CIA - The Slave Traders

by Joe Bob Newman

shower, and the little girl loved the hot water. She was eating everything that Lynda put in front of her. The little girl told her she was Muslim and needed to pray. Lynda did not know what to do, so she showed the little girl which way was east, and let her pray. The next day at the airport, Lynda found a Bible at the book counter. She bought it, and began to read it to Tasha on the airplane. Tasha was mesmerized by the Bible. She already knew many of the stories.

  Fortunately, they did not have to go through customs anywhere. They landed at DFW, and Marilyn was waiting for them in a company car. She took on and on over the little girl. Tasha was a big hit at the office. Ted took her off to get a candy bar and tour of the office.

  Tom and Lynda sat solemnly in his office. It was all she could do to sit still. He talked to her at length about Tasha, and did his best to talk her out of it. It did no good. Lynda had her mind set and was willing to do what ever it took to keep the little girl.

  That night she took Tasha home to meet Lynda’s mother and father. Her father was distant, but her mother fell in love with the little girl right away. Her mother let the little girl help her make chocolate chip cookies from scratch, and Lynda could see that Tasha had a grandmother.

  Lynda took the next day off and stayed at home with Tasha. Ted came by at lunch and was acting odd. He finally got Lynda off by herself and handed her a small box. She opened it and it was an engagement ring. She was so excited; she gave Ted a big sloppy kiss and ran off to show her mother and Tasha. Tasha had no idea what it meant.

  That night the three went to dinner, and they took Tasha to her first movie. She was so excited, but got scared and wound up sitting in Lynda’s lap.

  The next morning Lynda’s mother turned the TV on cartoons and Tasha was riveted to them. Lynda left for work, telling her mother, “Call me if you have any problems at all.” Things went great between Tasha and her new grandmother. Her new grandfather was having a hard time, until she crawled into his lap and went to sleep. He watched her sleep and his heart softened.

  Ted and Lynda spent as much time together as they possibly could. They took Tasha with them everywhere that they went. Tasha was becoming Americanized very quickly. Tasha had not been to school, and had no idea what the concept was. Lynda enrolled her in a school where she could get private tutoring. It was expensive. Ted paid for half the school.

  Six weeks went by quickly, and Ted and Lynda had their marriage ceremony. They spent the night alone in a hotel. All that Lynda wanted to talk about was Tasha. All that Ted wanted was to get Lynda in bed. Finally he realized that he had to hear her out, and he let her talk. About two hours later, she was talked out and ready.

  The next morning they took a shower together and then went back to bed. Ted was now happy. They went to her house and picked up Tasha. They went looking for a house for them to move into. Tasha had basically grown up in a mud hut, and had no idea what a brick house was like. She thought that it was a fortress. Lynda had to explain to her about everything, how the stove, refrigerator and microwave worked.

  They moved into the house a week later. Tasha had her own room and furniture, but she still wanted to sleep with Lynda. This made relations between Ted and Lynda strained. At least it did for Ted.

  Marriage was a big new experience for both Ted and Lynda. They would take Tasha to school in the mornings, and then drive to work together. They frequently picked at each other and made obscene comments. They were both happy.

  At work, they were separated. Ted worked with Marilyn, and Lynda worked with Bobby. Tom did his best at keeping them apart. But they had to train more together. There was just no way around that. Tom was happy to see that they had a healthy competitive nature with each other. Ted was the better marksman, but Lynda was the better leader.

  Several weeks later, they were both given a promotion and a salary increase. Tom was doing his best to hold on to both of these people. They both did outstanding work.

  Lynda worked with the AG’s office to get the adoption set up. Tasha had to say that she did not know where her parents were and that she was an orphan. It was nearly true. She could never have found her parents again, without Lynda or Ted’s help.

  The adoption went through nearly six months later. Tasha was nearly up to the standards for a fourth grader. If she kept on track, next year she would go to school with American children at a real school.

  Her language skills were great, but reading and writing were holding her back. She was having to learn English writing from scratch. She wanted to read from right to left, and had a hard time learning to read left to right.

