Chapter 30
Natalia and I both got dressed. We held hands and looked in each other’s eyes as we walked down to the beach. We stopped and sat down on the sand and looked at the crystal-clear blue water. The half-moon was beautiful in the night sky. Its reflection off the water made for a perfect romantic setting.
As I looked into Natalia’s eyes I felt a knot start to form in my stomach. I was getting ready to tell her secrets I vowed to never tell anyone.
“Natalia, I am about to tell you something about me that no one knows, not even Ryan,” I said.
“You can tell me anything. I hope you know that,” she said.
“Ryan and I were both at a state school for orphaned boys in Pennsylvania. That’s where we met. The warden of the school raped me and sexually molested me for about three years. Ryan and I managed to escape one night when they came for him. I didn’t want him to have to go through the same things I had to endure. Our adoptive parents, Robert and Virginia Armell, took us in and gave us a happy home. Ryan saw a therapist off and on for several years after our ordeal, but I never talked about what happened to me. I only talked about what I saw happening to other boys that were at the school. Some of them were killed while there and buried behind the school. That place was a living hell!” I told her.
As I looked at Natalia and I told her my story, tears started to stream down her face.
“Oh my God, Jason, I am so sorry for what happened to you! I couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain you had to suffer under those circumstances. But do you realize that you saved Ryan’s life? You saved him from having to suffer such an unimaginable fate and a life of suffering,” she stated.
“Yes, but I have never been able to process what happened to me. I kept all my anger and pain inside, and instead used that to fuel me and justify my decision to become an assassin. I felt like my soul was tortured and that there was no escape from the pain, but that was until I laid eyes on your beautiful face. The rosary and Virgin Mary tattoos on my arm are a reflection of my faith that I carry with me every day. I feel by telling you about my past I have now been released emotionally. You were my first everything Natalia.”
“Wow, I am honored, baby that it was me you shared yourself with. But I would never look at you any differently because of your past. I’m glad you told me so now I can help you through this. I love you Jason.” she confessed.
Natalia both stood up as I looked into her eyes I felt a rush of utter peace wash over me.
“I love you too, baby.” As Natalia and I walked back to the villa we didn’t speak to one another. I just held her hand which gave me a sense of comfort. She completes me. I am so in love with this woman and finally I had found the part of me that was missing.
After walking back to the villa, Natalia and I went to bed. I held her tightly in my arms all night. As the bright sun shone through the window the next morning, I was instantly energized. Natalia was sleeping peacefully so I pulled the covers over her as I got up to go for my morning run. I slipped on a pair of shorts, a black tank top and my black Nike sneakers. I picked up my earpiece and placed it in my ear and strapped my cell phone around my right arm. As I began to walk out of the room, I turned back and looked at Natalia as she slept peacefully. I was suddenly overwhelmed with a flood of emotions I had not experienced before. What had Natalia done to me? I turned on the coffee maker just before I dashed out of the villa. Running on the beach always cleared my head. After last night, I was happy that I was able to tell Natalia about my past.
I knew now more than ever that I had fallen deeply in love with her and wanted to get her and myself out of this deadly life we were both living. I no longer wanted us to risk our lives for our government’s benefit. My future was uncertain and that was a scary thing for me to face at the end of the day. I was startled out of my thoughts when my earpiece began to ring.
“Hey what’s up, Vince?” I said.
“Commander we have been activated for the Valchek mission. Ryan received intel confirming Valchek has the files and is throwing a big party at his mansion in Moscow in four days. We are to report their immediately,” he said.
“Copy that Vince. Has the rest of the team been called in?” I asked.
“Yes, Commander. Maurice is flying in to pick you and Natalia up as we speak.” Vince said.
“Okay. Natalia and I will meet you and the rest of the team at the safe house in Moscow in two days.” I said.
“Copy that Commander. Give Natalia a cheeky squeeze for me, too.”
“Haha. Copy that Vince,” I laughed.
As I ran back to the villa and entered, I inhaled the smell of fresh fruit, bacon, and eggs. Natalia had set the table for a romantic breakfast for two, complete with a beautiful flower centerpiece full of different colored roses. She was standing at the stove wearing one of my white button-down shirts and singing to Coldplay’s “Paradise”. I walked up to her from behind and grabbed her around her waist. She pulled the remaining hickory smoked maple glazed bacon from the pan. She then broke off a piece and blew on it to cool it. Then she turned and placed the piece of bacon in my mouth and kissed me. As I chewed it, I watched as she danced around the kitchen placing our food on our plates. This was a nice playful side to her that I could enjoy forever and had never seen before. Finally, the song ended and we sat down to eat, with each of us sitting at opposite ends of the table. I was pleasantly surprised that Natalia was a great cook. We enjoyed fresh-squeezed orange juice, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, home fries, French toast with fresh strawberries on top, and fresh brewed coffee. This meal was fit for a king.
“Hey baby, why didn’t you wake me this morning?” she asked.
“You were sleeping so peacefully, and I didn’t want to wake you,” I answered.
“When I woke up and you were gone I had wondered where you were?”
“Running on the beach always helps me clear my head. It’s really beautiful here.” I said.
“Last night, Jason, was the most exciting night of my life! I always felt like a piece of me was missing but now I feel you complete me. Can we stay here forever?
“Unfortunately, darling, we can’t. We have a mission that was just greenlit and we have to go to Moscow tonight.”
“Really? Which mission?”
“Valchek.”
“Really?”
Suddenly Natalia came over and sat on my lap. She looked right in my eyes.
“Please, Jason let’s just run away and start a new life and leave all this behind,” Natalia stated.
“Natalia, you know we can’t, it would be committing treason. Besides you know there’s no place on the planet we could go that they wouldn’t find us with our trackers remember? What’s wrong? I can feel something is scaring you right now,”
“I’m just tired of all the killing and all the blood and all the bodies and all the nightmares Jason!” she said.
“Nightmares?” I asked.
“Yes, I have horrible nightmares about the things I have done in my life. Being here with you has made me see that there is more to life than death, blood and destruction.”
As she began to cry, and I leaned in and kissed away a tear rolling down her cheek.
“I understand and after this mission I will look into us getting out and trying to live a normal life.”
“Really? Do you mean it?” She asked.
“Yes, after last night I know for sure my future is with you and only you. You complete my soul and I am in love with you on the deepest level.” I confessed.
“Oh, my God no one has ever said such a beautiful thing to me.”
“It’s you and me baby, against the world, for life.” I said.
After breakfast, Natalia and I walked into the bedroom and laid together quietly. As Natalia laid her head on my chest, we both drifted off to sleep. A few hours later we packed up and headed for the plane, where Maurice was waiting to take us straight to Moscow.