And I slept more deeply than I had since we were separated.
Miami
Naelle
I woke up when the plane touched down in Miami. I looked out the window and saw the heat haze outside.
Yawning, I covered my mouth with my hand.
“Stay here while we fill out some customs forms, okay? I have your passport.”
I was a little confused. “Why do you have my passport?”
He shifted his weight between his feet. I realized that I was a rumpled, sleepy mess, while he looked perfect and immaculate.
“I grabbed it when we were getting your things out of the cabin.”
“But I didn’t agree until I woke up.”
He had a guilty expression, as if I’d just caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.
“It’s a good thing that I agreed to come along with you, isn’t it?” I smiled. “I know you love me.”
He kissed the top of my head. I could see the tension dissipating.
“Stay here. We’ll be on our way to Ecuador soon.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and stretched. I loved the jet. It was luxurious and fun, but being stuck in one seat for several hours never would be fun. My face felt all oily and gross, and I needed to wipe it with water.
I had no idea where Emilio had gone. I knew that he had told me to stay in the plane, but I needed to use a real restroom, not the little one that was on the jet.
I walked down the steps. Emilio was still nowhere to be found. I shrugged and headed into the airport.
As soon as I stepped in the door, I saw my dad.
“Dad? What are you doing here?”
“We saw the flight plans. We knew that he had to stop for fuel somewhere, and as soon as we knew that he was heading for Miami, we knew that you would be here.”
“What are you talking about? I’m going back to Ecuador with him.”
“No, you’re not. I was a fool to let you go there the first time. You’re staying right here in the United States.”
“Dad, I’m an adult. You can’t stop me from leaving the United States if I want to go.”
“You’ve been brainwashed. You don’t really want to go.”
“Dad, I…”
I stopped when he produced a set of handcuffs and cuffed my hands behind my back as if I were a criminal and not his daughter.
“Dad! What are you doing?”
“Keeping my daughter safe.”
“Dad, unlock these cuffs right now.”
“No.” He pulled me towards a set of doors. “We have to hurry. He’ll come back any moment.”