Gate Deadlock (19 page)

‘Steady Emma. Sit down.’ he said pushing me
softly backwards and seating me on a soft leather seat I had not
noticed since then. He sat next to me and I cuddled in his arms,
trying to pull myself together.

‘We’re ready.’ he said to the men in white. ‘I’m
sorry baby.’ he whispered to my ear. ‘I was expecting that. It was
all under control. It’s over now. You’re safe.’ He stroked my hair
but I could not speak yet.

The boat was going fast now and I closed my
eyes, letting the fresh air take me out of the state of panic I was
in. In front of us, in the open sea, I could make out the shape of
a large yacht, the kind you see on TV, used by VIPs for their
holidays away from the paparazzi's curious eyes.

The tender stopped at the side of the yacht and
one of our attendants climbed a metal staircase to tie the dingy to
it. Then Christopher asked me ‘Are you ready?’

I took a deep breath. ‘Yes.’ I said. I was
feeling much better now, although the image of Tex’s sardonic smile
was still on my mind, and I was sure he would be haunting my dreams
every night from now on.

Climbing up the yacht was much easier than it I
thought. A man in his early thirties, dressed in white too,
welcomed us aboard and led us inside. From the way he spoke to
Christopher it was obvious that they knew each other well.

It was a luxurious yacht, but my mind was too
busy to notice the details. We were in a cabin that looked like a
hotel lounge.

‘Wait here, please.’ the man said. ‘Would you
like to drink something as you wait?’

‘Juice will be fine.’ Christopher replied. He
sat on a black, leather loveseat and pulled me next to him.

‘Relax Emma. Plato is very friendly; he’s not
going to make you uncomfortable. The worst part is over.’

But I was not worrying about Plato, as I was
still thinking what would have happened if Tom and Suzan had not
shown up in time.

‘I’ll be okay. I just need a few more minutes.’
I said.

A waiter appeared through the door carrying a
tray with two crystal glasses of cool, fresh juice.

‘Try some.’ Christopher said, but it was
impossible for me to do so, as my stomach was still fluttering. I
simply shook my head.

‘Have you been on a yacht before?’ he tried to
distract me.

‘No, never. I’m not so much into sailing
anyway.’

‘I thought that being half Greek you’d have a
better relationship with the sea.’ he teased. He lifted my chin and
brought his face closer to mine.

‘The sailing outfit suits you perfectly you
know. You would make a very sexy mariner.’ He gave me one his wild,
distracting kisses that always made me forget about anything else.
When he stopped he did not draw back but went on brushing the back
of my ear with his lips.

‘Too bad you were drunk last night.’ he
whispered.

‘I know.’ I sighed in response.

‘I can get us a cabin, you know.’ he said and I
felt him smile against my cheek. I drew back, blushing with
embarrassment and he laughed at my reaction.

The man in white came back. ‘You can both go in
now.’ he said.

‘Thank you.’ Christopher smiled, without taking
his eyes off mine.

‘Ready?’ he asked.

I stood up and he followed. We let the man lead
us to another cabin. Christopher knocked softly and the door
opened.

Plato welcomed us with a warm smile. He was a
tall, black man, with gray hair and a beard, inspiring respect and
admiration at first sight. He embraced Christopher and looked into
his face for one long moment as if he was able to read on it all
the adventures he had gone through the past few days.

‘
It’s good to have you back, son.’ Plato
said. Christopher introduced me to him.

‘This is Emma.’ he said, putting his arm around
my waist.

‘Emma, we meet at last.’ he held my hand in his,
squeezing it warmly for a few minutes. ‘You’ve made my boy crazy,
you know. But now I see why he’s been acting this way.’ He smiled,
as he cast a side look to Christopher.

‘I’m sorry about that.’ I apologized.

‘Don’t be.’ he said as his eyes penetrated mine.
‘I’m sure he has told you how important you are to him. Of course,
there is a cost to everything.’

I could not agree more. He released my eyes and
turned to Christopher again.

‘I understand there was an incident with the
Squad. Denzel made a last effort to get you, letting his men know
about the new orders at the last minute. So typical of him!’ he
said with disappointment.

