《Bookworm And The Spy》


 1. Train To Somewhere

    Whoooo! The steam engine purred, billowing viscous gray smoke as it throttled down the rusted tracks of of the Tuscan countryside. When Ariana Hart took a job overseas, she never expected anything like this, especially as a young and spry librarian, straight outta'' college. In the heart of Rome at that!


    Ari, as her friends called her, adjusted her mousy glasses above her nose, admiring the creamy orange sunset descending upon the rolling hillside, longing for something more...or someone more to enjoy it with, as she sat in the empty train car....for not much longer.


    The door behind her clacked open, as a slender man in a trench coat scurried in, bearing a brown leather briefcase, tightly in his hand. The man''s eyes darted back and forth throughout the train as he slinked throughout the car, settling down upon a seat somewhere behind her, on the other side of the aisle. The man choked a phlegm filled cough out, and rattled the seats on the train as he shuffled about.


    This was not the company Ari had hoped for. She slumped back into her seat, and closed her tattered copy of ''Under the Tuscan Sun''. Embarrassing, for sure, but she couldn''t help but love the story, especially so when actually under the Tuscan sun. She''d always dreamed of meeting a handsome stranger on a train, and being whisked up and away into some magical love story...but this...this was not it. She removed her glasses, and rubbed the bridge of her nose as a migraine set in, brushing an amber strand of hair away from her face.


    That strand of hair revealed the door ahead of her sliding open to unveil the definition of tall, dark, and handsome, as he stepped through the precipice in a fitted gray suit, and sauntered to a seat right across from Ari, before effortlessly gliding onto its cushion. He sent her a warm smile.


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    Ari blushed, and returned the gesture. She couldn''t believe what she''d manifested. Maybe the power of imagination that Reading Rainbow had talked about so much wasn''t nonsense after all! She couldn''t wait to berate her old roommate and oft nemesis, Collette, about that one.


    The fine trim along his suit jacket revealed a muscular figure that pressed against the miniature black lines almost defiantly throughout his fashionable attire. Ari assumed he was Italian. As she should, she laughed internally...being in Italy of course. Not something always easily detected, but she wondered if his luscious tan was certainly a factor. Maybe it was time for her to even test out her spoken Italian skills.


    The handsome man''s eyes narrowed, however, as he looked past Ari, towards the back of the car. His eyes widened as he pushed a gentle finger up to his lip, beckoning silence, and unbuttoned his jacket, salaciously.


    Ari dabbed her now sweating brow with the back of her demure tan sweater''s sleeve, and averted her gaze outside the window, trying not to linger on the man anymore. However, her eyes found themselves upon him again, as he reached in past his toned pecs bulging against his shirt and removed something else from the inside of his jacket. It was a long. slender piece of silver with delicately polished steel.


    It was time to stop narrating my own story though, as I spotted an aggressive pair of eyes slanted from behind me, reflecting off the metal and piercing my soul, while I watched the thin man pop open his briefcase with malicious thoughts. What caught my eye most though, was still in front of me, something I''d never once seen in person, and really wished I hadn''t right now. The handsome man grinned mischievously, as I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my brow.


    No...that can''t be...a gun?!

 2. First Contact

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    I''m not usually one to call for a meet cute to start or end a bang...especially this kind! The steely hunk that had just made my brief acquaintance had now wanted me acquainted with a pal of his, a pristine handgun. I shivered at the possibilities of what it was needed for whilst still watching timidly as he beckoned my silence. Still, he continued to look past me, to the thin man behind me, whom I had noticed readying himself in the reflection of the polished steel prior, before slowly rising from his seat, his suit swishing silkily with is movement.


    Behind me, the thin man coughed again, which abruptly stopped, as he noticed my new friend rising to the occasion. Suddenly, the thin man tossed his suitcase aside, letting it slam to the floor, as he revealed a semi automatic handgun from its interior and leveled it at my handsome partner. The gunfire raged back and forth, ricocheting off the metal cabin walls, and layering holes throughout the milky off-white seats, as I huddled for cover!


    The handsome man dipped back next to me and instantly ducked my head further with the rough touch of a smooth palm as he sank down with me, firing off several flurries of blind bullets at the thin man. I screamed, in shock, not proud of my strained and nasally voice in the potentially last moments of my life. However, the handsome man pulled my face towards his, and gave me a warm, and reassuring stare. One that said, we''ll make it through this. It was all I wanted to see, but would''ve preferred to hear in a charming accent as well. It was enough for me though, unless my imagination was feeding me quite the fantasy in anticipation of a quick trip to the afterlife, one filled with overpriced lattes, and horrible people...much like this one actually.


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    The thin man motored forward, charging our row, as I peered through the slits between our seats, wishing I''d never set foot in Italy, or at least avoided the train. He growled ferociously as he approached, bullets ringing effortlessly past us, dinging metals along the way in blaring cacophony. I''d never been involved in a firefight before, let alone a regular fight. I''d seen the housewives, and that was explosive as it could get. This...was not the type of fight I''d like to view from a nearby table at a moderately fancy Italian restaurant...nor my own personal fancy establishment... Olive Garden.


    The handsome man peaked out, a bullet blazing past his head, before he slipped back down for cover. Taking a breath, he composed himself and nodded at me, our eyes meeting in an almost mesmerizing fashion, before he thrust himself outward, diving out into the middle of the cabin, marking off several more shots as he rolled through to the adjacent row across from us. Bullets pierced flesh, as the thud of the thin man''s body falling to the floor was assuaged by the lumbering groan of the tracks cycling underneath our car. It was only a brief moment of respite before a siren wailed within the cabin, an accompanying red light blinking furiously in warning. Clearly, others has heard our commotion, and that could only be a good thing...right?


    Footsteps scurried loudly from the next car over, as the handsome man exchanged a nervous glance with me, before extending his hand. ¡°They''re more of them coming, we gotta go!¡± His voice was gravely, yet wrapped in smooth masculinity. However...it was not what I was expecting. I gasped. ¡°You''re...you''re not Italian?!¡±


    ¡°That''s your first question!?¡±

 3. It All Rolls Downhill

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    ¡°I feel a little betrayed, to be honest,¡± I howled, the sirens giving my madness a little extra spice this afternoon.


    ¡°What, by your own imagination?¡± The handsome man hawked back, as he grabbed my sweaty palm and led me towards the next train car, and away from our would be assailants. ¡°I think you''re delirious.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I shot back, slipping my book into the cute backpack purse I''d slung on quickly. ¡°I''m Ari.¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± the handsome man groaned, jostling open the connecting door and guiding me through.


    I stumbled in after him, gently falling against the gentle textures of his crisply ironed jacket. Must''ve even been Italian fabrics. What a cheat.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked, still barely able to take in anything around me... while my world seemingly crumbled.


    ¡°Somewhere safe.¡± The handsome man scanned the empty car in front of us, before pulling down a latch above the entryway, securing it...for hopefully enough time.


    ¡°What''s that even mean? What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Very dangerous people are after us, and we need to get away from them. Simple as that.¡±


    ¡°After us? Or after you?


    ¡°I meant what I said,¡± he sounded off resolutely, and headed off towards the next car ahead, with me in tow, his head whirling around and analyzing everything around us with rapid movement.


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    ¡°And why should I trust you?¡± I quipped, at the same time wishing that I''d just kept my mouth shut for once...I know a towering feat at that.


    The handsome man turned, his stoic expression beaming down on me under a neat layer of freshly trimmed stubble. ¡°If you don''t, you may very well die.¡±


    I could feel all the color driving from my face, but put on a front as usual. ¡°That''s what all the boys say,¡± I chirped, stopping in my tracks, and shaking my hand away from him, as I still demanded some kind of answer. I waited, in a huff, for a better form of reassurance.


    The handsome man sighed. ¡°I''ll explain once we''re off ''a this moving metal deathtrap.¡± He extended a friendly hand back out to me. ¡°Now please.¡±


    The sounds of gunfire pummeled the door behind us, though luckily non-penetrative; the banging a loud affirmation that forward was indeed the best option in my mind. I took his hand, and followed him into the next car, which was...you guessed it...empty. But worse...the last car of the line. We both stared, discontent with our hand, as I looked up to him, begging for an answer.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± I asked tepidly, almost shaking his hand out of his arm for some kind of quick response.


    The handsome man looked perturbed in thought as he watched the grassy hillside pass us by outside the thick glass window, before pulling me forward into to the area between car connections, the tracks bumping along furiously beneath us. He relinquished the safety mechanism on the outside door, the warmth of the arid Italian countryside whisking inside and smacking us in the face, as the sounds of outside iron mechanisms and the natural world spewed around us as we rolled on by.


    ¡°Can you jump?¡±


    ¡°Out of a moving train?¡± I chimed back, flabbergasted.


    "That was kind of implied,¡± he responded dryly.


    I shrugged awkwardly, awkwardly, glancing back out at the slew of suited men racing through the glass with pistols in tow, before looking back to him, like a baby doe in turmoil.


    He must have assumed my answer was yes, as he took my hand, and launched us out of the train, and into flight!

 4. Getting Off The Ground

    The rolling green raced at us like a brick wall, while we tumbled down the Italian countryside, away from that ''moving metal deathtrap¡±'' as he called it. The wind kicked out of me violently as we landed, and it took some time before our descent ended and I was able to recapture some of my lost air, along with the rest of my faculties at that.


    When I did come to, I found myself face to face with the handsome man, wrapped entirely in his arms. I could feel my face reddening, as my gaze lingered on his dark brown eyes and down to his soft looking lips.


    ¡°You can get off me now,¡± the handsome man grunted, ¡°your knee isn''t exactly in the kindest of areas.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± I yelped, rolling back off of something substantial in size. ¡°Sorry,¡± I whimpered.


    ¡°S''alright,¡± he sat up, rubbing his head, and dusting off his still impeccable suit.


    ¡°What now?¡± I asked, incredulously.


    ¡°We head to base?¡±


    ¡°Where''s that?¡±


    ¡°Rome.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, standing up and brushing grass off my chinos. ¡°That''s where I''m headed too.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± the handsome man said, hopping to his feet and surveying the area. ¡°Too much risk, you''re staying with me.¡±


    ¡°But my job--¡± I started up.


    ¡°My job supersedes that,¡± he cut me off.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± I growled, ¡°That''s my livelihood. I literally just started every librarian''s dream job. How about you, huh?¡±


    The handsome man paused in thought, before determining a direction. ¡°Jack Welker, United States Special Intelligence....and you''re my job, bookworm.¡±


    ¡°You''re...¡± I spat out confusedly, my eyes widening with disbelief. ¡°You''re a spy?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, that''s part of what I do.¡±


    My mouth hung agape, my hands resting furtively against my hips. ¡°What do you want with me?¡±


    Jack nodded me to follow along behind him. ¡°To protect you.¡±


    ¡°Why...why am I in danger?¡± I followed along beside him, guffawing.


    ¡°Because of you''re father. Terrance. Outside forces are less than pleased with his humanitarian efforts at the embassy. His work goes against their machinations.¡±


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    ¡°Who would want to do anything to us?¡± I wrenched my hands, looking back behind us as streams of paranoia seeped into my head.


    ¡°There''s a lot of bad people in the world.¡± Jack said, stepping up to a small dirt path that laid opposite the railway. Alongside it rested a lightly traveled road, that had still been broken up through the test of time.


    Across the road, sat a dilapidated little gas station and convenience store, that looked as though it had sparing visitors from day to day, let alone week to week. Outside lingered several leather clad young men by their motorcycles, surrounding and haranguing a visibly distressed young woman by her car, who was trying to fill up her tank. The aggressive young men playing with butterfly knives lazily, yet menacingly beside the young woman.


    ¡°Sometimes they''re right in front of you.¡± Jack said, drawing my attention to the situation and the bikes. ¡°Maybe we found a ride outta here after all.¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± I asked with concern.


    Jack grinned. ¡°Ask nicely.¡±


    We crossed the road, making way for the group, overhearing their conversation in Italian as we closed, and being able to proudly use my comprehension of Italian, and not just when thinking of food that I''d like to order and consume with great immediacy.


    ¡°C''mon baby,¡± the presumed leader of the gang of thugs leaned out in front, accosting the young woman. ¡°It can be real lonely out here in the sticks. Cold and lonely,¡± he winked awkwardly. ¡°Want someone to warm ya up?¡±


    ¡°I''m meeting my boyfriend,¡± the woman stuttered, reaching to remove the gas nozzle from her now filled little Fiat.


    ¡°What''s the hurry,¡± the heavily tattooed hand from the leader pushed firm on the gas nozzle, holding it in place. ¡°We''re just talking,¡± he laughed, sounding off similar chuckles from his compatriots.


    ¡°I''m sure talking gets people like you nowhere,¡± Jack chimed in, sashaying towards the three men.


    The leader scowled, acknowledging Jack. ¡°It gets people like you lost.¡± He then noticed me. ¡°And people like you found,¡± licking his lips lasciviously.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, my brow arching high. ¡°I can''t imagine that line''s ever worked,¡± I thought to myself, but mistakenly said aloud.


    The man''s face contorted like an angry clown, as he flicked his butterfly knife around in my direction, his boys huddling around him as well, while the distressed woman stumbled back against her car. ¡°Want to say that again?¡± the leader rallied.


    ¡°She doesn''t have to,¡± Jack spoke up, ¡°everyone was thinking it.¡±


    ¡°Why you--¡± The leader hissed, before a roundhouse kick leveled him, sending him flying into their bikes, and knocking them over like dominoes.


    Jack beamed a cocky grin at his work. I loved it.


    The other thugs looked on in astonishment, sharing a glance between each other, before charging him, but were just as quickly dispatched with a few precise evasive tactics and strikes.


    ¡°Sorry for all the commotion,¡± Jack said to the woman. ¡°I hope your day gets better from here on out.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you,¡± the woman coughed up, before getting into her car and speeding off.


    ¡°That was amazing,¡± I said, staring at the messy group of thugs moaning in pain on the ground. ¡°But...¡± I watched the woman barreling down the road in her car idly. ¡°What about our ride?¡±


    ¡°Not to worry,¡± Jack said, picking up and dusting off the leader''s motorcycle. ¡°I got that covered. ¡±Jack extended his hand to the leader. ¡°Let that be a lessen to you. Now...keys please?¡±


    The leader flinched, before scrambling to retrieve the keys for Jack.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jack calmly retorted, and revved up the engine, flagging me over.


    I cautiously approached. I''d had never been on a motorcycle before, and equally feared, and longed for something like this, as I looked at the darkening sky. ¡°We won''t make it before night. Where will we go?¡±


    ¡°It''s alright,¡± Jack grinned. ¡°I know a place.¡±

 5. Into The Countryside

    As we throttled down dizzying dirt roads under the faint hue of the moon''s pale light, I held tighter onto Jack, his strong frame providing me with comfort against the bristling air, and a warmth of embrace I''d only longed for since my last boyfriend. It was a long time ago, don''t bother counting in human, nor dog years. Still, Jack wasn''t my boyfriend, we''d just met. Better yet, he''d just saved my life, and now we were winding down between tiny hamlets of darkened olive trees to somewhere he declined to mention. I didn''t feel in danger though...not around him. I felt something else...


    Bright lights shined from a short distance away as we passed between some larger brush, and I felt an even more unnatural feeling...luxury. A brilliant villa towered before us, its rustic shutters bouncing our headlight along its expansive marbled siding and illuminated various tiers to the home, even above and beyond its initial facade.


    Jack guided the growling motorcycle past an extravagant, yet forgotten, looking iron wrought gate and came to a stop near the majestic oak door, before cutting the engine. ¡°We''re here, he remarked, flipping the side kickstand out and laying the bike to rest. ¡°You can let go of me now,¡± he tilted his head back to me.


    I released my grip, shaking the romantic haze from my mind.. ¡°Sorry, first time and all.¡±


    ¡°It gets easier,¡± he said, taking my hand and helping me off the bike with ease, his eyes looking brightly into mine.


    ¡°Um,¡± I started up, after a long moment. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°An old friend''s place.¡± Jack turned and headed to the front door, where he flipped open a small keypad and tapped a short sequence of numbers, before an audible click sounded, and the door opened inward.


    Jack crept inside, while I followed suit right behind him, a musty odor hitting my face, before the lights flicked on. It was a luxurious interior; the fixtures, the seating arrangements, everything...but lived in...definitely not that. ¡°Guess your friend doesn''t stay here very often.¡±


    ¡°He used to,¡± Jack said, ¡°but that was before he exchanged it with us.¡± Jack locked the door behind us, noticing my head tilt with intrigue. ¡°Sometimes, bad deeds actually do go punished...and for that, you can make some pretty good acquisitions out of things.¡±


    ¡°So the US government took an Italian villa from a bad guy?¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Jack laughed, ¡°the US government took an Italian villa from a crime kingpin....it''s a little bit different.¡± Jack saw my brow raise with intensity. ¡°The Italian government knows. We do kinda coordinate these things, though the public tends to think we all hate each other.¡±


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    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, nodding with slight affirmation, and looking at the viscous looking panther rug in front a large, dusty, flat screen TV.


    ¡°Why don''t you go pick out a room?¡± Jack spoke up from the kitchen.


    I remained in shock, stunned at the environment around me, forgetting myself in silence, as Jack stepped out of the kitchen, a dish towel over his shoulder and wielding a cast iron pan with olive oil drizzled inside, while manipulating a cheshire like expression. ¡°What? You thought we''d be sleeping in the same room?¡±


    I could feel color simmering over my cheeks. ¡°Uh, absolutely not!¡± The words fumbled out aggressively and awkwardly, a combination I had perfected, though certainly not an enticing one.


    Jack nodded, in his ever-so relaxed manner. ¡°Shower''s upstairs on the right...or left...there''s more than one. Eight to be exact. Go find one, and I''ll make us dinner. Deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± I nodded, as he slipped back into the kitchen. After collecting my thoughts and cleansing myself in a fabulous marble shower, the aroma of spices and pasta helped me navigate back through the labyrinth and to the dining room, well knowing that donning solely a bathrobe was not dinner table etiquette. Jack didn''t seem to mind though. In fact, he seemed to like it quite a bit, as I clasped together the top over my chest, hiding what little was showing.


    ¡°Sorry, it''s not much. I''ve sparingly used this place, so It hasn''t been graced by many trips to the market.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I slurped up some delectable broth served on the side, ¡°It''s heavenly.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m glad.¡± Jack sat pursed in deep thought. I wanted to ask more, knowing it was finally a peaceful moment, but wasn''t sure if we''d be better off just enjoying that peace either. So many questions, so little answers.


    ¡°I''m gonna head up,¡± Jack said, pushing off the table and bringing his dishware to the trough sink. ¡°It''ll be a long trip tomorrow. Get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, eyeing him longingly as he swiftly exited the kitchen. Could I even trust him though?


    As I finished up my meal, I explored some of the other areas around the house, enamored with their majesty, even quaintly at times. Finding my way up to my previously chosen room, I recognized Jack''s muffled voice behind another door, and couldn''t help but sidle up for a listen, my ear pressed lightly against the soft wood grain.


    ¡°She is secure, I assure you, Beckman....we''ll make our way to base from mark 21 at 0600 hours--¡±


    Beckman? I stood in thought. In adjusting my position, I slipped ever-so slightly and rubbed against the door, halting his conversation. He must have heard, as the silence was deafening.


    ¡°Acknowledged,¡± he whispered, and presumably hung up, which meant it was time for me to skedaddle off to my room, hopefully unnoticed.


    As I slid into my room undetected, and closed the door behind me, I finally felt at ease, even if for a moment. The large windows before me opened onto a courtyard in the middle of the property with shadows of statues and smaller trees dancing in the moonlight. It was beautiful. The satin sheets weren''t too bad either. I flopped down backwards onto the bed and found myself snug under everything, but couldn''t stop thinking of Jack, wishing he was wrapped around me instead.


    At that, I drifted to sleep, falling into his embrace...


    CREAK!


    Suddenly, I was thrust back up, as if I had never slept, but the time on my phone glowed 2am, with a tap of its screen. It was the middle of the night.


    ¡°Jack...?¡± I whispered. For some sinking reason...I didn''t think we were alone anymore.

 6. Unwanted Guests

    The old bones of the villa floors wept and groaned as my footsteps patted along them to the large windows of my room. Blackened clouds loomed ominously in the sky, stifling blades of moonlight from above, and limiting my vision in the darkened night. I held still, hoping not to spot any figures moving in the dimly lit courtyard, and stalled for a moment to find my concerns assuaged. Maybe I''d just been imagining things?


    Suddenly, a swift shadow darted from behind a statue towards the house, and I lost sight of it. I gasped, startled, and retreated backwards. This was not the midnight intruder I was pining for.


    I quickly motored towards my door and gently turned the handle, peaking out sheepishly into the abyssal hallway, before holding yet again. Silence. I breathed relief, as I slipped out and crept to Jack''s room. I tried the handle, but found it stiff and unmoving. It was locked. Great.


    ¡°Jack,¡± I whispered, tapping upon his door.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Jack,¡± I tried again, rapping louder, and exhaling a breathy sigh.


    Still nothing.


    SCREECH! The floorboards cried at the far steps. Again...and again, with slow ascent.


    It could''ve been Jack, but I wasn''t going to wait to find out!


    I sped down the hall in the other direction, as quietly as I could, and deftly huddled behind an extravagantly constructed mahogany end table. Peaking out from behind, I watched as the shadowed figure appeared, sporting a black ski mask and a menacingly shiny knife that illuminated as he opened the door to my room and slipped in.


    With that, it was time to go! I turned round and trotted down the hall, heading for the stairs and flew down them silently, and into the kitchen, snagging a large knife from the wood block on the counter, it wiggling generously in my sweaty palms.


    Suddenly, another black clad figure moved in from a side room.


    I ducked behind the granite island, trying to stifle my hastened breaths with a firm hand clasped atop my mouth.


    Footsteps shuffled along the floor, drawing ever closer to my location.


    I gripped the knife firmly, as I held my breath, trying to wish away the fears of my looming demise, as the sounds grew louder with proximity. I pressed my eyes shut, feeling tears brimming within them as I waited for the moment to strike...if I could even do that. I''d never tried to hurt anyone before...not even an ant...but this...this was much different.


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    ¡°Argh,¡± a muted guttural cry sounded, as a brief scuffle loomed behind me. After a moment, I looked out.


    Jack, wearing only tight clad boxer briefs, lowered the slumping assailant to the floor, in a tight sleeper hold. His eyes connected with mine, and he gave a tense nod of reassurance, bearing a grim demeanor.


    I nodded back, my grip loosening around the knife. I looked toward the steps I''d hurtled down and motioned one finger, indicating another intruder upstairs.


    Jack nodded affirmatively, and held a finger to his mouth to remain quiet, as if that wasn''t already on my agenda.


    Suddenly, another intruder rounded from the corner and lunged forward, bearing his knife overhead, and arcing downward. Jack sidestepped and thrust an elbow straight into the assailants face, causing a cry in pain and sending him reeling to the floor.


