ON THE BEACH

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I meant to get this chapter up earlier, but didn't have the chance. In this one, I threw in a Ludlum moment from the first novel 'TBI'. Happy reading. More to come shortly, thanks for all your reviews!

"Here I was, just driving along... note, my first time driving around town, and this guy pulled out in front of me and I'm like..." Rosa looked at Jason who was driving.

Jason looked at her after she had stopped.

"I'm boring you, aren't I?" She asked.

"No, no... not at all."

"You haven't said more than two words since we left." Rosa replied.

"I like listening to you."

Rosa smiled.

"You do?"

"It relaxes me."

"Well..." Rosa was astonished.

"You can continue if you want."

"Where are we going?" Rosa asked.

"Uh, the beach. I thought that that was a good place to start."

"Okay then."

"So, where did you live before?" Jason asked.

Rosa looked.

"Well, you know. All over the place really. I just like to move around. You?"

"I'm just here for business, but I used to live in Goa, and then New York."

"Business? What do you do?" Rosa asked.

"I do... I work for the U.S. government. Over here getting some papers signed."

"Well, you travel a lot? Sounds kind of fun."

"I go wherever they need me."

"Interesting." Rosa replied.

"You can turn up here, it's just a short walk over to the strip."

Rosa parked the car underneath the bridge of the local train, and she and Jason started to walk for the beach. They walked side by side, slowly, and quietly until Rosa broke the silence.

"Not far, eh?"

"No."

"I just wanted to thank you, for uh... you know, doing this."

"I wanted to do this."

Jason and Rosa walked down to the main street, parallel to the water, and went down close to the surf where they kept walking.

"Nice day out." Rosa told him.

"Yeah, it is."

The two walked as a gentle breeze blew their way. Noises from other people were faint, and the sound of the seagulls flew over head. The water, just the right temperature; not too hot, not too cold.

"Nice day for a swim."

"Yeah, it is."

Rosa took off her right sandal, and gently dipped it into the shallow water.

"Wow, it's nice."

Jason put his hand on his head, scratching it. He looked around, then at Rosa.

"Are you okay?" Rosa asked.

"Yeah, I am."

"Relax, you don't have work today. You want to swim?"

"No. Even, I don't have the right shorts to do so."

Rosa looked down at his brown cargo shorts.

"Oh, yeah. Mind if I?"

Jason looked toward the wall to find Parminda wandering around a small restroom in the sand. He looked back at Rosa.

"Yeah, sure. I need to use the restroom."

"Okay, don't go far." She smiled as she threw off her top and her blouse to uncover her bikini.

Jason smiled back as he began to walk away, going toward the restroom as Rosa made her way into the water. His smile faded as he charged up to Parminda, grabbing her at full force pulling her into the men's room.

"Who the hell are you?" Jason yelled as he pinned Parminda up to the sink.

"What?" Her voice as innocent as could be.

He looked around, and quickly went over to the door, slamming and locking it. He pressured Parminda some more.

"You set me up!" He grabbed the girl's clothing near the neck, slightly starting to strangle her.

Parminda started to choke up tears.

"I don't know, I don't know!"

"Like hell you don't!" He pushed her to the other side of the room next to one of the stalls.

"I swear! I god damn swear! I don't know!"

Jason took out a small pistol, pushing it into her abdomen. She huffed as the tears rolled down, her mascara starting to mess.

"Someone knew I was coming!"
"I don't know who!"

Jason pushed the gun even more.

She wailed.

"You were the only one, what do you really want with me?"

"I'm telling you, I didn't know who knew. I never told anyone!"

Jason pulled the gun out, and shoved it in her face.

"I swear to you! I told no one! No one knew! God as my witness!"

He became still. Parminda panted, the tears stopped.

"Someone must have been watching. I didn't know. I swear to you that I didn't try to kill you. I swear. Someone else knew you were going, I didn't."

Jason took the gun out of Parminda's face, and slowly put it back into his coat.

"Here." Parminda reached her left hand up to show Jason the black duffle bag.

He looked at her, then at the bag. Back at her, and snatched the bag out of her hand. Jason turned away, and started for the door.

"The offer... it still stands..." Parminda replied.

