### Contents

  1. Other Books
  2. Author's Note
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Chapter One - The Agency
  6. Chapter Two - Evil Incarnate
  7. Chapter Three - Fool Me Twice
  8. Chapter Four - Ditch the Bitch
  9. Chapter Five - She Never Lies
  10. Chapter Six - Time vs. Space
  11. Chapter Seven - Integrity
  12. Chapter Eight - Never Odd or Even
  13. Chapter Nine - What is in a name?
  14. Chapter Ten - Keep Your Enemies Closer
  15. Chapter Eleven - Flying Under the Radar
  16. Chapter Twelve - The Robe
  17. Chapter Thirteen - Strike Three
  18. Chapter Fourteen - When My Best Isn't Good Enough
  19. Chapter Fifteen - Trouble in Paradise
  20. Chapter Sixteen - Scratch Where it Itches
  21. Chapter Seventeen - Îles d'Hyères
  22. Chapter Eighteen - Shika Ultima
  23. Chapter Nineteen - Taking Care of Business
  24. Chapter Twenty - E
  25. About the Author

## Guide

  1. Contents
  2. Start of Content

**Adriel Chevalier Book Series**

False Antichrist - 2016

The Gold of Ophir - 2018

Noah's Portal - 2019

Zanzibar - 2020

The Precinct Murders - 2020

Where the Chips Fell - 2020

COVID-21 - 2020
**To the Reader**

The Creator has granted me another year on this earthly plane, and my story continues. I never cease to be amazed at the endless experiences that take me far beyond where I have ever been. I am convinced that there is no end to what we can learn and attain, and if I lived to be a thousand years old it would remain as such. Although reading the previous experiences that I have had would be beneficial in understanding this adventure, it isn't necessary. I try to keep each story contained with enough explanation to get you up to speed on what has happened.

As I cannot disclose anyone's true identity, the names and locations have been altered, and any similarities to persons living or dead are merely a coincidence.

Love from the bottom of my heart,

Adriel

ZANZIBAR

Adriel Jacques Chevalier

Copyright © 2020 Adriel Jacques Chevalier

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9780463195369

## CHAPTER ONE

### _The Agency_

I AWOKE IN darkness. Annette's naked body lay close to me, and I kissed her soft, sweet shoulders being careful not to awaken her. She was lightly snoring. It had been months since we had worn any clothing. That's the way life was at our villa. She had designed a unique paradise of natural stone for our abode. The gardens that adorned our estate were breathtaking and required the constant attention of our caretakers, Brigette, Gianette, and Françoise, who lived in a separate villa on our property. They were three young, beautiful French women who were purely homosexual. I wasn't sure if Annette had chosen them as such to reduce the chances of their involvement with me or because she herself had been homosexual prior to our marriage. Although, I knew that Annette would bring any one of them into our bed at my request. I never wanted that. Annette was the only woman for me these days, and I didn't want to mar the incredible sensual experience that we shared. We had been married for eight months, and I was completely enthralled with her beauty and personality.

Annette had been employed by the agency for over ten years. I met her when she was assigned to assist me in finding a secret gold mine that was believed to exist somewhere near Africa. I was with Evelyn at that time. Evelyn and I had been happily married for over thirty years. Unfortunately, the project to find the gold mine proved to be more than she could bear. I couldn't blame her. I was forced into some very close relationships that were extremely difficult for her to navigate. In the end, I had to fake my death to protect her and myself from those who sought to either end my life or coerce me into working for them. I had some unique talents, and everyone sought my assistance. I had tried to reconnect with Evelyn after a few months, but the more she learned, the more impossible it was for her to continue as my wife. She held my death certificate, and she demanded that I go back to my deceptive grave. I haven't seen her since.

I gently pulled away from Annette's sleeping form and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I felt the cool tile beneath my feet. We were sleeping in the lower bedroom because it was summertime, and the nights were hot. She had designed our villa with rooms that were cut back under a stone cliff and lower than the rest of the estate. She had unlimited funds to design and decorate, and she had created a virtual paradise. The weather was superb. We lived on an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of France. We had no doors, and the rooms were designed with angles that provided ample privacy. The girls would clap if they needed our attention, and we could answer from our rooms without any obstruction. It was very dark, so I felt my way out of our summer bedroom to the stone steps that led up to the patio area which adjoined the large kitchen. I made my way around the stone counter to grab a bottled water from the fridge. The darkness and silence held an ominous ambience that felt like I was still dreaming. It was peaceful and serene.

I strolled out to the patio and sat in one of the loveseats to gather my thoughts and sip my water. I could see three faint lights among the gardens below, and I knew that our three gorgeous, naked caretakers were hard at work to keep our surroundings beautiful. They always worked at night to minimize their exposure to us during the day. I truly seldom saw them except for the monthly parties that I threw for them at our swimming pool. None of us wore clothing unless we were receiving visitors, and there were times that I couldn't help but be aroused by their flawless bodies. That amused Annette more than annoyed her, and she would sometimes tease me about it. I was trying to clear my head and determine what had awakened me at three o'clock in the morning. I continued to sip my water and watch the faint lights move from garden to garden like fireflies in the darkness. Finally, I decided to wander down the stone path toward the beach. The stars were bright, and there was no moon. The walkway was dimly lit to assist in my navigation of the smooth stones. They felt so good underneath my bare feet, and I enjoyed every step as I slowly sauntered toward the awaiting surf. Annette and I spent a considerable amount of time sunning ourselves down there. We were as dark as night, and I knew that I was practically invisible in the darkness as I strolled along.

I made my way down the stone stairway and stepped onto the sand. The soft roll of the surf was delightful. There was no breeze, and the air was warm. I walked to the edge of the water and looked out over the blackness of the sea that stretched before me. Suddenly, I realized that I wasn't alone. I quickly turned and saw her beautiful form standing in the starlight about five meters from me. She slowly approached and shed her white robe onto the sand. She held out her hands, and I swiftly ran to her. I dropped my empty water bottle and grabbed her into my arms. It seemed like ages since I had held her. She began to weep on my shoulder as I wept upon hers. It felt so good to hold her again. We spent several minutes in our emotions as we clung to one another. We then began a kissing frenzy that lasted for nearly half an hour. Her lips and tongue were electrifying, and I wanted her so badly that I felt my heart would explode. We hadn't spoken a word. She spread out her robe on the sand and lay down with her arms outstretched to receive me. I slid on top of her, and we began our unique interlude of lovemaking that is impossible to describe in this realm. We both exploded with delight again and again as we wept, kissed, caressed, and pleased one another. We were engaged in our bliss for at least two hours, and I knew that the sun would soon rise. I wanted more time with her. Our lovemaking customarily lasted for several hours at a time, and I wasn't ready to stop. Yvonne knew that I needed more time. She gently nibbled on my ear and invited me to take the step onto the golden highway where we could splice time and enjoy one another for as long as we wanted.

She had taught me so much. The universe is interconnected in ways that most people cannot comprehend. We continually limit ourselves in our understanding by creating erroneous paradigms that inhibit our willingness to look beyond what we think is possible. Two hundred years ago it would have been extremely difficult to convince anyone that we could live beneath the surface of the ocean for prolonged periods of time or walk upon the surface of the moon. In like manner, it is difficult for me to describe to others the abilities that are available if we will but accept the truth. The golden highway is the hub of space and time. It isn't really a golden highway as Yvonne once explained to me. It's just the perception that is created by those of us who were born into this world. It's necessary for us to have an imagery that is conducive to our experience on this earth. Therefore, I see it as a beautiful atmosphere with a golden glass road that is surrounded by brightly colored flowers that appear as jewels. There are many components to that environment, and as time permits I will disclose to you what I am allowed.

To enter the golden highway requires a step in a direction to which most people are unfamiliar. I had learned some rudimentary steps early in my experience that were taught to me by a dear friend whom I lost to pancreatic cancer about a year ago. From those initial steps, I was introduced to a vast array of navigational capabilities that can take me anywhere in the universe within seconds. As fictional as this may sound, the more I learn, the more I see the science behind it. Yvonne has taken a considerable amount of time teaching me various aspects of time and space. The one which we are about to employ is the splicing of time. Yvonne and I can step onto the golden highway and then go anywhere in this world to make love for as long as we like. When we are finished, we can step back to the golden highway and walk into what I call a breeze that blows. She said there is really no breeze, but I perceive it that way to understand the concept of time. We then take the necessary steps into the breeze to return back to the same time that we left the beach to step onto the golden highway. In this manner, I have learned to virtually cheat time. However, contrary to popular belief and fictional writing, I cannot actually go back any further than when I stepped onto the golden highway to splice time. In other words, time travel as you may have heard is not allowed. Notice I didn't say it wasn't possible, but Yvonne explained the inherent pitfalls of doing so. However, there were equally disastrous pitfalls to splicing time if I didn't abide by the rules. I could splice several strings of time to be in several places at once, but she forbade me to do so in the same time and place. Otherwise, I could duplicate myself somewhere which she insisted could be a fatal mistake. It could destroy my paradigm of time and space and make it impossible for me to function within this world. She said I would most likely end up in a mental institution, and that warning alone kept me compliant.

Splicing time was contiguous for me. It didn't appear that I was traversing time in any manner. Although returning to my origination point was just an extension of my day, I had to be aware of the circumstances that existed when I left. Annette was still asleep in our bed. Our caretakers were still working in our gardens. Yvonne and I extended our lovemaking for hours on end, and instead of returning to start my day in an exhausted state, she let me catch up on my sleep before we returned. She would hold me and caress my hair as I snoozed in her arms. I wasn't being unfaithful to Annette. They knew one another well, and Annette had been present in the past when I made love to Yvonne. She described it as frightening because it wasn't a sexual activity as one may have with another human. Although Yvonne and I made love that is incomprehensible, it transcended anything that can be experienced with another earthly person. It brought healing to my soul. I had known Yvonne for a while before I discovered that she was really a part of me. One might consider her to be my subconscious, and in the sense that one might understand that, she is. As feeble as language is to convey this, she described herself as another one of my body parts. She did have a mortal body that was separate from mine. If my body died, and I transcended this world into the next, she would do the same in her realm and follow me. Likewise, if her mortal body died mine would follow as well as we stepped into the next realm together. Some refer to it as Heaven, but it's nothing like what most people imagine.

The writings about the Christ in the original Koine Greek language disclose that he referred to the kingdom of the heavens in a plural manner. Many lives are lived in many ways. Some believe that we return to earth, but we do not. We traverse other realms to develop. I can tell you more about that later, but right now I need to return to my current state of affairs. I have several dilemmas that confront me, and I am clueless how I am going to dodge the various threats to my life and marriage. So much has happened in the past five years. I was a software engineer in the Midwestern United States with a wonderful and beautiful wife. We have two grown children, who to this day believe that I was murdered. I have had to detach emotionally, and I have been through some heart wrenching experiences along the way. I would say that it's a miracle that I'm still alive, but in reality it is not. It was part of the plan. I'm not talking about the Creator's plan for me. It was my plan. One of the frustrating aspects is that I cannot remember what that plan was. I have to live it out here as it unfolds. If it hasn't occurred to you, you existed long before you were born on this earth. Perhaps you have had an inkling of being far older than your physical body. I assure you that it's true. In fact, you and I may have met before we came here.

One of the interesting things that happened to me about six years ago was that I became aware of my former existence. I remembered meeting countless souls before we descended to this earth. When it happened, I was confused and began to doubt its validity. At one point, I thought I might be losing my mind, but I was able to know things about others around me that I seemingly had no way of knowing. I learned later after meeting Yvonne that it was she who was allowed to disclose all of it to me. She allowed me to read the thoughts of others for a period of months as I was involved in preventing a world disaster. I wrote about my experiences and published it as a novel entitled, _False Antichrist_. As I began to recount my experiences prior to my birth here, I explained that we each had a choice about particular aspects of our future lives on this earth. We had watched so many descend to this plane, but we were totally unaware of pain, desire, emotion, or any other earthly experience. Much of what we saw made no sense to us. However, some were fearful to descend to the earth to live, and they devised elaborate schemes with others to control their earthly existence and environment. Much of that led to corruption and taking advantage of others. I steered clear of those groups. Plans continually changed among them because none of us knew when we would descend, and the world was going through rapid change at certain points.

One central aspect that I found interesting was that we chose the span of our lives on earth. Some, who were fearful about living here, decided to die in utero or early in life. As I pondered that, it made sense to me why some lived less than a year while others lived over one hundred. I have heard some people challenge over the years how a loving Creator could allow some of the most horrible events on this earth. In reality, it was we who chose them before we came. We did go through a negotiation process with our Creator prior to our descent into this earthly realm. He, or she as I came learn, never interfered with our free will. He may have challenged our decisions, but he didn't interfere. He then directed our lives in accordance with our choices. However, it appeared that he got the blame when it was truly we who had made our choices. One of the disturbing aspects to this was that last year Yvonne explained to me that I had negotiated enough for three lifetimes. She warned that I had a long way to go. I found that exciting and frightening as well. She wasn't allowed to disclose my negotiations with the Creator. Once we were born into this world, we forgot our former existence. She said that the same was true as we traversed each realm. Once we leave this world, the former things will be remembered no more.

We returned to the beach at the exact same time that we had left. After a long embrace and countless kisses, Yvonne shook the sand from her robe and carried it off down the beach. I watched until she was out of sight. I missed her already. I snatched my empty water bottle from the sand and turned to make my way up the steps to follow the stone walkway to my villa. The sun was just beginning to shed a soft glow in the eastern horizon as I stealthily stepped my way back to the patio. As I looked circumspectly, I saw no signs of the girls. They had finished their night's work and retired to their quarters for more entertaining activities. Our home was one of freedom and acceptance. Annette and I never discouraged the girls from making love anywhere at any time. In turn, we did the same. I felt a peace and refreshment due to Yvonne's healing of love that I had long awaited. We had been in the habit of meeting at least once a day, but that was before the incident with Joey.

Joey also worked for the agency with Annette on my former project. She was the most beautiful and exquisite woman of physical perfection that I had ever seen. Evelyn had agreed. That's partially why Evelyn decided to call it quits with me. Joey and I had been thrust into a very close relationship. We had done about everything with one another physically outside of coitus. Yvonne had warned me to never have sex with Joey. It would have prevented Yvonne from coming to me again to heal me and teach me, and I desperately needed her. However, on my last project I had crossed that line with another woman. Evelyn had rejected me and left me devoid of any sexual contact. I soon fell in love with a woman that I met in Milos, which is a Greek isle where I lived over a year ago. I had joined the agency and used my time splicing technique with Yvonne to gain my agent training by overlapping several timeframes. They had turned me into a fit, skilled, educated killing machine. Although I was adept at self defense, I couldn't rival Annette, who in turn couldn't even come close to overcoming Joey. Joey's nickname was the Angel of Death and for a good reason. She had suffered from Emotional Detachment Disorder, and she was the perfect assassin. At last count, she had terminated over four thousand seven hundred victims for the agency. I personally witnessed a handful of kills that she executed. She was fast as lightning, and I watched her snap the necks of several men with her bare foot.

The agency had been pumping me with steroids, and my sexual desires were off the charts. I met Mia as she was swimming along the coast by my villa one afternoon. She was from South Africa, and after a whirlwind courtship we made a commitment to one another equal to marriage. Within weeks she was carrying my baby. Her favorite pastime was swimming, and one day she fell victim to some sharks off the coast. It was devastating, but Yvonne was allowed to return to me. She offered great comfort as I mourned Mia. That's all I want to say. She was indescribably special to me, and tears stream from my eyes every time I think of her.

Annette and I had been very close friends. She was like a sister to me, but even much closer. We spent a lot of time together drinking wine and lying naked in the sun. She was purely homosexual and had no interest in me physically. I, on the other hand, found her extremely desirous, but agreed to remain as a close brother. However, a strange experience caused her to begin to have heterosexual desires, and to make a long story short, we ended up getting married. I had a wonderful marriage with Evelyn, and I had a stupendous relationship with Mia, but Annette was the most compatible woman for me that I could imagine. She was outrageous, and her sexual capabilities were superhuman.

Joey, as I mentioned, had suffered from Emotional Detachment Disorder. We had a close relationship that began during our project to locate the gold mine, but our involvement together was devoid of emotion on her part. I admittedly fell in love with her, and I am embarrassed to say that I took advantage of her emotional detachment. I engaged her in playful sessions that she and I enjoyed without the fear of her getting emotionally attached. It was wrong of me, and I admit it. Evelyn eventually learned about these activities, which is one of the many reasons that she ended our relationship. I don't blame her. Still, Joey and I had never engaged in actual sex. That one technicality meant nothing to Evelyn. I had been unfaithful nevertheless. What I didn't count on was that due to a very strange experience during that project Joey began to feel emotion. This caused a myriad of problems. Joey is the most unbelievably gorgeous woman you would ever meet. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that she would be interested in me, but she fell head over heels in love with me. This caused some serious problems, and I won't go into the details at this point. You can read about it in my former novels. Just suffice it to say that it put me into a predicament that was nearly impossible for me to handle.

As it now stands, Joey is a formidable threat to Annette. They had been very close best friends for years, but now things were very strained. One thing you need to realize is that the agency allowed us to have whatever we wanted. Joey and Annette were both accustomed to having anything they desired. They had been denied nothing until now. We all had left the agency after our last project. Joey had reverted back to her Emotional Detachment Disorder near the end of our last project, and Annette had invited her to join us in our personal covert endeavors. Joey eventually accepted, and it appeared that we were going to be our close, demented family once again. It was such a relief, and I was elated to have them both by my side. There was one catch. The reason that Joey had begun to feel emotion in the first place was due to me introducing her to Yvonne one night on a beach in Italy. That was a terrible mistake. That's when our personal troubles began. However, Joey eventually regained her disorder due to an encounter that she had with someone else. I have much more to say about that later. Just as things were about to straighten out with us all, Joey stumbled onto my meeting at the beach with Yvonne one night. All her emotions came rushing back, and I had to disappear to the golden highway to avoid her.

My first dilemma is what to do with Joey. She insists on having a physical relationship with me. As wonderful as that sounds, it will destroy my marriage to Annette and my relationship with Yvonne, and I certainly don't want that. As accommodating as Annette is with me sexually, she is frightened beyond words to allow me to experience sex with Joey fearing that I would never return to her bed. I'll admit that I can understand that. My preference is that Joey revert to her disorder, but that can't happen the way it did before because the one that turned her is now in an ethereal prison far away in another realm. This gets very complicated, and it exhausts me to no end. Therefore, allow me to turn to my other dilemma, which is the agency.

My first encounter with the agency was through Annette and Joey. I had initially thought that they worked for the United States government because the contract to find the gold mine was with the feds. My longtime friend, Eddie, had secured the contract with the promise to employ my skills to find the mine. Unfortunately, I no longer had the ability to read minds, and I was basically forced into the project to find a particular gold mine that no longer existed. This is another long story that I recorded in my novel, _The Gold of Ophir_. After a short time, I learned that Annette and Joey were employed by the agency. It had no name. In fact, they denied their own existence. It was a strange entity indeed. It employed highly trained agents who received no wages or salary. They owned nothing. The agency supplied each agent with an unlimited bank account and a residence of the agent's choice anywhere in the world. The agency had thousands of lucrative contracts all over the world. As an example, I was essential in securing over six billion dollars for them on my last project. Agents were denied nothing regardless of laws or morals. I learned some frightening stories from Annette over the last two years, but I won't go into that right now. Just suffice it to say that they were autonomous, anonymous, amoral, and controlled the world at large. It consisted of a covert hierarchy, and no agent knew anyone above his or her immediate superior. Superiors had the right to do as they pleased with their subordinates, and the atrocities that were rampant proved to be appalling. The agency controlled the global economy. They controlled the elections of presidents and other government officials all over the world. Their fingers were in every country, and influential personnel from all walks of life were employed by the agency. As alarming as all of this sounds, the agency kept the world in balance. Were it not for the agency, the entire global population would most likely have been severely damaged or annihilated by now due to several possible threats.

If the agency sounds like a positive entity in this world, I would have to agree, except for one fatal flaw. Yvonne has shown me how to navigate the golden highway. One of the interesting aspects to traveling within seconds is what we call parking mode. I can step onto the golden highway and then to any place in the universe. I really have no aspirations of visiting other galaxies, so I stick with this world. Once I step onto the golden highway, I then take the necessary step to the desired location which puts me into parking mode. Parking mode allows me to see the environment without physically being there. My cell phone GPS does not show where I am until I step out of parking into the actual environment. However, I can see and hear everything without being detected. It's really cool, but usually very boring because it's like surveillance where you wait for hours or days to learn anything substantial. Therefore, I seldom stay in parking mode for long. However, I have found it to be very advantageous when I know of a subject that is engaged in activities that are of extreme interest. One such subject is the head of the agency. Believe me, it took a concerted effort on Yvonne's part to locate him. The irony is that I had met him once in Las Vegas when I was engaged in the project to find the gold mine. He's obviously a very powerful man, and he's involved in some really shady endeavors. However, it's far worse than I ever imagined.

Please bear with me because in order to set this stage I need to explain several things. Evelyn, Joey, and I had decided to take a short sabbatical from our project to locate the gold of Ophir. The federal government had basically held my friend, Eddie, hostage in Arlington, Virginia without promise of release until I produced the coordinates to the gold. We were at a lull in the project, and Annette had done something terrible that caused her to be absent from us for a time. I thought it was a great idea to use the golden highway to step us all over to Las Vegas for some fun. We used parking mode and stepped into the near future to watch the winning results at the roulette and blackjack tables. Yes, we were cheating, but it was also an experiment with my new found capabilities. We basically ended up with over four million dollars after heavily tipping waitresses and our croupiers. That incident led to several gamblers sending gifts and surveillance bugs in flower bouquets to learn our secret. We also received an invitation to dinner from a mysterious person, and Joey decided to accept. I was nervous, but we held the advantage of disappearing in an instant as long as we could hold hands. We were entertained by our host who was named Avarro. I made the mistake of calling him Mr. Avarro, and he indignantly corrected me. It was just Avarro. I never learned if it was a first or last name. He was very intimidating, and he assured me that I needed to focus on my endeavor to find the gold mine.

This led me to believe that he was either connected to the federal government or the agency. The latter is true. It now makes more sense because after I faked my death and disappeared, Evelyn was grieving considerably. The only persons who knew that I was still alive were Yvonne and Joey. There was a contention with the feds over paying the agency for their services which resulted in a negotiation to arbitrate a possible lawsuit. Evelyn was called in as a potential witness, and Avarro was present to represent the agency and his second cousin, Eddie, who had been my friend. Avarro had a law degree and was licensed in Washington, D. C. We had no idea that he was at the top of the hierarchy of the agency. This essentially made him the most powerful man in the world, and he was flying under everyone's radar. I later learned through surveillance that even the subordinates below him within the agency never knew he was at the top. Every agent only knew his or her immediate supervisor.

