Trust the Killer

Chapter Twenty Nine

The airport was bustling. It was the most crowded place I had been with Wyck and it was clear he was on edge by the way he held my arm so tightly and barely left an inch of space between us as he practically dragged me to gate C's exit. I was nervous my family might see me with him, but maybe that'd be a good thing. He couldn't blame me if we were to simply get caught, he wouldn't be able to hold it against me like I knew he would if I ratted on him.
I stumbled which earned me a quick scowl from the towering boy who's face had become an odd mix of anxiety provoking and a strange comforting familiarity.
He stopped. I stumbled again at the sudden holt, Wyck turned his body to stand in front of me, he let go of my arm and left a 4 inch gap of space between our chests. I felt slightly suffocated again. I looked up at him to see his clear blue eyes glance around the airport, I'm sure he got a great view from his height. He looked down at me finally, with his usual intensity, searching my face. I'd never seen him look so out of place.
"Alright. Remember what I said, not a single word about me." Wyck began to command in a low voice. He reached behind his back and pulled out my phone. He held it out to me and I quickly placed my fingers around it and tried to pull it from him. He gripped the phone tighter and used it to pull me closer to him, our legs touched as the gap closed. "If I text you, you answer." He nearly growled into my ear. "Tell me when you get home." He released the phone and allowed me to take a step back. I nodded at his words and felt slightly intimidated by his demeanor.
I noticed Wyck look over my shoulder and suddenly stepped to the side. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me around quickly. Ahead I could see my parents looking around through the sea of people, though they didn't see me yet.
"Be safe okay? Don't get fucking kidnapped again." His body was tense as he spoke into my ear again and shoved me forward.
I took a step hesitantly, then looked back to see Wyck had vanished from behind me. I breathed in and laid eyes on my parents again, I felt slightly lost. I expected myself to be sprinting to them and jumping for joy, but instead I felt like a rug was pulled out from under me without the guidance of Wyck, knowing he was watching somewhere was like walking on thin ice. My family saw me then, they waved with a smile and I began to slowly make my way towards them with a small curve on my mouth.
My parents rushed to me on the other hand, it wasn't long before my mom pulled me into a tight hug and my smile grew genuinely. There was a wash of relief then, I had survived whatever this week had been. I was home.
"Honey, how was the trip? Give me all the details!" My mother immediately bursted with excitement.
"Uh." I felt lost still, I glanced around. "It was... good." My eyes found him then, Wyck, wearing black head to toe with a dark grimace leaned against a pillar with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. He stared as I stared back momentarily. His eyes seemed nervous. "Yeah, super good. I'll tell you about it in the car." I refocused on my family who gave me an odd look before following me to the airport exit. Leaving Wyck behind.

It was freezing outside. I tightened my arms around myself as I walked alongside my parents.
"So the space needle! How was it?" My dad asked as he unlocked his red truck and opened the door for me to climb inside. "Well, it was very tall." I made up details that I hadn't experienced. It made me disappointed that I didn't have the chance to see the sights I planned to in Seattle. Instead, I spent my savings on a week long trip with hitmen.
"Your bags came in, what happened again? How did you leave them all behind?" My mom changed the subject.
"Oh, I... Um there was a construction issue, and I didn't have time to... get my stuff. So they accidentally shipped it here instead... haha." I was a terrible liar.
"Well, that was a stupid mistake of the hotel. Did they do that to the other students?" My dad joined in and I felt overwhelmed with making up my story.
"Yeah, a few. It was sudden."
"Hm. Well, it was an old hotel. Construction is bound to be necessary." My dad finished my lie for me without knowing.
"Right." My mother continued.
I laid my head back in the seat, my eyes closed suddenly. "Sorry, it was a long flight I'm really tired." I spoke in a yawn.
My parents said something back but it was faded through my cloudy mind. It was the first time in a long time I felt like I was safe enough to fully sleep. And I wasn't planning to take that for granted. I quickly fell into a dream during the ride back home.