A Soul Mate's Promise (22 page)

              Merry Xmas Mags!

              Guess what? He asked. I said yes!

              Napa is beautiful–they even have a castle.

              It made me think of you!

              Talk soon!

After a few more stops, we head back to Joey and Mary’s. I’m not looking forward to packing, and the thought of it makes me sad. It’s been such a magical time, surrounded by family. And, free from that relentless sense of disaster that annoys me from day to day…

*       *       *

Nick was very pleased to see that Sal had popped the question. Only then did Gracie realize why Nick had called him “chicken shit” on the flight out.

Upon safe arrival back into Jacksonville, Nick gave Sal a wide grin. “Let me know about the honeymoon plans, mate. I’ll help you work out a schedule for Europe.”

“Thanks, Nick, Sal said, giving him a hug and a pat on the back. “I’ll let you know the minute we work out some details.”

“Have you heard from the Department?” Nick asked, his voice low.

“No, why?” asked Sal, glancing over his shoulder.

“The director has called some of the team. Some mission is going down–class C, I think. Anyway, I know you keep in touch with them. They haven’t sent you an alert?”

“No,” Sal shrugged, “but I’m done. They said I could walk, so I did. I’m finished.”

Nick laughed at his statement. “Yes done, but
never
finished.”

Sal chose to ignore his old friend. He
was
finished with that life. “Hey, listen man, thanks for taking care of us. Happy New Year! We’ll be talking to you soon, Nick. Take care, brother.”

“Yes, same to you, and congratulations again,” Nick said as he hugged all of them including Toby, and they departed the plane.

On the way home from the airport Gracie asked Sal what Nick was talking about.

“You heard that, huh?” Sal asked with a lightheartedness he didn’t feel.

“Yeah, I heard it,” she said, her brow furrowed, the sparkle in her eyes gone. “What’s class C and the team?”

Sal grinned and glanced at her, then returned his eyes to the road. “Now, you know you’re not supposed to know
any
of those terms. Nick really should not have said anything in front of you or Pop. There’s obviously a mission going down–class C is a code yellow–not real dangerous. Sounds like they have assembled some of the team–my old team. But I haven’t gotten any word.”

Pop said something in Italian from the back seat, and Sal looked at him coldly in the rear view mirror.

Sal felt his jaw muscle tighten.
Damn it
..

Pop said it again, but louder.

“NO! Sal shouted. “No.. and they haven’t called me anyway, so now, can we drop it?” Sal took Gracie’s hand in his.

“They haven’t called you… not
yet
,” Pop muttered.

Maggie was cleaning up wrapping paper and empty boxes that cluttered her living room when she heard her phone beep. She grabbed for it and tapped the icon. Up popped Gracie’s photo and message.

“OH MY GOD!” Maggie shouted, scaring her husband out of his Christmas nap. “Holy Shit!”

“What, what..Maggie? What’s the matter?” Mike said, trying to focus.

“Mike, Gracie’s engaged! And look–look at this picture!” Shoving the phone in her husband’s face, she babbled on. “Look how happy they are.”

“Yeah? Good for Gracie! What a Merry Christmas for her. Where are they?"

“They went to Napa–Sal’s brother and wife live there. Huh, that’s is so peculiar,” Maggie said as she gazed at the picture some more.

“What’s peculiar?” Mike asked.

“Oh nothing, just, the Castle behind them. It’s funny because I told her, the last picture she sent they looked like royalty, so she took this one as a joke. But, I’m getting that shiver up my spine again.”

Mike just gave his wife a caring look. “Bad or good shiver?” he asked.

“Humm, I’m not sure. Not real bad, just weird.”

Maggie tapped at the keys on her phone:

Congratulations!!!!! Holy shit!!! I am over the moon happy for you! Love you!

She finished cleaning up and her husband Mike resumed his horizontal position on the couch. Maggie went up to her studio, and downloaded the photo on her big screen computer. She glanced back and forth between the two photos then eyed a blank canvas that sat patiently on an easel.

She stood, grabbed a smock and a paintbrush, and went to work.

*       *       *

On December twenty-eighth as promised, my brother Steve shows up with a few fun presents from all of the places his ministry has taken him. A nice bottle of rum from one of the islands and a silver necklace with white onyx stones in between the links were among my favorites.

Sal and my brother seem to hit it off. Steve is a little concerned with the speed of our engagement but happy for me just the same.

“Now don’t get me wrong, guys,” Steve cautions. “I’m thrilled you’re getting married, but
you
just got divorced,” he points in my direction. “Maybe you should just go slower. Make sure.”

Sal gives Steve a sympathetic look. “We’re in no hurry. We haven’t set a date yet. I understand your trepidations for Gracie’s future, but, even though she is just recently divorced, she was separated from Rich a long time. I love your sister. I promised I’d love her forever and I will.”

