A Promise Kept

by R E Gauthier

  Aisling shook her head. “Nothing could make this better, and once I tell you this, you have to promise, you won’t hate me.”

  The waiting and all of the possible things Aisling could say weighed down on Kelsey and made her hold her breath. Dizziness forced her to blow it out. “I promise not to hate you. I don’t think I could ever hate you, but you haven’t given me much hope to trust you again. You’re a stranger to me since I learned you are alive.”

  Aisling looked into Kelsey’s eyes. Tears overflowed and fell down her cheeks. “I missed you all these years, but things that happened changed me. I’m not the same person I once was, and I’m not sure I can never be the Aisling MacDonald you knew. I can only hope you can learn to love, trust, and forgive me in time.”

  An ache built inside Kelsey’s throat and her chest tightened. Watching Aisling break down and knowing she had a hand in it, caused Kelsey physical anguish. She wanted to reach out and hug her cousin but was rooted to the spot. “I have never stopped loving you; I only meant that I don’t know you and cannot trust you like I once did. Did you do something that I need to forgive?”

  Aisling licked her lips and exhaled while she looked up. She rushed to say, “Marina tried to kill you because she thought it was what I wanted.”

  As if she were struck physically by the words, Kelsey took a step back and opened her mouth. She wanted to cry, she tried to yell, but nothing came out. She stood with her mouth opening and closing gulping in air like a fish. Shaking her head, she decided to make sense of it all. Why would Aisling’s girlfriend think Aisling wanted me dead? “Did you? Did you want me dead?”

  “NO! Of course, I didn’t want you dead.” Aisling grabbed Kelsey’s arms and shook her. “Please, believe me, she only misunderstood me.”

  “Misunderstood you? How does someone mistake wanting me dead? Either you said it, or she thought you wanted it; you must have given her cause to think it.” Kelsey shoved away from Aisling. She needed room to think. Why would Marina think Aisling would want me dead?

  Silence filled the air for several minutes between the two women.

  Kelsey wrapped her arms around her midriff to stave off the cold and stop the shivering deep inside. She shook only partly due to the late day coldness; the rest was because her heart froze with dread. Please, Aisling, what did you do?

  Aisling fell to her knees and sobbed. “I told her I wished you would go away. I said I wished you would…” Sobs wracked Aisling keeping her from continuing her explanation.

  Kelsey heard the words: go away and gone, and that was enough for her. “Then why the hell did you stop her? I would have died that day, and all of your troubles would be gone. You wouldn’t have had to arrange for my pretend death, and then you wouldn’t have me here with you now, causing you more trouble.” Kelsey had wanted to comfort her cousin in her anguish, but that changed with the words she spoke. She only wanted to get as far away from this place and forget she ever learned Aisling, Aunt Cat, and Uncle Ethan, or whoever he was, were still alive. Kelsey wanted to go back to her life and forget ever having a cousin. Then the pain hit, and she couldn’t stop the tears. Why? Why, Aisling?

  Aisling stood and pulled Kelsey close. I was angry and scared. I said those things because I learned you were here in the UK and I didn’t want…no I couldn’t have you learn about us; it was too dangerous. I said I wanted you to leave and go back to the States; I never would want you to die. I didn’t know what Marina did until after I heard the report of the shooting and saw it was you. I have thought about our reunion for years, and I’m messing it all up. Sobs shook the smaller woman’s body.

  Kelsey’s stiff arms came up to hold Aisling. Her head and heart ached. Her throat closed over, making speaking difficult. She used her mind to communicate instead. You had the benefit of knowing one day there would be a reunion. I haven’t. I only knew you were dead, and once I learned the truth, it hurts to know, the people I trusted and loved the most, betrayed me. Now, today, I learned that someone tried to kill me because she thought you wanted me dead. I’m going to need some time to process it all.

