It took about five hours to reach Mexico City from New York, and Carly had a comfortable ride all the way. She and Robin sat together since he managed to swap seats with a fellow student. The two of them were catching up as friends do. Robin couldn’t help but express his worry since he hadn’t seen Carly in a while and wondered what had happened to her. As usual, Carly lied that she had tons of schoolwork to take care of when it wasn’t really the case.
When they finally landed in Mexico, Carly and the rest of the students who had come along for the trip were super excited. The school lecturers who had come with them warned them not to let their hormones take over. One wrong move in a foreign country and they will suffer the consequences.
As for Carly, she had to tag along with everyone else so as not to raise suspicions. After leaving the plane and passing through immigration, the students, along with a few passengers on the plane, waited for their bags before leaving the airport.
Two buses waited for the students outside the driveway of the airport, which drove them to a hotel they had booked to stay for the seminar. In fact, the seminar was to take place in the same hotel, and there were a number of students from both the U.S. and South America. The hotel was practically fully booked with students.
After checking in, the students from Carly’s college made their way to their respective rooms. Most of them were paired up to share a room. Carly, on the other hand, was lucky enough to have a room, especially for herself, with the help of Red Lion, of course. He even made sure she had her room far apart from the other students so that they wouldn’t feel envious of her. Eventually, some of them will find out. In the end, though, there was nothing they could do about it.
As soon as Carly entered her assigned room, she looked around. It wasn’t a suite, but the room was decently luxurious, with a king-sized bed draped in white sheets. A fancy white headboard and fluffy pillows. Also, a lovely view on the small balcony overlooking the beautiful Mexico City. Carly couldn’t help but wonder how the place looked at night.
When she settled down in the bed, she made sure to text Red Lion first, announcing her arrival at the hotel. A text soon appeared from a strange number telling her to stay where she was until she received further instructions. Carly didn’t have to freak out on who could’ve texted her. She knew her part, and she planned to follow it.
Carly took her other phone and decided to video call her sister. Angel picked up a few seconds later.
“Hey, Carly,” said Angel, her face beaming on Carly’s phone screen. “I see you’ve arrived safely.”
“Yeah, I have,” Carly answered. “Mexico is such a lovely city.”
“Well, that’s the whole point of travelling, right? You get to see some beautiful places. Have you already checked in at the hotel?”
“Yeah, I’m already in my room.” Carly turned her phone around to show Angel around the room, the bathroom, and the balcony.
“The place looks pretty neat,” said Angel. “I see only one bed. You aren’t sharing the room with anyone?”
“No. I was surprised not to have a roommate,” Carly answered. “But most of the rooms with two beds had already been booked.”
“I see. You’re lucky to have the room all to yourself.”
Carly also noticed that Angel seemed to be in a different place. “Where are you?” Carly asked.
“I’m at a restaurant with Eric,” Angel answered. “We’re just having lunch and talking over Leo’s birthday cake.”
Carly raised an eyebrow. “Just having lunch, huh?”
Angel started to blush, as she knew where Carly was going. “What’s your problem now?” Angel asked.
“Nothing. Can I talk to Eric real quick?”
Eric already took hold of Angel’s phone as Carly quickly saw Eric’s face appear on her screen.
“Hey, Carly. How was the trip?” he asked.
“It was great. Thank goodness, it was only five hours. Though I still feel a little bit of jetlag.”
“You take the whole day to rest,” said Eric. “Traveling isn’t easy.”
“So, you guys are having lunch together, hey?” Carly asked as she raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, we are,” Eric answered with a smile. “But it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Seriously? When are the two of you going to start dating?”
“Carly, what are you saying?” Angel asked on the other side of the phone.
“You heard me loud and clear. It’s pretty obvious that the two of you spend a lot of time together. When are you going to stop being in the friend zone and just date?”
Eric smiled. “You should look at your sister right now. She looks furious, but she’s as red as a tomato.”
“This conversation is over,” said Angel as she quickly took her phone away from Eric, who couldn’t help but laugh. “You take care of yourself, Carly. We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah. Enjoy yourselves. Bye.” Carly couldn’t help but smile widely at her sister.
