Read Online The Compendium by Christine Hart - Free Book Online

privilege we’ve achieved by closely monitoring all cross-border traffic.”
    We followed her, wallets in hand, into the small single-story office building. I ventured a glance back at the guys back in the car. They were talking, but all facing forward. Stupid girl! What have you gotten us into?
    “Are you going to deny us entry to the U.S.?” I asked as calmly and politely as I could manage.
    “Entry into the United States is not guaranteed. You need to cooperate fully and submit to a search,” said the guard.
    “You’re searching the car with dogs, right?” said Faith.
    Shut up! Please just shut up! I thought angrily.
    As we followed the guard down a hallway, I suddenly realized why a woman had been sent to retrieve Faith and me separately. Her mention of a male guard for the guys should have tipped me off as to what was coming next. The border guard gestured at a door with an icon of a gloved hand on it.
    We entered the room to find a plain rectangular table and two stacking chairs on either side. The walls were bare. The only other item in the room was a small camera mounted in the far corner.
    “Remove your clothing down to your bras and underwear. Turn out your pockets and empty your shoes,” said the guard.
    My pulse throbbed and white noise squealed in my ears. I could barely breathe, but I followed instructions. I even removed my socks. I looked over at Faith who clearly seethed with rage. I expected the guard to produce a rubber glove and snap it onto her right hand.
    The guard sifted through our clothing and patted both Faith and I around our breasts and backsides. She didn’t ask us to remove anything else and neither of us volunteered.
    “You can get dressed. Come back out front when you’re ready.” The guard abruptly left us staring at our piles of rumpled clothes.
    “What the hell were you thinking with that stupid rock and roll thing!” I hissed at Faith.
    “It was a joke. Everyone in the car knew it. The border guards knew it. They’ve got badges so far up their asses, they can’t handle the tiniest bit of humor,” said Faith.
    “This is the goddamn border, Faith, what did you expect them to do?” I said, raising my voice.
    “Chill out honey. They’re letting us go, aren’t they? We haven’t done anything, so they can’t hold us,” said Faith.
    “I’m glad you’re confident,” I said scathingly, and struggled not to say how stupid I thought she’d been.
    We finished dressing and walked back down the hall to the main door. The guard was gone, so we left the building. The guys were nowhere to be seen, but the contents of Cole’s car from dash to trunk had been unceremoniously emptied onto the ground.
    Faith didn’t say a word. She began repacking the trunk. I followed her lead and picked up the mess around the front of the car. I hoped she blamed herself as much as she blamed the border guards. The guys returned as we finished repacking the car.
    “Ready to go, now, Faith?” Ilya’s direction to be cool at the border made more sense.
    “Yeah, sorry, my bad,” said Faith.
    “Just get back in the car,” said Cole.
    “Let’s go get some food and forget about this,” said Jonah.
    We reached Blaine, Washington within an hour and Cole found a fast food drive-through for lunch. Jonah also wanted some fresh air, so we headed for a city park with a picnic table instead of eating in the stuffy car.
    “I feel like I just gained five pounds,” said Ilya after finishing his burger and fries.
    “I normally only eat this stuff if I’m hung over.” Jonah crumpled his burger wrapper with a look of disdain.
    “Me too.” I looked over at him and smiled.
    “Want to go work it off on the swings?” said Jonah.
    “I’m not sure that’s going to put a dent in it, but why not? It’s better than getting right back in the car,” I said.
    Cole kept eating, working his way through his third burger. Faith had gone to the washroom. Ilya leaned back on one of the picnic table bench