Duplicity Ch. 07

Sienna shook her head in disbelief. "No that can't be."

"I'm afraid it is."

"Sean is not dangerous!" Sienna said indignantly.

"Oh yea? Let me tell you something. After Sean went AWOL, on a hunch we searched the area where he was held prisoner. Intelligence led us to a bunker where we found 24 dead bodies; slaughtered. Those men all had ties to the same radical terrorist group that kidnapped him. Twenty-four men... dead. There were only one set of unidentified footprints at the scene. You tell me if he's dangerous or not!" Mikhail's voice boomed.

Sienna's pounded her fists on the table and met his gaze dead on. "Then they probably got what they were asking for." She said through clenched teeth.

"Maybe so. But let me ask you this, have you seen him have any mood swings? Have you seen him abuse any substances like alcohol or drugs? Have you seen him lose control? Has he opened up to you about what he went through in Afghanistan? Or does his story start with his life in the supposed CIA?"

"It's been years since you've seen him Ms. Johnson. This man is not the same Sean you know. His story just doesn't add up. And I know if you really think about it, you'll agree it's true."

Sienna crinkled her eyebrows and exhaled. She thought of Sean's behavior. She shook her head as if wrestling with her thoughts. She thought about how he was always drinking. She thought about how he always seemed to be holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. She could still remember the dark tattoo swirls that peaked through his tank top. Looking at these images, those tattoos covered those scars exactly.

No. She just got him back and she wasn't going to lose him again. Over her dead body-

"Ms. Johnson, I understand you want to protect him. But you have to come to grips with the fact that the only way to help him is to allow us to bring him to a specialized facility. Sean is an extremely resourceful man. He is quick and lethal. Hell, at one point he was even being considered to be an operations detachment delta CIA operative, a highly sought after position because he was considered an asset. But unfortunately after a year, he just didn't pass the extensive required evaluations. If he finds out we're on to him. Hewillrun. And it might be years until we find him again. Please. Help me, help him."

"Where will you take him?" Jason asked. Sienna looked at him in surprise. Until now Jason had been completely quiet. And he was so quickly agreeing with him?

"After your wedding, we will transfer him to a secure facility in the U.S. for debriefing and continued treatment. You will be kept abreast of where and how he is doing." Mikhail replied.

Sienna was still staring at Jason, shocked that he was even considering this.

"Princess, I know this is hard to process. But in the short time I've shared with Sean, I've come to regard him as a brother. I want the best for him. But there are little things just not right with him. I didn't want to say anything to worry you. I know it's hard for you to see because you're so close to him. But now... it just all makes sense. Don't worry he'll be ok. But right now he needs our help."

Sienna's eyes renewed with fresh tears. How could she betray her brother this way? Had she been ignorant to what was really going on? Sean's story had been so unbelievable. But it was Sean, so without a doubt she believed him. Everything he said was like something out of a movie.

Just then a faint memory came to her. She closed her eyes to concentrate. Before when she fell asleep in Sean's room... that movie that was playing. The injured man in the snow... the story Sean told her about the coldest town in Siberia... the injury he said he sustained while finding his friend... the fact he made her swear to only trust Mikhail and no one else. The fact that said his Merle disguise came from a movie prop manufacturer. Sienna didn't want to admit it even though she knew it was too good to be true.

It was all so clear to her now. Sean had made the whole thing up. In Sean's mind he felt as if he was being chased. And in Merle's disguise he would be safe. Her strong, sweet, courageous brother had a mental illness. How could she be so blind and not see it? She was hit with a pang of guilt. But she would not let him down. She would get him the help he needs.

After a long stretch of silence.

Sienna spoke up. "Ok. What do we need to do?"

Mikhail exhaled in relief. "Right after your wedding we'll have our people on site to bring him in. It will be an easy extraction. Don't worry I'll make sure he's not harmed. I truly believe... that if Sean cooperates; he can still have a full productive normal life."