by Melissa Jane
I had only known Anna for a short time. The hardest part to stomach was the plans we had made together for our return to the States. We weren’t too young or naive. It wasn’t love at first sight. It was more than that. It was the knowledge that I wouldn’t have to look any further. She was the one.
Now the women who I had planned to make my bride, was being lowered in the ground as if she had never existed.
“It is with final and regretful words that we farewell this young woman. This woman who had given so much to world and expected so little in return. A woman who should never have met her end the way she did,” the minster continued. Aiden stood next to me, his arm draped comfortingly across Luiza’s shoulders. Just like it had back at Nicolas’s when the knife had sliced through her slender neck, my world crumbled around me. The tears I had long held at bay streamed down my cheeks.
I couldn’t breathe, my suit constricting me, palms dripping in sweat.
Aiden’s reassuring hand wrapped itself around the back of my neck, a gesture from a friend who knew all too well the pain when evil sucks away your loved ones. When he was only a small child, Aiden’s mother and father were taken from him in such a tragic way, it was a surprise he wasn’t fucked up over it. His mother was gang raped before they were both shot in the head and killed. He had seen it all, watching from the balcony above. He understood the pain.
I watched as Anna’s own mother and father moved forward and collected a handful of dirt. The sky was beginning to open up, hard droplets of rain falling and spattering onto the unforgiving ground. As the brown earth was sprinkled over the coffin, Anna’s mother broke down, falling into the arms of her distraught husband. As the line proceeded, some moving quietly, others pausing to say their final farewells, I took a few steps back. Sucking in some air, my chest hurt like I had been repeatedly punched. A small cold hand wrapped itself around mine. Anna’s sweet mother looked up at me with warm, red-rimmed and swollen eyes.
“Thank you for doing all you could to keep her safe,” she said, sincerely.
“I’m so sorry ma’am.”
“Please, don’t apologize. She told me about you. That you were trying to send her home. She believed everything you said and spoke very highly of you.” Her bottom lip began to tremble as she looked away trying to gather her emotions, “I would have loved to have seen her happy. To have seen you two together. You are a good man, Danny Peters.” Her words were broken, a part of her that could never be healed. She wrapped her arms around my waist drawing me against her frail defeated body. I returned the gesture while we both mourned. The rain was falling hard, the droplets mixing in with our tears.
After a few minutes, she pulled away from me, her arms gently rubbing my arms.
“Go,” she said, nodding to the coffin.
Giving a grim nod, I took the steps I had been dreading. The line had long gone, the area quiet. I was alone and lost in my thoughts. Instead of a handful of dirt, I pulled the flower from my suit pocket and rolled the stem between my fingers. It was a soft pink rose, the color of her sweet lips.
Streams of water were running off the wooden coffin, the yellow flowers taking a battering from the rain. Placing the rose on top, I closed my eyes and imagined her smiling face.
“Anna Bonita,” I began, taking a deep breath. “I will see you soon my beautiful girl.”
Danny
“I’m out, bro.”
“Out of what?”
“I’m leaving the marines.”
There was a pause as he absorbed my words. We sat at a quiet bar after the funeral unable to handle the wake, six empty glasses already lining the counter. “Why would you do that?” Aiden asked.
“Both Anna and Tomas died because of me.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
“I’m sorry, Aiden, but you weren’t there. You didn’t see what happened.”
“I don’t need to have seen what happened. I know you. You are like a brother to me and I also know that you are one of the best, if not the best.”
I looked at him square on, “I shot Tomas. That was my bullet, not Nicolas’s. When I fired my gun, it was my ammo that shot through that young boy. If I was so good, I wouldn’t have missed.”
“I’m sorry for what I am about to say, bro, but you had just witnessed Anna being killed. That shit is not so easy to forget. You did the best you could given the situation and hating on yourself is not going to help anyone.”
“I made a promise to Anna.”
“What?”
“She said that the day I take an innocent life, is the day that I hang up my sniper rifle. That moment came only a few days ago.”
Aiden indicated to the bartender for another round, “I think you should rest on it and maybe give it some more thought after a bit of time passes. Our time is up anyway,” he continued, “You need to make the decision soon as to whether you want to sign up for another tour. I’m fairly sure the sarge will keep you on private work, if you pass the psych test.”
“You’re not signing up?” I asked, somehow knowing that Aiden would be needed elsewhere.
“I have to go back home and take over security detail.”
“Man, you are too talented to waste your life at Hector’s, bro. How long are you going to feel like you owe him? Your whole life? Cos, that’s seriously fucked up if you do.” Hector had taken Aiden in straight after his parents had been killed. An act of generosity or grooming for his drug trafficking, I wasn’t sure, and Aiden seldom mentioned it. I knew he didn’t agree with how Hector had made his fortune, but for some reason Aiden still felt indebted to the man.
“Apparently, some changes have been made to the running of things while I have been gone and the stakes are raised, whatever that means.”