  Just prior to the adoption being completed, Tom called Lynda into his office. “I have a job for you and Bobby. He will be in charge. You are to go to Guatemala and get information on a drug king pin. It will be very dangerous, and you need to follow Bobby’s lead without fail. I do not want anything to happen to you. Bobby will be presenting himself as an American buyer, and you will be his girlfriend. You need to get the rings off and let the sun darken your finger, okay?”

  Lynda said, “Okay, no problem. When do we leave?”

  Tom said, “In two days. Can you still act like a guy’s girlfriend?”

  Lynda said, “Of course I can. I am the Blonde Bomber!”

  That night she went home and told Ted. He wanted her to just quit and stay home. She said, “Honey, we cannot live on one salary; we live too high on the hog. I can do it. Don’t worry about me. You just take care of Tasha.”

  Ted finally agreed, but went and had a talk with Bobby.

  Bobby and Lynda left for Guatemala on Thursday morning. They were sitting in first class. Bobby said, “Hey, Babs?”

  Lynda said, “Where did you get that?”

  He said, “That’s what we have all been calling you since the video!”

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  He grinned. “It’s better than calling you ‘boobs!’”

  Lynda did not think it was funny. She said, “Bobby, I get even. Ask One-Shot!”

  “You know, we all felt so sorry for you, and all wanted to come to your aid, but when it was over, we had to get it out of our system. So we named you Babs. It’s not a big deal.” He was trying to be gentle.

  She recognized what he was doing; he had his hand on the armrest, so she patted it. He turned his hand over, and wanted to hold her hand. She put her hand down on his and they interlocked their fingers. He said, “We are a team, a family; don’t ever forget that. What happens to one of us happens to all of us.”

  “I don’t recall seeing you naked anywhere!” Lynda said.

  “I tell you what,” he said, “there is a nude beach where we are going. We can hang out there for a while!”

  Lynda undid her hand from his fingers and pointed her index finger directly at his face. “You have seen me naked. It is my turn to see you naked.”

  Bobby looked around, and other passengers were staring at them. He put his finger to his mouth and said, “Shhh!”

  Lynda looked around at the other passengers. They looked back at her. She hoped no one recognized her.

  He held his hand out again, signaling that she was to put her hand in his. Lynda hesitated. Bobby said, “Babs, you have to quit that. Follow my lead. Do what I ask you to do. You don’t want to get us both killed.” She put her hand in his. His hand swallowed hers.

  When they landed at Guatemala, he kissed her on the lips. She was wide-eyed. He said, “Get used to it, Babs.”

  They were standing at the baggage pick-up, when he leaned over and kissed her hard on the mouth. She was surprised. He said, “Dammit, Babs, respond. We don’t have long to get this right.”

  She said, “I am sorry. I will try to do better.”

  Bobby went over and picked up both their bags. He carried them to the rental car counter. He got a sports car, and they put their bags in the back. As they were driving, he took Lynda’s hand and held it. He mov
ed his hand up and put it behind her neck. He pulled her over as close to him as he could get. He whispered. “We are being watched.” Lynda started to look behind them, when he said, “Don’t look.” She reached up and nipped his ear with her teeth. He jerked back.

  She said, “Dammit, Bobby, we don’t have long to get this right.”

  He just said, “Touché.”

  They got a room at a five-star hotel. After her stay in Kabul, this was very nice. The only problem she noted: it had a king-sized bed. She wondered if Bobby did that on purpose. It had a seating area with a love seat. She thought if she had to, she could sleep on it.

  Bobby said, “Babs, tomorrow we will go see Mr. Donovan. I want you to wear the red miniskirt, the white blouse and the red shoes. I need you to play up to him, but in a discreet way. Not when I am around.” He gave her a lot of detailed information about Mr. Donovan.

  They walked out onto the patio and stood looking at the city. Then Bobby took her by the arm, pulled her close to him and kissed her. He was watching her eyes. They were big as saucers. He said, “Get used to it, Babs.” Lynda grabbed him, and pulled him back and kissed him. She watched his eyes this time. He said, “That’s better, keep it up.”

  They walked back into the room. Lynda said, “Ted can’t know about this, okay?”

  Bobby smiled. “My lips are sealed!”

  She changed into short shorts and a halter top that