CHAPTER VII
At the bar, Stiles handed Lyn Johnson an envelope containing the photograph and the list of requirements he has for it.
Lyn read the instructions and looked at the photograph. She did a double take. She couldn't believe what she saw.
"Is this a joke?"
"Huh? What is?"
"This photograph. You want TLS to do a portrait of this photograph?"
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Well no, not if you want a self portrait. When was this taken?"
Not fully understanding what she meant by self-portrait Stiles just answered her "That's me and my girlfriend, Terri Lowell. It was shot here on the island around this time 5 years ago."
==================
Kay could not believe it, Stiles is here on the island. He came back. She felt giddy as a teenager, full of excitement, full of questions. What does he look like? Is he happy? Did he move on with his life? Does he still remember her? Is there a Mrs. Stiles tagging along?"
She may have cut all ties with her former life as a CIA operative 5 years ago but she could never teach her heart to forget her one true love. There wasn't a day that would pass that she would not think of Stiles - his blue eyes, his handsome face, his smile, his laughter, his ever changing moods, his sweetness & thoughtfulness and the feel of his arms wrapped around her. When she decided to forge a new life for herself here in Andros Island, she left behind all her material possessions, her family, her identity and brought only the memories and the heartaches.
She didn't have much time to wallow in the what ifs because Lyn came rushing back in the house holding an envelope out to her.
"What's this?"
"Open it. See for yourself."
Looking at her friend, Kay knew something was wrong. Holding the picture, she couldn't believe what she saw.
"Care to explain it?"
The moment Kay had been anticipating and dreading had finally come. The time when someone would recognize her and she would have to explain her deception or worse, she has to flee again and create another lie.
"Lyn, sit down. What I'm about to tell you should never leave these 4 walls. If word gets out about my true identity, my life would be in grave danger. Promise me that no matter what happens you will not tell anyone about this, not even Bob".
Looking straight into Kay's eyes, Lyn made her promise to keep everything to herself.
"My real name is Terri Lowell. Before coming here I was an operative for the CIA, working on the field and doing technical work. I was caught up in a deadly covert operation gone awry. I was captured by the enemy and had a bomb wrapped around my neck which would blow up if I strayed too far. I needed to escape; otherwise they would have brought me to Korea, interrogated me, tortured me then eventually killed me for sure. I faked my own death by rigging the wiring of the semtex bomb tied around my neck and transferring it onto the neck of the guy they have killed earlier. The body that exploded was blown to pieces. The force of the blast would have rendered the body unrecognizable and charred to a crisp making DNA identification very hard, if not impossible. I had to move fast and flee the country as soon as possible. In one of my missions, I went undercover in Mexico as Katherine McCavoy. I had all the necessary documents I needed to prove that I am Katherine McCavoy - passport, birth certificate, driver's license, credit cards, and social security. As a safety net for being a CIA agent, I rented a locker at a train station where I kept $5000, a gun, change of clothes and the fake documents. I bought a one-way ticket to Andros Island, determined never to look back and never get caught again in the deceitful life I once lived."
"And A.B. Stiles? Where does he fit in all of these?"
"Stiles is also a CIA operative. We worked together in most of the missions. We're sort of in a relationship but up until I "died" we never really formalized it. It's a very complicated love story in an equally complicated situation."
"But you loved him?"
Feeling so despondent, she sat down on the floor with her hands on her face and tears started to trickle down her face, "Yes and I still do. I don't think I have ever stopped loving him. He is the reason why I chose to live on this island. Andros has a special place in my heart. This is where I realized that Stiles is the only one for me. I have never felt a love so pure it is beyond measure. Have you ever loved somebody so much that he consumes you? When I close my eyes to sleep I dream that he is here with me. The memory of his love and the time we have spent together fills my heart with so much need and longing it makes me want to cry. I even bought this house because of him. The first time we saw this house we immediately fell in love with it. This was our dream house."
Lyn's heart went out to Kay. Anyone who could see Kay right now would have no doubt of how deep her feelings are for Stiles. She sat beside Kay and put her arms around her friend, "Did you try to get in touch with him?"
"How could I? I didn't want to risk his life or anyone else's for that matter. The CIA is a very powerful organization. It has the means to track people down. One wrong move would mean death not only for me but also for everyone who gets in touch with me."
"So everyone thinks you're dead?"
"I guess. I can't imagine what my mother and brother went through when they learned of my death. I couldn't even tell them the truth about where I work. I miss them so much. You can't believe how many times I picked up the phone and dialed their number only to put it down before it rang. If there was any way I could find out how they are without putting their lives in danger, I would have done it in a flash."
"Maybe there is a way I could find out for you", Lyn said smiling thoughtfully.
