Just Try It

Chapter 58- Caught

Saturday, February 18th 12:15AM

Louis Armstrong International Airport, New Orleans

After circling over New Orleans a few times, they dipped down for a surprisingly smooth landing.  The little airplane rolled over near some buildings and away from the main traffic. 

Sondra watched as the pilot bounced out and greeted the guys coming to fill up the airplane.  He insisted he knew what to do and made a stupid bet that he could do their job as well as they could.  They laughed at how slow he was, but watched him closely to make sure he didn't screw up too much.

While they were distracted, Tony gathered their carry-on luggage and hurried them off the plane.  As they slipped off, Pamela grabbed Sondra's arm and gave her a pinch to remind her to be quiet.  She had managed to grab and pinch right on the healing bruise, but Sondra stayed quiet and just jerked her arm away.

Sondra ignored her and the ache in her arm.  Instead, she looked around at the deserted area and made sure that she was as quiet as Tony.  When they were out of sight of the plane, Tony led them confidently through a building.  Soon, there were larger buildings with huge stacks of pallets.  Tony kept a quick pace, and even though Sondra hadn't seen anyone yet, she could tell from his expression that they were still to keep quiet.  Sondra's feet were killing her, but Pamela was the one that began to lag behind.  Before Sondra could stop her, Pamela called out to Tony to wait up.

The echo of Pamela's voice hadn't even faded when Tony responded.  He didn't say a word before he slapped her.  When Pamela fell to the ground, he hissed, "Shut up and stay close," before turning around and starting to move again.

After a hard swallow, Sondra quickly helped her mom up.  The shake in her hand clearly echoed her own doubts.  When her mom shoved her away and rushed after Tony, Sondra hung back to think.  It had all seemed so easy when she had made her plan, but seeing Tony in action was much different.  With a small shiver, Sondra reminded herself that it was too late to back out now.  With that firm reminder, she hurried to catch up even as she made sure to stay quiet.

It wasn't much longer before they reached another door.  After they went through, they just slid in with the other people in the airport.  So much for airport security, Sondra thought dryly.  When Tony looked the other way, she gave a quick twist of the knob from the other side and found out that it was at least locked from one way.   

Sondra wondered how Tony had managed to find the one chink in airport security while others had to put up with pat downs and scanning wands that showed more than a string bikini.  As they blended in with the crowd, Sondra watched her mom give her head a practiced tilt that drooped her hair over the red mark on her face.  It hurt to realize that her mom must have hidden marks before.  Sondra couldn't understand why Pamela had chosen to marry him, and even found herself wishing there was another plan she could follow. Eventually, Sondra reminded herself that her mom had made her choice and had been the one to bring them into this mess.  Besides, Sondra reassured herself, Pamela probably wouldn't be in as much trouble as Tony, and time away from him might be the best thing for her.

Everything seemed surreal as they walked down the long hallway.  It could have been the lack of sleep, anxious nerves, or the wild Mardi Gras outfits that many of the people were wearing, but Sondra knew that she was running out of time.  As they rushed past the many shops crowded into the airport Sondra wished for a sign that everything would turn out okay as she tried to psych herself up for next step of her plan.  Logically, she knew it was important to make the next move before leaving for somewhere with less people.

The layout of the stores automatically ingrained themselves into Sondra's head as they rushed through the crowd.  There were bathrooms that were large enough for twenty people at one time.   Then there was a Western Union crammed in between a coffee shop and a McDonalds.  There were Mardi Gras masks and costumes for sale everywhere she turned.  Maybe it was her imagination, but she couldn't help thinking that she saw people covertly watching them.

As they turned the next corner, Sondra saw the exit doors looming ahead.  Suddenly, everything seemed clearer and brighter, and Sondra knew that she had to act now.

Before she could get cold feet, Sondra tugged on Tony's arm and said, "I need to use the bathroom."

Tony must have felt the stares too, because he looked nervous as he replied, "Just hold it.  We need to get out of here," as he grabbed for her.

Sondra darted out of reach, and hurried away as she called out, "Go on ahead.  I'll catch up outside." 

With a brief glare over his shoulder, Tony grabbed Pamela's hand, and headed for the door.  A feeling of dread filled Sondra at his cold look.  It promised that she would regret her disobedience in the near future.  Just thinking of how it could go wrong almost made her freeze in place, but it was too late now anyway.

Only by reminding herself that Tony wouldn't have a chance to follow through on the promise in his eyes, was Sondra able to hurry back up the hall.  As soon as she turned the corner, she bought herself a Mardi Gras costume that included a purple and green wig, face paint, beads, and a wild mask.  Most of it was packed into a bag, and Sondra only put on the beads.  While she was waiting, Sondra glanced around and noticed that most of the people she had thought were police officers were gone, but there still seemed to be one or two hanging back.  With her purchases in her hand, she hurried off to the bathroom.

Once she was safely in an isolated stall, Sondra dug out her phone and quickly went to a couple of different on-line sights.  After that, she sent out a text saying that she was fine.  While Sondra put on her disguise and located her fake ID, she couldn't help wondering how her grandma and friends were handling her disappearance.  With a shake of her head, Sondra forced herself to focus.  After all, even though she was away from Tony, she wasn't done yet.  When it came time to leave the relative safety of the bathroom, Sondra made sure she left with a group of Mardi Gras revelers, and stayed close until she had a few more stands between herself and the people she suspected were officers and the direction that Tony had gone.

The next stop was the Western Union stand, and Sondra made sure she had her ID memorized and ready.  It wouldn't do to accidentally use her real name.  After only a few minutes, she was walking away amazed it had been so easy.  As she walked toward the entrance, Sondra couldn't help thinking that the internet was a wonderful thing and that her smart phone was definitely paying for itself. 

The crowd of people staring out the window caught Sondra's attention.  When she joined them, she saw Tony and Pamela were both face down on the ground with police beside them.  It was a relief to know Tony wouldn't sneak up behind her.  The only thing that surprised her was that she wasn't happy.  Instead, the deep sense of relief mixed with some regret for her mother.  Sondra paused just long enough to lift her phone like others in the crowd.  Then, she sent the picture to Sean with the time her plane would get in.  When she sent the same picture to Paul, Sondra included Tony's account number. 

Satisfied that Paul would do his best to freeze Tony's hidden account, Sondra went to pick up the return ticket that she had just purchased from the bathroom.  Her flight was a good couple of hours away, but she didn't want to rush.  All she wanted was to get her ticket and find a good spot to sit down.

After she had purchased her ticket she turned around and crashed into a muscular chest.  When Sondra looked up in surprise, she realized that she hadn't been as sneaky as she thought.