Livewire

Chapter 44

Kyle held back the branches of a bush to let Trudie through. They had crossed over open country from the lake, but now crossing roads was unavoidable. The closer they got to the airport, the more of the city they would encounter.

Sirens grew in the distance. They ducked down, back into the bushes. A police car whipped by. It must be going to the site of the explosion. They'd heard several sirens since the explosion, with all of them heading toward the lake.

Once the car had passed and gone out of sight, they crossed the road, heading through the bushes on the opposite side.

The sun was now above the horizon and light was flooding across the land. They had the cover of darkness for most of the morning, but now they approached the outskirts of the city, they were running out of cover.

Their first major obstacle was the freeway heading north. It was still early in the day and very few cars were about. One or two cars whipped by then the road was empty. They ran across the first lane, hopped over the central barrier, then darted across the second lane to safety on the other side.

There was another stretch of open country before they reached the first of the outer barrios. There was no avoiding the streets from this point on to reach the airport. The barrios were quiet so early, but progress was slow on foot. The sun got higher in the sky and the city would get busier the closer they got to the airport. It was not just the police they wanted to avoid. Baldo would know about Pepe soon enough and the cartel would be out looking for them.

After weaving through the quiet suburban streets of the barrios, they emerged on the main road adjacent to the airport. There were already more people in cars and on foot. They needed to cross the road to reach the airport. Cars streamed in both directions. It would be impossible to cross both lanes in one go. A gap appeared in the first lanes and they made their break, reaching the central reservation.

The traffic in the next lane was still busy, but it seemed to be slowing. The cars stopped and they nipped through a gap to reach the other side. The side road turned away from the main road and swept past the outer limit of the airport. They walked along the barrier, topped with razor wire.

It was now just the long stretch up to the airport buildings. Several cars drove past them while they walked. Each time they passed, anxiety surged inside him that it was the cartel. He tried to keep his walk natural but every fibre of his body wanted to run.

His feet were sore and aching from the journey and he knew Trudie would be feeling the same, but they had to press on. They were so close to the end now. The airport buildings were ahead of them.

They reached buildings and Trudie was about to walk toward the departure entrance, when he grabbed her arm.

He held out an airport pass. "We're going in the staff entrance."

He led her down the side of the building and found the staff entrance. After a deep breath he scanned the pass onto the reader. It beeped, the light went green, and the lock released. He sighed and pulled open the door. The corridor inside was dim. They walked down it and he checked each door they met.

He found the one he was looking for. A staff locker room. César had put outfits for them so they could walk about unhindered by other staff. He found both the lockers and they dressed themselves in the outfits - dayglow. It was ironic that to blend in at the airport, they had to stand out.

They stepped back out into the corridor, now dressed the part. A door opened beside them and another worker stepped through. The door opened onto the departure hall. He spotted a group of men in black suits and shades. It could only be the cartel.

His heart almost leapt into his throat when he spotted them and he quickly stepped out of view. The door swung shut. They weren't seen. He was panting and his hands were sweating.