The night sky was pitch black. The clouds hid the moon and stars. Darkness was working in their favor. The air was crisp, but the five men never showed it. They moved throughout the darkness like it was second nature. Five shadows moved along the walls of the buildings that lined the street. No one seemed to notice, if they did, they went about their business not caring.
"Leader, this is Recon One. Four tangos confirmed inside."
"Any visual on the hostage?" Leader asked.
"Confirm. Hostage is tied to a chair in the back of the house. Two tangos guarding." Recon One replied.
"Copy." Leader responded, "We'll be moving onto the house in five." Four hooded heads nodded in acknowledgment.
"Recon One report." Leader ordered.
"Two tangos in the front of the house and two in the back with the hostage. One is in front of the window. Permission to take out?"
"Negative. Wait until we converge on the house." Leader ordered. Suddenly gunshots broke the silence, "Recon One, what's going on?"
Just as Recon One was about to reply, the front of the house exploded. The two tangos ran out of the house on fire. Leader and two of his men tried to enter the house, but the intense heat from the flames prevented them. More gunshots echoed through the air.
"Leader, this is Recon One. Tangos in the back have been eliminated." he reported, "I'm sorry, sir, the hostage is gone."
Leader and his two men headed for the back of the house. The flames were starting to become intense back there as well. "Gone? What do you mean gone?" Leader barked into his headset.
"I'm sorry, sir, she's dead." Recon One reported, "Sir, what's our next order?"
"Fall, fall back to the LZ one." Leader ordered, trying to keep his composure for his team.
Ten minutes later they were at the Belfast Dry docks waiting for their pick up. Leader made sure all five of his men were accounted for and unharmed from the fire. They heard the signal stating their ride home was outside waiting. Recon One covered the rear as the five men made their way to the boat. The boat dropped them off seven miles away.
Leader and his team made their way into the safe house. Leader walked up to the Ambassador, "I'm sorry, sir, Ciara's dead." Leader watched the old man sink down into the chair and wrung his hands. He could see the tears running down the Ambassador's face.
Leader turned his back and headed out the back door. He walked about fifty yards from the house when he finally took off the black hood that covered his face and left it around his neck and dropped to his knees. Donovan closed his eyes and replayed the events over and over again. Maybe if he would've done something different or got there sooner, Ciara could still be alive.
It was a day Frank Donovan will never forget, the day he lost his wife.
Donovan sat up, breathing heavy. "A dream," he whispered, "a nightmare." Donovan attempted to get out of the bed, but the room started to spin. Realizing he got up too fast, he grabbed for anything to help support him.
"Are you okay?" Ciara asked taking hold of his arm.
"What, what happened?" Donovan asked trying to steady himself.
"McMartins' men ran us off the road." Ciara explained, helping him sit back down on the bed, "The car slid down the embankment. You hit your head. You have a nasty cut above your left eyebrow." She walked over to the nightstand and took the washcloth out of the bowl.
"Are you okay?" Donovan asked, wincing in pain as she wiped his forehead.
"A few bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Nothing to jar my memory. You need to lie back down," she ordered.
"What I need to do is get us back to Dublin in one piece," Donovan said trying to get up again.
"What we need," Ciara said, catching him as stumbled, "is for you not to hurt yourself again. Trying to get matching owies?"
"Where's Jake and Alex?" he asked sitting back down on the bed.
"Well, after much debate if Bolivia was worse than here, their securing the perimeter." she laughed.
"And where is here?" he asked
"Oh dear," Ciara said sitting down next to him on the bed, "you must've hit your head harder than we thought. Jake said you were thick headed, but this changes things. Quick, what's my name?"
Donovan just looked at her, eyebrow raised in question, "You have to be joking right?" he asked.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Ciara asked, flashing several fingers around.
"I think you've really lost your mind," Donovan sighed grabbing her hand to make her stop.
"No, only my memory." she laughed as Donovan smiled at her attempt of a joke, "See, and Tom said you couldn't smile."
"What did you say?" Donovan demanded, holding her hand tighter.
"Ow, I said I only lost my memory," Ciara replied nervously.
"No, you said Tom said I couldn't smile." Donovan repeated, "Why did you say that?"