I slipped back into bed trying not to disturb Annette. She seldom arose before nine o'clock in the morning, and our subterranean summer bedroom provided ample darkness to let her sleep without suffering any disturbing sunlight. It was still very dark, and I snuggled in next to her sleek, soft frame. She felt so good in my arms. There were times in the morning light in our winter bedroom that I would watch her sleep while I admired her beauty. She was a beautiful young woman with black hair and bright blue eyes. I had been in love with her for years, and having her as my wife was beyond my wildest expectations. We had given ourselves to one another with total abandonment. We had reached levels of sexual bliss that were incomprehensible. We found erogenous zones that we stimulated in combination for each other that took us to plateaus of extended orgasm. We would hold one another in that overwhelming state for over an hour at a time. We had to take turns because once you achieve that plateau of utter delight it is impossible to concentrate on anything else. It usually took over twenty minutes to regain enough composure to function again. However, there were times when Yvonne would assist us and allow us both to achieve extended orgasms together while she stimulated us beyond what we could do ourselves.

Yvonne was the newest introduction to lovemaking for Annette and me. Yvonne was my counterpart on the golden highway. However, Annette's counterpart had done something forbidden, and he was now locked away in a prison in another realm never to return. Yvonne had volunteered to adopt Annette to be her surrogate counterpart. The only stipulation was that I had to get Annette to marry me. Since that day, Yvonne also came to Annette to perform her healing as well. One must realize the extent of Yvonne's offer to adopt Annette. Our counterparts are responsible for all of our nightly dreams and premonitions. They are also responsible to record everything that we think, say, or do. These records are kept in a central repository that some have referred to as the Book of Life or the Akashic Records. This virtually doubled the responsibility for Yvonne. She once told me that most of her work was done while Annette and I slept. However, since the incident with Joey seeing Yvonne on our beach three weeks ago Yvonne had been scarce.

Annette persuaded Joey to give us a few weeks to sort things out before she returned, and Joey had departed three nights ago. I felt sorry for Joey. She had originally suffered from Emotional Detachment Disorder. I never dreamed that she would ever start feeling emotion, and I selfishly took advantage of her condition to enjoy certain pleasures with her. Once she started to experience emotions, her memories of what I did hurt her greatly. I regret it to this day. Joey pursued me, and Yvonne had to step in to rescue me more than once. However, it was Yvonne who persuaded Joey to help hide me at a Swiss chalet after faking my death. I lived with Joey for three months and slept in the same bed without having sex with her. We were making regular trips to the golden highway to get healing from our counterparts. Although Joey understood the pitfalls of us making love with one another, she struggled greatly with complying with Yvonne's insistence that we abstain. During the time at the chalet, Yvonne introduced me to splicing time, and I went to visit Evelyn to let her know that I was still alive. Things seemed to be progressing well, and we were enjoying great sex once again. However, I didn't let Evelyn know that I was living with Joey. Joey found out that I was seeing Evelyn, and Evelyn found out that I had been living with Joey. Needless to say, I ended up losing them both. I was about to give in to Joey when Yvonne took me away.

It gets worse. I had managed to manipulate myself into becoming the superior over Joey and Annette with the agency. I thought this would give me leverage to complete my project with both of them on my team because they now had to do whatever I told them. I underestimated them both. My IQ was evaluated by the agency at one hundred sixty-five. Joey's IQ was seven points higher, and Annette's IQ was thirteen points higher. Annette took advantage of Joey's emotions and basically backed me into a corner. I couldn't afford to report them to the agency, and Annette knew it. I was then involved with Mia, and at one point Joey tried to force me into having sex. Yvonne rescued me yet again because Mia had just died from the shark attack. The details are recorded in my novel, _Noah's Portal_. Here comes the worst part. Our counterparts have the ability to appear to us in any form they desire. When Annette only had homosexual attractions, her counterpart appeared as a beautiful young girl. However, once Annette became attracted to me, her counterpart then appeared to be my twin. A long story made short, he tricked Joey into having sex with him, and she became pregnant. I didn't know such a thing was possible. Yvonne explained that it was forbidden, but it did happen long ago, and the earth had to be flooded with water to wipe out the offspring from the counterparts on the golden highway who had taken women on this earth and had sex with them. Joey later learned that she had been tricked and really had not made love to me. However, it was the sexual encounter with Annette's counterpart that caused Joey to revert back to her Emotional Detachment Disorder.

Now comes the truly bizarre part of that story. Joey's offspring was half human and half counterpart from another realm. The only way to save the earth from these beings in the past was to completely flood the earth from which only one family of eight people was saved. That certainly wasn't going to happen again. Her offspring had to be caged prior to puberty in order to isolate it from humans. It grew at an alarming rate, and within days we had to find an impervious cage to incarcerate it. It could appear as an irresistible woman to a man or as an irresistible man to a woman. It had the ability to reproduce from either sex, and the gestation for those beings was days, not months. It would have completely consumed mankind in a short time. Yvonne and I were successful in isolating it, and I could observe it from parking mode without being overcome by it sexually. We had used a method of portal stacking to place it in the cage. Portals exist all over the earth. The most well known is the Bermuda Triangle. However, Yvonne taught me how to make portals and place them wherever we needed. It was a bad idea. Although Joey's offspring, which I named Hermaphroditus, did not know the rudimentary step to enter the portal, someone snatched it from the cage. This resulted in a potentially lethal weapon to mankind that was now at large.

We had no idea who took Hermaphroditus from the cage. Yvonne and I were able to step back in time via the breeze on the golden highway and observe in parking mode. Remember that I said time travel was not allowed. I couldn't come out of parking mode in the past or future, but I could observe. The past was solid, but the future was only the future that could exist under current circumstances. Therefore, the future events that I ever observed were possible futures. If circumstances or decisions altered the course of events, the future would change. For that reason, I never relied on anything I saw in the distant future, so I seldom went there. As Yvonne and I watched Hermaphroditus in the cage from parking mode, we saw an arm extend from the portal to take Hermaphroditus. We had no idea who it was. Whoever it was could not have been human, or he would have been sexually overcome by Hermaphroditus. Therefore, we surmised that it had to be someone without sexual capability from the golden highway. Here comes the frightening part of my dilemma with the agency. My fear is that somehow Avarro or his counterpart was involved in abducting Hermaphroditus. I may be jumping to conclusions here because I have no idea if Avarro is aware that his counterpart even exists.

Even though Yvonne had allowed me to remember my former existence and give me the ability to read the minds of others several years ago, I never knew she existed. Even after I met her on the golden highway, I still never realized that she was part of me. It took several sequences of events with Yvonne before I was enlightened to understand who she was. My guess is that you are completely unaware of your counterpart, and yet he or she is intimately involved in your life, your dreams, your premonitions, and your guidance. A hierarchy exists within the realm of the golden highway. Yvonne has taught me a lot, but I still don't know how many levels exist upward to the very top. I know that the Creator of the universe is the highest, but how many levels exist between the Creator and Yvonne I don't know. Yvonne reports to my Overseer. Most people refer to Overseers as angels, but the Greek word that is transliterated as angel merely means messenger. There are several kinds of messengers. Even Yvonne is a messenger, so in that sense you might call her an angel. Overseers have no sexual identity, but our counterparts do. I was allowed to see my Overseer once, and it was frightening. Overseers are very powerful and intimidating due to their majestic form. Interestingly, they do have wings, but not like what you see portrayed in oil paintings or movies.

One may wonder why the head of an agency that helps protect mankind would ever want to steal an entity like Hermaphroditus who could destroy our race. Preserving our race and the balance of economics and power is self serving. Nonetheless, Avarro was a wicked man. I had observed him countless times in parking mode to know some of the ways in which he took advantage of his subordinates. It was disgusting, and I'm not going to reveal some of the demeaning things that he did to the spouses and offspring of his subjects. He was utterly selfish and had absolutely no compassion for anyone. He was cruel and ruthless. However, it gets worse. It's one thing to be a selfish, narcissistic, greedy, and heartless monster, but pouring gasoline on a raging fire is incomprehensible. The analogous gasoline that I refer to is a purely evil influence coupled with an already wicked person. I used to live within a paradigm of a benign world as I enjoyed my marriage to Evelyn, and we raised our children. We had careers, a family, a home in the suburbs, and life was good. We lived the American dream. Since that time, my life has been turned upside down by the loss of my family, career, wife, home, and the naive beliefs that I once had. I have been plunged into a world of sex, greed, murder, betrayal, danger, and an extra-dimensional realm that I am desperately trying to learn to navigate. I migrated from the belief that people were basically good to the belief that everyone is terribly flawed.

One of the incidents that greatly enlightened me years ago was at the time that I could read the minds of others. You wouldn't believe what masks they wear. They are largely hypocrites, actors in life, feeling desperate to be loved. They turn to dysfunctional, codependent relationships that are doomed to prove to them that they are unworthy of love, validating their poor self images and destroying those around them emotionally. It was more than I could bear. I knew their desires, fears, embarrassment, greed, and selfishness. I couldn't filter what I read from their thoughts, and it was difficult to accomplish my task as I read mind after countless mind. I became depressed, hoping that it would all soon come to an end. You have no idea how relieved I was after I had completed my task to awaken one morning and find that my ability to read minds was gone. It had been a great advantage to know what someone was thinking, but conversely it was maddening.

Annette rolled over and offered me her tongue. I reciprocated, and within minutes we were escalating our love to prepare for another wonderful trip to the plateau of extended orgasm. I intended to take her there first, but she descended to my groin and began her magical stimulation with her lips and tongue. She gently inserted a finger into my anus and reached for my scrotum with her other hand. Within minutes, I was soaring to wonderful heights of pleasure until suddenly I entered the plateau. She held me in an extended orgasm for what seemed like hours. When I finally recovered, she said that I had been there for about forty minutes. It was her turn. I was hard as a rock and carefully eased my way into her anus. I reached around with both hands to stimulate her G-spot with one hand and her clitoris with the other. She began to jerk violently and moan and cry out as I held her for nearly an hour. One of the most wonderful aspects of this sexual bliss was embracing one another afterward as we slowly made our descent back to normal. This had become like an addictive drug to us both. I knew full well that entertaining another lover would interfere with our complete trust and abandonment, and I never wanted another woman in our bed.

## CHAPTER TWO

### _Evil Incarnate_

ANNETTE CLIMBED ON top of me and kissed me over and over. I was still recovering, but I knew it was time to go make coffee. I always let her choose. "What do you want for breakfast this morning, dear?"

Annette pondered for a moment. "Let's make a spinach and feta cheese frittata with some fried ham."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed. We climbed out of bed and headed for the kitchen. I whipped six eggs as Annette minced some onion and garlic. We sautéed some fresh spinach to reduce it in a pan with butter. Annette put the vegetables into the eggs with some Parmesan and feta cheese and added thyme, pepper, and oregano. I put the pan into the oven, and she started the coffee as I began to slowly fry the ham in a skillet. Within twenty minutes we were enjoying our breakfast on the patio overlooking the gardens.

"Damn it," Annette exclaimed.

"What's the matter?"

"I can see a weed in the begonia garden from here. Those girls are in trouble."

"You can't be serious, Annette. These gardens are extensive, and the girls work at night with lights. It looks beautiful out there."

"Really? I pay them each the equivalent of half a million dollars a year, and I expect them to earn it."

"OK, but let me be the one to talk to them. You're unnecessarily harsh sometimes, and I think I have a better rapport with them."

"That's fine, but I better not see another weed."

Annette was accustomed to perfection and didn't tolerate much less from others. As demanding and adamant as she could be, she was still a lot of fun and wonderful to be with. Once she got a bottle of wine in her, she became much more congenial. However, that wasn't going to happen until we went to the beach this afternoon. Yet, I knew what was really bothering her. It was Joey. "Look, Sweetie, I know you have a lot on your mind, and we still haven't discussed what to do with Joey."

Annette bit her lip and looked away for a moment. "She's not going to stop until she has you to herself, Adriel, and you know it."

"Annette, she needs to understand that we're happily married, and I don't want to be intimate with her. I want her to work with us, but if she can't behave then we need to cut her loose."

"She'll wear you down, Adriel, and you know it. If it were anyone else, I would let you have her, but I know better. You'd never return to me."

"I understand your concern, but I really don't want her."

"You were in love with her, Adriel, and she knows it. She'll leverage that."

"Yes, and that was largely due to you forcing her on me during our project to find the gold."

"I did that to protect you, Adriel. You were in a lot of danger, and she needed to stay connected to you. Believe me, I never dreamed you and I would end up together, or I never would have done that."

"Yes, but you still did that to Evelyn, and it largely cost me my marriage. I'm not trying to start an argument. I just want you to realize that you had a hand in this too."

"OK, maybe so, but you belong to me now, and I don't want to share you with Joey."

"I agree, but we have bigger problems than Joey. By the way, Yvonne came to me last night."

Annette jerked her head in attention to me. "Really? What time?"

"I got up around three because I couldn't go back to sleep. I went down to the beach because it was hot, and I wanted to listen to the surf. She appeared behind me, and we ended up splicing time so that she could give me a healing session that lasted for several hours."

"Did she say that she was coming for me too?"

"Actually, we didn't talk. It was all healing."

"Well, I hope she comes to get me soon because I desperately need it."

"I'm sure she's aware of that."

"So, she didn't say why she's been gone for so long?"

"No, like I said, we didn't really talk. I assume that it had something to do with Joey seeing her on the beach with me. We did shed a lot of tears together. It was a very emotional time. I think she needed it as much as I did." Annette appeared to be deep in thought, and I saw a tear begin to well in her left eye. "I'm sure she'll come to you soon, Sweetie."

"Oh, it's not that. I know I have been a very selfish person throughout my life. Joey has been a good friend to me, and I don't want to lose her. I wish she'd get her disorder back. That's terrible to say, but it would solve our problem with her."

"That's true, but I feel sorry for her. She gave her virginity to your counterpart who tricked her into having sex with him. I still can't believe that happened."

Annette snapped back. "That's because you always wanted to be her first."

"That was true at one time before you and I were together, but I no longer feel that way. She has suffered a lot emotionally, Annette, and she's not accustomed to dealing with emotions. She's not trying to offend you. She can't help herself."

"I know all of that, but that doesn't change our problem. I can't ask you to promise me that you won't sleep with her. I have watched you two over the last few years, and I know that's futile. I'm going to lose you."

"No, you're not, Annette. I'm really getting tired of discussing this because we can't solve this problem today. We need to concentrate on something far more important. There's something serious brewing, and I believe that Avarro is at the center of it. I know you don't believe in evil influences from another realm, but I can assure you that they exist."

"Honestly, Adriel, I think people make up these stories in order to blame their decisions on someone else. Believe me, I have a lot to answer for, but it was my choice to do the things that I did."

"That's true, it's always a choice, but there are decisions that can lead to evil influences beyond our realm."

"I know you've tried to tell me this before, Adriel, but I don't buy it. I recently just began to entertain the possibility of an afterlife, but you're not convincing me that there are evil spirits out there that control people."

"Well, it's not exactly like that. They don't control people, but they will aid those who want it." I knew that it was futile to go any further in this discussion with Annette. She knew virtually nothing of my first project to save the world from nuclear disaster. I was given the ability to read the thoughts of others. However, as I narrowed down who the perpetrators were that had instigated the attempted coup in Pakistan I stumbled across someone very different. I couldn't read his mind. I ended up referring to him as the black hole. I could read the minds of those who conversed with him, but I never knew what he said or thought. I could deduce a few things from the one-sided conversations though. The problem was that I couldn't direct him or read him. Late in the project, I had received the ability to project thoughts. It was entertaining, but I had to adhere to certain rules.

One of the more amusing stories about thought projection was one of my first tests with Evelyn. I projected a thought that she had decided to hire a cute little French maid to clean our house while I was working from home. She was still going into the office at that time. I added a nice touch to also project the memory of her deciding this a month before. When she came home, I asked about her day.

"Oh, the same as usual. You know, Adriel, I have been thinking for about a month now that we need to hire a nice, young, cute French maid to clean up around here. You are so busy with work and fixing dinner, and I thought it would be great to have someone here with you during the day who could clean house."

I was trying hard to contain my laughter. "Wow! That sounds great, Evelyn. Why a French maid?"

"Well, they wear those cute little outfits, and you've always wanted to brush up on your French. I thought maybe she could spend some time with you during the day to exercise your vocabulary. Besides, she would be pleasant to look at while you're studying with her."

OK, you can see why I had to stop it here. All I did was introduce the French maid thought. She took the idea and ran with it, which I never expected. This was a great experiment because I learned just how powerful this could be. It took me an hour and a half to explain to Evelyn that she really didn't want a young French maid in the house while I was home, and she was away at work. I was reluctant to explain my new power, but I was afraid if I didn't she would be interviewing French maids the rest of the week. The memory interjection was not only a nice touch, but it really sealed the thought on the mind. It was a good test. If I had even jokingly mentioned having a French maid in the house before that day, Evelyn would have exploded in fury, even if she thought I was joking.

This was a great ability, but I couldn't invoke it with the Black Hole. I was at a loss to understand how this one man was immune to my powers to read and interject thoughts. He appeared to be the perpetrator of the impending world disaster, and I could not influence him directly. I needed answers, and I had no idea where to seek them. I was totally unaware of Yvonne's existence at that time, and I was missing knowledge that I desperately needed. I couldn't remember my own negotiations with the Creator, nor could I remember significant things that had to be revealed at that time. I needed a way to interview someone who had that knowledge, but everyone had forgotten his negotiations after being born onto this earth.

I had an ingenious idea, but I told no one other than Eddie what I did. I surmised that the loss of memory concerning our negotiations had to happen somewhere between conception and birth. I needed to find a fetus whom I could interrogate by reading and interjecting thoughts. My challenge was to find one within the first few weeks of conception before the brain developed. The brain was the major obstacle in understanding Truth and discovering realms outside our three-dimensional world. The brain can only deal with worldly matters, and as it develops it hides what we learned in our negotiations. It tries to make us think that it is the most important part of our existence, but it's not. My problem was that most mothers were unaware of their pregnancy that early, and I needed a way to find an early fetus. I decided to target women who had visited fertility clinics to determine possible candidates. I was able to get lists of patients via my mind reading capabilities, but I was unsuccessful in finding a fetus to ascertain what I needed. After several attempts, I began to suspicion that some of the potential mothers had to have conceived. Why was I unable to find a fetus? It pertained to my ability to target people and read minds. I always had to have some sort of identity of a person in order to focus on his thoughts. A fetus had no identity or recognition with anyone until the pregnancy was detected. I did something desperate that I'm embarrassed to admit. I interjected thoughts into all of the potential mothers that they had conceived. The sad thing is that most likely many of them had not, and they would be gravely disappointed when they realized that they didn't.

However, my plan was successful, and I found a fetus with whom I could communicate. I was astounded. It wasn't like reading any other soul. He certainly wasn't like we were before we went through our own negotiations with the Creator. He had been through his negotiation, and he possessed knowledge that we didn't have. He wasn't like others in this world that I had read either, because he hadn't been tainted by this world, and he hadn't yet forgotten what he had just learned. He had been enlightened through his negotiation process. I readily understood why we, as prescendants, were not allowed to mingle with those who had negotiated, and I also understood why we forgot our negotiation. It all made perfect sense now. I observed him as he pondered in great detail all that he had learned and negotiated. It was fascinating. The mystery of the negotiating process melted away as I was enlightened. Have you ever stood on the beach just before sunrise, waiting patiently until the big red ball peeks over the watery horizon? It was a similar experience, except that it was more like in the cartoons when the sun pops up like it was attached to a window shade springing open. I went from a murky twilight of understanding to an intense light of full understanding.

I got to read his complete agreement. It wasn't anything like I had imagined. There were no specific events. It was all laid out in concepts, emotions, principles, and goals that appeared more like dreams. Nothing had been carved in stone, because he hadn't lived his life yet. It was like a gel that would harden as he carried out his negotiation on earth. I saw such a similarity between his memory and the experience of waking up in the morning and remembering a dream. Dreams have symbolic references to our lives. Everything and everyone in our dreams relate to some aspect of ourselves. I began to realize that our dreams are a reminder of our negotiations. Dreams are little taps on our shoulders to alert us that we either are, or are not, on track with our negotiation, and I later learned that they are offered by our counterparts.

This caused me to think back on some of the dreams that I had in the past, especially the recurring dreams that left an indelible mark on my memory. One such dream involved me living in a house that was so large that I couldn't occupy all of the rooms. Part of the house was in disrepair, and I had ongoing projects to try to fix a sagging roof and crumbling walls. I started focusing on the symbolism of the dream and began to understand that I wasn't living up to my full potential. I wasn't occupying all of the rooms in the house. I had been hard on my body with my lifestyle, and the roof and walls were giving way. I had been failing in part of my negotiation, but I had gotten back on track. Seeing this caused me to begin to take dreams more seriously and try to remember them when possible.

I was getting sidetracked and returned to the fetus. Time seemed to stand still. I was sifting through his thoughts in great detail. Absolute Truth had been revealed to him. My suspicions were correct. We did know Truth from the start of our lives. Eddie and I were able to recognize false teaching even though we couldn't remember the specifics of what we had been taught during our negotiations. There were no obstacles to our choice for Truth. We didn't have another agenda that focused on the material aspects of this world, and we didn't try to manipulate our stay on earth. I was beginning to realize that the freedom of choice and free will began at the time we were created, not when we came to earth. Souls had a chance to recant their prior agreements that they had made with other souls in the attempt to control their lives after descent. They would have to relinquish their fear to do so and trust the Creator.

Interrogating this fetus gave me the knowledge that I needed concerning the Black Hole. So much had been revealed in a short period of time. I had come to the knowledge of Overseers who had defected from the Creator's purpose. As I had explained to Eddie, the Black Hole had intended to appear as the Antichrist, who had been falsely portrayed in movies and books. His intention was to mislead humanity into thinking that the anointed one was soon to return. However, the anointed's next descent was not scheduled for quite some time. In addition, the nuclear holocaust that was being planned was to be recognized as Armageddon, which was another misconception. The whole idea was to deceive mankind and destroy any anticipation that the Creator was sending his anointed after the last soul had descended. There was a significant multitude of people who had been deceived, and this coup was designed to strike the final deadly blow to unravel the human race. Negotiations would be abandoned by future descendants if this plan were to succeed.

