Duplicity Ch. 07

What had she gotten herself into? Layla was breaking rules left and right at this wedding. First with Merle and now this? Oh well, she guessed since she was all in she couldn't turn back now. Lord help her.

At the beach shop, the men went off somewhere else while Sienna, Nicole and Layla shopped. Layla was amazed at how Sienna and Jason were so well known on the island. Sure the locals knew they were wealthy but they joked and talked to them as if they were one of their own. The beach shop walls proudly displayed some of Sienna's paintings.

Sienna had a sweet bossy way about her. It was like she needed to care for everyone. It was surprising because she was the most hands off and relaxed bride Layla had ever met. Sienna was always available but often said she trusted Layla with the little details. So Layla was taken aback at how different Sienna was with non-wedding things. Sienna had a way of subtly convincing you to do something and then making you feel like it was your idea in the first place. She'd say things like, "Oh great choice," if she liked it. And if she didn't like it, she'd say, "I don't think you would like that one too much, right?"

Layla shook her head and chuckled at her antics. Sienna was turning into a genuine friend. She never treated her like an employee. She'd often just talk to her. And now with Nicole there, Sienna made sure Layla was included in everything they did. Although Layla always initially resisted; that girl was really hard to say no to.

Sienna wasn't self-centered or snobby as one would expect a woman to be with marrying Jason Bane. They were both regular people that happen to be pretty extraordinary. And that was hard to come by. Her few friends back home were a bit cold and competitive. Layla's wasn't really used to having someone actually caring for her. It was nice.

At first Layla was a little stiff when it came to trying a barely there bathing suit. While Nicole had no qualms about walking around the dressing room in her birthday suit. She'd brush it off saying something about how we all have the same thing and how there was no reason to be shy about it. Well she had a hell of a figure so she could say something like that. Nicole was about an inch shorter than Layla at about 5'9". Nicole was slim with not an inch of fat on her. Her body was long and lithe like a dancer but her ass had a mind of its own; round and bubbly. Her breasts weren't large by any means but were a generous size.

Layla was glad she worked out that morning as she looked at Nicole and Sienna in their suit. She had to admit she looked pretty damn good herself.

The shop owner had brought a tray of delicious appetizers and a round of chilled shot glasses with a cloudy white drink they called Ouzo. It was strong, sweet and smooth; it tasted like licorice. That seemed to loosen everyone up and trying on bathing suits had never been so fun.

Nicole was easy to talk to and really down to earth. She recounted funny childhood stories and they just laughed and laughed. They mentioned Sienna's brother Sean, in a lot of the stories. He was inevitably the one who would always get them into trouble. Sienna at one point brushed her happy tears away but didn't say anything. How sad to know he had passed. He was so young, Layla thought. From experience she knew it was hard enough losing a parent but losing a sibling and a best friend must have been horrible.

In the end, Sienna made them all choose three sets; promptly paid and thanked the owner and they were on their way. The men were back and ready to go. Layla decided to wear the red with white polka dots bikini, Nicole wore a bronze colored itty bity bikini that was all triangles and Sienna wore a pretty yellow halter top bikini.

Layla smiled as she thought of it. At the moment, Sienna and Jason were off frolicking in the water, John was off somewhere talking to a group of attractive girls and Nicole was lying next to her on a lounge chair. They had cold drinks in their hand and both thought life couldn't get any better.

"So do you like being a wedding planner?"

"I guess I do. I got into it because I worked at an event planning agency while I went to college. They figured out quickly I was good at managing people and chaos. So they gave me a small account and I worked my way up from there. And so it was natural to start up a business and reap the benefits."

"I get it, that's good. But if you could do anything, what would you do?"

"Anything?"

"Anything."

Layla turned towards Nicole as she thought about the question. She hadn't thought about what she really wanted in such a long time. It had always been what she had to do.

"A flower shop maybe? I always thought about this little corner in my neighborhood that would be perfect for it. The location and positioning is ideal-" Layla caught herself and stopped talking. "Forget it, it's stupid."

"Hey! That's not stupid, that sounded pretty cool. You're stupid for thinking it's stupid."

