Chapter 3

I secured the panel, continued on my way around the plane, and when finished, went inside and pulled the stairs up. I asked my girlfriend to close all the window shades making sure her face was in each window when she did. Once that was done, she came back up front and we prepared for taxi and takeoff. Just as we started the slow one eighty at the end of the taxiway, I used the intercom.

“Darling girl, please vacate the potty and take a seat right behind us. Say nothing, just do it.”

Maria looked back, not too terribly surprised, since we expected it, but Malena came all the way up, pinched my earlobe softly and squeezed hands with her sister.

“Sit, baby cakes. We need to blow this pop stand,” I told her, chuckling and hearing a cute giggle in Russian. They sound different in Russian. Cuter maybe? I don’t know, but definitely cute.

We were cleared for takeoff by the tower, and I heard the click of the seat belt as we pulled out onto the active runway and I turned the little engines loose. I waited until we were out over the Baltic, approaching Denmark, when I called her up front.

“Good to see you again, future sister-in-law. Are you okay?”

“Yes, Rob. I’m fine. It’s good to see you both, as well. Sorry for all the superspy stuff and hiding, but I have a feeling I was being watched too closely. It is even possible they would have disapproved of me going on vacation to your ranch and life may have, would have, gotten messy. I might as well get this over with. Rob, Maria, I’m not a good person. I’ve been working with some people in America for a year or so, now, and I was probably about to get caught. Please keep that to yourselves. I need to call someone when we get out over the Atlantic. Is that going to be a problem, Rob?”

I looked at her and smiled. Maria was in shock. She asked her sister, “I didn’t know. I had no idea. Malena, are you ... Will they ... Are you in danger?”

“Chill, little sister.” That was funny, but then, Malena was just ever so slightly taller than her twin sister, Maria. She took after their mother while Malena took after their father. “If I can get to America, I’ll be fine. You guys need a gardener or a maid?”

In stereo, “Yes,” was her answer. All three of us cracked up at that.

“I will never be able to get near Ivan again, but I don’t care. I’ve had some bad experiences, and I don’t care a shit for Ivan anymore. You all can leave me in Monaco when you go back or something. I’ll find something to do. Maybe blackjack. I like to play that.” Malena giggled at the thought, then Maria followed. “I do want to hang out with you guys if you’ll let me. I’d love to be back around my sister.”

“Malena, Maria and I have discussed this, and the answer is ‘absolutely’. You’re welcome to stay at the ranch, or later we can put you up in town, or whatever you like, actually. I just want to make sure you’re safe first and they aren’t trying to get you back, or get you hurt. Then we’ll know how to proceed.”

“Thank you, Rob. I really do appreciate this.”

We landed in Cork and got to the hotel and checked in. We spent a few minutes in Maria’s and my room of the two-room adjoining suite, then after she explained to her sister that she had been approached by a very close friend, which she had earlier confided in after her unit commander tried to have sex with her in trade for a promotion to Captain Lieutenant. She decided to have some fun at Ivan’s expense. It was only lately that the two of them came under scrutiny, both having rebuffed his insolent blackmail, but her friend went to England, and she’s coming with us, and that’s the end of that. She hoped.

The pub had another great meal for us and served a cold light ale that I actually liked. The girls, being a bit more worldly in the beer department, had some red thing that was at best, cool. I tasted a bit of Malena’s when she offered, but didn’t care much for the bite, nor the aftertaste. I guess I’m a wimp when it comes to warm heavy ales, or whatever they call them. After my meal and my beer, we sat and relaxed a bit with them having a coffee and Bailey’s and me a bit of some really nice scotch they had behind the bar. I’m not a fan of Irish whiskey, generally, but did ask if they had any that didn’t have the twang of Jameson’s. The waitress sent the bartender over. I repeated what I had said to the waitress, and he laughed.

“Ye hold here, Laddy. I’ll get a tad for ye to try.” He came back with a rocks glass with about a half a shot in it. “Here, Laddy. It’s the Redbreast fifteen-year-old. It’s a bit better than the cat piss ye don’t care for. Aye, now for me, there’s none that do better than naught.”

