Bounty Hunter [REWRITTEN VERSION]

Chapter 28: B.C.

MAIZE

Vancouver, Canada
8:00 AM

The flight time across the states to get to the northern country took their complete set of daylight hours. As a part of legal regulation when crossing between air borders, passports, documentation and forged legal papers were provided by the aircraft staff of Cassandra's pricy private jet. It had been nearly an hour's drive in one of her SUVs out of the city to reach her private take-off pad.

Throughout the extensive flight, everyone had been rather off. Cassandra's hired staff knew enough about their employer's type of business and were quite loyal for the fee they received, so they didn't bother asking even the slightest of conversational questions. Which was preferred that way.

Alec was still tired, but Maize could tell it was more mental than anything. He spent the flight staring out the window and occasionally getting a frown on his face from whatever thoughts seemed to be racking his mind. More than once Maize had caught him glancing at her, but it was nothing more than a studying look before his focus was drawn away again. Whatever he was thinking about, it really seemed to be bothering him.

Agent Hill—or Maria, as she had offered to have them call her—was a rather secluded character, Maize found quickly. Not shy, but reduced to her own space. They had all managed to become better acquainted with her during the flight with a few exchanges of words and friendly ice breaking. But Cassandra's warning still stuck in Maize's mind.

It seemed everyone had their own things in their own head. Kishan seemed to be the only exception, acting unbothered as usual. Maize briefly wondered what kind of man it took to appear so easy going all the time. Or maybe he was just better at pretending than any of them.

It was past 10:00 Canadian time when they finally touched down in B.C. Vancouver. The airport had been paid off to keep a landing pad open for smaller planes so that they could land. From there, Maize exchanged greetings with the gentleman there waiting at the base of the steps exiting the flight. He was dressed in a uniform suit, estimated forty or so years old, and looked like he could be their escorting guard from his buff appearance alone. However, since Alec and Maize were technically still the bodyguards here, she knew that couldn't have been his reason for being there. He told them his job was simply to drive them to the closest accomodation for them to spend the night, and that after running a few errands per his employer's request, he would depart from them.

A ten minute drive later in the back of his accomodation vehicle, they arrived at a simple off road motel, where Maize used the money she had gotten from Cassandra to pay for four rooms. It wouldn't be permanent, one night at most, until they could get to a proper hide out destination with their own transportation—though Maize, in her mind, did not yet have a clear image of where that would be.

Furthermore, the gentleman, who she learned went by the name John, told her before she entered her room that she need not worry about finding their own set of wheels, and that it would be taken care of by morning. She should expect a pair of keys under her door when she woke.

Maize made sure to thank him more than once, and that f he could manage it, to extend another note of gratitude to his employer for his and her services. He smiled politely and agreed to do so. And then he returned to his own vehicle and was off.

Maize went into her room, furthest door to the left out of the four they had paid for. The motel accomodations weren't anything spectacular, pretty much what you would expect from a shabby place off the side of the road, but she didn't care about that. Comfort had never been something she needed to tolerate for herself.

She set her singular bag over the small armchair in the corner and sat down on the bed.

This was the third time they had jumped locations since they started this mission—only this time, it had been across the states.