Steve seems relieved to hear we’re not rushing to the altar. I give him a shove. “Will you walk me down the aisle?”             

“Sure, if you give me enough warning ahead of time. Just keep me in the loop.”

That evening Pop joins us and we all have dinner together. I tell my brother about the New Year’s bash.

“You might want to get a dress shirt and tie” I suggest and he wrinkles his nose.

Sal laughs. “I got some you can borrow.”

“I’m just not used to wearing confining clothes,” my brother mentions.

“Yeah, not one of my favorite things either,” Sal agrees. It would seem they are simpatico on the topic.

“All three of you will look so handsome at Celine’s party,” I brag. “It should be fun–they always are!”

Pop looks up from his plate. “Yes, last-a-year I went, we had a nice time. Did-a-you tell Celine about your news yet?”

“No Pop, I was going to surprise her with it on New Year’s. She’s going to die! I told Mag’s, though–she’s very happy for me.”

*       *       *

The next day is a blur. Still on an emotional high from being in Napa and getting engaged, I struggle to quickly fall back into my routine. When I get into the office, I can’t wait to tell Veronica my happy news.

“Oh, that’s just the best news I have heard in months,” she says, her happiness showing in her eyes. “I bet Antonio’s very happy.”

“Very happy, I would say. He didn’t think Sal would ever settle down and he worried about me and my future, too. Now he seems content.”

“Good. Hey, your brother is here for a few days, right?”

“Yes, why?”

She taps me on the shoulder. “Go ahead home and don’t come in till he’s gone. You hardly see him. Go home and be with your family. Things will keep around here.”

“Really? Oh my god! Thank you! I guess I’ll see you after New Year’s then.”

“Happy New Year, Gracie. Now go on and get out of here!”

I give her a big hug. “Happy New Year, Veronica!”

*       *       *

I wake up at two in the morning on December 30
th,
to an empty bed. Oddly enough, not even Toby is here.

I go to the bedroom door and peek down the hall and notice the dim light of the study is on. Quietly, I pad my way down the hall. When I get to the door, Sal is behind the desk staring out into space, deep in thought, the light from the computer screen glowing on his face.

As quiet as I am, Toby whines when he sees me and Sal turns toward me.

“Gracie? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I could ask you the same question? I answer, moving closer to the desk. Somehow I know something is wrong. “I woke up to an empty bed. I don’t like that. What’s the matter? I know you well enough to know you’re far away in thought.”

Sal takes a deep breath, then holds out his hand for me to come sit on his lap.

“Gracie, I have something to tell you and you must promise me you won’t get upset.”

I feel that feeling–that dreaded sense of foreboding that makes the hairs on my neck stand up. Slowly, I asked around the lump in my throat and the knot in my stomach, I grind out a question. “You need to go, don’t you?”

For a moment, he’s quiet, softly caressing my bare arms. Then I feel him sigh. “I got a call, yes. My team has been reassembled for a call of duty. I’ve been asked to come and supervise the mission for the captain acting in my place.”

“I don’t understand, Sal.” I groan, trying not to unravel. “I thought you were done? You said they let you go because you have been through so much.” I looked out the window as a horrible thought came to mind. “You didn’t lie to me, did you?”

“Oh, god no, Gracie. I’ve never lied to you. He turns my face back to his. Won’t ever lie to you. But, they feel my skills are needed.” He pauses rubbing my back. “Those men–the agents–they are my brother’s, Gracie. We’ve worked together a long time–some of us have been to hell and back–in some cases, more than once.”

My mind screams for me to get up, leave him in the dark, go back to bed and find it’s all another horrible dream. But I’ve learned not to run anymore. Sal’s taught me that I’m strong and capable, so I sit still in his lap and concentrate on his touch. I speak softly because he deserves that from me.

“My point exactly. You’ve been to hell enough. How can they ask? Is it mandatory? Or is this your choice?”

“That depends on me,” he says. I pitch my eyebrow at him and he continues. “I’ll fly to Quantico, sit in on the meetings, get the orders, and see how much I’m needed. I may be able to just handle the situation from there.” He drops his hands from my back and puts them in my lap. “Gracie, those are my men. I have to help if I can.”

I pull away from him and get to my feet. “NO! No, you are
not
going,” I command. Sal reaches for my hands and I pull away from him. I’m so angry I can’t even think. Why doesn’t he understand he can’t do this?

“Gracie, calm down,” he whispers. “I have to go.”

I spin on my heel and get right in close to his face. “How long will you be gone? Where the hell will you be? Will I even
know
where you’ll be? We, we….won’t be able to communicate!”