I contemplated what he was saying, “You’re lucky the sarge doesn’t know about your real home life otherwise I would be visiting you behind bars.”
“That’s why I have to get out now. I’ve done my training so it only makes sense. You though, you can’t let your demons get the better of you. This is what you excel at. This is what you have worked so hard to achieve. Don’t piss it all away.”
***
A week later I farewelled my friend, a mix of elation and worry on his face. Two days after that I found myself under the venomous gaze of the sarge who clearly did not share my disposition.
“You what, Peters?”
“Careful sarge, the more you make me say it, the less convincing I need.”
“You can say it as much as you damn well like, but it’s not happening. You’re the best we’ve got and just because you allowed your personal life to interfere with your professional one does not mean that I am going to grant you what you want. What it does mean however, is that if I hear those words being uttered again I will clip you around the ear before dishonourably discharging you. Have I made myself abundantly clear, Peters?”
“With all due respect, sir, the situation was fucked from the beginning. We should never have been sent on that mission. It was two people against a whole army with a psychopath as their leader. We also had innocent civilians to protect; fellow Americans, who suffered because we weren’t able to give them the protection they really needed against a monster who was watching their every move.”
“There was nothing more we could do to change our course of action. According to their government, we had no business being there. End of story.”
“Then we shouldn’t have been there. Not for that reason.”
“And let all those innocent people die? Hundreds of them, Peters!”
“Was it really about the people or more about the fact that Nicolas was selling arms through the US? Let’s get it right because I really am over this whole story about doing it for the people when really it is nothing more than another government agenda.”
“Watch it, Peters. You are treading on some very thin ice right now. If I didn’t hold so much respect for you I would throw you away for treason. You are a soldier. Start ac
ting like it.”
“No, I’m not. As of today I retire from being a scout sniper.” Placing my badge and gun on the table, I stare at him squarely in the eyes, “I’m done.”
Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, I watched as the hardness from his face faded, replaced by genuine concern. “I’m not losing you, Peters. I want you to consider another position within the force.”
“I’m done with the killing.”
“Then do the opposite.”
Danny
The phone call came late one night.
It had been over four years since I had last seen Aiden. A few weeks after the burial, he left for Mexico to join Hector. Not ready to go back to normal life where my demons would find me, I opted to travel before heading back into the marines. Instead of destroying people, I learned how to heal.
I still had the itch.
There were just some people that deserved to be taken out. People like Nicolas Blanco.
Aiden and I had spoken regularly, our bond as brothers as strong as ever. But this time something was different. This time, something was happening in Aiden’s life that threatened to dredge up a whole lot of unwanted and unforgiving memories.
There was a girl.
A girl, who just like Anna, needed to be rescued. The problem was, the enemy was Aiden’s very own adopted family.
“I need your help, Danny.”
“What is it?” The concern in his voice was undeniable.
“I’m sorry that I have to ask this of you.”
“Bro, don’t apologize. Just tell me what it is and for fucks sake, don’t sugar-coat anything.”
There was pause before he continued, “Hector is trading women.”
“Fucking hell. For real? I thought he was just involved with the drug side of things.”
“He had me trained so that I could come back and protect the men and women who travel here to buy their girls.”
“Are you saying this has been happening since you returned?”
Another pause. “Yes.”
“Jesus, Aiden. What the fuck?”
“I know! It’s not what you think. The girls come to us directly wanting a better life.”
“So you feel like you still owe this man? Like you need to lower your moral values in order to please him.”
“None of the above. This young kid, Ethan, started working for us under my guidance delivering a few parcels here and there while working his way up. A few weeks back Hector procured two girls; a special order from a regular client. Underage and kidnapped from their parents. Ethan was to deliver them to their new owner. We didn’t know they were underage until it was too late. I organized a staged disappearance for the three of them on route.”
“Then what?”
“Then the sister turned up.”
“Fuck!”
“Yep. She’s gorgeous, Danny. Juan found her in San Diego. She came looking for Ethan and just fell straight into Juan’s lap. He drugged her and brought her to the mansion. I don’t know how long I can protect her from him in this house. Already she has suffered enough and if I am not careful, Hector and Juan will see straight through me.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“What you do best.”
Danny
I arrived home just after midnight to find a Glock pointed straight at me and a rather stressed looking Aiden, his finger on the trigger.
“That’s no welcome,” I said feigning offence, “considering it’s my house.”
I watched as he lowered the gun, his tired eyes looking somewhat relieved. The room was darkened, only a soft glow from a lamp on the floor, the curtains drawn to prevent unwanted attention from passers-by. The house was set some way off the road, but Aiden was now a wanted man, on the run from his own family.
“Danny, it’s good to see you,” he said extending his hand.
