“That’ll be all for now,” Willow said to Tao. “I’ll call you if I need anything.”
Tao glanced first at her then back at Mimi. “You sure you don’t want me…”
“No need,” Willow interrupted. “Mimi and I are just going to get acquainted. Isn’t that right, dear?” As she spoke, Willow reached out and squeezed Mimi’s knee, then kept squeezing until Mimi flinched and then nodded quickly.
“Good,” Willow said, as she released her grip on the woman’s knee and sat back with a smile on her face. “My name is Willow. I’m in charge here. I’m going to ask you a few questions and you’re going to answer them succinctly and honestly. Understand?”
Mimi reached down to rub her leg. Probably have a couple bruises there, she thought, as she stared back at the woman who’d introduced herself with a most painful squeeze. I’ll have to tread lightly with this one. Willow; what an unusual name, but it fit. The slender woman dressed in all black looked to be nearly six feet tall, although it was a little hard to measure since she was sitting down. She wore her jet black hair in a medium length with bangs that threatened to fall in her eyes. Her pale complexion was in sharp contrast to the red lipstick and touch of rouge she appeared to be wearing. No doubt, here was a beautiful woman who took her gorgeous looks for granted. She was also apparently used to getting her own way.
“This is quite a plane you have here,” Mimi started with as pleasant a smile as she could muster, even though her heart was beating out of control. “Is it yours?”
Willow didn’t answer at first but simply continued to smile back at her for several seconds. Then before Mimi could move, she felt the woman’s strong fingers squeezing a new set of bruises on her already sore knee.
Willow continued to squeeze as she stared hard into Mimi’s eyes. “Let’s start again. I ask the questions; you answer them. Got it?”
Mimi nodded quickly as tears formed in her eyes. Damn, no need to be so rough, Mimi thought with a gasp as Willow smiled
“Is your name really Mimi Rogers?” Willow asked, finally relinquishing her hold on the knee.
“Yes, that’s right.” Mimi answered as she tried to rub some feeling back into her leg.
“Where are you from and what were you doing with the three kids in the back?”
Mimi had to think quickly. She’d only been awake a few minutes when the Asian-looking man had slapped her fully awake and brought her up here. Hardly time to formulate a good cover story, so she figured she’d have to go with the truth or at least some of the truth.
“I’m originally from the North Carolina mountains; small town called Foster Flat. Have you ever heard of it?” As Willow began to leaned forward with a frown on her face, Mimi quickly added. “Never mind; not important. I moved to Atlanta a few years ago which is where I met Rachael. She’s the mother of one of the girls.” She nodded her head towards the rear of the plane. “That’s how I know them; really only the one girl; Kristin, Rachael’s daughter. I don’t know the others.”
“Go on,” Willow said with a blank look on her face. Sure wouldn’t want to play poker with this broad, Mimi thought.
“Well, that’s pretty much it. Rachael had not seen or heard from her daughter in quite awhile when she was contacted by her. It seems Kristin was in some sort of trouble and needed help. She’d gotten a call from Kristin a few weeks ago. She was concerned for her daughter’s safety so she asked me to do her a favor and bring her daughter home.”
“Who do you work for?” Willow asked. As she did so, she glanced down at Mimi’s knee.
“For myself,” Mimi answered quickly as she tried to move her legs as far away from the woman as possible. “I’m a freelance writer. Mostly boring press releases, quarterly reports for businesses, the occasional brochure. All pretty boring stuff but it pays the bills.” She’d used those lines before so the words came out smoothly and she hoped convincingly. She’d also made it a point to leave her press credentials at home.
Willow continued to stare at her for several seconds with the same poker face before asking the next question. “And how do you know this Rachael woman?”
“I’ve done some freelance work for her. I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but we’ve come to know each other pretty well professionally.”
“But why did she send you to fetch her daughter?” Willow asked. “Why didn’t she do it herself, hire a detective, or someone other than a freelance writer?”
“Well, Rachael is very busy running her ad agency,” Mimi replied. “I actually asked her why she wanted me to do it. I tried to convince her that there were others with far better experience than me. She wouldn’t hear of it. She said she trusted me and thought her daughter would as well.” Mimi smiled. So far, the questioning was going pretty well.
Willow studied her again before asking, “Tell me, is there any reason you can think of why I shouldn’t just dump you out of this plane as we fly over the Atlantic Ocean. Any reason at all?”
Mimi felt her mouth grow dry and her heart rate accelerate even faster by the sudden turn in the questioning.
“Uh, well for starters, ‘thou shalt not kill’ is one of the Ten Commandments.” Mimi tried to smile but she felt it fall flat on her face.
“Not a Christian,” Willow replied. “I couldn’t care less what’s in the Bible.”
“I think it says something similar in the Koran…”
“I care even less about the Koran,” Willow replied. “I’m an atheist.”
Shit, Mimi thought. Just my luck.
“Well, it’s also against the law. You could go to prison for life or even get the death sentence.”
“Sweetie, I’ve lived outside the law for so long, one more murder on my record will hardly even be noticed.”