    ¡°Jack!¡± I whispered harshly, as the other assailant hurtled down the stairs and barreled towards him with his own knife in tow.


    Jack spun around, snagging the knife from the assailant on the floor and flipped it in his hand, parrying the incoming blow and slicing cleaning across the neck, before directing his blow downwards through the skull of the other one on the floor beside him.


    I was horrified, but thankful for his protection, yet again, as the assailant fell to the floor with a thud, grasping his own neck, trying to stave off death, but unlikely to succeed.


    ¡°Do you think there''s any more?¡± I choked out, my unbridled emotions welling up inside, but being forced down, as best as possible...which to onlookers, wouldn''t have been at all.


    Jack quickly analyzed the room and our surroundings. ¡°No,¡± he breathed out, ¡°but we can''t be certain.¡± Jack yanked out his knife from the head of his other victim and wiped the thick coat of blood off on the assailant''s shirt, before turning back to me. ¡°Stay here, for a second,¡± he said, and quickly charged down nearby halls, surveying the area around us for signs of anything out of the ordinary, or more intruders. After monitoring the adjacent areas for a brief period, he returned, always staying close by.


    I looked over the bodies in front of me, still staying far away in the kitchen, and hoping no rise of the dead would occur and worsen the night...for the both of us. Death had never been so close before today, and now, I''d seen numerous people killed in the span of twenty four eyes...less even. I''d always read about death in literature and the news, but nothing compares to actually seeing it before you. It was something I never thought I''d get used to...and quite frankly, hoped I never would.


    ¡°It''s clear,¡± Jack said, returning from his brief sabbatical.


    ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Jack said, pulling off the ski mask from the knocked out assailant.


    A middle aged man, unconscious, lay before us. ¡°Mafia maybe?¡±


    I moved closer, approaching with hesitation.


    Jack searched the persons of the two dead men, looking for any forms of identification, but came up empty handed. No tattoos, no affiliations...nothing.


    ¡°What now?¡± I murmured, eyeing Jack for any sign of a new direction.


    Jack cracked his neck idly, looking over the group of men in thought. ¡°Either way...¡± he said, whirling his knife towards the incapacitated man.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± I yelped, gulping down fear that another man would be cut down in front of me.


    Jack eyed me confusedly. ¡°I''m not going to kill him,¡± Jack said, tearing off several strips of cloth from the man''s shirt with his knife. ¡°In fact...we''re gonna need him.¡±

 7. Interrogation

    ¡°Is this totally necessary?¡± I asked, looking at the intruder bound together between his hands and feet, hogtied on the lavish Venetian couch before us.


    ¡°He did try to kill us,¡± Jack said, ¡°as if you needed a reminder on that.¡±


    The man sent us daggers with his eyes, and growled like a feral dog through the cloth tied in his mouth.


    ¡°Sure you want to be here for this?¡± Jack looked at me, finally dressed in a black clad henley, with his sleeves rolled up, and tight fitting grey jeans. A step down from just the boxer briefs earlier, if you ask me.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded resolutely, but uncertainly.


    Jack shrugged and approached the intruder, yanking the cloth out of the man''s mouth and baring his fangs.


    ¡°I''m not telling you anything, American swine!¡± the man howled, casting a wad of spit at the floor.


    ¡°And we''re off to a good start,¡± Jack groaned.


    ¡°Who do you work for?¡± I cut in, arms crossed over a worn jean jacket that was left by a former lover of the crime kingpin here. The bedazzled jeans weren''t the best either, but they''d do in a pinch...circa 2003.


    ¡°I''ll tell you...¡± the man licked his lips, ¡°for a price, whore!¡±


    WHAM! Jack whacked the man across the face with a firm backhand. ¡°Language.¡±


    The man''s face contorted, as his tongue moved frantically inside his mouth, before fishing out a tooth, which he spat to the ground. ¡°I don''t owe you anything.¡±


    ¡°Hate to break it to you, buddy,¡± Jack sat down across the man on a wobbly ottoman, ¡°but the tooth fairy ain''t coming for that one.¡±


    ¡°What happens when our tooth fairy comes for you...eh?¡± The man shone a toothy grin...or rather toothless.


    I stepped back, feeling anxious, clutching my chest.


    ¡°You think Don Armando takes such transgressions lightly?¡±


    ¡°So that''s who you work for?¡± Jack said, his eyes darting to me as well.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter...we''re all dead anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± I spoke up, ¡°If we''re all dead anyway...why does this...Don Armando want us?¡±


    ¡°Just business. Someone wanted you...wanted the girl.¡± The man rolled his head back and looked up at the ornamented ceiling. ¡°But now...now his business...his reputation...has been damaged too.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Where is the Don now?¡± Jack asked.


    The man laughed, a hearty laugh at that. ¡°He''s everywhere.¡± The man sighed. ¡°You two musta'' really pissed off the wrong people. And now...you pissed off the worst of them all.¡±


    ¡°Clearly,¡± I said, popping my hands on my hips, ¡°you haven''t met my mother.¡±


    Jack glared at me, indicating that now was not the time.


    ¡°I let you live,¡± Jack affirmed, ¡°you tell us where we can find him...hell, you might have a chance of making it outta this country alive then.¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand. It don''t matter who you are...or who you know. The Don always wins.¡±


    ¡°I understand perfectly,¡± Jack said, ¡°he just hasn''t met me yet.¡±


    The man burst into laughter. ¡°I misjudged you, American. You''re a funny one. A standup comedian taking on the Don.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this ''Godfather: Part 2'' stuff,¡± I butt in, ¡°Where do we find him?¡±


    ¡°This one too,¡± he chuckled, coughing on his own saliva. ¡°He''ll find you.¡±


    Jack languished uneasily in his seat. ¡°I''m growing tired of this.¡± He rose and stomped to a small toolbox that he''d brought up from a supply room a short time ago. Wrenching open the rusted iron lid and yanking out a worn set of pliers, Jack scowled menacingly before returning to his seat. ¡°We can even out that smile.¡±


    The man''s brow raised as his joking demeanor vanished.


    ¡°You''ve already talked enough,¡± Jack glared. ¡°Just a few more words, and if they''re not what I want to hear, I''m going to make things difficult.¡±


    ¡°I told you before,¡± the man muttered, ¡°it doesn''t matter.¡± Jack breathed a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Ari, you might want to leave the room.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± I swallowed, shrinking away. ¡°Are...you sure?¡±


    He nodded slowly, and gravely.


    I looked back at the man, his jaw sinking in disbelief.


    ¡°You made this choice,¡± Jack said, grabbing the man by his matted hair and pulling him forward, as he lifted the pliers, chomping them together feverishly.


    ¡°Wait...wait...wait!¡± The man yipped. ¡°The Pequod, that''s his yacht. He''s usually sailing along the Almafi Coast...I swear!¡±


    ¡°See," Jack plunked down the pliers on a side table, "that wasn''t so hard, now was it?¡±


    I sighed in relief on my own. Wait...was that a Moby Dick reference? That screams narcissism to me. Not the best trait in a crazy mafia leader.


    Sweat droplets catapulted off the man''s face, as he shook his head. ¡°They''re definitely gonna kill me now.¡±


    ¡°Who said we weren''t?¡± Jack grinned, brandishing his knife.


    ¡°You said you''d let me live!¡± The man cried, struggling for life.


    ¡°I did...¡± Jack said, bending over into the man, severing the bindings at his hands and feet. ¡°And I''m a man of my word.¡±


    The man sighed, rubbing his wrists. He wasn''t the only one, as I damn near fainted with all this excitement.


    ¡°Even though you did try to kill us,¡± Jack said, stepping back. ¡°Don''t do it again.¡±


    ¡°I won''t,¡± the man shook his head, frazzled. ¡°I promise.¡± He stood at attention. ¡°Stolaro,¡± he added, motioning to himself.


    Jack looked at me, almost waitingly, unsure of what I wanted to do, though knowing what was best, for sure.


    ¡°I''m Ari,¡± I said. ¡°That''s Jack.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Stolaro said, ¡°I hope we meet again some day...under better circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jack said dryly, watching at Stolaro hobbled towards the door. ¡°Less...murderous...circumstances.¡±


    ¡°That was nice,¡± I said reflexively, almost forgetting that he TRIED TO KILL US!


    ¡°We didn''t even get a thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...,¡± I said. ¡°How rude.¡±


    ¡°How are your sea legs?¡± Jack quipped.


    ¡°Not great...I have regular legs.¡±


    ¡°Good enough,¡± Jack affirmed, that winning charm of his always catching me. He''d done it again.


    ¡°You better be careful,¡± I laughed, ¡°I might fall for you.¡± I snapped my mouth shut and turned away from him, very embarrassed by my words...and their potential truth.


    Jack held silent. I could feel his warm gaze cutting through me, though I couldn''t bear to see his face at that moment. Still, I wondered what he thought.


    ¡°Well...we got a mission to take care of first," Jack started up. "I hope you''re well rested, as we have a date...in Rome.¡±

 8. Rome Sweet Rome

    ¡°


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    ¡°Acu?a


    ¡°


    ¡°


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°That''s


    ¡°Elliott Spencer


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°Patty


    ¡°Angus


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°Mr. Beckman


    ¡°


    ¡°Agent McCullogh


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°The Pequod


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°


    ¡°Agent Dubrovka


    ¡°Natalya


    ¡°


    ¡°rougher


    ¡°Pequod


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    ¡°only


    Agentsme


    ¡°

 9. Beauty And The Beast

    ¡°It''s a little tight...no?¡± I said, smoothing out the backside of the short jade dress with a corset like boning, which I had just squeezed into.


    ¡°Looks perfect to me,¡± Jack said, glancing up and down my body, surreptitiously, while polishing some seersucker boating shoes, underneath a loud floral patterned button up, with his sleeves rolled to his toned forearms, and sporting a pair of casual golf shorts. He pulled it off for sure.


    I couldn''t help but beam at his words, even if they did get me to sweat a little bit, hopefully not enough to run my makeup. Shrugging, I turned from the mirror and pouted at Jack, trying to draw his attention. ¡°I don''t know how to do this.¡±


    ¡°How to do what exactly?


    ¡°This,¡± I huffed, motioning to my dress...to everything around me. ¡°I don''t know how to be a spy. I barely know how to flirt with other humans.¡±


    ¡°Just do what you usually do,¡± Jack said, slapping on an expensive looking leather watch.


    ¡°Be awkward?¡± I joked.


    ¡°See, you do know how to do this.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I cried, laughing.


    ¡°Whatever you''re doing...it works...trust me.¡± Jack smiled to himself.


    He wasn''t the only one smiling, as I tucked a long strand of unruly hair behind my ear.


    A knock came at the door, breaking the tender silence. Elliott waltzed into the sleek room of the luxurious Santa Caterina Hotel , after the briefest of courtesy knocks, a laptop tucked firmly under his arm. ¡°Are you both set then?¡±


    ¡°We didn''t need a chaperone,¡± Jack groaned.


    ¡°Everyone always needs an eye in the sky,¡± Elliott championed himself and found a desk to sit at. ¡°It sounds like you just don''t want to be caught doing some hanky panky.¡±


    I audibly gasped at the implication. Though I was beginning to like them. He could certainly keep them coming.


    ¡°Armando has already arrived on the Pequod. I''ll provide support from here.¡± Elliott retrieved small black cases from his pocket and motioned for us to take them.


    I clicked the case open to find a tiny ear piece, before looking to Jack for help on affixing it properly, which he readily did, his hot breath tickling the nape of my neck as he did so.


    ¡°These don''t have a huge radius,¡± Elliott warned. ¡°So don''t stray too far from poolside...or dockside...or I might lose you.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± I nodded, as Jack left my side, begrudgingly. The intoxicating scent of his sandalwood cologne almost drew me along with him.


    ¡°Have fun,¡± Elliott cheered, as we set out.


    Hopefully those aren''t famous last words before our demise, I thought ominously.


    Jack and I wandered down the expansive halls, gazing upon the romantic overview of the coastline from the hotel''s many open air windows. It was nothing like I''d ever experienced before. The ideal of romanticism. Unfortunately for me, my romantic partner for the day, was a rotund and sweaty man, in a light linen short sleeve shirt and shorts, whose gaudy fake jewelry, and glossy bald headed sheen drew our attention from a distance, as we descended to the pool.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Armando was surrounded by beautiful women, and attendants bringing top of the line bottles and accouterments. The man laughed loudly, exuberantly, overcompensating in all manners.


    ¡°I don''t think I have to tell you which one he is,¡± Elliott chimed in over the mic.


    ¡°Top notch spy work as always, Elliott,¡± Jack whispered cheekily.


    ¡°I try,¡± Elliott''s voice buzzed back.


    ¡°So,¡± I said, looking to Jack, ¡°what''s the game plan?¡±


    ¡°Just like I said earlier,¡± a gleam in his eye, ¡°do your thing.¡±


    I could get lost in those eyes forever. In fact, I did, as I suddenly tumbled down the steps in front of us. The worst entrance possible. I dusted myself off and made sure everything was back in their right places.


    ¡°Miss, miss!¡± A gravely voice sounded from a distance. Don Armando was waddling his way over to us.


    ¡°See,¡± Jack bent down and offered a hand.


    ¡°Shut it,¡± I fired back, as he helped me up.


    Don Armando arrived just after the nick of time to assist me, as I had already made a semi-triumphant rise back up. ¡°Are you okay, miss?¡± He seized the opportunity, offering a hairy gold watched bearing palm onto my forearm.


    ¡°Uh yeah,¡± I spoke up, adjusting sunglasses over my eyes. ¡°Just clumsy old me. Thank you though...Mr...?¡±


    ¡°The people call me Don,¡± he said, turning my hand and kissing it deftly, his beady eyes watching me intently as he did so.


    ¡°Thank you Mr. Don,¡± I said, trying not to be sarcastic, but seizing my own moment.


    ¡°No, uh,¡± The Don fumbled his words a bit, before shaking the thought from his mind. ¡°Never mind. Would you care to join me and some of my friends?¡± he asked, pointing to the rollicking group behind him.


    ¡°Uh,¡± I hesitated, and then felt Jack''s elbow nudge my side. ¡°That sounds lovely!¡± I popped. ¡°Would it be alright if I brought a friend of mine?¡± I added, looking at Jack, who beamed confidence.


    ¡°Sure, uh, yeah,¡± The Don said.


    Jack reached out a hand to introduce himself, but was spurned as The Don wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to the group.


    ¡°Great going, Ari,¡± Elliott cut in, bringing a smile to my lips. ¡°Jack, not so much,¡± bringing a frown to his, surely.


    ¡°What''s a beautiful specimen like yourself doing here?¡± The Don flirted, shamelessly at that.


    ¡°What about those...specimens over there?¡± I looked straight ahead at his flock of scantily clad amazons.


    ¡°Eh, you know what I mean,¡± The Don smiled.


    I did. Despite his poor efforts in the art of charm. I guess the millions made up for his shortcomings. ¡°You don''t prefer them?¡± I asked, forcing a smile to my own lips.


    ¡°You could lay a busty blonde anywhere...and I have,¡± The Don wiled at his conquests in an open boast, before noticing his mistake and assumed the thought process of trying to rectify it.


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± I cut in.


    ¡°You''re...different...I can sense it. I know these things.¡± His hand pressed mine firmly.


    ¡°That she is,¡± Jack piped up.


    ¡°Who''s this guy again?¡± The Don spat contemptuously, forgetting his manners and attempts to keep a cool demeanor.


    ¡°It''s my friend...Matt.¡± Jack and I exchanged a glance. Real smooth, his droll expression told me.


    ¡°Does he, uh...¡± The Don leaned in, ¡°does he play for the other team or something?¡±


    Jack''s eyebrows splintered.


    ¡°To be honest,¡± I squeaked, ¡°I think he might.¡±


    Jack''s jaw hit the floor, while I winked playfully at him, under the top of my shades, before a slight smile washed over his face.


    ¡°So, Don,¡± I asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Work,¡± he said, snatching a tall martini off a nearby serving tray.


    ¡°What do you do?¡±


    ¡°A little bit of this, a little bit of that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds interesting. Mysterious¡±


    ¡°You like a little bit of mystery?¡± He grinned.


    ¡°I...love...a good mystery.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can...open up this mystery...tonight?¡± His hand ran up my thigh. Jack grimaced. I hoped I didn''t share his expression.


    ¡°Tonight?¡± I coughed.


    Jack spoke up. ¡°We got that...thing tonight?¡±


    I glared at Jack. Was he ruining the mission out of jealousy!? Can''t say I didn''t enjoy it a little bit.


    "Jack!" Elliott cut in.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, ¡°I think that thing''s tomorrow night actually.¡± I turned back to The Don and twirled my hair. ¡°I''m free tonight.¡±


    "Good save again, Ari," Elliott breathed.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± The Don grinned, a gold tooth shining as brightly as some of his cavities. ¡°We''ll ship off now if we want to catch the sunset.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± I said, flustered, and unprepared for this turn of events.


    ¡°Uh,¡± I stuttered, looking to Jack, ¡°what about Matt?¡±


    ¡°This is a single invitation,¡± The Don affirmed. ¡°He ain''t gonna find what he''s looking for on my boat anyways...unfortunately for him,¡± he added with a laugh.


    I looked back at Jack, who shrugged, and nodded.


    ¡°I''ll lose you on that boat,¡± Elliott popped back in our ears. ¡°Any ideas, Jack?¡±


    Jack held silent for a moment, seemingly battling internally over the mission...and me. ¡°Well...have fun...babe!¡± He winked.


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡±

 10. Sailing Away

    The Pequod glided elegantly into more open waters, showcasing its grandiose exterior under the heavenly rays of sunlight. Fixtures of gold and Italian woods embossed the interior in gaudy spectacle. It was still better than any other luxury yacht I''d ever been on, though that number stands firmly at one still. The Don had taken me on a tour of the ship, boasting about his finest of finishes and the various conquests he''d had over the years in crafting such a beautiful ship. I nodded and smiled at appropriate times, but could only think of Jack throughout everything. However, I was fascinated by the amazing abilities of the deck crew to race around the ship, satisfying every need to be met by The Don''s impeccable standards.


    ¡°Get the toys out,¡± The Don celebrated, as his host of models and associates drank heavily, diving headfirst down the long attached slide into the water, while nearby jet skis made waves around the yacht. Guests dove off the side of the ship, with drinks in hand, in varying states of undress. It was a party boat if I''d ever seen one...and I had never had the displeasure...before today.


    ¡°How ''bout you, doll?¡± The Don asked, guiding me around the multi-storied vessel, while guiding his eyes along my body. ¡°I got an extra bikini with your name on it. Hell, you don''t have to wear one. Fine by me,¡± he winked.


    ¡°I''m fine for now, thank you.¡± I shuddered at the thought, crossing my arms over my chest with indifference.


    ¡°Suit yourself...or don''t.¡± He cackled heartily.


    Suddenly, water splashed powerfully from a nearby hot tub, which had some barely clothed women wrestling with a larger man. A geyser of water shot out and covered me from head to toe. I stood, soaking wet, in a stupor, at my usual streak of luck.


    ¡°Want that suit now??¡± The Don chuckled, pleased with himself.


    I could feel my forehead beginning to glow with white hot rage as I stormed off, forgetting my position, and went down a tunnel to a quiet side of the deck, hurtling down in frustration, and tucking myself away from others.


    A static buzzing hummed in my ear. ¡°Oh no,¡± I said audibly, fishing out the fried earpiece. Busted. This isn''t good. I palmed it for inspection before blowing on it to try and dry the water, shaking it fruitlessly in the air, as I tested it again. Putting it to my ear, I listened again. Still nothing. Great, now I''m all alone, with no one to call, and no one to save me but myself. I exhaled and dropped the earpiece overboard with mounting exhaustion.


    ¡°Hey, those are expensive,¡± a familiar voice sounded from behind me.


    I turned to find the tight outfit of a deckhand before me, sporting a bushy fake mustache. ¡°Jack! What are you doing here?¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Trying to save this mission, of course,¡± he sidled close to me. ¡°And by the looks of it, I could''ve saved the taxpayers some money if I was quicker too," he peeked overboard at where the earpiece met its final demise.


    ¡°How''d you sneak aboard?¡±


    ¡°I knocked out one of the deckhands and took his clothes?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No, I gave him some cash and he handed it over willingly,¡± Jack smiled. ¡°We don''t always have to resort to violence.¡±


    ¡°Well, I might have to, if I''m stuck with this ogre any longer,¡± I pouted.


    ¡°What happened to that show of bravery earlier?¡± Jack grinned.


    I huffed, remembering the confident show I''d put on.


    ¡°I still believe in you,¡± Jack''s eyes shone upon me.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I beamed back at him.


    Jack''s eyes trailed downward, a glint shimmering in them. ¡°Though you may want to towel off first,¡± he handed over a towel.


    I quickly accepted his towel after noticing my form fitting dress, pronouncing even more than I''d like...in the current moment.


    ¡°I''ll be here,¡± Jack said,¡± his ears perking with footsteps coming from behind him, with a slight head turn in acknowledgment. ¡°It''s almost sunset.¡±


    I nodded resolutely, toweling water out of my hair now.


    ¡°I won''t let him do anything to you.¡± He said. "I promise." He added reassuringly, before skirting off.


    After making myself right, as right as I could, I returned to the main deck, all the while looking for Jack, but unable to spot him in the busy atmosphere. I did find The Don cavorting with one of his associates in overt disarray.


    ¡°I told you to get it done,¡± The Don hissed.


    ¡°We can''t find him, Don, he''s gone missing.¡±


    ¡°He couldn''t get the job done, and now you can''t get the job done. That little rat. I''d like to string him up myself.¡±


    ¡°We''ll find him, Don, we''ll find him.¡±


    ¡°You better, or the next one getting strung up...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°What''s all the commotion about?¡± I sauntered up, trying on my feminine wiles again, while gathering that that our old friend Stolaro had made the slip after all.


    ¡°Nothing, sweetheart,¡± The Don''s tone changed, ¡°just work. Nothing a gem like you''d want to be privy to,¡± he took my hand and planted a kiss on my shoulder.


    Ick. I felt an icy chill race up and down my spine at the same time.


    ¡°How about that sunset you promised?¡± I said, looking up towards the sky, which was brimming with a romantic orange glow, almost close to dipping already.


    ¡°It''s something, isn''t it?¡± He held my shoulders firmly from behind me.


    I suddenly realized the fault in my efforts, as the sun rapidly lowered over the horizon. I had no plan to even get the information from him! I stood frozen, trying to figure out a move before our time was up. Time to call an audible.


