Tess Awakening

by Andres Mann

  Carmen was still hurting. Nicola anxiously kept searching for alternative routes to make it home. They tried the other three underpasses to the beach, but they also flooded. Finally, they drove downtown to Piazza Garibaldi and parked in a diagonal spot across from shuttered stores under porticos. Nicola was running out of ideas. He wished he could find a place to stay for the night, but everything was shuttered tight and dark. The rain continued, and more streets were flooding.

  Carmen had a thought. “Nicola, remember when we went to eat in Lavagna and you got to the beach through a road east of here?”

  “Nicola thought for a couple of seconds. “We might as well try it.” He turned the tiny car around and headed back toward Lavagna. He made a right turn looking for another access route to the beach, but by the time they reached the spot under a bridge, they saw that the road underneath had also turned into a small lake. A large Audi station wagon was on the opposite side, flooded, with the driver’s door open and the lights still on.

  “We’re screwed,” Carmen said. “Now is the time to think like a fighter pilot, she added. “If we want to make it to the beach, we need to take chances.”

  Nicola looked at her quizzically. “What chances?”

  Carmen explained. “The Audi that’s stuck over there is a large, heavy car. Our 500 is very light. Now, if we drive into the water as fast as we can, we might be able to float and avoid wetting the electrical system. Plus, this is a front wheel drive car so we would be pulling instead of pushing. It might work.”

  Nicola looked dubious. “And what happens if it doesn’t work and we are stuck in a large pond and you are stranded with a hurt hand?

  “I will live, Carmen said. Let’s try it.”

  “All right,” Nicola said without conviction. Here we go.”

  He revved the tiny car and plunged into the enormous puddle, fully expecting to stall.

  “Keep the revs high,” Carmen instructed. “Steady as she goes.”

  The little car floated like a boat. Nicola kept his foot on the accelerator, hardly believing what was happening. The surreal scene of a tiny vehicle noisily laboring across the pond reminded Carmen of a Fiat commercial she had seen on TV some time ago. ‘Maybe it was not an exaggeration, she thought; these things actually float.’

  Amazingly enough, they made it to the hard pavement. The car engine was still in running order. Nicola did not dare stop and drove another 100 yards until he reached a yellow tape drawn across the street by the police to warn motorists of the flooded area in the opposite direction. Nicola got out of the car, untied one end of the tape, and drove the car toward the main avenue of the beach area. They were underway for five minutes when Carmen observed, “We didn’t fasten back the yellow tape. Someone might drive into the puddle.”

  “Noble sentiment,” Nicola responded, “If they drive that fast in this mess, they deserve to get wet.” Carmen smiled.

  The beach boulevard was wet, but it appeared to have fared well compared to the rest of the town. It was still raining, but no sign of flooding.

  “I will park the car in the underground garage across from our apartment,” Nicola said. He drove to the entrance down the underground ramp and had to slam on the brakes. The large parking garage was now an underground lake. Nicola had had enough. He cursed: Mannaggia! He shifted the car into reverse and backed out to the street. He found a parking spot and turned the car off. He held his hands on the steering wheel and put his head on the center horn. “Nobody is going to believe this.”

  Carmen smiled. “Sir, I think you should be proud of having driven a car through a lake. I can’t think of anyone else that can claim to have done that.”

  “Thanks for the compliment, Madam. Now let’s get back to the apartment. I have had enough of this hassle.” They left the car, and Nicola took Carmen’s good hand to cross the deserted street. Carmen decided that the tiny 500 deserved a salute; it didn’t even leak inside. She raised her hand to her forehead and made a proper military salute, with her good hand, of course.

  As Nicola turned the key to the apartment building, Carmen made a vow. “I will never disrespect a Fiat 500 from now on.”

  Nicola smiled. Carmen was not only sexy, but also smart, creative, brave and tough. What a combination! He was definitely in love.

