THE PRICE SHE'LL PAY: For the secret she never knew she had...

by Cara Charles

  Dimitri took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes, then swallowed her mouth and pushed her hard against the tile, pinning her there. He grabbed the back of her hair holding her hard against his mouth, as he ground her mound with the heel of his other hand. He gently searched, deeper and higher.

  Mavra closed her eyes, feeling him, the water, the fire in her body, and the heavy ache between her legs. She wanted him, needed him.

  He smothered her with his mouth not giving her another chance to breath.

  Dimitri was her equal mentally, but not philosophically. His change of heart puzzled her and she didn’t trust it and the mistrust played into her genetic paranoia. But his ideas and resources were endless. He was everything she’d ever need.

  Dimitri turned the nozzles out of her face, to run on his back. From behind the shampoo he grabbed the hidden lube, and greased them both. He picked her up and hooked her up, drove her against the shower wall and rode her up and down the ecstasy ladder until she was begging him, demanding he bring her over.

  “Don’t stop,” she begged, but he was frustrating her, refusing to match her rhythm.

  “No,” he’d whisper and tongued the inside of her lips. He masterfully played her, holding back when she demanded more, giving her roughness when she wanted a slow, erotic pace. Dimitri never ever bent to her will, never giving her what she wanted when she wanted it. Her body took over from his efforts, then he rode her hard until she screamed.

  “My God! D!!” Over and over, multiple times, she screamed as he rode her to his own reward.

  Dave, Mac, Iain, Deedee, and Buddy waited at Friday Harbor’s small airport for Sid’s Cherokee Six to land.

  Sid called them from his cell. ‘Ten miles out.’

  In the blustery night sky they saw Sid blink his nose light. He had had to wait out the weather much longer than anticipated. Coming up from the south across the Sound, Sid had to head around the Navy Base’s restricted fly zone. A stiff south wind was blowing. But much snow was still on the ground. A threat of snow was in the forecast.

  Iain flashed their headlights.

  Sid responded back by blinking his. Sid swung east of the airport, made his short approach from north to south and into the 40 mph head wind, his wings clawing their way through it. He was a cork in an invisible sea of white-capped air.

  On final, he gave it left rudder to lean the plane’s right wing tip down to crab land into a sudden shift in the south wind, to compensate for the sudden west to east cross wind.

  Sid set his little plane down with one bounce due to the lift the head wind gave him. He rolled to the end of the runway, then made his way to the METAPHOR hanger.

  Desiree had rolled up behind the boys in her Subaru.

  Sid shut his baby down, and exited his plane with miscellaneous long gun bags and Stan in his carrier.

  Having kept Sid’s identity from him, Iain froze, his body reacting first, as his mind sorted it out.

  “Oh, my God! It’s the Old Man! But it can’t be?” Iain was trotting toward Sid.

  “The Old Man?” Mac and Dave said simultaneously, looking at Sid.

  Buddy ran up to Sid, and said hello first getting a ‘happy to see ya’ pet.

  “Buddy boy,” Sid froze as he recognized Iain trotting toward him.

  “Colonel Allen, sir?”

  “Iain? Is that you? My God son, you’re all grown up.”

  They embraced hard and for a long time.

  “My God, sir! I thought you died. They told me…”

  “That’s what I wanted them to think. Still do. I’m sorry. I’ve been undercover ever since.” Sid and Iain embraced like lost family. Sid rumpled Iain’s hair. “Iain! Damn son! So damn glad you’re above ground. Damn glad. Told you he was a good man!!” Sid said to Dez who nodded and waited.

  Sid and Iain walked over to the group.

  “To your credit, sir. Yes, sir.” Iain turned to Mac and Dave, happy and giddy as a schoolboy.

  “Made him chew lots of dirt, that’s for sure. Any buddies of Iain’s are sons of mine. But first I’ve got an anxious woman to kiss,” Sid nodded politely to Mac and Dave, shook their hands.

  Deedee was happy too, and she got a pet.

  “Colonel, sir.”

  “Pleasure, sir.”

  “We’ll de-brief soon, Sultans. Excuse me while I hug that beautiful woman.”

  Sid hugged and kissed Desiree, like the two old lovers they were. The boys turned away giving them their private moment.