I feel tears burn my eyes and my stomach pitches. As I clutch my hands over my mouth, my anger is transformed into a fear so large I can’t breath. Something bad is coming and not even Sal can talk me out of knowing this.

He stands from his seat and clasps me firmly at my shoulders. “Gracie, stop! Stop…shhhh.. it’s all right! Everything is going to be all right. I won’t be gone long. It’s just a supervising mission. It’ll be done before you know it and I’ll do all I can to try to keep contact with you.”

The tears are running down my face and I can’t stop them. I look at him with my red eyes and runny nose. “You don’t get it, Sal. This is where it all goes to hell. You leave me…and…and…you don’t come back. I can feel it–just like in my dreams! Something’s wrong. You can’t leave–not this time. Not now–now that we’ve found each other. The psychic, she..she told us not to separate! You can’t go!”

My heart is pounding all the way up into my ears. My chest is tightening and my head is swimming. Sal scoops me up and carries me to the bedroom and places me on the bed.

Sitting next to me, he looks into my face. “Gracie, breathe. Come on, nice and slow–in….out...look at me, Gracie. Don’t take your eyes off me. Breathe, deep, breathe, good, that’s my girl. Relax. Shhh.. don’t get upset, please, don’t get upset.”

He sits me up and encircles me with himself. “Gracie, you’re shaking. Please calm down, it’s all going to be fine.” He coaxes my chin up, looks at me.

“It’s all good. Nothing is going to happen to me. I told you not to listen to that crazy psychic.”

“But Dr. Brooks believes it, too,” I cry. “Sal please, for me, don’t leave on this mission.”

“I’ll fly up there and see what the details are. I told you, that might be it and then I’ll be home.”

“And what if you decide to go?” I whisper. “You can’t tell me anything. I’m in the dark. You know how scary this is for me?”

“That’s for your protection, Gracie. Please understand. I will come back to you, I promise.

His words sent a shiver up my spine and knocked the wind out of my lungs. The look on my face scares Sal into getting to his feet.

“Gracie, what is it? Are you ill? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I can’t speak for several minutes. How many lifetimes have we had together? How many times have we lost each other? Sal stands before me, clenching and unclenching his fists, but waits for me to collect myself.

“Every dream, Sal,” I whisper. He kneels at the side of the bed so he can hear my words. “In every dream, this is what happens. You tell me you have to leave and you promise me you will come back to me. Those are the last words I ever hear from you, time and time again. You can’t keep that promise. You
always
promise me you will come back, but you never do. Don’t you see? Our history is going to repeat itself. We can change it–we have the free will to change our path. Don’t go! How about you promise me you won’t go?”

*       *       *

I wake up late after a fitful sleep. Again Sal is not beside me. The sun is high in the sky and my clock informs me it’s almost noon.

I get up and shuffle about but even Toby is gone. I’m sure he’s outside with Sal. I feel beat up, like I’ve been punched in my gut.  And then the tears start again. Sal is not changing his mind, and shortly I am going to be out of mine.

I get dressed quickly and head downstairs, spotting my brother sitting by the pool, reading the paper. Toby is laying by his feet. He cocks one doggy-eyebrow at me, expectantly.

“Hey,” I say as I come out of the house, “what’s going on?"

“Oh hey,” he answers with a grin. Sleep much, it’s noon?”

“I had a rough night.”

“You need to talk about it?” he asks.

I look at my older brother and manage a smile. “Not yet.”

“Well, something’s up.” He points to Antonio’s house. Those two have been arguing for at least two hours.”

I follow his finger with my eyes and out on Antonio’s deck, father and son are yelling at each other.

I can’t make out every word, but the knot in my stomach knows exactly what they are fighting about–I don’t need to hear it. I sit down hard on one of my patio chairs as if someone’s dropped me into it.

“Everything okay Gracie? What the hell is going on?”

“Did Sal mention to you what he does–or did–for a living?” I narrow my eyes as I ask.

“He told me he was in the military. Why?”

“Yes, he was in the military, then Special Forces. And lastly, he told me he retired from the CIA as a special agent.”

My brother’s eyebrows shot up with excitement. “Wow, no shit? Makes even more sense to me now how easily he killed that mugger! Okay, so what’s the problem, Sis?”

“He got called in for one more mission. I don’t want him to go and I’m guessing from the sounds of it, Pop‘s not happy either.”

My brother sat back in his chair and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Gracie, he has to go. Unless–he has a choice. Can he choose his missions?”

“Yeah, he can,” I answer. “He feels it’s very necessary for him to go on this last mission because it’s his team, his men. He knows each of them, their personalities, how they work, who’s right for what job. That’s why they want him on this detail, so he can train the new captain.”