  ***

  Carmen had a rough night due to the pain in her hand, but she was not about to lie around like a wimp. She looked outside. The rain had stopped and Corso Valparaiso looked like nothing had happened. She persuaded Nicola to take her downstairs and see how the town had fared.

  They tried every one of the underpasses under the railroad, but they were still flooded. They walked to the furthest one that was also underwater, but it had a pedestrian walkway alongside it that was elevated and passable. They finally made into town, and they found out that walking was not going to be easy. All of the streets were covered by inches of mud that had washed down from the hills above. Carmen looked at Nicola shocked. “Wow, this is going to take months to clean up.”

  Nicola smiled. “You don’t know the Italians.”

  Slipping through the mud, they made it to the main square across City Hall. The citizens were out in droves, each one of them — adults, young and old, manning shovels, brooms, and hoses, picking up mud and loading it on small trucks. A few larger municipal trucks loaded the sticky stuff and hauled it away. Basements were flooded, and most of them already had pumps working, spewing out jets of dirty water. In some buildings, they had to break the beautiful marble floors under the porticos to gain access to the area below so they could install pumps. The entire first floor of the main hotel downtown had flooded. Workers were bringing soaked stuffed chairs outside on the sidewalk and placed fans in front of them to help the furniture dry out.

  Throughout, Carmen did not hear a single complaint from the locals. She just saw people working as team, helping each other to clean up, all done with good humor and dedication so that they could restore their beautiful town. She thought that if a disaster of this magnitude had occurred in Los Angeles, few of its people would have come together as a cohesive group to help the town recover. They would probably just have waited for city workers to clean up the mess.

  Nicola and Carmen chipped in to help clean up the streets. Working alongside perfect strangers, their contribution was gratefully accepted. Carmen could not do much due to her injured hand, so she handled hoses to wash out pavements.

  Within a week, it was hard to tell that a disaster had befallen the town. Everything was almost dry, the streets cleaned, and the flooded stores were holding sales of damaged merchandise. Carpenters were busy rebuilding store desks and displays. The people were back to the cafes and stores choosing focaccia, bread, cold cuts and cheese. Even the outdoor market stalls had returned. Life was almost back to normal.

  Carmen a Nicola sat at a street side table of a café. She was still amazed about the way the locals handled a disaster. Nicola was matter-of-fact. “The Italians have always relied on their families and neighbors to survive the various occupations throughout history. Authorities habitually abused them and robbed them through draconian taxes. People learned early on that they could not rely on the oppressors or the government to help them. Their strength is their deeply felt ancient sense of community.”

  Carmen now realized that the world was not always an ugly place. For the first time, she felt a desire to put down roots, join a community and enjoy a gracious environment. She also decided that she needed Nicola in her life. They were a team.

  Back to the apartment, Tess called. Carmen did not get a chance to say a word. Tess told her what had happened to her and asked her to come to New York. They needed to plan the war on Amir.

  Carmen put the phone down. She ran her hands on both cheeks, then to her mouth; “Sweet Jesus!”

  She looked at Nicola, shaken by what she had just found out. “Amir tried to kill Jake and Tess. They crashed the car and Tess lost the baby. Also, it appears that Amir kidnapped her toddler. I
am afraid that Tess has turned into a Valkyrie. The guy is going to be in a world of hurt.”

  “What can we do to help?”

  “We are still officially working in Iraq. We need take a leave of absence and to go to New York to coordinate with Tess and Jake; then we will set the wheels in motion. We need to get to Amir and figure out where he is keeping little Morgan. This is going to be a hell of a battle. Once Tess gets going, no power on earth can stop her.”

  Nicola quipped jokingly, “I can’t understand why the two of you are friends. You have absolutely nothing in common.”

  Carmen gave him a dirty look. Nicola picked up the phone. “I am booking two tickets to New York.”