Jason looked back, sullen and still. He left the restroom.

As Jason walked back to the surf, Rosa came to greet him.

"Well, you missed a refreshing dip." Rosa smiled.

"I guess I did. Are you finished?"

"It looks like I am. Where to next?"

"How about a walk near the shops?"

"Sounds fun. I was looking for a Conch for my apartment anyway."

Rosa and Jason crossed over the street and began to take their time around the shop areas. She stopped at one of the large stands outside one of the shops that were selling sea shells.

"Oh, look at this one." Rosa picked up a large Queen Conch.

"That's a nice one." Jason replied as he looked around.

In the corner of his eye he caught a sedan pull up a block behind them. He turned around to see two men in Beige suits get out the car, guns going into their holsters.

"Do you know what. Let's keep walking." Jason told Rosa who was still looking at the shell.

"But, I think I'm going to ask about this one. It's so beautiful!"

Rosa went over to the owner of the store.

"Excuse me..."

"Trust me, there are better ones down the road." Jason butted in as he saw the suits crossing over the street.

"Wait." Rosa replied. "Can you tell me..."

"Let's go now." Jason pried the shell out of Rosa's hands, and began to pull her in the opposite direction of the two goons.

"Jason!" Rosa yelled.

"Later."

Jason began to walk faster and pulled Rosa even harder.

"What is the matter? Jason! Slow down and let me go!"

The two goons followed from behind, while Rosa anxiously tried to get Jason to let her go. Jason saw his opportunity when he came to a movie theatre. He dragged her for the ticket box.

"This is why we're in a hurry? A movie?"

"May I help you?" The clerk asked, but Jason kept walking and entered the theatre.

Jason and Rosa came up to the stub boy.

"Tickets?"

Jason pushed the guy out of the way, and looked at his options. Two films on either side of the concession stand that stood in the middle of the large, open room. He pulled her to the left, and carried down the dark hallway to the first door to his left.

The two goons came walking in. They looked around, and pushed their way past the stricken stub boy who was trying to get up.

Jason pulled Rosa into a film that was already taking place.

"Jason, what are you doing?" Rosa asked.

"Get down."

He pulled Rosa down, and the two of them started to crawl in between rows of legs and crushed popcorn lain on the floor.

The two suits came into that same room where Jason and Rosa were. They looked around, and spilt up. One on one side of the room, the other on the other side of the room. They made their way down they aisles of people engrossed in the film that was projected on the screen.

Jason crouched even further for them not to see him or Rosa.

"Jason..." She whispered.

The room went completely dark because of the jamming of the project in the above film room. The audience started to groan loudly, giving Jason an opportunity to talk.

"Stay down, and follow me. Don't say anything."

The film projected back onto the screen, and the audience became engrossed once more, not a whisper made. The goons looked around once more, and started to climb back up the stairs.

Jason pulled Rosa down to the front, and the two jumped down into the small concrete ditch next to the screen. The goons caught a glimpse of that, and pulled out their weapons, making their way to the front. Weapons pointed for the ditch.

"When I tell you to, go for the door. Don't look back. Keep the sign in sight as your guide." Jason whispered to stunned Rosa who just nodded without end.

As the two goons came close to the pit, the projector jammed once more as Jason had hoped, and complete darkness filled the room. The goons were blinded, but became aware after they had seen a small slit of daylight coming from behind the curtain. The film came back on as the exit door shut, and the goons raced out into the back alley where they found no one.

The goons ran in opposite directions in the alley to look for Jason and Rosa, but found no one.

Jason and Rosa ran from the dark hallway and back to the center of the concession stand in the large room. They made their way to the exit, looked around, and continued to walk down the street in the opposing direction of the alley.

"What the hell was that all about?" Rosa asked Jason.

"I was nothing."

"Nothing? We were running around that film house as though we ourselves were in an action movie."

"Just keep walking. Are you hungry?"

"After that?"

"I saw a good Italian restaurant when we were passing this morning."

"But the car's that way!" Rosa pointed in the other direction.

"We'll circle around."

Jason and Rosa continued to walk in the opposing direction, away from the beige suits who were still looking around near the alley.