She turned back to Philippa. “What are you proposing?”
In turn Philippa relaxed. “Dare I say we need the help of Andromeda?”
Avery tensed, “But when we get to Florida, we’re on our own. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Philippa said. “Let me make arrangements.”
Avery smiled. “I assume the redhead will be involved.”
~~~
They asked to say farewell at the house, then Beck and Avery waited alone on the dock with their luggage. And, as expected, when the boat arrived, Brigid was piloting. She was polite, but a little distant. They didn’t even discuss what was to happen.
Avery and Beck sat silently looking out to sea, mulling their futures. Beck reached out and pulled Avery closer. For now, they had was each other.
Brigid was feeling her own personal crisis. She had accepted the summons and the decision. But she felt something she had not felt since her early days in Ireland at her mother’s death when nameless beings hovered nearby. Only this time the beings hovering had names. Without clear substance Nicole and Freya were accompanying them. She knew what their presence meant. Avery and Beck were precious and central to the plans Gaia was formulating. The battle for the future of humankind was building and they could not be lost. Or could they? Tethyan spirit guides had to be present. Brigid choked down her fear.
Avery’s mood brightened considerably when Florida came into view.
Brigid had arranged a private return. Both Avery and Beck thanked her with what felt like formality. They were grateful for her professional detachment. They pulled into a small palm-shrouded cove and waved good-bye to Brigid after they were unloaded. Avery pulled Beck in close. “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t had you with me.”
“You’re timing was impeccable. I’ve been struggling with my own decision.”
Avery shuddered. “Are you thinking of leaving? That scares the hell out of me.”
Beck realized the effect of what he had said. “No, no, no. The us comes first. We needed to do some thinking together about our futures. It was moving too fast. First is us, then everything else.”
Avery felt foolish. “I’m so sorry. I’ve only been thinking of me and how confused I’ve been feeling.” She looked up into his eyes. “Do you think we’re having another adventure?”
Beck laughed. “I hope not. You’re all the adventure I need. I’m ready to have just us for a while. Avery, you’re the center of all this. I’m the late arrival. We’re going to talk—a lot.”
She squeezed his hand.
A car waited for them outside the cove. Beside the car Adelais and Luisa stood in conversation. “We’ll let them assume we are merely dropping them off. As you understand I’ll return to the island and continue security operations.” Adelais merely nodded.
They welcomed Avery and Beck who asked to be dropped at a small restaurant he knew in Boca Raton. They spoke of nothing else.
Wrapped in their own thoughts, they talked little over lunch and then walked to a nearby residence hotel. While they were unpacking, Beck said, “I have to admit I haven’t been able to focus on a plan. Have you?”
“No. It’s clear we can’t go back to Miami. At least we can eat. I still have my money.”
Avery hesitated. “I’m sorry I trashed your life. You had a job, a career, and now you’re in hiding with me.”
“Wait a minute. I’ll admit I was angry at you for about thirty seconds, but you didn’t do this to me. It happened. Stuff happens. I think we can agree what we want is each other. And let’s not forget our families and their missions. You didn’t really involve me in this. It was going to happen, anyway.”
“We have to keep reminding ourselves of that fact,” said Avery.
“Let’s accept that we have to take some time to chill and see what kind of a plan we can develop? I can probably get some contract work under the radar. I’ll see to it that I’m paid in cash. We aren’t going to be on the street.”
Avery smiled. “As a matter of fact, you’ll find I’m a very planful person. I moved a lot of cash. I wasn’t sure why.” She smiled. “You might call it an intuition.”
~~~
Beck and Avery found an apartment they could rent by the week. It wasn’t much but it was theirs. Avery surprised herself by settling into a domestic routine. They took walks, visited with new friends, and the days seemed to vanish. Avery felt as though she was nesting—putting bits and pieces together—constructing a life.
Saturday mornings they went early to a seaside café where they could watch the sunrises.
“Beck, I’m feeling like a contented married woman. It’s so comfortable here. But tell me, how’re you doing? You always told me you wanted a career, to be a self-made man like your father. What’s happened to that?”
“It’s odd. When I found who my family truly was, my big career plan just fell apart. It turned out to be based on lies. I thought I was along for the ride with you, but I’m part of it from the beginning. Like you I’m trying to figure it out.”
“I guess I’m satisfied to live life for a while. Something will surface sooner or later. Maybe we can be ordinary people. I’ll be the happy housewife and you can be the breadwinner.” Avery didn’t quite believe her own words.
Beck looked off into the distance. “In some ways we’re spies out in the cold. We have no past and have to find a future.”
Chapter 51
Impotence
Rome, Italy
Antonio Cipriano was sitting at his desk staring out across the gardens of his Roman villa. He checked his watch. Jorge Ramos was expected momentarily. At last Antonio’s secretary announced his arrival.
“Jorge! Welcome my friend.” Their hands clasped. “Was there a problem with your flight?”
From the flame in Jorge’s eyes, Antonio could see that he was more than angry. The shaggy hair framing his face was trembling with contained fury. Antonio braced himself—an angry Jorge was a force to be reckoned with.