After cutting the call, Carly decided to call Leo. When she video-called him, he answered. She could tell that he was seated in his office.
“Hey. I see you arrived in Mexico safe and sound,” said Leo.
“Yeah, I did,” said Carly. “I miss you already. Maybe you should’ve come with me.”
“I don’t think the fellow students would want to see you lovey-dovey with me all the time. Besides, you’ve academic stuff to focus on.”
“Yeah, I know. However, I have the room all to myself. So, if you ask me, this would’ve been the perfect time to spend some time together.”
“Wow, I’m such an idiot for not thinking about that.”
Carly laughed as she fell onto the bed, holding up her phone and looking up at Leo on the screen. “I also should’ve thought of that. But we wouldn’t want to leave your family suspicious, do you?”
“Good point. Someone would put one and two together. Otherwise, did you have a safe flight?”
“I did. I had a lovely time.”
“I hope Robin wasn’t any trouble.” Leo gave her a grim look.
“Robin has always been like a brother to me. You don’t have to worry about him.”
“I hope so. When Angel told me about him that time, you had said you had gone out for a party; she said the same thing.”
“I was just talking to her just now. And she’s having lunch with Eric.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I figured.”
Carly raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “What’s up with you?” She couldn’t help but laugh at the look on his face.
“Nothing. Just forget about it.”
“Seems to me you feel bad that Eric is out with Angel having lunch while you are alone in your office.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” Carly laughed even more. “Let those two spend more time with each other. Who knows, they might end up dating, and that would be a good thing. For Angel, of course.”
“They were acting all suspicious on me today when I found the two of them in Eric’s office. I feel like they are hiding something from me.”
“They were alone? The two of them in Eric’s office?” Carly couldn’t believe the news. “What were they doing?”
Leo raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do I get the feeling that you would rather prefer hearing that they were so close to each other or being intimate?”
“Well, that will be great, won’t it?” Carly nervously smiled, showing her guilt.
“No, it wasn’t like that. They were looking at something on Eric’s computer. Whatever it was, they didn’t want me to find out. And they were acting weird.”
Carly didn’t have to think twice that the two of them were probably looking through something concerning Leo’s birthday party.
“You’re worried over nothing,” said Carly. “What if they were planning to go out somewhere nice just the two of them? Trust me; I wouldn’t like anyone knowing where I would be going with you if it’s somewhere romantic.”
“Do you really think that’s what they were up to?”
Carly laughed aloud. Leo’s paranoia was getting to him, and she was enjoying it. “I don’t know. We only have to wait and see. Otherwise, I think you’re overreacting. You will find that there’s completely nothing to worry about.”
Leo shook his head. “You’re probably right.”
Before Carly could ask him anything else, she felt the other phone beside her other bed vibrate. She knew what that meant. Her other set of instructions has been sent to her.
“Is there anyone else in the room?” Leo asked.
Carly turned her attention back on him. “Um, no,” she answered. “There’s no one here.”
“I heard something like a phone vibrate. That’s why I asked.”
“It’s probably some strange noise outside the room because I heard it too.”
“I should be letting you rest, shouldn’t I?” Leo asked. “You seem pretty tired.”
“Yeah, this jet lag is really getting to me. And I only traveled for five hours.”
“Well, it’s the way it is. I’ll talk to you when you’re well rested.”
Carly smiled at Leo. “Thanks. I’ll text you goodnight, though.”
Leo smiled, too. “Great. Take care.”
Leo cut the call, and Carly stared at the blank screen, thankful that he decided to let her rest. Now she can focus on the other phone beside her. She quickly took it and found a message from the number that had texted her earlier. She was to go downstairs and meet someone after two hours. That gave her enough time to rest up, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Gosh, what has she gotten herself into?
Carly went to take a quick shower and wore some comfortable clothes, since she was going to have to leave the room soon.
It was close to four in the afternoon when she woke up to prepare herself to go downstairs. Her phone rang, and she took it from the bed to answer it.
“Hello?” Carly answered.