  Iain smiled, peeking at the old man’s technique as a lover, as Sid kissed Desiree, long and hard.

  “Well, I’ll be. The legend lives, Mates. Colonel Allen in the flesh. God, he hasn’t aged a day in ten years. Our SMU, special missions unit was a success entirely because of his incredible mind and spot on training.”

  “I love him already,” Dave said.

  “Me too. Quite a personable human being for all he’s been through,” Mac said. “You can feel it in how he appreciates us and Dear.”

  “We’ll never know exactly what that is but whatever comes to mind, put a power of ten next to it. My God! There is a Father Christmas.”

  Sid looked into Desiree’s tired eyes, “God, I’ve missed you. I know it’s been rough. I’m sorry I missed her. Damn sorry and damn sorry the weather kept me from you.”

  Sid brushed her tears away. Desiree looked wonderful, fit and sophisticated as always, but bone tired and sad. God, he’d missed her in every way.

  Seeing her, touching her, smiling her special smile, being lost in her signature perfume. This moment made him want to skip the last twenty-five missions, hang up his holster for good, and spend the rest of their lives together.

  “My God, my darling you’re as dashing as ever.” ‘Still rock hard, like any thirty year old and he’s twice their age,’ her hands always hungered for him.

  Sid kissed her troubled forehead as that look he knew so well came over her. The self-imposed prison of her dedication trumped the yearnings of their hearts. Sid got the brief from Desiree as she and Buddy drove Sid and Stan back to her shop.

  “Mavra’s in Vancouver, flight plan filed for Victoria at 0800.”

  “I’m so enraged I missed her. Sets real heavy with me. Why Ivan was such a damned old fool, after we had this contained all this time, I’ll never understand. We should have tried hard evidence with him regarding Winifred Schmidt. He would have stopped pining for her if we had.”

  “He didn’t believe our DNA and got his own Russian scientists to refute our findings. They planted their doubt. He never trusted us after that.”

  “I couldn’t get closer as they boarded to make sure. I tried twice, but it was already zero, zero...”

  “Darling man… how were you to know? I’m responsible for Elise losing her family. We can’t bring back her family, or her old life. We’ll never ever make it up to her. We can only assist her in obtaining closure. If we can give her purpose again, it will help her move on.” Desiree sighed.

  “We will try, my love. The best we can do is carry out her wishes. You can count on me to take personal responsibility for taking Mavra out, for the final time.”

  Desiree sighed, trying to remain brave. “Alright then. It gets harder and harder to be away from you, my love. If I acknowledge our days apart are more than our days together, it will drive me mad. We need more time together somehow.”

  “We’ll work it out. I promise. Twenty-five more to go and…” Sid said.

  Desiree interrupted, “You can retire anytime, my love. Anytime at all.”

  “I will when you will.” Sid smiled, as a lonely pain radiated from his face.

  “Well, we know the answer to that,” Dez said, hanging her head.

  “You still need me then.” Sid kissed her hand then her cheek.

  Desiree pulled over. The tragedy with Elise and her family had depressed her.

  Sid took her in his arms as she cried. “I always will, until my last breath…

  Sid answer
ed. “…And until my last sunrise.”

  CHAPTER FOUR -- LIVES WORTH LIVING

  Desiree grabbed Sid’s face and kissed her tireless avenger hard.

  Sid held her tight trying to crush away the grief that was building again.

  Later, Sid spoke with Elise over dinner. Deedee and Buddy by her side. Sid thought Elise was a young version of Desiree, quietly dedicated, intelligent, determined to acquire her target, and utterly devastating in her grief.

  “Elise? If you panic you’ll be dead,” Sid warned her. “Time to get good shut eye. This soldier has a mission in the morning and we’ve got some strategizing to do. Right, boys?”

  Sam, Eamon, Iain, Mac, and Dave nodded yes.

  Desiree grabbed her coat. One pocket was heavy with the gun she always carried, and keys. Elise left with her. Buddy and Sam followed. They left the shop through the back door.

  Dave watched Elise leave and shook his head, “Geezus. I hate this, sir! She’s no soldier. Is this wise?” Dave asked Sid.

