Immortal Secrets (21 page)

“Look, you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to. You can just tell me to shut up if you feel like it. I’m just really curious about some things now. Like what did Allison mean in the hospital when she told me that if you had taken a few more chances, your wife might not have died?” I asked.

“I should have broken my cover and given up on my mission. I should have taken Ingrid and run away with her. I didn’t. It got crazy in Berlin as the Russian Army closed in on the city. Any man who didn’t join the Home Guard was shot for cowardice.”

I put my hand up to stop him. “What exactly was the Home Guard?”

“It was kind of like the Army reserves here. It was really men too young or too old to be in the regular German army. We were the last ditch defense to stop the Russians. It was suicide. I still thought that I could maintain my cover and we could just ride the crisis out. Little did I know that Hitler would be dead within a week.”

“So what happened to Ingrid?” I asked.

Tears were forming in his eyes. “I don’t know. She was found shot to death in the street. I don’t even know if it was a German or a Russian that killed her. I have no idea why she was outside. I told her to stay in our basement until all the fighting was over. I wasn’t there to save her. I should have taken the chance and tried to get her out of Germany.”

I brushed away one of his tears. “Is that why you won’t let me out of your sight?”

“Yes, I won’t let it happen again,” he replied.

“It won’t happen this time. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have your babies.”

He winced. “Well, there is a slight problem with that. I should have mentioned this earlier. I actually don’t seem capable of having children. I don’t know of a single immortal that has been able to have children.”

I tried to put a brave face on. “That’s okay, I still love you. At least now we don’t have to talk about birth control.”

“I can tell you’re disappointed.”

“I’m okay; we can always explore other options at some point. Of course, that’s all contingent on the mob not trying to kill me for a while.”

“So you’ll still marry me?” Jeff asked.

“There is nothing in the world I want more than to be Mrs. Jeff Campbell.”

Jeff took me in his arms and gently kissed me. I felt him guiding me down to the bed as his tongue explored my mouth. We laid together on the bed with our bodies intertwined. I kissed him as hard as I could  as I felt his hands exploring my body. My hands were roaming over his muscular body as well.

I don’t know how long we laid there making out. The light was starting to fade in the bedroom. The sun was going down. I noticed a soft glow in the room. I knew it was coming from Jeff’s hands.

I sat up and looked at him. “What are you doing? There’s nothing wrong with me but you’re doing your whole healing hands thing. Do I have some disease I don’t know about?”

“As far as I know, you’re in perfect health. I’ve been wanting to test a theory,” he said.

“What is this theory?” I asked.

“It has been said that a person starts dying the day they are born. The human body is constantly decaying. Allison and I have a theory that I may be able to reverse that decay for short periods. We think I may be able to reverse a few weeks of decay.”

“Are you saying you can keep me from aging?”

“Yes, or at least slow it down to an almost undetectable rate. At least that is the theory and it may take a few years for us to know for sure.”

“When exactly did you come up with this theory?”

“We came up with it a few years ago. However, we’ve never had anyone to test it on.”

“So, I’m your guinea pig?”

“I like to think of you more as the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Our conversation was cut short by Allison bursting into the room. “He did it!”

I looked up at her. “He did what?”

She looked absolutely giddy. “Carl broke the decryption. We can see what’s on the data card now.”

I swallowed hard. It was the moment of truth. Now I would have to face whatever was on that data card.

Chapter Nineteen

I sat in front of Carl’s laptop and stared at the screen. I was alone in Allison’s bedroom. Carl had been using her bedroom to work on decrypting the data card from my pendant. Carl had already put copies of all the files on six thumb drives, one for each of us. No one had actually seen any of the files yet. Jeff wanted to give me the chance to view it privately first. He said that since the files were originally intended for me that I should look them over before anyone got to look at them.

I used the computer mouse to click on a file called ‘Kat’. My mother named me Katherine. Most people called me Kathy, but my mom always just called me Kat. I had gotten so used to being called Lisa that it seemed weird to think of myself as Kat. The file opened and a letter from my mother filled the screen.

Kat,

I know things have been a little tense between us lately but I want you to know that I love you very much. I am giving you this information as a insurance policy of sorts. If everything went as planned, I gave you the codes to decrypt the files on this data card at dinner tonight. If that is the case, you can stop reading. If not, I might need to explain what has happened.

Your father always said I was too nosy for my own good. It looks like that may finally be true. Two months ago, one of the partners at the firm asked me to work on a project for him. He wanted me to audit the books on a small company one of our clients owned.

I guess I did my job a little too well. I stumbled across some irregularities and kept digging. I dug too deep and discovered that the company in question was actually owned by the Demarco family. Not only that, but it seemed to be operating as a front for some intelligence services.

I have included several of the spreadsheets that contain information linking covert American intelligence agencies with the Demarco family. I took all of this information to a man I know at the Justice Department. He was unofficially looking into my suspicions. He was found dead two days ago, an apparent suicide. I am sure he was murdered.

I also included some audio files that my friend had let me listen to. There were still copies of these files on my computer when he died. They are taped conversations between members of the Demarco family and both U.S. Senators from New York, as well as an influential congresswoman from New York. The conversations are very incriminating and show that the government appears to be in bed with the Demarcos.

I think they know I’m on to them. We may all be in danger. I am so sorry about problems this will cause for you. I know you are still seeing Tommy Demarco against my wishes, but you need to take these files and get as far away from these people as you possibly can.