“You can come downstairs,” came a woman’s voice over the phone. “We’re waiting for you in a blue sports car parked outside.”
Carly quickly cut the call, got her small black purse and her phone. She decided to leave her old phone locked away in the bedside drawer. She didn’t want any distractions from anyone back home. If they tried to call, at least she had an excuse of her resting due to the long flight.
After leaving her room locked, Carly quickly went straight to the elevator. She did this cautiously, hoping not to meet any of the students from her college or her classmates. The last thing she needed was for someone to see her and wonder why she was up and about when she should be resting.
When Carly went down to the ground floor, the place had many students arriving and checking in. Carly felt assured there wasn’t anyone from her school here, so she made a beeline for the entrance doors.
As promised, a shining, blue sports car stood there by the drive-through, waiting for her. When she got in at the back, she found a young woman, almost her age, also seated at the back and a man in black clothes at the driver’s seat.
“Hey, Carly,” said the woman with a smile on her face. “How was your flight?”
“It was great, Veronica, thanks,” said Carly, greeting her with a smile as well. Amongst the people she was working with, Veronica was more open and friendly towards Carly. Carly couldn’t help but wonder how a sweet girl like her ended up working for a man like Red Lion. That was a topic for another day, if they ever have to be friends.
The blue sports car left the hotel premises and entered the heart of Mexico City. Carly couldn’t help but admire the magnificent buildings. The place wasn’t like New York, but it did feel quite intriguing to be in a whole different environment far away from home. Carly couldn’t wait to try out the Mexican cuisines or their local food, in short. However, with the mission in play, she had to find time to do all that, but it was obvious that she would have to do all of her sightseeing with André.
They entered downtown, and the place was a little heavy with traffic since it was in the evening and the day was done for those in the working class. The car soon parked in front of a luxurious hotel. Carly could barely read the name, but no doubt, it sounded rather fancy.
Veronica told Carly to come out of the car, and Carly did so with no objections. As soon as the two women stepped out, the sports car drove off into the main road. Carly couldn’t help but look around. This was definitely not like home, she thought to herself.
“Come on, they’re waiting for us,” said Veronica as she led the way into the hotel.
Carly followed her into the hotel, and the first thing Carly noticed was the Mexican Spanish language that came to her ears. There were two women wearing lavish dinner dresses, heading out of the hotel, and speaking in Spanish. Angel couldn’t help but look at them as they looked beautiful and had big boobs and wide hips. Mexican women are famous for their love of breast implants and looking sexually gorgeous. It made Carly start to wonder why a person like André wouldn’t have fallen for any of these beautiful women. If the need called for it, Carly felt she might want to ask him such a question one day.
Veronica led Carly to the elevator. It seems there was no need to go to the reception for Veronica, and the rest of the team had come into Mexico a day earlier. They had booked a few rooms. Carly wondered why they had to build their mission base here. But who was she to question Red Lion’s authority? It was his idea in the first place, and after getting to know him these past few months, there must be a pretty good reason why.
When the two women entered the elevator, Veronica pressed the button to the sixth floor. As the doors closed and the elevator started to move, the soft elevator music came on.
“You’ve been quiet,” said Veronica as she turned to look at Carly.
“I’ve had a long day, and I’m tired,” said Carly, looking at the doors of the elevator.
“Really?” Veronica smiled. “Or are you thinking about the mission?”
Carly turned to look at Veronica. “I guess just being in a new place has left me a little uncomfortable.”
“It’s normal. Being in a new place can be scary at times. But when you act like Loren, don’t let that get to you. Act like any adventurer would once they find themselves somewhere new. In awe and surprise. You wouldn’t want to slip up your cover as Loren, would you?”
The elevator stopped, and the “ding” of the bell signaled to the two women that they had reached their destination. The doors slid open.
“No, we wouldn’t like that,” said Carly, as she and Veronica stepped out into the hall, covered with white tiled floors. “If I do, no doubt, Red Lion is going to kill me.”
“Yeah, he probably would, if you were someone else,” said Veronica. The smile on her face grew wider as she looked at Carly.
