The next day, Dean, Thalia and Pierre left the beach house and drove to a small town two hours north of the coast to pick up identification papers for Thalia. The men's contact had shipped the documents to a UPS office that seemed out of place in the town of Calina. Now, Dean opened the envelope and studied its contents, he couldn't help but be impressed.
"Fernan did good," he remarked before extending the American passport, Boston driver's license and birth certificate in Thalia's direction.
Their fingers brushed, and his groin instantly tightened at the feel of her warm, delicate fingers. He didn't look her in the eyes all morning, and when there were times when their eyes accidentally met, he would immediately look away from her. Because the kiss that happened between them last night was always in his mind. He couldn't remember the last time his body had burned so hot, the last time his heart had pounded that hard.
In that moment, he'd needed Thalia Ricafort more than he'd needed his next breath. He'd been ready to rip that dress off her slender body, throw her down on the sand and screw her until they both couldn't move for days.
But he only restrained himself in the last seconds, because he couldn't relate to it.
He knows that Thalia is not the type for just a casual affair. When she told him about the cowboy she'd met during her vacation break, she'd claimed to be open to a no-strings affair. It's hard to fool a woman like her who is smart, kind and respected. She deserved more than a fling, but unfortunately, that's the only type of relationship he can give.
"These are flawless." Thalia said, and it was obvious that she was also amazed at the papers she was staring at. "How much do I pay for it?"
"Don't worry, we can afford that." Pierre responded with a shrug.
The glint in her hazel eyes said she wanted to know more, but Pierre didn't give her the chance to question him. He moved away from the plate-glass window of the courier office and strode towards the Jeep.
"Are we going to the airport now?" Thalia asked.
"Yeah." Dean said and he looked at his watch. "Our flight leaves in an hour."
"I'm surprised you're okay with this. I mean, you haven't been back to the Philippines since the attempt on your life. I know you're traveling under a different name, but aren't you afraid that someone will recognize you at the airport?"
He burst out laughing. "Wait, did you think that it was a commercial plane?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"
"Pierre, Doc Ricafort thought we were going on a commercial plane," he said to his friend.
Pierre laughed. "Come on, Doc, you're probably not innocent, are you?"
He noticed the flash red on the doctor's cheeks. "I thought not, but I guess I am," she muttered.
Still chuckling, Dean waited until Thalia hopped into the back of the Jeep before he slid into the passenger seat.
"We're catching a ride with a cargo jet at a private airfield," he explained as Pierre started the engine and pulled away from the dusty sidewalk. "We will land in New York. After that, we will rent a car going to Boston."
Thalia accepted their itinerary without a single protest, which he appreciated. She was also quick to follow orders. He also trusted her in her decision, so long as they were directly related to her safety, and he appreciated that above all else.
The airfield is not far from Calina. They'd dealt with the man in charge only twice, first when Pierre went to San Jose to investigate the cholera outbreak, second time when Tatum and Ina also went to San Jose to look for Ortez.
Pierre followed the red dirt path towards a large metal gate. The runways in the distance were actually paved, a drastic difference from previous airfields they'd realized. The airstrip houses three large hangars, and the selection of planes was quite impressive. Dean saw the twin-engine Cessnas there, but what caught his attention was the Boeing cargo aircraft that seemed to be the only one out of place among the planes there.
Driving toward the area near the main hangar, Pierre put the Jeep in Park and said, "Dean, make sure you can check in when you get stateside."
"Will do." He got down from the Jeep and then helped Thalia to get down, then he took the bag from the back of the Jeep.
"It was nice meeting you." Thalia said to Pierre with a smile. "I hope we'll see each other some other time."
"Me too, Doc. Me too." Pierre raised his hand to say goodbye to them. "Be careful, guys."
After a few minutes, Pierre finally got out of the airstrip, he and Thalia was left alone again.
He put on his dried pants again, as well as the white tank top that had awakened his spirit all night. Every time he closes his eyes, he pictures out Thalia's white top while it is still wet. He could clearly see her nipples under her thin white bra.
His mouth literally drools every time he remembers that scene. But first, he needs to get rid of the confusion of his mind immediately. "Come on, the pilot is waiting for us."
They walked through the open door of the hangar. As Dean's boots thudded against the waxed floor, several men in dark blue jumpsuits glanced over them suspiciously.
"I'm looking for Rick," he called, his voice bouncing off the hangar walls.
One of the workers pointed a finger at the cargo jet Dean had been admiring before. With a nod of thanks, he kept walking, Thalia just stuck to his side, and he also noticed that there were more men gathered there, staring at Thalia as if they hadn't seen a woman in years.
Setting his jaw, Dean held Thalia tightly by her arm.
Her head turned to him in shock, and then a knowing smirk curved her lips.
"What?" he mumbled.
She raised an eyebrow and lifted one shoulder. "Nothing."
Ignoring that strange rush of protectiveness, he sped up walking while pulling the girl towards the cargo jet. The large door at the rear of the plane was wide open, revealing dozens of wooden crates filling every inch of the cargo hold.
"Magallon?" said the man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Dean nodded at him. "Rick?"
*****