"I, I don't know." Ciara whispered, "Ever since I met you, you seemed so serious and when you smiled you actually looked relaxed and it just came out. Do you think I'm starting to remember?"
"You might," Donovan carefully choosing his words.
"Do you know something else that might help my memory?" Ciara asked excited at the prospect of regaining her memory.
"Well, there was one thing Ciara enjoyed." Donovan smirked.
"Really?" she questioned, not sure what he was implying.
"Trust me." he smiled.
Ciara leaned back on the bed and laughed, "My life's in your hands."
"Exactly." Donovan replied taking off her shoes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yes? I told you never to call me here," the man hissed into the phone, "Two of the Americans are here and I can't have them find out my part in this. Is it done?"
"My men ran them off the road on the way back to Bray." McMartins reported.
"Is she dead this time?" he demanded.
"If she's not, I'll personally make sure she is." McMartins promised, "A lot can happen to a person on the way back to Dublin form Bray. Cars going off cliffs either into the water or off the mountains."
"Good," the man smiled into the phone, "but this time I want proof, solid proof that Ciara Fitzgerald is dead."
"You'll get it," McMartins said, "I can't have her rambling off the things I did either."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Good thing we went back to the car," Jake said tossing the item around, "Donovan would've freaked to find his wallet missing. Hey, wanna take a peek?"
"I'm not going through the man's wallet." Alex muttered, "I want to hurry back before it starts to rain. At least we have some food to eat before Monica and Cody show up."
"If Monica doesn't throw Cody out of the car." Jake laughed walking into the house. "I'll go check on Donovan."
"Yea, we don't him taking any long naps." Alex mumbled.
Jake was about to open the bedroom door when he heard Ciara's voice.
"Oh god, that feels so good." she moaned.
"More?" Donovan asked.
"Yes!" she moaned.
Jake backed up away from the door and slowly made his way to the kitchen. "Is Donovan up?" Alex asked handing Jake a cup of coffee.
"Uh, yea." Jake replied taking along drink.
"Go see if he's hungry then." Alex replied. "Jake what's wrong?"
"He's not alone." Jake replied uneasy at the thought of going in the room.
"So? The man needs to eat." Alex reasoned. "Jake, are you blushing? No! Couldn't the man wait to see if she's his wife or not?"
"Leader, this is Recon One. Four tangos confirmed inside."
"Any visual on the hostage?" Leader asked.
"Confirm. Hostage is tied to a chair in the back of the house. Two tangos guarding." Recon One replied.
"Copy." Leader responded, "We'll be moving onto the house in five." Four hooded heads nodded in acknowledgment.
"Recon One report." Leader ordered.
"Two tangos in the front of the house and two in the back with the hostage. One is in front of the window. Permission to take out?"
"Negative. Wait until we converge on the house." Leader ordered. Suddenly gunshots broke the silence, "Recon One, what's going on?"
Just as Recon One was about to reply, the front of the house exploded. The two tangos ran out of the house on fire. Leader and two of his men tried to enter the house, but the intense heat from the flames prevented them. More gunshots echoed through the air.
"Leader, this is Recon One. Tangos in the back have been eliminated." he reported, "I'm sorry, sir, the hostage is gone."
Leader and his two men headed for the back of the house. The flames were starting to become intense back there as well. "Gone? What do you mean gone?" Leader barked into his headset.
"I'm sorry, sir, she's dead." Recon One reported, "Sir, what's our next order?"
"Fall, fall back to the LZ one." Leader ordered, trying to keep his composure for his team.
Ten minutes later they were at the Belfast Dry docks waiting for their pick up. Leader made sure all five of his men were accounted for and unharmed from the fire. They heard the signal stating their ride home was outside waiting. Recon One covered the rear as the five men made their way to the boat. The boat dropped them off seven miles away.
Leader and his team made their way into the safe house. Leader walked up to the Ambassador, "I'm sorry, sir, Ciara's dead." Leader watched the old man sink down into the chair and wrung his hands. He could see the tears running down the Ambassador's face.
Leader turned his back and headed out the back door. He walked about fifty yards from the house when he finally took off the black hood that covered his face and left it around his neck and dropped to his knees. Donovan closed his eyes and replayed the events over and over again. Maybe if he would've done something different or got there sooner, Ciara could still be alive.