  Aisling pulled away to look into Kelsey’s eyes. “I’ll leave you alone. Just know that I love you, and all of this has been a horrible nightmare for me. I was alive but not in the sense you may think. I never laughed or smiled like I did when I was with you. I walked through my existence, knowing that part of my soul was out there without me. I couldn’t reach out to you for fear that if I did, you, Nanna, and the rest of the family would die. I only wanted, to one day be reunited with you, treòrachadh m 'anam (my soul-guide). I have missed your presence in my life; without you, I have been lost.”

  Nanna had told the two of them when they were girls that they were born only days of one another and that they were the other’s soul guide. A soul guide helped the soul walk through life and take the correct paths. If a soul guide is lost or abandoned the soul, the two souls would be destined to wander through life without a guiding force. Unlike the Anam Charaid, which is literally the soul’s other half, or mate, the guide helped the soul stay on the path of good. Kelsey forgot her grandmother’s teachings until Aisling spoke the words. “I was lost for most of my life as well. I thought I would forever be alone until I met Miranda, my Anam Charaid. My guiding force in my life has been anger, revenge, and the justice I sought for you, your mother, and your father. It is hard to forget all of that and choose another path. I need time to heal from the injuries these truths have inflicted upon me.”

  Aisling nodded and closed her eyes. Take all the time you need; when you’re ready. I’ll tell you how you can help me. But you have to know; I didn’t think she was going to do anything to hurt you.

  Kelsey smiled.

  Bit by bit, the two women needed to learn to trust one another again and remember the bond they’ve had since before they were born.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Nikki’s Hotel Room, Edinburgh, Scotland, April 23, 2012

  Nikki hoped she would hear from Mack that night. It had been a week since arriving in the UK, and the day Mack came to her on the plane. From the note Nikki got from the mysterious man in the red cap, she learned that an un-named man arrived in the UK about the same time Nikki did. There was also chatter about this man asking around about a boat arriving in the UK from the United States. She knew Mack would want to know since the Ghost could be looking for her. Nikki was full of questions and needed Mack to tell her who this man was, and what, if anything, did he have to do with Mack’s disappearance and her family faking their deaths? She wanted to know why Mack’s family had orchestrated Mack’s death and whisked her away to the UK after all these years in hiding.

  Before settling into sleep, Nikki sat and thought of all the questions she wanted to ask Mack. Confident Mack would have much to tell her, Nikki put a pad of paper and a pen beside the bed. Mack once told her she wrote down her dreams, and having something to write with as soon as she woke up helped to facilitate this method of recalling what the dream was about. To help with falling asleep, Nikki had a long hot bath and drank some soothing tea. Before lying down, Nikki thought about the time she and Mack spent in the Academy and all of the trouble Nikki had got them into. As she drifted off to sleep, Nikki recalled how much fun she and Mack had over the years.

  Nikki stood near the automatic doors at the Arrival’s gate. She looked down the cement walkway and watched several people wheeling their carts filled with baggage towards the taxi stand.

  Standing beside her, Mack sighed. “It’s ironic you dreamed about this place.”

  Smiling, Nikki glanced up at her best friend. “I’d hope you would come tonight. I don’t know why I’m dreaming about this place. Every time I think of how close I came to losing you that day, makes me shiver. Why do you say it’s ironic?”

  Mack frowned.

  Nikki could almost feel her best friend’s deep sadness. “What’s wrong Mack, I just noticed how miserable you look?”

  “You sure don’t pull any punches,
do you?

  “Sorry, but you look like the proverbial kicked puppy.”

  “Thanks, I feel like I’ve been kicked around too. I need some good news; were you able to find anything on this Ghost?”

  Nikki let go of her need to know what had Mack so heartbroken for the moment because she wanted to tell her best friend what she had learned about the person, called the Ghost. “I had Torres give me some names of CI’s that could help me with less than legal goings-on. They panned out yesterday when I got a reply from a source who had some information for me. Don’t worry, I never used my real name, nor did I give anyone the name of the man I was looking for. I told the CI if he knew of a person who could do anything and not get caught. I told him I needed a special brand of payback. I was able to find some chatter on the Interpol server about the work this Ghost does.”

  “So, what did this man have to say about the Ghost?”

