Tess Awakening (48 page)

Amir aimed the gun at Tess but hesitated. He
realized that this time he had really lost. He could not bring
himself to kill Tess. It was all over. He put the weapon to the
side of his head. “Tess, you have brought me nothing but pain, but
I have always loved you!”

Jake tried to get the weapon out of his
hands, but he was too late. Amir had shot himself.

Tess, Jake, and Carmen collapsed against the
wall. The room was a bloody, wreck. The police arrived. It was all
over. Tess and Carmen hugged Jake, finally realizing that this was
indeed the end of the nightmare. Amir was gone and now they could
get their life back.

Chapter 84

Jake received a call from one of Amir’s
lawyers who requested a private meeting. Jake was tempted to tell
him to pound sand, but the attorney assured him that it would be to
his advantage to come to his office.

Jake took a cab and walked through the
impressive lobby of the law firm.

He was met by a senior attorney, Paul Towers.
“Mr. Vickers, I have been instructed by my client to communicate
directly with you and no one else, not even you wife.”

“What is this all about, Mr. Towers?”

“My client is General al-Saadi’s sister,
Madame Fadime. She wishes to discuss your possible adoption of the
General’s daughter.”

“Since when did she turn out to be so
magnanimous? She was part and parcel of her brother’s machinations
since day one.”

“Madame Fadime is grieving over her brother’s
death and recognizes that it is time to make peace. Doing so is,
after all, desirable for all parties.”

“How do I know that this is not another of
her tricks?”

“All I know is that she would like a face to
face meeting with you and only you to discuss the matter.”

‘Why doesn’t she wish to talk with Tess, my
wife?”

“Frankly, she is afraid for her life. I
understand that your wife hurt my client in the recent past.”

“It’s a long story,” Jake responded. “Where
does she want to meet?”

“For safety reasons, she would like to meet
you at her house in Buenos Aires.”

“Okay, I can fly down there with my
wife.”

“No. She will only meet with you.”

“I need to talk about this with my wife.”

“Madame Fadime’s conditions are that she will
meet only with you and that your wife will not be told of you
meeting until it is over.”

Jake was annoyed. “This is bizarre.”

“I am sorry, Mr. Vickers. Those are the terms
set by my client.”

“All right, please give me whatever
information you have.”

Towers handed him a sealed envelope.

***

Jake felt very uncomfortable concealing the
upcoming meeting from Tess. After all, Aara had been the epicenter
of Tess’s epic confrontation with Amir. He decided to talk to
Carmen.

“Carmen, you are close to Tess, and I need to
discuss an extremely delicate situation with you. I need your
advice.”

“Jake, you know that you can count on me to
do anything for your guys.”

“Fadime seems to be ready to turn Aara to us
for adoption.”

“Wow! Did you tell Tess about this?”

“No. Fadime wants to meet only with me and
insists that Tess is not to know about this until arrangements have
been made.”

Carmen had to think for a minute. She put her
hands behind her head, trying to digest the implications of what
Jake said. “Jake, this whole mess with Amir started with the girl.
I don’t know if Tess can take another shock. What happens if it
doesn’t work out?”

“Perhaps it’s best that she does not know
about this until it is done.”

“I guess so, Jake. I am sure that Tess would
love to have Aara. But you probably need to run when she finds out
you worked behind her back.”

“I don’t like to do this, but it’s a chance
to get the child. It may help Tess to get over the loss of her
kids.”

“I wish you luck, Jake. I will try to keep
Tess on an even keel until you return.”

“Thanks, Carmen. You are a jewel.”

***

Jake told Tess that he needed to attend a
meeting to coordinate a project in Argentina and that he would be
back in a couple of days.

He landed in Buenos Aires in the private jet
provided by General Turner. He had brought with him a nurse and
Carol, the nanny who had been taking care of little Morgan.

He took the elevator in a beautiful old
apartment building in the fashionable Recoleta district and knocked
on the door of Fadime’s apartment. She opened the door and smiled.
Fadime was still classy and beautiful, elegantly dressed and
apparently recovered from her broken arm. She asked him to sit on a
stuffed chair next to the couch and offered refreshments. Jake took
some juice.

