Ben Walden could have a significant other, or at least not in the traditional sense. Vaguely I pictured Bonnie and Clyde and The Lonely Heart Killers. Considering his occupation, what sort of relationship did they really have? I began to wonder what life was like for her: did she spend her nights worrying about the day Ben was shot and killed by a rival? Did she practice alibis for him in case the FBI came looking for him?
Then it occurred to me that maybe she was constantly prepared for all of those things. If she was with Ben, didn’t she have to be? A life half-lived, waiting for some terrible secret phone call or news report on the television that would reveal her other half would spend the rest of his life in prison?
I looked at Charlie for some comfort but he was resting with his eyes closed. A fear rushed through me. I couldn’t even be near him without being afraid of losing him.
“Charlie? Charlie?” I shook him.
He opened a single eye. “Yup?”
I sighed. “Nothing. Just making sure.”
“Don’t worry, Vicious.” He rested his broken hand on top of mine. “I ain’t going anywhere.”
While he napped, I periodically iced his hand and torso, which didn’t seem to bother him enough to do anything but try and bat away the ice pack. Every so often I would hear his breath increase or see his nostrils flare, and in those moments, when it became obvious he was dreaming, I would rest myself against him and hear him mutter only one word continuously, “Addie.”
Chapter 16
He had said it was a small town, but small was hardly the way I would have described it. When any area is popular and populated enough to contain its own airport (of whatever size), then I hardly see anything small about it.
And while the airport of Healdsburg, California was a municipal one, it was explained to me as we were landing that massive sums of money given to the right people throughout the year can help overlook the international flight that comes in every so often and the individuals on board. This also helps avoid security checks that one would have to endure at an international airport and those pesky little things like being wanted by the law.
I was abundantly relieved when we finally touched ground and all of us were still intact. Charlie had slept for most of the trip while I watched every flutter of his eyelashes, the twitch of his fingers, everything. I refused to risk something happening while I was away.
“You should rest, Addie,” Ben said to me at one point. “Singapore is fifteen hours behind California. Essentially we just time traveled.”
The sun was continuously coming up and we only seemed to catch up with it when we maneuvered with the tangled effort of many to get Charlie off the plane and on top of the landing ramp. Not having walked in the better half of a day, his legs were like rubber. Reid was equally dead on his feet, but at least had napped while the plane was on auto-pilot. He made short calls, after which a small army of men came out of an unmarked building to help not only Charlie, but to load fuel and other gizmos into the plane as well.
“I really like all the attention,” Charlie joked when we rode in a large black SUV. If I had to guess, I would have said they were Ben’s vehicle of choice. I really couldn’t do much complaining though—sitting in the backseat with Charlie was significantly better than lying in the cargo seat.
“Don’t get used to it,” I warned, “because if you worry me like this again, I’ll just kill you myself.”
From the passenger seat, Ben laughed. “Ah yes, you and Elise should get along splendidly.” As we drove deeper into the countryside, Ben’s voice seem to change, his posture slackened and he removed his bifocals, resting his head against the neck rest. He seemed to be a different person as we approached this place he called home.
At first we passed a slew of homes and buildings typical of any American town. It was only after a few miles that the allure of the region genuinely took over when the housing developments and condos faded into hills and scenic horse farms. Just beyond them I could see the mountains making the land feel timely and unkempt. Even the bustles of late blooming wildflowers that grew untouched in the occasional field couldn’t