Tess Awakening (14 page)

Mom smiled. “What does Tess do and what does
she look like?”

Jake’s face lit up. “She is smart, beautiful,
confident and funny. On the other hand, she is a military
helicopter pilot.”

“What does ‘on the other hand’ mean?”

“It means that she is in danger most of the
time. I must find a way to safeguard her, but it is difficult
because she loves her job and she can be stubborn as hell!”

Mom laughed. “I like this girl! When are you
going to see her again?”

“She is in Turkey, trying to free a little
girl from the clutches of a bastard.”

Mom raised her eyebrows. “Tell me more. Are
you going to help her?”

“Yes, I will, but not because I think we have
a chance in hell to make it happen. I just want to protect her from
making a bad mistake.”

Mom looked at Jake seriously. “Jake, from
what you tell me, Tess is not a shrinking violet. It would be wrong
to just go along for a ride. If you don’t believe in her quest, if
you don’t support her, you need to consider if you should be with
her in the first place.”

“You are right, Mom. I am going back to
Turkey as soon as possible.”

“You do that, Son. Follow your heart. You
have met your soulmate. Now I can die happy.”

“What do you mean ‘die’?”

“Jake, I have an inoperable brain tumor. The
doctors gave me a couple of months at most.”

Jake was unprepared. All he could say was “I
will stay with you.”

“No, you will not, Jake. I have had a good
life. Your father was the love of my life. Your brother and sister
will be with me. You have more important things to do.”

“I can’t do that. You are my mother. How can
I walk away?”

Mom looked at Jake sternly. “Jake, I am at
peace. You need to safeguard your true love. I insist you go. Let’s
say goodbye and be grateful that we have been a loving family.”

They talked into the night.

The next morning, Jake left for New York. He
met with his financial advisors in the morning and took a night
flight back to Istanbul.

Chapter 19

Amir sent a limousine to pick up Tess at the
hotel in Istanbul. When she walked into the house, he was not
there. She was directed to a large bedroom suite by a slender,
elegant woman.

“Welcome, Miss Turner. The General asked me
to select clothes for you.” The woman opened three massive armoires
and pointed at the contents. “This is just a temporary collection
of travel outfits, formal and casual dresses as well as accessories
and shoes. Once you arrive in France, we have arranged for you to
visit several couturiers that will make to order whatever you
desire.”

Tess was stunned. Each one of the dresses and
assorted clothes carried prestigious labels, and the quality was
exquisite. Tess generally did not wear dresses; she preferred
practical pants and blouse combinations, and she wasn’t interested
in designer clothes. The value of the garments on display could
have fed a whole village in Iraq. All she could think of saying was
“Thank you, but I don’t need all of this.”

“The General gave specific instructions that
all of you wishes are to be met. He has also arranged for a flight
to Nice on his private airplane. We will leave in two hours. Please
select the clothes you want to wear for the trip. Everything else
will be loaded on the plane before you depart.”

Tess did not like to be told what to do. It
was one thing to follow orders in the military; quite another to
take directions from others in her private life.

“Where is the little girl, Aara?”

The woman looked annoyed that Tess was going
off script. “The child has already departed with the General. You
will see her when you arrive in Nice.” She started to exit the
room. “I am sure you will want to freshen up and change. The
limousine will be available to take you to the airport in one
hour.”

The woman was courteous, but Tess was very
sensitive to nuance. She sensed that the woman affected
condescension, treating her like one of the General’s mistresses.
Tess had to suppress a strong desire to slug the arrogant bitch.
Only the thought of wanting to protect Aara enabled her to suppress
her murderous urge.

“Fine, I will be ready,” she said coldly.

The woman bowed and left her alone.

Tess touched up what little makeup she was
wearing and went through the incredible selection of clothes. She
finally selected a lovely pants and jacket ensemble made with
remarkably soft suede.