Much to my chagrin, the original understanding that I had about the world situation was feeble at best. I thought that I was dealing with world rulers and the global political atmosphere. In reality, I had an army of 200 million defected Overseers that I was battling, and having a little knowledge of the power that they possessed, I didn't consider myself to be much of a match. I knew that my time was running out. No matter what I did to prevent this coup from taking over the entire world, it would be circumvented by the other defected Overseers, and they would continue with a little recovery. However, I had also learned that there were seven defected Overseers who were truly the intelligence behind the entire plan. Their power was far greater than the others. I knew that they had adversaries among the ones who did not defect. Those were the ones who remained faithful to the Creator. These were generals in a super-dimensional realm of combat. What in the world was I doing? It just seemed so senseless to have me going up against these powerful forces, even with the talents that I now possessed. Why not have the Overseers battle this out?

I was missing the most important link. What did I have that the Overseers did not? I was mortal; they were not. I was weak; they were strong. I knew a lot, but they knew more. Just then, I remembered that the anointed descended as a human. It was necessary to accomplish his task as a human. The solution lay with a flesh and blood person who had everything to lose. It wasn't just knowledge that was the deciding factor; it was more. I began to realize why an Overseer couldn't do what I had to do.

I turned my focus on the enemy. As powerful as they were, they too had limits. They were jealous of mankind. That's why they defected during the creation. Once they realized what the purpose for this world was and who the souls were that would descend, they revolted. No wonder we were so hated by them. No wonder they wanted to destroy us. We were offered something that the Overseers could not attain, and we were equipped with something very important that they lacked. They fed off of souls who would allow them into their lives. This is what had happened to the Black Hole. The defected Overseer had inhabited this man, and he wouldn't leave. He was like an eagle clutching his prey between his talons. Only death would separate the Overseer from the soul that he was feeding upon. Suddenly, I had a ray of hope. I could capitalize on their weakness. I finally had a plan.

It appeared that a checkmate was imminent in two moves against mankind. Those moves entailed the distribution of a memory virus and nuclear war. However, the Creator was about to queen a pawn. A pawn from the Midwest was moving to checkmate a king in South Asia. This would be the final move in a very long battle. You can read about my adventure in the novel, _False Antichrist_. I was aware of defected Overseers who were capable and willing to aid someone in selfish ambition that would ultimately result in the destruction of mankind. Annette knew nothing of that realm, nor was she willing to entertain such thoughts. Admittedly, it was frightening to know these things. My current fear was that this same thing had happened with Avarro. It has been said that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and if anyone in this world had absolute power it was Avarro. It was difficult to ascertain if he had an agenda to destroy mankind. Most of his time was spent in his penthouse bedroom taking advantage of women and young girls. I was so disgusted that I discontinued spying on him from parking mode. I needed another way to determine if he was really behind a sinister plan.

It would have been advantageous to utilize Yvonne, but she had made it clear in the past that she didn't take orders from me, and she had a considerable responsibility taking care of both Annette and myself. My navigational capabilities via the golden highway allowed me to locate places and persons within our world. I couldn't locate anyone who was on the golden highway nor in parking mode somewhere. I had no idea how many others had my capabilities, but I wasn't naive enough to believe that I was the only one. No one I knew had my knowledge of how to navigate without a counterpart. It was the latest capability that Yvonne had taught me. Prior to that, I had to navigate with another person or a counterpart. I could never navigate alone, but now I was able to travel solo. Everything equated to a different step. I relate the maneuver as taking a step in a different direction, but that's only another feeble explanation according to our understanding that makes sense to us. The reality is a little different. That's why I have a difficult time relating my experiences because I have to equate them to concepts that others understand. It's like trying to describe color to someone who has been blind since birth.

Hermaphroditus was a formidable threat to mankind, and I had no idea who had him or where he was being kept. If I really were fighting dark forces in another realm, I was absolutely clueless as to how or what I was supposed to do. To make matters worse, I wasn't absolutely sure that my suspicions were correct. Perhaps Hermaphroditus was taken in order to remove the threat to our race. However, I highly doubted that due to my experiences in the past few years. Things seldom escalated to a better circumstance without our concerted effort. There was a cascading, downward spiral to society that could only be remedied by our diligence to promote healing and correction. I wanted nothing more than to be wrong about the potential danger, but I didn't have the luxury of assuming so.

Yvonne had found someone in another world to create the impervious cage for Hermaphroditus. It was made of impenetrable material that no one in our world could breach. There was an outer cage to keep others out, and there was an inner cage to keep Hermaphroditus a safe distance within. The bars were as thin as fishing line but impossible to bend. I had to commend her for the timely discovery of such a material. However, the man who forged the metal and constructed the cage insisted on seeing Hermaphroditus. It was a horrible sight to behold. Yvonne and I watched in parking mode as the man literally ripped his body to ribbons trying to force himself through the cage with the overwhelming desire to have Hermaphroditus fuck his brains out. He bled to death and collapsed outside the outer cage. We had placed the cage on a remote island, and the animals eventually consumed his body. It was the most horrible sight to behold his demise. The second horrible thing to watch was when we would push live goats through the portal to feed Hermaphroditus. He savagely tore at their throats with his teeth and completely consumed them so that not even a bone or drop of blood was left. Whoever had Hermaphroditus was undoubtedly kept busy feeding him because we had been providing five goats a week to keep him alive. You might wonder why we didn't just let him starve, but we weren't allowed to make a life and death decision for him. It gets complicated, and I won't go into the moral aspects of dealing with life on the golden highway at this point.

Although the agency had trained me extensively, and I was considered highly lethal, I had never terminated anyone. I am still troubled that I had participated in an assassination during the Ophir project, but I was forced by Annette to comply with her termination order. I had the ability to travel via the golden highway, and she made me transport Joey to murder an adversary who was threatening our project. To make matters worse, this man was the one whom I had referred to as the Black Hole. He had escaped my trap to incarcerate the seven defected Overseers who were controlling the coup. We had captured six, but he had slipped through our fingers. He later intended to follow me via the golden highway to steal the gold that I was later contracted to find. He planned to dispose of me and use the funds to rebuild his regime. I tried to explain to Annette the inherent danger in killing him because it would release the defected Overseer to seek another prey. As you already know, my attempts were futile because she did not believe in such a realm. My current fear was that Avarro was now the next victim of that Overseer. If my suspicions are correct, I need to get Annette onboard because we can't approach this problem in a divided manner. I no longer had any mind reading capabilities, so I couldn't accurately determine if Avarro was now the sinister threat to mankind. He was definitely a wicked and selfish man, but I had no proof that it went beyond his debased human nature.

Annette's phone rang. The guard at our front gate informed her that Joey was back and demanded to be let inside. Annette shot me a worried look, and I nodded my head to give permission. Gianette intercepted Joey at the gate and escorted her down the road to our villa in a golf cart. Annette and I hurriedly dressed ourselves, and after several minutes Gianette introduced Joey to us on our patio. She then went to the kitchen to prepare some refreshments. Joey fell at Annette's feet sobbing uncontrollably. She begged Annette to let her return. She promised that she would do whatever Annette wanted. She hated traveling by conventional means, and she couldn't bear the loneliness without being by our sides. It broke my heart, and it was a pathetic sight to behold. One must realize that most of my time with Joey was spent during her Emotional Detachment Disorder. It was difficult to see her suffer emotion so severely. I couldn't take it any longer. Annette hadn't moved a muscle, and I took Joey by her shoulders to get her off her knees. I then held her tightly in my arms as she continued to sob. I looked over her shoulder at Annette with a look of disapproval. Tears began to fall from Annette's eyes, and she did something that greatly disappointed me. She turned and retreated to our summer bedroom leaving me alone with Joey.

Although it was only ten o'clock in the morning, I instructed Gianette to open three bottles of Merlot and bring four glasses. I was hoping that Annette would soon return, and I invited Gianette to drink with us. I was wise enough to retain Gianette as a witness in case Annette accused me of anything while she was absent. I wiped the tears from Joey's face and gently kissed her. I assured her that she could stay, and she needed to calm down. Over the last three years I had kissed Joey at least a million times, and that's not an exaggeration. We were very accustomed to a special intimacy, and I wasn't willing to shut her out. Annette had a double standard, but then so did I. Annette and I had been extremely close when I was married to Mia. Mia had taken exception to Annette's affection toward me, and Annette became livid when Mia asked her to back off. Now Annette was in Mia's situation, and I knew that Annette wouldn't budge. In the past, Joey would sleep in the same bed with Annette and me. In fact, during the Ophir project Joey had to stay connected to me, and Evelyn, Annette, Joey, and I all slept together in the same bed. Those were strange days indeed, but it's amazing what one becomes accustomed to doing until it seems normal. However, there was no way Annette was going to allow Joey into our bed, and I was certain that Joey knew that.

Joey was still crying and kissing my neck repeatedly as she clung to me. I looked over at Gianette who was making a face of concern as she raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes. I knew that she was hoping Annette didn't return too soon. Then again, Gianette was clueless about the relationship that I once had with Joey. However, Gianette was very accustomed to Annette's temper. I kissed Joey a few more times and whispered into her ear to regain her composure. I reminded her of Annette's intolerance, and I didn't want Annette to make her leave again. She nodded her head and tried to calm herself. Luckily, I got Joey to sit without me holding her before Annette returned. I could see that Annette had been crying. I excused Gianette as I filled her wine glass. She then disappeared toward her quarters. I dearly loved Joey and Annette, and I wanted us to be a family again. I wasn't sure how that was possible. These weren't noble women. They were treacherous and ruthless. They knew how to gain one's trust and take advantage at the opportune time. I had learned not to allow myself to be at their mercy in any way. The only exception to that rule was in the bedroom with Annette. We had to achieve total trust in one another emotionally in order to accomplish the plateau of extended orgasm, and we weren't about to let anything interfere with that.

Both Joey and Annette were accustomed to living in a ruthless world where they had to protect themselves in every way. They knew how sinister people could be, and they were constantly on guard. I suspicioned that was the principal attribute that drove them into my arms. They knew that I wouldn't betray them. Although, Evelyn may disagree, but she saw the world very differently than Annette and Joey. I have to be candid here. I really couldn't choose between the two of them. It would be like deciding which leg to cut off. It amounted to losing either way, and I wanted them both in my life. However, I could continue with Joey as I had for years. I just knew that she could not, and Annette knew it too. She had begged Annette to let her come back and promised to comply with whatever Annette desired, but we all knew that in time Joey would inch closer and closer to me. My greater fear in this arena was that Joey would understand my dilemma with the concept of evil incarnate, but Annette would not. This would gain Joey a better position to work with me. I never forgot that Joey had attempted to rape me twice. The second time was terribly frightening because she nearly succeeded. That was on our last project to steal the gold deposit.

Yvonne was the one who located the largest gold deposit in the world. The gold of Ophir had been depleted, but she found a much larger undetected gold deposit that we were able to deliver. What I hadn't realized was that Yvonne had a plan to give the gold to the United States Treasury to allow them to refine it and form it into bars before we stole it back for a short period of time. We sold large amounts to various countries in the world at half price, and then we turned around and stole it back from them. The entire gold reserve was returned to the U. S., and the countries that we swindled had no idea who we were or how we had managed to steal the gold back. It was all done via the portal stacking. In the end, we had deposited seven hundred fifty billion dollars in hundreds of banks around the world with complete anonymity. Just last week, Annette had informed me that due to her investing strategy we now were approaching nine hundred fifty billion. We were making money faster than we could spend it. None of that mattered to me, and I couldn't understand why Yvonne had planned to steal the gold. With the capabilities that I had to traverse the golden highway, I didn't need the money, or so I thought. Yvonne still had not disclosed her purpose for amassing such a fortune.

I poured Annette a glass of Merlot. "Look, Annette, we need to work together. The three of us have proven to be an exceptional team in the past, and if my fears are correct we need all the help we can get." Annette didn't speak. She just stared at Joey. Joey started to speak, but I held up my hand. "We have to be able to trust one another because we can't afford to get sidetracked. I need to fill you both in on my first project to take down the coup in Pakistan. We've never really discussed it in great detail, but in order to understand what we're facing you need to know."

Annette rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Adriel, you're not going to convince me that there is some evil spirit world out there controlling people."

Just then, Joey grabbed my left upper thigh. "I believe you, Adriel. I want to help."

I saw this coming a mile away as well as Annette's reaction. She jumped up, spilling her wine, and began to rant. It was hopeless. I stood and grabbed Annette by the shoulders. "Look, Annette, you and Joey have known one another far longer than I have known either of you. I'm tired of the contention between you two, and you both need to work it out. I'm leaving for a while, but I'll be back later when you both have stopped your nonsense." I took the step and disappeared to the golden highway.

This was the latest capability that Yvonne had taught me. It felt strange to be able to step out of this world alone. David Allen, a physicist and friend, had shown me a portal in Giza near the Great Pyramid early in my quest to find the gold of Ophir. He had a special sextant developed that could target the portal for experimentation by detecting specific electromagnetic fields. Several portals existed throughout the world due to electromagnetic pulses from the sun. These portals were found in certain regions due to the earth's magnetism and geographic conditions. However, they would drift as far as one kilometer depending on the atmosphere. David was able to locate it close enough with his sextant that we could find it. It often appeared as a hazy arch much like the heat waves that one sees on the horizon on a hot day. David had lost three assistants who had attempted to explore the portal. Unless one enters the portal in the essential manner, it appears as a world of utter chaos like a kaleidoscope of dimensional colors and places.

David had taken me into the portal by making the most rudimentary step that he had learned from someone a few years before. It was possible to enter the portal using this step even if one was alone. However, it was impossible to navigate, and each day that one entered it looked entirely different. His attempts to discover a way to navigate were futile. Joey had known David for years, and Annette had instructed her to introduce me to David in hope that the portal could somehow be the answer to finding the gold mine. David had spent years studying the images inside the pyramids and other structures in Egypt. He had vast libraries of pictures that he had taken of images and hieroglyphic writings that he had found. He knew that the Egyptian government would one day prevent anyone from taking pictures or entering any of those places. We had pored through his documents in hope of finding some answers. We had stumbled onto a couple of images of a man and woman with the constellation Orion above their heads, and it appeared that they were engaged in coitus. This led us to believe that a husband and wife needed to step into the portal together.

We tried many experiments that seemed to be successful, but over time we realized that we were still approaching things in the wrong manner. What I later came to realize was that the couple in the engraved picture were not husband and wife, but instead a man and his counterpart. It took me over a year to finally come to that realization. Evelyn and I had done many experiments with the portal, and we thought that we were achieving a certain level of success. We were able to navigate, but it was primitive at best.

David suspicioned that the Templars had found the gold mine around the year 1000 AD. His reasoning was their monetary wealth that seemed to be acquired practically overnight. David had Evelyn and me searching for some kind of document that might give us clues about the gold. We were traversing the golden highway to explore the papal archives in Rome and also the ones in Avignon, France. We had come up empty until I had a dream about a rabbit that wanted me to follow him into a hole. That dream ultimately led me to find a hidden scroll made of leather. It was an Egyptian artifact that contained significant writings. We deduced from the cryptic message that I had to stand on Evelyn's right side as we held hands and entered the portal. Up to that point, I had been standing on the left because I was left-handed and wanted to keep my best hand free. That solved some significant problems, but we still had a long way to go. However, our progress had finally led us to our counterparts on the golden highway.

It had been a long, arduous journey, but Yvonne was now able to come to me and teach me several things. She was patient with me and answered many of my questions. I was curious to know why I had initially seen the golden highway as a chaotic place when entering that realm alone, but now it appeared as it normally does. Yvonne explained that it all had to do with the human brain. Over the last few years I have come to understand how much our brains hold us back. Brain chemistry is a delicate matter. Having Evelyn hold my hand when entering the portal produced a significant difference in my brain chemistry. It allowed me to see that environment very differently. In addition, having Evelyn on my left changed my brain chemistry even more. It was interesting how much affected the brain. The only reason that I could travel solo now was due to the healing sessions that Yvonne had been performing on me for over a year. There was a cumulative effect, and if she discontinued I would eventually be unable to navigate alone. Brain chemistry affects the electromagnetic waves that will either allow us or prohibit us from successful navigation on the golden highway.

During my teen years, I had experimented with LSD. I remember one night when I was at the height of an LSD trip as I walked down a street. Suddenly, the sky split like a scroll, and I was able to see into another realm. It frightened me so badly that I fell to the ground. When I recounted this experience to Yvonne, she was very familiar with it. After all, she had to record everything that I did and experienced. She explained that the drug had altered my brain chemistry, and it caused me to see what I normally could not. Human brains are not allowed to see those things under normal circumstances. Our existence here has a purpose, and it is to live out our negotiations by applying faith. The human brain does not comprehend nor promote faith. Only our immortal souls are capable of doing that. People who exercise their brains through extensive learning have a more difficult time accepting things by faith. The brain fights against faith and demands logic. The major problem lies within the fact that the brain does not comprehend any logic beyond our three-dimensional world because it is very much a part of this physical world. Our souls are not. Therefore, we can accomplish much more by faith using the ability of the soul than we can by using the brain's logic. As you may have deduced by now, this was part of Annette's problem. Her world was very physical, and she was an extremely intelligent woman.

Joey, on the other hand, would accept anything if she thought it would get her closer to me. Joey was feared by all, even the superiors and other agents within the agency. She had rightfully gained the name Angel of Death. In fact, more agents knew her by that name than her formal name Joann Nyari. Most people who don't really know Joey mispronounce her name. The J is pronounced as a Y. She's Hungarian. Joey had aspirations of becoming the greatest assassin of all time by using me to navigate this world within seconds. She wanted to marry me to create a husband and wife team together. However, she knew my aversion for murder. She had relied upon overwhelming me with her physical attributes in hopes of addicting me sexually. I had no doubt that was a likely scenario. We had done a lot together, but I was grateful that we had never actually experienced coitus together. That would be the one overwhelming drug in this world that I could never overcome. That's the reason that Annette would never allow me to have Joey. I fear that she's right. I would never return to her. I didn't want that addiction. Furthermore, Yvonne warned me countless times that if I ever fucked Joey she would never return to me. Joey was the forbidden fruit, and if I ever succumbed there was no turning back. It was spiritual suicide.

Yvonne had told me enough about the negotiation process to realize that I had to have negotiated an overwhelming temptation in my life that could prove fatal to successfully executing my negotiations. Some feared coming to this earth to live. I apparently embraced it with a wild exuberance that was indicative of my hubris. Right now, I'm wishing I'd never done that, but it's far too late to change it. I wanted Joey so badly that I ached. In fact, Yvonne had to step in on occasion to prevent me from giving in to Joey. I could only take so much. I dearly love her, and I want her to help us on this project, but I know how difficult it's going to be if she does. Right now, I need a super session with Yvonne. Where is she?

"I'm right behind you."

I twirled around. "Must you sneak up on me like that?" She extended her hand, and as I took it she stepped us over to a remote beach to make love for hours. I had learned long ago that time on the golden highway was far different from our world. What seemed like an hour on the golden highway could equate to days on earth. Splicing time was a handy capability, but you couldn't splice it back any further than when you left the golden highway. For instance, if I stayed on the golden highway too long, and three days passed on earth I couldn't splice it back to before the time I stepped off of the golden highway. Therefore, we seldom spent much time there unless it was necessary.

I screamed with delight as Yvonne brought me to celestial orgasm after orgasm. She knew how to work me well, and I needed it. I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn't collect my thoughts or speak a word under such blissful pleasure. It wasn't like an extended orgasm. That was physical. Yvonne offered something far greater. However, it wasn't a substitute for sex. Joey and I had found that making love with our counterparts helped us deal with our abstinence, but it certainly didn't give us the wanted sexual satisfaction. Yvonne was riding me hard, and she whimpered and shook as she too orgasmed with delight. I lost all track of time, but I knew we would most likely have to splice it back.

Yvonne rolled off me onto her back, and we gasped to catch our breath. I rolled on top of her and began our customary kissing frenzy. Yvonne held me tightly and whispered into my ear. "Adriel, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm making love to you, Yvonne. What do you mean?"

"No, I mean with Joey."

"I'm giving Joey and Annette some time to come to terms. I want us to work together. You already know that."

"What I don't know is what you might do in the future. I have saved you from her too many times. When you started seeing Mia, I told you that I wouldn't return until you stopped. Then you crossed the line and not only had sex with her but impregnated her as well."

"You know the circumstances behind that. I was in desperate need, and Mia advanced on me."

"Don't you try to blame Mia for what happened. You already started that ball rolling. If she hadn't died, I couldn't have returned to you. You're playing with fire again, but this is far worse."

"I know what you're saying, but I can't cut Joey loose. I'm desperately in love with her, and you've known that for a long time. I want her, Yvonne. I want her badly."

Tears began to fall from Yvonne's eyes. "Adriel, I have explained my situation to you before. When you were married to Evelyn and made love to her, I made love to her counterpart on the golden highway. When you turned to Mia, I was forced to make love to her counterpart as well, but that was against my will. I have suffered much from your decisions, and what you don't know is that Annette's former counterpart was evil. He caused Annette to have heterosexual feelings toward you knowing that you both would end up in bed together. He wanted to force me into having sex with him, and he was successful. Then he wanted Joey and accomplished that as well. Evelyn has forsaken you, or I wouldn't be able to come to you now. You are married to Annette, and I have become her counterpart, which leaves me without a partner in my realm. I'm not allowed to have coitus with you because that is strictly forbidden. I want you to realize that you left me devoid of sexual pleasure, but I would never give up my celibacy if it meant that you turned to Joey. I would have to make love to her counterpart, and I would lose you forever. It hurts me, Adriel because I know that you would sacrifice me for Joey. You did it with Mia, and Joey is far more of a threat. I want to help you, but I can't fight your free will. I was able to stop you in a moment of weakness because the situation was beyond what you could bear. I'm allowed to save you when circumstances are unfairly stacked against you, but I can't save you if you make a bad decision when you could have made the right one. If you're right about Avarro, you're going to need my help. If you fuck Joey, you and I will never be together again. I can talk to you until I turn blue, but I know you well, and if you don't take the necessary precautions we're doomed."

Yvonne was right, and I wanted to change the subject. "Annette wants to know if you're going to come for her soon. She desperately needs healing."

"I'm well aware of what Annette needs, and due to the circumstances that you have just put her in I think I need to come for her soon." Yvonne threw her arms around me, and I could feel her tears fall upon my left shoulder.

Would I really jeopardize my relationship with Yvonne and the welfare of this world for my own selfish lusts? I knew that answer, and it greatly disappointed me. "I know you're right, Yvonne. I'll do the best I can."

Yvonne pulled back to look me in the eye. "I need for you to do better than that."