    ¡°Mind if I use your private bathroom to freshen up? I''ll be right back out.¡±


    ¡°Better yet,¡± The Don ran his rough hands along the nape of my neck. ¡°We''ll start the fireworks out here after the sunset. Why don''t we enjoy them from my private quarters?¡±


    ¡°Private...quarters...?¡± I gulped, looking around for Jack, and still unable to find him anywhere, my nerves setting in now. I cracked an uneasy smile, laughing awkwardly as wobbled on my rubbery legs. ¡°Uh...I thought you''d never ask.¡±

 11. Reading Between The Lines

    The skies were alight with the colors of magic bursting up through Don Armando''s large circular sea gazing window at the head of his cabin, and raining down in a crescendo of explosive flame.


    I felt a clammy finger trace down the back of my thigh, as a shock to my system jolted me a few feet away from The Don, in the expansive candlelit room, which also served as a study, shelves brimming with surely untouched books.


    ¡°Quite a show, huh?¡± The Don moaned, staring me up and down, licking his chops.


    ¡°That it is,¡± I sold tactfully, running my fingers along the bindings of the many neatly organized tomes collecting dust along his darkly varnished fixtures. ¡°I love a man who''s well read,¡± I added, trying to put on a seductive inflection in my voice.


    ¡°That''s me, baby,¡± The Don said, grabbing my arm and swinging me back around to face his ogreish mug. ¡°I could read you like a book.¡±


    Not sure that one even made any sense. I wished he was more inebriated for a line of that caliber to roll on out. For his sake, I wasn''t too sure though.


    ¡°How about this...¡± I twirled back out of his arms and scanned the titles as quickly as I could. ¡°Why don''t you...read something to me?¡± I pursed a finger to my lip, like they do in the movies. Stupid and cliche, I know, but could it really work?


    ¡°Oh baby,¡± The Don reached past me with a sigh. ¡°You know how to get me all hot and bothered.¡±


    Not sure why I even questioned it.


    ¡°How about this one?¡± The Don pulled out a thick text, eying me with deft precision.


    ¡°The DaVinci Code?¡± I couldn''t help but feel my face scrunch, as I gently directed his hand back to the shelf. ¡°Maybe something else?¡± I groaned. ¡°How about...¡± I found it, and yanked it quickly from its spot, particles of dust fluttering off, fleeing their immortal prison, ¡°This one?¡±


    The Don''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh no,¡± he said, ¡°we can''t do Moby Dick.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I pouted, gripping the book tightly as he tried to pull it away. ¡°It''s my favorite. I love di--.¡±


    ¡°No can do sweetheart,¡± he lurched forward, sweat beating off his brow.


    I was never so glad for a man to interrupt me before. Still, I pushed off of him and trotted away. ¡°It''s not one of your favorites? I noticed the Pequod. A man with literary taste is captivating.¡± I quickly scrambled to open it.


    The pages flew by, racing past each other with rapidity and fell upon some neatly folded documents in the center. ¡°What are these?¡± I ventured, retrieving them from their bookmark position. ¡°Someone left some notes in this copy,¡± I chided, pushing my luck.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± The Don shouted, dropping his own book and slamming mine shut, but not before I''d retrieved the slip, and held it to my backside tightly. ¡°You broads just don''t listen. Dumb, dumb, broads,¡± he mumbled loudly, bringing the book back to the shelf.


    I couldn''t help but sneak a peak while he was occupied. Raising the paper, I unfolded it. It looked like an official memorandum about a large donation made to a certainly fake charity group called ''Armando Cares For Kids.'' Not very inventive. Awarded by a non-profit called ''CHARADES.'' If that wasn''t a sign of malfeasance, I don''t know what was. Wait...a $20 million dollar donation! These were deep pockets. Dangerous pockets.


    ¡°Didn''t I just tell you not to be a dumb broad,¡± The Don said, snatching my wrist and jerking me towards him. Rage twitched in his eyes as he spotted the open note. ¡°You shouldn''t have done that.¡± He tore the note from my hands. ¡°That''s personal business.¡±


    ¡°Fake donations are personal business?¡± I couldn''t help myself. A trait that seemingly never worked in my favor.¡±


    The Don whipped back around. ¡°What''d you just say?¡± He yelled, accosting my elbow and pulled me in. ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°Willing to take any payment for a life, right?¡± I said, struggling to pull my arm from his grip.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Then, recognition. His narrowing eyes relaxed. ¡°You''re an even dumber broad than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Got no other material, eh?¡± I pushed at him.


    ¡°My white whale. You rarely get a second chance. ¡± He tightened his grip, my flesh paling with pressure at the edges


    ¡°Not today, Ahab!¡± I stomped down on his foot, causing him to yelp in pain, while the fireworks finale began crackling off all around us, pulsating the room with sound and a disorienting palette of colors.


    I made way for the door, but his hand caught my foot and sent me tumbling to the ground.


    ¡°You not getting away this time!¡± he yelled, clawing at my legs.


    Kicking backwards, I tried to shoo him off, but he climbed up me and twisted my body to face him, his hands finding my neck.


    ¡°I''ll make this quick,¡± he snarled, applying pressure.


    The airways locked, I fought violently against him, flailing as best as I could, but to no avail. Was this how it ends? I searched around me for any sign of Jack...of anyone. Feeling the floor around me, when suddenly, my hand fell upon something hard, and thick. My fingers wrapped around it and raised it with gusto. The book smacked into The Don''s head, sending him reeling in pain.


    ¡°You...you!" He frothed at the mouth. "I''ll kill you!¡±


    And I could kiss you, Dan Brown, I thought, looking at the blunted corner of The DaVinci Code. Thank god for hardcovers. Returning to the moment, I picked myself up and raced for the door, my hand reaching the doorknob, before his pounded on the frame, holding it shut.


    ¡°Not happening!¡± He cried, pulling me around to face him. ¡°You''ll be at the bottom of the sea by the end of the night.¡± A manic look shone from his eyes, and fear from mine, the fireworks reaching their grand finale.


    CRASH! The glass window behind us shattered inward, as a darkened figure swooped in and landed to the ground with ease.


    The familiar figure rose in shadows, partially illuminated by the spectacle of lights behind it. Jack rose and sent chills down The Don''s spine with a glare. The Don''s jaw dropped, as he fell to his knees, trying to pick up pieces. ¡°That''s a $40,000 dollar piece of glass!¡±


    Jack perked his head in confusion, looking at me.


    ¡°My bosun just destroyed a $40,000 dollar custom pane!¡±


    ¡°Firstly,¡± Jack said, ¡°not a bosun, second, I know a guy who could get that done for $150 tops.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± The Don shouted, hurtling towards him, before Jack dealt a swift chop to his neck and tossed him onto his pile of shards with judo finesse.


    ¡°''Sorry I was late,¡± Jack said, rushing to my side. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded rubbing my throat.


    His touch ran along it, a graze paining tenderly. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He frowned, disappointed at himself.


    ¡°It''s okay,¡± I said, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. ¡°You''re here now.¡±


    He smiled slightly. ¡°I was procuring our ticket outta here,¡± he said, jingling a pair of keys before me.


    ¡°Outta here!¡± The Don screamed, pulling himself up to his feet and flicking open a small glass case containing a red button before his fist mashed down on it. ¡°You''re not going anywhere!¡±

 12. Dark And Stormy

    ¡°Battle stations!¡± The Don screamed at the top of his lungs, after hammering a red button under a glass case affixed to his desk. An alarm wailed, along with red flashing lights inside his cabin, and presumably everywhere else on the vessel. It reminded me of Jack and my first encounter on the train. It felt so long ago, yet still so recent. No time to reminisce now though!


    The Don fished in his desk for a weapon of some sort. ¡°I''m going to end you!¡±


    I gripped onto Jack''s arm in nervous anticipation, before he patted my hand calmly and slipped past me.


    ¡°You got the intel, right?¡± Jack said, looking back at me as he walked towards The Don.


    ¡°That''s right...¡± I started. ¡°Sorta.¡±


    ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Jack retorted as he reached the frantic Don. ¡°Sorry Don, we put away all the toys, save for one, ours,¡± Jack continued, grabbing the oafish man by the back collar of his oversized shirt,¡± you''re just gonna have to enjoy the sea air with a midnight swim by yourself.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± The Don struggled back mightily, before Jack tossed him through the shattered window, hollering obscenities all the way down.


    I gasped. ¡°What if he drowns?¡±


    Jack spent no time admiring his work and motored back to the door. ¡°A man with that much hot air will rise.¡±


    BOOM! The unmistakable sound of thunder coalesced over us and shook the cabin. We both froze and looked at each other.


    ¡°Feeling a little bad now?¡±


    ¡°He''s still got a chance.¡±


    KACHOOM! A flash of visceral yellow lightening shot down from the heavens and illuminated the room.


    ¡°Okay, slightly,¡± Jack deadpanned guiltily.


    Grabbing the doorknob, Jack opened the door ajar and peered out, before flagging me behind him. ¡°On my lead,¡± he whispered. I nodded affirmatively.


    We crept down the dimly lit halls, listening for footsteps.


    ¡°This whole siren thing is getting old,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You get accustomed to it. Every evil lair has one,¡± Jack whispered back, slinking further down the hallway. ¡°It''s the installations...Home Depot must make a killing.¡±


    Footsteps clomped down an adjacent hall, bringing about quiet from us.


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    ¡°Won''t they know we''re here?¡± I spoke in hushed tones.


    ¡°That''s the problem...or was...until that sea beast plummeted into the water. Not focused on us now.¡± Jack flagged me around a corner with him, as we bumped into two armed deckhands.


    ¡°You were saying!¡± I yelped.


    Jack thrust an uppercut into one man, and sent him and his large knife flying. The blade arrowed upwards and stuck right into the ceiling above us, like a pencil in of a rowdy elementary school classroom.


    The other deckhand slashed forward with his own blade, but Jack hopped back, grabbed a firm hold of the knife overhead and swung feet forward, toppling the deckhand.


    ¡°C''mon,¡± Jack said, landing on his feet, ¡°we gotta boat to catch.¡±


    I followed Jack, ever in awe, as we ran down the halls, kicking my shoes off along the way.


    We came upon another group of two, which Jack handled with similar ease before we found ourselves fully topside.


    ¡°To the back,¡± Jack pointed, rounding the bend and coming upon steps to the ramp for water toys and vehicles in a cargo hold area.


    ¡°There''s our ride,¡± Jack said, motioning to a small jet ski floating in the rough dark waves.


    Jack hopped on and held out a hand for me to climb on back.


    I fumbled the grip before stumbling on awkwardly, as usual.


    Jack pulled out the keys and inserted them, turning for ignition.


    The engine sputtered.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± I said, looking over his shoulder.


    Jack tried it again and again, it clicking emptily with each attempt. ¡°Nothing,¡± Jack said, cursing the cheap piece of junk under his breath.


    ¡°Doesn''t sound like nothing.¡±


    ¡°There they are!¡± Other deckhands yelled from the main deck nearby.


    ¡°Do you want me to try?¡± I asked.


    Jack twisted and turned over and over. ¡°I don''t need any backseat boating, thank you,¡± Jack quipped.


    The deckhands were hurtling down the stairs now.


    ¡°Jack...!¡± I tapped him frantically.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Jack yelled, as the engine purred to life.


    Jack kicked it into high gear as we throttled away from the ship, while I latched on tightly around his waist.


    ¡°Get them!¡± the familiar voice of The Don gargled from nearby us, as he bobbed along in a lifebuoy and was surrounded by lowering crew members from the ship.


    I couldn''t help but laugh at the image of The Don stuffed into the ring, the angry little sausage he was. A sense of relief washed over me, until I looked behind us, and saw other jet skis revving up. ¡°Uh, Jack, I think we got a problem.¡±


    ¡°You got that right,¡± Jack said.


    I looked ahead of us to see a sheet of rain emptying from the skies, accompanying lightening bolts striking downward.


    ¡°Oh great, where do we go now!?¡±


    ¡°We''ll lose them in the storm!¡±


    BANG! BANG! BANG! The sounds of gunfire erupted from behind us, but were almost lost in the thunder sounding from the heavens.


    ¡°That''s crazy!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Got any better ideas?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± I howled, shaking my head to try and whip the torrential rain off my face. ¡°Why don''t I just open map-quest real quick!¡±


    Jack whirled the jet ski in another direction, trying to shake the tailing deckhands, crashing through the rebellious waves.


    The jet skis continued in hot pursuit, but almost collided with each other at a another sharp turn of Jack''s.


    ¡°Keep doing what you''re doing,¡± I yelled.


    ¡°You got it!¡±


    Jack maneuvered the beast with ease, despite all elements attacking us.


    ¡°I got an idea,¡± Jack added. ¡°Hold on as tight as you ever have.¡±


    ¡°How reassuring!¡±


    Jack steadied the jet ski in the direction of large crashing mounds of waves, pouncing atop each other viciously, as nightmarishly dark clouds loomed ahead of us.


    ¡°Jack, I don''t know about this!¡±


    ¡°Trust me!¡±


    I do, and always will, I thought to myself, tightening my grip, and laying my head against his soaked back.


    Suddenly, we entered the danger zone, and I felt my grip loosen around him, as the jet ski flew uncontrollably in the air, and I lost my bearings, flying off into the water.


    ¡°Jack!¡±I cried, reaching out to him, before the blackness of the sea overtook me.

 13. Lost

    Ahhh! Air rushed into my lungs and back out with exhilaration, as my eyes shot open, blinking away the harsh sunlight searing down from the cloudless blue above.


    A shadow crept over my face and blocked the light. ¡°That was a close one, huh?¡± Jack''s brow unfurled, and a sense of ease overcame him.


    ¡°A close one?¡± I mumbled, trying to recall anything past the darkness of the raging seas.


    ¡°Yeah, you had quite a scare here. You don''t remember the compressions?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Well...everything is on-the-ups now, right? Got a little rest too.¡±


    ¡°A little rest?¡± I groaned, unable to consult my anger in this state. ¡°You pulled me to shore?¡± I said, rubbing my forehead circularly to will away the nagging headache due to dehydration...and nearly drowning, I presumed.


    ¡°With a little training and a little more luck,¡± he winked. ¡°See, I told you we''d be fine.¡±


    ¡°Is this what fine feels like,¡± I squinted, praying for clouds to blot out the sun.


    ¡°That,¡± he nodded to me, ¡°not so much, but this...¡± he turned to acknowledge a lit stone fire pit that was a makeshift construction, using random debris, billowing a small stack of smoke under a large pair of skewered fish...mouth watering...tantalizing fish. ¡°Maybe this fits the bill more.¡±


    Mere moments later, I found myself voraciously tearing off the fleshy flake exterior , surely adding to the look of a deranged and disheveled woman who''d just washed ashore a random island with nothing besides a thicket of forestry behind her.


    ¡°I''d be more angry if this wasn''t so good,¡± I muttered in between oversized bites.


    ¡°Seconds?¡± A shirtless Jack did his best Aquaman impression, his glimmering pecs rising out of the water slowly, and just as exciting, another pair of skewered fish flopping faintly at the end of his metal rod. The makeshift spear that is.


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    Jack affixed the spear over the flames, and safely handled some water he''d boiled using an old pot that had conveniently found its way across the seas. It reached for it rapidly. It went down smooth and easy, unlike the situation we were facing.


    ¡°Has anyone tried to contact us?¡± I asked, sipping in huge gulps.


    Jack looked at a comm-link bracelet that was sitting on a stone near the fire. ¡°Base will be able to track us to this location...¡±


    ¡°Phew,¡± I exhaled. ¡°That''s a relief.¡±


    ¡°Assuming it still works,¡± he added, picking up the comm-link and shaking little droplets of water out of its sides.


    I slumped back on my knees, defeated. ¡°Maybe you should''ve led with that.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been in much worse. Siberia 2019...¡± Jack started up in reminiscence.


    ¡°How about here 2023?¡±


    Jack brandished a sheepish grin, once he saw my own, even briefly. ¡°I promised I''d never let anything happen to you...¡± his tone grew serious, ¡°and I''m a man of my word.¡±


    The sun dipped in orange, while time seemed to stop upon our gazes. Wild chirping cut through, along with the shaking of brush around us.


    ¡°Maybe we''d better get working on a shelter.¡± Jack said, following my startled eyes to the brush behind us.


    I watched on in my usual state of fawning, as Jack used a fashioned piece of metal to chop through the thicket and tie together pieces to construct a roof next to a tree a little ways into the depths of the secluded island forest. I helped as best as I could, mainly by collecting leaves to help pad the ground, and see what type of shiplap Jack could somehow manifest out of sand and dreams for this new construction.


    As the darkness fell upon us, Jack helped migrate the fire to nearby, and gave me the grand tour of our new home for the night. The life I always dreamed of...but this was a starter home, for sure. ¡°You can stay in here, and I''ll keep watch outside.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I countered, ¡°you stay in here, and I''ll keep watch outside.¡±


    Jack laughed. ¡°I built this shelter for you.¡±


    The wild sounds uttered by creatures veiled in darkness cut through our conversation with their night moves and dangerous inflections.


    ¡°There''s room for both of us,¡± I started up.


    Jack smiled. ¡°Is that fine with you?¡±


    I nodded overeager, ¡°of course!¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jack said, as we sank to the matted floor.


    ¡°You did a nice job on the shelter.¡±


    ¡°Thanks...Siberia 2019.¡± He grinned.


    I shook my head, amused, as we lay next to each other. Close to his face. Taking in his amber lit eyes reflecting flame by the fireside.


    A chill of cold prickled my skin. The cold you always hear about.


    ¡°Ever seen Naked and Afraid?¡± I asked, unsure of where I was going with it.


    Jack winced playfully. ¡°Unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°Don''t they say...¡± I spoke slowly, sheepishly, softly, averting my eyes from his steely gaze.¡°That skin to skin is what you should do at night. To keep away the cold...¡± I couldn''t believe what just came out of my mouth!


    Jack stayed quiet for a minute, his expressions softening as well. ¡°I have heard that...¡±


    ¡°Um...should we?¡±


    ¡°....¡±

 14. Alone On An Island

    Our balmy bare skin grazed gently as we lay back to back on our sides looking outward into the dimly lit outlines of the brush beyond, shadows inflamed by the recently stoked fire before us. It crackled and spit with each passing moment, a yule log to our undesired island camping trip, though turning my desirable with each passing moment. I could feel my rosy cheeks burning, but was it the fire...or the warm body of Jack beside me in the refreshingly brisk night air.


    ¡°Are you comfortable?¡± Jack said, breaking the silence, and arching his head over to look at me.


    ¡°I said no peaking,¡± I choked out, playfully.


    ¡°I abide,¡± Jack said, with a chuckle, before returning to silence.


    ¡°Are any of us truly comfortable?¡± I asked, waxing poetically, unsure why I posited the thought.


    ¡°That sounds like a question for someone of a higher standing.¡±


    My head whipped back in astonished recoil. ¡°You''re a smart guy. You''re a secret agent, for god''s sake!¡±


    ¡°Those questions though,¡± Jack softened. ¡°Not sure they''re the kind I could answer, is all.¡±


    ¡°Are you comfortable?¡± I questioned, turning my head slightly.


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°In any way? With your job...your life?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking if I''m happy?¡±


    ¡°....¡± I held silent. Was I?


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± Jack started up again. ¡°I guess I''m just happy to have a needed skill-set. To help my country, to help the people who can''t help themselves.¡±


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    ¡°What about your family?¡± I followed up. ¡°How do they feel about what you do?¡± I paused, realizing the ridiculous nature of asking a secret agent what his family thinks of his job.


    ¡°No, it''s okay,¡± Jack said, already understanding my faux pas. ¡°My Dad would never be happy with anything I did. I never compared to Chase.¡±


    ¡°Chase?¡±


    ¡°Star lacrosse player, ace in academics. Everything he did was impeccable. Even your teachers hold you to the standard of your brother. He paved the way, and you''re supposed to follow...no...be better. That wasn''t the case though.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure you did your best.¡± I frowned, turning and laying an arm on his shoulder and spotting his sullen eyes.


    ¡°Chase somehow scored a high position after ROTC, successful for years. Even though he was only two years older, he felt like he was worlds ahead.¡± Jack sighed. ¡°He went missing in Grenada during some classified operation several years back...¡±


    ¡°He was a spy too?¡±


    ¡°Green Beret.¡±


    My heart sank. ¡°I''m so sorry, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be,¡± Jack turned further away from me. ¡°It''s the risk we take. Anything to make it out.¡± Jack shook his head slightly, trying to remove the thoughts plaguing his mind. ¡°How about you?¡±


    "Happy?" My head slumped back on his silky shoulder. ¡°I guess.¡±


    ¡°Not very reassuring,¡± Jack piped up.


    ¡°I was ready to capture the dream...until all of this happened.¡±


    ¡°What made you want to be a librarian?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know...¡± I started up, looking at the twinkling stars dancing in and out through the crowed treetops above. ¡°Whenever my Dad would be away from my Mom and I, he''d always bring back a book from the places he traveled to. I could only imagine the hands it touched, the places it''d been, before it reached my own. Oh, the things it had seen.¡±


    Jack nodded slowly, taking it in.


    ¡°I missed him so much...but whenever he''d return home...it was like he took back a part of his journey with him...for me.¡±


    ¡°That''s really special,¡± Jack said, rolling and crossing his arms behind his head to share my view of the sky.


    ¡°Yeah, it was...he inspired me." I fell into remembrance. "I just want to protect him, through all of this."


    Jack remained silent for a moment, in understanding. ¡°You inspire me, Ari,¡± Jack said, his tone firm,¡°You know that?¡±


    I smiled inwardly, which quickly expounded outward. ¡°Thanks Jack,¡± I turned to look at him, as he shifted to face me, our eyes not wandering elsewhere...when they certainly could have.


    ¡°I know our meeting wasn''t ideal...¡± he continued, ¡°but I''m glad I met you.¡± Jack said, brushing a strand of hair away from my eye.


    My eyes darted to and from his own, the amber glow inviting to his lips. We closed on each other, slowly, inches away.


    Suddenly, before we could make contact, the wind swept up in a vortex, a fluorescent spotlight shooting through the brush and narrowed on us. The loudly whirring blades of the helicopter above were previously drowned out by our intimacy...until now, and stopping us just short of a kiss much longed for. Again with these interruptions! It was becoming a real problem!


    We pulled away from each other.


    ¡°I guess that''s our ride,¡± Jack spoke up, deflated.


    Never could I have thought of a worse time to be saved.

 15. Check Out The Library

    ¡°A day off?¡± The words rattled incredulously my mind, while replaying the conversation from earlier.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Jack affirmed. You''ve done a lot already. You need time to recharge.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean I''m part of the team?¡±


    Jack tilted his head in thought. ¡°That''s not my call to make...and personally...¡± he trailed off.


    ¡°I know, ''it''s too dangerous,'' you keep saying.¡±


    Jack arched his brow knowingly, before digging deep into his jacket pocket. ¡°Here''s a stipend though, for your time...and lost wages.¡± A rubber banded wad of euros emerged and slipped into my palm.


    ¡°That''s it?¡± I scoffed in jest.


