Unraveled

  ***

  The barking orders of the flight attendant woke her up. Mattie sat up straight, startled. For a second she wasn’t sure where she was.

  “You okay?” West said, raising an eyebrow. “Buckle up. We’re landing.”

  “Yeah.” She sat back and buckled in. After tucking her MP3 player into her backpack, she bit her lip and waited for the nerve-jarring impact of the plane’s landing gear against the tarmac.

  To her immense relief, the plane didn’t careen off the runway or burst into flame. West tagged along behind her as she headed the exit.

  “So, am I giving you a ride or what?” he asked. “Wait a sec.” He stopped at Baggage and waited for his bag to cycle around. Mattie looked toward the doors, wondering if she should just ditch the guy and go on her own. She had Ruth Ellen’s address in her back pocket.

  He bumped into her when he lurched forward to snag his bag before it drifted out of reach. He missed and plowed through a group of men in suits and power ties to grab it.
“Come on. It’ll be better this way. I know the family. Trust me.”


  “Yeah, but—”


  “Save yourself some cash, Miss Moneybags. Taxis aren’t cheap here.” Before she could protest, he took her suitcase from her and loped off into the bustle of the airport.