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SJ
We don’t need to do this here. I drop the hat back into the bag and take Nora by the arm.
“He’s gone, it’s okay. Let’s get our stuff.” I start to walk, but Nora doesn’t budge. I turn back and lean down slightly so I’m eye level with her. “He’s gone, Nora. I saw him leave in a cab. I wasn’t fast enough to catch him this time. I’m sorry.”
She doesn’t speak immediately. She stares into my eyes like she’s searching for something, probably wondering what the fuck I’m doing if I can’t even catch him when he’s right there.
With a shake of her head, she comes back to herself. “Don’t apologize. It isn’t your fault.”
I don’t agree with her.
“We need to get our luggage and get a rental car,” I say gently.
It’s obvious her mind is reeling while knowing he was this close to us, and we didn’t have a clue. Maybe he was the cause of the uneasy feeling I had on our flight. I’ve allowed my feelings to distract me, and that could put Nora in harm’s way. I won’t have that.
Nora nods and walks step by step with me. At baggage claim, the only items making their way around the conveyer belt are Nora’s two checked bags.
“They made it.” She gives a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Regardless of the attempt, I can’t let this feeling go. I failed her, I failed myself, and I let that son of a bitch get away.
I don’t respond. I simply take the bags and set them on the floor. I look around, but I don’t see an available luggage cart. Instead, I do my best to grab as much as I can. Nora fills her hands as well, determined to help. We make our way to the car rental counter.
We’re greeted by an older man with graying hair. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes, my name is Samuel Johnson. I requested a Tahoe.” I hold my breath, hoping they don’t put me in a compact car again.
“Eh… Oh, yes sir. I see your reservation here,” he says kindly as he retrieves a set of keys from a cabinet behind him. He hands the keys off to a younger man without a word, who then promptly disappears with them.
“Hey, look on the bright side. We won’t have to cram all my stuff into a compact again.”
She tries to pull me from the dark place my mind is in right now. I’ve always been the best at my job. Letting that guy get away isn’t supposed to happen.
“If you’ll just sign here,” the man says, pointing to the paper.
I quickly scribble my signature and mutter a thank you. Nora and I gather our things again.
“They’ll pull the vehicle around front for you, Mr. Johnson.” The attendant gives a final smile, and I nod before turning to walk away.
“Thank you!” Nora says cheerfully, taking the reins on politeness when I can’t muster a single word.
I can’t imagine how she’s taking this so well. Initially, I thought she’d gone into shock, but then she acted as if we didn’t just discover her stalker was mere feet from us and that I didn’t catch his ass.
As we wait outside the airport, a black Tahoe pulls up to the curb. A lanky teenage boy exits the driver’s side and rounds the back of the vehicle. He opens the back hatch and loads our luggage into the back.
I reach into my pocket and fish out some loose bills. I press them into the young man’s hand as a thank you for his help.
“Thank you, sir. The key is in the cupholder,” he says as I make my way to the driver’s door.
I nod, then think better of it. “Thanks.” It comes out clipped, but whatever. I tried. I’m not exactly in a great head space.
Once we’re alone inside the vehicle and pulling away from the curb, I look at Nora briefly. “Are you okay?”
I programmed the GPS while waiting on the kid to bring the car around and load our things. I won’t risk anything else by making stops. I want to get straight to our hotel from here. My mind races, and I wonder if we should book another hotel. A last-minute change would ensure the stalker doesn’t know where we are.
“Yes, I think so. It’s shocking, but so is having a stalker. Knowing he was that close is scary, but he also didn’t make any attempt to contact me. That’s good, right?”
She’s trying to reason her way through this. I understand wanting to do that, but with someone unstable enough to have their initials engraved on a plate and placed on the hat he wears when he stalks her…I’m not sure there is any reasoning. This guy is nuttier than I initially thought.