“I don’t think I have a special pass with him. You saw how he threatened me and Miranda the first time we met at that warehouse.”
“He’s authoritative, that’s for sure. Moreover, he does make good on his promises, so it’s best to stay on his good side and do whatever he tells you to do. But I’ve noticed he doesn’t treat you the way he treats us.”
Carly rolled her eyes. “If you think he pampers me with gifts, then you’re wrong. I bet you’re only saying that because I’m more of the golden goose in this mission and wouldn’t like anything to go wrong.”
“You might be right. But we who have worked with the man for years know better. Something tells me he has a soft spot for you, despite that rough exterior he only allows everyone to see.”
Carly wanted to ask Veronica to explain more on the subject, but Veronica had stopped in front of one of the white doors with the room number embedded in gold on the door. She knocked on the door, and there came a set of footsteps inside approaching the door. Soon afterwards, a deep male voice came from inside:
“Who is it?”
“Veronica. I’m with Carly.”
The door flew open, and standing behind it was a man in a black t-shirt, displaying his massive arm muscles and his well-toned physique. His name: Mateo. As far as Carly knew about him, he was born and bred in Mexico. He had a showcased his rough exterior on his face, but there was no denying that any woman would have found him handsome.
He made way for Veronica and Carly to enter. As soon as the two women did, likewise he closed the door behind them. Carly looked around the room, and it was quite large for a normal hotel room. There was a queen-sized bed and a space for a seating area, and sitting there were a few people she knew personally. Her clothes and makeup artist, Jane and Hugo, and a few others she only got to know through their meetings back home.
“Hey, Carly.” Jane greeted her as she stood up from her seat to hug her. “How was your flight?”
“It was good, thanks,” Carly replied after hugging her. “I see you guys got here earlier.”
“Well, we had to make sure things are all set up before you arrive. We don’t want to upset Red Lion, now, do we?”
Veronica gave Carly a side-eye with a smile on her face. Carly looked away, not having any of it.
“You better start getting to work, Jane,” said Hugo. He had a laptop on his lap. Carly could only wonder what he was working on. “The plane will be landing in three hours, and we don’t want Carly to be seen entering the airport.”
“I know. She’s not supposed to look that gorgeous from a plane flight, you know? But I’ll do my best to make her admirable.”
“Well, you’re not one to disappoint. I’ll leave you to do what you feel is best.”
Jane turned to Carly with a huge smile on her face. “We better get started. Veronica, I’ll need your help if that’s okay.”
“Sure. That’s why I’m here,” said Veronica.
The three women went over to the bedroom area to start working on Carly’s make-up. On one side of the room stood a dressing table with a mirror, and Carly sat in front of it. Jane got to work on her right away. Carly noticed that this time around, Jane wasn’t going too heavy on the makeup. It’s almost like she was trying to make Carly appear more natural, but with a little makeup. Veronica, who was helping Jane with whatever she wanted, couldn’t help but compliment how good she was. It didn’t take more than an hour, and Jane was done. Carly couldn’t help but admire her great work. She was looking at herself, alright, but she could help but feel it was more of a defined version of herself. Carly had to admit to the two women standing beside her that she had never thought she would look this beautiful in natural makeup.
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“This is impressive, Jane,” said Carly, still looking in awe at the mirror. She twisted her head to the side. “You really are talented.”
“Ooh, you’re making me blush,” said Jane as she smiled at Carly through the mirror. “André will no doubt drop dead when he sees you. I suggest when it comes to your outfit, nothing too fancy. I know you have to appear like you just came through a business class flight, but dressing up too casually won’t hurt. You just have to have an aura of “rich” in you, so I have just the jewelry to make you look that way.”
Jane already made her way to the wardrobe of the hotel room and opened it. She already had Carly’s outfits packed, and it didn’t take her long to pick out the clothes she needed. When she gave them to Carly, Carly had to go and dress up from the bathroom, careful enough not to smear her makeup onto the white cashmere t-shirt she had to wear over her tight black slacks.