“Any other reason that I might actually care about?” Willow waited for a reply as Mimi squirmed in her seat. When she didn’t say anything, Willow spoke. “Well, in that case…”
“I could be your inside person,” Mimi blurted out.
“What?” Willow asked. “Explain.”
“The three kids trust me. After all, I’m just another person who you’ve kidnapped. So, if you keep me alive and return me to the back, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. I’ll continue to build their trust. If I hear anything that I think might jeopardize your mission…whatever that is, I’ll be sure to let you know. Promise.”
Willow broke her deadpan look for the first time. “Now, that’s actually an interesting proposal. As a matter of fact, these three are part of a special family. There are others like them that are already in the care of my boss. It might prove useful to have someone like you listening in. Helping us discover more about them.”
“Well, I’m a very good listener, and I’ve always had a knack of getting people to open up to me.”
Willow nodded slowly as she considered Mimi’s proposal. Finally she sat up straight and bored her gaze into Mimi. “You know there are far worse ways to die than being dropped out of a plane. I’m an expert on death, especially the slow, excruciatingly painful ways of dying. You double-cross me and I’ll be only too happy to give you a demonstration. You understand me?”
“Perfectly,” Mimi replied as she finally let herself breathe again. But as Tao escorted her back to the rear of the plane, it began to sink in what she’d done. She’d agreed to become a snitch in order to save her own life. That might very well include getting Kristin in trouble down the road; the very person she’d been sent to help. While it had seemed like a good deal at the time, she now realized she’d simply jumped from the frying pan into the fire, as her Uncle Bo used to say.
Healing
The morning after the organizational meeting, Flip returned to Lionel’s home for a healing session with Alp as they had agreed. As he stood on the porch, he gazed at the line of shrubs in front of the house and the picket fence that separated the yard from the sidewalk. Funny, while he never pictured himself in such a tranquil suburban setting, it seemed to fit perfectly for Lionel who’
d always been the quieter, more grounded of the two, despite his wild professional dreams to make a significant difference for all of humanity.
Of course, I had to come along and throw a wrench in those plans, Flip thought. He heard a rustling on the other side of the door, and a moment later it opened.
“Hello,” Alp said smiling at him. She wore a pair of old cut-off jeans, and a pink blouse with the shirttails tied together across her midriff. A pair of pink flip-flops completed the ensemble. Flip realized that his daughter was rapidly growing into a young lady despite her being less than four-years old. He’d often heard other parents talking about how fast children grew up, but this was ridiculous how fast the Kindred were growing.
“Come on in. Lionel and Bridgette left early this morning to run some errands, and they took Damba with them, so we have the place to ourselves, at least for a while.”
Flip entered the living room and looked around, noticing the stack of sheets and blankets at the end of the couch.
“Has someone been sleeping on the couch?” he asked.
“Yeah, Damba slept there last night. I tried to get him to take the spare bedroom but he insisted I take it instead. I thought we’d have our healing session in there just in case the others returned before we finished.”
Flip nodded. “You know I’d be happy to put the two of you up in a hotel. There’s a fairly nice one a few blocks away. Separate rooms, of course.”
Alp chuckled but shook her head. “No thanks. I appreciate the offer but I like being in the center of the action. Plus I’m enjoying getting to know Dr. Adams and Bridgette. Besides, how would I learn about my father if I didn’t have time to hear those stories about you and Dr. Adams’ college days.”
Flip groaned at that last remark. “Even more reason for you to move to a hotel,” he said, but then smiled. “All I ask is that, at some point, you give me the opportunity to share my side of those stories. Okay?”
“It’s a deal,” Alp replied chuckling. “Are you ready to step into Alp’s Healing Center?”
“Sure, I guess so,” Flip answered as he followed her into the spare bedroom. The light blue wallpaper with a subtle hint of flowers reminded him of a Monet painting. Alp had turned off all the lights and lit all the candles she could find to create a peaceful setting.
“Take your shoes off and get comfortable over there on the bed,” Alp said. “I think the more relaxed the two of us are the easier this will be. Our bodies are incredibly adept at healing themselves. Whatever gift I have is simply to facilitate and perhaps speed the healing process.”
Flip removed his shoes and loosened his belt. The bed was a little higher than the one he’d been sleeping on. Getting in a bed always caused problems. His right leg just did not want to cooperate. He leaned over the bed and using his left leg to maneuver around, finally shifted onto the bed. Lying down caused a lot of pain. He tried unsuccessfully to stifle a groan. Alp just looked on with a worried look.
“How’s the room temperature?” Alp asked as she pulled up a straight-back chair and sat down a foot or two from him.
“Good,” Flip answered as he adjusted the pillow under his head. “Listen, Alp. I want you to focus on my legs, especially the right one that seems to be giving me the most trouble. However, leave the rest alone…the injured area between the legs.” Flip was suddenly embarrassed to be talking about his privates with his daughter.
Alp smiled at his discomfort. “Okay, whatever you say, but I’m curious why you don’t want me to explore that region. You know I won’t need to touch you there…”
“No, I know that,” Flip quickly interjected, feeling his face continue to grow red. “It’s just that…well, I think that part of my anatomy has already caused everyone enough trouble.”