## CHAPTER THREE

### _Fool Me Twice_

JOEY HELD ANNETTE'S upper arms as she pleaded. "Annette, you know I have never lied to you, nor have I broken a promise. I promise not to pursue Adriel." This was very true. Joey did not lie, and I never knew her to break a promise. Annette was an entirely different story. She would lie and betray, but I knew that. Joey continued her plea. "I used to practically live on airplanes as I traversed this world as an assassin. I hated it then, but it's unbearable now that I have been on the golden highway. Please let me come back. I will do whatever you want. I miss you both so much, and I want to be part of our family again."

Another interesting aspect concerning the golden highway was the intermittent effect that it had on the emotions of some people. I personally never noticed that it affected me, but when Evelyn and I would first take Joey onto the golden highway I was still standing on the left, and Joey would see the chaotic scene that I had witnessed when I was alone or with David. When we returned to our realm, Joey would cling to me and kiss and caress me for about half an hour. We couldn't keep her off of me, and we couldn't understand why it was happening. She was still suffering her Emotional Detachment Disorder, and her behavior was totally uncharacteristic. Annette often complained that since she had known me she had suffered emotion more than any other time in her life, but I attributed it to the exposure of the golden highway and the portal that we used for our experiments. I saw it affect David as well. Joey has never been accustomed to emotion, and she often acts very juvenile when it pertains to feelings of the heart. It has always been difficult to watch her reactions and suffering.

Annette was ruthless, and I was hoping that she would relent. I watched in parking mode as she pondered for a moment. "OK, Joey, but here are my conditions. If you break any one of them, I will banish you from our estate forever." I knew that was utter nonsense. Annette only said that to appear to have any form of control. She knew full well that I could go anywhere at any time and splice time to see Joey if I wanted.

"Yes, I promise, whatever you want." Joey was still holding Annette's arms.

"First, you aren't allowed to sleep in our bed."

"Yes, of course, you have plenty of room for me."

"If Adriel and I decide to make love at any time, you have to leave the area, whether it's the beach or pool or any other place on our estate."

"I agree."

"Adriel has seen you more naked than clothed, so you can still be nude at our estate. However, you aren't allowed to shower with him or be around him when I'm not there. Is that understood?"

"Yes, completely."

"Furthermore, you're not allowed to spar with him."

"What?! But Adriel and I have trained together for years. You're being unreasonable now."

"Am I? I have seen how you two spar together. It's about as close to having intercourse as there is without penetration."

"But what if we put on clothes? Can we spar together then?"

Annette thought for a moment. "OK, but only if I'm present and give you permission. In addition, I don't want you kissing him or hugging him."

Joey started to cry and hung her head. I couldn't take it anymore and stepped out of parking mode onto the patio. "Really, Annette? Even Mia never put such restrictions on you. This is ridiculous. Joey gave you her word, and that's enough for me. She has seen us make love countless times, and this place is covered with surveillance cameras. Stop trying to torture her. She's part of our family." Annette began to fume in silence. "Joey, why don't you take your bags to your old guest room while I talk with Annette?" Joey gave Annette an assuring pat on her leg and dragged her bags inside toward the guest bedroom.

I sat on the loveseat next to Annette and put my arm around her. "Damn you, Adriel."

"Look, Annette, I understand your concerns, but this is totally out of your control. Let's just take this one day at a time and concentrate on our project."

"What project? I left the agency for this? We're now chasing ghosts all over the place? Oh, I'm sure you'll get Joey onboard without a doubt. Before long you will both be disappearing for days at a time with some lame excuse."

"Are we really that hopeless, Annette, that we need to banish a dear friend? I trust her."

"Do you trust yourself?" Annette turned to glare into my eyes.

"Well, not as much as I trust I her, but I love you, Annette, and I don't want this to come between us."

"Oh, it has already come between us all right."

"That's because you're living in your fears. I understand that. I can't sit here and tell you that I wouldn't feel and say the same things if I were you, but don't forget that you helped create this monster. You tried everything to get me to fall in love with Joey, and congratulations, you were successful!" Annette began to seethe. "Don't push me toward her, Annette. We need to work on our relationship. You know that I love you, and I don't want to lose what we have." I pulled Annette in close to me and kissed her neck. I made my way around to her lips, and caressed her tongue with mine. "Come on, let's go to the bedroom, and I'll work you over with my tongue." Annette never passed up an offer for double digit orgasms. She led me by the hand, and we retired for an hour.

Annette was in much better spirits and all smiles as she opened four bottles of wine. We sat with Joey on the patio and discussed what to have for dinner. Our grocery order had arrived a few hours ago, and Brigette had stocked the refrigerator. We had a huge leg of lamb that was larger than we needed for three, so I invited the girls to join us for dinner. Clothing was optional, but I knew them. They would be naked in the pool within half an hour no matter what. They were all a lot of fun, and they dearly loved Joey. After all, what lover of women wouldn't love Joey? Annette and I started cooking while Joey and the girls played pool games together. We pierced the lamb and pushed garlic cloves into the holes. Then Annette rubbed it down with olive oil and seasoned it with salt, pepper, and oregano. We placed it in the oven to let it bake for an hour and a half while we peeled and quartered some small potatoes. We added salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil to them as well and put them into the oven to bake. We then took a break with the girls in the pool while we waited for dinner to cook.

We were drinking, laughing, and having a wonderful time. It reminded me of times past when we would all revel in our good fortune and enjoy life without a care. Annette took a break to check on the lamb. Joey and I were standing next to one another with our backs against the side of the pool. Suddenly, she turned to face me and placed her lips upon mine. Next came her tongue. I nearly swooned. I vehemently reciprocated and held her tightly. We had a lot to drink, and I attributed it to the alcohol. The girls didn't seem to notice. I was afraid that I would explode, and I whispered to Joey to back off. She turned and stood beside me again. Luckily, Annette didn't see any of this, but I was beginning to think that my world was about to crumble. I turned to Joey with concern. "I thought that you promised Annette you wouldn't do this."

Joey feigned innocence. "Do what? It's just like old times. Let's just enjoy it. I told her I wouldn't pursue you. It was just a kiss." She then waded toward the girls for another game.

Annette returned and stooped beside me. "I added the feta cheese to the potatoes. I'm going to steam some broccoli. Everything should be ready in about twenty minutes. Are you having fun?"

I looked up sheepishly. "Oh, I'm having a great time."

"Good because I'm going to take care of that erection tonight." I was hoping that Annette didn't notice, but I was sure that Joey did.

Dinner was excellent, and we made several toasts for Joey's return. Annette seemed in good spirits, but I feared that the wind could shift at any moment. We all decided to go down to the beach to watch the sunset, and Annette opened four more bottles of wine. We danced naked in the sand and toasted the sunset. After dark, we all staggered back to the pool, and Annette opened four more bottles of wine. I challenged her, "Do you really think that's a good idea? Brigette and Françoise are already engaged in sixty-nine in the pool chair, and Gianette is making overtures to Joey."

"Yes, and you are going to take me beside the pool in front of everyone." Annette smiled up at me as she uncorked the wine. This was her way of marking her territory, and I knew that she was doing this for Joey's sake. I certainly wasn't going to object because I desperately needed the relief.

The sun arose about six hours earlier than I wanted. My head was pounding. Annette was sprawled next to me in our bed and snoring louder than usual. I looked for the bottle of ibuprofen, but I found none. I decided to make my way to the bathroom medicine cabinet, but much to my disappointment it wasn't there either. My next stop was the kitchen. Sometimes Brigette would put the ibuprofen in the cupboard with the vitamins. I wandered out to the kitchen, and I caught the sight of Joey sprawled on the loveseat with her legs hanging over the side. Her thighs were spread in a very inviting manner, but she was fast asleep. I shook my head and wondered why all of this was happening. I forsook the ibuprofen and made my way to the beach. I saw that two of our caretakers were passed out in the chairs beside the pool. I had drunk too much. I had been accosted by Joey. I was tempted to my limits. I really needed Yvonne right now. I waded into the surf and emptied my bladder.

I watched the gulls dive and dart about. The air was fresh and cooler than usual. It was a beautiful morning. I wished I hadn't drunk so much. I needed to get back on track. My emotions had been battered as well as my body. Yvonne was right. I didn't stand a chance. I needed to find a way to determine if Avarro was the threat that I suspicioned he was. Suddenly, I had an idea. It sounded crazy, and I didn't want to share it with anyone. However, Yvonne knew every thought and deed. I could never keep a secret from her. She once told me that I can fool others. I can even fool myself, but I can never fool her. I wanted to discuss my plan with her, and she knew that. I would have to wait for her. I just stood there in the surf pissing as I pondered my idea. How much did I drink?

Suddenly, my blood ran cold. A naked female body was floating in the water about ten meters offshore. My heart raced as I waded into the surf. Our beach was shallow for a long distance, and I quickly made my way toward the floating body. She was face down. I turned her over and broke into tears. It was Gianette. She had turned grey, and she was lifeless. I had no idea how long she had been there. I fell to my knees and grabbed her into my arms as I sobbed uncontrollably. I wept over her for what seemed like an hour. My heart was broken. When I was finally able to examine her, I saw a bruise on her neck. She had been at the pool with us after we left the beach. Why did she come back? This made no sense. The last moment I saw her, she was stroking Joey's breasts in the pool. My heart sank lower than ever. Joey's signature attack was a blow to the neck. I couldn't remember going to my bedroom last night. The last thing that I remembered was making love to Annette beside the pool. I had never known Joey to kill without a directive from the agency. Did Annette kill Gianette with the hope of framing Joey? It wouldn't surprise me. It wasn't like Joey to try to frame anyone. Annette was uncharacteristically congenial after our episode in the bedroom. Was it genuine, or did she devise this plan at that time? My head was spinning, and my heart was breaking. I clung to Gianette's lifeless body. She had straight light brown hair that hung halfway down her back. Her face was young and beautiful, and she had pale, watery blue eyes. However, her eyes were now devoid of expression, and her skin was a sickly color of death. I clung to her as I continued to weep.

I needed to get her out of the water, and I pulled her toward the beach. I carried her limp body back to the pool and laid her in a deck chair. I was overcome with grief as I tried to awaken the other girls. It took at least five minutes to get them to awaken enough to tell them about Gianette. They broke down and sobbed as they lay their bodies over Gianette. I left them to go and awaken Annette to tell her what had happened. However, I stopped and knelt down over Joey as I held her in my arms. I gently kissed her to awaken her, and she responded readily. I explained what I had found, and in an instant she bounded to her feet and ran to the pool.

Annette was still fast asleep. I went into our summer bedroom and turned on a light. She didn't stir. I lay beside her in the bed stroking her back and shaking her. "Oh, Adriel, please give me another half hour."

"Annette, please, you have to get up. Something horrible has happened."

"What's so horrible that I can't sleep another thirty minutes?"

"I found Gianette dead in the surf this morning."

Annette turned over to face me. "I hope this is some sort of a sick joke. You can't be serious."

"I am. You need to get up now."

Annette bolted from the bed and ran out of the room. My head was pounding even harder as I ran to the pool to join the others. Our caretakers were kneeling beside the deck chair where Gianette lay. Joey had already started examining the body, and I saw Annette join Joey in the examination. My head was swimming with possibilities, and I was disappointed that my first inclination was to suspicion Joey and Annette. As I approached, Joey stood and looked over at me. Annette continued to examine Gianette's body. Joey quickly took my hand and led me to the other side of the pool. My heart was pounding, and I was fighting back the tears. Joey put her arms around me to comfort me. "Her death appears to be accidental."

"What about the bruise on her neck?" I didn't want to sound accusatory.

"I doubt that has anything to do with her death. It appears that she drown. She may have fallen and hit a rock that knocked her unconscious. It's impossible to determine, and without an X-ray I can't tell if her neck is broken."

"When is the last time you saw her last night? I saw her in the pool with you, and she was getting rather aggressive."

"Yes, she was, but it was all in fun. After you and Annette went to bed, we opened two more bottles of wine. Brigette and Françoise finally passed out in the deck chairs, and Gianette and I went back to the kitchen to snack on more of the lamb. She was getting rather drunk and walked off toward the pool. I lay on the loveseat on the patio for a moment, and I guess I fell asleep. Apparently, Gianette decided to go back to the beach. Believe me, I would never have let her go if I thought she was going that far."

Annette was walking quickly toward us with a determined look on her face. "We have to handle this on our own. I don't want any authorities involved, or it will open our estate to an investigation. I want to use agency protocol."

Joey nodded. "I agree, but we need to explain this to the other girls."

I was well aware of agency procedures and how Joey and Annette were accustomed to handling these circumstances. "I agree, but let me talk to them. This is a lot to handle in such an abrupt manner, and I have a fairly good rapport with them."

Joey and Annette agreed, and we all walked back to the girls who were still kneeling and sobbing. It was mid-morning, but I felt that we all needed a drink. Besides, I was hoping that it would ease the nagging headache that I was still suffering. I went into the kitchen to pour large doses of cognac into five snifters for us all. I delivered the cognac to everyone and encouraged the girls to come and gather with us on the patio. I was hoping that Joey was correct about the accidental death. It made no sense that Joey would have harmed Gianette, and Annette wouldn't want to lose her lead caretaker. I was being foolish with my suspicions. Both Annette and Joey knew that I could step onto the golden highway and into the breeze to review the incident in parking mode. I would soon know what happened to Gianette. I was nearly as heartbroken as Brigette and Françoise, but Annette and Joey were more accustomed to death. I huddled in an embrace with the two girls, and we wept together. Joey and Annette were discussing how to handle Gianette's body, and I hoped that the girls didn't hear their conversation. The girls both kissed me on the lips for the first time and thanked me for my understanding. I needed to get them onboard before they left our villa. I suggested that we all take turns to talk about Gianette's wonderful attributes and what she meant to us. Annette and Joey weren't nearly as emotional as the girls and I were, but they still had very nice things to say. Gianette had been very special to me, and I wanted Brigette to take her place as the lead caretaker. However, I couldn't offer the position without clearing it with Annette.

I opened another bottle of cognac and made the rounds as each one held out her snifter. We made one last toast to Gianette, and I sat down between the girls to explain our intentions. "Brigette, Françoise, you are well aware that our estate and our business are very private. What you may not know is that we are all highly trained agents, and we have protocols to maintain. We don't want civil authorities involved in this matter, and we hope that you understand. Gianette meant a great deal to us, and we mourn her passing. We are experienced in these matters, and we believe that her death was an accident. I have a very unique way to determine what happened, but I won't go into that right now. We want to perform the respectful services for her at our estate, and we would like to erect a memorial to her."

Françoise was the first to speak. "We understand, but what will you tell her family?"

"We will take her body to the coast of France and make sure that she is found with her identification strapped to her wrist. Her family will be notified, and they will take it from there. As you are aware, you both need to keep this a secret. No one but the five of us is allowed to know what happened, but before we do anything, I need to determine how she died."

Françoise continued, "But how will you be able to know what happened?"

I looked up at Joey and Annette. Joey shrugged, and Annette slowly shook her head.

Brigette then asked, "And how will you get her to the mainland? You have no car or helicopter. We've never seen you leave here."

I gave Annette a pleading look, but she reciprocated with another look of disagreement. I turned back to the girls. "Just leave that to us. We'll take care of everything. In the meantime, I need for you girls to tend to the gardens. Annette is very displeased with the weeds that she has seen, and we have our own business to conduct, and I have some investigating to do. We'll reconvene this afternoon to plan a memorial for Gianette."

I shooed the girls off to perform their duties and huddled with Joey and Annette. Joey had an available wrist band to which we could attach Gianette's identification. Annette summoned Françoise and asked her to go back to their quarters to retrieve one of Gianette's swimsuits. When she returned, we put the swimsuit on Gianette's lifeless body and carried her into our villa out of sight. Annette was very familiar with the Riviera and told me exactly where to put Gianette's body. I picked her up and made the necessary step to the location. I observed in parking mode for a minute to be sure that no one could see. I left her body in the shallow inlet that Annette had chosen and returned to the villa. My next task was to return to the golden highway and determine what had happened to Gianette. However, when I returned to the villa, Annette insisted on taking me to the bedroom for a romantic interlude that I knew would last for hours.

Annette wanted me to take her to the plateau of extended orgasm for over an hour, but I couldn't perform to her satisfaction because my mind was still on Gianette. Annette grew more frustrated and demanded various positions and favors. I had never known a woman who could orgasm as often or as easily as Annette. She finally released me after her twenty-fifth and turned to engage me. I knew I wouldn't achieve the plateau, but she wouldn't stop until I had produced three to her satisfaction. I was exhausted physically and emotionally. I wanted to search the past events from last night, but Annette wanted me to help her start preparing lunch for everyone before our afternoon discussion. I was beginning to realize that I wouldn't be able to conduct my investigation until Annette fell asleep for the night.

The afternoon seemed to drag on forever. Joey worked with Brigette and Françoise to choose a monument that we could place in Gianette's favorite garden. I turned to Annette and begged her to let me go investigate Gianette's death. "Adriel, you can't just disappear right now. The girls will start asking questions. You know that you can't splice time when you are on the golden highway, and the time differential is unpredictable. Wait until tonight, and if you aren't back by morning the girls shouldn't be here to ask any questions. I'm going to put heavy demands on them for tonight's work, and they don't have Gianette to help them. They will be exhausted by sunrise. Just be patient." Annette was right. I had forgotten that I couldn't splice time if I remained on the golden highway, and I had to be there to traverse the past. This was killing me. I had to know what happened to Gianette.

Annette was hard on the girls. She walked them through the gardens and pointed out the weeds that they had missed. She wanted them to start this afternoon and work into the night until the garden was clean. This meant that not only did the girls have a lack of sleep, but they both suffered hangovers as well. I had to admit that Annette paid them handsomely, and they never showed any resistance to her many demands. Once the sun was down, I was going to step onto the golden highway and into the past at our pool to watch the night of the party. Until then, Annette and I grabbed our towels and headed to the beach to get some sun. Joey joined us after about half an hour and brought more wine with her. I was sure that the wine gesture was intended to appease Annette. It worked. However, Annette insisted that Joey lie on the other side of her on the blanket. She knew full well how Joey and I would tease one another and play on the beach.

The sun finally began to sink into the western sky, and Annette and I retired to our summer bedroom. We showered, and I excused myself to go investigate the night of the party. Annette pouted a little, but I promised to take care of her when I returned. I took the step onto the golden highway and walked into the breeze a few short steps. I stepped into parking mode at our pool, but I didn't see anyone. I thought sure that I had the right timeframe. I stepped back for a slight adjustment, and I saw everyone at the pool with me on top of Annette. This was too early, and I adjusted a little further. I saw no one. This was beginning to confuse me, and I was concerned that time was passing too quickly in the worldly realm. I decided to step back to the beach and check my phone for the time. Two hours had passed. I was getting frustrated, and as I was beginning to make another attempt Yvonne grabbed my arm. I spun around to see her looking up into my eyes. "Yvonne, I'm glad you're here. I haven't been able to locate Gianette at our pool during the night of the party, but you already know that."

"That's why I'm here, Adriel. You're not allowed to check up on other people. You can visit your past or the things that pertain to your past, but you can't track others."

"Wait a minute! You and I were able to go back in time to find out what happened to Hermaphroditus. That wasn't my past, and we were able to see someone take him from the cage."

"Adriel, there's still so much that you don't know. Hermaphroditus isn't human. You can't track another person's past to whom you aren't intimately related unless your counterpart accompanies you."

"OK, then, let's go see what happened to Gianette."

"I can't do that, Adriel. You have to understand that some things are not allowed to be seen. You can't spy on another person's past. It's a violation of that individual."

"So, do you know what happened to Gianette?"

"I can't tell you that. You can't use the golden highway or your relationship to me to investigate events on the earth. Can you imagine what would happen if someone had that capability?"

"But I thought that you could do that."

"I have the ability but not the permission. My task pertains only to your life."

"Can you at least tell me if she was murdered?"

"I can tell you nothing certain unless it's about you. Please, stop this endeavor and come make love to me." Yvonne spread her robe on the sand and pulled me down.

After we had finished my healing session, I rolled over and asked, "Can you show me Annette's past?"

"Yes, of course, she's your wife."

"Then take me to the night of Gianette's death. I want to see what Annette was doing." Yvonne and I stepped onto the golden highway and took a few steps into the breeze. She was far more adept at targeting timeframes than I was. We watched as Annette finished preparing dinner. I asked Yvonne to take me to the point where Annette and I made love by the pool. She adjusted our position, and I saw myself on top of Annette. We watched until I finally rolled off of her onto my back. Annette could see that I was going to fall asleep, and she helped me up to take me to our summer bedroom. She then went back to the pool and engaged Joey in a conversation for quite some time. Annette was concerned that I was chasing fairy tales, and she warned Joey not to get sucked into my so-called project against evil incarnate. However, Joey had a different opinion. They began to argue for a while, and then Annette marched off back to our bedroom and fell asleep beside me. I still had learned nothing of Gianette's death. At least I had the satisfaction of knowing that Annette had nothing to do with it.

Both Joey and Annette could murder without remorse or second thought. Joey had killed her thousands, and Annette had killed her hundreds. However, I had never known either of them to execute someone outside of agency business. Even when Annette's superior, Alexis, had murdered Annette's sister during our quest to find the gold of Ophir, Annette did not retaliate by taking the life of Alexis. I encouraged her instead to use my abilities and scare the wits out of her which led to us gaining useful information. However, I was still at a loss to discover how Gianette had died. Perhaps it was just an accident. She was obviously very drunk, and Joey said that she must have gone back to the beach after they had snacked on the leftover lamb. Still, I was suspicious. I had ruled out thinking that Brigette or Françoise had anything to do with it. They were all close lovers, and I had witnessed their threesomes many times. I never detected any friction or jealousy between them.

Suddenly, I turned to Yvonne. "Do counterparts on the golden highway ever murder humans?"

"Good heavens, no, Adriel! Whatever are you talking about? We help our counterparts in the worldly realm. We do no harm."

"But what about Annette's counterpart? You said that he was evil."

"Well, that's true that he was selfishly evil, but he wouldn't murder someone. Adriel, a very small percentage of counterparts in my realm ever stepped over the line with humans. Out of the ones that did, they only had sex with them. They never murdered anyone. We just don't do that. You're barking up the wrong tree.

"OK, but what about fallen Overseers? I've heard all kinds of stories of demon possession and murder."

"Oh, goodness, Adriel! That's exactly what they are; they are stories. You need to stop thinking along those lines. It is people who make the decisions, not the entities in my realm. We suffer from your decisions constantly, but we don't make decisions for you. Humans need to stop blaming our realm for bad decisions."

"That's basically what Annette said."