‘It was all under control.’ Christopher
reassured him in his usual calm voice.

‘I’m sure it was.’ Plato smiled to him. ‘Will
you give us a minute Christopher?’ he said, sitting in the armchair
behind him.

Christopher’s expression changed instantly. ‘No
way!’ he frowned.

Plato widened his eyes with fake-surprise and
smiled. ‘Don’t you trust me?’

I hated to see Christopher argue with Plato over
me. ‘I’ll be okay.’ I assured him, squeezing his hand. He looked at
Plato who nodded with a hint of a reassuring smile on his face. He
hesitated for a second.

‘I’ll be right outside.’ he told me, and turned
reluctantly to the door.

As soon as Christopher had closed the door
behind him, Plato pointed to the armchair next to him. ‘Please, sit
down Emma.’

‘He really loves you. I knew it of course, but
it is so intense when the two of you are together. And you?’

I took a deep breath. So it was time for the
truth, but I was prepared for it. I had been thinking all morning
about what I was going to tell Plato.

‘I love him too. He has changed my life. I’m…
not the same person anymore.’

He shook his head, his eyes fixed on mine. ‘Do
you know why he has brought you here?’

‘He wants you to help us. I don’t know exactly
what he’s asked you to do for him, but I really hope you won’t let
him down.’

‘Not let him down.’ he repeated. ‘Christopher is
like a son to me, Emma. When I first met him, he was devastated. He
had been facing his personal demons and they had defeated him. I
offered him a family. I like to think of my Crusaders as my
children. Each one of them is very special to me. But
Christopher…is my favorite. My efforts to bring him on his feet
again were not enough for him. I was often scared he might do
something foolish until… he became obsessed with you. I knew about
his secret visits to you and I just let him go along because you
were good for him. He had found a meaning in life. He had found
hope. He was determined to save you, bound to the promise he had
given your father, to protect your future. And he has protected it
in many ways you may never be aware of. I knew he had fallen in
love with you, of course. May be I should have stopped him. But how
could I take away from him what made him going? A father must face
the dilemma to let his son spread his wings and fly even if it
hurts so much to watch him fall.’

I was impressed and deeply touched by his
feelings for Christopher but his last sentence echoed warningly in
my head.
Fall
he had said. He
was watching Christopher fall? Before I found my voice again, he
took a deep breath and went on.

‘I am glad you have responded to his
love. Things like that are very rare among our worlds. I hoped that
you would make him get rid of all the qualms of conscience he has
about his past.’ He stood up and walked to the small window. Once
again I tried to say something, but I had got too emotional and I
could not find my voice.

‘I haven’t been able to make him forgive
himself. You see Emma, I strongly believe that a man is defined by
his choices, by the decisions he makes, on his own. Christopher’s
choices have been wise, but he has been so unfair to himself. I
wish you could change that. Much depends on this you see.’

This time my response was spontaneous,
unsolicited. This was a very sensitive subject after all, and I had
spent hours trying to find the way to comfort Christopher.

‘I am… working on this. I hate to see him
tortured because of what they had him do. He’s not what he thinks
he is. If only you had found him before them. He would be a
different man.’ I whispered.

He gazed at me with a smile before he
spoke again. ‘
The beauty of the soul shines
out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after
another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man
of high and heroic temper.’

‘Aristotle.’ I added.

He nodded approvingly. ‘Tell me Emma, when you
look at him what do you see? Does he frighten you at some
point?’

It was very easy for me to talk about
Christopher now. I closed my eyes, determined to express my
feelings in all sincerity.

‘I was never frightened by him. So, I guess my
answer to this is…I see a brave man, a super hero, a guardian
angel, and at the same time… a lonely, abused child with so much
love to offer. Ultimately, I see …pure, unselfish love.’ He seemed
contented with my answer. He stood up and walked around his desk to
open a drawer. He took out a small envelope on which I recognized
my handwriting. It was the note I had sent to him with Susan.

‘This is yours, I believe.’ He unfolded the
piece of paper, looked at it, then folded it carefully and put it
in the envelope again. ‘You have asked me to keep him safe. What
does safe mean to you, Emma?’