“But you’re Irish?”

“Oh, shat come to hell, no, Laddy. I’m a Scot. I’m not one of these daft Irish heathens you’ll find in these parts.” He said it loudly and everyone in the pub started cheering and laughing. He must’ve been a well-liked old man, ‘cause he wasn’t pulling punches and he was getting laughs, not threats of violence. “Ye taste a bit o’ that. The Scotch I give ye before was one o’ me better ones. It’s a Lagavulin 16-year-old, but ye can get that at home now.”

I tasted the Irish he gave me, and it was, in fact a lot better than Jameson’s. “Thank you, sir. You’ve opened my eyes a bit.”

“Ye welcome, Laddy, and know ye can get better of both,” he raised his voice, “but a low-class pub like this shit hole ain’t the place ta find a better drink.” More cheering and laughing.

“What’s the story here, barkeep? These people love you and...”

“Me mum was a Scot and me pop owned this place since his daddy gave it to ‘im when he come back from the Korea. I’m half Irish and these people know it, but I’ll never admit it out loud. Me mum was a precious soul and they all loved her, too.”

“Thank you for that. Do you have any really, really nice Irish back there you could part with? I’ll pay what you want, but I’d like to try something you recommend. The Redbreast was the best I’ve tasted, so far.” He left and came back with a box showing a gold label and a lot of gold writing. Redbreast 21-year-old single pot still Irish Whiskey.

“A hundred and thirty pounds. I get them at the wholesale costs. Ye’ll pay up to three hundred American for this back home. Let me get ye a splash and ye’ll see.” He brought it and I tasted it. A whole different world. Malena took a smell and a taste. She nodded. Maria smelled it and handed it back. She’s obviously not a whiskey drinker.

“Thank you, sir, I’ll take it.” The waitress brought me the check, and I’ll say, that was my first two-hundred-and-forty-dollar lunch in a pub, but it was worth every penny. Just having fun and seeing people enjoying life was an absolute ball.

He waved to us on the way out and the girls agreed while waving back; when we travelled to Europe, we stopped here, and we ate there.

Back at the room we decided to watch a movie, then get to sleep early, but I needed a full twelve hours to pass that beer and what little whiskey I had, so two movies and a shower it was. We’d been down for a couple hours when I thought I heard whimpering. As I got up to check, Maria laid her hand on my arm.

“I will go. You sleep, Rob.” I laid back down, snuggled into the pillow and a bit later felt Maria climb back into bed, then I felt the movement again. That probably wasn’t Maria. The second one. I slept yet again.

I got to the alarm as quickly as I could, hoping not to wake the girls since I had no idea how late they were up or anything. I turned to look at them, sleeping so peacefully. Maria was behind Malena, both of them facing me. I carefully got up and tended to my morning business, again trying to let them sleep.

I went ahead and showered and shaved, then as I was coming out, Maria was rising, stretching and making the most beautiful of wakeup noises. Kind of like a growl mixed with a whine, and a whimper. Sounds terrible but watching her make that noise wearing only one of my t-shirts was magnificent.

“Wake up, big sister, we need to go. Do you feel better?”

“Yeah, I think so. It finally dawned on me how much trouble I could have been in and how lucky I am that I got ... That you got me out of there before anyone found out. I’m so sorry, Rob.”

“Stop, hon. Don’t apologize. No need. You are going through a very stressful time. A situation like this would make Samson cry. Maybe even Goliath. I just want to get you back to the states safely and take you home. Come on, you guys get cleaned up and let’s get on the road. Did you sleep at all, Malena?”

“Yes, sir. I don’t remember a thing after she brought me to your bed. It reminded me of ... Sorry, Maria, but it reminded me of high school. Right after Momma and Papa were killed. When you and I ... Rob, I will go shower now. We’ll talk later maybe. I love you, Maria. I do. Thank you for helping me last night.” She kissed her sister lovingly, on the lips, smiled at both of us, then turned and walked out.