“Oh,” the woman said, nodding. “That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“The battle you were fighting. It’s one I fight every time I go anywhere alcohol is served.” Her eyes were a clear blue, rimmed with a band of a much darker color.
“You seem fine,” Sariah said, her tone doubtful. She couldn’t help it. This woman seemed so… put together.
“A long time of learning to give it up to God,” she said. “And some experience in keeping that battle from showing on my face.”
“You’ll have to give me some tips.”
“Well, the first one is not to lick your lips every time someone else orders a Bloody Mary.” The corners of the woman’s mouth were puckered with what seemed like random wrinkles, but when she smiled it was like they all came together to form a beautiful picture. Like that one artist with the dots. Matisse? No, Seurat.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
There was a moment of near silence in which the older woman set the magazine down in the empty seat in between them and leaned over closer to Sariah. She shifted around in her seat, looking like she was trying to get comfortable. The sounds of her movements were muffled in that odd way that always happened on a flight.
Once she’d achieved what must have been some level of comfort, she began speaking again. “You’ve seen firsthand the effects of alcohol, right?”
There was a moment in which Sariah almost decided to shut down the conversation. She didn’t know this woman, had no reason to be intimate with her. But Sariah found that even more than wanting to keep her business her business, she wanted to talk to someone. To share. To feel understood.
“Yes, I have.”
“So what in your life is so bad that it’s making you want to go down that path?”
The question stopped Sariah in her tracks. She hadn’t looked at it from that perspective before. She thought of Joshua in that filthy back alley, drunk out of his gourd. She thought of her own father. The nastiness of her childhood, rushing up with all of its anger and pain and fear.
And she wanted that? That was the road she was contemplating starting down?
Sariah began to weep, her sobs silent. Her shoulders shook and tears ran down her cheeks. Her eyes were closed tight, so she wouldn’t have to see who all had observed her in her moment of weakness, but she felt the woman to her side brush against her as she moved into the middle chair. A hand stroked her shoulder and arm, light and soothing.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m a nosy old bat who should know better.”
Shaking her head, Sariah put a hand on top of the woman’s. “No, it’s okay.” She choked back another sob. “I mean, it’s not, but…”
The woman murmured, “But you’re kind of glad?”
Sariah lifted her eyes to meet those of the woman beside her. Those blue eyes rimmed in darkness were now watering with tears unshed. Concern wrinkled her brow, crisscrossing it with marks of a life past, but that same spark was still there in the depths of her gaze.
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Good.” The woman straightened up and brushed an imaginary speck of dust off of Sariah’s sleeve. “Me too.”
“How do you do it?” Sariah asked.
“Do what, sweetie?”
“Stay sober?”
The woman chuckled. “Well, historically, I haven’t done all that well. Not at first.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m a lot better now. It’s been twenty-seven years since my last drink.”
“So how did you do it?”
The woman looked at Sariah for a long moment before seeming to make a decision. “You’ve got to give it up to God, dear, or you’ll break.”
Thinking about that, Sariah couldn’t keep from asking a question. “What if you’re not sure if you believe in God?”
“Oh, sweetie. That doesn’t really matter all that much.” A radiant smile lit up her face as she spoke, tinged with what Sariah would have sworn was compassion.
“How can it not matter? That seems like a pretty important part of it.”
The woman sighed and patted Sariah on the leg. “God doesn’t care whether you believe in Her or not.”
“Her?” Sariah wasn’t really all that current when it came to religion, but that didn’t match the information she had about the subject. She liked the sound of it, though.
“Whatever. That’s the beauty of the program. You give your troubles up to your higher power. Mine just happens to be a woman. A really hot, really powerful woman.” She winked at Sariah, the mischief practically shooting out of her eyes.
“That’s the kind of higher power I could get behind,” Sariah responded, enjoying herself for the first time in forever.
“Or right in front of?” the older lady prompted, looking over Sariah’s shoulder at someone behind her. Turning around, Sariah saw that it was Reggie, who had made her way up from the back of the plane.
Right when the team had first been formed, Sariah had tried to get them all seats together, but Joshua had refused. He said he spent more than enough time with them on a daily basis. Sitting on a plane beside him might lead to a homicide. Sariah hadn’t pushed the topic too much since then.
“Reggie, what’s up?” Sariah asked.
“I just wanted to check on you. You seemed…” Reggie stopped, and seemed to look closer into Sariah’s face. Whatever she saw there seemed to convince her that there was nothing to worry about, as her face softened from the I’m-really-concerned-about-you expression she had worn a second ago. “Never mind. Just checking.”
The woman next to Sariah leaned over. “You’re such a sweet thing to check up on her like that.”
Reggie nodded, her expression now a bit perplexed. Turning around, she made her way back to her seat.
“Now there’s a keeper,” said the lady, and as Sariah did a double take she was surprised to see the woman’s eyebrows wagging up and down in an almost lewd fashion. “I always did like brunettes.”
“Wait,” Sariah said, catching on. “You’re a…”
“Lesbian? Oh yes, dear. Quite.” The sparkle in her eye hardened a bit, almost turning into a glint. “You don’t have an issue with that, do you?”