It was a day Frank Donovan will never forget, the day he lost his wife.
Donovan sat up, breathing heavy. "A dream," he whispered, "a nightmare." Donovan attempted to get out of the bed, but the room started to spin. Realizing he got up too fast, he grabbed for anything to help support him.
"Are you okay?" Ciara asked taking hold of his arm.
"What, what happened?" Donovan asked trying to steady himself.
"McMartins' men ran us off the road." Ciara explained, helping him sit back down on the bed, "The car slid down the embankment. You hit your head. You have a nasty cut above your left eyebrow." She walked over to the nightstand and took the washcloth out of the bowl.
"Are you okay?" Donovan asked, wincing in pain as she wiped his forehead.
"A few bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Nothing to jar my memory. You need to lie back down," she ordered.
"What I need to do is get us back to Dublin in one piece," Donovan said trying to get up again.
"What we need," Ciara said, catching him as stumbled, "is for you not to hurt yourself again. Trying to get matching owies?"
"Where's Jake and Alex?" he asked sitting back down on the bed.
"Well, after much debate if Bolivia was worse than here, their securing the perimeter." she laughed.
"And where is here?" he asked
"Oh dear," Ciara said sitting down next to him on the bed, "you must've hit your head harder than we thought. Jake said you were thick headed, but this changes things. Quick, what's my name?"
Donovan just looked at her, eyebrow raised in question, "You have to be joking right?" he asked.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Ciara asked, flashing several fingers around.
"I think you've really lost your mind," Donovan sighed grabbing her hand to make her stop.
"No, only my memory." she laughed as Donovan smiled at her attempt of a joke, "See, and Tom said you couldn't smile."
"What did you say?" Donovan demanded, holding her hand tighter.
"Ow, I said I only lost my memory," Ciara replied nervously.
"No, you said Tom said I couldn't smile." Donovan repeated, "Why did you say that?"
"I, I don't know." Ciara whispered, "Ever since I met you, you seemed so serious and when you smiled you actually looked relaxed and it just came out. Do you think I'm starting to remember?"
"You might," Donovan carefully choosing his words.
"Do you know something else that might help my memory?" Ciara asked excited at the prospect of regaining her memory.
"Well, there was one thing Ciara enjoyed." Donovan smirked.
"Really?" she questioned, not sure what he was implying.
"Trust me." he smiled.
Ciara leaned back on the bed and laughed, "My life's in your hands."
"Exactly." Donovan replied taking off her shoes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yes? I told you never to call me here," the man hissed into the phone, "Two of the Americans are here and I can't have them find out my part in this. Is it done?"
"My men ran them off the road on the way back to Bray." McMartins reported.
"Is she dead this time?" he demanded.
"If she's not, I'll personally make sure she is." McMartins promised, "A lot can happen to a person on the way back to Dublin form Bray. Cars going off cliffs either into the water or off the mountains."
"Good," the man smiled into the phone, "but this time I want proof, solid proof that Ciara Fitzgerald is dead."
"You'll get it," McMartins said, "I can't have her rambling off the things I did either."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Good thing we went back to the car," Jake said tossing the item around, "Donovan would've freaked to find his wallet missing. Hey, wanna take a peek?"
"I'm not going through the man's wallet." Alex muttered, "I want to hurry back before it starts to rain. At least we have some food to eat before Monica and Cody show up."
"If Monica doesn't throw Cody out of the car." Jake laughed walking into the house. "I'll go check on Donovan."
"Yea, we don't him taking any long naps." Alex mumbled.
Jake was about to open the bedroom door when he heard Ciara's voice.
"Oh god, that feels so good." she moaned.
"More?" Donovan asked.
"Yes!" she moaned.
Jake backed up away from the door and slowly made his way to the kitchen. "Is Donovan up?" Alex asked handing Jake a cup of coffee.
"Uh, yea." Jake replied taking along drink.
"Go see if he's hungry then." Alex replied. "Jake what's wrong?"
"He's not alone." Jake replied uneasy at the thought of going in the room.
"So? The man needs to eat." Alex reasoned. "Jake, are you blushing? No! Couldn't the man wait to see if she's his wife or not?"