    ¡°No,¡± Jack shook his head, and clasped a black bracelet around my wrist. ¡°For tracking, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Think I''m gonna run off with someone else?¡± I grinned.


    ¡°I''m more concerned about someone running off with you.¡±


    I nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I''ll be okay, I''m resourceful.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jack smiled.


    That smile lingered in my mind, until I found my feet had taken me in front of the grand Biblioteca Angelica, in all its glory. I knew I couldn''t resist, and found myself in no sense of danger, so it was time to check in...or at least, check out, the career I could''ve had.


    Upon entering and climbing the wide steps, I returned to the world of my passions; the rich scent of musty Augustan Manuscripts and various tomes reaching back to the 1600s, the sprawling shelves inlaid with texts from new and old ages, and the sliding library ladder, one of my favorite things, of course. It was the world of my dreams...and I''d lost it before I could even grasp it. Not that I blamed Jack, nor anyone else...but from one dream to another, his visage flashed in my mind.


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    I wandered throughout the public library endlessly, skimming through a wide assortment of books before I''d realized the hours had slipped away from me as well. The clock ticked loudly in my thoughts, as I''d noticed closing time was around the corner. The general public and sightseers had fled for the day, and left me to my own devices. However, I spotted a lone worked , her thick framed glasses dangling around a chain at her neck, while she shuffled some paperwork. I still felt like I should mention something about my lack of showing up for the job I''d tried so hard to attain.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I said, traipsing up to the desk.


    The woman refused to look up from her paperwork. ¡°The library''s closing soon.¡±


    ¡°I''m aware,¡± I followed up. ¡°I actually had something else...¡±


    ¡°We''re not buying anything.¡± she cut back flatly.


    ¡°I''m not soliciting.¡±


    ¡°Not today.¡±she harangued me, proud and defiant.


    ¡°No, was actually hired here, for a job.¡±


    ¡°You''ll have to come back tomorrow then, the day''s almost over.¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand, my name is Ariana Hart, I was supposed to start here--¡±


    ¡°Is this a joke?¡± The woman raised her eyes and shot daggers at me.


    ¡°Uh, no?¡± I looked on in confusion.


    ¡°Listen,¡± she hissed, ¡°if you''re some friend of hers coming in on some kind of prank, I don''t have time for it.¡±


    ¡°I...I don''t understand.¡±


    ¡°Ariana Hart came in last week, said that she couldn''t take the job and had other obligations.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I stepped back, flabbergasted. ¡°But I''m Ariana Hart.¡±


    ¡°I guess I''m Ariana Hart too then,¡± the woman snidely replied.


    ¡°This is serious,¡± I said, pawing for my bag with ID in it.


    ¡°Take it up with someone else tomorrow, I''m off the clock,¡± she said, glancing at her watch and walking elsewhere. ¡°Exit''s that way,¡± she pointed annoyed.


    I sighed in frustration. Was someone pretending to be me? I had to tell Jack...things didn''t seem right.


    As I sullenly walked towards the exit, I spotted a bald man, of readily built stature. He was dressed in a black suit, and leaned on one wall of the entryway, his arms crossed coolly while sporting slim black sunglasses. I clutched onto my bag tighter, as I approached.


    Suddenly, he stepped out into the center of the entryway, reaching deep inside his interior breast pocket. A pair of black leather gloves appeared, which he slipped on with ease, stretching his hands in them.


    I stopped in hesitation, feeling sweat lining my brow. Something else was not right here.


    The man held a moment, before he began walking toward me with malintent, a soulless grin plastered across his face and a dark gleam in his eye.


    I stumbled backwards. Fear brimming in my heart as it raced wildly. Something was definitely not right!

 16. Silence

    Frenzied footsteps echoed throughout the halls as I fled from the dangerous, yet sleek, looking bald man in the suit, who''d blocked the library exit. Rounding corner after corner, I searched for a reprieve from the endless shelves and languishing texts in a variety of sections, with the man still slowly, tauntingly, pursuing at a walker''s pace.


    Still, no exit sign made itself known during the heart-racing ordeal. Stopping to catch my breath, and feeling my chest cavity pulsating with a frightened fervor, I hid behind a half wall to catalogue the efforts of my pursuer.


    No one was there. I looked all around the visible areas, peeking out with fearful precision.


    I wasn''t imagining anything...was I? In my efforts to prove how strong and independent I was, I''d assured everyone that I felt safe...but maybe that wasn''t entirely the truth with the situation at hand.


    Could I have perceived that man as a dangerous assailant, when he may have just been a regular guy? Maybe I''d even imagined him altogether?! Scattered thoughts hurtled endlessly within my mind, bouncing around with disastrous implications.


    CREAK. Something sounded from somewhere in the large room, and caused a jolt deep in my bones. The man quickly passed between a set of tall standing shelves and disappeared from sight, moving with greater rapidity than before.


    Drawing closer, I determined it was time to move, and sprinted down an adjacent hall, now hearing clapping shoes bounding from a distance behind me. The walking tour seemingly ended, but I wasn''t about to look back to confirm my thoughts.


    As I entered a wider clearing, I rounded into a long room that was lined with desks, and another exit towards the back. Motoring towards the back, I slid behind a larger desk that offered full coverage, sidled up to walls of stocked books, and a glass frame with an old text emblazoned in front of me. Resting a hand on a nearby sliding library ladder, I looked up and over to search the area I''d just come from.


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    Silence permeated the library, the man now gone from my presence, and the room empty from all angles. I watched on for minutes longer, but no one ever came through. Sitting back on my knees, I sighed relief. Maybe I''d lost him.


    Just then, a glint shone in the reflection of the glass piece in front of me. A thin metal wire was unwound, glistening under the amber lights, and shone the man entering the room behind me, and in for the kill.


    Pushing off the rolling ladder, It slid around and surprised the man, as he avoided it with a step backward and I raced back through to the opposite end of the room where I''d just came from.


    Keeping the pressure on, I ventured down all the ways I''d come from until I hit a cross section, where the the man skidded in from a side hall, cutting me off again.


    Pivoting, I skirted down another hall and found my way through another area which looped me back around and into the main entry hall. I used the last of my energy to push past the exit and down the steps into the open air of the Rome.


    Twisting as I worked my way down the steps and onto solid ground, I looked behind me for any sign of my pursuer. but no one was there.


    AH! I yelped as I bumped into someone else, feeling arms wrapping around me.


    ¡°Too many of those scary books in there?¡± A familiar voice quipped, as Jack smiled that cheeky grin...which sometimes I just hated...loved to hate...okay, loved in general, especially now.


    ¡°Are you following me?¡± I asked abruptly, in confusion.


    ¡°No, just came to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°How''d you know I was here?¡± I gasped for air.


    He tapped the bracelet on my wrist with his pointer finger, while holding my hand gently.


    I cycled air profusely, as I head tipped up and down. ¡°Someone was following me...tried to kill me...a bald man in a nice suit.¡±


    ¡°Sure he just didn''t want your number?¡±


    ¡°The razor wire was a good enough sign.¡±


    Jack''s head tilted, playing with the thoughts in his mind. ¡°Sounds like a professional this time. Knew I shouldn''t have let you out of my sight. Wait...¡± his demeanor turned grim. ¡°Did you say he was bald?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded, ¡°how come?¡±


    Jack breathed hard. ¡°Things just became much more complicated.¡±

 17. Debriefing

    ¡°A hitman, you say?¡± Beckman mumbled, as he slid his spectacles back up along the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°Not just a hitman,¡± Jack spoke up, ¡°it''s him, I''m sure of it.¡±


    Beckman paused, engaged in a grave stare with Jack. ¡°And you got a good look at this man?¡± Beckman said, swiveling in his chair to face my dejected expression seated before him, eyes drifting into the pristine glass space of his office beneath the Pantheon.


    I nodded, slipping back into my memory of a narrow escape at the library earlier. ¡°Bald and well dressed.¡±


    Beckman glanced back out of the corner of his eye to Jack beside me. A pensive indication. He whetted his lips. ¡°You''re safe now. No need to worry further.¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡± I went to speak up, bouncing gazes between Jack and Beckman.


    Jack''s lips broke, as he ventured a word.


    ¡°None of your concern,¡± Beckman cut in. ¡°We have a lead on the non-profit."


    ¡°Her safety is our concern,¡± Jack powered through.


    ¡°Perhaps, Agent Welker,¡± Beckman''s tone grew cold, ¡°this is the best chance at procuring a safe ending for Ms. Hart, along with many other innocents. Or do you disagree?¡±


    Jack''s eyes fluttered with indeterminate thought, while he remained silent.


    ¡°Very good, I''m glad we''re in agreement then,¡± Beckman''s voice returned to normal. ¡°CHARADES is operating a benefit at the Teatro dell''Opera di Roma to be exact.¡±


    ¡°Just a bus stop away, how convenient,¡± I piped up.


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    ¡°No problem, I''ll go in, and make it quick,¡± Jack said, not acknowledging me at all.


    ¡°Not alone,¡± Beckman affirmed.


    I couldn''t bear to hide my grin. I was excited to be with Jack and get another mission under my belt. Danger felt a little more safe with him around...and fun. Not to mention, a trip to the Opera would certainly be romantic.


    ¡°Perhaps this would be more suitable for an actual agent,¡± Jack coughed, still not daring to look my way. ¡°One with experience.¡±


    A mouth dropped to the floor. I couldn''t say whose it was, but she was fabulous, and angry.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± Beckman agreed, adding another to my list. His hand openly motioned to the door behind us.


    In walked Europe''s top model and my worst nightmare.


    ¡°Agent Dubrovka,¡± Beckman said, ¡°perfect timing as always.¡±


    Maybe for men and women aged 16-95, but no one else! My mind raced bitterly.


    Jack''s gaze inadvertently turned to me, unsure of what his eyes were even saying, though his brow waved nervously.


    Natalya brushed up against Jack''s shoulder, her long black hair tickling the side of his neck as she stepped by, her hands planting firmly on her well formed hips. An annoyed head tipped in expectation. ¡°What''s the mission?¡± A thick and enveloping accent dripped out.


    ¡°Hold up,¡± Jack pushed past Natalya. ¡°I didn''t say her!¡± he pointed back abruptly.


    ¡°You asked for someone qualified, and there''s no one else available that suits the task.¡±


    ¡°What about McCullogh?¡±


    ¡°On assignment in Belgrade.¡±


    Jack clenched his fists and turned away.


    ¡°I can muster up Elliott if you''d prefer,¡± Beckman plowed forth with an unusual joke for him.


    Jack swore under his breath, while Natalya shot daggers at him.


    ¡°You two will enter the benefit as a couple of wealthy socialites and find out what you can. Yanni Svensson is the fundraiser for the gathering, and works mid to upper level Charades events. Find him and see if you can--¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± I broke in.


    ¡°You''ll stay here, of course, where it''s safe,¡± Beckman answered. ¡°There''s sleeping quarters down the hall.¡±


    ¡°It''s the smart move, Ari?¡± Jack said. ¡°Especially after earlier.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± I pouted, my wide eyes shifting to Jack.


    ¡°He''s right,¡± Natalya said. ¡°A little thing like you...''s not qualified for this.¡± She smirked.


    Rage welled up inside of me.


    ¡°Sorry Ari,¡± Jack said, his face drooping with disappointment. ¡°But it''s for the best.¡±


    I stood up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door on my way.


    ¡°Argh!¡± I hissed, motoring to one of the sleeping quarters where my bags were left. I plopped down on a firm cot in the tiny room, sending one of my bags toppling over at my feet. It was unzipped slightly. A gown length black dress peaking out of it. A mischievous smile pursed my lips.


    Qualified...we''ll see who''s qualified!

 18. A Starr Is Born

    ¡°Name please?¡± A formally dressed middle aged man asked, his bushy grey mustache bristling wildly with each fully enunciated word.


    ¡°Stacy Starr,¡± I beamed, impressed with my newly concocted undercover alias.


    A raised brow arced from the attendant. ¡°Is that the name you''d like to go with then?¡±


    ¡°That...is my name.¡± I retaliated, suddenly, feeling blood rushing to my forehead. Had they figured me out! Exposed so soon!


    ¡°Hmph...¡± The attendant sighed, turning down at his podium, scribbling something effusively, before sending a questioning eye back up at me, and then returning to his hastened notation.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I huffed.


    RIP! The attendant handed me a blank name card and a fancy pen. ¡°You''ve been put on the list of bidders for the auction later, if you''d like to participate. Cocktail hour is right up the grand steps on the mezzanine,¡± he half-heatedly pointed behind him and beyond.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I stuttered, quickly scrawling my newly christened nom de guerre across the card and slipping it into my gold hued handbag, pressed against my long flowing black dress.


    As I ascended the lavish steps, the rumbling rabble of conversation and smooth piano music grew louder until I reached the top and found myself among a particularly wealthy clientele, their extravagant gowns, furs, and suits equaling more than my expected average annual salary at the library with just each singular piece. A sobering feeling, but I had to keep up appearances and prove both Jack and Natalya wrong!


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    Spotting a large gathering huddled around each other with their backs turned, I figured it was time to make my entrance, and gather some information along the way.


    Snaring a drink from a nearby server carrying a tray, who tried in confusion to explain that it was someone else''s drink, and not mine, I marched on defiantly and reached the group.


    ¡°Hello friends,¡± I spouted, putting on airs, ¡°I''m looking for Yanni Svensson,¡± as I took a sip from the glass.


    The group turned about face, as I recognized Jack and Natalya in front of me.


    PFFT! I spit out straight gin into the low cut neckline of Natalya''s luscious red dress.


    OH! The crowd gasped and backed away, dispersing rather quickly, as they watched Natalya fume from the sidelines.


    ¡°My apologies!" I gasped quietly. "Miss,¡± I followed up, moving closer to check on her, as she swiped away at me. ¡°This is clearly not the brand I demanded!¡± I pipped up, loud enough for others to hear, and keep up the facade. ¡°The audacity!¡±


    Jack couldn''t help but crack a smile at it.


    ¡°Take care of this,¡± Natalya snapped at Jack, before storming off to the restroom.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jack said, grabbing my arm gently, his touch prickling my senses again. It''d already felt like too long. His eyes enveloped me as I found myself lost in them yet again, before admiring his chic black suit, and the chain of a pocket watch hanging down from the neat vest underneath his jacket.


    ¡°I wasn''t gonna let you go alone...we''re a team, and I''m gonna prove it.¡± I affirmed.


    ¡°It''s not safe. I can''t let you keep throwing yourself in the fire. It''s my job to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the best way to protect me is by keeping me close,¡± I laid a hand on his chest, and felt his heart beating through his breast. ¡°You can''t tell me it''s not what you want?¡±


    ¡°I--¡± Jack started up.


    ¡°I heard someone was looking for me,¡± a slender man in a royal blue suit approached, his blonde hair slicked straight back neatly. ¡°I didn''t expect it would be a beautiful woman...but I hoped,¡± the man smiled with his eyes.


    Two large suited men approached behind him, guards seemingly. At a benefit, not a good sign of his intentions.


    ¡°Yanni Svensson,¡± he continued, extending his hand. ¡°And you are?¡±


    I looked up at Jack, his expression telling me to say nothing and excuse myself from the situation.


    ¡°Starr,¡± I said, grinning and extending my hand, ¡°Stacy Starr.¡±

 19. A Model Patron

    ¡°To what do I owe this fortuitous calling, Ms. Starr?¡± Yanni''s delicate palm relinquished my hand. ¡°It is Miss?¡± He added, looking up at Jack.


    ¡°It is.¡± Natalya cut in coldly, storming up, her dress blotched, but slightly dried. ¡°You just simply can''t trust the help with getting you proper drink anymore,¡± she scowled at me.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Yanni said, his eyes bouncing back and forth scrutinizing the group,


    ¡°I see.¡± His eyes fell back upon me, fawning.


    ¡°I called on you,¡± I jumped in, ¡°to not only thank you on behalf of my employers, but for your grand impact on the community.¡±


    Jack rested a hand on my shoulder, and nodded, while pulling Natalya in to his side by the waist, much to my dissatisfaction.


    ¡°The arts play an immeasurable role in our community, and we''re so very gracious that the three of you are able to lend a hand...¡± Yanni glowed. ¡°In fact, we should be thanking donors like you...Mr. And Mrs...?¡±


    ¡°Robert Dalton,¡± Jack extended his hand amiably.


    Yanni accepted with his own. ¡°And the Mrs. Dalton?¡± He continued, turning his gaze at Natalya, before offering her a hand as well.


    ¡°Tasi,¡± she stated abruptly, snatching a glass of champagne from a loaded serving tray nearby.


    Yanni slowly retreated his hand after realizing it would not be received.


    ¡°How long have you been working for Charades, Mr. Svensson?¡± I charged back in.


    ¡°Yanni,¡± he smiled, ¡°Mr. Svensson was my Mother,¡± he laughed with an affectionate twinkle in his eye.


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    ¡°Yanni,¡± I corrected, playfully touching his arm and laughing with him over-expressively.


    ¡°Eight years, or so. Met plenty of wonderful people who''ve changed my life...and the lives of others, unimaginably so.¡±


    ¡°How''d you come into such a charitable opportunity?¡± Jack followed up.


    ¡°Luck had it,¡± Yanni affirmed,¡± and having some good friends,¡± he smirked.


    ¡°Would there be any way to get involved in the cause?¡± Jack asked.


    Yanni stiffened up. ¡°Uh, that might prove more difficult than one would think.¡±


    ¡°No one to even speak with about such an opportunity?¡±


    ¡°I really don''t think so,¡± Yanni said, his face writhing slightly. ¡°They''re pretty full as is.¡±


    ¡°I''d be willing to pay quite an entrance fee, even for a conversation. A foot in the door.¡±


    Yanni wrung his hands together, as he looked around sheepishly.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Jack said, reaching into his inner breast pocket, while the guards around Yanni seized up and stepped forward in attention. ¡°Seven figures worth,¡± Jack continued, pulling out a checkbook, causing the guards to relax slightly. ¡°Would that be enough of a donation for just a brief chat?¡±


    Yanni sighed in relief. ¡°No need to take that out here, Mr. Dalton.¡±


    ¡°My friends call me Robert. We''re friends, right?¡± Jack''s expression warmed. ¡°Besides, it''s a benefit. Why not throw around a little pocket change,¡± Jack chuckled exuberantly.


    Yanni''s hard lined expression softened. ¡°That is true, Robert.¡± Yanni''s eyes searched around suspiciously. ¡°There actually is someone else here. Kenzo Nanamin, one of our higher ups. He''s arriving for the auction.¡±


    Suddenly, a staffer hustled up briskly behind Yanni, and whispered for several moments in his ear.


    Yanni groaned, waiting in thought as the staffer disappeared just as quickly as she''d arrived.


    ¡°What seems to be the problem, Yanni?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, one of our auction pieces wasn''t able to make it...her plane was delayed in Barcelona.¡±


    ¡°Her?¡± My ears perked up in confusion.


    ¡°Yes, an evening with Sansa Peguero.¡±


    ¡°The model!?¡±


    ¡°That''s right, our big ticket item...gone.¡± Yanni rubbed his forehead in frustration. ¡°Nanamin-san will not be pleased. He was looking to bid himself.¡± Yanni crossed his arms in a huff. ¡°You''ll have to excuse me, I must attend--¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Natalya spoke up. ¡°Perhaps we have a replacement to offer you?¡± Natalya pushed me forward.


    ¡°Huh!?¡± I choked out. ¡°Me?¡±


    Yanni scratched his chin furtively. ¡°It Just might work. Maybe Nanamin-san will speak with you about membership for even the chance to dine with such a beauty.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, ¡°I''m no model!¡±


    ¡°Prove yourself,¡± Natalya whispered in my ear, a sardonic grin dancing across her lips.


    Jack looked on, his mouth agape.


    ¡°That''s where you''re wrong,¡± Yanni said, reaching and grabbing my wrists, leading. ¡°Come, let''s get you ready for the auction!¡±

 20. Backstage

    ¡°Maris!¡± Yanni yelled, cutting through the hustle and bustle backstage, ¡°take care of this beauteous creature,¡± he snapped his fingers before charging elsewhere. ¡°We found our replacement!¡±


    I mouthed sorry to the young cosmetologist, her emerald eyes looking up to meet me from her phone, in the reflection of a makeup mirror, and her long braid of dirty blonde hair whipping around to face me in confusion, as she ambled by a makeup set. She flagged me over, and I followed along, forgetting my haughty character in the grand scheme of things.


    ¡°I''ll just do some touch-ups,¡± she said, motioning me into the chair.


    I took a seat begrudgingly and staring at my sweaty face in the mirror. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean--¡±


    ¡°It''s not your fault, this happens all the time. I knew something would happen when Sansa didn''t show up.¡±


    ¡°It''s amazing,¡± I said, ¡°I couldn''t imagine working with her, let alone meeting her.¡±


    ¡°She''s like no one else,¡± Maris said,¡±I''ve been working with her personally for only a year now, but she already treats me like a sister.¡±


    ¡°You must be pretty bummed then,¡± I frowned, as she tested and reapplied foundation on me as needed. ¡°Will you meet up with her when she lands?¡±


    Maris cocked her head, a furrowed brow accompanying it, while she focused on her work. ¡°I met up with her last night, for dinner. What do you mean?¡±


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    ¡°Oh,¡± my eyes narrowed, as the cogs worked overtime in my head, grinding and clicking without oil to replenish their gears. Things already weren''t adding up...but now...I shook the stupor from my mind. ¡°I thought she was delayed,¡± I continued.


    Maris shook her head, as she brushed delicately across my cheeks. ¡°Maybe in getting here,¡± she affirmed, ¡°I haven''t heard anything from her since last night.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I repeated, blinking in rapid succession. ¡°I''m sure something came up.¡±


    ¡°I hope,¡± Maris added. ¡°She''s been acting a little strange lately. Lots of looking over her should, not like with the usual fandom, different...like...paranoid. Maybe fame''s getting to her,¡± she shrugged.


    I felt my chest tighten, as I realized I''d been holding my breath unintentionally and exhaled hard. ¡°It must,¡± I said, reassuring her. Something didn''t feel right. ¡°Hey,¡± I changed course, ¡°why don''t we grab a drink later, take your mind off of things, two girls out on the town,¡± I laughed, as I did jazz hands for some reason.


    Maris let a bemused grin purse her lips. ¡°You''re an odd one,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Yeah, sure, why not, got nothing else to do now.¡± She reached in a bag on the table, and pulled out a business card, ''Maris Taylor ¨C Cosmetologist'' and handed it to me, before waiting expectantly. ¡°And you?¡± She smiled.


    ¡°Oh, I don''t have a card,¡± I said, awkwardly standing up to shake her hand. ¡°I''m Ari though.¡±


    ¡°Ari?¡± Maris said, aloof.


    DOGH! I wanted to smack my head so hard! ¡°My cover!


    ¡°I look forward to it,¡± Maris said, warmly.


