Cab Ride
“You have to get out now. We have a confirmed sighting in your area.”
That was it. The phone went dead.
Taylor clenched her jaw, took a deep breath and sprung into action. There was no time for anything, any second they could be there. Walking down the hall she took the ancient elevator to the bottom floor. Entering the sidewalk traffic on a busy New York day, she forced herself not to run.
Pedestrians pushed past her on their way to meetings, events and errands. She didn’t dare look behind her for fear that if she was being tailed, they would recognize that she knew. Instead she used her extensive training and took advantage of her environment.
Every store window, car windshield or passing stranger’s glasses served as a small glimpse behind her. At first there was nothing. It was almost impossible to pick out one stranger from the rest.
It was sunny mid-afternoon in downtown and a sea of bodies congested the sidewalks. However after five blocks and two crossed streets, Taylor was able to hone in on her pursuer.
He was tall with a square jaw and long hair down to his shoulders. Dressed casually, he fit in with the rest of the crowd in this area. He fit in well, too well.
Her phone went off, vibrating in her pocket.
“Hey, Mom, how are you? No, just doing some shopping. Yes, I promise to pick up some lady-like clothes while I’m out. I know, I promised not to dress like a boy anymore.” Taylor paused for the briefest second to look down at her dirty boots, faded jeans and leather jacket. “OK, yeah,” she said into the phone to whatever her mother was going on about, “that sounds great. I’ll call you later tonight. Love you, too. Bye.”
Her mother was great but always insisted that Taylor should dress more like a lady and less like a tomboy. Shaking her head from these thoughts she focused on her current situation: the stranger tailing her.
A block later an opportunity to test her theory presented itself. A group of tourists stared wide-eyed, in the middle of the block, snapping photos every which way. Taylor approached the group in a friendly manner and offered to take a picture of them. They readily agreed and posed together, with huge smiles plastered on their faces.
Taylor positioned herself so she was looking through the camera, back the way she had just come and toward her mystery man. Sure enough, as she took the picture he ducked into an alleyway.
Handing the camera back to the group of colorfully clad foreigners, she continued down the street. Within seconds the man picked up her trail again, staying a safe ten to fifteen yards behind her.
A plan quickly formed in Taylor’s mind as she flagged down a taxi. A second later an older taxi cab pulled up next to her driven by a rather large darkly skinned man. The driver looked at her through the safety glass that separated them, as she entered the cab.
“Where to, Miss?”
“Airport. Can you take the highway please?”
“Sure.”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. The same man that had been tailing her stood outside with a smile. He opened the door, “Mind if I share the cab?”