Layla looked at her. Did she really just call her stupid?

Nicole returned her gaze; smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Ah, you'll get used to my bluntness mami. I call it like it is. If you want a flower shop then you should have a fucking flower shop. It's not stupid; I think it's a great idea. I've seen how you work, you're a beast. You don't do shit half way, you give it your all. I admire that. Why not invest all that energy into something that will make you happy?"

Layla looked at her and was deep in thought. Let your dreams guide your goals. Nicole made it seem like the easiest thing in the world. Maybe it was.

"What about you? What do you want to do?"

"Me? I want to have a full-service surveillance and private investigator firm." Nicole beamed. She'd obviously thought long and hard about it.

"Just don't let a man cloud your judgment." Nicole continued.

Layla smiled. "Why do you say that?"

Nicole shrugged. "It's something my mom would say. She'd say, 'Chiquita... don't let apingabe your compass in life...' In other words, 'grow your own balls before you let someone else's grow on you."

At that, Layla almost chocked on her drink. She would've never thought Nicole's mom would say something like that. She coughed and coughed but laughed in between. Nicole laughed while she pounded Layla's back to help her out. When she caught her breath, Layla chuckled and shook her head. "You really should have that trademarked."

Nicole chuckled, "Maybe I will. I'm gonna put it on t-shirts or something."

Who knew Nicole would be so cynical? But Layla reflected on her words. She was curious. What would happen with Merle and her after the wedding? He didn't seem to be pursuing her at all. As painful as it was, maybe Layla needed to admit this was what it was. Just a fling. Nothing more, nothing less. That left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Just then Sienna and Jason approached them. They dried themselves off and sat on a lounge chair next to them.

"Hey you guys want to grab something to eat with us?" Jason asked.

Layla was so comfortable she just wanted to stay exactly where she was.

"Nah. I wanna stay here and chill." Nicole answered as if reading Layla's thoughts.

"How about you Layla?" Sienna asked.

"I'm ok. I'll stay here and keep Nicole company."

"Well I guess it's just you and me babe. We already asked John but he wants to stay since he's made some... friends." Sienna's eyebrow rose as she spoke.

Jason and Sienna gathered themselves together. As they walked off, Sienna said, "Let me know if you guys get hungry and want us to bring you back something. You have the cell phones we gave you right?"

Layla and Nicole nodded.

"Ok our numbers are programmed in there already."

"Yes mom. Go feed that poor baby already. You're making dizzy." Nicole saucily replied.

Sienna stuck her tongue out at her. "You. Behave. I don't need to hear about you terrorizing the locals. Layla make sure she stays out of trouble," she said smiling as they walked off.

Suddenly Layla saw a familiar figure walking down the shore.

"No, it can't be." She sat up and took her glasses off.

"What? What is it?" Nicole asked.

"It is him!" Layla jumped up and ran to the edge of the deck. Then took off running after someone.

"Oh my God. Hey! Remember me?" She laughed as she poked an unsuspecting large man. She couldn't believe it. Henry, the man she'd met in the London airport was here. What were the odds? She had fond memories of their short time together. He'd calmed her nerves and chatted with her the whole flight to Athens. That seemed like so long ago.

"I'm sorry love. I think you have me confused with someone else."

"Remember from Heathrow airport? You know... baby vomit on her head." Layla chuckled.

"No! Layla the uptight American wedding planner? That can't be you at all." Henry's laugh boomed as he swept her up in a hug.

"I didn't even recognize you! You've gone and cut off your hair. I love it."

Layla smiled. "Thanks. What are you doing here?"

"Mykonos was dreadful. No nightlife, just a bunch of old wankers. So I thought I'd hop on over to Santorini to see if I'd fair better here. I was hoping I'd run into you again."

"I'm so glad you did. Come. We're set up over here."

They walked over and she introduced him to Nicole. Henry was still his friendly, joyful self. Nicole took an immediate liking to him.

"So where are you staying Henry?" Layla asked.

"Well I'm still looking actually. It seems I've picked a rather busy time to just "hop over" without any reservations. But... I'm sure I'll find something."