The car took her to the airport. The plane
was an impressive Gulfstream Jet. Three crew members, the pilot,
co-pilot and a female steward bowed upon her arrival and guided her
inside the craft. The interior of the plane was beautifully
decorated with leather seats and wood accents on the cabin
surfaces. The plane took off promptly, gained cruising altitude and
proceeded to its destination.

“May I offer a drink and some food, Miss
Turner?” asked the cabin attendant, a beautiful and charming woman
with a reserved smile.

Tess was starving and worried about what she
was getting into, not to mention still angry at not being in
control. “Yes, please.”

The stewardess brought a tray with Beluga
caviar, crackers, and Vodka. Tess did not care much for Vodka but
recognized that the delicacy practically demanded it. She took a
taste and realized that the real stuff from the Caspian Sea was
worlds away removed from the fish eggs she occasionally ate. She
had a couple of bites, downed a glass of excellent vodka and dozed
off.

The plane arrived in Nice. A Mercedes drove
to the tarmac and whisked Tess off to Amir’s villa. The drive was a
30 minute away.

The car arrived at a huge house surrounded by
gardens, located on a beautiful high location with fantastic views.
Tess left the car and marveled at the sight of the surrounding
coast and the towns below. She asked the driver what was the name
of the towns. “Villefranche across the bay and
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat below, Miss.”

Several members of the household staff met
her at the entrance of the house.

Tess was led inside. Amir and Aara were
standing in the reception hall. He broke into a smile and let go of
the child’s hand. Aara ran to Tess and jumped into her arms.
“Welcome, Miss Tess.”

Tess was taken by surprise and hugged the
child. “Thank you, Aara. I am glad to be here. I see that you can
talk a little English!”

The child wrapped her arms around her neck,
giggling.

Amir approached, stopping short of touching
them. “Aara has an English tutor. She is learning very fast.”

Still holding the child in her arms, Tess
realized that she had never seen Amir smile.

“Hello, Amir.” she said warily.

Amir attempted to take Aara away from Tess,
but the child would not budge. “Its fine,” said Tess, giving her a
kiss on the cheek.

“It looks like you have acquired a new
admirer, Tess.” Do you want to see the house?

Tess looked around. “It’s a beautiful house,
Amir.”

“It’s my favorite. Let’s walk.

Aara still insisted on being carried by Tess,
and now had her thumb in her mouth. Amir looked at the child with
gentle disapproval, which as usual prompted her to hide her hand
behind her.

Tess smiled and nuzzled the child.

“Let me be your guide,” Amir volunteered.
“This Villa originally was built to house a massive collection of
paintings, statuary, fixtures, and fittings. My father acquired it
after the Second World War almost intact, with all its contents. My
family changed it very little. This house allows us to enjoy
wondrous things as they were intended to be seen.”

The kept walking through a series of
corridors and rooms, discovering diverse and unusual artifacts and
objects of art. Surprisingly, looking up in the main entry, there
was a collection of religious art, including paintings and marble
statues.

Amir showed her unusual, ornate iron gates
which were originally acquired by buying the churches where they
were previously installed. Marble pillars in the main hall added to
the grandeur of the place; beautiful artifacts provided a feast for
the eyes.

“I was under the impression that imagery was
not allowed in Islam,” Tess observed while lowering Aara from her
arms.

“Amir smiled. “I believe I had told you
before that I am very flexible. I enjoy beauty in all things.”

Holding the child by the hand, they went
outside to the gardens. A disciplined riot of color delighted the
senses, the gardens made even more interesting by divisions of
various sections such as Italian, Spanish, and Japanese.

“There is much more to see.” Amir looked at
his wristwatch. “Perhaps we should think about dinner. Would you
like to dine here or in town?”

Tess felt somewhat overwhelmed and turned the
decision over to Amir.

“Very well, then. We will go into town. The
staff will show you to your suite. You may wish to rest for a
couple of hours and change. Tomorrow, we will go to Paris so you
can have proper clothes.”

“I have more clothes than I can use, Amir. We
don’t need to do that. It’s a waste.”

“Let us talk about this later. Just get some
rest. I will see you later for dinner.”