    ¡°Me too,¡± I sighed relief, ¡°I''ll call you when I''m done.¡±


    Maris nodded happily.


    ¡°Is the Starr ready?¡± Yanni whirled back around.


    ¡°You bet she is,¡± Maris grinned, while I grimaced, hoping the exchange wouldn''t reveal my blown cover. ¡°I''m heading out. Later.¡±


    ¡°Uhm,¡± I said, as Yanni grabbed me and pulled me along. ¡°The auction''s been running smoothly so far, ¡°he led me up to a broad red velvet curtain. ¡°On my mark, just strut out there and be your gorgeous self, got it?¡±


    I nodded, yes...I think...though I may have been shaking my head no! I gulped hard.


    ¡°Ms. Starr,¡± Yanni said, ¡°go fulfill your namesake!¡±

 21. The Runway

    WHOOO! The large crowd of debutantes erupted as I emerged from behind the red satin curtain, the hooting and hollering of older well dressed men feeling equally out of place and just right for their falsely demure appearances. I couldn''t help but blush at the sentiments, though I wished they would come from only one man.


    Jack...my eyes scanned the crowd for him as I clacked upon the lengthy horseshoe runway, which made things feels more like New York Fashion Week than a benefit for the arts.


    Unable to find Jack just yet, I focused on my god given strut, which was obviously a projection, a weak effort in confidence boosting, as I bumbled along the runway like an inebriated baby giraffe.


    Remembering my target, Nanamin-san, I searched the crowd, but didn''t have to look far, finding him front and center at the end of the runway.


    ¡°And introducing the crown jewel of the evening,¡± the auctioneer started up, ¡°international supermodel, Stacy Starr!¡±


    The crowd clapped heartily, whilst lusty men warmed up their paddles to raise exuberantly.


    ¡°Traveling the globe for an dinner with you!¡± The auctioneer continued, ¡°the bidding starts at 1000 Euro!¡±


    Paddles raised in rapid succession as the bidding war begin. In moments it was up to 5000 already! I was flattered, especially at the fake intro I''d received, but noticed the stern look of dissatisfaction drawn across the navy kimono wearing Nanamin-san, his close cropped gray hair adding to his hard to please nature, while his paddle remained firmly entrenched within the seat of his lap.


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    I had to do something to gain his favor!


    Moving and shaking in all directions, I tried to imitate what I''d seen on ''Project Runway,'' but not well enough, as it only attracted the interest of others, whilst I pouted inwardly.


    Suddenly a hand shot out of the crowd and waved...it was Jack, sitting by a scowling Natalya. He smiled and waved, with a thumbs up...until the auctioneer attributed a 15,000 Euro bid to him, which caused Natalya to yank his arm back down, scolding him, while he smiled all the way at me.


    I laughed as he winked and eased my nerves. At that, my awkward sensibilities found a way to take over, as my heel edged and sent me tumbling. This time, the embarrassment felt worse than death, as everyone gasped and rose from their seats with concern.


    The crowd murmured after a moment of silence, while I faced the ground, willing myself to overcome everything, and look forward again, for me...and for a future with Jack. I had to prove it!


    I pulled myself up shaking away the shame and looked back at a worried Jack, sending him a thumbs up as well. His expression eased, as I shared that same thumbs up with the crowd, who launched into a celebratory uproar as I climbed to my feet and put my strut back on.


    ¡°50,000.¡± A strained voice chimed in, as I stood front and center, a paddle floated in the air.


    ¡°Sold!¡± The auctioneer proclaimed, ¡°to the man in the blue kimono.¡±


    My eyes popped out to see the visage of Nanamin-san maintaining his icy expression, while he lowered his paddle to his lap.


    Whether it was my awkward resurgence, or something else, I''d moved him somehow...and I was proud!


    Beaming, I looked back at Jack, who was clapping with a reassuring grin plastered across his face, and a soured Natalya with arms crossed beside him.


    As I returned my gaze back to Nanamin-san I found him standing up to leave his seat...but what I saw behind him sent a chill down my spine. A man in a black suit adjusted his black glasses with a similarly black pair of gloves. A malevolent smile of bemusement wriggled across his lips as he ran his hand over his bald head. He waved his fingers at me playfully, toyingly.


    The hitman...had found me.

 22. Exposed

    As the cold and calculating gaze of the hitman diced up my innards, I backpedaled, near tumbling again, as I scoured the crowd for Jack and Natalya, only to find them gone. This was turning into a nightmare!


    Running back upstage in delirium, I slipped behind the red velvet curtain, entering a wave of noise and celebratory cheer, as random personnel came up to me, clamoring over the high amount on my successful bid. It felt like I looked through a fish eye lens, the maddening feeling warping all sense of being.


    I nodded and tried to look as gracious as possible, my face contorting cartoonishly whilst fearing that my life was coming to an untimely end, scouring the exits for a quick escape.


    ¡°Ms. Starr!¡± Yanni cut in, pushing past the others, ¡°you''re a star!¡± He embraced me and kissed my cheek. ¡°Never have I seen such a wonderfully charitable donation from Nanamin-san before. You must have really made an impression.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you,¡± I stuttered, floundering under all the attention, while swiveling my head alertly in my hunt for Jack. ¡°Have you seen...um, my employer?¡± I asked timidly.


    ¡°Pshh,¡± Yanni brushed the question aside, ¡°He knows where you are. You''ve nothing to worry about!¡±


    ¡°Eh, heh heh,¡± I forced out an uncomfortable chuckle.


    ¡°Come,¡± Yanni continued, ¡°let me introduce you to Nanamin-san!¡± He wrapped his arm around my waist and ushered me away.


    Yanni swept me down multiple hallways, my head ever bouncing back and forth in a daze, I watched for my impending harbinger of doom to strike me down from any and all angles. At least I looked good though...I guess.


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    Finally, Yanni led me through a gold trimmed set of double doors into an ornately dressed lounge, where the proudly dressed Nanamin-san sat kneeling before a low table upon a neatly placed tatami mat. An impressive set up, to say the least.


    A sake cup was steaming, cradled between his thumbs, while his gaze turned up to meet me.


    Yanni bowed halfway, and I followed suit.


    ¡°Nanamin-san, I present Stacy Starr.¡± Yanni motioned to me.


    Nanamin-san gestured for me to kneel across from him. I looked at Yanni , before awkwardly taking my spot.


    Yanni reached across the center of the table and picked up a larger steaming sake cup, before placing a small one before me. ¡°Sake?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I''m fine, thank you.¡±


    Yanni hesitated, looking nervously back at Nanamin-san.


    ¡°I insist,¡± the honorable strain of Nanamin-san''s voice came through, demanding.


    I looked back and forth between the two men. I didn''t want to ruin my chances, but I dared not drink with a killer on the loose! ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I maintain my stance.¡±


    Nanamin-san looked back coldly, while Yanni sweated profusely at the brow. Finally, a crack came upon Nanamin-san''s lips, a thin smile gracing his time-worn face. ¡°A woman who stands with her feet firmly entrenched in the Earth. Strong willed, but fearing not the showing of weakness. The Sakura Tree. Delicate, yet strong.¡±


    Yanni exhaled loudly after holding his breath, his cheeks abrasively coming together into emotional ease.


    ¡°Leave us,¡± Nanamin-san waved Yanni away.


    ¡°Very good, sir,¡± Yanni responded, whisking himself away, and closing the double doors behind him.


    We sat for a moment, my nervousness permeating my skin, more so with awaiting the hitman to burst in at any moment and take my head.


    ¡°Lionel,¡± Nanamin-san started up.


    I was startled to awareness, shaking my head in confusion. ¡°I''m sorry?¡±


    ¡°You look just like him...¡±


    I sat stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling my eyes widen with recognition, as his all knowing expression followed.


    ¡°Your Father.¡±

 23. Exodus

    ¡°You...you know my father?¡± I stuttered, my eyes alertly transfixed on the tired gaze of Nanamin-san as he gingerly took a sip from his small cup of sake.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Starr...or should I say Miss Hart?¡± He gently placed the cup to the table, while I looked on in fear, my eyes glazing over with anxiety. ¡°Worry not, I have no intentions with this little meeting beyond conversation. Though I can assure you that your...disguise...will not fool many. Perhaps Yanni and the others, but those who have been seeking you...certainly not.¡±


    ¡°Just do it then,¡± my face twitched as I breathed heavily, ¡°kill me.¡±


    Nanamin-san snorted out a brief exultation in laughter. ¡°That is not the reason we''ve been trying to reach you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± My brow furrowed. ¡°What about the hitman?¡±


    Nanamin-San''s eyes narrowed. ¡°You speak of things I know not about.¡±


    Everything jumbled in my mind, rattling around wildly. ¡°I was told--¡±


    ¡°Yes, that certain groups had nefarious aspirations with your livelihood,¡± he nodded slowly. ¡°Would a charity be involved in such activities?¡±


    ¡°It was involved with The Don,¡± I shot back.


    ¡°I can''t pretend to know the ins and outs of this organization. Although I may be a chair, my work revolves around a a different organization. In fact, your Father and I once worked together, under the same banner. ¡° Nanmin-san sighed heavily. ¡°He was a good man.¡±


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    ¡°Was?¡± I skewered him with my eyes.


    ¡°Well, once he became an ambassador, things slowly changed. He became influenced. Easily. Dangerously. He''s not the same man you...nor I...once knew.¡± Nanamin-san raised the sake cup to his lips, a frown draped across their cracked facade.


    ¡°Like what?¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°What has he done?¡±


    Nanamin-san gulped down the rest of his cup and clattered it on the table, before grabbing the large container and and draining it into his own. ¡°There is a group...¡± he spoke in hushed tones, ¡°that deals in violence, trafficking, and arms dealing, amongst more unsavory activities. EXODUS.¡±


    ¡°Exodus?¡± I whispered to myself.


    ¡°He''s gotten in with some dangerous people. Even threatened to expose them and their operation...but at what cost?¡± He motioned to me. ¡°As someone who once was a friend to your Father, I wouldn''t want to see him go down that path.¡±


    ¡°So you''re a part of this group? Huh? Not a good sell for such a smart man.¡±


    ¡°That''s where you''re wrong, my dear. An old associate came to my company, Kenin Industries, and warned me of your Father''s reckless actions. I''ve been trying to reach you ever since. Others appear to be seeking you as well though. Perhaps you can speak to him, set him on the right path. Show him a safer way. For you...your Mother...your--¡±


    ¡°And why should I trust any of this?¡± I cut in.


    ¡°Ask your Father the truth, then speak to me on trust.¡±


    ¡°I''''m done here,¡± I climbed to my feet, ¡°you got your evening.¡±


    ¡°So it seems,¡± Nanamin-san took another sip, the steam barely obscuring his ominously glaring eyes. ¡°Be safe then, child. And a word of caution," he added, "do not blindly trust those handlers of yours. They may not be all they seem.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± I grunted, storming out of the room, trying to wipe away the tears that were no running down my face and ruining my mascara. None of it was true...was it?


    Bounding down halls, I ran into a stern body. SLAM.


    ¡°Ugh.,¡± I uttered, before looking up at the strong frame.


    ¡°Must have been a pretty bad date, huh?¡± Jack said, offering a warm smile.


    I lunged forward and held him tight. I felt his arms wrap around me as I stifled sobs into his chest.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, pulling me out and wiping a tear from my cheek. ¡°The night is still young,¡± he grinned, ¡°Why don''t I show you what a real date looks like?¡±

 24. Date Night

    ¡°A gin girl?¡± Jack said, returning from the warmly lit bar in the corner of the intimate restaurant, adorned with fairy lights, which also hung from the wooden ceiling beams above our heads, intertwined with floral arrangements forming some kind of magical garden restaurant. ¡°Don''t see that too often,¡± he said, taking his seat across from me.


    ¡°A gin and tonic is just simple and elegant,¡± I said, quickly raising the cocktail to my lips and feeling that sensation of relaxation seep over me.


    ¡°I don''t disagree,¡± Jack nodded, ¡°taking a sip of his own amber liquid pooling in a short glass.


    I looked perplexed at him, admiring the drink, which Jack recognized.


    ¡°Scotch,¡± he said, wincing as the burning elements coalesced within his throat.


    ¡°Are you sure you like it?¡± I stifled a laugh, half covering my mouth.


    ¡°If I''m being honest, I''ve never had it before,¡± he laughed.


    ¡°Jack!¡± I sat stunned. ¡°Why do it then?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we need something different every now and then?¡± A slight smile pursed the edges of his lips, as he averted his gaze. ¡°Or maybe I just wanted to impress you, give you that manly persona people look for?¡±


    ¡°I think you already reached that in mortal combat, and saving me dozens of times,¡± I chuckled.


    Bemusement crossed Jack''s face, though diminishing while he sat in thought and looked around at other patrons enjoying their drinks and meals with decently loud chatter between them. ¡°You said the...bald man...was there?¡±


    I nodded, taking another sip of my drink. ¡°He was behind Nanamin-san. Watching...waiting...¡±


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    ¡°But he''s not associated with them?¡±


    ¡°That''s what Nanamin-san indicated, but there''s no way we can trust him.¡±


    Jack stroked his chin in thought. ¡°They have to be working together...but...something does feel off. Is that what they want us to think?¡±


    ¡°What if...¡± my mind started racing through the possibilities, ¡°what if they didn''t want to...take care of me?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± He posited.


    ¡°I mean...they could have gotten me numerous times...but they didn''t.¡±


    Jack''s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°What if they want my Father?¡± I felt my heart beating rapidly.


    ¡°What''s to stop them from...¡± Jack started up, before stopping himself, as he noticed my spiraling state.


    I looked around the dimly lit bar, feeling my anxiety creep back up, before a hand rested upon my own...it was Jack''s, along with a reassuring look. A heavenly glow seemed to wrap around him within this hidden little grotto.


    ¡°We can get to your Father, we can protect him...but first, we need to worry about you.¡±


    ¡°But--¡± I started up, but was cut off as he put a finger to my lip. It tickled, sending shivers dancing along my shoulder blades.


    ¡°They sent a message, but they want to see how you respond. This...Exodus, is testing you to see what you do next. What we do next. They aren''t moving for blood just yet.¡±


    ¡°What happens if we can''t reach him in time though?


    ¡°There''s always time. Especially time to plan.¡±


    I nodded, downing the rest of my drink, and nodding yes to an inquiring waitstaff about another one being sent my way.


    ¡°Be careful there, you''ve already had quite a few, not including whatever Miss Starr had at the benefit,¡± Jack said, glancing at the empty glass in front of me. ¡°We haven''t even hit dinner yet.¡±


    ¡°I''m looking at dinner,¡± I blurted out, staring at his soft pink lips.


    Jack''s brow raised, almost comically, while I covered my mouth again, laughing in embarrassment.


    ¡°I''m sorry, it just slipped out, I can''t help myself!¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Jack grinned.


    We gazed into each others eyes longingly trapped in the visions of our desires...or so I hoped.


    ¡°Your drink, ma''am?¡± A member of the waitstaff broke the moment, plopping another crisp gin and tonic in front of me.


    ¡°Thanks...you....¡± I mumbled out somewhat incoherently, before shooting a poorly attempted eyebrow up at Jack, and downing the drink in one gulp.


    Ugh! I reached for my throat.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Jack turned serious.


    ¡°Felt like I swallowed a bug or something, blech,¡± I coughed out slightly. "Also, did he call me ma''am?!"


    ¡°Maybe we should get you home?¡± Jack said, rising from the table, and offering a hand. ¡°I can take you back to base.¡±


    ¡°No, I slapped his hand away, sloppily, as I pushed my chair out and stood up staggering. I marched around to grab his shirt, pulling him in, and whispered salaciously into his ear. ¡°I got a better idea.¡±

 25. The Fountain

    ¡°Ari!¡± Jack yelled from behind, his voice growing more distant as I scampered up into the grand open space before the iconic Trevi Fountain, giggling along the way as I skipped up to a small group sitting and admiring its beautiful construction.


    ¡°It''s even more beautiful than I imagined,¡± I exclaimed, holding my stomach and catching my breath,¡± huh?¡± I added, looking at the group of wide eyed individuals, who quickly collected their things and speedily went on their way. ¡°We can enjoy it together!¡± I shouted after the scurrying denizens of Rome.


    ¡°I think you scared them off,¡± Jack said, catching up, ¡°nothing quite shocks like a drunk American.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I squealed. ¡°You''re American too!¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Jack quipped, ¡°I know from experience.¡± He watched quietly as I focused intently on the masterfully chiseled faces and exquisite statues adorning the fountain, drawn in by its majesty and waterfalls.


    ¡°Even after a dozen times, its beauty never fades,¡± Jack admired.


    ¡°This is my first,¡± I laughed. ¡°We''ve got a lot of firsts on this trip so far.¡±


    Looking at the flowing water, an idea grabbed me. Tossing the heels that I held in my hands off to the side, I climbed up and over the ledge.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± Jack said, reaching for my waist, ¡°there''s no life guard on duty.¡±


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    Jack''s touch felt light and ticklish on my hips, as I jolted and toppled over, dropping into the fountain and pulling Jack along for the ride.


    SPLASH!


    Like a tipsy mermaid, I rose to the surface, flailing, and spit out water, while wiping it from my eyes as well. I watched the king of the seas rise before me, slicking his hair back, and looking mighty fine in his soaked clothes.


    ¡°You pushed me!¡± I joked, shoving him playfully as we sat in the water.


    ¡°I felt like you pulled me,¡± Jack smirked back.


    ¡°You''re drunk,¡± I splashed him.


    ¡°And you''re projecting,¡± he sent a large wave back.


    Back and forth we thrust water at each other, while I loudly cried in playful delight, though certainly creating a stir, and lucky not to attract the attention of officials, regardless of Jack''s status.


    We both chuckled, alone together under the starry nighttime sky.


    I rolled my head around, astonished by the fountain once more. ¡°I always wanted to be Anita Ekberg,¡± I said, reminiscing over the starlet''s iconic moment in ''La Dolce Vita.''


    Jack remained quiet for a moment. ¡°I want you to just be...you.¡±


    Flutters sang throughout my heard, as we locked eyes. Jack''s deep browns focused intently on my lips, and mine his.


    Suddenly, we found ourselves leaning forward, his hand reaching up and caressing the side of my face, as he pulled me in. Our lips met gently, softly intertwining, every fiber pulsating with sensation, the which I''d been dreaming of for ages, as my heart near exploded with tender consummation. It was everything I could imagine and more, a place away from the world and held by the vision of perfection. For so long, I had wanted to kiss Jack, and the moment could not have been more magical.


    Just as soon as I re-opened my eyes, beaming, and finding him doing the same, I wobbled over slightly.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Jack said, catching me. ¡°Maybe we should get you back?¡±


    ¡°Maybe...¡± I hesitated, thinking that I''d much prefer a hotel instead...


    Suddenly, I felt my vision fading on me, muted sounds droning all around.


    I saw Jack''s face twist with concern. ¡°Ari!? He said, his voice not reaching across to me, muffled, as I drifted off into blackness.

 26. Awakening

    ¡°Ugh,¡± I groaned, forcing a limp hand up to meet the harsh beam of light that streamed in through a tall and elegant hotel window, before my palm collapsed to my balmy forehead and rubbed sleep from my eyes, but not the blaring headache.


    I scanned the room through narrowly slit eyes; classy, pristine, a tossed white comforter disheveled all around me. ¡°Oh my god,¡± I started up, through strained words, ¡°did I...?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jack said entering from a side room, and looking as good as ever, even in his clothes from the night before, ¡°you didn''t. We didn''t,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, lifting the covers to see my dress from last night wrinkled on my person.


    ¡°You were out like a light,¡± Jack said, bearing two cups of coffee and offering one to me. ¡°Wait,¡± he added, ¡°do you even like coffee?¡±


    I nodded, accepting the cup. ¡°Especially in times like these,¡± I clasped it with both hands and put it to my lips. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jack nodded, still showing some concern twitching at the corners of his eyes. ¡°Something felt off about that whole thing.¡±


    ¡°I don''t usually drink like that,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Just with everything going on--¡±


    ¡°No, not that. I''m saying...could you have been drugged?¡±


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    ¡°I think I''d know if I was drugged,¡± I scoffed, as my stomach howled in an untimely manner, twisting and writhing in irritation. ¡°Blegh,¡± I added, putting a gentle hand to it. ¡±Would anyone try to drug me with you right there?¡±


    ¡°Our enemies have tried more than that so far. We have to assume they''re everywhere, at this point.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± a thought popped into my mind, ¡°I forgot to meet up with Maris!¡±


    Jack looked perplexed, raising a brow as if expecting further elaboration on the name he''d just heard.


    ¡°My new friend.¡± I followed up, not adding much.


    Jack''s expression maintained its suspicion, as he tilted his head in waiting.


    ¡°She''s friends with that model Sansa Peguero, works for her too. She fixed me up at the auction after I took Sansa''s spot. Something didn''t feel right about everything though. I can''t put my finger on it.¡±


    ¡°You think there''s more to this Sansa story?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I shook wild thoughts infiltrating my head, and hoped that there was no foul play involved in Sansa''s no show. I needed to connect with Maris later as well. ¡°Either way, I would''ve looked much worse without Maris. She was kind, and funny. Felt like she needed a friend...I guess we both kind of do.¡±


    A frown stretched across Jack''s face. ¡°Are we not friends?¡±


    ¡°No...I mean...yes...well,¡± I found myself getting flustered, ¡°we''re more than that.¡±


    ¡°Are we?¡± Jack sheepishly bore his perfect teeth.


    ¡°Stop,¡± I threw a pillow at him, which he caught effortlessly and whipped back at me, slapping me gently with it.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I chuckled, reaching for another pillow and wailing on him as well.


    We laughed heartily as he fell atop me, pinning my hands behind my head, and straddling over my waist. ¡°You started this war, I''m just finishing it. He leaned in close and tenderly kissed me on the lips.


    Warmth radiated throughout my body, as if he''d just given me life, and a healing touch. I went in for more as he retreated, and climbed off of me. ¡°Hey,¡± I moaned, ¡°where do you think you''re going?¡±


    ¡°We got some business to take care of,¡± Jack said, adjusting his clothes in all the right places.


    ¡°You can''t just kiss me and walk away,¡± I pouted.


    ¡°I just did,¡± he grinned and waltzed toward the door. ¡°Besides, we have some new information to discuss back at base. Something you''ll want to hear.¡±

 27. New Developments

    ¡°My Father''s going to be in Geneva!?¡± I spat uncomfortably as the words fell from my mouth, echoing throughout the sleekly hollow base beneath Rome.


    ¡°That''s the gist of it,¡± Elliott said, re-affixing his slender glass frames upon his wide face. ¡°Our intel says that he''s going to make a grand statement next week to UN members about wrongdoings, but hasn''t leaked any of the information he intends to share yet.¡±


    ¡°He''s in danger then,¡± I said, feeling tightness gripping my chest. ¡°Exodus wanted me to talk him out of exposing certain people...and activities. He doesn''t stand a chance if we can''t get to him in time!¡±


    ¡°You intend to talk him out of it?¡± Elliott asked confusedly.