"Well, Annette is correct. Your decisions began before you were ever born. Believe me, Adriel, I never would have agreed to your negotiations, but I have to assist you in your life to accomplish it all. It constantly amazes me how humans want to blame us or each other for everything that happens. There's so much that you don't know. You seem to understand the concept that souls were allowed to choose how long their lifespan would be on earth, but when someone close to you dies, you see it as a tragedy. Your right to choose your lifespan was given within certain parameters. When souls first began descending to earth, lifespans were far longer. However, once the counterparts in my realm exercised their immorality with humans, the Creator cut that time period to a fraction of what it was. Humans weren't innocent in that matter either. If you remember, humans were very promiscuous, and when women began to be aware of counterparts in my realm, they enticed them. None of it was done against human will. Therefore, it became necessary to limit human life on earth to preserve mankind."

"You once told me that I negotiated enough for three lifetimes. I must have chosen an old age at which to die."

Yvonne pondered for a moment. "Actually, you didn't choose. You were one of the wiser ones who left it up to the Creator, but that's all I'm allowed to tell about your negotiations."

"So, I'm a little confused. If souls were allowed to choose their lifespans, does that justify murder?"

Yvonne turned to me with a look of disgust. "Of course not, Adriel. Just because decisions were made before someone's birth to agree to take another's life doesn't make it acceptable. All murder is premeditated because it is chosen before birth. Once again, the Creator does not interfere with your free will."

"So, did Gianette choose to die last night?"

"Don't aggravate me, Adriel. You know that I can't tell you that. You're starting to waste my time." Yvonne disappeared.

I was disappointed that I wasn't going to discover what had happened to Gianette, and I had told the girls that I would. I knew that Annette didn't want me to disclose anything about my capabilities, and I understood. The less others knew about what I could do, the better. As much as I could do, I was frustrated by what I could not do. I had limits, and I had to learn to work within them. I decided to check for any news reports the next morning of any drowned persons on the French Riviera. I wanted to be sure that Gianette's body had been found. It was three o'clock in the morning, and I was exhausted. I trudged up the stone walkway toward my villa. I could see the faint lights in the distant garden, and I knew that the girls were hard at work. I eased into bed so that I didn't disturb Annette. I knew what she would want if she awakened, and I was just too tired.

Annette awoke me earlier than I hoped, and after an hour of making love, she wanted to know what I had found concerning Gianette's death. I was sorry to tell her that I found absolutely nothing. I certainly wasn't going to let her know that I had tracked her in the past during that evening. I did, however, suggest that we check the news for the Riviera and see if there was mention of Gianette's body. We headed out to the kitchen to make breakfast, and I was glad that Joey had already made coffee. I needed a strong dose to get me going after last night. Annette and I tended to breakfast, and Joey checked the news. Sure enough, Gianette's body was mentioned. She was found by a swimmer, and the authorities had fished her body out of the water. Drowning was assumed to be the cause of death, but the final analysis was pending an autopsy. At least we had confirmation that her body had been found and identified.

Annette seemed distracted, but I realized that she was scouring the landscape for weeds as she sipped her coffee. It was a bright, sunshiny, beautiful day, and the birds and butterflies were plentiful. The sweet song that filled the air was exhilarating, and we anticipated a great day at the beach. Surprisingly, Annette left me alone with Joey as she descended the stone stairway to the gardens below for a closer scrutiny. I admired her form as she strolled naked along the winding stone pathways feeling the leaves of the orange cannas and testing the soil with her bare foot to be sure that everything had been watered sufficiently. Our caretakers knew that Annette had the highest standards for our gardens, and they were diligent to care for them to the point of perfection. Well, it was perfection in my estimation anyway.

I was watching Annette as Joey turned to me. "Adriel, Annette tells me that you think that Avarro is behind some kind of conspiracy to destroy mankind. Is this true?"

"Well, something is afoot, but I'm not sure if it's Avarro or not."

"I don't understand. What makes you think that there is a problem?"

"Well, I never really explained in detail about the man that I encountered in my endeavor to save the world from nuclear disaster."

"Are you talking about the man that Annette had me assassinate during the Ophir project?"

"Yes, I believe he was the same man that I encountered previously. I didn't want you to kill him because it released the evil entity that had him in his grasp."

"I don't understand, Adriel. Are you talking about the mythical demon possession that was a common belief in previous centuries?"

"Well, yes, and no. It's not really like the old tales of possession. You're aware that our counterparts on the golden highway guide us and help us in many ways."

"Yes, and I haven't seen my counterpart for quite some time. Do you plan to take me to him?"

"I don't know if I can, Joey. I need to talk to Yvonne. Ever since your sexual encounter with Annette's counterpart things have been different. That's one area that I'm really foggy about right now. Anyway, you're aware of the help that our counterparts give us."

"Yes, of course I am."

"Well, the converse can be true that someone can call upon fallen Overseers to aid them in diabolical schemes."

Joey looked at me in doubt. "And you think that Avarro has done such a thing?"

"I'm not sure. He's at the top of the hierarchy in the agency, and that makes him the most powerful man in the world. Power breeds corruption, and absolute power breeds corruption of the worst kind."

"Let me get this straight, Adriel. You think because Avarro has the kind of power that he does he is going to summon some dark force?"

"Maybe, or some dark influence may seek him out. I'm not really sure how all of it works."

Joey muffled a laugh. "Adriel, you have abandoned logic and reason for hocus-pocus. I think Annette is right, you've jumped off the deep end this time."

"Joey, I know for a fact that these evil forces exist. I have encountered them."

"No, you've encountered some very wicked people, that's all. Have you discussed this with Yvonne?"

"Yes, I have, and she agrees that it is possible."

"Adriel, you are fabricating a project out of thin air with no proof of anything whatsoever. Are you really that bored?"

"Joey, I'm telling you that something evil is afoot, and I need to find out what it is."

"Adriel, I'm sure that something evil is afoot. In fact, I know that it's rampant in this world, but you can't go chasing ghosts and demons. Surely you know that Annette won't participate, and I don't blame her. I can't sign up for this either."

I knew that I was wasting my breath. The logic of the brain won't allow one to accept the concepts outside of this earthly realm. Joey and Annette had both been on the golden highway, but if they had never experienced it I would never get them to believe that it exists. I was on my own. During my first project to prevent the coup in Pakistan, I had Eddie to help with the technical aspects of my communication so that I could email dignitaries around the world without being traced. However, in the end I realized that I didn't need any of that. Although, I did utilize it to execute my plan. When I looked for the Gold of Ophir, I had Evelyn by my side. She actually received enlightenment before I did, and I needed her to help me navigate during the early parts of our quest for the gold. Yvonne had helped me steal the gold from Ararat and build myself a fortune during my third project. I doubted that I could count on her now. She is so occupied with her responsibilities for Annette and me.

Evil flies beneath the radar. Organized crime denies its existence. The agency does the same. Evil forces in this world prefer that everyone believes that they don't exist, and they are largely successful. The ones who claim to believe in evil forces actually misunderstand. They perform exorcisms, and subscribe to all sorts of nonsense which plays right into the hands of evil because it causes others to doubt. That's just how crafty they can be. What appears to be their enemy actually aids them in their endeavor for anonymity. Evelyn and Eddie both doubted my sanity in my first project. I even had my doubts at times. I had no idea that it was Yvonne who was guiding me through the whole adventure. I have learned so much since then, but no matter how much I learn there is always the unknown that lurks in the face of every decision. When I was younger, I thought that when I got older I would have all the answers to make good decisions. That never happened. We seldom have all the answers because in order to live successfully we must exercise faith. No matter how confused or discouraged I became, I knew that ultimately the Creator was going to provide everything I needed. It was often at the last minute, but he did come through for me.

Annette returned to the patio while Joey was in the kitchen looking for something to eat. "Adriel, we need to hire someone to replace Gianette. I'm going to run another ad in that French lesbian news site to find her replacement." Annette insisted on hiring a female homosexual. I was fine with that. "I may take Françoise with me to the mainland to interview candidates."

I was stunned. "You're going to leave me here alone with Joey?"

Annette gave me an absurd look. "Don't be ridiculous! Brigette will be your shadow while I'm gone."

"Wait a minute! What if I need to go to the golden highway? I can't take Brigette with me."

"Relax! I'm only going to be gone overnight. You don't need to go anywhere."

Now I was perturbed. For the first time, I felt like a prisoner in my own home. Annette went into the kitchen to get her laptop to place the ad. I later saw her talking with Brigette on our patio, and I knew it was about being my babysitter. This was embarrassing. I grabbed a bottle of cognac and stormed off toward the beach. "Why does no one listen to me?" I began to rant as I slugged another gulp of brandy. "It doesn't matter how much I know or how much I can do, it's never enough!"

I spun around as I heard Yvonne's voice behind me. "Since when did you ever accomplish anything by yourself? After all this time, do you not realize that you are nothing but a paintbrush? Masterpieces have been painted and hung in art galleries all over this world, and never in the course of centuries has anyone ever asked to see the brushes used by the artist. The magnificent works of art are attributed to the artist, not the brush." I knew what Yvonne was saying. If I assumed responsibility for a task, then I also assumed the credit for its success. I was misappropriating myself. The Creator was the one who accomplished his will upon this earth, and if I was being called to prevent another world disaster I had to realize that it was his responsibility and not my own. "Adriel, we have work to do, and if you try to do this by your own abilities, we will fail miserably. Everything happens for a reason, and you already know that. You're ranting like a spoiled child. You should know fully well by now how all of this works. Stop your nonsense, and pay attention. Quit resisting, and learn from the circumstances."

"I know what you're saying, Yvonne, but I resent having one of my employees babysit me while Annette goes to interview Gianette's replacement. It's embarrassing. Besides that, no one is listening to me, and I need their help."

"Once again, Adriel, you don't know what you need. You don't even know what the problem is yet. You're presumptuous, arrogant, obtuse, selfish, contemptuous, and clueless."

"Oh, please, Yvonne, don't hold back. Tell me what you really think."

"Adriel, this isn't about the help that you can get. It's about the help that you can give. Stop being so self-centered. Be a servant, not a recipient. That is the only attitude that will be conducive toward your success. You're one of the richest men in the world. You're also the most powerful due to the things that I have taught you. You are targeting Avarro because of his standing, but you have overlooked yourself. Your head is turning, and you don't even realize it. Once again, this applies to your negotiations. I'm here to help you succeed, but you make it extremely difficult. Get your head out of your ass, and be the servant you need to be."

"That brings up another point. Why do I need all of this money, anyway?"

"There are many reasons. You have a very materialistic wife, and right now she's about as happy as she can get. You let her design your estate, and she had no limits. Enjoy it. You will find out in time why you need the money, but that's a very minor issue. It's a blessing and a curse. You will learn from both. You live in a binary world. Most people never come to that realization. You either exercise faith, or you don't. Nothing else matters. No matter what you think you accomplish or learn, if it isn't done by faith in the will, nature, and character of the Creator, it's eternally useless. Only that which is accomplished by faith will last for eternity. Your recent actions prove to me that you aren't exercising faith, and that will lead to ultimate failure. You need some time to get your attitude in line. I'll be back tomorrow." Yvonne disappeared.

I took another slug from my cognac bottle. I was still seething, but I knew that Yvonne was right. I had assumed that my abilities would solve the mystery behind Gianette's death. I thought that Annette and Joey would come to my aid. I was trusting my hunch that something sinister was brewing and that Avarro was the culprit, but I had no real proof. My head was spinning, and most of it was from the cognac. I fell into a sitting position on the sand and watched the waves roll in from the Mediterranean. They broke about one hundred meters from our beach due to the shallow inlet between the rocks. I sat and contemplated the fact that I hadn't spoken English in several months. Yvonne and I always communicated telepathically. Annette and our caretakers were from France, and Joey spoke French better than English, and she spoke English better than I. I had learned six languages at the agency, and French was predominantly the one that I spoke these days.

Suddenly, I felt someone slip in behind me on the sand to spoon me. I took a deep breath, and I recognized that it was Joey. I knew her fragrance extremely well. She wrapped her arms around me and laid her head upon my right shoulder. I leaned my head against hers, and I knew that in my inebriated state that I would succumb to whatever she wanted. She nibbled my right ear, and I strained to turn my head to find her lips. She lay back on the sand and pulled me on top of her. I was heaving with desire, and I took advantage of my position to thrust myself hard. I was annoyed. Someone was shaking me, and I wanted to remain where I was. I felt cold water upon my face. As I looked up, Annette was over me, and she was insisting that I sit up.

"Good lord, Adriel, you passed out on the beach. After seeing the empty cognac bottle, I was afraid that you might suffer alcohol poisoning. You need to sit up and talk to me." I looked around, and I was in our bedroom. I tried to collect myself. "Adriel, please drink some coffee." I saw Joey enter the room with a steaming cup. "You need to drink some water too. You have to get up. Walk with me." Annette threw my left arm over her shoulder and pulled me up. Joey followed us out to the patio. I couldn't support myself with my legs, and Annette practically carried me to the nearest loveseat. "Damn it, Adriel! I can't have you acting like this while I'm gone. What's gotten into you?" I desperately wanted to go back to what was obviously a dream. "Here, drink this water, and follow it with some coffee." I spilled half the bottle of water on me as I tried to drink it. I could see Joey's concern that I might burn myself with the coffee, and she made me lean forward before I drank from the cup.

Suddenly, I stood and screamed, "Oh, fuck," as Brigette poured a bucket of ice water over my head.

I reeled and fell back onto the loveseat. "Come on, Adriel, drink some more water." Annette was holding the bottle to my lips. The surroundings were spinning like I was on a carousel. There were two of everyone as I looked about. I couldn't focus. Annette slapped me hard on my left cheek. "Drink more water, Adriel!" She practically poured it down my throat. I felt a sting in my left arm. I saw a needle, and I knew that Joey had just taken some of my blood to test my alcohol level. I must be in more trouble than I realized. Joey and Annette were highly trained, and they knew when potential danger presented itself. I had drunk a whole bottle of cognac before. What's the problem?

Annette, Brigette, and Joey were standing over me, but their voices sounded very distant. I could hear the faint mumblings, "We need to get him to a hospital. We'll never get him there in time. We would have to helicopter him to a facility, and we're not with the agency anymore. Brigette, go get more ice!" Oh, no, not more ice. Please, no more ice. I think I lost consciousness. I was finally aware of more voices. Some of them I did not recognize. I just want to sleep. What is that infernal beeping noise? It's annoying. I was gaining more consciousness, and I recognized the smell. I knew where I was in general, but not specifically. I tried to open my eyes. I saw a man in a white coat speaking to Annette. "Mrs. White, your husband has suffered from a neurotoxin. Interestingly, we had another such case in the last forty-eight hours. A young woman was found near Saint-Tropez with the same compound. I will need for you to speak with the authorities. They requested to be notified if we found a similar case."

Did I forget to mention that after I faked my death that I had to change my name? My new legal name is Jasper White. I know, I hate it too. Actually, it gets worse than that. When I returned to the agency, my supervisor insisted that I keep my faked death a secret and remain missing. He strongly suggested that I get plastic surgery to alter my face. They altered my vocal cords as well, and I no longer look nor sound like my original self. In fact, Evelyn has never seen my new face or heard my new voice. You have no idea how tempted I have been to run into her on the street knowing that she couldn't recognize me. However, Annette would be furious if she ever found out I did such a thing.

From what I was gathering of the conversation between the doctor and Annette, I was going to recover. However, there was a question concerning what level of recovery I would attain. When I heard the name Saint-Tropez, I was fairly certain that they were referring to Gianette, whom I had deposited in the bay in that area. Unfortunately, we never found her in time to get her treatment. I was now becoming more suspicious how Gianette and I had suffered from the same poison. Agency training had taught me enough to know that ethanol was a neurotoxin, and Gianette and I both had plenty to drink prior to our episodes. However, if it were alcohol poisoning, I wouldn't imagine that the authorities would want to compare incidents. My head still was not clear. I tried to open my eyes. The room was a terrible blur, and I wondered if blindness was one of my possibilities.

I vaguely saw Annette rush to my side. "Adriel, can you hear me? How do you feel?" I tried to respond, but I was unable. "Can you talk?" I saw the doctor step next to Annette and coax her away from my bed. Everything was so blurry. It was worse than a Monet painting. I could see color, but not much detail. I wanted to reach out, but my arms wouldn't respond. I soon drifted off again into a quiet slumber.

I saw Yvonne. She stood before me, but something was different. "Yvonne? Are you there?" She extended her hand. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, you're not dreaming, Adriel. I never put myself into your dreams."

"What's going on? Am I going to to die?"

Yvonne was having some sort of difficulty. "Adriel, I have tried to explain so much to you. If you die, I die. If you get sick, I get sick. If you get poisoned, I get poisoned. If you fuck a woman, I have to fuck her counterpart. I told you that I'm another part of your body."

"Are we dying, Yvonne?"

"I don't know, Adriel, but whatever happens we will be together."

## CHAPTER FOUR

### _Ditch the Bitch_

IF WE STILL worked with the agency, we could have obtained the medical records and learned exactly what neurotoxin the lab had detected in both Gianette and myself. However, due to the fact that this was considered a murder investigation, the records were sealed. I really wasn't sure if it was necessary to know the details. The fact that the poison had been found in both of us was enough for me. Annette denied any involvement with Gianette, and the authorities were left to believe that our incidents were totally unrelated. I doubted that they truly believed it, but that depended on how rare the neurotoxin was. Annette wanted no link or investigation into our lives. I understood that. I desperately wanted to go home, but my physical therapist was due any minute to help me become ambulatory again. I was having a difficult time getting my muscles to respond according to my intentions. Sometimes my legs and arms would move when I didn't want them to, and sometimes they wouldn't move when I tried to use them. I wasn't paralyzed, but I was seriously debilitated.

Henri was my therapist. I liked him. He had a good sense of humor, and he was a very handsome man. He had a square jaw, a great physique, and a head full of dark, curly hair. He always had a three day beard on his face, and I wondered how he maintained that look on a daily basis. I'm sure that women swooned in his presence. Hell, I was straight as an arrow, and I was attracted to him. We joked and laughed as he tried to get me to stand and walk. Sometimes my legs were like stiff sticks, and other times they were like jelly. There was no consistency to what I encountered daily. When I fell, he would catch me in his strong arms and place me back on my feet. He claimed that I was making progress. I didn't see it.

Annette walked into the room just as Henri and I were finishing our session. She never gave him a second look. Had my therapist been a cute blonde woman, Annette would probably have engaged her in a long conversation. However, she never spoke to Henri. Annette helped me get back into bed and closed the door. I knew that look. I tried to discourage her, but I knew that she had spoken to the nursing staff and we wouldn't be disturbed for over an hour. I'll admit that Annette's sessions did more for me than Henri, and I desperately needed them. At least one of my appendages was working properly. I was thankful for that. I was happy that Annette actually achieved an extended orgasm, and I held her there for forty-five minutes. I was a little embarrassed because she let out screams of pleasure that had to be heard by the nursing staff. Nonetheless, it kept her extremely content. I was just happy to have conventional sex.

I had been in the hospital for nine days. I hadn't seen Joey, and I knew that it wasn't because she didn't want to visit me. I was perturbed because I knew that Annette was keeping her away. What Annette didn't realize is that Joey would make up for lost time. I knew her well, and preventing Joey from seeing me was a grave mistake. Annette was aware of my former relationship with Joey, but she really didn't realize how well we knew one another. We could sit in a room together and converse without saying a word. As much as I hate to admit it, Joey was closer to me than anyone other than Yvonne. It still boggled my mind that we had never had sex with one another. Yvonne was the only deterrent that kept Joey and me from running to each other's arms and fucking our brains out. The expense of satisfying that desire was as high as it could get. I would lose Yvonne for the rest of my days on this earth, and I didn't want that. However, I knew myself well enough to know that I would eventually break down. I drifted off to sleep again.

I saw Yvonne approach and hold out her hand. "Take my hand, Adriel."

"I can't, Yvonne. I think I'm asleep. I thought that you didn't put yourself into my dreams."

"You aren't dreaming, Adriel. Reach out and take my hand." I stretched my hand forward, and Yvonne grabbed hold of it. "Come with me," she invited as she pulled me along.

"Wait a minute! I thought that I was sleeping."

"Your body is asleep, but you are quite awake. Look down."

I saw a glowing silver cord streaming from my abdomen and trailing behind me. "What in the world is that?"

"It's your silver cord, Adriel. It attaches your soul to your body. If that cord breaks, it means your body is dead. Don't worry, that's not going to happen today. Now, follow me."

"Hold on! You mean that I'm outside my body?"

"In the sense that you view your three dimensional world, yes, but in reality you aren't. Remember I told you that time and space are an illusion in your world. You are on the golden highway, but your body is not."

"But I don't see the golden highway or its surroundings."

"Again, I told you that your perception of the golden highway was an illusion that your brain needed to see in order to cope. Your brain is not on the golden highway. I really don't have time to answer all of your questions right now. Please, come with me."

We passed through walls, corridors, buildings, and I was completely disoriented. Yvonne finally stopped inside a room that appeared to be some sort of laboratory. I looked around wondering how I could be here when my body was still asleep in my hospital bed. I whispered, "Where are we?"

Yvonne gave me a perturbed look. "What makes you think you can whisper? You have no vocal cords available right now. Stop asking questions, and just listen."

Two lab technicians were examining vials of serum. "These are definitely a match, Joe. Whatever killed this woman and poisoned this man are no coincidence. We need to find the origin of this toxin. It's not like anything I have ever seen. Let's upload this chemical compound description and see if anyone has a match."

I looked over at Yvonne. "So, tell me something I don't know."

"Be quiet. They're going to get results in a few minutes."

"How do you know that?"

Yvonne gave me one of her looks like I was being stupid again. A few minutes passed, and one of the technicians began perusing a list of possible matches. "Joe, take a look at this. Our compound is part of a snake venom found in a small area of eastern Africa and the nearby islands. It's incredibly close to the Eastern Green Mamba Snake, but it's not an exact match. Wait a minute, here's something almost identical. It's a close cousin of that same venom from a nearly extinct viper of the mamba genus Dendroaspis found in Zanzibar." The technician removed his glasses and looked at Joe. "These victims were purposely poisoned."

The next moment I was waking up in my hospital bed. What a dream! It seemed more realistic than real life. I thought Yvonne said that she didn't put herself into my dreams. That was really strange. I chuckled as I looked at my abdomen to see if there was a silver cord. Mamba snakes, Zanzibar, poisonous venom. This neurotoxin was obviously playing havoc with my brain. I turned my thoughts toward home. I desperately wanted to get out of here, mostly because I wanted to see Joey, but I couldn't admit that. I was going to ask my doctor if I could be released. Joey could continue my physical therapy, and I would be more comfortable in my own home.