When she came out of the bathroom, Jane now adorned her with a lovely gold neck chain with matching gold bracelets embedded with pearls. She also wore matching gold studs. Since it was evening and probably chilly, Jane gave Carly a black jacket. She was to wear expensive black Skechers and also had with her a matching black bag. Jane and Veronica couldn’t help but look at Carly from a distance and smile, liking what they were seeing.
“She’s ready to go now,” said Jane, turning to look at Hugo, still seated in the living room area. Mateo and three others were watching TV. A football match was on, and they were so taken by the game that they didn’t hear Jane at first.
Hugo stood up from his seat to look at Carly. “As usual, Jane, you never disappoint,” said Hugo as he smiled at Jane.
“I should be paid more handsomely for this,” said Jane. “Now, since I’m done here, I’ll go and treat myself to a lovely dinner. You know what to do when you need me.”
Jane said her goodbyes to Veronica and Carly before walking out of the room. Hugo announced to the men watching TV that it was time to go. When Mateo switched off the TV and turned around to look at Carly, he couldn’t help but pause at the sight of her. When the rest of his comrades noticed his gaze, they couldn’t understand what had taken over him until they followed his eyes. They too fell into the same trance. Carly couldn’t help but blush as she noticed their eyes on her. Veronica nudged her with her elbow and laughed. Hugo turned to look at Mateo and the others, and he couldn’t help but groan in frustration.
“Are you guys deaf or what?” he asked them. “We better get a move on. There’s plenty of time to look at Carly, and you can do that on your way to the airport. Juan, get her suitcase.”
Juan stood up from his seat, approached the wardrobe, and removed a blue, medium-sized suitcase from the bottom of the wardrobe. He’s much younger than all the other members in this mission and has a much smaller body but has a good stature. His black, short, curly hair and freckles across his nose and cheeks made him somewhat handsome to look at. Moreover, he had deep, dreamy eyes. No doubt back in high school, he was every girl’s crush.
After taking the suitcase out of the wardrobe, he couldn’t help but give Carly a glance and smile at her as he went for the door, dragging her suitcase. Carly noticed his look, and her face grew even hotter. She didn’t expect someone as young as he was to give her such a look.
Carly and Veronica also started to make their way out of the room as Hugo gave out his last set of instructions to Mateo and the other member, Archie. Hugo was to remain behind. If there was anything they needed, Hugo could easily provide help from his hotel room. He did have many connections around the city who were at his disposal.
As Juan, Veronica, and Carly made their way to the elevator, Juan couldn’t help but turn around to look at Carly and said:
“You look really pretty, Miss Barclay.”
Carly didn’t know how to answer that. Many men before had complimented her, even those younger than she, especially from little kids. However, for men younger than her and looking as handsome as Juan, it was a different scenario. There was no denying that she felt a little awkward about it.
“Um, thank you,” she said.
“You’re going to have many heads turning your way once we step out into the lobby,” said Veronica. “You already did when we first came, though.”
“That’s not true,” said Carly, shaking her head.
“She isn’t lying,” said Juan. He had reached the elevator first and pressed the down button to summon it. “You’re naturally pretty. Heavy makeup, mild or none, you’re gorgeous.”
Carly couldn’t help but blush even more as Veronica beside her giggled. Carly couldn’t wait to be away from Juan, but she was to drive with him, Veronica, Mateo, and Archie to the airport. This was going to be a long and uncomfortable ride.
The doors to the elevator flew open, and two men dressed in smartly dressed suits stepped out of the elevator. At first, they seemed to be deep in conversation until their eyes landed on the people who were waiting outside the elevator, specifically on Carly. Juan entered the elevator first, and before Veronica and Carly could follow, one of the men in a blue suit couldn’t help but greet Carly in Spanish. Carly smiled at him and answered back in Spanish. Now that she’s in a foreign country, Red Lion made sure that she learned some basic Spanish. She quickly pulled Veronica with her into the elevator. The two men stopped to continue looking at Carly. Mateo and Archie appeared down the hall, heading to the elevator. Juan held the elevator button for the doors not to close.