    ¡°No, I just need to get to him, to protect him! We know what these people are capable of. This whole operation has been because of him, and these supposed involvements he''s had. I have to save him...and then...maybe then he can make things right...¡± I wrung my hands together, ¡°If what they say is true.¡±


    ¡°No one''s against that,¡± Elliott affirmed, glancing back at a tensely hovering Jack lingering behind me. ¡°Beckman said that he needed Jack on a different mission though, and you should stay safely here.¡±


    ¡°What about anyone else?¡± I hissed, ¡°there''s other people here. Where is Beckman?¡±


    ¡°Predisposed somewhere, I assume,¡± Elliott sighed. ¡°Just wanted me to pass along the news.¡±


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    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± I shouted, slamming my hand ineffectually against the glass wall with painful slap. ¡°Oww,¡± I moaned rubbing my hand. ¡°He''s gonna let my father die...¡± my face scrunched in frustration, ¡°we''ll I''m not letting it happen.¡±


    A hand fell upon my shoulder. ¡°Not alone,¡± Jack nodded.


    ¡°That won''t go over well with Beckman,¡± Elliott chided, ¡°could be grounds for charges.¡±


    ¡°Charges for protecting an asset,¡± Jack side-eyed me, ¡°I think not. Besides, I''d rather stand my ground for something right...¡± Jack turned to me and offered warmth. ¡°Someone right.¡±


    I smiled awkwardly, taking in all the events that had attacked my senses so rapidly. ¡°When''s Beckman coming back?¡± I cut in.


    ¡°Can''t say,¡± Elliott said, shuffling papers idly in his hands. ¡°Said he was going to be out of the country for a little bit, handling matters up the line. Could be gone for a week...could be back tomorrow...who knows?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Every other agent is on mission as well.¡±


    ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Jack grinned. ¡°Tell him I''m out doing recon for my mission.¡±


    ¡°That might fly for you, but what''s Ari''s story?¡± Elliott questioned, turning to me.


    ¡°I slipped out,¡± I said, after a moment in thought, ¡°went to stay with a new friend for a few days.¡±


    Elliott took in a deep and anxious breath before letting it flow out with acceptance. ¡°Alright,¡± he nodded, ¡°I''ll do it, but you better make it look good for the cameras and such,¡± he wagged his finger like a scolding schoolteacher, ¡°I''m a rule-follower, I don''t get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Not for much longer,¡± Jack grinned, ¡°bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do,¡± he started singing. ¡°Whatcha gonna do when they come for you--¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough,¡± Elliott threw his hands up in the air, I don''t want to be involved any more, especially not with this singing, you''re so off-tune!¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I smiled somberly.


    ¡°Think nothing of it, and better yet, speak nothing of it!¡± Elliott plugged his ears with fingers and walked of, sauntering down the modern glass hallways of the compound and leaving dust in his wake.


    ¡°Alright, songstress,¡± I laughed, turning to Jack, ¡°how do we get to Geneva from here? We have a week to make it before the meeting.¡±


    ¡°In style.¡±


    ¡°What''s that supposed to mean?¡±


    Jack beamed. ¡°Just leave it to me.¡±

 28. Road Rules

    ¡°Beckman won''t notice that his Aston Martin''s gone?¡± I asked, as we zoomed along a narrow single lane road in northern Italy, the flowing wheat fields moving beside us like a grand yellow wave as the black sedan cruised along the cracked road, under a cloudless blue sky.


    ¡°It was purchased with funds given by the U.K governing body...it''s really more of a ''company car,'' if ya ask me,¡± Jack grinned. ¡°He wouldn''t leave the keys out if he didn''t want us to drive it.¡±


    ¡°Out in a locked drawer, inside of a locked desk, behind a locked office?¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°It was practically asking to be taken,¡± Jack laughed in agreement. ¡°We have to use what''s available to us for each and every mission.¡±


    BUZZ. A singular vibration hailed the cell phone resting readily in the sweaty palms upon my lap. Illuminating the screen, I saw various texts that I''d sent to my father, which were marked undelivered, alongside numerous calls I''d attempted all the same, in-dispersed with a few unanswered calls to Maris.


    Jack looked over, noticing my transformation into somber silence, before turning his attention back to the long road ahead. ¡°Still nothing?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Not sure why I can''t reach him. Maris won''t answer me either. I don''t feel good about it...any of it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you barely even know her,¡± Jack chimed in, sidestepping the issue with my father, surely for my own benefit in mind.


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    ¡°Women''s intuition, I guess,¡± I followed up, remaining silent for a moment, as the poisonous thoughts of what could possibly have happened to my father, or Maris, plagued my mind. ¡°How much longer till we''re out of Italy?¡± I asked, now changing the subject my own frame of mind as well, as I hoped the thoughts could drift away into momentary displacement.


    ¡°Not much longer--¡±


    HONK HONK!


    A car horn blared behind us. Jack peered in the rear view mirror, back at a baby blue sedan following closely on our tail and ever increasing in speed.


    HONK HONK!


    ¡°What does this guy want?¡± My gaze darted over to the passenger mirror, as I eyed the recklessly driving vehicle, its beaten and scraped facade barely obscured by the distance between us.


    Jack rolled down the window. ¡°Guess we don''t have the same need for speed.¡± As Jack slowed, he stuck an arm out and waved the car to pass ahead of ours, keeping his cool even in a time of utter obnoxiousness such as this. It was something I just loved about him. Well...I guess there were a lot of things I loved about him. It felt weird to think about that word though. I couldn''t possibly be feeling something like that yet...right?


    HONK HONK! The car continued its barrage upon our ears with little reprieve.


    ¡°What''s his problem?¡± I chirped, twisting around in my seat to look back at the vehicle and try to get an eye on the driver through its black tinted windows.


    ¡°Alright, my blood''s starting to boil now,¡± Jack ignited.


    And there went his cool.


    ¡°If people can''t follow common decency on the road...¡± Jack started up.


    The blue sedan''s engines revved as the vehicle bolted forward and slammed the back of our car with a crunch.


    ¡°Woah!¡± I shook forward, as Jack''s free hand moved in front to catch me. ¡°What road rage!¡±


    ¡°This is why we can''t have nice things!¡± Jack yelled throwing his hands up for the car to see.


    ¡°Uh, Jack?¡± I felt my heart racing, as I tugged his sleeve, ¡°this doesn''t look like regular road rage.¡±


    Jack checked out his side mirror, his eyes widening as he found someone lurching out of the back seat window, wearing a black balaclava over their face, and aiming an assault rifle in our direction!

 29. Burning Rubber

    SCREECH! Jack commandeered our Aston Martin, and I use that term very loosely, into sharp swerves across the single lane road, avoiding the onslaught of rifle far that buffeted our tail, but not escaping the smattering of holes layering our back end like Swiss cheese.


    ¡°What do we do!?¡± I yelped. ¡°What do we do!?¡±


    ¡°You can ease up on the yelling in my ear part!¡± Jack hollered back. ¡°I''m trying,¡± he continued, crossing over his hands on the wheel and whirling us back around, while the blue sedan squiggled back behind, and seemed to be reloading, as I checked the side mirror.


    Jack popped open the center console and slammed a side button that was hidden from sight, slipping open a concealing panel that unveiled a pistol. Reaching in, he retrieved it, and swung it around to face me, handle first. ¡°Know how to use one of these things?¡±


    ¡°You point and shoot?¡± I trembled at the site of it.


    ¡°Good,¡± Jack said, still holding it out, ¡°you''re training''s done then.¡±


    Hesitating to reach for it, I took it tentatively. It felt cold and unforgiving in my palms. ¡°I...I...don''t think I can,¡± I mustered up, my hands shaking.


    Jack''s eyes darted back to me, as he snatched the weapon away from my sweaty palms. ¡°Wasn''t my best idea anyway. Hold the wheel.¡± He relinquished and twisted to stretch out of the driver''s side window.


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    ¡°Wait,¡± I pronounced, flustered, lurching forward and grabbing a hold of the wheel. ¡°This isn''t much better!¡±


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Jack fired the gun back at the trailing vehicle. ¡°Let me know when you come up with something better!¡± Huddling back inside for a moment of cover, Jack turned to me and smiled. ¡°We''re gonna be okay,¡± he winked.


    It warmed my heart with a brief sense of security, while my hands slipped sweaty on the wheel, holding the line as I teetered between a steep embankment off into the wheat fields and the narrow road itself.


    ¡°Keep us steady and stay down,¡± Jack affirmed, turning back through the window.


    ¡°You''re gonna have to pick just one!¡±


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Jack rattled off more shots, before sliding back into the car, as I spotted the sedan veering wildly behind us in the rear-view. The gunman flung from side to side like an inflatable at a used car dealership, but firing continuously along the way.


    ¡°I got a tire,¡± Jack yelled gleefully.¡±


    CLANG!


    A unique sound hit us as our own car swerved out of control.


    ¡°Seems like you weren''t'' the only one!¡±


    As the wheel yanked from my hands, we whipped down a steep embankment and into a tall thicket of wheat, slapping our windshield without refrain in an unrelentingly viscous manner.


    ¡°AHHH!¡± I screamed as we thrashed through, unable to see anything ahead of us.


    Finally, Jack slowed the car, as I took a huge sigh of relief, breathing in the momentary silence. Then it hit me. ¡°What happened to the other car?¡±


    Suddenly, a rumbling quaked behind us, as a billowing cloud of smoke appeared and a the sedan barreled rolling down at us from behind, end over end.


    ¡°AHHH!¡± I yelled again, as Jack floored the pedal.


    ¡°Someone always has to ask!¡±


    Speeding ahead, and turning out of the way, the car flew past us in a mangle flame of wrenched metal.


    Jack pushed me to duck and followed suit. ¡°Keep down is my answer!¡±


    BOOM! An inferno shot heaven-bound scorching through the skies and torching the lines of wheat surrounding it, a cloud of blackened dust and heat racing towards us!


    ¡°Hold on!¡±

 30. Crash

    SHATTER! The windows of the Aston Martin crashed inwards erupting into a gale force wind of blackened smoke and immense heat, as debris pelted us through the cratered holes that remained, while we huddled as low as we could in our seats, Jack trying to cover me with his warm body.


    After a long moment, the dust figuratively and literally settled, but the flames refused to die out. I felt rough hands brushing errant shards off my shoulders and looked up to see a weary looking Jack, his hands scraped and cut with slight abrasions from the glass storm. A trickle of blood crept down his brow from an nick above his left eye.


    ¡°Jack!¡± I whispered loudly, my hands reaching for his face and cupping it tenderly.


    ¡°I''m okay,¡± he assured me, raising a gentle hand over my own. ¡°You?¡±


    I nodded profusely, before peering out the window at the smoggy expanse enveloping the area.


    Jack attempted to restart the engines, to the sound of silence pervading the vehicle. ¡°It''s done for,¡± Jack grimaced, slamming his hand down on the dash in frustration. ¡°That''s why you never buy Aston Martin.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t buy this Aston Martin,¡± I reminded him with a slight smile.


    ¡°This is true,¡± Jack shrugged. ¡°C''mon,¡± he continued, dusting himself off and kicking open his door, before retrieving our bags from the back.


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    I stepped out and admired the soot covered dents and scrapes that layered the facade of the vehicle, and its jagged shards hanging onto the window like mountain peaks. ¡°What''ll you tell Beckman?¡±


    Jack scratched his head as he adjusted both our bags over his shoulder, before I reached for mine, getting him to relent once he remembered the weaponry saddled in his. ¡°A band of wild vagrants broke in and stole it, trashing the beautiful piece in a psychotic joyride led by a scandalous villain named Tito Braunze.¡±


    I tilted my head processing in confusion, as my hands naturally fell upon on my hips, while trying desperately not to laugh at the response. ¡°That seems oddly specific.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn''t know the half of it,¡± Jack laughed.


    ¡°Hmm...I can''t tell if you''re making this up right now,¡± I shook my head grinning, as I walked past him and away from the black cloud of smoke.


    ¡°Police will be here soon,¡± Jack noted, hustling along with me, as he emptied water from a canteen and rubbed the soot from his face, dabbing it with his shirt before handing it over for me to do the same.


    ¡°What should we do then?¡± I looked up and received a big cheeky grin from him.


    In a matter of moments, we found ourselves back on the same stretch of road, thumbs out.


    ¡°You can''t be serious?¡± I chirped. ¡°There''s not some friends you can call with a helicopter to take us?¡±


    ¡°You wanted to be a spy,¡± Jack retorted. ¡°This is the covert in covert ops.¡±


    ¡°With everything going on back there,¡± I huffed, ¡°no one''s going to pick us up looking like this!¡±


    Suddenly, a beat up old salmon sedan barreled down the road and shot past us.


    ¡°See!¡± I waved wildly, yet slightly triumphantly at Jack.


    At that, the sedan came to a short stop and reversed with great speed.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± I teetered back over the line next to Jack as the car stopped aside us and rolled down its window.


    ¡°Well,¡± the thick Italian accent cut through, ¡°look who it is! Sweet American Girl, Ari...and...¡± the man looked at Jack, stroking his chin pensively, ¡°and guy.¡±


    ¡°Guy?¡± Jack grumbled, annoyed.


    My mouth hung agape. ¡°Stolaro!?¡±

 31. An Old Friend

    ¡°Thanks again for the lift,¡± I bubbled, sitting in the passenger seat next to Stolaro, while Jack remained scrunched up in the back seat, his angry mug showing an immense displeasure with the current situation.


    ¡°It''s no problem,¡± Stolaro rejoiced,¡± you caught me right at the start of my very own road trip!¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡± I asked with intrigue.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Stolaro tugged the breast jacket of his powder blue suit, ¡°what you see before you is a changed man! A...sales man!¡±


    ¡°Oh my!¡± I responded with delight.


    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± Jack grumbled from the back.


    I whipped around and shot daggers at him, before turning back to face Stolaro with excitement. ¡°What have you to offer? Try your best sales pitch on me!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Stolaro beamed, ¡°since you asked,¡± he cleared his throat violently and re-adjusted himself in his seat, while speeding down the road. ¡°Hello ma''am, are you a housewife?¡±


    An awkward pause awaited us, as I was unsure if I should answer or not.


    ¡°Are you tired of using that same ol'' grime covered pan from 1950?¡± Stolaro Continued. ¡°Well I have a solution for you!¡± He frantically pointed with a free hand to a lumpy black knapsack squeezed next to Jack.


    I motioned to Jack, who sighed before opening it up and pulling out a dusty and heavily scratched nonstick sauce pan. ¡°This is it--¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Stolaro chimed back in, ¡°Everything slides right off that surface.¡±


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    ¡°You know people can get these everywhere now, right?¡± Jack said, annoyed.


    ¡°Hush, hush,¡± Stolaro spoke over him, ¡°this is Italy, we''re still 20 years behind.¡±


    ¡°That''s not true,¡± Jack stated, inspecting inside the knapsack further. ¡°Are these stolen--¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I think it''s great!¡± I tried to build up Stolaro, remembering who was currently chauffeuring us along to our goal, while slightly enjoying winding up Jack in the back too, glaring at him with a raised brow. ¡°I''m glad you''re turning things around!¡±


    ¡°And it''s all thanks to you two,¡± Stolaro said, gratefully. ¡°But what brings you up this far? Not selling any wares that I should worry about competing with?¡± He chuckled uproariously, his now greased mop of hair loosening from its disorganized hair plug pompadour and bouncing in the throes of his laughter.


    ¡°On a mission, further up north,¡± I pronounced excitedly, though that feeling waned when I thought more about that same mission.


    ¡°Trying to get away from the Don?¡± Stolaro laughed. ¡°I hear you embarrassed him good and he''s still out for blood. Mine too,¡± he hung an imaginary noose around his neck and yanked it to the side in mock choking.


    ¡°I''m not worried,¡± Jack said, ¡°we''ll sink him again.¡±


    ¡°That''s the spirit!¡± Stolaro cheered.


    I, however, didn''t feel in as celebratory of a mood anymore.


    ¡°It''s okay,¡± Stolaro patted me on the knee, ¡°It can only go up from here.¡±


    ¡°There''s the border,¡± Jack pointed at a busy checkpoint from the back. ¡°You can let us off there.¡±


    ¡°That''s the plan,¡± Stolaro confirmed, ¡° Not sure I could..ahem...legally get through there...at the moment.¡± He looked nervously at the knapsack next to Jack through the rear view mirror.


    ¡°Thank you though,¡± I said, turning to him with sincerity, ¡°we really appreciate your help.¡±


    ¡°No such thing as a debt between friends,¡± Stolaro said. ¡°I look forward to the day we met again.¡±


    ¡°As do we,¡± I smiled and looked back at Jack. ¡°As do we,¡± I repeated with an edge.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jack groaned, ¡°thanks.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Stolaro said, ¡°thank you my friend,¡± he slowed and turned to look at Jack with a genuine smile. ¡°You know, there is a two for one deal going on right now with the pans. I cut you a great deal, a friend deal.¡±


    ¡°You grifter,¡± Jack shook his head.


    ¡°Jack,¡± I tried to force down a thin smile and laughter, ¡°It sounds like a good deal.¡±


    Jack stared back at me, unamused, before reaching into his pocket and grabbing some spare change. ¡°This is for the ride,¡± he reached forward to offer it.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Stolaro said, ¡°I couldn''t!¡± Before slithering his hand back, and pocketing the money in an instant. It was mesmerizing.¡±Where to next?¡± he followed up, changing the subject.


    Jack rolled his head around his neck, loosening the kinks. ¡°Maybe it is time to call in a little favor.¡±

 32. Crossing Borders

    ¡°It''d be a good time for that friend of yours to make an appearance right now,¡± I snapped at Jack as we waited in the long queue for Swiss border control, inside a decently large and drab building. Lugging along our bags, Jack shouldering his with ease, we moved at a snail''s pace through the line, while I felt beads of sweat forming at my temples, especially when I looked at the heavily armed soldiers bearing assault rifles at the front, before shifting my gaze back to Jack''s large bag of weapons right next to me.


    ¡°It''s okay,¡± Jack grinned, ¡°we''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Will we?¡± I asked curtly, nodding at the bag that stood as his own personal weapons cache. ¡°This guy couldn''t call you back? Even after leaving a message.¡±


    ¡°Trust Me,¡± Jack said, shifting the bag and clanking some items together inside, drawing the attention and raised eyebrows of a few other travelers around us, and drawing my ire as he winked.


    The line continued to move forward, as I tried to breathe calmly, in and out, before finally being flagged forward. As always, fear and anxiety crept back into my mind, while I imagined what would happen if we were help up, or if Jack was caught. What would they do to him? How could I help him in a situation like that?


    ¡°What if they don''t let you...?¡± I whispered, whipping back around. ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°It''ll be okay,¡± he smiled.


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    ¡°MOVE!¡± A soldier yelled at me.


    Jack laid a hand on my facing, cupping it tenderly. ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I nodded, feeling his warmth, before turning and racing up to the counter before the solider blew a gasket.


    Nervously, I presented my documents and passed through security without issue, before watching Jack march up to the counter himself.


    Whatever sense of ease I had carried with me dissipated immediately, scurrying away as a few soldiers convened to inspect the contents of his bag, patting him down in hushed and gruff tones, all the while, Jack continued sporting that awful yet lovable smirk of his.


    Just then, the soldiers grabbed him by the arms, his smirk disappearing, as they pulled him along down a hall, struggling mightily against his resistance, and another snatched the bag, heaving it with them.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± I whispered loudly. ¡°Jack!¡±


    Suddenly, a few more soldiers appeared and pointed in my direction, before rapidly walking towards me.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, as they came nearer, ¡°I can explain,¡± full well knowing that I could indeed not explain.


    Stealing my bags, the soldiers took me by the elbows and ushered me down a different hallway.


    ¡°I swear,¡± I repeated, losing my composure, ¡°I haven''t done anything. Honest!¡±


    My words fell on deaf ears as I was shuffled into a small white room, with a metal table in the center. It looked like every cold and unforgiving interrogation room I''d ever seen on TV. Great. Thanks Jack.


    Pushing me off inside, I turned to find the soldiers exiting with my bags and slamming the door shut.


    Yanking on it to no avail, I began pounding my fists, banging for an answer, any response at all. ¡°Please!¡± I yelled, over and over, to the sound of silence calling back.


    Crossing my arms, I wandered to a wall length mirror, clearly two way, based on my intimate knowledge of the show, Criminal Minds. It was pristine, shiny, and who knows how many people were looking back at me through its emotionless frame. I examined myself within its icy portrait, my reflection painting despair. I was all alone now.


    ¡°What do I do?¡±

 33. Lost In Translation

    It''d felt like hours, as I sat in the interrogation room, before the churning of a misaligned door handle wrenched metal and brought my attention upon the door as it opened inward.


    A middle aged man in an ill fitting suit sauntered on in and tossed a thick stack of manila folders upon the steel table, echoing with resounding emphasis as the table legs wobbled ever so slightly.


    ¡°Can you tell me what''s going on here?¡± I cleared my throat and tried to sound more imposing, what came out though, was the squeak of a church mouse.


    The man responded with silence, before yanking the opposing chair out and taking a seat. He retrieved a pen from the interior breast pocket of his suit jacket and clicked it ready for action, as he started rifling through the folders.


    Sighing, he removed some documents, and pulled out a familiar looking passport...my passport, which was in my bag!


    ¡°That''s my passport!¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°I''m aware," the man droned on, copying information from the little blue booklet onto a separate form.


    ¡°So you can talk,¡± I chided, crossing my arms and lounging back in my seat.


    ¡°And you should not,¡± he responded in rapid succession.


    My mouth hung agape as I then sat in silence. Not because I was adhering to his instruction, but due to the fact that I couldn''t think of a quality retort in time. That would keep me awake at night for years to come. Maybe Jack''s brashness was rubbing off on me a little...but that was also what got us into this situation! I couldn''t wait to tell that to his kissable face when I saw him again...if I saw him again, that is.


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    ¡°Can we talk about this?¡± I spoke up again.


    ¡°Nothing to talk about,¡± he fired back, still writing before closing the passport shut and sliding it to the side.


    Clicking his pen back, he reinserted it into his pocket and collected his things. Slinging the folders under his arm, and carrying the passport in his other hand, he went and banged on the door with his elbow.


    After a moment, a soldier cracked the door, carrying my bags in tow. The suited man handed the soldier my passport, who returned it to its rightful zippered pouch in my bag.


    ¡°C''mon,¡± the suited man turned back to me, waving me over to him, as the door opened wider.


    I hesitated, before standing and following him out the door.


    We marched down the halls, as I thought of escape routes. I mean, it couldn''t get any worse, right? My emotions suddenly flooded me. I wasn''t a criminal, but what about Jack''s weapons? I had to do something. I had to get out, to help Jack! To help my Father!