At the bar, Stiles handed Lyn Johnson an envelope containing the photograph and the list of requirements he has for it.
Lyn read the instructions and looked at the photograph. She did a double take. She couldn't believe what she saw.
"Is this a joke?"
"Huh? What is?"
"This photograph. You want TLS to do a portrait of this photograph?"
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Well no, not if you want a self portrait. When was this taken?"
Not fully understanding what she meant by self-portrait Stiles just answered her "That's me and my girlfriend, Terri Lowell. It was shot here on the island around this time 5 years ago."
==================
Kay could not believe it, Stiles is here on the island. He came back. She felt giddy as a teenager, full of excitement, full of questions. What does he look like? Is he happy? Did he move on with his life? Does he still remember her? Is there a Mrs. Stiles tagging along?"
She may have cut all ties with her former life as a CIA operative 5 years ago but she could never teach her heart to forget her one true love. There wasn't a day that would pass that she would not think of Stiles - his blue eyes, his handsome face, his smile, his laughter, his ever changing moods, his sweetness & thoughtfulness and the feel of his arms wrapped around her. When she decided to forge a new life for herself here in Andros Island, she left behind all her material possessions, her family, her identity and brought only the memories and the heartaches.
She didn't have much time to wallow in the what ifs because Lyn came rushing back in the house holding an envelope out to her.
"What's this?"
"Open it. See for yourself."
Looking at her friend, Kay knew something was wrong. Holding the picture, she couldn't believe what she saw.
"Care to explain it?"
The moment Kay had been anticipating and dreading had finally come. The time when someone would recognize her and she would have to explain her deception or worse, she has to flee again and create another lie.
"Lyn, sit down. What I'm about to tell you should never leave these 4 walls. If word gets out about my true identity, my life would be in grave danger. Promise me that no matter what happens you will not tell anyone about this, not even Bob".
Looking straight into Kay's eyes, Lyn made her promise to keep everything to herself.
"My real name is Terri Lowell. Before coming here I was an operative for the CIA, working on the field and doing technical work. I was caught up in a deadly covert operation gone awry. I was captured by the enemy and had a bomb wrapped around my neck which would blow up if I strayed too far. I needed to escape; otherwise they would have brought me to Korea, interrogated me, tortured me then eventually killed me for sure. I faked my own death by rigging the wiring of the semtex bomb tied around my neck and transferring it onto the neck of the guy they have killed earlier. The body that exploded was blown to pieces. The force of the blast would have rendered the body unrecognizable and charred to a crisp making DNA identification very hard, if not impossible. I had to move fast and flee the country as soon as possible. In one of my missions, I went undercover in Mexico as Katherine McCavoy. I had all the necessary documents I needed to prove that I am Katherine McCavoy - passport, birth certificate, driver's license, credit cards, and social security. As a safety net for being a CIA agent, I rented a locker at a train station where I kept $5000, a gun, change of clothes and the fake documents. I bought a one-way ticket to Andros Island, determined never to look back and never get caught again in the deceitful life I once lived."
"And A.B. Stiles? Where does he fit in all of these?"
"Stiles is also a CIA operative. We worked together in most of the missions. We're sort of in a relationship but up until I "died" we never really formalized it. It's a very complicated love story in an equally complicated situation."
"But you loved him?"
Feeling so despondent, she sat down on the floor with her hands on her face and tears started to trickle down her face, "Yes and I still do. I don't think I have ever stopped loving him. He is the reason why I chose to live on this island. Andros has a special place in my heart. This is where I realized that Stiles is the only one for me. I have never felt a love so pure it is beyond measure. Have you ever loved somebody so much that he consumes you? When I close my eyes to sleep I dream that he is here with me. The memory of his love and the time we have spent together fills my heart with so much need and longing it makes me want to cry. I even bought this house because of him. The first time we saw this house we immediately fell in love with it. This was our dream house."
Lyn's heart went out to Kay. Anyone who could see Kay right now would have no doubt of how deep her feelings are for Stiles. She sat beside Kay and put her arms around her friend, "Did you try to get in touch with him?"
"How could I? I didn't want to risk his life or anyone else's for that matter. The CIA is a very powerful organization. It has the means to track people down. One wrong move would mean death not only for me but also for everyone who gets in touch with me."
"So everyone thinks you're dead?"
"I guess. I can't imagine what my mother and brother went through when they learned of my death. I couldn't even tell them the truth about where I work. I miss them so much. You can't believe how many times I picked up the phone and dialed their number only to put it down before it rang. If there was any way I could find out how they are without putting their lives in danger, I would have done it in a flash."
"Maybe there is a way I could find out for you", Lyn said smiling thoughtfully.