  Chapter 52

  Abduction

  Amir had finally divorced his wife and married Muna, an Iraqi widow from a good family, to pose as his new wife. This was purely a business arrangement, enabling them to have legitimate legal status when traveling overseas. He had in his person passports issued by the State of Iraq, showing that his name was Amir Al-Jamil, the identity of a deceased Iraqi officer, Muna’s late husband. He also had a forged a birth certificate for his son, Tahir, previously known as Morgan Vickers. The documents cost him a fortune because he had to persuade the right officials in Iraq to provide them. It was just money.

  They landed in Montreal. A car met them at their private plane and took them to a large house outside of the city.

  Amir got out of the car and rushed upstairs to the nursery. Little Morgan was playing patty cake with the nanny. He waved the women out of the room and kneeled in front of the child. Morgan was now a year old and looked at Amir with his large, black eyes — the family signature. Amir took the child in his arms. ‘He is strong and alert; a true son of mine.’ He puffed his chest in pride. ‘You are blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, borne to me by a worthy Amazon.’

  He spent half an hour playing with the child, inspecting every inch of him, nuzzling him, inhaling the wonderful smell of a healthy child. ‘If only my beloved Tess were here. My happiness would be complete.’

  After lunch, Amir assembled his team, discussing what was going to happen. If they asked, the authorities would be told that Amir, Muna and their son Tahir were in Montreal to buy a vacation house to be used during the skiing season. Shortly afterward, they will depart for Istanbul with the child, thus successfully leaving the American continent. Once in Turkey, it would be impossible for Tess to get the child back.

  Amir was smart enough to understand that the attempted killing of Tess and Jake and the kidnapping of little Morgan would unleash the hounds of hell. He knew that he would have to square off against her father, an influential retired general and defense industry executive. Also, Tess was likely to pursue him with relentless fervor, one of her best qualities. He did not leave anything to chance. The boy would be brought to a house not his own in Istanbul and he would have a different name. There was virtually no chance of being discovered.

  The family boarded his Falcon Jet a couple of days later, refueled in Dublin and finally landed in Istanbul. They were taken to a villa just outside the city. A squad of nannies and nurses was mobilized to take care of the newly named Tahir along with Amir’s daughter Aara.

  Amir was still not satisfied. He fantasized bringing Tess to his new house. Once she found herself with little Morgan AKA Tahir, and Aara, he thought that she would soften and agree to stay with him. He spent the rest of the evening in his study contemplating possible strategies that might make his dream happen.

  He finally went to bed, still restless. Muna entered his bedroom, dressed in a beautiful nightgown. She stood in front of him until he deigned to acknowledge her existence.

  “Amir, I am you wife, but you have not touched me even once since we were married.”

  “You know very well that ours was purely a business arrangement. I will give you a divorce as soon as things are settled.”

  Muna insisted. “Amir, right now you are my husband, and I want you to make love to me.”

  Amir sat on the bed and beckoned her to come closer. “Very well, take your gown off.” Muna did as he requested, peeling the garment off and dropping it on the floor. She was stunning: dark eyes, long brown hair, a long neck, beautiful breasts and an hourglass figure. Amir became mildly interested.

  He picked her up with his strong arms and laid her down on the bed. He took his pajamas off and joined her. He looked at her intensely and started to touch her on the throat, her belly, and her legs. He turned her over, inspecting her skin, running his fingers along her spine. Then he raised her buttocks and started to nibble on them. Muna had not expected that but did not object. Amir bit harder, causing her pain, but also arousing her. Amir was now hard and penetrated her from behind. She gasped, feeling his hard shaft deep inside her. Amir held her hips and moved on his back, still in her. She was now facing his feet.

  “They say that this position is good for a woman because she can control movement and move the way she wishes to please herself. Do it.”

  Muna felt that the position was hardly romantic. Nevertheless she started to move, feeling him deep within her. Amir stood still, allowing her to move the way she wanted, her back against his chest, her center locking on his penis, moving in a circular motion then accelerating up and down until she had an orgasm.

  She fell off him and turned on her back, beckoning his embrace. Amir parted her legs and sunk into her again, eliciting a sigh of pleasure from Muna. He partially withdrew then plunged into her repeatedly. He then moved faster, deep within her, over and over again, sinking into her depths until she moaned and had another strong orgasm.

