Bane

by Kristin Mayer

  Tensions eased with the Eric and Sarge situation, it would cause confusion and misdirect the team on a different path. Human nature was always your best ally in situations like that. The mind ran on emotion. There would be no reason for us to kill ourselves or leave. My history also helped sell the story. Maren had an established doctor. We were having twins.

  A car had been stashed near the crash site. Hampton was to meet us at the Charlotte, North Carolina airport in two days to take our flights. Pulling into the hangar, Hampton was already in there. I got out and Maren followed.

  Felicia stood near the edge of the car. When she saw me, her petite frame approached and gave me a smile. “Bane, I’m so glad we made it.”

  Being held captive for an extended amount of time did something to a person. I’d been there several times and barely escaped with my life. It was part of being an operative. We were conditioned to withstand it mentally. I knew Felicia had nightmares of being taken again, which had been the ultimate deciding factor for them to pick up and leave.

  Hugging me, she pulled back. I could see the stress etched on her face. This whole situation took its toll on all of us, leaving us scarred in more ways than we probably realized. She looked toward Maren. “It seems you found your perfect match also.”

  Through all the years, Felicia had been the strongest advocate of me finding someone.

  Maren held out her hand, “I’m Maren. It’s nice to meet you. Bane has spoken very highly of you.”

  Felicia gave me a playful slap on my chest. “He’s a real charmer, but he’s like family.” A few tears formed in her eyes. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. We still have a few days together.” Looking at Maren’s stomach, she asked, “May I?”

  “Of course.”

  Felicia put her hands to her stomach and my heart bloomed. “Babies are such miracles. I’m so happy for you.”

  It was hard to be overly excited in front of Hampton or Felicia. They tried for years to have children but had never been able to. Life was hard at times. The things that happened to good people were unexplainable.

  Maren smiled. “They are.”

  Clearing his throat, Hampton walked up. “All is set. Here are the new phones for us to keep in touch. Minimum contact is best.” He kissed Felicia, then looked at me. “Take care of her.”

  “With my life.”

  I’d protect these women with my last breath.

  Hampton risked his life for Maren, and I’d be forever indebted to him. Because of him, I had a second chance at everything. Kissing his wife, he whispered something in her ear.

  I grabbed the two small bags and loaded the car. The majority of our belongings had been left at the farmhouse to help sell the fact that we were indeed only going away for the weekend. Groceries had been bought within the last two days. Appointments were scheduled for the entire pregnancy a month ago.

  Coming back to Maren, her eyes widened and fixated on the plane. Three corpses were visible and sitting in the seats like passengers. The fourth was probably laying in the aisle. Hampton would move it to the pilot’s seat before he deployed. They were similar to us in build and hair color. I’d seen everything, but I understood why it was unnerving.

  The plane crash would incinerate the remains beyond recognition obliterating any DNA evidence, but there had to be bodies.

  I escorted Maren toward the SUV. Until we were miles down the road, Maren and Felicia would ride in the very back under the protection of the pull cover. We’d packed some pillows to help with the comfort. Maren scooted in the back and laid on her side.

  Leaning in, I asked, “Are you comfortable?”

  “We’re fine. I promise.”

  Felicia followed suit. Closing the hatch, Hampton and I nodded to each other. We knew what we had to do. All necessary flight plans had been made. We were scheduled to take off in five minutes. Getting in the car, I slipped on the driver’s hat and coat Hampton had been wearing.

  Getting in the car, I called back, “Are you guys okay?”

  Both responded, “Yes.”

  Putting the car in drive, I took off. We were about to vanish from our old lives.

  Two days later

  TIME DREW NEAR as they sipped coffee and me orange juice. Hampton arrived last night. All had gone as planned for once. The plane crash made the news and we’d been identified as the casualties. From the videos, Black Division had been on site.

  So far, it appeared everyone bought the story of our murder. From researching, Alex appeared to be taking a team to Mexico. As hoped, they believed there was a stone left unturned. If Black Division found someone else connected to this mess, it was good for all of us to eliminate as many people who knew about what happened.

  I held on to my juice as I watched our friends. Knowing this was the last time I would possibly see these people was sobering.

  Damien and Allison had been incredible people. There had only been one night with them, but I knew we would have been good friends. Maybe someday I’d have that chance to get to know them better. Maybe.

  Bane said they knew we were disappearing, but no idea as to the specifics. It was safer that way. Any contact would put them and us in danger. I was glad they knew we were going to get our happily ever after and Bane was too. They meant more to him than he let on. They were his family.

  Prior to Bane, I’d isolated myself from everything and everyone. For the first time, I acutely felt the loss of what we were giving up. To keep our babies safe, we had no choice but to disappear. I knew the score and it was worth the sacrifice. However, it didn’t lessen how hard the situation was.

  If Sarge or Eric told anyone about Bane ... If someone else got the idea to use Bane because of me or the kids … If Alex was behind Sarge getting Bane back … we would be in danger. There were too many what if’s that we weren’t totally sure about.