The next day, I was pleased to announce to Annette when she arrived that I was being released. She was totally surprised and questioned if I was ready to go home. I assured her that I would make more progress at home, and Joey could help with my physical therapy. When Annette began to object, I reminded her that Joey could throw me across the room, and I had no doubt that she could catch me if I fell. Besides, I was ready to sit on the patio and share a bottle of wine with Annette. I think that suggestion helped her to comply with my release.

I wasn't conscious for the trip to the hospital, but I loathed the trip to get me back to the villa. I had been so used to using the golden highway to travel that I had forgotten how painful it can be to travel commercially. Nevertheless, it was good to be home, and as much as I could tell that Joey wanted to grab me into her arms, she was restraining herself. Annette seldom left me alone with Joey, but I knew if she did that we would be locked in an embrace and making up for lost kisses. I often found that being near Joey was more tolerable than being away from her. If absence made the heart grow fonder, absence from Joey made my heart ache for her.

Annette was preoccupied, and I could tell that something was bothering her. She announced later that evening that she had four responses to her ad for another caretaker, and she needed to go to Paris to interview the candidates who would be meeting her at the Hotel Ritz on Tuesday. It was going to be a two day trip, and she was taking Françoise along to aid with the interviews. I could tell from Joey's demeanor that she was pleased to have me alone. Although, Annette explained to me that Brigette was going to be my shadow. I knew what that meant. Annette was placing Brigette in the same position that she had placed Joey during the Ophir project. Brigette would be sleeping in my bed, showering with me, following me to the bathroom, and never leaving my side. As uncomfortable as all that sounds, I was actually used to that arrangement. I was a little defiant, and if Brigette found out about the golden highway while Annette was in Paris, then so be it.

The next Monday morning, Annette packed her bags and made preparations to fly to Paris. I chuckled to myself because I knew that she would much rather have me transport her via the golden highway, but I was still working on my walking skills. Besides, she was taking Françoise, and there was no way she would disclose our ability to travel in seconds. Joey reminded me of a teenager waiting for mom and dad to leave on vacation so that she could have the house to herself. I found all of this incredibly amusing, and I could sense Brigette's discomfort with the orders that Annette had given her.

As soon as Annette and Françoise left for the airport, Brigette turned to me. "Monsieur, I am so sorry that Madame has put me in charge of you. This is terribly embarrassing."

I gave a hearty laugh and consoled her. "Oh, Brigette, this isn't the first time Annette has done something like this. She doesn't trust me with Joey. Joey and I have a very special relationship that has developed over the last few years." Joey looked over and smiled at me. "You see, Joey was put into the same position that you are right now. However, yours lasts for two nights, but Joey's lasted for over a year. Relax, and we'll enjoy cooking, swimming, partying, sunbathing, and you get a break from the gardens. It will be fun."

Brigette gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, Monsieur, thank you! I was afraid that you would be upset with me."

"Good heavens, no, Brigette! Do you know how to make an Old Fashioned?"

"No, I've never made one."

"Well, now is a good time to learn. There's a drink recipe in the cupboard. Please, make us all a round of Old Fashioned cocktails, and we will enjoy them before dinner."

Joey grinned as Brigette went into the kitchen. I figured it would take her the better part of half an hour to finish those cocktails. I turned to Joey, and she leaned in to kiss me. I engaged her for a few minutes and then pulled away. "Joey, I want to tell you about this crazy dream I had in the hospital. It involves Yvonne, whom I haven't seen since, by the way." I recounted the dream in great detail to Joey.

Joey pondered for a minute and looked up at me. "Are you familiar with the Eastern Green Mamba, Adriel?"

I laughed as I responded, "You mean there really is a snake by that name?"

"Oh, definitely! Remember when you requested to start your search for the gold of Ophir in Tanzania?"

"Of course I do. I was shooting in the dark, but I suspicioned that the gold mine might be in that area."

"Well, as an agent I was required to research several aspects of Tanzania before we departed, and one of the dangers was the Eastern Green Mamba snake. They are highly venomous. You must have heard of them before."

"No, not to my recollection I haven't. It was just part of my dream."

"So, you haven't seen Yvonne since you had that dream?"

"No, but lately it hasn't been unusual for her to stay away for a week at a time."

"Adriel, you need to talk to Yvonne. I'm glad you mentioned this. If that wasn't a dream, someone is trying to kill you. Believe me, I'm an assassin, and I know how this works. They got Gianette by mistake. We need to check all of our bottles of alcohol, and stop Brigette immediately before she drinks something in the kitchen."

I was slow on my feet, but Joey threw my right arm over her shoulder to help me into the kitchen. "Brigette, please stop! Joey thinks that our alcohol has been compromised with a poison. Wash your hands, and we'll get some gloves. We need to examine our bottles." Gianette immediately stepped over to the sink and began scrubbing her hands. Joey retrieved three pairs of rubber gloves from the cabinet and handed a pair to Brigette and me. "Brigette, please have Joey help you bring the cases of wine and cognac out to the patio where we will have more light."

Brigette was in charge of the food and alcohol orders. She kept all of the cases in order by shipment. This would help us determine if and when any tampering of our bottles had begun. Invoices were attached to the stacks of cases to help target the timeframes. Joey rummaged through her bags to find a magnifying glass, and we began to examine each bottle of wine and cognac. Joey was the first to recognize a small hole in one of the bottles of Merlot. She suspicioned that someone had inserted a long needle into the top of the cork to inject the poison. Had it only been a cork, we never could have detected it, but the tin wrapper revealed a small pin prick. After examining all of the wine in the cases, we found that it was isolated to the last shipment which arrived three weeks ago. Five bottles of Merlot and three bottles of cognac showed evidence of tampering. Joey began interrogating Brigette about the ordering process and details of the deliveries. We spent the rest of the day examining all of our liquor bottles to see if we could detect any signs of tampering.

We found some liquor that we felt we could trust and made a pitcher of cocktails. Brigette sat closely to me as we all discussed the night of Gianette's death. We normally chose wine from the older cases when we drank, but Joey explained that Gianette had obviously grabbed one of the bottles from the latest shipment after they had raided the fridge for more lamb. Only one bottle from that shipment was missing, and it made sense. Unfortunately, Gianette had chosen one of six bottles of Merlot that had been poisoned. We received wine orders once a month, and cognac arrived every six months. Our latest cognac order was delivered with our last wine order, and I had used the last of the previous case of cognac to serve to everyone after I found Gianette lifeless in the surf. Whoever wanted me dead knew about our food and alcohol shipments. We needed to change our ordering and shopping habits. As much as I didn't want to use the golden highway to do my shopping, I realized that it was the safest way to obtain our food and drink.

After we had discussed the possibilities and analyzed our situation, I had Brigette text Annette to let her know what we had found. I was still perturbed with her, and she had put Brigette in charge of my activities. After Brigette texted Annette, she turned to me with a long sigh, and her shoulders sank. "Monsieur, I can go back to my villa if you want time alone with Joey. I promise not tell Madame."

Joey and I both broke into laughter, and I began to explain. "Brigette, you are so naive. Annette has cameras everywhere, and I'm sure that she has one set up in our bedroom and shower in her absence. If you and I don't appear in the bed together alone tonight, you won't just lose your job, she will ruin your life. You don't know this woman the way that I do. I'm sure there's a camera at your villa as well. If you are seen without me by your side, you will regret it for the rest of your days. You need to comply one hundred percent with my wife's direction."

Joey interjected, "Besides that, she can tell in an instant if you're lying."

"But I saw you two kissing when I was reading the recipe for the Old Fashioned cocktails. Surely that was on camera as well."

"I can explain that away. Don't worry, I won't let you get into any trouble, but you need to stay by my side. Oh, and thank you for your offer. That was very kind."

After dinner that evening, Brigette swam while Joey worked with my rehabilitation by walking me around the pool. The buoyancy and resistance that the water provided was perfect for exercising my legs. However, the problem lay within my brain, not my muscles. Apparently, the poison had interfered with some of the neural pathways, and I needed to reestablish the connections in order to operate my body properly. The major concern was whether the damage was permanent or temporary. Joey was a relentless trainer, and she worked me to exhaustion. She took several advantages of brief moments to kiss and hold me. As much as I wanted to take advantage of Brigette's offer, I knew that it would be disastrous for us all, and especially for me. Yvonne had not returned, and her absence made it far more difficult to resist Joey. Unfortunately, I didn't expect her to return with Brigette by my side.

Suddenly, I had an idea. I wondered if I could splice time alone. Annette was familiar with splicing time, and she knew that she would see a glitch on camera if I tried to do it. Even though I could return to the time that I left, a camera would detect a brief absence and the event of me disappearing to the golden highway. I had always used brief moments of solitude in the past when splicing time. Either everyone was out of the room, asleep, or their backs were turned. The camera never blinked, and there were very few places that I was not on camera. Brigette had been instructed to keep me within certain boundaries. This was just plain silliness. The more I thought about it, the more agitated I became. I wasn't some dog to be held on a leash. I'm Adriel Chevalier, goddammit, Master of Time and Space! Just then, Yvonne's words rang in my ears. "Be a servant, not a recipient. You're a paintbrush, not the Great Artist." I had embarrassed myself. She was right, my head was turning, and my selfishness was consuming me.

That night, Brigette wore pajamas to bed. That was very thoughtful. Although she was purely homosexual, I knew that she would give me whatever I wanted, and frankly, Annette wouldn't mind as long as I wasn't with Joey. However, I had no desire to have another woman. I loved Brigette dearly much like a daughter. In fact, she was ten years younger than my daughter, Maggie, whom I had not seen in years. It grieved me that my children believed I was dead, but it was necessary for everyone's safety. If the knowledge that Adriel Chevalier was still alive ever resurfaced, everyone's life would be in danger. I wondered what Evelyn was doing, and if she had found another lover. I had to resist the thoughts of my former family. It was just too painful.

The next morning, Brigette's discomfort was so apparent that I decided to skip my morning shower and put on some clothes. We went out to the kitchen to make breakfast where Joey was already enjoying a cup of coffee and catching up with world events on her phone. I pulled some bacon and eggs out of the fridge and set them on the counter. Joey looked up at me from her seat at the breakfast bar. "Adriel, I need to find out who is trying to kill you, but I'm going to need your help." I gave Joey a concerned look and slowly shook my head. I knew that she was about to mention the golden highway. She turned to Brigette. "Brigette, I need for you to give me the contact information for your alcohol orders and tell me about everyone you have talked with concerning the orders and deliveries. I have some persuasive methods of getting people to talk." I shuddered because I knew Joey's methods. She wasn't just an assassin; she had tortured thousands to gain information before snuffing them out.

Brigette took the opportunity while I cooked breakfast to write a list of names for Joey whom she had contacted for our orders. I served the bacon and eggs to the girls and sat down at the breakfast bar with my coffee. Brigette turned to me. "Monsieur, are you shifting the ordering responsibility to Françoise?"

I gave Brigette a puzzled look. "Why, no, of course not, Brigette, whatever made you think that?"

"Well, a few weeks ago Françoise was asking me about the ordering process. I started thinking that you and Madame might have decided to let her start handling the food and drink orders."

Joey gave me a look of concern as I responded, "I assure you that Annette mentioned nothing of the kind."

Joey put her fork on the bar. "Adriel, you have to stop this secretive nonsense. I think we can trust Brigette."

Brigette interrupted, "Oh, Monsieur, please don't worry. I can keep a secret for you both."

"No, Brigette, that's not what Joey is referring to, and I know that she's right." I turned to Joey. "I agree, we need to be more candid, but let's get our priorities straight. I can walk well enough now to take us to buy more wine and cognac. We can take Brigette along, and she can help carry some of the goods back here. Then we can concentrate on tracing the wine and cognac order back to the source." Brigette look confused. "Honey, you're about to get the experience of your lifetime, and I think it's about time that you started addressing me by my first name."

"But, Monsieur..."

"No, it's Adriel, and you must keep all of this a secret. You can't tell anyone. I know I can trust you."

After the girls finished breakfast, I grabbed my charge card and instructed Brigette about what she was going to experience. Joey took my left hand, and Brigette held my right hand. As usual, her reaction was expected as she screamed and clung to me when we stepped onto the golden highway. I took another step into parking mode at a liquor store and began consoling Brigette as I explained what she had just experienced. Parking mode was a great transitional place to help acclimate newcomers to the golden highway. It prevented too much time from passing because we weren't on the golden highway, and it prevented anyone from seeing or hearing us because we weren't actually in the location where we were parked. It took Brigette longer than I anticipated to calm her. She was crying and pleading to be taken back to the villa. She thought she was dying. Joey helped to console her, and when we finally convinced Brigette that all was well, we stepped into the liquor store to make our purchase. Now came the tricky part. We carried the cases outside and around to the back of the liquor store where no one could see us. We locked arms as we picked up our cases, and I made Brigette promise not to drop hers while we stepped back to the villa. In one breath, we were on my patio.

We put our cases down, and Brigette immediately pleaded, "Monsieur, I need a drink."

"No, it's Adriel, and I think we could all use one right now."

Joey went to the kitchen to make some cocktails. I held Brigette in my arms and stroked her hair. She was shaking like a leaf. I realized that I would need to take her on several more trips via the golden highway to get her acclimated. I was accustomed to this. It's like trying to get a frightened young girl onto a roller coaster that just terrified her to no end. First, I needed to get several drinks in her before I could get started. Joey found the whole situation very amusing, and she wanted to come along for the ride. We spent the next few hours taking Brigette to familiar places and friends to demonstrate my capabilities. Once we got her to navigate with us and not have a fearful reaction, we returned to the villa where we all had more drinks.

I took advantage of Brigette's inebriated state to get her into the shower with me. I laughed as she offered to wash my back, and I didn't refuse. It felt good to get clean again, and we toweled off before heading out to the pool to enjoy our day. Joey and I discussed a plan to visit the places and people responsible for our alcohol orders. Annette wasn't going to be back until late tomorrow night. This would give Brigette, Joey, and me a chance to retrace the steps of tainted cases of wine.

I had another idea. Apparently, my dream with Yvonne really wasn't a dream. I wanted us to take a tainted bottle to the lab technicians to test for the same toxin. I had been in the lab before, so I knew that I could target it via the golden highway. Joey wanted to get started right away, but Brigette was pretty far gone after having several drinks. Joey wanted to leave her behind, but I knew that she would suffer Annette's wrath. I remembered my old tricks from the past and suggested that we deposit her onto a bed in an expensive hotel suite that was unlikely to be rented for the day. Brigette giggled when I explained what we were going to do. I told her that we would return to get her as soon as possible, and if by some chance someone did rent the room I could find her no matter where she was.

We got out of the pool and dried off. After dressing, which required Joey and me to put Brigette's clothes on her, we took a bottle of tainted wine and deposited Brigette in an expensive hotel room in Rome, Italy. I tucked her into bed, and Joey and I stepped over to the lab where I had seen the technicians a few days before. Luckily, the same two technicians were on duty. We stepped into the room behind their backs and startled them as we began our introduction. We explained that we believed we had a bottle of wine with the same neurotoxin, and we wanted them to analyze it. The two men looked very confused, but after a moment one of them shrugged and said, "Sure, we can do that."

We patiently waited as they performed their analysis. Joey looked over at me and smiled. She kissed my cheek and whispered, "It's so good to be traveling with you again. We would make a great team, Adriel."

I gave Joey a regretful look. "I know, Joey, but Annette would never allow that."

"So, ditch the bitch. She has been holding you back for a long time."

"Joey! She's your best friend. How can you talk like that?"

"Adriel, if Annette is my best friend, then I'm in real trouble. You should have known for a very long time that you are my best friend."

"Joey, you know that I'm in love with you. That's never been a secret, but I will lose all of my capabilities if I make love to another woman other than my wife. Yvonne has explained this to me over and over. There is a moral code that she is obligated to live by, and if I violate that code she can't come to me for my healing anymore. If she stops coming to me, I will lose my capability to navigate the golden highway, and I will need a portal to enter with my wife in order to access the golden highway. It's impossible!"

"So, don't make love to anyone else. I'm celibate. You could to the same. As long as we don't violate the moral code, we can navigate, and Yvonne will come to you. Maybe we can make love to our counterparts the way we used to do at the chalet in Switzerland."

I chuckled. "That seems like eons ago. Celibacy, huh? I'm not sure I can sign up for that. Besides, I would eventually break down and make love to you."

"What if I didn't let you?" I gave Joey a look of incredulity. "Adriel, I know how undisciplined you are, but I'm not. If celibacy meant that you and I could be the greatest team in the world, it would be worth it to me."

"Good lord, Joey, you tried to rape me at that chalet. You certainly didn't consider celibacy back then."

"That's before I understood all of the ramifications of your situation. I thought that you and I could be husband and wife, and we could navigate together. I never thought that you would lose the ability to use the golden highway."

"Oh, Joey, I'm not ready for this conversation."

Finally, one of the lab technicians approached and handed me the empty bottle. "You are correct. This bottle that you brought did contain the same neurotoxin. Where did you get it?"

I took Joey's hand as I answered him. "From my cupboard!" I took the step, and we disappeared from his sight.

I stepped us over to the hotel in Rome, and Joey demanded, "Why did you let him see us disappear?"

"Because no one will believe his story, and we have the empty bottle. Come on, let's get Brigette back to the villa."

Later that afternoon, Joey opened one of our fresh bottles of wine while Brigette opened the ibuprofen bottle. Brigette slugged down four tablets and went to lie down on the loveseat. Joey giggled. "You're both in a lot of trouble. You know that, right?"

I laughed. "You're probably right, but we made some progress today. We're certain that someone is trying to kill me. What do you think about Françoise asking Brigette how the ordering process works?"

"You need to turn Françoise over to me. I'll find out if she knows anything."

"Joey, I can't do that. Annette would never agree."

"She could be the direct link to our perpetrator, Adriel. I've been doing this a long time, and I'm fairly certain that we could find who's behind this rather quickly."

"I don't know. I'll talk to Annette when she returns."

I had concerns that Brigette couldn't navigate with us sober. I intended to wait for Annette to return before beginning our investigation of the tainted alcohol. I really didn't want to subject Françoise to Joey's interrogation tactics. However, if we came up dry with our own investigation, I didn't see another alternative. I needed to discuss it all with Annette. We spent another evening at the pool drinking, eating, laughing, and enjoying our time together. I knew that I would eventually have to answer for some of the things on camera, but I really didn't care. I just didn't want to get Brigette into trouble. I knew that I could trust her, and she was a lot of fun. She would make a great team member, but I knew that could never happen.

The next day we stuck with Annette's protocol and didn't do anything suspicious for the cameras. I didn't know if or when Annette might review the recordings, but I suspicioned that she merely hoped they would be a deterrent for us to disobey. Joey and I spent some time recounting stories of the past to Brigette to help her understand my abilities and the relationship that Joey and I had developed over the years. She found the portal stories particularly interesting. She was amazed that anyone could enter the golden highway. I explained how I had met my counterpart and what her role in my life was. Brigette began asking if she had a counterpart, and I assured her that she did. In fact, it might be possible that they could meet face to face one day soon.

Annette arrived a couple of hours after dinner. She was famished and asked if there were leftovers. I pulled some of the chicken out of the fridge and began to warm the vegetables as she uncorked two wine bottles. I had so much to tell her, but I decided to wait until the next day. I knew that she was tired, hungry, and she needed an extended orgasm. I could tell when she dismissed Françoise and Brigette that she wasn't in the best of moods, but that was common when she got tired. Joey and I tried to make conversation with her as she ate her dinner, but Annette didn't respond much. I cleaned up the dishes and tended to Annette's luggage as she got into the shower.

Annette was exhausted, and I decided to give her a full body massage while she told me about her interviews. I spread a towel on the bed and retrieved a bottle of massage oil while she stretched out on the towel. She lay on her stomach, and I straddled her as I worked the oil into her shoulders and back. She moaned with delight as she tried to relay her excursion. "Françoise and I ended up interviewing six possible candidates to replace Gianette. I'm putting Françoise into the lead caretaker position. We are hiring two of the candidates, but they will be working on probation. After one month, I will decide which one I want to keep. I will be letting the other one go."

"I thought maybe Brigette would take the lead caretaker position."

"No, I don't think she has the communication skills. Françoise will do a much better job. Oh, that feels so good." I worked my way down to Annette's legs as I continued to massage and knead her tired muscles with my fingers.

"Turn over, and I'll make this more interesting." I worked the front of her legs as she continued to moan. I then started with her breasts to gradually make my way to her pelvis. I began stroking her as she shook with delight. She ordered me to undress and join her. I needed her badly. I used the oil for lubrication and slipped into her anus. I reached around to insert my fingers inside her and use my other hand to stimulate her clitoris. She continued to moan and writhe with delight, but she wasn't escalating to the plateau of extended orgasm. This was the longest that I had ever worked her without her achieving the plateau. Finally, I whispered in her ear, "What's the matter, Sweetie?"

Annette turned to me with a tear in her eye. "I need to tell you something."

"OK, so tell me something."

"I made love to Françoise in Paris."

I sat up in the bed and looked down at her. "You did what?"

"We shared a room, and we had a few drinks. The next think I knew we were making love. Don't be upset. You told me that I could have a woman whenever I wanted."

I tried to collect myself for a moment before I overreacted. "No, I said that I would agree for you make love to another woman if you wanted, but you didn't ask me first."

"So, what's the difference if you would say, 'yes,' anyway?"

"Well, for one thing, I assumed that I would be present, but what really concerns me isn't that you had sex with a woman. It's the fact that you fucked one of our employees. You know better than that."

"Adriel, I've told you that you could have any of our girls if you wanted."

"You know how absurd that is, Annette. Even if I wanted one of them, it would destroy my relationship with Yvonne. You know I can't do that. The reason that Yvonne is only concerned about Joey is because she knows that no one else is a threat."

"OK, but Yvonne isn't going to stop seeing you because I had sex with Françoise."

"No, but she may stop coming to you. Your healing sessions are probably over."

"So what? She hasn't come to get me for over a month."

"No wonder you want Françoise to be the lead caretaker. She fucked you for the position. There's a lot you don't know Annette. I was going to wait until tomorrow to fill you in on what we found out. I want Brigette as the lead caretaker. She's going to be in charge."

"No, she's not. I promised Françoise that position, and you're not going to embarrass me by overriding my decision."

I got out of bed. "You can sleep alone tonight."

As I walked toward the doorway, Annette yelled, "Damn you, Adriel! Get back here, and finish me."

"Go to hell, Annette!" I stormed out of the bedroom and went into the kitchen to grab a good bottle of wine. I popped the cork and took a gulp before heading down to the beach with a blanket. It was dark, and there was a crescent moon overhead as I carefully walked the stone path toward the awaiting surf. Much to my surprise, Brigette was standing in the sand. As I approached, I could see that she was crying. "Brigette, what's the matter? What are you doing down here?"

