The Registry (29 page)

Mia felt her face flush. She wasn’t used to receiving such open compliments and wanted to say something clever back, but her mind couldn’t leave the afternoon kiss.

“I mean, what a stunning woman you are,” Carter said, giving himself a bit of an accent.

“Are we going to chitchat all night or are you going to teach me something?”

Mia thought she sounded like Andrew.

“Fair enough, fair enough. Don’t want to keep the princess waiting,” Carter said. “Rule number one when it comes to fighting is never attack first.”

Carter went on explaining how important it was to duck and avoid contact with the other person. Not to let them grab you. It seemed to Mia he was telling her to run rather than defend, but she was eager for the information. After several more moments of driving this home he rose to his feet.

“I want you to try to hit me.”

Mia cracked her knuckles and made fists. The smile never left Carter’s face, making it hard for her to concentrate. She wanted to show him how serious she was about learning to defend herself, so she pulled back as far as she could and drove her fist straight toward his stomach, ready to knock him to the ground. Her fist never connected; he moved out of the way. He stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and hoisted her up. She was glad he’d caught her, because the force of the punch would have made her fall.

“You’ve got some might.” He set her down. “Again.”

She decided to play his game; instead of aiming for where he was, she aimed for where he was moving and pulled her arm back as fast as possible. Her fist never connected and the same thing happened again. Carter held her up in the air.

“Better, but it’s always easier for me to read you. You’re the attacker, but I’m the one with the advantage. Again.”

This time Carter was bouncing up and down. Mia had no clue which way he was going to run or how to hit him, so she came up with a better idea. Lifting her arm in an exaggerated movement, Mia punched, aiming at nothing and anticipating Carter’s arms around her waist. Before he could lift her in the air she pushed off, throwing herself into him, knocking them both to the floor. Mia was lying on top of him; she rolled to the side and was about to stand when he pulled her back down.

“Very impressive, princess. Maybe I don’t need to move so slow with you.”

He moved a lock of her hair away from her face.

Mia interpreted this as an invitation and bent down over his face, pushing her lips against his. He returned her kiss, his lips soft and barely parted. On the inside Mia was squealing in delight. Carter raised his hand and placed it on her hip. She could feel him sliding it up the curve of her waist. This was too much. She pulled away. Hoping to avoid any obvious questions, Mia decided to ask her own.

“How come you’re not afraid of me? I’m a girl. Most boys your age would be too scared to even look at me. It’s illegal for us to behave this way.”

“I didn’t grow up like most
boys,
” Carter said. “We’ve always helped young women escape, for as long as I can remember. Some stayed with us for a while, too. It was like having an older sister. I just don’t see you as much different from me.”

“What were the other runaways like? Where did you take them?” Mia couldn’t hide her intrigue.

“There hasn’t been one in years,” Carter said. “Most of them were smuggled to us by their parents. We’d hide whole families and my dad would figure out a way to get them over. It was like a trail of big sisters.”

Mia felt anger and jealousy rising in her, that her own parents had offered her no help but others did help their children. She quickly felt the anger wash away. She didn’t focus on herself; instead she decided it was nice to know that some parents did love their children.

“None of them were quite like you,” Carter said.

“You don’t even know me,” Mia responded playfully.

“I know that you’re brave, that you’re strong, and I wouldn’t want to get in your way. It takes a lot of courage to escape, and I am completely enamored with you.”

Carter’s words were so refreshing. She went back in for another kiss. This one was short and sweet. Once it was over she moved her head to his shoulder and lay down next to him on the mats.

“I thought boys were raised by the government for the most part, like Andrew. How’d you get so lucky?”

Mia knew she would get some cryptic response but felt like pushing her luck.

“Not all boys. There were a couple guys in town whose parents kept them. Most didn’t, though. I think home-raised boys are less than three percent of the population or something like that,” Carter said. “My dad was raised like Andrew. Part of me thinks that’s why he is so eager to help the kid. He thinks he’s a young Rod.”

“I’m pretty sure your father worships the ground you walk on.” Mia was surprised by the male jealousy.

“And I feel the same about him. We’re all we’ve got,” Carter said. “Or we were until now.”

He moved his hand lower and linked it with Mia’s, then pulled himself over so he was on top of her. He went in for a deep kiss, which she was glad to return. If she had known kissing would be so nice she would have run years ago.

Chapter 56

The most important day in an American home is the wedding anniversary. This day is marked in a number of ways but always comes with elegant gifts. A wife can expect jewels, fine fabrics, and an array of other presents showcasing her husband’s love.

—The Registry Guide for Girls

M
ia lay in bed. It was pitch-black in her room. She had forgotten to ask for a watch and wasn’t sure whether it was the middle of the night or the middle of the morning. It was hard to sleep. Her thoughts were too focused on Carter’s kisses.

Unable to guess what time it was, Mia decided she needed to find out. She switched on her lantern and pushed open her door. The rest of the basement was in total darkness. Andrew’s door was closed. She made her way to the bar and pulled open the laptop. It came to life and showed the time as 3:07
A.M
.