“No, of course not.”
Her expression softened. “I thought not. You struck me as a lovely young woman.” She shifted in her seat, closing her eyes. “And not a sore sight for the eyes, either.”
Sariah wasn’t sure whether or not the older woman was hitting on her. It didn’t seem that way, but…
Realizing something, she cleared her throat, causing the woman to open her eyes again. “I never got your name.”
“No, you didn’t, sweetie.” She closed her eyes again, a smile spreading over her face. “That’s how the program works, remember? Anonymity.” She raised her eyebrows, her eyelids still shut tight. “How did you enjoy your first meeting?”
Sariah had to admit. It had been pretty enjoyable.
* * *
Had jumped out of his seat, his cowboy boots making a satisfying thump every time they landed. They were in Austin. Perfect opportunity to pull out the boots. He’d wanted to wear his spurs, too, but Joshua had put his foot down.
Stepping into the aisle and reaching up for his carry-on, he pulled out his cell phone. Time to call his good buddy, Bilal.
Bilal was an Pakistani cab driver that Had’d met his first day going out to Quantico, and from that time forward, he was the only cab driver the team would use when in and around that area. He knew all the shortcuts, the best places to eat in town, and was all around just the greatest guy.
Oh, and he also had connections all around the United States.
So every time Had got off a plane, he would call Bilal, looking for his recommendations on who to hire as a cab driver in town. Up to this point, Bilal had rarely disappointed, and some of their most memorable drivers had been his recommendation.
“Bilal!” Had spoke into his phone. “How’s it hanging?”
“I
t is for hanging a bit to the left today, my friend,” came the answer. “Where are my best customers today? I am to be picking you up from the airport?”
“No, Bilal, not today. We’re in Austin, Texas.”
There was a pause, then the driver seemed to reanimate. “Ah, yes.” The Pakistani driver made a sound like a verbal shudder. “The city with all the bats. I hate bats.”
“I read about that,” Had gushed, excited. “Where’s the best place to see them? I heard the kayak tour was good for that.”
“I am not for knowing, my friend.” Once more there was the verbal shudder. “Bats. I cannot understand this.”
“Right. Sorry,” Had apologized. “Well, do you have a suggestion for me as far as drivers go?”
Another pause. “Alas, this time I have not, I am being afraid.” The man cleared his throat. It sounded almost like he was about to say something more, so Had waited for a moment, hoping that maybe more information was forthcoming. But after another awkward throat clearing, it was clear that he was done.
This was a rare occurrence, and Had couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. But he didn’t want Bilal to know that. The guy had given them so many wonderful referrals, and it wasn’t his fault he didn’t know anyone in Austin.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll give you a call when we get back into town.”
“Please do, my friend.” And then he was gone.
Well, it wasn’t what Had’d hoped for, but maybe it would end up being okay. He caught up to Joshua and Bella, who bumped into his side, looking for pets. He bent down to get a kiss from her before standing back up and speaking to Joshua.
“Bilal didn’t have any suggestions for us.”
Had should have anticipated Joshua’s response. The former agent put on a sad face as he responded.
“What? No rap-spouting Pakistanis?”
“Hey, that was one time,” Had protested. “And he was pretty good.”
“What about the cranky Polish guy?”
“Without him, you wouldn’t have Bella,” he pointed out.
That seemed to stop Joshua in his tracks. He glanced down at his dog, then back at Had.
“Guess you’re right. But still--”
Had’s cell phone ringing cut Joshua off. It was Bilal.
“Hey, Bilal, is everything okay?”
“No, it is not, my friend.” There was a pause and Bilal cleared his throat for a third time. Either the man was getting a cold or something was up.
“What’s going on?”
There was a significant pause this time, and Had thought for a moment that the line had gone dead. Then finally, there was a response.
“I was with lying to you, my friend. I am sorry.”
That took Had back a bit. “You lied to me?”
“Yes. It is a great shame to me, to lie to my good friend. But…” The cab driver’s voice trailed off. Had wasn’t sure, but it sounded almost like Bilal was on the verge of tears. “I have daughter in Austin. She drives cabs.”
“What?” Had exclaimed. “Your daughter is out here? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I know, I know. It is a bad thing I do. But the shame of lying is to me less than the shame of my daughter driving a cab.”
“What are you talking about, Bilal?”
The driver heaved a large sigh. “My daughter should not be for driving.”
Had wasn’t sure what to say here. This was probably cultural and stuff, and Bilal was a good guy, but the whole sexism thing was getting under Had’s skin. He was trying to figure out a non-confrontational way to talk about it when the driver spoke again.
“I tell her, be doctor, be lawyer,” he complained. “I even tell her, whatever, fine, be I.T., but she wants to drive like father. It is shame, shame and more shame.”
And just like that, Had was proud once more to have the coolest driver in all of Virginia. He grinned at Joshua, who just stared back at him, of course, seeing as how he wasn’t hearing the other side of the conversation. Right. Sometimes Had forgot about details like that in his excitement.
“Well, Bilal, I think it’s great she wants to be like you.”