He got right to the point. “I talked with
your lawyer in New York, and he tells me that you have a
proposition for us.”

Fadime took a sip of her champagne. “I will
be brief. My brother is dead and I see no sense in perpetuating
eternal hostility toward Tess. I am now in charge of Aara, but she
is very unhappy here. Part of it has to do with me; I am not good
with children. She needs a mother, and the only person that could
serve in that role now is Tess. I know that the tragedy of the
relationship between her and Amir was based on the child. I also
know that you and Tess lost your unborn child and the son that she
and Amir had together. I am sure that the pain of these losses
cannot be entirely mitigated. Aara still wants to be with Tess and
I am willing to let her go. It’s the best thing for her anyway. I
am sure you can work out the proper immigration and adoption
procedures. If you accept my proposal, I will turn over control of
her trust to you and Tess. I inherited Amir’s wealth and I don’t
need the money.

“What about the videos?” Jake was good at
keeping track of things.

Fadime reached behind her and gave Jake a
box. This the master and the only remaining copy. It’s yours, on
the condition that Tess leaves me alone. She hurt me before and I
never want to see her again.”

“I am sure that the feeling is mutual,” Jake
noted. “Your proposal makes sense. Let’s do it.” Fadime made a
quick call and a local lawyer joined them. In a couple of minutes,
they signed a few documents.

Fadime pressed a button, and a woman brought
in Aara. The child was now seven, still sporting huge doe eyes with
pupils as black as onyx. Jake looked at the child. “Aara, do you
want me to bring you to Tess?”

The child looked at Fadime, who smiled and
waved her head toward Jake. Aara kissed her on the cheek, and then
took Jake’s hand. She was ready to go.

Jake and Aara held hands down the elevator.
Jake had a bag with some of her clothes. The driver took them to
the airport and the plane took off for New York. The nurse and the
nanny made sure Aara was comfortable.

***

Tess’s depression was coming back. She still
missed hugging and kissing her little boy. She felt alone and
bereft, still breaking in tears.

She heard the latch open and ran to the door.
Jake stood on the threshold, holding Aara’s hand. Tess felt her
heart miss a beat. She could not believe her eyes. She opened her
arms and the child ran toward her crying “Miss Tess!” They hugged,
kissed and laughed in joy.

Life had come full circle. In spite of the
travails, pain and agony now Tess felt that she now had a new lease
on life. She had a new reason to live, to nurture a child again and
to love a man that had always stood by her.

***

Thank you for reading my book
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enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to leave me a review at
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Thanks!

Andres Mann

Postscript

Although it is based on actual events, the
international political commentary in this book solely reflects the
writer’s prejudices and opinions.

The description of the great storm that
flooded Genoa and much of northern Italy accurately portrays what
happened there in November 2014.

The remarkable efforts of the Italian people
to help their towns and cities recover from disaster are a
testament to their resiliency and sense of community.

The Fiat 500 really floats.

About the Author

The writer previously was an Army Officer
and a business executive.

He is a published author of three management
books and various business articles.

His education includes degrees in Political
Science and International Relations.

He is now writing the Tess series of
adventure books, starting with
Tess Awakening
and the
current sequel
Tess Valkyrie
. Based on real contemporary
events, the stories reflect the challenges posed by international
political developments in the Middle East and the issues that
professional women experience in today’s world. True to life, his
writings cover many aspects of people’s lives in today’s world,
starting during the second Gulf War in Iraq and ending in the
current era.

Action, intrigue, deceit, obsession,
sensuality, the use of wealth to achieve one’s goals and the
struggle between corruption and ethics are a constant theme.

This book is also available in print at most
online retailers.

If you have any comments, complaints or
suggestions, you can reach the author at
[email protected]
.

Please remember to leave a review for my
book at your favorite retailer
. Your feedback is important
because it helps with the development of new stories that you might
like to read.

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