When Mateo came closer to the two men, he excused himself for them to make way for him and his friend. Seeing Mateo’s physique, they stood aside, letting him and the other man pass. When they entered the elevator, Mateo stood in front of Carly, hiding her from view. She could tell the two men in the hall were trying to get a glimpse of her for one last time. Juan was smart enough to press the button to the ground floor and made the doors close a little faster. Carly breathed a sigh of relief.
“We better do something with Carly,” said Juan. “She’s going to attract attention.”
“Nothing to do about that now,” said Mateo. “We just have to deal with it.”
“And we’re lucky enough to have you around,” said Archie. “You’re a big guy. If anyone were to approach her, you can shove them aside like her bodyguard.”
“Well, it can’t be helped,” said Veronica. “Let’s just head to the airport and worry about that later.”
When they reached the ground floor and entered the lobby, heading for the exit. Like Veronica said, a few heads turned their way. The men walking about in the lobby looked in Carly’s way. Carly stuck close to Mateo, hoping no man dared approach her. She didn’t need any drama right now, for she was already in one.
Parked across the street was a black van. Mateo went over to the driver’s seat, and Archie joined him on the passenger side. Carly, Juan, and Veronica entered through the back and sat on the black leather seats. Mateo started the car engine and made his way out of downtown, onto the highway, towards the airport. It was already seven in the evening, and the plane from New York was to land an hour and a half from now.
André had already told Loren that he was going to come pick her up from the airport. Everything had to appear as if Carly was on that plane.
When they arrived at the airport, Mateo didn’t take the route to the driveway where the passengers were supposed to enter inside the airport building. He took the route to the back of the airport, into a restricted area. Luckily, the two men in charge of the gate at that particular time worked for Red Lion. Immediately they stopped the van for a routine inspection; Mateo showed his face, and the van went through.
The van stopped at the back of the building where only a few people moved about. A man wearing a reflector jacket with the name of the airport at the back came out of the building through a locked door and approached the van. Mateo told Juan, Veronica, and Carly to leave as the man in the reflector jacket approached the back of the van.
The doors to the back flew open with the man in the reflector jacket standing there. Veronica and Carly stepped out of the van first. Juan came out last, carrying the suitcase out with him. He closed the doors afterwards, and they followed the man in the reflector jacket. Mateo and Archie remained in the van. They were to stay in the van until the task was complete.
The man in the reflector jacket led the way back to the door. The door could only open with an access card. The man drew out the card he had hanging around his neck and swiped it through the security lock at the door, and the tiny machine beeped, allowing him access. He stepped in, holding the door open for Juan, Veronica, and Carly.
After closing the door, he led them down the empty hall. After walking down straight and turning down the hall, the man led them to a door, opening it with his key card. He opened the door and told them to go in and wait. He would come get Carly at the appropriate time so that she could join the passengers from the plane. Before leaving, he took Carly’s suitcase because he had to attach a tag on it like is usually done with the luggage that is parked in the plane.
After the man left, Carly looked around the room they were in. It was more of a small restroom with a small couch on one side of the room, facing the door. Beside it is a small table that had a set of coffee mugs, a kettle, and a set of spoons and knives in a utensil holder. A white wooden chair stood close to the table. On the other side of the room next to the door was a coat hanger. And on the walls hang a calendar, and there were different pictures of different airplanes.
Juan took a seat on the couch, making himself comfortable. “I suggest we all take a seat, ladies,” he said as he splayed his legs and leaned back on the couch. “We’re going to be here for a while.”
“It won’t be long until the plane lands,” said Veronica as she went over to sit by the wooden chair. “We’re just keeping Carly company.”
Carly looked over at the only place where she could sit, and it was next to Juan. She didn’t feel like doing that because she could already feel his eyes on her, observing. There weren’t any other options, so she went over to sit next to him. Juan couldn’t help but put up a smile.
“I think I’m going to make myself a cup of coffee,” said Veronica as she took the electric kettle and checked if there was any water inside. “Do any of you want some?”
“I would like some,” said Carly, turning to look at Veronica. Veronica went ahead to turn on the kettle.
“So, Carly,” said Juan, as he sat up on the chair, his arm on the head of the chair behind Carly. “I hear André is tough. Is that true?”