Amir grabbed Aara’s hand and started to walk.
Looking sad, the child waved goodbye to Tess.

A servant showed as if on cue and walked Tess
to her suite, a sumptuous apartment full of art and antiques. The
bathroom was in pink marble, and practically demanded the use of
its enormous bathtub.

Soaking in the bubbles, Tess could not relax.
She struggled to reconcile the dichotomy of Amir’s previous
behavior and the relaxed, elegant manners that he exhibited here.
But what started to distress her was her own reaction to Aara. The
child’s affection toward her was something that Tess had never
experienced; the feeling of the child’s arms wrapped around her
neck produced emotions that she didn’t recognize. She had decided
early in life that being a mother was not in the cards for her.
Childlessness was a prerequisite when she married Roger and he did
not seem to mind.

She struggled to understand what was
happening to her. Aara was a spectacularly beautiful child. Her
huge, black eyes made Tess look into her own soul, and stirred
something unknown in the depths of her womb. ‘This is insane,” she
rebelled. I am not even remotely cut out to be a mother. I am just
vulnerable and confused. I will get through this, and when it is
over, I will work out what’s best for Aara.

Out of the bath, she dried up and put on a
beautiful bathrobe. She would kill for a drink to help suppress her
strange feelings, but she passed, knowing that she needed to deal
with Amir in the evening. She did not trust him.

Tess lay down and drifted to sleep, dreaming
of the huge black eyes of the child.

Chapter 20

Jake landed in Istanbul and took a cab to
the hotel, only to find out she had checked out. She had not left
any information about where she was going next. Her cell phone just
had an out of order message.

Thinking things through, he went through a
process of elimination. Where could she possibly have gone? Did she
return to Iraq? A call to one of his contacts confirmed that she
had not returned to her unit. Did she go back to the U. S.? He did
not think so, it made no sense. He even went to Amir al-Saadi’s
house, only to be told by the caretaker that the General had
departed and that he didn’t know where he went. Jake felt that the
man was lying but was not in a position to use coercion to make him
talk.

He managed to reach her father by phone,
telling him that he was a colleague that needed to talk business.
General Turner did not know where Tess was and asked him to let him
know when he found her because she had not checked in with the
usual updates.

Reluctantly, Jake concluded that there was
only one explanation: Tess had gone to Amir.

Jake tried to think of ways to reach Tess,
who might need his help. But what if she had gone with Amir on her
own volition? She might hate the man, but she might also agree to
the unthinkable to save the child. From the little time he had
spent with her, he knew that she had an immense sense of duty and
honor. She saw the fulfillment of her promise to Kejal as an
absolute obligation.

He got back to his CIA contacts, but now they
were aware of his resignation. They were no longer able to help
him. All available resources evaporated. The search for Tess had
reached an impasse.

Jake was not one to quit, but in his mind an
awful possibility needed to be considered: Had Tess changed her
mind and chose to be with Amir because she wanted to? What did it
mean after the joyous times Jake and she had spent together? Had he
mattered to her at all?

Jake needed to escape the chaos that was
building in his head. His despair was mixed with an urge to hold
Tess in his arms, to physically lose himself in her. He could not
give up now. He needed to try something. Always in control, he now
ran out of ideas on what the next move should be.

He could not get Tess out of mind. He changed
into gym clothes and started to run into the teeming city of
Istanbul, through the parks, up the ancient colossal defensive
walls until he dropped exhausted on top of an old tower. He saw the
city sprawl from the elevated battlements and tried to imagine what
the inhabitants felt when they were besieged by the armies of
Mehmet the Second. He had studied the battles, the heroism on both
sides: the massacres, the ruthlessness of the leaders, the
sacrifices they demanded of their respective peoples. He put his
head on his hands, realizing that at that very moment, things
hadn’t changed that much. Ambitious and cruel leaders had unleashed
the hell of war again, not caring that brave soldiers and the
ordinary people would pay the price in blood, pain, and
devastation.