In Between Dreams (20 page)

Bailey noticed, for a moment, how odd it was that no one asked her any other questions about being shot. They moved on from the subject so easily. She pushed past the feeling quickly.

Sam shook his head. “We can’t leave yet. I have to wait here for the translator.”

Daniel noticeably cringed. “This bitch better hurry the
fuck
up.” Daniel had seemed to become much more anxious ever since he’d seen the wound on her shoulder.

“Language,” Bailey muttered.

“It’s fine, B,” Halene said softly. There was a solemn aura in the room. The group knew their path, and now what had to be done was movement. Motion.

Daniel wiped his mouth quickly and headed toward the door. “We need to leave within the hour,” he stated before swinging the door open swiftly and walking out like he had somewhere to be.

Bailey took a breath in and closed her eyes. She put her elbows on the table and leaned her head into her hands. Her headache was intensifying, and she knew she couldn’t take any more medicine. She had already taken four, which was the medical limit. She closed her eyes tighter to ward off the pain. She continued to berate herself over the drinking, but she was trying to get past the headache. She could sleep it all the way off on the plane.

Bailey couldn’t completely wrap her mind around the last couple hours. She couldn’t understand why she had been so reckless. She couldn’t believe she had taken six shots of vodka with a grieving parent of a missing college student. She mostly couldn’t fathom that she and Sam had lost Mei, and she hadn’t said anything. Sam must have told Halene about the gun incident. Her thoughts were running rampant with frustration.

But more than all that Bailey was stunned that she kissed Daniel. She shuttered to think that Babette saw them kiss and told Sam. She also couldn’t believe that the “human lie detector” was calling her out.

Bailey was ignorant on purpose. Her emotions were winning against her intellect. She recognized she must be playing dumb because she didn’t want to face the truth. She had finally admitted it to someone. She felt terrible for doing it, but that is what she had believed was best. Bailey’s head hurt more from all the stressing.

She suddenly heard a thump in front of her and her eyes opened to another bottle of water. “Drink up! You threw up all your excess fluids,” Katherine stated, and Bailey noticed they were the only two in the room.

“I feel like everyone is pissed at me,” Bailey said as she unscrewed the top of the bottle.

Katherine breathed out slowly and took a seat across the table from her. “From what I can tell, everyone is stressed. Babette is sobering up, so the reality is setting in all over again. Daniel is angry at himself, and Halene is a ball of frustration. Sam, however, is mad at you.”

“Because of the kiss?”

“You’re not as stupid as I once thought,” Katherine said snidely. “I know you don’t like me. I can sense it. It’s a gift and a curse. A lot of people don’t like me, because I tell it like it is and I’m gorgeous so people assume that I’m one of those girls everyone likes.” Bailey tried not to laugh at Katherine’s self-confidence. It seemed absurd. Not that Katherine wasn’t beautiful—she was. But that sort of confidence was normally reserved for guys like Daniel.

Douche bags like Daniel
, Bailey thought while she waited for Katherine to continue.
That was another matter
.

“Basically I have this unusual gift, and if I don’t use it the way anyone wants me to, I’m resented because of it,” Katherine summed up. “I get why you don’t care for me. But trust me; I’m not trying to be a bitch.”

“Let me get this aligned in my weak little mind: you’re not
trying
to be a bitch. You’re just a bitch,” Bailey blurted out. Bailey normally didn’t act like that. It was childish. Something about Katherine aggravated her. She was getting tired of the lecturing by this self-justified superior being. She had reached a limit of tolerance.

Katherine’s clenched-teeth smile came out in full force. “Listen, bitch,” she said in a sassy but serious voice. “You clearly have a problem
with those two men, and you need to get your shit together and make a choice before it gets out of hand.” She snorted. “It’s already out of hand. They’re barely tolerating each other. The fact that the three of you are going to China together isn’t going to be an easy ride for anyone. I’m just trying to help you out here.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t try to help anyone out but yourself?” Bailey shot back. She knew she was being catty and childish. She couldn’t help it.

“Clearly, you don’t know me.”

“You’ve called me ‘bitch’ twice,” Bailey pointed out with her lips puckered.

“It’s a term of endearment,” Katherine stated. Bailey almost thought she was joking, but her voice stayed stark straight.

