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back.” Deena set her pack on her lap. “Something’s changed. I’m…”
    “You’re tired. You’ll feel different after you sleep for a few hours, you always do.” His eyes were slowly taking in the escape route. He was doing a great job of hiding it and keeping his face neutral considering the situation. He continued walking, dismissing what she’d said.
    Deena stayed in her seat. “Something has changed, Avi. Fucking listen to me. I’m not going back.”
    Avi looked around at the crowd in the airport and casually walked back to the seating area. “What’re you going to do? Throw a tantrum? This isn’t the way to stay under the radar of the authorities.”
    Deena knew that she couldn’t explain it properly to Avi in a manner brief enough to make him listen in their immediate situation. His job was always to get her to safety with as little fanfare as possible. But it was also to get her back for the next job. Avi started walking away again. Quiet and quick and the whole thing would be over. It was the way it worked. Deena stood and followed Avi at a distance. He didn’t turn around, though she knew he was checking her progress in store windows and other reflective surfaces. He moved quickly, but not more than anyone else around him that might be trying to catch a flight. Avi never looked up, never consulted a map or any other directions. As was the case with any job, he’d likely memorized multiple escape plans.
    She wondered if this was still his Plan A, or if they’d already moved on to Plan B or C.
    As they neared the people mover that would carry them closer to the parking garages, three Seattle police officers stepped out from a service door at the side of the hall. They looked side to side at the people nearby, and Avi turned into a gift shop without missing a beat.
    The iced coffee in the cooler drew Deena’s attention. She could use caffeine. Lots of it. As bad as her stomach felt right now, a nice vanilla cappuccino sounded awesome. As she pulled the handle to slide the door open, Avi grabbed her and whispered, “They’re gone.”
    They moved quickly through the rest of the airport and out into the chill of the open-air parking garage. Avi’s car was just a few steps away and he stepped in fluidly. “Get in, and let’s go,” he said.
    Deena paused. As soon as they got in that car, he’d start trying to convince her again that they needed to get back. He’d stop listening. He’d call Marsh. These were all things that Deena didn’t want. Standing there, the sounds of sirens were still easily heard, even over the traffic of the garage, the roar of flights taking off and the general mayhem of a giant airport like the Seattle–Tacoma International. She felt herself once again weighing bad and worse scenarios and thinking that if she could do just one more thing, she’d be in the position she wanted to be in. She opened the door and got in.
    “Finally. Let’s get on the road. I want to be a couple of hours away from here before we stop for the night. I’d love to just drive all night and not rest until tomorrow, but I don’t think you’re in any shape for that. And I certainly don’t think you’re in any condition to do some of the driving for me.” A hint of panic had slipped into Avi’s voice now that they were away from the public.
    There was no way she could do that much driving and she knew it. She could barely keep her eyes open and even that gift shop coffee wouldn’t have helped. “I have to explain this. You need to know.”
    “Rest and then tell me when you’re coherent. I’ll wake you up when we get to the hotel.” Avi pulled out his cell phone.
    “Wait. You’re not calling Marsh, are you?”
    “He needs to know I have you and that we’ll make it for your next job,” Avi said. “He’s not happy that you didn’t contact me straightaway when you disembarked.”
    She put her hand on his arm. “Just… just wait.” She couldn’t find the right words to