Alp paused for a moment, then said, “Yeah, well that may be true in one sense, but you know I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for that part of you. Neither would Heather, Mia, or the rest of the Kindred.”
“Okay, that’s a good point,” Flip replied. He certainly didn’t want Alp to think he viewed her or her siblings as a mistake.
“We’ll just chat for a few minutes,” Alp said, leaning back in her chair. “Let your body get comfortable, and your heart rate slow to normal.”
Flip nodded, not sure what to talk about, then remembered the conversation from yesterday. “I heard from my former nemesis, yesterday.”
“Who’s that?” Alp asked.
“Chunk Robinson.”
“Really?” Alp answered with a surprised edge to her voice. “He called you?”
“Yep. Surprised the hell out of me as well. He wants me to talk to an old colleague of his.” Flip filled her in on the conversation.
“Well, are you going to call him?” Alp asked.
“I don’t know. Haven’t really thought about it much.”
“Well, I think you should,” Alp said leaning forward. “I mean, what harm would it do, and if he can in anyway help with improving your abilities to connect…” She left the statement dangling.
“Yeah, maybe,” Flip replied.
After a minute of silence, Alp slid her chair a little closer, then gently placed her hands on her father’s chest.
“When you’re ready, I want you to close your eyes and take several deep, cleansing breaths,” she said in a soft, almost whisper of a voice.
Flip did as instructed. He found his work with lucid dreaming had prepared him to go into a trance-like state easily. He spent four or five minutes breathing deeply while relaxing his muscles and joints as Alp instructed. He started at his toes and slowly worked his way up to the crown of his head. He then heard Alp’s soft voice as though from a long distance away.
“I want you to travel with me into your body. We’re going to be searching for blockages and areas that need a little extra healing energy. As we travel, I want you to take a moment to accept your body just as it is.”
Flip felt Alp’s hand move slowly from his chest down to his hips, and then to his right leg. “Your body is the temple of your soul,” Alp continued. “Perhaps it needs a bit of attention, but it is here to serve you. The more you accept it, the more room you will find to also love it.”
Flip could no longer tell if Alp was whispering to him or if he was hearing her psychically, not that it mattered, he thought. It felt so pleasant to simply be with her in this loving way. He could feel the waves of unconditional love emanate from her healing touch.
Flip found himself in a place that was familiar and strange at the same time; his body, as familiar as anything could be but he’d never seen it from this perspective; traveling within it. He could see connecting lines of energy and other lines of a pulsing substance. He could feel Alp with him, a gentle warmth emitted from her. The lines had dark spots and tangles in them that turned other lines dark.
Alp said, “These are the areas we need to fix. If I can get the dark lines to untangle and glow again I can fix you. Some of them are badly injured, and I might need to borrow some energy directly from you. I promise not to borrow too much. The energy I borrow will return with rest.”
Flip felt himself nod. He was completely in her healing hands now.
As she continued to gently massage his leg, he began to feel a light tingling sensation; a little like when a foot or leg has fallen asleep and is beginning to awaken. Next came an itchy sensation that traveled from his groin area down both legs to his toes. He wanted to reach out and scratch his legs but his arms felt too heavy for them to comply, so he simply lay there, noticing the itchy feeling slowly pass to be replaced with a warm sensation, particularly focused on his right leg. Then a pop-pop as something released and suddenly the warmth turned to a burning sensation. It was one of those ‘hurt so good’ sensations, like when someone massages a kink in your shoulder.
And just as suddenly, he realized he had renewed sensation in both legs, especially in his right one. The feeling moved from his toes up both legs to meet where the two legs came together at his groin. And t
hen a new sensation — one he hadn’t felt in such a long time that at first he didn’t recognize it. Then he did. He was having an erection.
Willow sat back in the plush seat of the Gulfstream as Tao escorted Mimi back to the storage compartment to begin her new role as Willow’s spy. Well, that went better than expected, Willow thought as a smug smile began to spread across her face.
Watch your step, she admonished herself. You know how quickly fortunes can turn in this business. Still, this called for a celebration. How about a scotch on the rocks? She was about to reach up to flip the call button above her head when she felt her phone vibrate, alerting her to a new text message. What does the Sheik want now? I’m not picking up anymore passengers. She lowered her hand and reached inside her pocket for the phone.
But this message wasn’t from her boss. It was from James.
Have located parcel of missing cargo.
Labeled ringleader. Alert home base.
I’ll deliver parcel myself. Small gift and payback.
What the hell does that mean? Willow wondered. It annoyed her how James seemed obsessed with talking in code even though he knew the Sheik used an elaborate system to prevent messages from being intercepted. Besides, we already have all the ‘parcels,’ don’t we? Willow read the text message again. Her eyes focused on the last line: Small gift and payback.
Someone had gotten the jump on James shortly after he landed in Bermuda with the cargo, Willow recalled, and it hadn’t been the boy. They hadn’t known about him at the time. That must mean that there was another they had missed until James stepped into the picture.
Interesting, Willow thought as she typed her response:
Good find. Will notify base.
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