~ Chapter 64 ~
"I hope you don't expect me to feel sorry for the guy. Especially not after the hell he put you through tonight."
Alex's entire body had tensed at the sympathetic tone in Marlena's voice. She was quick to explain her response.
"I'm furious at him, and I don't condone what he did. But I also feel partly to blame. I got my memory back, yet I still rejected him. That had to have stung beyond measure."
"He was upset. I get that. So, he should've talked to you. The solution wasn't to lock you up and make you fear for your life."
"I drove him to it."
"You did nothing of the sort! John alone is responsible for his actions, and for the appalling way he chose to deal with the ending of your marriage."
"The rational part of me knows that. It's just… he's in so much pain, and I'm the cause. Well, technically we're the cause. If you hadn't come back into my life, I'm almost positive that John and I would be together right now, figuratively sailing off into the sunset. After all, I did love him once, and he hasn't changed. He's still a good man, and he didn't do anything to merit being casually tossed aside."
"There was nothing casual about it," Alex countered. "We talked about this, often. I urged you to take your time. To think it over carefully. To be sure of your choice."
"And I am! Despite my empathy for John, he's a part of my past. Which I made crystal clear, by pushing him away when he tried to kiss me, and by wasting no time signing the divorce papers."
"Those two things are probably what sent him over the edge."
"Those two things, combined with a call from his lawyer."
"John's lawyer phoned while he was here?"
"Literally seconds after he'd dropped the pen on the table. I have to admit, I was suspicious that he hadn't put up more of a fight, but I realized why when I overheard his side of the conversation. That's when I got confirmation that Frank had guessed correctly, and the papers were a ruse. But one that had clearly gone wrong, from John's perspective."
"So, what happened then?"
"He left – without saying goodbye, which was odd. But I was focused on preparing for your return, so I didn't really give John's behavior a second thought."
"Rushing off to plot your abduction, obviously."
Alex's utter contempt for John's misbegotten choice coloured every syllable.
"It's ironic that, while I was trying to help him, he was actively scheming to do me harm."
"Help him how?"
"I was worried about him, so I'd phoned Kate. I wanted to give her a heads up about the papers being signed. Make sure she'd be there to take care of him. To soften the blow."
"That was exceptionally decent of you."
"Just wanting to do the right thing," she shrugged. "Anyway, the conversation was short. After I hung up, I checked the status of your flight, and I briefly considered surprising you at the airport."
"It's a shame you didn't follow through on that impulse. It might've kept you safe. What stopped you?"
"I had no idea what the outcome of your hearing was, so I wasn't sure if being seen in public with you would be an issue."
"Understandable."
"I was trying to figure out if you being gone so long was a good sign or a bad one when Brian buzzed to let me know that something had set off my car alarm."
"Or someone."
"Well, I didn't know that at the time, so I went downstairs to deal with the problem. Sure enough, my hazards were flashing, and the alarm was making enough noise to wake the dead. But I sensed that something was off, so I was cautious. I approached the car slowly, and I kept glancing around to see if there was anyone close by. I was a couple of feet away from it when I heard a sound, as if something had hit the ground. I paused to see if I'd dropped anything. And that's the last thing I remember, till I came to in that dark room."
"Bastard had it all planned. And my being gone made it easy for him to accomplish his dirty deed."
It was evident from his expression that the guilt of his absence had returned full bore. In a reversal of their earlier roles, she endeavoured to ease his conscience.
"This wasn't your fault." When Alex seemed about to argue, Marlena placed a finger on his lips to forestall any debate. "Yes, the fact that you weren't here meant that John was successful tonight. But I'm fairly certain that, if you'd been home, it would've simply postponed the inevitable. He was bound and determined to convince me that I'd made a mistake in signing the divorce papers, and he believed that the only way he could do that was to get me alone."
"I could've stopped him. I would've stopped him."
"Probably. But his desperation was making him reckless. In a physical confrontation, one of you might've gotten hurt."
"I can take care of myself."
"Of course, you can. So can John. You're both highly trained agents. So, the fact that you had Frank with you, and that John realized he was outnumbered, is no doubt what kept blood from being spilled."
"I'll freely admit that I was spoiling for a fight when I discovered what he'd done. Thankfully, Frank was the voice of reason, and knowing that he had my back meant that, once we found you, I could concentrate on making sure you were safe."
"Speaking of which, how did you find me?"
"We have Frank to thank for that, too. When I got home and you weren't here, I panicked. Every ounce of training I had flew out the window. He got me to focus. And it was his idea to question Brian."
"Brian was in on it?" Marlena's shock was unmistakable.
"He didn't intentionally set out to hurt you. But his daughter needs surgery. It left Brian open to accepting the bribe that John offered."
"Oh." She frowned, disappointed at Alex's answer. "I like Brian. But it's going to be hard to trust him now."
"This is going to seem counterintuitive, but I'd say he'll be more trustworthy than ever. Father Frank put the fear of God into him. And I reminded him that, should he need help in the future, he has better options."
"I hope he takes your words to heart."
"I suspect he will. He was very cooperative when Frank questioned him. Gave up enough detail that Frank was able to sketch your kidnapper."
"That wouldn't have been too difficult. It's not as if Brian was describing a stranger."
"True. And that worked in our favour. As enraged as I was when Frank held up John's likeness, I was also relieved. It was proof that they hadn't gotten to you, and that, although you were likely traumatized, you weren't in real danger."
