suit and tie did not stand out at all among the dozens of passengers who were dressed the same as him.
But if you look closely, he looked different from the other prospective passengers. He looked classier. The two-piece suit he was wearing was hand-sewn by a famous designer. He wore expensive glasses from a famous brand to cover his eyes from the prying eyes of the people around him. He sat in the waiting room with a newspaper covering his face, pretending to be reading even though his eyes were actively exploring every corner of the busy airport. Small earbuds plugged his ears to communicate with his men who were on duty looking for Riley's position.
"Target is walking toward gate three with a man in a pilot uniform, sir."
"Keep an eye on her, Sam. Make sure she gets on her plane safely."
“Copy that.”
Sam, he was disguised as a technician. He was going to the airstrip. He brought mechanical equipment to perfect his disguise. He was going to watch Riley board the plane and make sure it flew to Las Vegas. Logan didn't want it to be just a drama to trick her. He really had to make sure Riley boarded the plane and flew to Las Vegas.
Logan grinned and folded his newspaper. He got up from his seat calmly. No one would suspect him of being there. He walked with calm steps, in the opposite direction from where Riley was supposed to be. He wanted to see Riley as she was running away.
Would she be nervous? Would she be scared?
None of that was what Logan thought happened to Riley. She walked past him with stunning grace. Her flight attendant uniform made her even more charming and beautiful. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun and hidden under an orange flight attendant cap. There was a fake name tag on her left breast that said, Viviane. Her body was very curvy under the tight uniform that hugged her body. Riley looked confident, her chin up, and her steps were steady. She walked after a man in a pilot's uniform.
Logan glanced over his shoulder, removing the sunglasses that framed his dark eyes and smiled slightly at Riley, who didn't even notice him because she was too focused on her role as a flight attendant. Riley would be back in his arms soon. They would continue their pending agreement.
Logan smirked. He put his glasses back on and walked straight toward gate five, where his private jet was waiting to fly him to Las Vegas.
"See you at Harry Reid, honey."
\-00-
The five and a half hour flight from New York to Las Vegas went smoothly. Riley encountered no obstacles. She passed all the checks at the airport because of Gunberg's kind help. She was directed through the cabin crew door, and she boarded the plane smoothly. She even had to wait for Wren for about thirty minutes for all the check-in procedures she had to go through. She proudly showed off and told Wren that she had passed all the checks and that she had no problems.
They spent five and a half hours in the air doing nothing. Wren mostly stayed silent, staring out the window. Riley didn’t feel like bothering Wren, so she just stayed quiet and watched boring movies on the plane. The real flight attendants offered them food, but Wren only ate once. Meanwhile, Riley ate twice, for an appetizer and a main course. Riley skipped dessert because she was too full. The food was delicious and Riley was very happy. This was her first time on a plane, and she had first class facilities. Unfortunately, they couldn’t enjoy the flight to the fullest. They still felt unsafe, even though they had made it out of Logan.
“Welcome to Las Vegas. Is this your first time?”
“This is my first time. I’ve never been out of the country. It’s warmer here than in New York.”
A flight attendant opened the door for them. Wren walked in front of Riley to get off the plane. Riley used her palm to block the sunlight that was very bright in her eyes. She limped a bit down the stairs because her legs were sore from sitting on the plane for too long. She should have been able to stroll around the cabin and enjoy a very luxurious first-class flight, but she was afraid she would disturb Wren.
“Well, this place is very warm indeed. It can even be very hot in summer .”
“Good for the skin,” Riley chuckled softly.
“I could have an exotic tan if I stayed here long enough.”
They walked hand in hand off the runway to the lobby. Riley had to repeat the same procedure as when she departed from the New York airport. She was going out with Gunberg to avoid all sorts of document checking before the exit. She and Wren had to part once again near gate six.
"I'll be waiting for you in the lobby. Don't worry, we're far from Logan. You're safe here. You will have your freedom again."
"I can't wait to welcome the new life I'm about to lead," Riley took Wren's hand and held it with both her hands.
"I owe you all of this, Wren. I really wouldn't have been able to get here without your help."
Wren smiled faintly. He looked down at Riley's grip on his hand. If Riley knew about the video of Kaella's torture, he wasn't sure she would be very grateful to him. She would probably hate him for keeping it from her.
"Gunberg's here," Wren pulled his hand from Riley's grip. He could see the look of disappointment on Riley's face, but he just kept quiet and pretended not to see her sad expression.
"You'd better follow him. See you in the lobby, Riley."
Riley stared at Wren's back as he slowly walked away. Wren had changed drastically since she came back from Mrs. Marris's house. Riley couldn't do anything but wait for the right moment to talk to Wren.
"Riley, do you want to go to the restroom before we get out of here?"
“I think I want to go to the restroom to change clothes and take off all this disguise.”
Gunberg nodded and motioned for Riley to follow him out through the crew cabin door. They went through all the usual airport security checks and walked straight ahead, pulling a small suitcase. Riley didn't even know what was in her suitcase. Gunberg suddenly gave her a suitcase for the property as they were about to enter gate three at the New York airport.
“The restroom is over there. Take your time. I'll buy coffee at the café there. When you're done, you can find me there."
"Okay. I won't be long."
Riley rushed into the toilet and was a little grateful that it was empty. She then went into the cubicle closest to the door and changed her flight attendant attributes into her casual clothes. She wouldn't wear that sweater anymore because it was too hot there.
When she was buttoning her shirt, Riley faintly heard the sound of the toilet door opening and closing slowly. Riley frowned briefly, then shrugged nonchalantly. The airport was full of potential passengers. She shouldn't be surprised if someone other than her used the restroom.
After she changed her clothes, Riley came out of the toilet cubicle. She went to the sink to wash her hands and make sure she looked decent enough to walk out with Wren. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. Then she brought her face closer to the mirror to see the remnants of the makeup she used to cosplay as a flight attendant today. Everything was still ok. No smudged makeup or lipstick staining her teeth. She was ready to go out and meet Wren.
Suddenly, one of the toilet cubicle doors opened. The loud creaking sound disturbed Riley who was fixing her makeup in front of the mirror. She glanced at the mirror. Someone behind the door seemed to deliberately want to make a noise in the quiet toilet.
The creaking sound continued and disturbed her. Riley turned to see who did it. She froze when she saw who was standing near the toilet door. The man was the source of all her nightmares. Her face paled as Logan walked towards her with calm steps.
“Surprised to see me, Riley?”