‘I don’t want him to take the blame for my poor
judgment, for what I’ve done to fight back the League. They might
hold him responsible for that and punish him for something he
hasn’t done.’

‘But it’s too late for that, as he chose to
protect you once more instead of giving you in. Let me ask you
something more. What if keeping him safe means keeping him away
from you?’

I was hoping he would not ask me that. I took a
deep breath to fight the tears that had started to moist my eyes.
Trying to keep my voice steady, I surprised myself as I said,

‘He once told me that true love is measured by
the sacrifice you are willing to make for its sake.’

‘And… are you ready to sacrifice your love for
him to keep him safe?’

If this was a test, it was a very cruel one. I
closed my eyes trying to endure the throbbing pain in my chest. ‘I
would do anything for him, anything.’ I said, unable to stop the
tears any longer.

Plato sat next to me again; his voice was soft
and careful as he went on.

‘Has he told you that he has not been able
to locate your future anymore? I mean, ever since you met him?’ I
was shocked by what he had said. He probably read the fear on my
face, for he went on. ‘Don’t be frightened. This doesn’t actually
mean you don’t have a future, but that your future is
being…reformed. Like, you haven’t decided about it yet. As I have
often told Christopher, it’s free will that determines everything.
Nature will soon find a way; it only takes a decision to be made,
by you or… by him.
You
see,
I’ve always thought that the two of you are connected in some kind
of cosmic way. I think it wasn’t pure luck or coincidence that has
brought you together. Do you think that everything happens for a
purpose, Emma?’

‘I guess so. I just…. can’t imagine my future
without him.’ I said, feeling the pain in my chest grow, as if an
invisible hand was squeezing my heart, the cold, cruel hand of a
monster, the hand of the League.

Plato leaned forward and took my hand in his,
looking straight into my eyes. ‘I am not going to lie to you, Emma.
I cannot see how you can have a future together. In your world he
does not exist and you do not exist in his. It’s not like any other
couple that gets married, have children and live happily ever
after. The odds are against you, you do realize that, don’t
you?’

He was right of course. I had known this all the
way, but I had decided to ignore it and hope for an
alternative.

‘Even if this is so, I will fight for him, for
us.’ I whispered.

He sat back and sighed. ‘I've heard all I wanted
to hear.’ he said.

‘Let him have it his way, then.’ He put his hand
in his pocket and took out a blue handkerchief.

‘Dry your eyes please Emma. I don’t want him to
get angry with me for making you cry.’ he said with a bitter
smile.

I did as he said, fully aware of the fact that
Christopher could not be fooled that easily.

‘Come in Christopher.’ he said in a voice a
little louder than before, assuming that he was standing behind the
door, which was probably the case, as the door opened before he had
finished his sentence.

Christopher put his hands on my shoulders and
inspected my face with a frown.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked. I nodded, forcing
out a smile.

Plato stood by the window. ‘Will you give us a
moment Emma? I need to talk to my boy.’

It was the only time I did not mind walking away
from Christopher, as I needed some time to overcome the emotional
outburst that was threatening to overwhelm me. When he came back to
me, his face was expressionless.

He put his arm around my shoulder and said in
the most casual manner,

‘We have a few hours before they drop us off in
Loutraki. So, what do you want to do now? Plato said we have the
whole yacht to ourselves.’

‘What happened? Is he going to help?’ I asked
anxiously.

‘Oh, yes, he is going to help.’ He pushed me
softly towards a staircase.

‘Let’s enjoy the view from the deck.’ he
suggested. I thought he was joking but his face looked serious. He
wasn’t so eager to fill me in on the outcome of the meeting.

‘Isn’t Plato joining us?’ I asked,
mystified.

‘No, he was called up. He told me to say goodbye
to you on his behalf. He’s a very busy man, you know.’

So Plato was already gone. He must have
vaporized or something because there was no sign of a dingy around
and we were sailing in the open sea.
They
come and go just like that,
I thought in awe. I was
dying to know how they did it, but I was certain that Christopher
would never reveal this to me.