“Let’s make a point of order here, I’ll call you Katherine and you can call me Bailey. How about that?”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

The door swung open, and Bailey and Katherine looked up to see Sam walking in. “Bailey, we can go. Their translator is here.”

Bailey stood up. “Katherine,” she nodded to her new “friend.”

“Yup,” Katherine said in a short tone, and looked at Sam. “Can I talk to you for a second, Sam?”

“Yeah,” Sam said to Katherine. “Daniel is getting a cab downstairs. Your purse is by the door,” he told Bailey, and she passed him to leave the room.

She walked to the door, grabbed her purse, and saw Halene at the door. “Hey, Hales.”

Halene grinned at Bailey. “You be careful, k? Make sure Danny calls me if you need anything.”

“I’m so sorry, Hales.” Bailey reached to hug her, and Halene jumped into her arms. Bailey was relieved that their relationship was still intact. She had been so worried that Halene would look down on her for her actions the last couple of hours.

Halene pulled back and shook her head at her. “It’s not your fault. It really isn’t. I promise.” She paused for a moment. She looked like she was
having an internal struggle. “I’ll explain everything soon, B. I promise. But for now, just trust me when I tell you…this really isn’t your fault.”

Bailey felt like she was going to cry. “Stop it.” Bailey tried to laugh away her tears. “You don’t have to try and make me feel better.”

“I’m not trying to do anything but be serious here,” Halene promised. “Okay. Get going. Daniel will be getting antsy. I’ll be there soon, and we’ll sort it all out.”

“Hey, just keep your distance from Katherine. I don’t trust her,” Bailey said quietly.

Halene waved, and Bailey walked out of the apartment toward the stairs. As she walked down the stairs, she found herself wondering what Katherine could possibly want to talk to Sam about. Bailey shook her head, as if her brain was an Etch A Sketch. When she walked out the apartment building, she saw Daniel on the sidewalk flagging down a white car with a small yellow-and-black floating sign over its roof. “Hey,” she said.

He looked back. “Where’s the language man?”

“Katherine wanted to talk to him. Probably about something inappropriate that is none of her business,” she said with a nasty tone.

“Someone finally got under your skin, huh?” Daniel acted true to his sarcastic form.

Bailey gave Daniel a nonchalant shrug and reached into her bag. “I’ve got to have sunglasses in here somewhere,” she grumbled. Daniel pulled off the aviators that hung from his V-neck and handed them to her. “No, you don’t have to.”

“Use them. I’m sure you’re still hungover. You’ve had a roller coaster of a day, Bailey.”

She squinted her eyes at him. She didn’t know why he was being so nice to her. He should have been angry at her for ruining everything. She accepted the glasses, gingerly taking them from his hands. “Thanks.”

“Monsieur Morris?” an older gentleman asked, opening the cab door for Daniel.

“Uh…” Daniel looked at Bailey and shrugged. “That’s Sam’s last name?” Daniel was the least observant person Bailey knew. She resisted rolling her eyes and looked at the cabdriver.

“Oui,”
Bailey said to the cabdriver. He had thinning salt-and-pepper hair and bags under his eyes. Bailey put her pointer finger up in front of him. “We have one more.”

“Parlez-vous français?”
the cabdriver pleaded, and Bailey put her finger up again to ask him to wait.

“No. Just…one minute.”

The cabdriver nodded and opened the back door and ushered them in. Daniel jumped in and slide to the far side. Bailey turned around and saw Sam walking out of the apartment building.

Sam spoke to the cabdriver in French, and Bailey got in the back of the cab, slid in the middle, and patted the seat next to her for Sam. Sam sat down and shut the door. He pulled a pair of ten-dollar sunglasses from his sweatshirt pocket. Sam continued speaking to the cabdriver, the man laughed as if Sam had told an inside joke.

The cabdriver laughed, and Daniel shot Sam a look. “What’d you say about me, mate?”

Sam gave Daniel an innocent look. “Who says I said anything about you?”

Bailey slumped down in her seat and looked straight ahead.

“Did you tell him to charge me double?” Daniel asked, his voice getting louder.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Sam said it like it was a fact, then smirked. “I can’t believe you would think I would do such a thing.”

“You said Australian and
doubler
,” Daniel pointed out. The anger was building in his voice.