Remember that I love you always.

Love,

Mom

I glanced at the date on the computer file. It was dated the day that she and my father died in a ‘supposed’ accident. There wasn’t much doubt that it was no accident. She had given me the pendant a few days before that. It had seemed strange that she would just give me a gift out of the blue. I remember thinking that she was trying to bribe me into breaking it off with Tommy.

I laid my head on the desk and began to sob. The Demarcos had killed my parents.
They had to pay for what they had done.

When I looked up, Jeff was there. I hate it when he does that. “They killed my parents for what’s in these files. I feel so dirty. Not only was I acting like a cheap little tramp. I was acting that way with the very people who killed my parents. I honestly don’t know wh
y you would want to marry a girl
like me.”

Jeff put his hand on my cheek. “That’s not who you are today and I doubt that is who you really were then either. It’s not your fault your parents were killed.”

I got up from the desk. “Go ahead, you can read it. It’s all there. No wonder they wanted these files so badly. I never thought that being a good accountant could get you killed. I guess when you are dealing with the Demarcos it can.”

Jeff sat down and started to read. “Okay, now we have something to negotiate with.”

Unfortunately, that was as far as the negotiation talk got. We heard two gunshots from outside. They must have been warning shots because Allison was in my head a second later. We were under attack. I ran to my bedroom and grabbed my nine millimeter pistol. Jenny and Carl followed me into the room. Jenny closed the door behind her.

Jenny grabbed both of us by the arm pulling us to the floor. “Get down. Both of you, get on the floor.”

As if on cue, the window exploded, sending glass everywhere. I could see the bullet holes in the wall. I had no idea where Jeff was. No doubt, he was meeting the enemy head on. The problem was that it only took a couple of the mafia soldiers making it through to take care of me and Carl.

I had no doubt that Jeff, Allison, and Phil would eventually win the day. The question was could any of the bad guys get to us and the files before Jeff and company wiped all of them out? Of course, there was also the matter of another immortal running around and he worked for the bad guys.

I could feel the whole house shaking as the exterior walls were being rocked by gunfire. I could hear the bullet
s
whizzing over my head. I felt the panic begin to grip me. How many of my friends would have to be hurt or killed to protect me?
I knew that I had to be the main target. I wasn’t just going to sit and wait for my white knight to slay all the dragons. I bolted for the door.

Jenny seemed shocked. “Lisa! What are you doing?”

I threw open the bedroom door and ran out of the room, even as I felt Jenny reaching for me. I made it to the back
door and
rushed out into the night air. It was the stupidest thing I could have done. The only reason I wasn’t instantly gunned down was probably because it was so stupid that no one expected me to run out that door.

I made a bee line for the back fence as I felt a bullet whiz past my neck. I dove over the chain link fence and rolled to my feet. I glance behind me and saw the man they called Flores coming out of the back door. The house and back yard were well lit but the area beyond the back fence went from light to pitch dark in a matter of ten feet. I was trying to escape into the darkness and then maybe I could turn the tables on any of my attackers that were stupid enough to step into the light.

I was almost in total darkness when I heard the gunshot and felt my left shoulder explode in pain. The bullet passed through my shoulder with such force that it spun me completely around and I screamed as I went down. I could barely think through the pain but I knew my attacker would be on me any second. I got to my feet and tried to run toward the cotton field behind the barn. I remembered Allison teaching me to shoot in that field.

Flores must have wanted me alive, at least long enough to question. He certainly could have killed me before I reached the field. I tried to run into the field but my legs gave out and I was getting weaker by the second. I had no doubt I was losing a lot of blood from the bullet wound in my shoulder. I fell and rolled over onto my back, still holding my gun. I could see Flores’ silhouette against the lights that were behind him. He was walking slowly toward me.

I lifted my gun and
pointed it in his direction. His
body straightened up as if he was daring me to shoot at him. Of course he was. We both knew that I could probably hit him with every bullet in my gun and still not kill him. What did he have to fear? Here was an immortal assassin against a mortal girl who was already injured and probably bleeding to death. What chance did he really think I had?

Well, that bit of arrogance was going to cost him. He should have killed me while I was still an easy victim. I focused and aimed at my target, even though it was hard to make out in the dark. I squeezed the trigger and felt the gun kick in my hand. The bullet passed right past Flores’ left arm and found its true target. The gas tanks next to barn and only a few feet from Flores exploded. I saw the flash and felt the heat wave rush over me. Take that Mr. arrogant.

I heard Flores scream in pain as he was thrown ten feet by the blast and his whole body was on fire. I might have been knocked over as well if I had been standing up. Already laying on the ground had worked to my advantage and I really didn’t suffer anything worse than some singed hair.
Not only did I take out my attacker, I took out half the barn and the half that was still standing was on fire.
I made it to my knees as I saw someone running my direction and calling my name. It was Jeff with Jenny right on his heels.

He paused to look at Flores as his body was still moving but he badly burned. “Are you okay, babe?”

I winced. “Not exactly. He shot me in the shoulder and I think I’m about to pass out from losing too much blood.”

He went down on one knee and looked at my shoulder. He put his hands on my arm and I saw an explosion of light from his hand and felt a flash of heat run through my body. Suddenly, my shoulder was fine.

He looked at me in the eye. “You better now?”

I smiled. “Yeah I am. I guess the old age excuse of ‘not tonight honey, I have a headache’ isn’t going to fly with your magic hands around.”