  “Well, it would appear that a person arrived in the UK the same day I did, and there is chatter this person is looking for a woman who came on a boat from the states. I think they’re talking about the Ghost, and he’s looking for you, Mack.”

  Mack didn’t look surprised, but speculative. “I’m thinking that you may have stumbled upon a woman who may be looking for me.”

  Nikki was taken aback by that comment. What did Mack mean by that, what isn’t she telling me?

  “I haven’t had time to tell you everything; there is so much I need you to know,” Kelsey said, near Nikki’s ear.

  Nikki jumped. “Shit! That’s freaking me out, Mack. I’m not used to you hearing my thoughts.”

  Mack giggled. “Remember it’s your dream, and I’m here with you. I can hear your thoughts because I’m in your head. I think your Ghost is a woman because I just learned the identity of the woman who shot me right in this spot.”

  Nikki understood Mack’s earlier comment. “I see why you said it’s ironic I’m dreaming about this place, who is this woman?”

  Mack shook her head. “I’m still reeling with this fact, but she’s my cousin’s ex-girlfriend, and she shot me in an attempt to do what she thought my cousin wanted her to do.”

  “What? Never mind my initial shock that your cousin is also a lesbian, but why would your cousin want you dead?” Nikki was confused. “I am unraveling information that points to someone in your family’s home orchestrating the accident and your apparent death. If your cousin wanted you dead, why wouldn’t she just kill you rather than go to all the trouble of an elaborate plan to make you appear dead?”

  Mack frowned and shook her head. “Aisling set the plan in motion to make it look like I died that day to protect me from, what calls very dangerous people. One of these dangerous people is her ex-girlfriend, Marina Carlotti. Marina misunderstood Aisling and believed Aisling wanted me died when, in fact, she only wanted me to stop looking for the truth. When we were getting close, Aisling expressed her concern, and Marina acted impulsively. Aisling learned of Marina’s attempt on my life and set her straight.”

  “What is going on with them? What has got them running scared and hiding for over twenty-one years?”

  “My uncle was working deep undercover with the Mi6 infiltrating an organized crime syndicate here in Europe. The family doesn’t let anybody inside their folds, but my uncle met the leader’s daughter. He got close and was asked to do something for the family. I’m still a bit in the dark about all of the specifics, because Aisling has only told me some of the story. But she did say that the syndicate ordered my uncle’s murder, and the man hired was the Ghost.”

  “If your cousin set this Marina Carlotti straight on what she intended for you, then why is she still dangerous? And why would she be looking for you? I’m thinking she and your cousin are not communicating.”

  Mack shook her head. “I’m don’t clearly understand why Marina Carlotti is still dangerous, but Aisling whisked us all off as soon as I mentioned talking to my aunt about the woman. I want you to look carefully into her and see what you can find. Aisling and Aunt Cat are not saying much about the matter. I’m theorizing that this woman who is looking for a woman who came to the UK by boat may well be Marina Carlotti. I have the distinct feeling that Aisling is afraid of Carlotti for some reason, and until I know, I need your help.”

  Nikki asked, “are you in imminent danger?”

  “No, at the moment, we’re safe, but I believe this Marina could be an assassin. Aisling never said so, but you did say from the video of my shooting, the shooter had to be a professional. You also said you were certain the person was a woman and petite. I found a picture of a woman I believe is Marina in some things I found this morning. If it is Marina, she’s a blonde-haired, green-eyed woman with a similar height and build as you.”

  Nikki nodded. “Blonde-hair and green eyes. I got it. Do you have somewhere I can start looking for her?”

  “Aunt Cat said she used to come to stay with them when she attended college in the UK, but she thought that Marina might have lived abroad. I’m sorry I don’t have more to go on, but my aunt isn’t very reliable, and Aisling is less than cooperative with information. I’m not sure she will ever forget about me being her younger cousin and trust me to help her.”

  Nikki thought about what Mack was saying. More questions swirled in her head. “About that, what is it that they’re doing to get away from this Ghost? Why, after all these years, has no one been able to find and stop him?”