Bailey felt her nervous laughter build up in her belly, and she pushed it back down. “I don’t think I said anything like that. Did you hear anything, B?”

“Yeah, run to Bailey. You’re such a coward.”

Bailey put her arms up against each of their chests and focused her eyes down; she didn’t want to look at either of them. She didn’t want to unintentionally take a side. “Can we not? Please?”

Neither of them said anything for a moment, and Bailey knew they were staring each other down. Sam seemed to relax under her touch
first and then Daniel; they both turned their bodies away from each other, and Sam began speaking in French again.

Bailey looked at her Parisian clothing and grimaced. “I really don’t want to wear this to China,” she said softly.

“We’ll go airport shopping,” Daniel promised her. She took a breath, thanked him softly, and leaned her head back on the headrest, knowing that she was embarking on a very long trip.

fourteen.

T
he worst thing about Daniel was his alcoholism, but the best thing about Daniel was his disposable income. Bailey grinned at the carry-on Coach bag now filled with Parisian clothing Daniel had generously bought her. She bought a couple items for Daniel and Sam too. She met them at the bar. They sat two stools away from each other. Sam was nursing a beer, and Daniel was probably on his third whiskey sour.

Bailey set her bag between them. “I got something for everyone,” she said with a broad smile. “Even a new hoodie for Sam,” she said, and draped her arm around his shoulder. Sam reached up and removed her arm from around him. The motion made her uncomfortable; she shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.

“What’s your deal?” she said immediately as he waved over the bartender. Bailey furrowed her eyebrows and gave him a quizzical look. It was clear his actions were signaling a more business relationship than a romantic one.

“You want something to drink? We have a long flight,” Sam asked, ignoring her question.

“I’m still trying to get over this hangover,” she mentioned mildly, and cleared her throat.

Sam put up two fingers and spoke in rushed French. “You’ll be fine,” he murmured. “We don’t have to be alert on the plane.”

Bailey looked at Daniel who laughed a little. “That’s Mr. Perfect’s third beer.” Daniel put up his glass as if to “cheers” him and grinned a cartoonish grin at Bailey. He had the glow of gradual intoxication.

The bartender came over with two shots. “For you.” Sam gestured to Bailey. Bailey rubbed her lips together nervously. She was not going to drink today. She needed to be able to think as sharply as possible. They were flying to a tricky and dangerous mission. She needed to keep her wits about her.

“I don’t get it, Bailey. You drank with him, but you won’t even budge for me?” Sam said. He didn’t sound hurt. It almost sounded like he was stating facts; however, Bailey thought she saw the jealousy in his eyes.

“The hair of the dog, Bales,” Daniel offered.

Bailey glared at him in frustration. “I said no,” she repeated stubbornly. “I’m really not in the mood.” She looked at Sam and looked him up and down, almost as if she was looking for a flaw—something on him to explain his change in demeanor.

“What?” Sam asked with wide eyes.

“I don’t get it. You never drink.”

“Just taking advantage of a Halene-less trip,” Sam said, and picked his beer up from the bar. He chugged the last half of it before getting up. He was different, colder. Bailey didn’t like it. “We should head back to our terminal,” Sam said.

Daniel got up and put a couple hundred-euro notes on the bar. “I’m going to hit the loo. I’ll see you at the gate.”

Sam and Bailey walked side by side toward their terminal, maneuvering through a sea of people. There were so many different types of people indicative of an international airport. There was a Middle Eastern family of four walking toward them. The dad had his son in his arms, rubbing his back as the son cried loudly. His wife was pulling their tiny daughter behind her, her eyes riddled with frustration at traveling with children. Bailey saw a Japanese businessman talking on the phone and walking quickly. She noticed a young black kid running into the walkway and then running back to where his mom was seated, reading a book. His smile was wide with mischievous intentions. Bailey normally loved people watching in airports, but she was slightly overwhelmed due to her lingering effects of the hangover. She wanted to get settled on the plane as quickly as possible.

“Do you know why I’m carrying around a passport with the name Samantha Miller on it?” she asked Sam. “Is that an alias…or?”

Sam shrugged. “How do I know? You’re the one who has it.” His voice was ice.

“Please talk to me, Sam. I don’t know what I did or—”