Layla pursed her lips and glanced at Nicole as if asking a question.

Nicole waved them off and said, "Please... you can stay with us."

"What? Are you sure? I don't want to cause any trouble."

"You won't. I know Sienna and she won't mind. And I'm sure Jason won't mind either. Those two would take the shirts off their back to help anyone in need." Nicole said.

Layla looked at Nicole in concern.

"Really. You people need to lighten up. It will be fine, you see. So it's settled. Henry will come back with us. We'll have to ask her if he could come to the wedding of course, but I don't think she'd mind that either."

"Oh thank you! You really don't know what this means to me." Henry said sincerely.

Layla grinned and said, "It's settled then." She didn't want to admit it... but she was grateful for the company. Along with Nicole and Sienna, Henry was sure to be just the distraction she needed.

______________

After their delicious meal, Jason and Sienna talked in hushed tones. They were talking about the Sean situation and how to handle it because soon there would be a house full of family and friends. They hadn't noticed a man staring at them from a distance.

As they walked out of the restaurant, two men discretely flanked both of their sides. As soon as they noticed the strange men, they were approached by a tall man.

"Mr. Bane, Ms. Johnson... Can I have a moment of your time please?"

Jason and Sienna looked at each other and then at the man. For the first time, they noticed the men in suits surveying the area. And a couple more men in civilian clothing within range at street level.

"Who the hell are you?" Jason asked, already calculating how to get them out safely.

"Not here. But it's ok, I'm a friend. I urgently need to talk to you about your brother Sean."

Sensing there wasn't another way out of this; Jason nodded and placed a protective arm around Sienna. The man led them to his town car. A strong man with dark sunglasses opened the door for them and took his place as the driver. Once inside the tall man said he would answer all their questions when they were in a secure area.

They drove about 15 minutes and arrived at a bank building. They entered through a side entrance which led to an elevator to the fifth floor. Sienna pressed herself into Jason as her nerves were on edge.

They exited and were led to a large conference room. There was a massive conference table overpowering the room. It was graced with a strong stench of wood cleaner. And although there was one large window; it was still dark and damp in the room. The walls were covered in wood panels and the gray carpet was old and worn. The tall man closed and locked the door with only Sienna, Jason and him inside. He took his seat across from Sienna and Jason.

"Okay now it's secure to talk. I'm sorry your transport had to be so cryptic. But these are necessary precautions we must take."

"Who are you?" Jason asked, repeating the same question from before.

The man reached in and took out his Army ID and his license. He slid it on the table toward them.

Sienna examined it. When she read the name she gasped. "You're Mikhail Popov?!"

"Yes. I take it Sean has mentioned me..."

Sienna solemnly nodded.

"What did he say?"

"Just that you were his good friend." Sienna wanted to be cautious and not give this stranger too much information. She didn't exactly trust him.

"That's right. He might have mentioned my name and the number 423267. I was born April 23rd and taking away 2 years from the year I was born which is 1965 makes 67... 4-23-2-67. I suggested using this code after Sean said he was being followed."

"What do you want from us?" Jason asked.

"I know Sean is posing as your cousin and that is fine for now. But I need to alert you of the facts so we can help him."

"What kind of facts? What kind of help?" Sienna eagerly asked. After being in the dark for so long on what Sean had gone through, she wanted to know anything, everything.

"This is going to be difficult to hear so I'm going to try to get to the point. Alright?"

They both nodded. Mikhail walked to the corner of the room towards a tall file cabinet. He opened it with his key and flipped through until he found what he was looking for.

"I have in my hands, Sean's file... while he was under my care. You see, I'm the military psychologist assigned to him after he suffered a trauma." He held a thick manila folder filled with what appeared to be notes.

"What?! What do you mean?" Sienna asked astonished while Jason listened carefully.

"Sean might have said he was an undercover CIA operative. But the truth is he was never part of the CIA. He is actually an AWOL soldier that until recently had been presumably dead. It's top priority to get him back and get him the help he needs."

Sienna was stunned. "Sean was never in the CIA?"

