That reminded me – I asked about what would happen to the Russian women that were virtual slaves of the Zagriev brothers. He asked what I wanted him to do. I said, “Well, you have their locations thanks to the tags – why not make sure they obtain visas and some sort of legitimate jobs?” He looked at me inquisitively, “Wow, you really do care! First the money to the sons of a man who tried to kill your family and now compassion for these young girls! Yes, I will make sure they are all rounded up and given all they need to start new lives here. Oh, and it will help as their individual bank accounts were linked to the Zagriev account. Some had put away a great deal of money.” I then asked, “Wait! There is one – an Alexa that was working at the club. She has short dark hair…the one in the video. Please make sure she is deported and any money she might have earned…confiscate it.” Shane laughed, “And women say men are mean – you women are downright vindictive!” I later confirmed her identity and Shane transferred the twelve thousand dollars in her account to Tiffanie’s with a note saying, “An early gift for that future baby! With love, Amber.”
Shane spent the afternoon explaining how he would connect me with business interests and rich donors who would assist me in gaining money and media attention. He then said, “You are too conservative for your district. What issues besides human trafficking could you comfortably take a liberal stance on to attract voters…short of coming out of the closet as a lesbian of course?” I sighed and stared up at the ceiling, and sort of groaned, “For the love of…I am not a lesbian!” As he stared at me he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh, okay…could have fooled me!” I decided not to argue with him. He then said, “Why not come out in favor of gay marriage? Your pro-life stance will maintain your support with most of your social conservative base, yet you will look as if you are open to change. Also, as opposed to you, it seems Katja is comfortable with calling herself a lesbian, so have her as your media and public affairs specialist – later make her your full campaign organizer. She will make positive impressions on all liberally-minded contacts, unlike your Mr. Hodge who is more an activist and is best suited as a coordinator or creative consultant. Katja is a talented manager and organizer – and is incredibly loyal to you.” It was interesting, Shane seemed the perfect specialist at public manipulation…later he would admit that one of his jobs when he was in the CIA was to create positive attitudes towards Americans in formerly hostile regions of the world. I was fascinated with his group psychology insights and how it was as easy to herd a group of middle-class, educated Americans as it was a primitive village in the mountains of Pakistan. After that meeting we would spend hours upon hours discussing psychology as well as science, politics and even religion. In a sense, Shane would become my new mentor.
The next morning I went to the dentist, who capped my damaged front tooth. Then I met with Dr. Hodge and we filled out all the necessary paperwork for the campaign. He again warned me that the party would be furious that I had decided to run against their hand-picked man, especially since I had originally turned them down, but I was unprepared for the nasty phone call I would get from Faber later that afternoon. He accused me of being the most irresponsible member of the Oregon legislative delegation, taking off for over a month and neglecting any duties, and then challenging a fellow Republican in a race I could not win. He screamed into the phone that my future in Oregon politics would be over once my term ended. And also yelled at me for being immature since I would not reconsider my race – at that point I hung up on him. The next day, when I finally returned to the state capitol, I was confronted by my aides who gave me notice that they were quitting. All the better I figured, since I needed people who were prepared for the world of real politics.
I spent the day clearing my emails, having a young aide to another legislator put blocks and filters on my account, and I caught up on any work that needed to be done. I then began a search over the internet through news sites, blogs, and any forums where I could find people who might share my unique blend of esoteric libertarianism, Mormon mysticism, Paganism…basically people who shared my hatred for conformity and the existing social order. I mailed these people to express my appreciation for their views with the hopes of creating a network of supporters on the internet who would spread my message not only in my district, but throughout the nation.
This had all been exhausting. I decided that Thursday would be a total nature day. I drove the three hours to Bend and stayed the night in a little hotel. Once morning came I drove to the cave where all this drama began – where my long-dead brother-in-law had entombed a low-life lawyer and changed the destiny of so many people. I hiked to the entrance and then, treating it like a shrine perhaps, knelt down and said a prayer for all my goals to turn out – in family and in politics. Realizing I was probably miles from any other human being, and wanting to connect to my old self, a creature of nature, not a woman who used her body for money, I returned to the car, shed all my clothes, including my hiking boots, hid my keys and set off to commune with nature. I was alone and free, and while the soles of my feet were not as thick as they had been after my ordeal with Vincent I managed quite well. In my solitude I wondered if I inherited this need to be free from my mother.
I returned to my car just as the sun descended behind the mountains. I wished I could curl up under a tree and spend the night but I had to return to see Katja. Upon my arrival I explained how we would meet with my family for dinner, inform them of her new role, and hope that everything would just fall in place. Katja was nervous, but I re-assured her everything would be okay and that I would have a taxi pick her up the next day. I may have put on an optimistic performance but on the inside I feared everything might backfire.