  Sid leaned across the table to Dave, “Yes she is, son. She is an avenger. The most dedicated solider on the planet. Nothing and no one will deter her from her mission. She’s prepared to die or die trying executing her supreme duty to her family. You can see it in her eyes. Without our help she’d be going to her death.”

  Dez drove Elise to a METAPHOR’s safe house in Hannah Heights on the West Side. Desiree looked out over the water that separated the U.S. from Canada. Just across the strait could be the death of her girl.

  Sam shook his head at the futility of Elise’s determination.

  Inside the safe house with the huge picture windows, Desiree took Elise’s hand and led her to the bathroom.

  Desiree implanted a GPS chip in her navel, kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes, her hands holding Elise’s sad face.

  Elise had the most determined prepared for battle eyes she’d ever seen on a soldier. Dez kissed her forehead and they rejoined Sam.

  “Scrub this, anytime. I mean, anytime. Your call,” Sam said.

  “I know. I have to do this, Sam. Dez understands. You will in time. I just need to administer the justice Tommie, Lara, Chris and Boogie deserve before I can even think of how to get on with the rest of my life. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, El I understand. It’s what makes you breathe. I just don’t want to lose you too,” Sam broke down and brought Elise to tears.

  “Dez? Am I completely out of my mind?”

  “My brave darling, I‘d do the same. I’m proud of you and equally, utterly petrified. Buddy will be your early alarm system. I doubt they’ll come tonight.”

  “Go back with Dez, Sammie. You’ll be safer there. I don’t want anything to happen to you either. I just need this quiet time to get focused.”

  Elise kissed him and they left the house.

  From the time Dez, Sam and Elise left her shop and returned, all the West Side spotters had seen the blip of a small whale enter Haro Strait.

  The whale kept close to the Canadian shore as Orcas do, lingered at the rubbing beach, and went on up the eastern Vancouver Island coastline, to familiar feeding grounds.

  The spotters called their Chief, John Conger to analyze it.

  ‘True it was an Orca whale doing whale things. Probably a young bull looking for its pod, J pod that had migrated to California in October. He should have known where to go. Maybe he was sick. Or it could be a Minkie whale. They were loners.’

  John called Dez, reported this confusion. “Lone Orca or Minkie on the West side of Haro. Definitely doing whale things looking for Mama probably. Why he’s here, I can’t figure out. Hope he’s not sick. If anything comes to me in the night Dear, I’ll call.”

  How he wished for the old days, when he could hear pings off that thing. He’d know instantly if it was a whale.

  “Thanks, John. No one will be sleeping tonight,” Dez said.

  ‘She sounds depressed,’ John thought as he hung up. He’d be awake watching and thinking hard about that lost whale.

  As the night lifted, Elise hadn’t slept.

  Buddy watched her out of one eye.

  Elise was too pent up, a danger unto itself. She got up, stretched, and ran in place. She practiced the defensive moves and deadly blows they’d taught her as she visualized fighting Mavra to the death. She mentally reviewed how to survive in cold water. If she fell into the water she wouldn’t survive.

  They’d re-read the kayaking manual and the night shots of the islands in the full moonlight. Elise now visualized the location of the currents and islands again. Anyone could get lost out there. Even her. She took out the charts. An aerial view is not the same as being on the water. Elise rotated the local chart, a bit at a time. She felt she could get back to San Juan Island from anywhere in the water, now.

  First light warmed the heavy winter gray sky.

  Elise had been hunted before.

  Mavra was close by, coming for her.

  Buddy heard someone familiar. He barked happily.

  Desiree gently knocked on the door with her toe, “Can you open the door, Darling?”

  Elise opened the door. “Wow. All for me and sausages for Buddy?”

  He barked.

  Dez held a heavy tray heaped with a farmer’s breakfast, “Did you sleep?”

  “No.”

  “How tired are you?”

  “I’m not.”

  “You’re on an adrenalin high. You will crash. We’re ready. You are confident you’re prepared, including the charts?”

  “Yes, including the charts.”