She laughed to herself. Carter made her feel so alert and happy it might as well have been midday. She was about to close the lid and head to bed when a notification caught her eye. A little exclamation point sat on top of the Internet icon. Mia double-clicked it and the Web shot up. It took her straight to Sam’s Spot. The Guatemalan Way had responded. Mia opened the message.

Glad to catch your interest.

Travel to our little corner of paradise is easiest through Mexico. Lots of people get stung going by sea. Too many jellyfish. Our neighbors The Relaxation are a false front, don’t vacation there. Some people say TGW was a hoax just to create TR. Americans are always winners and we are happy to have them. Some Americans were so tired they came down to Guatemala to relax. They have gone to sleep by now but they had some great bedtime stories. Please let me know if you have any more questions. We’d love to have you join us.

-S-

Mia read the response several times. Guatemala was a country on the other side of Mexico? The Great War was a hoax just to create the Registry? Was it planned to get the men out of the country, to keep them safe? Mia wanted to know more. She typed her response.

S,

I would love to hear those bedtime stories. When I get to Guatemala how can I find you?

-M-

Mia’s heart raced in her chest. She’d actually made contact with a legitimate source. Between Carter and S there was no way she was sleeping tonight. It appeared S wasn’t faring any better. There was already a response.

M,

We will find you. It is Sandy, Airy, Fun, and Excellent down here! Don’t forget to pack your swim trunks.

-S-

Mia wasted no time responding. She’d always thought Mexico would be the end of the line. But it sounded like Guatemala was a safe haven. She decided to take it a step farther.

S,

I will need a bikini.

-M-

Mia took a breath and awaited a response. It didn’t take long.

M,

You can borrow one of mine. I have plenty.

-S-

S was a girl. She was on the Internet. This news made Mia so happy she could have cried. There was life out there. There were people who knew the truth about the world. Mia’s story would have a happy ending.

S,

I’d like to hear how you amassed your collection. I’d like to hear everything about your adventures. I am a travel buff.

-M-

Mia had no patience. S was taking her time responding to the last question. Mia imagined a grand story, full of ups and downs. She wanted to take it all in. Finally the response came.

M,

From one travel buff to another, all in due time. Wouldn’t want to bore you before you get here. Please just ask me any questions about travel to The Guatemalan Way. Everything else will be explained when you arrive.

-S-

Mia felt her heart sink. Her new friend didn’t want to communicate anymore. Mia reread their conversation. It wasn’t very cryptic. She guessed anyone could figure out what it meant. Mia focused on the positives of the conversation. There was somewhere to go now. There was somewhere to learn. She took pleasure in that fact. She was reaching her hand out to close the lid when a new notification popped up.

M,

I’ve been enjoying The Guatemalan Way for four years. It took me almost three to get down here. Best decision of my life. One of the best things we do down here is relax. I think I’m going to go do that now.

-S-

A smile worked its way up to Mia’s face. She wasn’t alone. She was going to have a life. A real one. She closed the screen and walked back to her bedroom. She lay down and her mind raced with thoughts of Carter and of S.

Chapter 57

Loss of life is a casualty of war. If you are strong enough, you will have no fear of losing yours.

—The Boy’s Guide to Service

T
he Southwest Area had never been a blip on Grant’s radar. He sulked to himself at the thought of traveling there. Back to the heat and dust.

“Attention, gentlemen,” Grant said. The team stopped to listen to their leader. “After going over the four towns, we have it narrowed to two. She’s in either Gila Bend or Grady.”

“Are you going to send someone to the others, just in case?” Leonard asked.

He was getting more and more on Grant’s nerves.

“No. It wouldn’t make sense to travel there; she wants to cross the border and she’ll get closer to it. That’s why my money is on Gila, but Grady is close enough not to ignore.

“Now, as I was saying, we have it narrowed down to these two places and will split in half, monitoring the towns. Agent Ross and I will be in Gila with half the team, while Rex and Agent Leonard will take the other half of you to Grady.”

Grant gave Agent Ross a wink. The young agent was having a hard time concealing his happiness over his placement.

“When you get there, set up a station. Half of you see if you can find anyone from the train. We have pictures of those who entered that car but we never saw get off. These are small, close towns. People know one another.” Grant hoped this could be wrapped up soon. “Don’t be too up-front. I don’t want our presence known. We need the surprise advantage or they’ll just run again. Be discreet.”

“What if someone picked them up there, but they’re in another town? This just seems illogical to me,” Leonard said.

“Yes, because it’s better to assume they are being helped by desert nomads. Please leave the strategy to me.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Listen to me, you moron,” Grant said. “If I wanted the opinion of some washed-up has-been I’d ask for it. You know nothing; you understand nothing. So keep your mouth shut and do what I say or else you’ll end up going into retirement.”

The room fell quiet with Grant’s little blowup. He assumed they understood what type of retirement he was referring to and pulled his lips into a slight smile. Leonard gave him a smug look. Grant scanned the members of his team and recognized that the vast majority were siding with Leonard. Grant needed complete control and realized he needed to give in a little. He missed the days when Leonard was an obedient old man.