The next day I drove to the house. It was small, yes, but we could live there until we found a larger place – hopefully in the country. I pulled the suitcase out, and went in. It seemed chilly, and had that unlived in feel about it. Yet my mind was flooded with memories of my mom when she was alive. I hung the clothes up that Nazir had bought for me, as well as the dress I had purchased prior to the date. I also carefully placed the 9mm where Nicole had locked it away. I took a shower, got dressed, and headed out to the airport. I had to wait an hour due to the flight being delayed but then, as people began to come out of the baggage area, I suddenly caught a glimpse of Matt – he was using a cane but he was walking! I called out and he saw me and rushed over with the three oldest children. He gave me a passionate hug and kiss, and held me tightly against his body. Of course the kids yanked at me and demanded attention as well – which I was anxious to give.
Then came Nicole who was holding Magdalena, and being followed by her three daughters and two airport attendants pushing the luggage. Matt leaned over and said, “It was a long flight, go ahead and let her know you appreciate her.” I asked my children to wait a minute and I ran over to her, and throwing all caution aside, which was sort of foolish since I would soon be a much more visible public figure, put my arm around her, and while helping to support Magdalena, I gave her a passionate kiss. When I was done she looked at me and smiled, “If it were not for the fact I missed you so much I would scold you for doing that in public and in front of the children, but I love you too much to ever jump on you again, okay?” I felt almost totally complete, surrounded by my family. I then asked, “Matt, can you take one of the big van taxis to the house with the kids and Nicole and I will take Magdalena in the car? Nicole and I can buy groceries if that is okay.” Matt thought that was a good idea and we split the luggage between the two cars.
Of course I needed to discuss Katja with Nicole. I believed the hardest sale would be with her. She was noticeably drowsy so I did not talk much as we left the airport, but when we were on the highway I immediately took an exit and parked at a supermarket. As she started to groan and open the door I said, “Wait! I am going to tell you everything that happened to me during the last month.” I handed her an energy drink, but she put it down and took my hand…looking deeply anxious and co
ncerned. I warned, “You may never want to talk with me ever again, but I will be absolutely, totally honest with every detail. Please, remember I love you!”
Well, there I sat for over an hour sharing every last minute part of the events with Nicole. She sat listening, sometimes giving me a shocked look, but often just intently focused on me. What surprised me was how she held my hand tightly, caressing it with her thumb, even when I told her of the intimacies that had occurred. When I was finished she asked, “This Katja seemed really nice. So where is she now, on her way back to Russia?” I sighed and said, “No…I have to say that her loyalty is, well, permanent.” Nicole released my hand and stared at me a moment. I was truly scared of what was going on in her mind, but then, after her torture of silence she gave me a stern look and said, “Well, then there are only two choices, we either have to kill her or you need to introduce me to the woman who saved the life of my wife!” My chin must have hit the floor as she began to laugh uncontrollably. She asked, “I can’t wait to see Matt’s face when you tell him! This is going to be a blast!” I took her hands and asked, “Are you serious? You seem happy about this. Tell me now, are you toying with me?”
At that Nicole looked at me and said, “Of course I am serious. I would rather have her in our family than out there knowing that you two killed three strip club owners and three cops. Besides, from what you say she sounds cute – who knows, maybe I will take a liking to her and we will run off together!” I sat up and said, “What?” to which she laughed and said, “Oh come on Melanie, you know I have a dark side still, but that you and are together, forever…in more ways than one.” I asked, “What do you mean?” She stopped laughing and asked, “Remember that I had a secret to tell you?” I nodded. She then said, “While I was in England I had Matt baptize me. So Melanie, both Matt and I are Mormons!” I shook my head, “How in the world…I mean, does this mean…I mean you and I…” She put her hand on my cheek in a re-assuring manner, “Melanie this changes absolutely nothing between you and I. Remember how the CIA guy said sometimes you have to balance out something that some say is wrong with something that is for a greater good?” I nodded as she continued, “Before I was baptized I made a vow to God that I would never try to prevent the birth of a spirit into this world as long as I had a fairly liberal view on sexuality. You see, I am doing what the Bible says regarding being fruitful and making babies – I hope that makes up for the naughty stuff.”
I was not sure what surprised me most – her acceptance of Katja, her religious conversion, or her announcement that she wanted more kids. I pointed out that we would need a bigger house, or two houses next to each other. She was agreeable but then she asked when I planned on getting baptized. I actually felt like I could, but not right at that moment of time. I asked her to wait, and she agreed.
As we loaded up on groceries Nicole insisted, “Melanie, you need to talk with Matt ASAP if this girl is coming over. I will watch the children when we get home and you…oh, that’s right, you can’t tell him everything. Wait! Tell him only the parts about you two investigating her sister’s murder. Do not, and I repeat do not say a word about stripping or what that creep did to you. And certainly make sure neither you nor this girl says a thing about what you two did to those men.” Nicole stopped a minute, not saying a thing and just looking away in the distance. She then turned to me and I could see tears in her eyes, “Thank you Melanie for doing what you had to do. Those cops could have killed us all – I understand but please, Matt doesn’t need to know. “
When we got home Nicole and I greeted the children and started preparing lunch. It was odd, but before, during and after our meal the children seemed, well, too well behaved. They put their toys away when asked, came to the table and actually took turns and were polite – they were like little adults. While eating Nicole caught my attention and asked, “Notice something different?” I looked around in silence as she continued, “Oh come on Melanie! Notice how peaceful and pleasant it is! It took a month, but now they are in shape – we have to make sure that lasts, okay?” I looked at Matt who gave me a “better go along with it” sort of grin and I turned to compliment her. At that Nicole asked, “You and Matt have something to talk about, right? Go ahead… I will make sure the kitchen is all cleaned up while you talk about our likely ‘addition.’”