  Desiree stepped up and hugged her. “She’s across the Strait.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Got her on Lyle’s recognition software. She landed at BCI in Vancouver yesterday. Left there a few minutes ago, headed this way with a large contingent of men and her lover Dimitri Vega, a Spaniard. He’s a computer genius, linguist, mercenary, former UN Special Forces. Once a good guy. Once one of Sid’s good guys. We also know each other. His choices depress us. He has connections worldwide, a perfect match for her. Gave her a lot of his knowledge and resources, we think. Feels obvious. We call that treason. He’s got curly black hair and tropical blue eyes. Arrestingly handsome. You’ll know him, if you see him.”

  Dez handed Elise the recent satellite photos, and photos of Dimitri and Mavra.

  “She knows Krav Maga. She’s small but strong and absolutely ruthless. You still have her in size and weight. She’s gotten everyone associated with her mission to find you killed, except Carlos and Dimitri. D gets crews for her. Surely, they have some unsuspecting fodder lined up for this mission. Mavra will kill you when she’s gotten your information about Shanti.”

  “I’m not worried. I like your mission. Maybe I’ll join you, Sid and Iain after this is over. I know Sam will want to.”

  Desiree hugged her as the tears welled up in her eyes, and sighed internally ever so grateful, “It would be an honor to have you. We’re all a little vulnerable. Most of us have been through some personal tragedy or another. Come, Buddy.”

  Buddy didn’t know what to do and looked at Elise.

  “Go for a ride with Dez, good boy.”

  Understanding, Buddy ran downstairs.

  Desiree smiled and closed her door, not comfortable leaving her alone, but respected Elise’s wishes.

  CHAPTER FIVE -- WORTHY

  AS THEIR NEW LEARJET 45XR was descending on final, Dimitri looked over at Mavra who was into the Andersen woman’s file. He knew to leave her alone. Dimitri couldn’t wait to show Mavra the surprise he had for her. Changing planes had not sat well with the Princessa, but he didn’t care. He looked out the window at San Juan Island where Ms. Andersen was waiting. He looked at the Canadian shoreline under them and smiled. Then a pang of regret hit. Dimitri sighed. He’d chosen money over morals. His conscience insisted on reminding him.

  The car and van Dimitri hired were waiting for them on the tarmac as their jet touched down. His instructions for
the crew were to remain silent for the 30-minute trip, not to look at their boss, which they’d followed to the letter. The men got off, stood at a loose attention waiting for her approval.

  Mavra walked down the ramp at the private terminal, and looked into the faces of the ten-crew members. No one dared look her in the eye. Mavra nodded to Dimitri then got into their town car.

  Dimitri dismissed them. They got in the van, pilots too and the van took off for their hotel as their town car took them to another luxury hotel.

  Dimitri had rented the best suite for her. “We’ll wait here until we have word,” D said.

  “I hope it’s not too long darling. I’d hate to get bored. Busy?” Mavra yawned. She was watching his eyes as she undressed for him.

  He smiled enjoying what he saw, “As busy as you want me to be, but yes. I should be checking on things. Get the crew settled. But when I’m done, I won’t be busy and you won’t be bored.”

  “Da,” she blew him a kiss and walked away. She looked over her shoulder as he admired her. She pulled her favorite peach silk kimono out of her travel bag.

  He’d snuck up behind her and kissed her on the neck, tying the knot for her. Dimitri picked her up, kissed her, and carried her to the bed he’d turned down.

  The Canadian news channels were talking about her and Elise Andersen. He flipped it to the porn channel, kissed her, and tossed over the controls. She flipped it off, closed her eyes, as nipple and vaginal soreness made her ache for him.

  Dimitri texted his team leader, ‘Under cover of darkness at 1730, go get Ms. Andersen, bring her to the boat. Don’t kill anyone. In and out, like the tide. Anything you need?’

  ‘They won’t know we’ve been there. They’ll just be missing the counselor.’

  ‘Good hunting,’ Dimitri climbed in bed with Mavra.

  Mavra climbed on top of him and then tied him to the headboard...

  “You are quite the wench, Chiquita…”

  “And you love it.”

  “I wouldn’t go quite that far… Ow. But I love it when you do that to me,” D yelped.

  The METAPHOR boys paced, the dogs watched, Sid and Dez meditated to come up with a brilliant plan. Periodically, Dez would look at Sid, deep in concentration.