Carly cleared her throat before saying, “I haven’t known the man for long. I’ve heard stories of how cruel he can be if people betray him.”
“Well, then you really have a lot to worry about and not slip up. It would be a shame to see what he will ever do to you.”
“You better stop talking like that unless you want to be pulled out of the mission, Juan,” said Veronica. “For Carly to have made André fall for her, then she’s been playing her part well this whole time. Don’t jinx it.”
“I’m not jinxing anything.” Juan laughed. “I already know how super talented Carly is here. Her beauty knows no bounds. No wonder André fell for her, right? And let’s not forget that she’s smart too.”
Carly turned to look at Juan. “What are you trying to imply, Juan?”
“Just hoping for the best. Maybe when this whole mission is over and Red Lion gets what he wants, maybe you and I can become good friends.”
Carly rolled her eyes at him. “I’ve been there before, and you don’t have to fool me with your sweet talk.”
“You’re probably right.” Juan leaned forward, getting a little closer to Carly. “Or maybe I just really want to get to know you.”
“Back off, Juan,” Veronica warned as she got three mug cups on the other side of the table. “You don’t want to walk out of here with a black eye, do you?”
Juan only smiled as he leaned back on the couch, ending the discussion. But Carly knew this was far from over. After Veronica made everyone tea, she and Carly continued to talk. Veronica was born in Mexico, so Carly wanted some knowledge about the place. Juan chirped in, here and there. He too is also from Mexico. It didn’t take long until they heard the sound of a large aircraft landing on the runway.
“It’s showtime,” said Juan.
Veronica pulled out her phone from her jacket and speed-dialed. The person immediately answered as she asked whether André had arrived. After the call, she turned to look at Carly.
“André arrived a good ten minutes ago,” said Veronica. “As soon as you leave this room to join the other passengers, you’re on your own.”
Carly shook her head. “I know,” she said. “I’ll call as soon as I reach the hotel.”
A minute later, the door flew open, and the man in the reflector jacket who had brought Carly and the others into the room walked in.
“It’s time to go, Miss,” said the man. “I already tagged your luggage, and it will be brought in with the rest. As soon as the passengers start exiting out of the plane and into immigration, I’ll sneak you in. Do you have your passport ready?”
Carly removed her passport and other required documents from a small black bag that she had with her, showing it to the man. He gave a nod of his head and opened the door. He walked out first, with Carly following behind him. Veronica and Juan walked out last, and the man closed the door behind them. Another man, also in a reflector jacket, stood waiting in the hall.
“This is where we part ways, Carly,” said Veronica. “You take care.”
“Thanks,” said Carly as she smiled at her.
Juan winked at Carly before turning around with Veronica and following the other man towards the exit. Carly went on her way with the man from before. They went down the hall and found themselves walking out through another door. The man swiped down his key card to get through, and Carly followed him.
The next thing she knew, they were in a storage room with wide windows. Through them, she could see the landed plane under the dark night sky. The lights on the runway and from the building helped illuminate the place outside. The flight of movable stairs is already attached to help the passengers disembark from the plane. The man also watched through the window, and he took out his walkie-talkie from his belt and radioed someone on the other end. He was probably using a separate channel so that no one else listened in on the conversation. He asked his partner on the other line to let him know when the last person gets off the plane. The person on the other end responded that he would do just that.
The passengers from the plane soon started to make their way out as they walked down the steps. As soon as they were on the ground, they started to make their way to the terminal building for those who had arrived. Carly and the man continued to watch through the window. There were many passengers, and even if Carly were to blend into the crowd, no one would think twice that she wasn’t even on the plane. That’s if there was any person on board who happened to memorize everyone’s faces; Carly was simply good to go.
A few minutes later, just when the number of the people disembarking was just starting to thin out, the man’s walkie-talkie clicked before a voice was heard, announcing that the last man leaving the plane wore a brown jacket. The man radioed back his partner saying that he got the message and signed out. Indeed, the last person to walk out of the plane was a man who looked to be in his mid-50s, in a brown leather jacket.