Brigette was startled as she turned to face me. "Oh, Monsieur, I am so sorry. I didn't know you were coming to the beach. I'll go back to my villa."

"No, wait, please tell me why you're crying."

"Madame is going to fire me. Françoise told me that she is now the lead caretaker, and Madame has hired two more caretakers."

"No, she said that she was hiring them on probation, and one of them would be let go after a month."

"That's not what Françoise told me."

I pondered for a moment. I wasn't sure who was telling the truth. Annette knew that I would vehemently protest firing Brigette. "Honestly, Brigette, I don't know who is telling the truth, but if Annette tries to let you go, I will hire you as my personal assistant."

Brigette looked up at me and blinked as the tears spilled from her eyes. She threw her arms around me, and thanked me as I held her.

Suddenly, I heard Joey's voice behind me. "I hope you two are behaving down here." I turned to see Joey carrying two bottles of open wine. "Spread that blanket, Adriel. Let's enjoy the moon and stars."

I spread out the blanket as I asked, "What are you doing down here?"

Joey laughed. "You don't have doors at your villa, Adriel. I can hear everything." Joey handed a bottle to Brigette as we sat on the blanket. "Honestly, Adriel, I don't know how you have put up with her for this long."

"Don't say that, Joey. I love Annette. She does aggravate me sometimes, but we always make up."

"So, does Brigette know that Françoise is fucking Annette?"

Brigette spun around to face Joey. "What?! Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so, Brigette. Joey overheard everything."

Brigette broke down crying. I held her as she sobbed. "I've lost two lovers, and my job is in jeopardy. How can you keep me if Madame is disappointed with me and fucking Françoise?"

Joey rubbed Brigette's back. "You would be surprised what Adriel can do, Brigette. You don't need to worry. I have an inkling that Françoise won't be around for long."

I looked over at Joey and raised my eyebrows. Things did seem to be falling apart around us. I desperately wanted to talk to Yvonne, and I knew how to reach her. The question was whether to use Brigette or Joey to step onto the golden highway and clap hands. That always worked in the past. I knew Agamon, Joey's counterpart. I was curious about Brigette's counterpart and whether she would be portrayed as a woman. My guess was that she would. However, I knew that Joey was eager for a healing session with Agamon. I think she had earned it. We could go to the golden highway, summon our counterparts, splice time, make love to them until we were exhausted, and return to this beach at the same moment that we had left. Nothing sounded better.

I turned to Brigette. "Brigette, please excuse Joey and me. We will be gone for two seconds. I promise that we will be right back."

Brigette gave me a confused look as I stood to invite Joey to join me. I took the step onto the golden highway with Joey on my left as she held my hand. She knew the procedure well, and she clapped her left hand to my right hand. As soon as the clapping sound occurred, Yvonne and Agamon appeared on the other side of the golden highway holding hands in like manner. They approached, and Agamon took Joey's right hand as Yvonne took my left hand. We all stepped off of the golden highway to a remote desert island. Joey and I held hands as we made celestial love to our counterparts. It's the exact same scene that we had shared countless times over a year ago. Joey and I writhed and screamed with pleasure as our counterparts worked us over and over. I could feel the familiar electricity passing back and forth from Joey's hand to mine. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

I don't know how many hours we were engaged in our lovemaking, but Yvonne paused at one point to talk to me. "I was hoping that you would come for me."

"Why have you stayed away for so long? Annette hasn't seen you in over a month."

"Do you really need to ask me that? For someone as intelligent as you are, you are certainly slow on the uptake."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me, Adriel, since when does Annette need someone to assist in her interviews?"

"Well, I thought it was a bit strange, but I thought that she wanted some company while she traveled."

"Adriel, Annette has been having sex with Françoise since before your hospital stay."

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"It's not my responsibility. I was waiting for her to confess. That's why I haven't been able to come to her, and she knows that."

"I don't understand. Why didn't she discuss this with me?"

"Adriel, Annette feels extremely threatened by Joey right now. In fact, she's with Françoise right now. Françoise is her emotional stepping stone. Haven't you noticed a change in her demeanor? When Annette feels out of control, she tries to take control. She's afraid of losing you."

"That doesn't make sense. She's driving me away with her behavior. If she would just talk to me, we could work it out."

"She's too afraid to be that vulnerable, Adriel."

I looked over at Joey as she was completely overwhelmed with Agamon. "I was wondering if Agamon would make love to Joey after that incident with Annette's counterpart."

"Joey was tricked into that sexual encounter. It wasn't her fault."

"So, tell me, Yvonne, what do you think of Joey's proposal to be a celibate team."

"Honestly, Adriel, I can't believe you are asking me that. How many times in the past have I told you that you can't trust Joey?"

"I don't know, maybe four or five."

"Well, make it one more. You cannot trust Joey. She only wants you for one thing, and she will do anything to get it. Don't you realize that she has been working you this whole time? That ridiculous offer for celibacy is a trap. You can't be that obtuse. You've never been objective when it comes to Joey."

"But she knows that if she compromises me that you won't return, and I will eventually lose my ability to navigate the golden highway."

"No, that's not true. She knows that you can use portals, but it will require her to be with you. You would become dependent on her, and that's exactly what she wants. By the way, Joey has known about Françoise and Annette for several weeks. She has been patiently waiting for you to find out to take advantage of the situation. However, Adriel, your allegiance is to Annette. Don't forget that. Do you not understand unconditional love?"

"I'm not sure, Yvonne, does it mean sticking by someone while they fuck you over?"

"Good for you, Adriel, you're finally beginning to understand."

Finally, Joey, Yvonne, and I joined hands to splice time and return to Brigette on the beach. She still had that confused look on her face that she did when we left. "We're back," I announced.

Brigette looked Joey up and down. "Oh, my god, what have you been doing?"

"It's not what you think, Brigette." I turned to Joey. "So, how long have you known about Françoise and Annette?"

"Oh, probably from the first night that it started, but I couldn't tell you. You would have thought that I was trying to undermine Annette, and I didn't want to do that."

"Well, some best friend you are. You won't even tell me when you know that my wife is fucking over me."

"It's not like that, Adriel. I want you to trust me, and if I told you about Annette you would have denied it and suspicioned that I was lying."

"But you never lie, Joey."

"That's true, but I have had a difficult time convincing you of that in the past. I don't want to argue. We're a team, and we have work to do."

Brigette was looking back and forth at Joey and me with wide eyes during the whole conversation. "Brigette, I am so sorry. You are learning way too much too fast." The wine was gone, and I was getting tired. "Come on, Brigette. You're sleeping in my winter bedroom with me tonight. I need a witness that I didn't spend the night with Joey." I grabbed her hand and marched her up the stone steps back to the villa.

As I began to stir in the early morning, I thought that Annette was in my arms. I kissed her neck and began to advance on her. I was suddenly awakened by Brigette's voice. "Monsieur, please, it's Brigette."

"Oh, dear god, I am so sorry, Brigette. I was thinking that I was in bed with my wife, my apologies."

"It's OK, Monsieur. I never know what to expect anymore."

"Do you mind if I hold you?"

"That would be nice, Monsieur. You are a kind man."

I was later awakened by Annette as she ripped the sheet off of Brigette and me. "Well, it looks like the pot is calling the kettle black. I put Brigette as a watch over you, and you end up sleeping with her even after I'm back."

Brigette sat up and pleaded, "Madame, please, I would never do such a thing."

I intervened. "That's not what's happening, and you know it, Annette. I have hired Brigette as my personal assistant."

"You mean your personal whore, don't you?"

"Annette, you owe Brigette an apology. I'm not going to allow you to talk to her like that. Your behavior is deplorable lately, and I'm not going to put up with it. You have already done irreparable damage by having sex with Françoise. You're destroying our relationship, and if you continue down this road, I will disappear with Brigette and Joey, and you will never see me again. Stop your nonsense, or I will be forced to leave."

Annette stared at me for a moment. "What's the use? I'm already losing you to Joey. Don't you think I know that?"

I turned to Brigette. "What do you think, Brigette, is Annette losing me to Joey?" Brigette quickly shook her head. I could see the fear in her eyes. "Stop trying to drive me away, Annette. I want us to work things out."

Tears began to fall from Annette's eyes, and she fell to her knees. She put her head in my lap and began to sob. Brigette started to scoot out of bed, but I held her arm and shook my head.

Annette's speech was muffled because her head was in my lap. "Oh, Adriel, I feel like I'm losing my mind. I can't take this anymore. Joey humiliated Evelyn, and she will do the same to me."

"Annette, the only person who is humiliating you is yourself. We need to work this out."

"I don't want to air my dirty laundry in front of my employee, Adriel. Make her leave."

"She's not your employee anymore. She's my personal assistant, and I want her to stay."

Annette looked up with swollen eyes. "I suppose she's going to start sleeping in our bed now."

"No, that's what you did to Evelyn and Mia. Brigette has her own bed to sleep in, but she will be by my side and assist me in my project."

"Oh, Adriel, you can't be serious. She's not a trained agent. You're going to get her killed. She's a child. She's not capable of being your assistant."

"You owe her another apology. Brigette happens to be the only person that I feel I can trust right now. I'm not going to put her in any danger. I can protect her. Annette, you haven't been thinking clearly for weeks now. You've hired two caretakers, but I want to interview them when they arrive. If I think that they are suitable, they can both continue in their positions. We will need to hire another since Brigette won't be tending to the gardens anymore, and I'm doubling her salary. I'm terminating Françoise also."

Annette continued to sob and nodded her head. "I thought I would lose you to Joey. Then I thought that I would lose you to that poison. I don't want to lose you, Adriel."

"You're not going to lose me, but you can drive me away. Please stop it."

"Where's Joey? She's not in the kitchen, and she's not in her room. I was afraid that I would find you in bed with her. I was actually relieved to see Brigette with you."

"I think this would be a good point for you to give Brigette those two apologies that you owe her."

Annette looked up at Brigette. "I'm sorry for the things that I said, Brigette."

"Oh, Madame, it's OK. I understand, really."

"Brigette, here's your first task as my assistant. Please find Joey, and tell Françoise that I want to talk to her right away."

"As you wish, Monsieur." Brigette quickly left the room.

I pulled Annette into bed with me and held her as she continued to weep. I stroked her hair and whispered to her that everything was going to be all right. I didn't want to tell her that Yvonne was not coming back for her, but I knew that she already expected that. I began to kiss and caress her body as I worked my way downward. I buried my face into her pelvis and began working her gently with my tongue. She started convulsing in repeated orgasms, and I didn't come up until I counted at least twenty. She cried through the whole episode, and I held her tightly in my arms. She then reciprocated, and we made love for another hour.

Annette was exhausted emotionally and physically, and I asked her to rest in bed while I tended to Françoise. I grabbed a robe and headed out to the kitchen. Brigette was sipping a cup of coffee, and immediately stood to attention when I entered. I laughed as I instructed, "At ease, Private." She obviously didn't get the joke.

"Oh, Monsieur..."

"Seriously, Brigette, you need stop with the Monsieur title. Call me Adriel."

"OK, Adriel, I cannot locate either Joey or Françoise. I have looked everywhere. I even called the front gate to see if the guards had seen them. They have disappeared."

I was fairly certain what had happened, and I began to realize that I wouldn't have to fire Françoise. I would likely never see her again. I needed to have a serious conversation with Brigette. "Brigette, I've already hired you as my assistant, but it was unfair of me to do so without you understanding the level of commitment that is necessary for this position. Annette was correct that I have put you into serious danger, but not what you may think. You can't leave this position. You already know too much to allow you to leave. I will give you a good life, and you can have anything you want, but you have to remain by my side. This is a lifelong commitment."

Brigette looked up at me with those big, adorable eyes. "Mon..., I mean, Adriel, my parents are deceased, and I have no siblings. One of the main reasons that I took the job with Madame is because I had virtually nowhere to go, and I thought that this job could be the adventure that I needed."

I interjected. "Oh, Brigette, you have no idea."

She continued. "I trust you with my life. I can commit to you as you wish, and I assure you that you can trust me."

"It's a relief to hear you say that. I'm going to assign Joey to train you. You need to learn several languages and self defense. She will be your physical trainer and tutor. I will warn you that she's relentless, and she will drive you hard. As my assistant, you can have anything you want. Just name it, and it's yours. I know that you can't really comprehend that offer right now. I remember the first time it was offered to me. I didn't really have a clue what it meant, but in time you will learn. I only ask that you be responsible with that offer, and don't let it destroy you. Not everyone can handle it."

"I understand. I will do my best not to disappoint you."

"You have to do better than that, Brigette. You must impress me."

"I will, Adriel. I promise."

A few minutes later, Joey walked into the kitchen. "Where have you been, or do I need to ask?" Joey smiled and took a sip from her water bottle. She looked over at Brigette. I assured Joey, "It's OK, she can stay. I have officially hired her as my assistant, and I need for you to train her as an agent." Joey raised her eyebrows. I looked over at Brigette. "You're going to learn many things in the near future. Don't let them frighten you. You basically belong to me, and I will keep you safe." I turned back to Joey. "Well?"

"I was correct in my assessment. She broke easily. You know how that disappoints me. However, I have a starting point for our investigation."

"And where is Françoise?"

Joey shrugged. "I fed her to the fish." Brigette gasped. "And that's how you ditch the bitch."

## CHAPTER FIVE

### _She Never Lies_

I WAS PERPLEXED. Evelyn had made me promise not to spy on her. She knew my abilities and advantage with parking mode. She had been with me many times as we observed others and learned their plans while listening to their conversations. She told me to go back to my deceptive grave, and I never returned. All of this time, I had complied with her wishes. Maybe it was the trouble with Annette or the temptation with Joey. Maybe it was because of all of the memories, but I had decided to take a peek in on her to see how she was doing. I realized that I might catch her making love to another man, but I was willing to take that chance. I was willing to trade my curiosity for heartache if needed.

Everyone was sleeping. It was two o'clock in the morning at my villa, which would put her at eight o'clock in the evening at her home. I quietly made my way to the beach where I would step to the golden highway and into parking mode at her house. I was shaking like a leaf as I transcended the stone steps to the sand. My heart was pounding, and I questioned whether I really wanted to do this. I paced back and forth as the surf splashed onto the sand. My hands were folded over my mouth and tears formed in my eyes. At one point, I started to head back to bed, but I knew I would be back down here tomorrow night in the same situation. I had to do this.

I was hoping that Yvonne would show up to stop me, but she didn't. I took a deep breath and let it out. I stepped to the golden highway and targeted Evelyn. I went nowhere. I tried again. Still, I was unsuccessful. I stepped back to my beach. This meant one of two things. Either Evelyn was on the golden highway, and that was highly unlikely, or she was dead. Tears flooded my eyes, and I tried again to no avail. Yvonne, where are you? Where's Evelyn? I fell to my knees and sobbed. Maybe Evelyn did learn to navigate the golden highway. She had been there many times with me. Perhaps her counterpart had come to her and taught her how to step onto the golden highway without me. She's probably watching me in parking mode right now. I let out a laugh through my tears as I pictured her spying on me.

I wasn't ignorant. I had plunged into a state of denial. Next, I would be bargaining. I could expect anger, then depression, and if I were truly lucky, then acceptance. I had a long way to go. I wanted to try again, but I knew the likely outcome. I felt out of breath like my heart would stop. I clutched my chest and fell sideways onto the sand. I gasped and struggled to breathe. I began to regret my decision to try to visit Evelyn. My curiosity was far easier to deal with than the heartache I was now experiencing. I should have kept my promise. Hope had given way to despair. I had been foolish. I couldn't discuss this with anyone. Annette would be furious. Brigette would offer understanding, but she didn't know my history. She never knew Evelyn. Joey... Oh, my god!

At the end of the Ophir project, Joey had hidden me in a Swiss chalet that she had purchased after we faked my death to protect my family and myself. Yvonne had recruited Joey to help me hide, and they were the only ones who knew that I was still alive. I spent three months with Joey in the chalet before things began to unravel, mostly due to the fact that I had learned to splice time with Yvonne to let Evelyn know that I was still alive. My whole world came crashing down when my secrets were discovered. Joey learned that I was seeing Evelyn, and Evelyn learned that I had been living with Joey. I then isolated myself for a short time. That's when I met Mia. Mia and I had made a marriage commitment, but not formally. We were expecting a son, whom she named Melokuhle. She was a beautiful black woman from South Africa, and we had a tremendous relationship until she was killed in a shark attack. I then ended up marrying Annette.

Joey had been through an emotional upheaval due to my relationships with Evelyn, Mia, and Annette, and at one point she had nearly successfully raped me in hope of captivating me into becoming her husband. It was a crazy time indeed. It was during that incident that Annette's counterpart tricked Joey into having sex with him. The details are recorded in the novel, _Noah's Portal_. My present concern is what Joey had told me before she was about to rape me. She vowed to murder anyone who had ever had sex with me. She named Evelyn and Annette and assured me that she would find anyone else in my past who had made love to me. She intended to be the only living person on earth who had sex with me. It was one of the most frightening things that I ever experienced. I had reasoned that she was out of her mind, and later when she had reverted back to her Emotional Detachment Disorder she apologized for saying all of those things. I never gave it another thought after that.

However, I was now wondering if she truly intended to carry out her threats. I had a college sweetheart whom I thought was going to be my wife. We had dated and been sexually active for over a year before she broke up with me. Joey was highly trained, and she assured me that she could find out if I ever had another lover. I hadn't seen Janet since college, but I knew that I could locate her due to my ability to navigate the golden highway. If I couldn't find her, it didn't definitely mean that Joey had terminated her. However, if I couldn't locate her, I needed to follow up with her obituary to see if she died after Joey's threat. My mind was racing, and I felt insane.

I decided to try to target Janet. I stepped onto the golden highway once again. I then stepped in the direction that should have taken me to Janet, but I went nowhere. My heart began to pound even harder. I now had to search the Internet for Janet's obituary. I hurried back to the villa to retrieve my phone which was charging on my dresser in the bedroom. I tried to quietly unplug my phone, and I slipped out of the room to go sit on the patio to do my research. It only took seconds to find the articles concerning Janet. She had committed suicide by jumping from a seventeen story balcony. My head was spinning. I grabbed a bottle of cognac and headed back to the beach. I was in serious shock. The only woman living that I had made love to was Annette.

Yvonne was able to return to me after Mia died. Joey knew that. If Annette died, Joey could possibly marry me and not lose Yvonne. Surely this can't be right. Yvonne, where are you? I need to talk. I could feel the soothing effects of the cognac through my extremities. I didn't want to overindulge. I just needed to relax. I didn't know how I was going to function in the morning. I was distraught, I was alone, and I was terribly fearful. Joey was a very skilled assassin. She once murdered a man in full view in a restaurant. Every witness said that it was an accident. She faked slipping from her feet and grabbed the man as she fell. She broke his neck on the corner of a tabletop. She was the Angel of Death, and she was the best in the business. I now feared for Annette's life.

Suddenly, I remembered Joey's comment about Annette when she told me to ditch the bitch. She used the same terminology concerning Françoise. My head continued to spin. I had gone from a nagging curiosity about what Evelyn was doing to a full-fledged horrific suspicion of a possible blood trail that was leading to Annette. There was no one to talk to except for Yvonne, and she wasn't appearing. She knew what I was thinking. Why didn't she come to offer assistance? I was resisting the idea of going to get Brigette to enter the golden highway with me and clap our hands to summon our counterparts. She wasn't ready for that yet. That was another potential can of worms. Annette's former counterpart was the one who caused her to start having heterosexual attraction. I couldn't afford to let that happen to Brigette. Life seemed to get crazier by the minute. I was lying on my back in the sand, and the stars were beginning to rotate. I knew that I needed to get back to bed and sleep as late as I could.

Annette wasn't an early riser, but she awakened before I did. My eyes seemed as though they were glued shut, but as I felt her start to scoot out of bed, I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tightly against me. I then whispered faintly into her left ear, "I have reason to believe that Joey might be planning to terminate you. I know that sounds crazy, and I can't explain it right now, but I need to investigate this."

Annette patted my arm a couple of times and turned her head toward me. "Well, it could be the effects of the neurotoxin, or you may be right. If you're right, I'm as good as dead, but it wouldn't be the first time my life was threatened. What would you like for breakfast?"

"Uh, how about lox, bagels, and cream cheese?"

"I'll put Brigette right on it. She needs to earn her million dollars a year." Annette went to the kitchen to instruct Brigette then immediately stepped into our shower.

I sauntered into the kitchen to grab some coffee. Joey put the back of her hand to her mouth and laughed with a mouthful of toast. "Oh, shit, Adriel. What happened to you?" Brigette quickly poured me a cup of coffee, stirred in some stevia, and handed it to me. I waved Joey off and headed toward the shower.

Our two new caretakers were arriving today, and I had insisted on interviewing them. I had about two hours to get myself awake and in the right frame of mind for the interviews. Brigette had prepared my breakfast. It was an onion bagel smeared with cream cheese, a hearty serving of lox, sliced red onion, tomato, and capers. It was so good that I requested a second one. Joey looked over at me with a grin. "Hey, Adriel, after you finish your interview with the garden staff, we have some real business to attend to. I need to tell you what I have found."

I looked back at her. "I know. I have a few questions for you too."

The interviews went well. Annette was a dominant personality, and she wouldn't hire anyone who didn't have a submissive demeanor. The girls were pleasant and eager to work. I found no fault with them. I gave them my blessing, and I started them at a reduced salary of three hundred thousand a year. If they passed probation after ninety days, I would increase their salaries to the full half million. I still needed another candidate, and I asked Annette for the other applicants. I could see her consternation because this was her arena. I would be happy to turn it back over to her, but she also was on probation after fucking our employee. I wasn't going to abuse my position, but I wasn't going to allow Annette to continue in her insanity either.

Finally, Joey and I retired to the beach with Brigette. I requested that Annette remain at the villa because I wanted to determine if Joey was intending to terminate Annette. We settled in on our blanket, and I knew that Joey was aware that I had an agenda. We sprawled together and stretched out as the sun was retiring into the western horizon. The night was warm, and the salty air was refreshing. I was hoping to create a comfortable atmosphere, but I was deeply disturbed by the possibilities. Brigette was still in early training in many ways, and I had let her know that she would hear things that might disturb her greatly. Never was she allowed to tell anyone what she had experienced. Wine was our drink of choice as usual, and we popped five corks as we sat on the blanket. I knew that Joey could detect Brigette's apprehension, and she loved to toy with such people under these circumstances. I was determined to protect Brigette.