  Amir stayed inside her for a few minutes and then withdrew, spilling his semen on her belly.

  “Why didn’t you come inside me, Amir? Am I not your wife?”

  “No, Muna. You are not my wife. We still have a business arrangement. You needed sex tonight, and I gave it to you. My seed belongs to the woman that will be my real wife.” He wiped her off with a towel. “Now leave, I need to sleep.”

  Muna got off the bed, thoroughly humiliated. She picked up her gown and walked to the door. “You are a bastard, Amir.”

  “I know. Good night.” He had a restless night, dreaming of Tess in his arms.

  Chapter 53

  Plan A

  Carmen and Nicola arrived at JFK Airport in the morning. General Turner sent a car to pick them up and bring them to the office.

  They went up on the elevator and spilled into a modern professional lobby. Tess was waiting for them. Carmen squealed and embraced her. Jake shook Nicola’s hand and ushered him into a comfortable conference room.

  Tess and Carmen went into a large private office, tears in their eyes, delighted to see each other, but also aware that the reunion, unfortunately, was not for the right reasons.

  The first thing that Carmen said was “I am so sorry, Tess. What happened was horrible. I can’t begin to guess how you must feel.”

  “I feel unbelievably angry, Carmen; anger and despair that are hard to describe. I can’t believe that Amir was so cruel to hurt me so, particularly since all along he had professed his love and devotion.”

  “Tess, Nicola and I will do everything we can to help you bring your baby back.”

  “I know that I should not ask you to get involved in this, Carmen, but I need to work with people I trust. You still can beg off the operation and I will understand. You have met a good man and now and you have something to look forward to.”

  “I wouldn’t miss the action for one minute,” Carmen replied. “You are my best and only friend. Anyone that hurts you has to deal with me.”

  Tess hugged Carmen again. “You are a true friend.”

  They walked into the conference room. Jake and Nicola were talking. Tess shook Nicola’s hand then hugged him. “I am so pleased to meet you, Nicola. You have made Carmen happy, and that means the world to me.”

  “And you are the famous Tess. I must say that Carmen did not exaggerate: you are amazing
.” He looked at Jake. “You also have one hell of a husband.”

  Shortly afterward, General Turner and four other men joined them. The General immediately took charge.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, these four men with me are the best operatives that anyone could wish for. They were in the Special Forces and worked for me for a long time. They still do, but they are not in the Army anymore. They are here to help us implement the plan to retrieve little Morgan and to hit back at Amir. John Powers is a weapons specialist. George Kimmel is a superb military intelligence professional. Ken Ross is a crack sniper and Joe Slezak does magic things with computers as long as you keep him supplied with peanuts.”

  Joe corrected the general, “Cashews and pistachios.”

  General Turner smiled and briefed the men on the rest of the team. “Tess, my daughter, is a skilled chopper pilot and so is her friend Carmen. They have worked together very closely while in Iraq. Jake Vickers, my son in law, is also a military intelligence specialist, not to mention he has a memory like an elephant that won’t let him forget anything,” he added jokingly. “Last but not least, Nicola Orsini is our resource man. He is an Italian chopper pilot that has access to European equipment, particularly helicopters that are presently being prepared for delivery to the Iraqi military. He has agreed to let us ‘borrow’ them.”

  “Why can’t we use American hardware that we are familiar with?” asked Carmen.

  “Because I don’t want to get the U. S. Army involved in this operation, they have their hands full in Iraq. Besides, even with my contacts, there would be far too many questions asked. If things don’t go well, the Army would have to answer why it got involved in something that is not part of its mission there. We need secrecy because this is going to be a sensitive operation that in some eyes might be considered illegal.”

  “At this point, the legality of this operation is the furthest thing on my mind,” Tess scoffed. “Amir thinks that the law is a quaint notion that only applies to the peasants. He has seized my son as if the law did not apply.”