“There was no problem with my flight. The problem is my business.” He clenched his fists.
“I have always known you to have complete control, Jorge. What could possibly go wrong?”
“My jungle production facilities were attacked.”
Antonio knew exactly what that meant, since Jorge’s business was the processing and shipping of illegal drugs, which he did in enclaves deep in the Honduran jungles.
“Out of nowhere people wearing masks stormed into our production buildings. The surprise was so complete, they managed to kill all of my men except for one. He was able to kill one of them, and when he removed the person’s mask he found it was a woman. He believes they were all women. He was able to escape and brought me word.”
“Come now! Women coming to slaughter your men?”
“Yes. Killing my men. Burning my buildings and product. Normally we would have thought they were government forces. America has been pressuring the new government. But now it’s clear it was a private militia composed of women.”
Antonio narrowed his eyes. “My business, too, is under another form of attack. Suddenly union organizers have shown up at many of my overseas retail outlets. They’re aggressive and well funded—and protected. I tried to strike back and my men were brutally rebuffed. Two of them were killed. I think we’re seeing new aggressive opposition.”
“So, I’m not alone.”
“And I got a call from Carlos Herrera. There have been surprising responses to their manipulations of commodities markets. His losses were small in comparison to what others suffered.”
“What’s happening, Antonio?” Jorge asked
“We think there’s a larger organization at work—much more than we suspected. We’ve had problems with environmentalists, but these kinds of interferences are new. Do you recall the environmentalist—woman who was killed in Paris?”
“Yes. No loss. She interfered with our businesses,” said Jorge.
<
br /> “Some of us believe it’s related. Oh yes, and before I forget, have you heard about Evan’s condition?” asked Antonio.
Jorge’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. It’s unbelievable that the man would crumble so.”
“We have traitors in our midst. Sergey is gone—apparently for good. Evan is in hospital and we don’t know for how long. We now must assess our every move. And the culprits in those cases were also women,” said Antonio.
“ I don’t know what to think with women so involved, but we must put these people in their place. Do we know anything about the whereabouts of Beck Ericson from Evan’s company and the girl he was with?” Jorge asked.
“I’ve heard nothing since our failed attempt to remove them.”
Jorge shook his head. “We’re going to have to formulate a whole new means of defense. Simple security won’t be enough. I’m suspecting there are family links, and we might be able to do some good work by sifting DNA.”
“You surprise me, Jorge. You’re usually someone inclined to a, shall I say, different kind of activism.”
Jorge smiled. “Yes, I prefer flexing my muscles, but we have enough leads that we might be able to do some genetic tracking. We know some of our enemies, and it would be easy enough to get samples. Once we get information on a network, we can plan our approach. It should involve specific action and terror. We need to find this couple we failed to kill, and make an example of them. This time we must be successful. They and their people cannot be permitted to interfere with our enterprises!”
Antonio studied the fury rippling across Jorge’s face, and then sighed. “I see you have a larger plan my friend.”
“These people have resources, and we know something of their business interests. So we look among the powerful, including people in the environmental movement and certain philanthropies.”
“The friends of the woman who was killed, for example,” Antonio said.
“Yes, and from what we saw in the attack on my business we should look for places where women are prominent. And in cases where we can’t easily attack them, we use our resources to attack their businesses.”
“And if they’re busy defending themselves, they’ll find it harder to attack us,” Antonio said.
“Precisely. And I believe Evan had already begun putting together a list. In time perhaps we can get the information from him. Antonio, these women will curse the day they interfered with our power. The omniarchy is ours alone. They’ll regret the interference in our affairs.”
Antonio rose. “I need a drink. You?”
Jorge nodded but remained seated, his restless body displaying his coiled anger.
Antonio assembled brandy and glasses while he sorted thoughts flashing through his mind. Who would do this research and bring these nameless opponents to their knees? He and the other men had talked, but no plan had evolved. He still regretted his personal loss. Darling Luisa. He felt a void.
The Overlords assumed they would rule the day because they took it as their right. They didn’t know about the depth of talent and resources opposing them. Nor could they have understood that their chief opponent was a goddess.
Chapter 52
Waiting in Pain
Turks and Caicos
Silence cloaked Celeste’s villa as days passed. Two women in mourning searched the horizon for hope and purpose. For now there was nothing they could do but wait. Neither felt Avery’s decision could be final. Gaia’s plan and the mission of the Tethyans hung in the balance. But they felt powerless. Empty hours ticked by.
The next evening Philippa’s cell chirped and she seized it. She exhaled and went to find Celeste. “I have a text that another one of our people has been killed. Reuben and Andromeda are mounting a response. There were no details, but he said the ‘assault’ by Andromeda is already under way.”
“What does that mean?”
Philippa was silent as she stared out to sea. “It means the conflict continues to escalate, you and I are safe here under the care of Andromeda, but Avery and Beck are at considerable risk.”
For a moment, Celeste’s serene face revealed rigid tension until—by an act of will—she regained control.