"I didn't recognize that fact right away. At first, I was so scared. I was still suffering the after-effects of being drugged, and I was trapped. I felt helpless. And then, suddenly, John appeared. It seemed like a miracle, that he'd managed to find me. But I couldn't understand how he'd been able to evade my captors. I was positive that they'd be back any minute, and we'd both end up their prisoners, or worse. I couldn't fathom why John was so calm. There was no sense of urgency coming from him. Of course, it didn't take long for me to realize why."
"How did you figure it out?"
"He was trying to reassure me. When he raised his hands, I spotted something metallic in his palm. It was the key to the room. I spun from terror to rage in the blink of an eye. Demanded an explanation. He tried to pass it off as a grand gesture, meant to prove his love. I refused to cut him any slack."
"I'm sure that didn't sit well."
"It didn't. As usual, he blamed you for everything."
"Typical." Alex infused the one word with infinite scorn.
"You've undeniably become his favourite scapegoat. But I let him know, in no uncertain terms, that you'd been scrupulously fair in regards to him. And that you'd helped me uncover a long-buried part of my past that I'd totally forgotten."
"I'd be willing to bet that he didn't believe a word of it."
"Gee, how did you guess? He accused you of using our sessions to implant false memories in me. I insisted that he was mistaken, and I admitted that I'd recalled my first love."
"You told him about us?" Alex didn't bother trying to conceal his astonishment.
"Not specifically. When he asked, I explained that it was someone I'd met at university, that we'd reconnected, and that we planned to resume our relationship. After mocking me, he tried to stake his claim. Physically. That's when you came in."
"I wish I could've spared you all of that."
"I know you do. But if you had, we would've missed out on something we'd been working towards. Something amazing."
His eyes widened as he grasped the implication of her statement.
"Did you…?"
"Yes. Tonight's ordeal accomplished what nothing else had. I remembered. Everything."
Although dimmed by the horror of the memories that had resurfaced, the smile she directed his way was genuine. He couldn't help responding in kind, before tilting her chin up and kissing her softly.
"Are you up to telling me about it? If you aren't, that's okay," he hastened to assure her. "Just knowing that it's all come back to you is enough for now."
"No, it's fine. Being in your arms gives me all the courage I need."
As if to prove the point, she nestled closer to him, took a deep breath, and picked up the thread of her narrative once again.
"At first, I thought I'd just woken from a particularly vivid nightmare. But, almost immediately, it dawned on me that I'd finally recovered the last missing piece of my past. I was in a dark room, with a couple of shadowy strangers for company. I couldn't see anything, but I could hear them whispering. They were talking about me. Or, rather, about us. About how stubborn we were both being, and about how their handlers had lost patience with our unwillingness to give up on each other."
"You were the love of my life. You still are. Nothing and no one could ever make me give up on you."
"Obviously, before they wiped you from my memory, I felt exactly the same way." Marlena's expression darkened. "And to find out that my amnesia wasn't the result of an accident, or some random blow to the head, but that it was deliberately induced… that I was treated like some human guinea pig, and that they had no qualms about using experimental technology on me… It could've killed me, but they didn't care. They played God with my life!"
Her voice had risen in volume as her indignation grew. Alex maintained his silence, rubbing her back with a soothing motion as he allowed her to vent her justifiable anger.
"I know that it's way too late, but I wish I could make them pay."
"Oh, they've paid. Trust me." At Marlena's quizzical look, Alex elaborated. "They robbed us of our happiness. As soon as I had the opportunity, I returned the favour."
"How?"
"Their missions became disproportionately prone to failure. Now, don't misunderstand me. No one died. But things frequently went wrong. Targets mysteriously vanished. Contacts didn't show up for meetings. Files went missing. None of it came close to matching the pain that they caused, but it gave me a small measure of satisfaction to know that they hadn't emerged unscathed. Call it retribution, or justice, or karma. Those men who kidnapped you, who messed with your mind, their careers with the Agency were short-lived."
"If that's the case, then why did you think they had me? Why are you still worried that they could interfere with our lives?"
"I dealt with the small fish. The higher-ups are still around, engaging in their particular brand of nefarious behaviour. As I said before, I don't believe they see me as a threat. I got out cleanly, I've stayed out of their way, and I haven't deliberately interfered in their operations recently. But the spy business does engender paranoia – on both sides."
"Are you reasonably certain that Frank will be able to ensure our safety?"
"He's truly the most persuasive person I've ever met. And, as immoral as those people are, even they can be intimidated by a priest."
"So, we can rest easy? As much as that's possible for a woman who was once held captive by agents, and a man who used to be one."
"I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm fairly confident that we can."
His assurances having dealt with the last of her concerns, she finally allowed herself to relax. Within moments, she let out an audible yawn.
"I should get you to bed."
At Alex's words, Marlena's eyes took on an impish twinkle, and she batted her lashes at him seductively. He dropped a light kiss on the tip of her nose, but made no move to accept her unspoken invitation.
"There'll be plenty of time for that later. Right now, you need sleep."
"Honestly, all I want is to slip under the covers and curl up in your arms. Everything else can wait."
"Your wish is my command," he murmured, as he rose from the sofa and drew her to a standing position beside him.
Hands clasped and footsteps in sync, they ascended the stairs with purpose. First, they would sleep. Afterwards, having overcome a seemingly endless array of obstacles, they would pledge themselves to each other, body and soul.