  Bane and Hampton laughed about some good times they had while Felicia and I watched them. We’d talked a lot as we waited for Hampton to arrive. She’d given me advice about having children she’d learned from her friends through the years. I had no guidance as to what I was doing since my mom died at birth. Bane knew about this. My mom went into distress and her heart gave out. It terrified me that I wouldn’t be there for our kids. I knew it made Bane nervous also. It was why he was insistent on us being near a top-rated medical facility.

  Taking a last sip of coffee, Bane spoke when he set the mug down. “We had some good times. I’ll never forget you guys.”

  Standing, Hampton sat his mug down too. “We did. Who knows, maybe we’ll cross paths again someday in some country. Here’s to hoping that fate brings us together under a better circumstance.”

  Bane nodded. “I hope to hell that’s in the cards for us.”

  Hugging me, Hampton whispered in my ear. “Take care of him. You brought him back to life.”

  “I will. I promise. He did the same for me.”

  Tears formed in my eyes as I hugged Felicia. In a sense, she had been a mother-type figure for me. I hoped I had her soft-spoken ways with her strength. She was a survivor with unconditional love for Hampton. Through a small sob, I said, “I know we’ve just met, but I’ll never forget you guys. I’ll always consider you family.”

  She squeezed me. “Forever connected. If it’s meant to be, it will happen. I’m a firm believer.”

  I sniffled at her words.

  Wrapping his arms around Felicia, Hampton guided her out of the room. We were leaving twelve hours apart. It had been decided Hampton and Felicia would leave first. Our first stop was the Caribbean before we made it to Switzerland. Closing the door, Bane walked across the room to me and wrapped his arms around me. “I know this is tough.”

  “It is, but we’ll be safe this way. Our babies will be safe. The people we love will be safe. I have to believe we’ll see our loved ones again.”

  Bane gave me a gentle kiss and all the love poured around us. “Are you ready to embrace our new life, angel?”

  “I am.”
Bane led me to the fireplace and pulled out all of our documents that used our real names.

  He tossed our driver’s licenses into the fire. The flames consumed our old identities. We would have new names, birthdates … everything.

  The fire consumed our id’s as we closed out another chapter of our lives. There was no going back, only forward. As the flames ate away at the plastic, I felt the impact of all that happened—all those we loved.

  First glances at Discrete Encounters.

  Bane’s proposition.

  Running.

  Hiding.

  Being captured.

  Frankie dying.

  Surviving.

  Finding out I was pregnant.

  Falling in love.

  Saving my family.

  It was my story, the life thread that made me who I was—who we were. For all those we were leaving … I would live life to the fullest and love with my entire heart.

  Six months later.

  My eyes opened and I saw Bane holding two little blankets, his face beaming. “We’ve been waiting for you to wake up, angel. I have two hungry little babies.”

  They put me to sleep since my body rejected the epidural. Miraculously, I’d carried the babies to term. But, my pelvis had been too small and I wasn’t able to dilate. We’d made the decision before the babies went into distress to have an elective C-section. Bane had been a nervous wreck about me having too much stress on my body.

  Pushing a button, Bane raised me up in the bed and I smiled at the green blankets he held. Somehow he was able to reach the remote in his lap while holding our little ones. A sob escaped me. “Are they okay?”

  That had been my biggest fear that something would happen to them.

  “Angel, they’re perfect.” He stood as he gave each of them a kiss on the head. “It’s time to meet your mom. She’s been patiently waiting.”

  Desperately, I wanted to hold them. We’d decided not to find out the sex of the babies, but had picked out names ahead of time. He placed the first one in my lap. “Meet your daughter.”

  “Daughter?”

  Bane’s eyes glistened as he handed me our little girl. The incision was a little sore, but I didn’t care. She was perfect. “Hello, my precious, Hope.” The name had been chosen because, even in the darkest of times, there was always hope.

  Bane helped me move my gown. Hope latched on to my breast. She sucked and my world felt complete having those I loved most here. The other baby Bane held cried as I finished positioning Hope. “Hold on, you’re about to meet your mom too.” He placed the other bundle of joy in my arms. “Meet your, son.”

  “We have a son and a daughter.” The words sounded odd to my own ears as I met the babies that had been growing inside me. A boy and a girl—the perfect combination for us. We were a family. My heart burst within my chest with love.

  “We do, angel. They’re perfect.”

  Placing the baby in my arms, he rooted for me also. Bane helped. “Hello, Aaryan. I have been waiting so long to meet you both. I love you guys.” Aaryan meant strength. Through all the trials and obstacles we faced, we were one, and through our strength we persevered.

  I held both babies as Bane stroked my cheek. “Thank you.” I looked at him questioning. “Thank you for loving me and giving me a life I never thought I deserved. You are my destiny.”

  Aaryan and Hope cooed and I squeezed them to me, relishing the feeling. Bane leaned down to kiss me. I spoke against his lips. “I love you with my whole heart.”

  “I love you too, angel.”

  Though the world now knew us as Jenney and Vin, we would forever be Maren and Bane. And finally through it all … we’d gotten our happily ever after.