    As we rounded the bend, my stupid lack of sensibilities overpowered me and I stomped down on the suited man''s foot, before making a run for it!


    ¡°Hey!¡± A soldier shouted, as the suited man sang tunes of startled aggression.


    I made a break for the direction that Jack was taken in, and reached for a door at the end of the hallway, my fingertips grazing it just as arms wrapped around my torso, and pulled me back.


    ¡°No!¡± I shouted, struggling against them, as I kicked and thrashed. The soldiers dragged me in another direction and led me down steps, going through a door to a parking lot out back. A lone black car sat idling, gas puffing out of its tailpipe while its engines hummed.


    Popping the truck, a soldier tossed my bags in the back, while others led me to the back door, opened it, and forced me in, before slamming the door behind me.


    I struggled while trying to open the door, but it was locked. Crawling across the seats to the other side, I tried the opposing handle to no avail. The car was clean, untouched, black leather, spotless. A divider sectioned off the quiet in front from seats in the back. I pounded on the windows, but they were clearly reinforced. I even tried to the divider, but couldn''t do anything. Finally, I sat back and took a breath.


    ¡°Well, looks like things just got worse.¡±

 34. The Unexpected

    The low hum of the car engine droned on incessantly while I waited for the inevitable doom to come forth my way. I knew the car would take off at some point and bring me to a Swiss prison for further questioning. It was only a matter of time. I¡¯d lost Jack...and now I¡¯d lost the only chance at saving my father.


    CLICK.


    The passenger door across from me cracked open and a disheveled man was tossed inside, before the door closed and locked back up. The man ran a hand through his tussled hair and looked up to me.


    ¡°Miss me?¡± Jack smiled, looking a little worse for wear.


    ¡°Jack!¡± I yelled, lunging over at him and embracing that handsome man with all my might. ¡°You scared me!¡± I breathed into his ear. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit,¡± Jack said, holding onto me tightly as well, and squeezing my shoulders tenderly.


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t get past them with all that...stuff.¡±


    ¡°The stuff wasn¡¯t the problem,¡± Jack said, rolling back into his seat and sinking into the faux leather stylings with ease. ¡°They had some other concerns.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± I fawned, on the edge of my seat. ¡°Furthermore, how are we gonna get out of here?¡± I motioned to the handles on the door and yanked them to no avail, before banging on the front glass divider. ¡°See?¡±


    Jack nodded, patting down his clothes searchingly before bending down and fishing behind the heel of his right sock. A button clicked and the sole of his shoe opened with a slide. With that, Jack pulled out a tiny communicator, which looked like a sleek tablet screen.


    My mouth opened wide, as I took in the impressive act. Finally some actual spy stuff!


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    ¡°Good!¡± I said, pawing his arms, ¡°we can call for help now!¡±


    Jack smirked and dialed a number on the phone, while I awaited the dial tone with anticipation. After a long few moments, the call answered. Silence came through the other end. ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± Jack said.


    With that, the shield divider lowered from the front of the vehicle giving view to a black clad driver and the turning grey haired head of a thin, stoic man in the passenger seat, clad in a fashionable grey chambray suit.


    He looked at Jack with contempt in his eyes, as Jack lowered the phone quietly, returning the gaze. The stare off was tense and filled me with anxiety.


    The man broke the silence first.


    ¡°Thought you could escape us this time, Jack Welker,¡± he pronounced in a thick Swiss accent.


    Jack held the gaze for a few moments longer, before a grin cracked across his lips.


    ¡°You son of a bitch¡± the man reached back and grabbed Jack¡¯s hand, shaking it tightly, brandishing a now jovial grin above the tight blue paisley tie hanging in a windsor knot from his collar. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get you to visit for years!¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡± I hollered aloud.


    Jack held the forearm of the man with a brotherly shake. ¡°You had them make it look good, I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°You were worried for a little bit, admit it?¡± The man fired back.


    ¡°Never,¡± Jack added, beaming.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?!¡± I chirped.


    ¡°Ari,¡± Jackie said, ¡°meet Stenley Corbin, an old friend.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ari,¡± Stenley said, extending his hand to kiss the back of my limp hand, ¡°tis a pleasure.¡±


    I sat in a state of confusion. ¡°This is your friend?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Had to make it look good for everyone, while we processed the paperwork, but yes,¡± Stenley said. ¡°This man,¡± he pointed to Jack, ¡°saved my life. Anything for him.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing,¡± Jack pushed the notion away.


    ¡°My yacht would still be sailing the high seas of Somalia without you!¡±


    ¡°Judging by their captain...not well,¡± Jack smirked.


    ¡°Ah-hahaha,¡± Stenley laughed proudly. ¡°He wasn¡¯t the most skilled pirate, no?¡±


    ¡°What is going on here!?¡± I begged again in confusion.


    ¡°I promised we¡¯d be okay,¡± Jackie said, adding a warm smile, ¡°didn¡¯t I?¡±


    I nodded understandingly, but cautiously at first, and angrily to some extent.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be better than that,¡± Stenley announced, ¡°we¡¯re taking the baby!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes narrowed in thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked.


    Jack grinned. ¡°I always wanted to fly Air Corbin.¡±

 35. Unfriendly Skies

    ¡°Wow,¡± I pawed at the window, the petite private jet shining pristine on the runway, as we made our slow approach.


    ¡°She¡¯s a beaut,¡± Stenley uttered in awe of his spotless white falcon, its stairs already lowered for entry, while two attendants lingered near. A young man held a silver saucer with a chilled and filled martini awaiting his owner''s arrival, while a younger female attendant carried a tray of warmed hand towels for cleansing.


    The car came to a stop near the flying vessel and the doors were opened for us expeditiously.


    I stepped out like royalty, much different from the way I had initially entered the car. Several footmen retrieved our luggage and hustled them to the plane.


    ¡°Might want to be careful with that,¡± Jack motioned to the big clunky bag of weaponry, that a few of the footmen struggled to lug between the two of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure some of its contents are...unkind,¡± Stenley voiced over Jack, as the two footmen raised their sweaty brows, trying to determine what that ominous statement meant.


    Jack and Stenley laughed heartily, as the two embraced formally. ¡°It¡¯s been too long, my friend,¡± Stenley said.


    ¡°It has,¡± Jack answered with warmth. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve done something about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh ho,¡± Stenley said, ushering us to follow him to the plane, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for the day!¡±


    He approached and delicately snatched his drink. ¡°Thank you, Claude,¡± he grinned. ¡°He¡¯s only been here for a few weeks, and he¡¯s worked wonders already!¡±


    ¡°Kensington finally had enough?¡± Jack smirked.


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    ¡°Up and left one day,¡± Stenley sadly affirmed. ¡°Not even a word goodbye,¡± he scoffed. ¡°We don¡¯t speak that name in this house anymore.¡±


    Jack shook his head, stifling a laugh, as Stenley spotted it and chuckled himself, before removing a hot towel from the pretty young woman. ¡°Thank you, Henrietta.¡±


    ¡°Henri,¡± Jack smiled, before taking his own towel.


    ¡°Jack,¡± She winked.


    ¡°Ari,¡± I piped in abruptly, stepping in front of Jack, and ushering him up the steps.


    Henrietta shook her head, bemused, brushing away my brash tactics.


    Jack snickered quietly to himself all the way up the steps, while I marched up after him.


    We followed Stenley into the sleek cabin, passing by the locked cockpit and taking our luxurious tan leather seats on the opposite row from Stenley. I took a window seat next to Jack, as he allowed me to pass by him, brushing up against him and feeling his torrid warmth and maybe something more. I blushed as I sat down, trying to toss away thoughts of this overly friendly steward.


    ¡°Drinks?¡± Stenley offered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a gin and tonic,¡± I said to the nodding Claude, as I slumped into my seat as I looked out the window to admire the view, while thinking about how soon we¡¯d be in Geneva.


    ¡°Very good,¡± Claude said. ¡°And you?¡± Motioning to Jack.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Come now, Jack,¡± Stenley said, ¡°I insist!¡± He near spilled his own drink shuffling up out of his seat in protest. ¡°We are here to celebrate life, love, and friendship. Share a drink with me!¡±


    ¡°Seems you¡¯ve shared quite a few with yourself already,¡± Jack joked.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Stenley said, ¡° bring the champagne!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jack offered up.


    ¡°Very good sir,¡± Claude said and whisked himself away in retrieval.


    ¡°This is too much,¡± Jack laughed, as I joined in with him, before I felt his hand fall on top of mine. It felt so comfortable, like home. As I looked up into his eyes and felt safe, for a moment.


    That safety was breached as Claude suddenly returned with our drinks, a glint in his eye as he handed me my drink and winked. I couldn¡¯t believe he was flirting with me, in front of Jack! He couldn¡¯t be...right?


    Claude followed by handing Jack a glass of champagne and placing down another for Stenley.


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    Stenley celebrated triumphantly. ¡°A cheers to life, love, and friendship!¡±


    ¡°Cheers,¡± Jack and I looked at each other and meekly clanked glasses before taking some large sips.


    It went down smooth...very smooth. ¡°This is fantastic,¡± I uttered, before looking over at Claude, a wry smile crossing his face, before he turned to leave the area.


    The engines fired up in the background, while I replayed the moment in my mind.


    Stenley cheered loudly. ¡°Enjoy the flight of your lives!¡±

 36. Open Air

    BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!


    I was startled awake by the loud wailing of flight warnings crying in my ears as I groggily attempted to remove the sleep from my eyes. Dragging my lids all around, I looked about me to find flashing hazard lights in the cabin, and darkened skies outside.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I mumbled. ¡°Jack?¡± I sent a wandering hand over to his cushy seat, but found emptiness. Trying to adjust my vision in the disorienting malaise, I unbuckled my seat belt and tried to stand.


    ¡°Woah!¡± I stumbled, plopping back down, as the plane rumbled and shifted in the air. Ugh. I gripped my stomach in pain. Though my head was the real killer here. I only had that one glass. It couldn¡¯t have been the drink...could it?


    ¡°Stenley?¡± I asked aloud, turning and finding him slumped over in his seat, a martini glass turned over on its side and pooling liquid across his luxurious flip up table, some dripping down the edges onto his neat pair of slacks.


    I climbed back out of my seat and staggered forward, working my way across the aisle. ¡°Stenley,¡± I regurgitated, offering a hand on his shoulder, trying to shake him awake. ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Stenley snored loudly, muffling the engine noise himself, in close proximity.


    ¡°Stenley,¡± I asked again, with an increasing edge. ¡°Stenley!¡± I beckoned louder, before hurting my own head with the noise and backing away.


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    ARGH!


    A guttural cry sounded muted from the back of the plane. My eyes widened sleepily, as much as they possibly could, while I pulled each leg with me to get back there.


    I came upon the attendant Henrietta as I slowly walked towards the back of the plane, her head bobbing back and forth idly with the turbulent motion as we sailed through the skies. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said, tapping her on the shoulder as well, but nothing came back in response.


    Well...this certainly was not normal.


    I turned and found a sliding door that was presumably the restroom. Reaching and feeling for the handle, I pulled it open.


    Inside sat a crumpled man, eyes bulging wildly as he tried to struggle against the ropes that bound his arms and legs, hogtied on the floor. He was dressed in a white collared shirt and his white boxer briefs only, while his mouth was stuffed and bound with fabric.


    I quickly bent down and pulled the trappings from his mouth.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± he sucked in air and cycled it out with rapidity. ¡°They¡¯ve taken over the plane!¡± He cried, tears streaming down his face. ¡°They¡¯ve taken over the plane!¡± He repeated, as if I didn¡¯t understand. I spotted a pair of little metal wings on the floor beside him, when it hit me...the pilot!


    ¡°Oh no,¡± I thought back to the nefarious look that Claude gave me. I should¡¯ve known better. No one normal flirts with me!


    THUD!


    A sound came from behind me, leading to another sliding door in the back. I turned to investigate.


    ¡°Wait,¡± the man begged, ¡°don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± I whispered, venturing to the door in the back and sliding it open tentatively.


    Ahead of me laid a long conference room with a pristine oval table in the center. Atop the table were two men struggling over each other. Jack and Claude!


    ¡°Jack!¡± I yelled, drawing his attention.


    Jack looked up from his position on top of Calude, holding his wrists down. ¡°A little busy right now,¡± he grimaced.


    ¡°Wait...¡± I said, more realizations hitting me at light speed. ¡°If you''re both are in here...who¡¯s flying the plane!?¡±

 37. Sinking Feeling

    ¡°Maybe you should go check!¡± Jack yelled to me, as Claude took the upper hand and thrashed him back on his side, atop the long table.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you!¡± I yelled back, falling to me knees in search of a weapon...anything really, that I could use to help Jack. Besides stacks of papers that now lay disheveled across the carpeted flooring, I found nothing.


    Continuing on, I crawled underneath the table, in greater pursuit of a long lost artifact to aid in my quest to save Jack.


    An intertwined blob fell past me and landed on the floor hard. THUD!


    I was rattled as the two struggled off to my side, while I scrambled onward.


    ¡°Just check the cockpit,¡± Jack growled, fighting back against his assailant in an obviously drugged and weakened state.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± I shouted triumphant, before seeing a fist land squarely on Jack¡¯s chiseled jaw. Jack returned with a head butt as the two inched in a daze away from each other for a moment.


    I continued on down my path and came to the other end of the table, where another door stood. Rising, I gripped the handle proper and worked it with all my might. Locked.


    Finally, I¡¯d encountered something that was off limits on this flight, untimely as it may be.


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    Arms suddenly clenched around my waist and pulled me back.


    ¡°Jack!¡± I screamed! Not my proudest moment, as I wriggled violently, trying to escape the grasp of Claude who breathed haggardly into my ears.


    Immediately, Jack was upon us and threw a headlock around Claude, the perfect sleeper hold, which took a few long moments to really kick in.


    At last, Claude¡¯s hands fell limp from my waist and he slumped back with Jack onto the table and I stumbled forward to the floor, breathing profusely. I heard Jack doing the same.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jack asked from atop the table.


    I nodded my head, as if he could see me. ¡°Yeah, thank you.¡±


    Jack rolled Claude off of him and immediately searched for credentials, but only found fake identification.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve just went to the cockpit,¡± Jack reaffirmed. ¡°I had this handled.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± I hissed back. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be moving too urgently to the cockpit yourself!¡±


    ¡°Someone must be flying it,¡± Jack said, leading me back through the doors, toward the front of the plane.


    Jack stopped on his way, noticing the pilot, who was on the floor and had fainted at his own shock. Kneeling, Jack tried to wake him up, shouting and shaking him, to no avail.


    I raised an expectant brow at him, but said nothing. Passive aggression at its finest.


    ¡°What?¡± He said.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I fired back.


    We both couldn¡¯t help but relinquish tiny smiles at that, even in a terrible moment.


    With that, I was following Jack to the cockpit door. Upon reaching it, Jack tried to slide it open, to no avail.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jack said, gripping the door with all his might and yanking it almost off its hinges. As the lock snapped, the door slid right open and landing loud along its tracks. ¡°Oh,¡± Jack said, his voice dripping with tension.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I said, mine laced with bewilderment, and not the fun kind.


    Jack sidestepped to give me a look inside.


    The controls sat empty, as darkened skies loomed beyond the barren cockpit, millions of blinking lights flashing effervescently from a vast array of separate control panels, yet no one manning them in the tiny two seats before us.


    I felt my stomach knot, twisting and churning as a familiar feeling sank in.


    ¡°Oh.¡±

 38. Flight School

    ¡°What do we do!?¡± I shouted at the top of my lungs, as I looked beyond the cockpit to the darkened skies ahead.


    ¡°We land this thing,¡± Jack said, waltzing on through, sliding into one of the two pilot¡¯s seats.


    ¡°I thought these things were always supposed to have two pilots?¡± I yelped, looking around, helplessly.


    ¡°Guess autopilot was the 2nd pilot today,¡± Jack affirmed, strapping in.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, coming to grips, ¡°you¡¯re a spy, you know how to fly a plane.¡± I looked to Jack, who returned with a puzzled glaze over his eyes. ¡°You do know how to fly a plane, right? That¡¯s one of those things they teach you at spy school.¡±


    ¡°Spy school?¡± Jack smirked.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve done it before, you must have,¡± I followed up, finding those tensions that I''d just released moments ago winding and weaving back around my chest.


    Jack shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never flown a plane?¡± I said, wide eyed, the lack of comprehension swirling within my mind, that a spy, of all people, had never flown a plane before!


    ¡°Well, I did play Flight Simulator on Windows 98 once.¡± Jack stroked his chin in thought.


    ¡°Oh god, we¡¯re gonna die.¡± I held my hands to my head.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Jack said, ¡°you¡¯ll want to get comfortable.¡±


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    Agreeing, I sat down, strapping uncomfortably into the coffin beside him.


    ¡°I think I might know enough to get us landed.¡± Jack said, scrutinizing the wide array of controls and buttons that whirled and flashed before us like a carnival display.


    ¡°What do you know?¡± I said, feeling sick to my stomach.


    ¡°I know how to steer...¡±


    ¡°Jack!¡± I snapped.


    ¡°And I think,¡± Jack continued, pulling back on some instruments before also seemingly turning the engine off, ¡°these should slow us down a bit.¡±


    ¡°But, how do we land!¡± I gulped. ¡°Where do we land?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Jack said, looking off in the distance, peering through the darkened glass, before gazing at the radar and monitors along the way. ¡°I don¡¯t know. How about there?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    Jack motioned to a long stretch of road beneath us, barely illuminated by rows of street lamps.


    ¡°Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,¡± I said, clutching my chest.


    ¡°I didn''t know you grew up in a religious household.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t,¡± I turned, hissing with malice from beyond.


    Jack laughed, before triggering the landing gear as we descended.


    ¡°Are you sure you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Have I ever failed you before?¡± Jack winked, angling the plane down lower, its nose tilting towards the ground that seemed to come toward us faster than I''d expected.


    ¡°No,¡± I sighed, acknowledging the truth of the situation. Jack had never given me any reason to doubt his ability to save me...to save us, and I should give him that benefit.


    ¡°And not today either,¡± he smiled.


    That winning smile of his, putting me at ease again...if ever so slightly. I dealt a hand over to him, crossing atop his own, which tilted us even further, ruining a potentially tender moment.


    ¡°Ah!¡± I sat back startled. Maybe now was not the time. Even if there were things...things I thought about telling him. It was too soon though for something like that...right? I guess no time was better than right now...with death upon us and all...for the millionth time.


    ¡°Jack,¡± I started up, ¡°I think I''m falling--¡±


    ¡°Here we go then,¡± Jack cut in, dipping us further as we approached closer to the narrow road, marked by little amber lights here and there, in between stretches of dark green pasture and brush.


    The ground came at us even faster, as we plummeted earthbound, blinking lights and warning chimes hollering endlessly at us along the way, while I couldn¡¯t help but let out a scream, embarrassingly.


    Jack¡¯s grip tightened on the controls, the white in his knuckles pressing through.


    ¡°Hang on!¡±

 39. Falling Stars

    ¡°Jaaaack!¡± I wailed, as we plummeted to the ground, the plane sinking and bouncing, bumping onto the thin slice of road that cut through the darkness, before jerking back up in the air slightly, unable to stick the landing just yet.


    ¡°I got it!¡± Jack yelled back, while the plane hovered above ground after its first attempt at tapping the road between the sparse street lamps glowing ominously. After what seemed like an eternity, but was mere moments in time, Jack tried to touch the ground with the plane again, the green brush whipping past us through the dimly lit cockpit to either side of the plane.


    The landing gear scraped the makeshift runway again, as Jack pushed up on the controls, angling the plane downward, gripping tightly while aircraft sped down the road, slowing to some extent.


    ¡°See?¡± Jack said, turning to look at me. ¡°I told you I¡ª¡°


    ¡°Look out!¡± I pointed ahead, as a large tractor trailer barreled down the road ahead of us, blaring its horn as if it expected us to move over to a different side of the road.


    ¡°This is getting ridiculous,¡± Jack yelled, as he swerved the plane, with the truck doing the same, veering off-road to opposite sides of the brush.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I screamed as we careened, dipping into the brush, clipping and crunching errant branches, which assaulted the exterior as we hurtled through them, before slowly coming to a stop.


    ¡°Oh god,¡± I exhaled, exhausted, looking at Jack, who wiped large beads of sweat from his brow.


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    He nodded slowly, taking it in. ¡°Well...hats off to Microsoft for that simulator.¡±


    I rolled my head back and couldn¡¯t help but breathe out a slight chuckle.


    Jack did the same, leaning back in his seat and running an idle hand through his sweat logged hair, which gave a nice sheen in a tired moment. He just looked good all the time, through everything...must be nice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you,¡± I moaned, ¡°but I¡¯m ready to walk the rest of the way there. We don¡¯t have much luck on moving vehicles.¡±


    ¡°No we don¡¯t,¡± Jack smiled, ¡°do we?¡±


    There was a moment of silence as we sat.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he stated up again. ¡°What was that thing you were gonna tell me before?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± I tensed up. ¡°What thing is that?¡±


    ¡°You were saying that you had something to tell me...before we pulled in for the landing and all.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, puzzled on how to proceed. Since we were clearly alive, and hopefully not dying any time soon, that topic had to be tabled. Time for effortless evasive measures. ¡°I...don¡¯t remember.¡±


    Jack¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± I nodded, shifting my gaze downward, sheepishly. I think I was doing well.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re lying,¡± he shot back. ¡°I learned how to tell...in spy school.¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± I laughed, ¡°I was out of my mind when I said that.¡±


    ¡°But you were pretty aware with what you wanted to say...so tell me,¡± his voice grew quiet, composed, sincere. ¡°I might have something...to say back?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± I uttered, low in tone, very unsure. I didn¡¯t want to ruin anything we had. Whatever this was at least. ¡°Well...¡±


    Suddenly, I felt a rush of something. Was it post adrenaline? I¡¯m not sure. I was fading and rapidly.


    Jack¡¯s expression shifted. ¡°Ari?¡± He leaned in closer, putting a tender hand on my arm, his natural musk enrapturing me with warmth as he moved closer, looking deeply into my eyes. However, his tone, was something different, something serious, which I could barely take in, my current state and all. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, before drifting off into the night¡¯s embrace.

 40. A Bed With A View

    Beep beep. Beep beep.


    The incessant chirping was low, and measured at a rate just to drive any sane person to the brink, but loud enough to raise me from my groggy slumber.


    The hot white fluorescent lighting singed my eyes, as I delivered an audible hiss like a vampire. A natural response, and one I was glad to have made with no other person around me.


    An IV drip was connected to my arm, in a small hospital room, sterile, but comfy. I tried to inch my way up in the bed, but found it difficult to do so with my energy depleted. A pale blue hospital gown was draped around me, scrunching loudly through my defeated lack of mobility.