There was a grunt, and then a sniff. “Many thanks to you, my friend. I text you her number.”
Had hung up and continued walking, but this time there was a spring in his step. He couldn’t wait to meet Bilal’s daughter.
He had a feeling they were going to get along great.
* * *
Reggie clutched the handle of the cab as they hurdled around a corner going what felt like forty-five miles an hour. This woman was insane.
She also talked as fast as she drove.
“I can’t believe my dad actually told you to call me. That’s so cool. He must really like you guys.”
Or hate us, Reggie couldn’t help but think, as their driver swerved to avoid hitting a garbage truck that was stopped in the middle of the street. There was another car coming from the opposite direction, and the petite Pakistani girl punched the accelerator to zip around past the truck, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.
And their driver didn’t even blink.
“Seriously, guys, this is a big deal. My dad always wanted me to be some big shot something. When I told him I wanted to drive a cab, he almost disowned me.”
“What did you say your name was?” Joshua choked out. He was sitting on the other side of Coop with Bella in his lap. Reggie had never seen him look quite so pale.
“Nadira,” she answered with a big grin, her white, even teeth standing out in stark contrast to her dark skin. She reached around behind her to offer a hand to Joshua. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hands on the wheel, hands on the--” he blurted out, and there was a loud horn as Nadira almost swerved into a car in the lane next to them.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that.” She overcorrected, which turned into a sharp left turn at high speed. Regina was pressed into Coop, who was in turn pressed into Joshua and Bella. The dog barked, her tongue hanging out. She seemed to be having the time of her canine life.
“So, are you guys here about the bomb?” Nadira asked, turning almost halfway around in her seat. She swerved to avoid a traffic cone on the side of the road, and Reggie was stunned at how the girl could see it with her back almost turned to the street in front of them.
“Yeah,” Had answered from the front seat. Like Bella, he seemed to be having a grand old time. A grin stretched from ear to ear, and his tone was excited. “What have you heard about it?”
“Just that no one was killed because of a little girl who found the thing. She’s in the hospital, you know?”
“Is she okay?” Had asked, his face shifting from happy to concerned in the space of a millisecond. Reggie had never seen anyone move from emotion to emotion quite like Had. It was endearing. Too bad he reminded her of a puppy.
Reggie liked her men like she liked her coffee. Strong and dark to the point of bitter, with little to no sweetener. She glanced over at Joshua.
A moment later, all thoughts of men were driven out of her head as the cab swung around another corner. This time the turn was to the right, and Reggie found herself squished up against the window of the taxi.
“I don’t know for sure,” Nadira said, correcting out of the turn. Reggie was pretty sure the woman was trying to audition for the next Fast and the Furious movie right now. “The news says she’s in stable condition, but who the hell knows what that means?”
“It means the patient is awake, but there are minor complications.” Coop answered at Reggie’s side. “The outlook is generally favorable.”
Coop was situated in the middle of the back seat, and Reggie felt a stab of sympathy for her as they took another sharp turn. At least Reggie and Joshua had the door handles to grab onto when they took a corner. But Coop was getting whipped about like a leaf in a windstorm.
And the response regarding what stable condition signified had Coop written all over it. The woman seemed to know everything th
ere was to know about almost any subject. She played her emotions close to the vest and just radiated competence… okay, maybe not so much lately. That was part of the reason why her recent behavior was so troubling.
But her intelligence and knowledge base was part of the reason why the men around her seemed to be constantly threatened. Well, most of the men. Both Had and Joshua seemed to enjoy being around strong women.
With Had that made sense. His mama was tough as nails, so of course he was used to being around a female that knew how to take charge.
But Joshua was a little more complicated. He seemed to take real pleasure from the challenge of a worthy adversary. Which could be a little bit awkward when they were all on the same team. Reggie wasn’t positive, but she suspected that part of why Joshua seemed so lost right now was that he didn’t have anyone to push back against.
A jolt of acceleration brought Reggie back to the present moment. Nadira sent the cab darting out in front of the red corvette to their side, and then abruptly changed lanes, clearing the sports car by what appeared to be mere inches.
Coop let out a tiny yelp, Joshua’s complexion became even paler, and Reggie felt her stomach leap up into her throat. The only one who seemed unaffected was Had, who was still grinning like an idiot.
“Do you have any recommendations for good places to eat?” he asked.
Nadira smirked. “Are you kidding? Austin has some of the best places in the world. It’s the coolest, weirdest place ever.”
“I like weird,” Had answered, grinning. “Hey, do you like Salsa?”
“The condiment, or the dance? Actually, doesn’t matter. I love them both.”
Reggie sighed. From the look on Had’s face, he may have just fallen in love with their taxicab driver. A flurry of questions followed, ranging from “do you like cats or dogs?” to “what are your feelings on math?” Nadira didn’t seem fazed by any of it, and up to this point, as far as Reggie could tell, Had appeared to be smitten.
Great. That meant they were going to have to keep using her as a driver for the rest of their time here.
Reggie had to admit, this cab ride was an experience. Not one that she’d want to repeat any time soon, but a real adventure, nonetheless.
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