Matt seemed anxious to find out what was up. We went upstairs to the master bedroom, but before he even shut the door he asked, “Okay, what does ‘addition’ mean anyway, is Nicole expecting?” I laughed and said, “No, not at the moment, but if you can wait until my system gets back to normal maybe you can try to get Nicole and I pregnant at the same time.” He looked at me inquisitively and I giggled, “Not literally at the same time!” We both laughed, and he commented, “Well until then we can practice!” I gave him a hug and we sat down at the foot of the bed. The conversation went along the lines that Nicole and I had discussed. I told him about Katja, and made up a story that when the perpetrators of the fire were confronted by federal agents that a gunfight started and she was wounded. I even showed him my cut and claimed one guy had stabbed me before I could back away. He initially was quite upset, but happy that it was all over. I continued with my lie and said the perpetrators had been hauled away on terrorism charges. Then he asked, “So where is this Katja woman? I really want to thank her for what she did to save your life.” I looked at him and said, “Well, she is coming over at 6 for dinner.”
It was then I told Matt that Katja and I had become more than just friends. His expression turned blank. I could detect a frustration and anger in his eyes, so I reached out to hold his hand but he yanked it away. He stood up, limped to the window and stared out, “So, does Nicole know about this?” I said she did and he turned around, folded his arms and leaned on the window sill for balance, “So, she’s all for another woman in the house? I really have a hard time with this – here is a woman neither of us has ever met and you just invite her in to be everyone’s new partner?” I accidently blurted out, “Well, she might only be interested in Nicole and me at the moment.” Matt stared at me, “So, what is my role in this family, a breadwinner and sperm donor?” I stood up and approached him, “No, you are the only man I could ever love and don’t you ever forget that!”
His tension decreased, but I could still tell he was hurt. Of course his reaction surprised me. Again I said something in the wrong way, “Matt, I am sure that once she gets to know you that she’ll warm up to the idea of romance.” He again glared at me. I stepped back and sat down at the foot of the bed again as he responded, “I accepted the idea of being married to both of you…I even came around to understanding that you and Nicole are intimate, but here you just assume you can bring in some stranger and she and I will hit it off? What you are doing here is really close to being my personal pimp or something!” It was then my turn to glare at him, “Don’t you ever use that term to describe me again! I will not be degraded in such a way!”
So there we were, I on the bed and him next to the window staring down each other. Just before I was about to remind him that we owed Katja since she led me to the people who had tried to kill us Matt held his hand up as if to cut me off. I guess my face must have communicated hostility as much as his, but suddenly, as if neither of us could maintain the battle anymore, we simultaneously broke out in hysterical laughter. He rushed over to me, but stumbled a bit and yelled out, “Ouch, this leg is still not totally healed.” I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him, and feeling his tight, warm embrace I said, “I never wanted to hurt you.” A moment later he replied, “No, I am sorry. I suppose I should at least meet her.” I replied, “I think you will like her no matter what.” He laughed and said, “Well, as long as she is good with kids then I guess I can open to the idea.”
Just before 6pm Katja arrived – wearing the expensive party dress and high heels, but at least with a beautiful scarf around her neck which gave her an exotic, yet somewhat more formal appearance. As she walked in the children all ran
up to her and asked who she was. I would have expected her to be a little bewildered and weak as she was still recovering from the gunshot, but instead she knelt down with ease and said she was a friend of mine. Nicole entered the room and said hello to Katja. I was curious as to how this moment would work out, but what occurred totally caught me off guard. They just stood there and stared at each other. While analyzing the moment I noticed both seemed to be forming that sort of wide-eyed, slightly open-mouthed smile that one would expect meant “love at first sight.” Both seemed oblivious to the children rushing around and trying to show off for a guest. Nicole, in a hushed voice, merely said, “Now children, leave Katja alone…you will get to know her really well. Maybe you can show her some of the things you got in England.”
Katja turned to me and smiled as she was led into the kid’s rooms. Nicole approached me and said, “You never told me she was so beautiful!” I replied, “You never asked.” and we went to observe her as she played with the children. Katja seemed really interested in them as they told of their adventures in England, but what really impressed Nicole was that Katja, while really warm to the children, reminded them to pick up their things and that they had to take turns talking. Nicole turned to me and gave me a shock, “You know Melanie, if your friend is as good a lover as you, I might just kick you and Matt out and set up house with her!” Her comment was accompanied by an evil laugh and I replied with a startled look. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, “Oh don’t worry Melanie, I could never live without you or Matt.” I felt re-assured, I guess.
Descent Into Darkness Page 35