Chapter 11
Taya Macintyre arrived at the Webb home at 1710 EST. She had wanted to be sure that she wasn't the first one to arrive in the hopes that she would pass as unnoticed as possible in the group of partygoers. Since only Clay knew her, and she was arriving without a child that the birthday girl might know, she knew she would stand out.
She waited in her new Company supplied vehicle until two groups of people arrived at the same time and tagged along in their wake. Taya didn't recognize either of the families that she followed into the house and it suddenly hit her how hard this might be to see people that she knew and not be able to talk with them as her old self and catch up with them. Her entire focus had been on seeing her husband again after nearly seven years. She wouldn't even allow herself to think about her daughter.
Clay was waiting for her arrival at the door. He was surprised she was late and thought she might have changed her mind about doing this after all, but when he saw her walk up with two families that were arriving he realized what she was doing. He took her arm and hurried her off to his study without even a word of greeting. When he closed the door on them, she handed him the gaily-wrapped package she was carrying. "I brought something for your daughter. I hope she likes it."
"I'm sure she will," he said taking it from her and placing it on the desk. "You know that I still think this is a wildly bad idea."
"Do you have any idea how it feels to know that my daughter was probably in that group of giggling girls that we passed in the living room and I wouldn't even be able to pick her out?"
"No, I don't know how that must feel, but it doesn't change the fact that you will be disrupting more than just her life if you carry this through!"
"Nothing you could say will deter me from this, Clay!"
"Not even if I ask you to consider your daughter's feelings?"
"She is the reason I'm doing this! It has been killing me inside not to be in her life, and that is YOUR fault!"
"Mine? Not the Companies? How do you figure that?"
"Who trained me? Who told me never to break cover? Who taught me to always put the mission first? Well that's what I did, and I broke the drug and arms smuggling ring wide open for you, but it cost me seven and a half years of my family's life! That is more than enough for anyone to pay for duty to country."
"Yes it is, but your family thinks you're dead. How will…."
"Don't start that again!" she interrupted him. "Go and find my husband and send him in here!"
"He's not Taya Macintyre's husband!"
With a grim look she started to move towards him, and Clay quickly slipped out the door. It took him only moments to spot the tall distinguished 'old man' in the living room. That was how Clay referred to him these days. He had lost the privilege of calling him by his name the day he told him his wife was dead. And the man he used to call friend now only referred to him by his job title, when he had to speak to him at all. It was amazing how even though their daughters were best friends and had been since almost birth, how the 'old man' managed to be able to avoid encounters with him. Clay usually tried to respect his desire to be nowhere near him whenever they did have to be anywhere together, but tonight that wasn't going to be possible.
"Hey," Clay said when he approached the 'old man'.
"What?" was all he got in response.
"There is something I need you to see in my study," Clay told him.
"Like what?" the man asked with sarcasm in his voice.
"You'll have to find that out for yourself."
"And if I don't want to?"
"Then I think you will regret it….." Clay trailed off.
Reluctantly the 'old man' followed Clay to his study and walked in after him. The woman that was in the room, looked up at him when he came in, and said, "Hello, AJ."
To be continued…..