“I’d hate to see how you greet the people you don’t wanna see,” I joked, although I couldn’t disguise just how happy I was to see an old friend again. Aiden rubbed the back of his neck, aiming to release some tension.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that we have had some…”
“Who’s this?” I interrupted, my eyes moving to the woman beside me. She was beautiful. The kind of beautiful men like Hector would love to profit from. It was then I noticed just how disheveled they both were. I could also see just how uncomfortable the girl was and no matter how much she tried to protect her modesty, it just wasn’t helping. She wore a tiny little negligee and was covered in dirt. Her pale skin was marred with the red and brown hue of the Mexican desert and the tears she had shed had left track marks over her dirty face. Aiden too looked like he had battled it out with a desert storm. I made a mental note to ask him about his nights events later when we were out of earshot.
“This is the girl,” Aiden began, sounding a little nervous. “The one I told you about.”
“My name is Laila,” she said, her annoyed tone directed straight at Aiden.
I couldn’t help but smile at her sass. Though nothing alike in appearance, she reminded me so much of Anna. Her face softened and I noted that she visibly relaxed a degree or two while considering me for a while. Probably wondering if I was cut from the same fucked up cloth Juan and Hector came from.
“You’ve got a live one here,” I joked before giving the girl a lighthearted wink. The corners of her mouth twitched in amusement for a brief second.
“You have no idea!” Aiden sounded resigned. “Have you got the paperwork?” As soon as the words left his mouth, I noticed the girl visibly stiffen. Did she see Aiden as the bad guy?
I waved the mustard, letter-sized envelope in front of him. “First things first. Why don’t you take Laila upstairs so she can clean herself. My sister leaves some clothes here when she stays so there are some in the drawer in the bedroom, second door to the left after the bathroom.”
I watched with some curiosity as they moved to the stairs, Aiden’s hand rested on the small of her back. “You’d better move the car as well,” I yelled to Aiden. “Dawn is about to break.”
***
Cracking open a beer, the gravity of the situation was bearing down on me. It wasn’t the same predicament, but it was too damn close. Aiden and I would need to nut out every fine detail to ensure it didn’t end in the same disaster as it had over four years ago.
“Stop!” I heard Laila’s assertive voice from the top floor. I couldn’t help but smile at the hard time she must be giving Aiden. From what I had heard so far based on one phone conversation, he hadn’t told her the full truth. In her eyes, he was the bad guy.
“Don’t even mention his name. You don’t have that right!” she yelled. I presumed she was talking about Ethan her brother. The one Aiden had supposedly killed in order to break the scent Juan and Hector had on him. He was in deep, the poor bastard.
“I don’t want your explanations or your guilt. You had a choice, Aiden! Or should I still call you Master?” Her tone dripped with scathing sarcasm. I didn’t know a thing about the whole “master” scenario, but it definitely piqued my curiosity.
The volume of the conversation immediately dropped, only a few murmurs filtering down the stairs, followed by the abrupt slamming of the bathroom door.
A forlorn Aiden made his way down seconds later, that earlier tiredness I had seen in his eyes, now that of pure exhaustion.
“Sounds like you fucked up, bro.” I couldn’t help the tease.
“I have. She’s angry and badly hurt,” he replied, a pissed-off edge to his tone.
“Hurt?”
“She was badly beaten by Hector’s men back at the mansion. Fucking black bruises all over her torso. I didn’t even know it had happened until two minutes ago,” he sighed heavily. “I couldn’t even protect her under the same roof.”
“Have you told her about her brother, that he is still alive?”
“No, not yet. If I tell her now, before we are in the safe zone, it could ruin everything.”
> “Ok, I will let you be the best judge of that. You know your fucked up family better than anyone. But I do have one question.”
“Go on.”
“Why is she calling you ‘master’?”
Aiden ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Juan was to train her into servitude. He had already raped her and threatened to do it again. I offered to train her instead while I figured out a plan to stop the sale to Alexsonov.”
“So she believes that you are just as bad as the rest of them.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. You had no choice but to sort Ethan out and hopefully the two girls have made it somewhere safe. That being said, you could have handled the whole Laila thing a little bit better than you did.”
“I know, it just wasn’t safe to tell her the whole truth. The walls in that place have ears, Hector and Juan would have found out my plan sooner or later.”
“So, did you “train” her?”
There was a silence that spoke volumes.
“You didn’t?”
“It’s not what you think,” he insisted.
“Oh really, did you touch her?”
“Yes, but it was consensual.”
“I’m sensing there is more.”
“She thinks I am just like them. The act I was forced to put on built her distrust toward me. I’m not proud of what I had to do, but I had no other choice. This whole thing started because I was trying to save two girls from Alexsonov. Then Laila showed up and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Aiden, enough fucking with her head. I know it’s not deliberate, but once you are over that border you need to tell her everything.”
“I intend to.”
***
The night passed with little trouble. Though no words were spoken, the tension between Aiden and Laila was extreme. Whatever he had done, had really pissed off the woman he watched like an obsessive hawk.