Keeping Me (Spy Chronicles Book 2)(7)

“Trust me, LA isn’t so beautiful up close,” he says.

“I bet there are parts that are beautiful,” I say. “Maybe you’ve just only been to the bad ones.”

“Are you always so optimistic?”

“Are you always so pessimistic?”

“Well, we were just shot at,” Sebastian says. “We fled the country with nothing, and now are hiding in the one place that I’m sure Nolan is already looking. Excuse me for being a little bit pessimistic.”

“He’s looking in LA?” I ask.

“No,” he answers. “I don’t think he’s looking in LA specifically. I mean America.”

“Well, good for us, America is big. So, he has a lot of places to search,” I say. “What exactly is the plan here?”

“Well, first we are going to get out of California,” Sebastian answers. “There are way too many cameras for my comfort level. And then we will be going somewhere low key. But until we are safely away from the city...” he pulls something out of his bag and puts it on my head, “You’re Sarah.”

“Sarah?” I ask. “Isn’t being Karlie and Serenity enough? Now I’m Sarah, too?”

I pull the hat off my head and look at it. It’s a pink and white hat with a Superman logo on it. Like this is going to help hide me at all.

He pulls something else out of the bag and holds it up. It’s a passport with my picture on it. It has an address for somewhere in Oklahoma, and a fake name. Sarah Cunningham. And apparently, I am her.

“We’ve got to be careful. Nolan was trained at the same school as I was; that means he’s dangerous. He knows all the tricks, and if you were here with anybody besides me, you would be easy to find,” Sebastian says. “Luckily for you, my background goes back a little farther than Spy School. You and I are about to fall off the grid, and we won’t be found again until I want us to be.”

“You’re kind of scary awesome,” I say.

He grins. “That might be the best compliment you’ve ever given me.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

I stick my tongue out at him and he hits the front of my hat, pulling it down over my eyes.

“Hey!” I say, putting the hat back in place. “I can’t believe I’m about to be back in America. It’s so weird.”

“Tell me about it,” Sebastian says. “I haven’t been here since I was thirteen.”

“Why so long?” I ask.

He shrugs.

“What is the name on your passport?”

“Sebastian,” he answers.

“Why do you get to use your real name?”

“I’m special like that,” he says. “Once we get out of LA and on the road, you can be whoever you want to be.”

“Serenity,” I answer. “I want to be called Serenity.”

“I still think I’ll stick to princess.” Sebastian says.

“I thought we were over that whole horrible nickname,” I say. “We were making such great progress. I sort of thought we were becoming friends.”

Bass turns to look at me, his eyes narrowed. “No offense, Princess, but you and I are never going to be friends. You’re just my job, that’s it.”

Ouch.

I turn away from him and look back out the window as tears begin to fall down my face.

Why does Sebastian have to be such a jerk?

Part of me expects him to apologize. He has to know that I’m crying. But he doesn’t say a word to me, and I realize just how alone I really am. With all the guys out looking for Nolan, Gage in the hospital and my dad... well, wherever he is.... it’s just me and a guy who doesn’t want to be here.

The plane lands and we sit there for another twenty minutes waiting. The whole time, I look out the window. Bass doesn’t talk and neither do I. I wouldn’t want to annoy him anymore than I already have today.

“Let’s get going,” Bass says, standing up.

We flew commercial. First class, but still. We couldn’t risk taking my dad’s jet.

I stand up. Bass lets me walk out first, and he follows closely behind. The whole time I’m praying that Nolan won’t be waiting for us in the airport. I think my heart would break a little if I saw him again. I keep seeing him as my friend and not as the guy who shot Gage. But I know if he sees me again, he will try to kidnap me... or kill me.

“Keep your head down and don’t look up,” Sebastian says, as we walk out of the hallway and into the terminal. “We don’t want the cameras to pick up your face. I’m sure Nolan is watching every airport in America right now.”

“How?” I ask. “I thought the security in airports was, like, super tight.”

He laughs. “Ser... ugh... Sarah, you realize who you’re talking to, right?”

“Right,” I say, nodding my head. “I forgot for a minute that you guys are anything but normal.”

“The same can be said for you,” he says, as we wait for the train that will take us to the exit.

“I am normal,” I say, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. The hat is making my forehead itch because I’m not used to wearing one. “I forget just how normal I am until I get around you guys.”