Carly and the man beside her watched the man until he was close enough to the building to enter. The man told Carly that it was time to go. He unlocked the door leading outside, and Carly stepped out first, before the man closed the door behind him and locked it.
They started to make their way to the doors leading to the terminal. As they walked closer to the building, aside from the man in the reflector jacket, they were hidden from other staff members that were bringing in the luggage from the plane and didn’t notice them. They were soon approaching the door that the man in the leather jacket was about to enter. From here on out, Carly had to walk on ahead of the man in the reflector. She had to appear as if she also had disembarked from the plane.
Before the man entered, Carly suddenly picked up the pace and got closer from behind. There stood two security guards by the door. When Carly entered right after the man in the brown leather jacket, the guards didn’t stop to question her. To them she was just like any of the passengers on board the plane. As soon as Carly knew she was in the clear, she couldn’t help but breathe out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, waiting outside the exit doors for the people arriving in Mexico was André. He looked down at his gold watch and at the TV monitor stuck high above the wall, showing that the plane Loren was on had arrived twenty minutes ago. It’s only a matter of time until she walked out of those doors, and André couldn’t contain his excitement. He calmly paced up and down with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. His trusted confidante, Diego, came over to him.
“Can you quit with the pacing, boss?” Diego asked. “You don’t want the boys seeing you like this.”
André stopped to look at Diego. “Sorry about that,” he said. “But you know how excited I am that Loren is finally here.”
“Well, you can hold in your excitement until you reach the bedroom. For now, I suggest you keep it together. You’re embarrassing me, for goodness’ sake.”
André laughed. “I’ve never seen you this upset. But I’ll keep it together.”
“It seems like the doors are about to open soon,” said Diego as his eyes fixed onto the glass doors of the exit.
André followed his eyes to the doors. When the doors flew open, one by one, people started to walk out with the luggage. Those with people already waiting for them, like family and friends, were welcomed warmly with hugs and kisses. André continued to wait as he looked at the door. He bit his lower lip as he continued to watch the people walk out through the doors, wondering if Loren really did board the plane. It wasn’t until a few minutes later, when he was almost about to lose his patience, that Loren walked out, dragging her blue suitcase with her. André couldn’t help but sigh in relief, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but look at her as she walked out through those doors.
Loren walked with a touch of elegance in her stride. As she turned her head from side to side, looking for André, her face radiated brightly under the lights, bringing out a natural glow on her skin. It’s the first time André has seen her with no heavy makeup, and he couldn’t help but admit that she looked even more beautiful in natural makeup. He wondered how she looked without makeup at all. In addition to the way she looked, her outfit was stunning. She almost looked like a model. Though her clothes weren’t fancy, her jewelry added a sparkle to her clothes and her looks. She looked gorgeous, and André couldn’t wait to devour her.
As Loren continued her approach, she finally noticed André, and a huge smile appeared on her face. André was still captivated by her beauty that he didn’t even move. Diego had to nudge him, waking him up from his trance. André shook his head, trying to get his act together. He started to make his approach towards Loren with a smile on his face. When the two of them got close, André pulled Loren into a hug.
“You’re finally here,” he said. He couldn’t help but take in her lovely perfume, his desire for her growing even more. Moreover, the feel of her body against his made him feel like taking her just right there.
“Yeah, I am,” said Loren after they stopped hugging each other. “I’m so nervous, yet excited to be here.”
“Well, welcome to Mexico. I would’ve liked to have welcomed you properly, but it’s late and you need to rest.”
“Yeah,” said Loren with a smile on her face. “We can do all the fun stuff tomorrow.”
André kissed Loren’s forehead. “That would be great.”
He turned around towards Diego, summoning him to come and get Carly’s suitcase, which he did. With Diego leading the way out of the building, Loren and André casually walked behind him, snuggled close to each other. André had his arm wrapped around Loren’s shoulders. Two black cars waited for them outside in the airport driveway. Diego had a door for the car in front open for the two of them. Loren went in first, and André followed next. Diego closed the door and entered at the front passenger seat. Soon the car started to drive its way out of the airport premises with the other car behind it towards Mexico City.
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