  Three Months Later…

  I woke up startled and glanced at the clock. It was nearly seven in the morning. The twins should have been awake by now for me to nurse. They’d recently started sleeping through the night, which was a blessing. Who would have thought a complete night of sleep was a luxury? Well, at least six straight after Bane made love to me, or fucked me senseless. My body craved him and I looked forward to our time alone at night. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a mother—every second of it. But, I loved our adult time too. Bane’s side of the bed was vacant, which piqued my curiosity. The monitor was turned off.

  Pushing the cream duvet aside, I padded down the hallway and glanced in the nursery. We’d decided to stay in Switzerland for a while until it was time to move on. I loved it there and the house we’d bought. The wooden beams that ran through it gave it a cabin in the woods type feel.

  The twins’ nursery looked out onto the Swiss Alps, which was breathtaking to cast your eyes upon. In the rocking chair, facing the mountains, Bane sat holding our two little babies that I loved with every fiber of my being. My entire reason for existing was in this room.

  Bane’s voice talked soothingly to the babies. “You guys are being so quiet this morning for your mommy. I know you’re hungry, but let’s let her sleep as long as we can.”

  Little arms flailed on each side of Bane as he talked to them. They loved their father. Bane was it for me—the love of my life. And I knew he felt the same for me. With every chance he could, Bane showered me with love and affection, telling me I was his destiny all along.

  Bane continued speaking to Aaryan and Hope. “I love your mommy more than anything in this world. The first time I saw your mommy, she took my breath away. It’s a good thing she said yes to a date.”

  Moments like that, I would treasure for the rest of my life. A smile emerged on my face as I thought about our first date. It wasn’t something we’d be explaining anytime soon to the kids.

  Hope made a sound that I knew was about to turn into a blood-curdling scream. They were nearly forty-five minutes past their breakfast time. I tip-toed farther into the room.

  “Okay, my sweet babies, let’s go get Mommy. I know you guys are hungry.”

  Bane stood and turned my way. A sexy grin directed at me created that butterfly-like feeling in the pit of my stomach. Hope and Aaryan made excited baby noises now that breakfast had arrive. They were starving. “There’s Mommy.” He kissed both of their heads and then spoke to me. “We wanted to let you sleep.”

  I gave the kids each a kiss on the cheek and then lingered my lips on Bane’s. “You’re amazing. Thank you. I love you.”

  “I love you too, angel.”

  Sitting quickly, Bane handed the children to me who latched on. He knelt in front of me and watched his children. The quiet suckling noise filled the air. “Are you happy?”

  Without hesitation, I responded, “More than I ever dreamed I could be. Are you?” I looked into Bane’s eyes and saw true happiness emanating from them.

  “Yes. This, right here, is my dream come true.”

  As we treasured another morning together, I thought about all the two of us had been through.

  Meeting at Discrete Encounters.

  Running from the Black Division.

  Falling in love.

  Becoming pregnant.

  Committing ourselves to each other.

  Finding our happily ever after.

  Bane had emerged, from the depths of the fiery darkness that had nearly consumed him, and embraced the light… with me. I had found the strength to claim my life … with him.

  We were the real deal—for better or worse, our love would last forever.

  Enjoy an excerpt from

  Entire Series Available Now

  Meet Damien and Allison Wales from BANE

  I’m rushing around my apartment, trying to do some last-minute packing before my trip, when my phone rings. It’s my best friend, Sam. We’ve been best friends since we were in diapers, and our parents had been friends since they were in school. Neither of us has any siblings, so Sam and I have basically been sisters all these years.

  We live in Waleska, Georgia. It has that wonderful Mayberry aura about it. I think the population sign says around six-hundred people reside here. S
am and I will both be seniors this fall at Reinhardt University. My true love is photography, but I’ve always been scared that I wouldn’t succeed at it.

  Holding the phone between my ear and shoulder, I answer, “Hey, Sam. Are you on your way?”

  “Yes. Are you sure you want to do this? Alone? For a week? I’m just not sure if that’s the best idea.”

  Since my parents died, Sam’s been my rock. She’s afraid I’m using this trip to withdraw from life again.

  I zip up my bag. With as much sincerity in my voice as possible, I respond, “I need to do this. I have to do this. It’s long overdue. It’s been planned since spring break. I know you don’t want me to go off the radar for an entire week, but it will be fine.”

  “I know. It’s just that I worry about you. If I didn’t have my presentation this week for the sorority, I’d insist on going with you. Just promise me that you will call if it gets to be too much for you to handle. I’m here for you. I know you’re strong, but this is going to be a tough week.”

  Smiling to myself, I can picture her animatedly talking with one of her hands while she’s driving. “I know, and I appreciate it. You just have to trust me on this. Everything will be okay.”

  “Okay, Allison. I don’t like it, but I support you.”

  “You’re the best. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “You’ll never have to find out. I’ll be there in five, girl.”

  And that’s why she will be my best friend for life. “Okay, honk when you pull up, and I’ll be right down.”