  Mack shrugged. “From what Aisling said. There are several agencies after this Ghost, and he goes into hiding every time someone gets close to catching him. My uncle is supposed to be in deep undercover right now, and the last lead is that the Ghost is somewhere in Turkey. That is another reason why your information about the Ghost may not be about him, but Marina Carlotti.”

  “What is your cousin’s or aunt’s involvement in all of this? Are they just victims running and hiding, or are they more immersed in finding him?”

  “Not my aunt. Aunt Cat is…she’s been diagnosed with cancer and…”

  “Oh no, Mack. Is it serious?”

  Mack nodded. “The doctors have given her less than a year. This is why Aisling had to step up the hunt for the Ghost. She wants to honor her mother’s wishes to go home before her time comes.”

  Nikki understood some of the pain Mack was carrying around. She had just found out that her aunt wasn’t dead, and now this. “You said that Aisling has had to step up the hunt for the Ghost, does that mean she isn’t an accountant or lawyer?”

  Mack nibbled on her lower lip. “We never went into the specifics of her inclusion in the hunt for the man, but she did say she’s been deep undercover and had aliases and disguises. I’m sure it means she’s an agent in an intelligent agency. That is another reason why I think Marina Carlotti is a professional as well.”

  Nikki wanted to make sure she asked Mack as much information as she could before they ran out of time, and Nikki woke up. “You said your cousin whisked you all away after you mentioned Marina Carlotti’s name. Where are you now; do you know?”

  “We’re up in the Highlands near Gairloch. We’ve been here a few days now, and I’ve only traded one prison for another. I’m still being treated like someone who needs protection. It is so frustrating. At least we are on ancient MacKenzie land.”

  “The Highlands, near Gairloch? Did you know that Nanna’s family had property there?” Maybe Aisling is worried that Marina is looking for you.”

  H. You know you could be right about Aisling, I’m sure over the years she hasn’t been a simple bystander in all of this cloak and dagger shit. She was upset about me using my aunt and said something about she knew I used the phone to reach you. Do you know that she’s so careful that no one is allowed to use the landline? The phone is under lock and key and only to be used for emergencies. I’m not certain how she thought I could call you.”

  “She doesn’t know about your gift’s inclusion in reaching me as well as Miranda. That’s one of the things that I’ve wondered
about; how were you not able to reach me right after your abduction?”

  “I’m assuming; the men took my amulet away before they locked me in the container. Aisling only gave it back to me the day of the first night I reached out to you. She did so only after me begging her to give me a way to reach out to Miranda. I don’t think she thought I could use it to contact you, as well. She doesn’t like you much, by the way.”

  Nikki wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like her much at the moment, either. I know she’s your beloved cousin and loves you, but where I’m standing, she sure has a funny way showing it. By the sounds of it, she treats you a little better than a prisoner.”

  Mack chuckled and then frowned. “We’re not best of friends either. I’m afraid we’ve had a major falling out when I learned her involvement with Marina Carlotti, and she is the woman who tried to kill me. I’m still fuzzy on all of the details, but what I have gleaned from Aunt Cat’s description of the events, Aisling did kick Marina out of the house after she learned Marina shot me.”

  “Well, that is promising, but the jury is still out until she can prove to me, she has your best interest at heart. From my observations, Aisling could be using you to draw out this Ghost by using Marina’s hunt for you to draw his interest.”

  “Nikki, now who is in whose head? I have been thinking about the same thing.”

  Nikki giggled. “We still got it. So, how do you think we can contact one another? Can you access a computer or a cell phone?”

  “That’s next to impossible, but can you get to an older post office?”

  Nikki laughed out loud and then stopped. “You’re serious? Do you want to send me a letter? That could take quite a while. They call it snail mail for a reason.”

  Kelsey slapped Nikki on her back. “No, silly. I’m talking about a telegram. I saw an old telegraph machine in the barn here. If you could get to a post office that still has a working telegraph machine, we could communicate by that means.”