    Where was I? What had happened? We landed, amazingly. Wait...we did land, right? If this was the afterlife, everyone in the world of the living had a rude awakening in store for them.


    A nurse stumbled on past my doorway.


    ¡°Um, excuse me?¡± I spoke up, in hushed tones, drawing the woman¡¯s attention.


    She smiled and flagged on someone else from down the hall. Loud footsteps echoed before a familiarly handsome face entered the frame.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Jack smiled, holding two white cups of hot coffee, steam curling from their open faced tops. ¡°Finally decided to wake up, huh?¡±


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    Jack sauntered on in and let the nurse continue on with her own tasks, attending to other patients down the hall.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I smiled weakly.


    ¡°You must have gotten a pretty large dose of the agent that was used, put your whole system in quite a state. Guess the adrenaline kicked in pretty hard and left you empty afterwards.¡± Jack leaned over and kissed my forehead, before delivering the cup of coffee into my waiting hands.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, taking a sip of the overly bitter coffee and wincing in pain.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jack fired out, standing back upright as he was about to sit. ¡°Should I get help?¡±


    ¡°Only if they can nurse this coffee back to health,¡± I grinned.


    Jack sighed, before letting out a chuckle of his own. ¡°It¡¯s all they had.¡±


    ¡°Oh, trying to blame it on the coffee now, huh?¡± I sipped gingerly.


    ¡°Maybe you can find someone else to chauffeur you around then.¡± Jack winked.


    ¡°How will I get to Geneva then?¡± I smirked, which dissipated quickly as I reminded myself of the dire situation, images of my Father flashing in my mind. Laughter, and happy days which were drowned out by a looming darkness that crept in from the fringes of my mind.


    Jack watched quietly, before placing his cup down on the windowsill behind him and coming to my bedside.


    He unhooked the IV line, triggering another minor beeping alarm and reached around me, embracing me. It felt like home. I shivered as his hands grazed my bare back from behind my gown.


    Just then, he shifted and put his hands under my legs. His soft touch tickling them. I couldn¡¯t believe what he was doing...in a hospital no less!


    ¡°Jack...¡± I whispered, close to his ear, as he carried me from the bed and brought me to the window.


    Suddenly, a green city...an old world city, came into view. Tan rooftops and a large fountain off in the distance by the water...a famous fountain spraying up, reaching for the stars with majesty, unlike the pictures I had seen of it countless times before. An expansive lake served beyond, and we were surrounded by mountains on either side of us, as I looked on in awe.


    ¡°How will you get to Geneva?¡± Jack said, a large smile brimming across his lips. ¡°You¡¯re already there.¡±

 41. A Simple Plan

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you set all of this up while I was zonked out,¡± I said to Jack, as we walked over a bridge, while I admired the little offshoots of greenery and buildings that were planted smack in the middle of some of the crossings, as we made our march over the beautiful waterways interspersed throughout the city.


    ¡°You¡¯d be amazed at what a few local contacts can do,¡± Jack confirmed, eying me with a wry smile. ¡°He¡¯s a hard man to reach...until he¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you,¡± I smiled. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done any of this without you.¡± I sneakily put my hand in his as we made it to the other side of the bridge and clenched it, while admiring the old world structures that emerged in all parts of the gorgeous city of Geneva. It made my heart bounce with romantic intentions. ¡°Want me to introduce you to him?¡±


    Jack¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Uh,¡± he stumbled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure the circumstances are the best for meeting fathers right now," he coughed. "Ya know, all things considered.¡± His eyes turned down and away.


    I nodded slowly, taking it in, though slightly disappointed if I was honest. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be nearby though, watching everything,¡± Jack followed up with quick reassurance. ¡°I¡¯ll meet him when we can get him somewhere safe, after he¡¯s led us a little further.¡±


    I sighed, my eyes narrowing. ¡°He¡¯s not just an asset, Jack.¡±


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    ¡°I understand that,¡± Jack responded in hushed tones. ¡°But if we want to dismantle EXODUS we need to learn more first and foremost. Then we can figure out how to respond to this whole speech he has planned.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say to him. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve even seen him.¡±


    ¡°Just say what you feel,¡± Jack said in earnest. ¡°And do a little of that spy work you¡¯ve been training up on, while you¡¯re at it,¡± he winked.


    It drew a brimming grin from my face. ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±


    Jack nodded with subdued warmth. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Looking ahead, there was a five pointed intersection and a cafe with outdoor seating, large floral arrangements affixed to its signpost. ¡®Pastel¡¯ it was called. Fitting.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Jack said, tilting his head in the direction, before checking his watch. ¡°It¡¯s 12:30 now, he should be here in a few moments.¡± He looked to me with a smile. ¡°Good luck, you¡¯ll kill ¡®em out there.¡± Embarrassment instantly washed over Jack¡¯s face at the turn of the phrase.


    ¡°Gosh, I hope not,¡± I remarked, grinning and waved back as I crossed the street.


    I approached a host at the front and asked for a table. I was quickly seated in busy outdoor area.


    Sitting for what felt like an eternity, I grew anxious, falling into dark thoughts. What would happen? What would I even say to him?


    I tried to take my mind off of things until he arrived, looking around and watching everyday life, while wondering where Jack was situated. Amazing food lay at the tables beside me, one of which had just vacated, an old man, who¡¯d left after surely lingering for some time.


    Upon his table sat a newspaper, ''Tribune de Gen¨¨ve,'' a French reading Swiss publication. The headline in bold ''Mod¨¨le Manquant.'' I wondered what it meant. Then, I recognized a familiar face on the picture. A beautiful woman in a fancy cutting edge dress. Wait...Sansa Peguero?


    I instantly pulled out my phone to translate.


    ¡°Honey?¡± A strained voice came out.


    I looked up to see the wrinkled brow under a thin slate of white hair, kind eyes, and a warm smile brandished beneath.


    ¡°Dad!¡±

 42. Bittersweet Reunion

    ¡°My beautiful Ari,¡± he whispered, proud tears, Fatherly tears, welling up within his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve grown.¡± He embraced me tightly, his arms bound snugly at my back.


    ¡°Dad,¡± I said, slightly pushing him back, ¡°you act like we haven¡¯t seen each other in years,¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s practically been that,¡± he followed up. ¡°Please,¡± he motioned to the seats behind us. ¡°What can I get you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Let me treat you for once, you¡¯ve been treating me all my life.¡±


    ¡°I insist,¡± Dad said, ¡°I won¡¯t allow any further discussion on the matter.¡± He whipped his napkin into the seat of his lap. ¡°But truly, what brings you here!? Did the allure of chocolates entice you a little too much?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I smiled, ¡°but I¡¯d be lying if it wasn¡¯t on my mind now.¡±


    ¡°We can fix that,¡± he said, his eyes scanning the menu, following his pointer finger across as if upon an ornate Ouija board.


    ¡°Dad,¡± I sat up, my hand crossing the table and resting atop his. ¡°You know this isn¡¯t just a regular visit.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± he started up, ¡°I am aware,¡± he finished after a long pause. ¡°Certain contacts reached out. You must have powerful friends.¡±


    ¡°And powerful enemies,¡± I spoke gravely.


    His eyes darted nervously from left to right and back again.


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    ¡°They''ve been hunting me.¡± I whispered.


    The watering eyes nearly burst out of his head. ¡°No...¡± his fist clenched.


    ¡°Does the name Nanamin...mean anything to you?¡±


    Waitstaff passed by and delivered two large glasses of water to the table. Dad scooped up one briskly and cleansed his throat of the poison that would assuredly spew forth soon.


    ¡°He...no...EXODUS, have levied quite the threats upon you...upon us. They¡¯re capable of terrible things and want whatever speech you have planned to stop.¡±


    ¡°I...I know...and I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t.¡± Dad shrank, his eyes withering before me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to stop,¡± I continued. ¡°But we need to proceed with caution. You have to tell me what you¡¯ve done. There are other channels that we can go through. We can take them down!¡± I tried not to raise my voice too loud in the fervor of it all.


    ¡°You...you don¡¯t understand Ari.¡± He rubbed his eyes, now brimming with different tears. Tears of sadness and guilt. ¡°I¡¯ve done bad


    things...horrible things. You think you¡¯re doing right by your family, by the people around you.¡± He lifted the napkin and dabbed at the corner of each eye. ¡°You just want to make a better life for your loved ones. And sometimes...you make decisions you aren¡¯t proud of. You never think you¡¯re the villain...until you become one.¡±


    ¡°Dad, whatever you did, we can find a way out of it. But you have to involve more people. We can get you to safety. This doesn¡¯t have to end like this, in some triumphant stand. I¡¯m not speaking on behalf of Nanamin. This is me. Jack and I¡ª¡°


    ¡°Jack?¡± He paused. His brow raised.


    ¡°Well,¡± I blushed, ¡°he¡¯s kind of my boyfriend...and,¡± my voice lowered, ¡°he¡¯s been protecting me this whole time.¡±


    ¡°Is...that his job?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, but things got personal.¡±


    ¡°I see..." A slight smile crept across his face. "Do you love this...Jack?¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± I yelped.


    ¡°Enough said,¡± joy shone on his face for the first time in a while. ¡°Does he treat you well?¡±


    ¡°Better than well...¡± I beamed, ¡°the best.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask for then.¡± Suddenly, he stood up from the table. ¡°It seems that there is no more to discuss. Unfortunately, the matter is settled.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I rose as well. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps to truly take care of this nasty business, I must continue on and bring such injustices to the public light. Just like I know you always would.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to complicate things? We can fight them from the shadows.¡±


    ¡°People like this,¡± he embraced me again, as if for the last time, before he turned to leave, ¡°need to be dragged into the light.¡±

 43. A Stroll Through Geneva

    ¡°That went terribly,¡± I huffed, following along Jack through the city streets like a saddened puppy with wounded pride. ¡°He wasn''t even willing to listen to what I had to say. Always so thick headed,¡± I groaned, speaking up over the large amount of car traffic that hummed along the streets beside us.


    ¡°He knew what he was doing coming into it,¡± Jack said, his eyes focused on scouring rooftops of the city buildings around us. ¡°It was gonna be tough to change his mind.¡± Turning he looked at me with a reassuring smile. ¡°You did great. It¡¯s hard to change the conviction of a man.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± I moaned. ¡°I wish he was willing to listen to any form of reason. There doesn¡¯t have to be such a strong show for his enemies.¡± I rubbed my forehead in distress. ¡°Why are men so intent on always doing things the hard way?¡±


    ¡°Not all men,¡± Jackie chided with a grin.


    ¡°I beg to differ,¡± I added with a slight smile, enticed by the charmingly cocky expression on his face. At least some things were right with the world right now. My eyes followed to his lips. Stop! I put myself on notice. You can¡¯t be thinking of things like that in a time like this!


    Suddenly, I spotted a giant red chair statue alongside beautiful greenery, with gardens up ahead. ¡°What are we doing, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Reconnaissance,¡± Jack said, standing in front of the chair.


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    ¡°You can have a seat,¡± I said, with a cheeky smile, ¡°you¡¯ve been walking all day.¡±


    Jack smirked. ¡°Laugh all you want, but this is important.¡± He nodded past the chair. ¡°Take a look.¡±


    I sidled up to him and craned my neck to gaze beyond. Large palatial structures looked ahead, beautiful but sedate buildings in majestic gardens of green. ¡°The U.N?¡± I asked aloud, spotting sentries patrolling at the entrances.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jack said.


    Suddenly, a large group of elderly civilians was spotted moving up to the building. A tour guide spoke in muffled tones from a distance, as he gestured widely with his arms, in sweeping motions. The guide was excited, an exuberant passion about his job and educating a group of sleepwalking tourists in a journey they may have felt obligated to embark on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me,¡± I said, slowly trailing off, as I looked to him in bewilderment. ¡°That¡¯s not how we¡¯re gonna get in...right?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyebrows slanted down in speculation. ¡°You think we¡¯re going to pretend to be tour guides in a city you don¡¯t know, with languages you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Please, continue to beat me down, mister worldly.¡± I raised my brow back at him.


    Jack laughed. ¡°I was thinking something much simpler.¡± Reaching inside his interior jacket pocket, he pulled out two laminated badges that hung from thin black lanyards and handed me one. My picture was mocked up in a small square frame with U.S foreign press indicated. ¡°Press passes?!¡± I eyed mine in amusement. The name ''Stacy Starr'' plastered across it, bringing an even larger smile to my face. ¡°The spotlight just can''t leave that Stacy Starr,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Maybe we¡¯d better go with the tour guide idea.¡±


    ¡°This the easiest way in,¡± Jack said, ¡°we''ve only a few hours before his press conference. There''s no time to waste. If we want to protect your Father, it¡¯s the best way to do so...surreptitiously.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I felt a pit churning in my stomach again. ¡°When do we start?¡±


    Jack smiled and slung the lanyard over his head. ¡°Right now.¡±

 44. Tears For Fears

    The loud murmurs of mixed languages coalesced within the open assembly room, scores of chairs packed with media personnel and others descending down towards a podium at the bottom, while further seating could be found even higher than us.


    ¡°They don¡¯t usually let this happen,¡± Jack whispered to me, nodding with friendly affection and a thin smile at a passerby, while we set up a tripod and camera purely for show and surveillance of the area. ¡°There¡¯s a press room onsite, it was on the map. They must know that something big is to be found in the speech.¡±


    I looked around anxiously, wondering if there were others who had horrible intentions for my father, and knowing it might be difficult to sniff them out. ¡°Hopefully the wrong people don¡¯t know that either. It was easy enough for us to get in.¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Keep an eye on the crowd, if you can,¡± he said, looking through the viewfinder on the digital camera. ¡°If there¡¯s anything to come, It''ll be from around us.¡± He paused and looked at me reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯ll stop it,¡± he smiled tightly.


    I bobbed my head slightly in acknowledgment, my gaze shifting off into the abyss while the mumbles grew quieter, as footsteps echoed up, clopping from down across the main stage.


    Turning my attention, I spotted my father waving to the crowd demurely, scanning it, and noticing me with slight shock across his face, which soon turned to a brief smile and a subdued wink, as if we were both in on some joke that no one else in the room was privy to. I smiled ever so slightly in return, as he slowly took to the podium.


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    After a moment of shuffling, he began, sending the room into a hush. ¡°Thank you all for joining me here today,¡± he started out, adjusting the mic to meet his voice more properly. ¡°Though I am not a regular fixture like many others, my work has been sound for many years and I have moved in circles for constructive advancement between nations. Something I am very proud of. Though...¡± he continued after a pause, ¡°nothing that would eclipse the pride I have for my family.¡± He looked back up to me, tears brimming in his eyes. Honest pride.


    Soon, I found my own eyes watering. ¡°Dad...¡± I whispered under my breath.


    Jack pulled his head away from the camera and grabbed my hand, clenching it tightly with an affirmation of the words reverberating throughout the hall, before returning to his duties.


    ¡°However,¡± Dad said, ¡°there are things that I have done, which I am not proud of.¡± He lowered his head with shame. ¡°I have embezzled funds, misled individuals, and disseminated confidential information.¡±


    Gasps came up from the crowd, before settling back down to listen to my father. I felt a sinking feeling as well, even though I knew it was coming.


    ¡°I betrayed my own nation, and others.¡± He continued, before lifting his head back up triumphantly. ¡°I was made promises by an organization, and then coerced by them. Threatened. My family attacked. And I will stand for it no longer!¡± He stood firm, his head held high.


    I looked around the room, forgetting my own tasks, searching, and spotting nothing, before I eyed the upper most level. Suddenly, I spotted a camera lens dilating and opening up a hidden space with a sharp appendage sticking out. Black gloves made adjustments on the camera itself. Behind that, a man lifted his head up and focused on the podium before him, black glasses tilted slightly down on his face. A familiar head. A bald head.


    ¡°Oh god...¡± I cried silently, my hand instinctively reaching to cover my mouth as tears dribbled down my face at the realization.


    ¡°No...¡±

 45. Dying Words

    The hitman was intently focused on adjusting his camera mechanism, harnessing some discreet weapon inside, and opening the lens to target my Father, before checking a watch on his wrist, in waiting. He seemed to be taking his time.


    I yanked Jack¡¯s arm, tugging him in the direction, using force that he hadn''t seen before, and surprising him as he looked back at me with a bewildered stare plastered across his face.


    ¡°What?¡± Jack whispered, as I turned my head up and nodded urgently in the direction, trying to act with expediency, but not to flag the hitman into action yet, knowing that there might be some time to take him down without spurring something disastrous in Dad''s direction.


    Jack¡¯s eyes glazed over with recognition as he followed quickly, slipping past others in our row to make way outside and up around into the other level, shuffling past large tripods and journalists who watched the events behind us intently.


    Dad¡¯s speech continued on in the background, as we climbed, while I caught him stammering momentarily when I rose over the steps back into the auditorium, as we linked eyes, him noticing our hurried exit and expecting things were afoot, assuredly.


    ¡°<u>Kenzo Nanamin</u>.¡± He started up again. ¡°A former friend, a leader in industry, has been manipulating and deceiving the public for years. He helped stray me from the course of what¡¯s good and right. For that, I cannot forgive him. I cannot forgive myself. I will be handing over everything I know and have to authorities, and I do have the paper trails, I assure you.¡±


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    I felt my heart pumping rapidly in my chest as we worked our way around and hurtled up the steps, ascending to the next level, hearing his speech and knowing we were running out of time. Why had they taken so long to attack? It¡¯s almost like the hitman was waiting for something.


    We pushed by some attendants who tried to stop us and ask about seating, while showing our badges in pursuit.


    ¡°I may not be able to atone for everything I¡¯ve done,¡± Dad continued, finding me in the crowd, once more, and almost speaking to me as I rose out into the uppermost level. ¡°But I will try. I¡¯m so sorry, for all of the pain I¡¯ve caused you,¡± tears welled up in his eyes, and my own. ¡°I¡ª¡° he mouthed ¡®love you¡¯¡± before stifling up. I repeated the words back to him in a fog.


    Jack spotted the hitman and raced down the steps cat like, the hitman turning to hear the footsteps.


    I could see it playing out in slow motion, as Jack rushed for the hitman,closing on his row.


    ¡°This organization,¡± Dad charged on, vitriol forming in his lungs, ¡°there are others that will be brought to justice as we bring them from the darkness, into the light!¡±


    BANG!


    Dad shook instantly, a red streak of mist dissipating past his head, before he slumped to the side and fell to the floor, his head ricocheting off of it with a thunderous crack in the hall.


    The crowd stirred into a frenzy and chaotically tried to make way for the exits.


    I stood frozen, watching Dad on the floor, life drained from his eyes as a pool of blood seeped on the light paneled wood floor from his head.


    The frantic murmurs increased as droves of people pushed past me in escape, shouldering me and knocking me to the floor.


    ¡°Ari!¡± I heard Jack scream from a distance. ¡°Ari!¡±


    I shielded my face with my arms as people stepped over me, when suddenly, a head appeared through the crowd and hovered over me.


    It was the sardonic grin of the hitman.

 46. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

    Eclipsing the bright lights beyond, the hitman''s black gloved hand reached in past the moving thrush of human bodies and grabbed my wrist. I was frozen in terror, unable to elicit a response as he tried to pull me from the floor.


    I thrashed and kicked, forcing him to relinquish his grip as I rolled over and attempted to claw my way back to my feet, avoiding a rush of legs moving past me in the process, before feeling a familiar hand snatch my leg and restrict my movement.


    ¡°No!¡± I yelled, which came out as a whisper, my voice-box locking up with fear, as the herd clomped past me toward the exits. His arm strength slid me back across the floor, while I scrambled, swimming for life and pawing sweaty streaks across the cold white tile.


    Grabbing the back of my shirt, and then my hair, he pulled me up into submission.


    ¡°Play nice, girl,¡± he whispered, a low pitched, nasally voice, whispered in an American accent, coldly in my ear. ¡°Don''t want the bloodline killed off in full today...do we?¡±


    I shivered, submitting to his will and nodding slightly, before he pushed me forward, and we started walking quickly with the flow of the crowd. Tilting my head, I tried to look back for Jack, but was unable to do so, as the hitman noticed and pulled my twisted arms tighter behind me. ¡°No peeking,¡± he chided.


    ¡°Ari!¡± Jack yelled from a distance. ¡°Ari!¡± He repeated.


    ¡°Keep it straight ahead,¡± the hitman hissed, ¡°and you''ll be okay...today. It''s not personal, love, just business. You got in the way of the wrong people."


    ¡°Jack!¡± I shouted, out of nowhere, flailing my arms and causing a scene.


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    ¡°Mistakes,¡± the hitman said, yanking my hair back and pulling me quicker along with him, ¡°were indeed made. Ones you shall regret.¡±


    ¡°Ari!¡± Jack yelled from behind us, swinging at the hitman''s face from behind.


    Suddenly, the hitman whipped around, Jack''s fist grazes his glasses and sending them to the floor, while he pushed me forth as a shield.


    Jack was awestruck, his jaw dropping. He tried to find the words to say, but they were nowhere to be found on his tongue. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke up.


    ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re alive?¡±


    ¡°In the flesh,¡± the Hitman touted dancing a little jig whilst pulling tighter around my neck with his arm. ¡°What?¡± He continued, ¡°no kind words for such a fitting reunion?¡±


    Jack¡¯s lip twitched with rage. ¡°What have you done?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you start this out? You truly haven¡¯t changed. Always a question of what happened. You took notes from him. At least she,¡± he swayed me, ¡°had the gusto to ask why.¡±


    Jack gritted his teeth as he motioned to move forward.


    ¡°Uh uh uh,¡± the Hitman wagged his finger, ¡°one wrong move and who knows. The neck is such a fragile thing.¡± He followed up with a mock cracking noise, rolling the fingers in his black glove.


    ¡°This is insane,¡± Jack growled.


    ¡°No,¡± the Hitman responded, ¡°insane is fighting for a cause and knowing you¡¯re only a cog. They don¡¯t care about you, and you¡¯re certainly never rewarded for the suffering you endure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about rewards,¡± Jack clenched his fists.


    ¡°Everyone thinks that way at first...but you¡¯ll seen,¡± the Hitman grew morose.


    He threw me to the ground in front of Jack. ¡°Protect her if you can...whatever it means to you. Maybe not today, I¡¯m a generous man,¡± he added, ¡°but I¡¯ll take her someday. I always finish the job. Like you never could.¡±


    Instantly, the Hitman backed away, disappearing into the crowd.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Jack yelled, unable to reach him before he was gone, and turned back to me, kneeling down to cradle me.


    ¡°Are you okay?!¡± He bellowed. Emotion laced in his voice, like I¡¯d never seen. Was it...fear?


    ¡°Who is that?¡± I coughed, rubbing my throat, while Jack held me tensely.


    Jack let the tension roll off his tongue, rapt with anger. ¡°Chase...¡± he said somberly. ¡°My brother.¡±