Mikhail shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. About 5 years ago, Sean and his unit were assigned to patrol a large farm in southern Kandahar. The military had been working with the native poppy seed farmers to convert their crops to wheat. They'd offer local farmers seeds, fertilizer and credit to get them to convert their farms... anything to stop that poppy from converting into heroin. This would of course directly disrupt Taliban and terrorist funding. The problem is that, once converted many of these farms become targets for random acts of violence. So Sean and his unit were dispatched to this particular family-owned farm, which was thought to be at high risk.

"Unfortunately when they became under attack, they did not have the manpower to defend themselves. They didn't have enough time to call for backup. Each farm family member died that day. They were decapitated in front of the bound soldiers. Since none of the soldiers would talk or give up sensitive information; one by one they were mutilated until they were dead."

Sienna took a sudden intake of breath. Her eyes were widened. She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"For some reason they left Sean alive and took him as their only prisoner. My guess is because he was fluent in Pashto and that intrigued the Al Qaeda fighters. He was kept in captivity in a rebel camp for 2 months. At that point, his chances of survival were slim to none. But by luck U.S. and NATO Intelligence got a solid lead and rescued him... or what was left of him. But the captors were long gone by then."

At this point Sienna and Jason held their breath. After being told the most gruesome story they had ever heard. Sienna was barely holding it together and softly shook in fear of what he might say next.

Mikhail stopped talking and gave them a minute to digest the information. Seconds felt like hours.

"I'm very sorry but what I'm about to show you is disturbing." He pulled some photographs out of his folder and slid them to Sienna and Jason. It was photos documenting Sean's torture.

Sienna gasped loudly and covered her mouth. She shut her eyes tightly. The tears she held at bay with denial and disbelief freely ran down her face. She turned into Jason's shoulder and wept. She shook her head and cried out. Jason shushed her and rubbed her back in small circles. Jason's eyes were red and he clenched his teeth in anger. How could someone do such a thing? It was just too much.

The photographs depicted an emaciated Sean. Bound and gagged.

There was a light colored crust that covered his eyes and under his nose. His skin was covered in blotches of brown and purple; that looked to be either feces or dried blood. He was missing his bottom row of teeth, his nose was broken and his head was unevenly shaven. The bones in his shoulders poked under his skin in the most distracting way. Each rib on his cage could be counted clearly as the thin skin stretched over his frail frame. His back showed distinct pelts and angry purplish scars that traveled up his back, through both shoulders and down his chest. They must have used some kind of extra-long whip with shards of metal because the scarring ran together evenly.

The green eyes that looked into the camera's lens were vacant, dead.

"These images were sent to us as ransom; in exchange for enemy captives we had in custody. We we're able to triangulate the image with information in the photo's background; and that's how he was rescued.

"When I met Sean he had to gain at least 65 pounds he'd lost; needed reconstructive dental surgery, extensive shoulder repair and was severely malnourished. After a couple of months when he was physically stable, I went to work on his emotional state. It took a year to clear him for active duty... and even that was a challenge. Sean was deeply scarred and damaged. And the other things they did to him, the things we can't see... just can't be undone."

Sienna finally gasped for air. She sobbed in pain and couldn't take much more of what he was saying. Her heart literally hurt for her brother. "No please no. Not Sean." She clenched her chest as it felt like it was caving in.

"I'm sorry Ms. Johnson. I would rather have spared you this discomfort. But I need you to understand the extent of Sean's injuries. He needs help. While I was treating him he developed a sense of invincibility. He would go on and on about how he was now an undercover CIA agent. And he needed to find some classified documents to clear his name. He said there were people in disguise trying to trap him. So I played along trying to make him feel safe. It took a while but Sean finally opened up to me. I became his friend, his confidant. But let me see here..."

The man had a serious expression as he thumbed through his paperwork. "I diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia with a tendency of multiple personality disorder as an onset of traumatic injury. You see they kept him alive so long because Sean somehow convinced them that he wanted to be one of them. Who knows what he had to become while he was with them. The disguise is a safety mechanism to cope with what he's been through. Because he's taken on so many personalities and disguises; they might become permanent. If left untreated... your brother, I'm sorry to say, can and will be extremely dangerous to himself and others around him."