“Do we need to go to them?”
“I wish we could, Celeste, but you and I both know we can’t.”
“And so we wait and hope? It’ll be agony.”
Philippa came over to Celeste and took her hand. “Yes, we have to wait, but I know that Andromeda is watching over them. They’ll be discreet but will be there.”
Celeste could see the tears in Philippa’s eyes. She stroked Philippa’s cheek. “I have faith in Avery and Beck. But do you believe for one moment that Gaia will let us fail?”
Chapter 53
We Are Not Alone
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The days flowed one into another. Avery and Beck had a routine and relished their time together. Then one day Avery found herself pacing; something deep inside was stirring. She could feel someone or something trying to communicate with her.
That evening in their favorite café a restless Avery tried to maintain a cheerful demeanor for Beck. But tension was mounting. It was a feeling with no focus or meaning she could divine.
At a nearby table two women were sitting in intimate conversation. If Avery had noticed, she might have thought that they were Andromeda.
In fact, the spirits of Nicole and Freya had chosen physical substance as they waited for a moment of truth. Inevitably they created a disturbance that Avery was experiencing. Their presence impacted Avery in a way she couldn’t know. They represented Gaia and her wishes.
Freya drew closer to Nicole. “I believe she’s being touched by the forces surrounding us.”
Nicole nodded. “I think shortly we’ll know.”
Avery glimpsed something. Someone. She grasped Beck’s arm and hissed into his ear.
“Beck. I just saw Adelais passing outside.”
“How can you be sure?”
“She has such a distinctive walk, and she looked directly at me.”
“Why would she be here?”
“Beck! Come on! Do you really think we’re alone? I feel so stupid. I’ve felt something pressing on me for days. Andromeda is here.”
Avery sank back in her chair. “Beck, this is a movie moment. The clouds just opened.”
“Drama’s not your best suit, Avery.”
“We have to go back.”
Beck studied her for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“The future I thought I could construct here doesn’t exist. Are you with me?”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Beck asked again.
Avery leaned forward with determination. “Damn it, Beck—now I have to give a Celeste speech. We have a choice. I know what I want, and it’s first of all you. But you’re a smart guy. I just saw Adelais. The Andromeda is around us and watching us, because they know no matter what we do we’re vulnerable. The fishy bunch of them is waiting for us to come to our senses—or not. But they’re watching and waiting.” She shuddered. “And so are the people who want us dead. And Gaia’s watching and waiting, as well.”
Beck smiled. “Avery, I’ve been trying not to be sexist about this, but I’ve been waiting for you to reach this conclusion. I didn’t need to see Adelais. I can’t believe there’s any way for us to build a safe life here. I’ve been racking my brain and always return to the same place.” Avery smiled. “Thanks for seeing this through with me. I just needed time to believe I had another choice. That I could build another life if I chose. We have a choice, but this one doesn’t offer much. Is it a done deal for us to go back?”
“Yes. It’s a done deal, and I’m relieved. Do you have a thought about our next move?”
Avery looked him in the eye, squeezed his hand, cuffed herself upside the head, and reached for her cell phone. She thumbed in a message.
The clouds of despair and fear were dissipating. Freya
and Nicole knew the goal of their mission was confirmed. They walked out and faded into the night.
Philippa was eating a late dinner with Celeste. Her face came alive as she held out the text to Celeste. It said, “Contact Reuben.”
Chapter 54
Coming Home
Turks & Caicos
Beck decided to dispose of their remaining possessions. This time, when they walked out of the apartment with their backpacks, they really were carrying all their worldly goods. Leaving Miami the first time had felt final, but this more so.
A car was waiting to take them to the ocean. Avery turned toward Beck. “I know this comes a little late, but I want to announce my name change. From now on I’m Chantia.”
“It’s about time!” Beck said.
Chantia punched his shoulder.
At the dock in Boca Raton, they found the slip Philippa had directed them to and were floored. The boat was a magnificent ocean cruiser. Brigid was standing at the wheel with Luisa beside her. They smiled and waved a greeting. Chantia turned around and surveyed the area to see if there were any unwanted guests. All she saw was a young woman in a bikini, sandals, and floppy hat. A large duffel bag was lying on the ground next to her. Chantia smiled.
“Showtime, Beck.” She waved as Brigid came forward to help them aboard.
As Chantia climbed aboard, Brigid commented, “The young lady will be joining us.”
Beck swung around. The woman was right behind them.
Chantia turned. “Good to see you again, Adelais.”
After they were aboard, Beck pulled Chantia aside. “You seemed to know Adelais would be here.”
“I thought it was obvious. I’m facing reality now. Of course there will be Andromeda around. I have you, so I’ll never be alone again, but, in other ways, we’ll never be alone again. Like it or not. Try to keep up, Beck,” she said, teasing.
The engines roared to life and the boat pulled away slowly. Chantia looked back and saw two men run out on the dock. Brigid motioned for Beck and Chantia to get down. Adelais’s was settled at the stern, in sharp-shooter position, her eyes on the men on the dock. Two shots took them down.
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