Joey was the first to open the conversation. "Well, Adriel, I have a fairly good understanding of where to begin our investigation. Françoise had a contact at the distribution point who offered her a considerable sum of money for information regarding what you were accustomed to drinking. It appears that they targeted the Merlot and cognac as we had suspicioned. I only had to remove three of her toes to get that information." Joey looked over at Brigette, who sat wide eyed on the blanket.

I engaged Joey. "Good, I'm really glad that you took the initiative to interrogate Françoise. You knew that I was uncomfortable giving you permission, especially considering her involvement with Annette. We can follow up on your lead tomorrow, but first I need to discuss something that is troubling me greatly."

Joey leaned back on her elbows and took another sip of wine. "I knew that you had an agenda." She turned to Brigette. "You see, Brigette, Adriel and I know one another so well that there are few surprises. If he ever fucked you, I would know it within the hour, and I would rip your heart from your chest."

"Joey! That is totally unnecessary! How dare you talk to Brigette like that."

"Really, Adriel? Isn't this what you want to talk about? You want to know if I killed Evelyn and your college sweetheart. Tell me, Adriel, am I getting warm here?"

I practically had my answer. "Yes, I want to know if you followed up on your threat to kill everyone that I was intimate with. So, did you?"

Joey fell back onto the blanket laughing. "Seriously, Adriel?"

Brigette began to scoot closer to the edge of the blanket. I continued. "Of course I'm serious. How did you know about my college girlfriend?"

Joey sat up and looked me straight in the eye. "I knew about her before I ever strapped you to that machine at the chalet. She had serious emotional disorders. It was just a matter of time. Do you really think that I would murder Evelyn?"

"You said you would, and you never lie."

"Good heavens, Adriel, yes, under those circumstances I probably would have, but I have the right to change my mind."

"You just practically admitted that you knew Evelyn was dead."

"Adriel, I'm an assassin. I keep track of far more than you would ever realize. Do you know how Evelyn died?"

I broke down crying. "No, I don't."

"She ate some bad toadstools that her boyfriend had picked thinking they were mushrooms. Do you want to blame that on me?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Adriel, I protect you in many ways. You have no idea what I know, and I am not about to disclose my full knowledge to you. I have been protecting you for three years now in every way that I can. I'm sorry that you tried to check up on Evelyn, and we must never let Annette know that you did. Why do you never trust me?"

I was sobbing uncontrollably on the blanket, and Brigette lay on top of me stroking my hair. "Yvonne told me that I couldn't trust you."

Joey grabbed me by the arms and forced me into a sitting position. "Adriel, look at me! Yvonne has been wrong in the past. You told me yourself that she's not infallible. She's afraid of me." Joey shook me hard. "I didn't kill your college sweetheart, and I didn't kill Evelyn. Adriel, I don't lie to you."

"So, you're not planning to kill Annette and take me as your husband?"

Joey grabbed me into her arms. "Adriel, you are seriously debilitated by that neurotoxin. You haven't been yourself lately, and you're out of touch with reality. You may need to go back to the hospital." If I went back to the hospital, Annette might slip on a banana peel, or crack her head open in the shower, or slip on the stone walkway and break her neck. I could never leave her alone. There were so many ways to make her death look like an accident. Where the hell was Yvonne? Why has she been gone so long? I need to talk to her.

My eyes were so heavy. I could hear the familiar voices, and I struggled to look around. Annette's voice was in my ear, "Adriel, can you hear me?" I slowly nodded as best as I could. "He can hear me! He's back!"

I thought that I could feel Joey's lips upon mine. I heard her whisper, "Adriel, are you there?" Once again, I nodded as much as I could.

Annette was stroking my hair, and Joey was rubbing my hand. I blinked a few times to try to clear my vision. I wanted to talk, but I had a tube in my throat. Soon, I had a doctor by my side looking at my pupils and monitoring my vital signs. I was motioning with my hands toward the tube, and someone began to remove it from my throat. I tried to talk, but my throat was sore, and my vocal cords weren't yet working. I motioned with my hands that I needed to drink, and Annette held a glass of water while I sipped through a straw. The cool water felt good on my throat. I tried to take a deep breath, but my lungs hurt. Everyone was urging me to rest, but I wanted to talk.

After several more sips of water, and gently clearing my throat, I was able to faintly whisper to Annette. "Where's Brigette?"

Annette gave me a confused look. "Why are you asking about Brigette? She's tending the gardens with Françoise as usual."

"What? You mean Françoise is still alive?"

Joey put her lips next to my ear. "Adriel, you are confusing Françoise with Gianette. Gianette is the one who was killed. You need to keep quiet."

I looked up at Joey. "I thought you terminated Françoise because she betrayed me by giving someone information that led to my poisoning."

Joey looked at Annette, and Annette put her face next to mine to whisper. "Adriel, you're terribly confused. If Françoise ever heard you say such a thing, it would greatly hurt her. She adores you. You've been dreaming. You have been in a coma for thirteen days. We weren't sure that you were going to live."

"When did I come back to the hospital?" I had no idea what day it was.

Annette continued to explain. "Adriel, you have never left the hospital. You were poisoned two weeks ago. We brought you here, and you went into a coma soon afterward."

"So, you aren't sexually involved with Françoise?"

"Oh, good heavens, Adriel, of course not! Your mind is terribly mixed up. You need to rest."

"Is Evelyn still alive?"

Joey leaned back down next to my ear. "Adriel, I'm sure Evelyn is fine, but you need to stop asking questions. You're upsetting Annette. Now, quiet down and get some more rest."

If I haven't left the hospital, then everything that I experienced since my initial poisoning with the cognac has been a dream. No wonder I haven't seen Yvonne for so long, but if she is the one who gives me my dreams, then what does this all mean? Joey was still standing by my side rubbing my hand. I tugged on her wrist for her to lean down. She bent over and put her ear near my mouth. "I must have dreamed about the snake venom and the bottles of wine and cognac that were both tainted."

Joey turned her head and looked at me with surprise. "Actually, Adriel, that is all true. You must have heard our conversations when you were comatose. I don't know how else you would know those things. Annette and I found the holes in the wine and cognac wrappers."

I turned Joey's head to put her ear next to my mouth. "Joey, someone had to know that I drink Merlot and cognac almost exclusively. How did they get that information?"

"I don't know, Adriel. Brigette is in charge of the ordering, but I seriously doubt that she had anything to do with it. We decided not to do any investigating until we were sure that you were going to be all right. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this, even if I have to terminate everyone who had anything to do with that shipment. You concentrate on getting well, and when you're ready, we'll execute a plan of attack."

Both Joey and Annette had been spending nights in my hospital room. The staff had supplied two cots for them to sleep on to allow them to remain close. I kept drifting in and out of sleep. I spent my waking hours trying to sort out what was reality and what was a dream. I had to admit that things had seemed to be completely out of control. I tried to get it through my head that Annette and I had never had an argument. I hadn't really hired Brigette as my personal assistant, nor had I taken her anywhere via the golden highway. My college sweetheart and my first wife were still alive. We still had not hired anyone to replace Gianette. As crazy as events seemed to be, I had thought that it was real. I became more relieved as I kept telling myself it was all a dream.

I wondered where Yvonne had been through all of this. I glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was two-thirty in the morning, and Joey and Annette were sleeping soundly. Suddenly, I was aware that someone was lying next to me. I turned over to see Yvonne's face smiling at me. "Welcome back," she very quietly whispered.

I whispered back, "Where have you been?"

"I've been patiently waiting for you to awaken. The neurotoxin greatly affected your brain and your thought processes. No matter how I tried to communicate to you, it all got terribly twisted and distorted into something very different."

"So, we didn't go visit a laboratory together?"

Yvonne tried to muffle her giggle. "Actually, we did. That was very early in your hospital stay, and soon afterward I couldn't really communicate with you anymore. Everyone was very worried about you, but I knew that you weren't going to die."

"Have you gone to visit Annette?"

"No, I really couldn't. She would have asked me so many questions about you, and I wouldn't have been allowed to tell her anything. Adriel, I told you that if you didn't get Annette to marry you I could not have adopted her as a counterpart. She would soon have died without someone to record her life. You have to realize that if you die, I die too, and she will soon follow. You must not tell her that."

"What if she dies first?"

"Well, that's a different story. She's adopted, and her counterpart has been imprisoned. He will expire with her when she dies, but he will still be held somewhere else. These cases are extremely rare and haven't happened for thousands of years. She will eventually be assigned to another before her next life begins in the realm to come. I'm really not supposed to disclose all of this to you. You need to concentrate on your current existence."

"Then why are you telling me this now?"

"Well, this is such a rare condition, and I wanted you to realize that Annette doesn't have the same access to me that you do. I'm not a part of her body, but I am a part of yours, so to speak."

I looked soulfully into Yvonne's eyes. "Are we going to make love?"

Yvonne sweetly smiled and kissed me. "Of course we are, but I need to take you out of here so that you don't wake Joey and Annette and have the nursing staff rushing in to see what all the noise is. We'll splice time back to this moment."

We disappeared to the golden highway and then to a plush, unoccupied hotel room in Paris. We had a great view of the Eiffel Tower as we made sweet love for hours. I was trying to remember the last time that I was with Yvonne. I think it was when she said that I was wasting her time with all my questions, but I wasn't sure. As we continued our lovemaking, my head became much clearer. The healing process was correcting my brain waves, and the neural pathways that had been affected by the neurotoxin were beginning to be restored. I was feeling healthier by the minute. She was wise to take me from my hospital bed. I knew that I was moaning and screaming with delight, but when one is in the state of lovemaking with a counterpart, it's difficult to focus on the surroundings. When we finally ended our session, I felt much better. In fact, I felt good enough to go home. However, I doubted that I would be released for another few days.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in my hospital bed. I initially began to wonder if Yvonne had been a dream, but I could still feel the residual effects of our lovemaking, and my thinking was much clearer. As I lay there, I began to recount the events that led to my poisoning. I had been terribly upset with Annette because she was going to have Brigette babysit me while she took Françoise to Paris to interview candidates for the caretaker position. Wait a minute! That's not what happened. She was going to take Joey to Paris to interview candidates. That neurotoxin had been affecting my memory. She would never take Françoise to interview anyone, and she would never have Brigette shadow me the way that she did with Joey two years ago. She wanted to get Joey out of there and away from me. That's what I was really upset about. My thinking was beginning to clear. She never got to interview anyone. Annette and Joey had been at my bedside for two weeks while I was comatose. The only real experience that I know since my poisoning was with Yvonne at the laboratory when I was not in my body. Actually, that seemed to be a stranger experience than the other things that I merely imagined.

If you're frustrated at this point, imagine how I feel. It's often difficult to decide how to relate all of this to you. I have been in the habit of journaling for years. I could get into a lot of trouble if Joey and Annette knew that I was doing that, but I have been very discreet to use an abbreviated format using my cell phone when available. There have often been times that I had to wait two or three days to make a journal entry, but I have tried to keep all of the facts included. Otherwise, I could never write these books. Sometimes I'm surprised when I review my journal because events aren't recorded exactly as I remembered them. The journal is usually correct. However, I later found that I had no journal entry after drinking the bottle of cognac at the beach when I was upset and ended up getting poisoned. Obviously, it is because I was in a coma the whole time. I was gaining more touch with reality by the hour. Although, my reality is far different from most people.

Someone was trying to kill me, and he was nearly successful. Joey had been my bodyguard for years, and anyone who knew her would realize that he couldn't get near me. It was the Trojan horse maneuver to send those bottles of tainted wine and cognac. I had no doubt that Joey would find the persons responsible. However, finding the initial perpetrators might be more challenging. I was certain that someone was going to die for this, and Joey would see to it. There could be many reasons why someone would try to kill Adriel Chevalier, but we had done a fairly good job of putting him in the grave. I was now Jasper White with a new face and a new voice. If someone were trying to kill Jasper White, it could only mean one thing to me. My suspicions concerning an evil influence to unravel the fabric of humanity were likely accurate. Maybe now I could get Annette and Joey onboard, but I doubted it. I could at least get them involved in the search for my assassin, and that might lead close enough to the target that I am seeking. Everything happens for a good reason.

I suddenly realized a reason why several people would want to murder Jasper White. Although, none of them knew me by that name. Yvonne and I had swindled several governments out of billions of dollars by selling them the gold bars that we had stolen from the United States Treasury Department. They were eager to buy the gold at half price. What they didn't realize was that Yvonne and I could waltz right in using the stacked portals and steal it back. By that time, our deposits of our funds were securely hidden in several banks around the world. We used the time splicing technique to perform multiple scams at the same time. We had amassed a sizable fortune practically overnight. We returned all of the gold to the federal repository, but I lost my agent position with the agency. They actually fired me due to insubordination. They had no idea what I had done with the gold. They only knew that I had taken it for a short time. The only way that anyone would be able to target me as the perpetrator of the gold scam would be to recognize that someone was building an enormous estate on the Îles d'Hyères off the coast of France, but that was stretching the possibilities to a great degree. I seriously doubted that anyone ever made that connection.

It was far more likely that someone was aware that I knew about his plan to destroy mankind. Even that was quite a stretch. I was once given the ability to read minds. Was someone now reading my mind to know my suspicions? If so, I was at a terrible disadvantage. Then again, I knew that it was possible. I like a challenge, but that was one that I didn't want. I may have negotiated enough for three lifetimes, but I was tired of losing people that I loved. I hoped that my endeavors didn't prove fatal to those close to me. Gianette was the latest, and it broke my heart, but nothing like it would if I were to lose Annette or Joey. I knew that my mind still was not clear. I needed more time with Yvonne, and I was hoping to see her again tomorrow night.

The next morning provided a rude awakening. It had been years since I had been the victim of hospital food, and it was more disgusting than I remembered. We were used to some of the best cuisine in the world, and the thought of trying to subsist on this garbage was cruel and unusual punishment. I refused to eat the meals that were brought to my room. Instead, I had Annette and Joey find some reasonable food at a nearby restaurant. I desperately wanted to go home, but the doctors wanted more tests. I finally negotiated a release in three days. I just needed another healing session with Yvonne, and I would be fine.

Yvonne did come to me each night. She would appear in my bed while Annette and Joey were asleep. My healing sessions were incredible and far better than what I dreamed. We were splicing time which gave us the opportunity to enjoy ourselves without limits. When she finally released me, I lay on the bed trying to catch my breath. I had questions that I knew she could answer. "Yvonne, is it possible that someone is reading my thoughts?"

Yvonne smiled. "If anyone were doing such a thing, I would know about it. During your first project to prevent the coup in Pakistan, I was the one who relayed other people's thoughts to you. Whenever you targeted someone, I went directly to his counterpart and transferred his thoughts back to you. Such a thing is not allowed without Overseer intervention and approval from above. I can't take the initiative to approach another counterpart without the appropriate clearance, and I have to be accompanied by your Overseer. So, don't worry, no one is reading your thoughts."

I was relieved to know that my thoughts weren't an open book to anyone other than Yvonne. "Do you know who tried to kill me?"

"No, I have no idea. We counterparts aren't in a position to know those types of things. We are directly involved with your thoughts and actions. Overseers, on the other hand, know everything."

"Can you ask my Overseer who is trying to kill me?"

"Oh, Adriel, you have so much to learn. I cannot approach your Overseer. Protocol does not allow that. He comes to me when necessary, and I can't ask any questions. He watches me closely, and if I ever did anything to violate protocol, I would have to answer for it. Believe me, I'm not about to get out of line. You got to see him once. Would you ever attempt to cross the line if you were in my shoes?"

"Oh, goodness, no, he's frightening."

"Exactly, so don't get the idea that he is at our beck and call because he definitely is not. He intervenes when commanded from above. You know what happened to Annette's counterpart when he violated his position by copulating with Joey."

"Didn't he know the consequences?"

"I doubt it. Something like that hasn't happened for millennia. I had to go back to the archives to research what happened back then. The more I learned, the more frightening it became. We still don't know what happened to Hermaphroditus, and we can't target him. He's not on this earth anymore. Besides, he's not human. We used the golden highway to locate him by geographic position, not his identity."

"Yvonne, I'm not sure what to do next. I have little to go on, and I'm still not sure what the problem is, or if there really is a problem."

Yvonne smiled again. "Doesn't that sound strangely like the situation you were in when I started conveying the thoughts of others to you? You knew nothing of the conspiracy in Pakistan."

"That's true, but wasn't it you who led me to the problem?"

"Yes, but this time I'm not in that position. Regardless of how this transpires, it all works the same. Exercise your faith because regardless of your abilities, they alone will fail you."

Thanks to Yvonne, I was feeling nearly normal, and today I was going back home. I still couldn't believe that all those experiences with Brigette were just a dream. I kind of liked the idea of having a personal assistant, but I knew that Annette would never put up with that. Besides, she monopolized most of my time anyway. We had a job to do, and Joey was going to retrace the steps of our last wine and cognac delivery. She had interrogated Brigette extensively to learn all of the contact information. She then had Brigette place another wine order for Merlot only. She wanted me to transport her via the golden highway to visit the people responsible for the orders and deliveries. I knew that look in her eye, and people were about to regret their actions.

Annette didn't want me navigating too soon, and she insisted that I regain my strength. I spent three days swimming, stretching, and doing some light lifting to regain some mobility and endurance. Although Joey knew the necessity of my conditioning, she was growing impatient. I was feeling much better, but mostly due to Yvonne's nightly visits, and I assured Annette that all would be well. I knew she was apprehensive about me traveling alone with Joey, but I knew that she needn't be concerned. Joey gave me the first destination, and I had her take my left hand as we stepped onto the golden highway. I felt the electricity from her hand into my palm, and it excited me. I had forgotten that aspect of traveling with her. I stepped us into parking mode at the distribution center. We found a discreet place to enter the facility, and she basically left me behind as she started her search for the delivery supervisor.

By the time I caught up with her, she had a big, burly man cornered and was intimidating him severely. As I approached, I realized that she had him by the groin which explained his submissive demeanor. I had to try to keep from laughing, but I knew that if he made one false move he was a dead man. She grabbed his throat, and he began to spill everything that he knew about the shipment. However, he was totally unaware of any tampering. She assured him that if he lied about anything she would be back. She had our next destination, and we walked to an isolated area to step back onto the golden highway.

Within seconds, we were at the warehouse where the wine was stored. It was much the same tactic as she bullied everyone that she talked with concerning the wine order. She marched the supervisor into his office to check his records. She wanted to know everyone who touched that shipment. He became slightly defiant at one point, and she dislocated his right shoulder. I winced as he screamed in pain. He was very compliant for the rest of the encounter. She then asked to be taken to our current order that was sitting in the warehouse on a pallet. She quickly inspected the tin wrappers on top of each bottle. She then lined up four possible suspects who potentially touched our order. One man pulled out his cell phone, and she snatched it from his hand so fast I could barely see the motion. She smashed it to ground and sent him to his knees. She was studying each face as she interrogated every one of them.

Suddenly, she grabbed one of the men by the back of his neck and marched him over to me. "We're taking this one for a ride." Joey held onto the man as she grabbed my left hand. She instructed me to take the step, and in one second the three of us were on the golden highway. The man screamed with alarm, and Joey instructed me to take us to her chalet in the Alps. I shuddered to remember the last time I was there. Once we stepped into the great room she threw him to the floor. I was a little apprehensive due to the fact that we had several witnesses that saw us disappear from sight. This wasn't a capability that I was willing to demonstrate, but Joey wasn't asking for permission.

Joey demanded that the man get onto his feet. "Who tampered with our wine order?" The man pleaded ignorance, and Joey struck like lightning smashing him in the mouth. He spat three teeth onto the floor. "If you don't want a full set of dentures, you better start talking." The man refused again, and Joey spun in a circle and broke his jaw with her foot which sent him back to the floor.

I intervened, "Joey, maybe he really doesn't know anything."

"Sit down, Adriel, I've been doing this for a very long time." She turned to the man as he held his jaw. "On your feet, asshole, and you better start talking, or I will take you down piece by piece."

"Please, they will kill me if I tell you anything."

"Really, well, I will kill you if you don't, and I will make it last a very long time. You will wish you were dead." The man hesitated too long, and Joey sent his testicles skyrocketing into his abdomen. This was getting difficult to watch. The man screamed once again, and his jaw was completely out of line. "I'm done playing around. Next, your right eye comes out. Start talking." It was a pathetic sight as the man tried to talk. His speech was garbled, and he was holding his jaw trying to form the words. I finally realized that he was pleading for his life. "I need a name, and I need it now." Joey had his head locked under her arm, and she was reaching for his right eye. I couldn't watch this. I turned away as I heard him choke out a name. Joey had him repeat it again until she understood. She then released the man to the floor. She announced, "We're going to leave you here. There's no way out except by helicopter. You'd freeze to death trying to escape. We'll be back. If you have told me what I need, we will release you. If not, I will be back to dismantle you."

These were agency tactics, and I knew them well from training, but I had never actually witnessed them before. Joey was like a bullet train. She demanded that I take her to the man that our captive had identified. I was hoping that he was telling the truth because I didn't want to see the remainder of his fate. We stepped onto the golden highway and then parked where the man was located. He was traveling in a car with another man, and I realized that they were henchmen for someone very powerful. Joey had me deposit us into the back seat. The passenger spun around as Joey began to address him. Within a split second, he had a gun drawn and pointed directly at Joey. Before I could register what was happening, Joey had his gun and stuffed it deep within his throat as she held his head from behind. The driver nearly wrecked the car, but he gained control and pulled over to the side of the road. I knew he was reaching for his gun, but Joey cracked him hard with her left elbow and knocked him unconscious. Joey dug the gun in circles as she forced it deeper into the man's throat. He was flailing and choking as she pushed harder and harder. Joey knew that the passenger was likely our target. Drivers were usually a lower rank, and they drove the lackeys around for the boss man. I knew that Joey was intending to learn who that boss man was.

Joey put her lips near the man's left ear. "When I remove this gun from your throat, you have two seconds to tell me who you work for, or I'll blow your brains out. Then I'll get the information from your driver. Ready? One, two, three..." Joey held the gun against the man's temple. Unfortunately, he hesitated longer than two seconds, and I was deafened by the sound of the nine millimeter automatic as it blew half of the right side of his head off. Blood and brains were blasted all over the window that was blown out onto the sidewalk. Joey quickly exited the car and went to the driver's side to pull the driver onto the pavement. I looked around as I scooted out of the back seat, and people were screaming and taking pictures with their cell phones. Joey yelled for me to help her get him to his feet. I could already hear the police sirens when Joey ordered me to take him to the golden highway. Once again, we disappeared in front of everyone, and we were back at the chalet with another prisoner. My ears were still ringing from the gun shot, and luckily I could read Joey's lips because I couldn't hear a word.

The first man was nowhere to be found, and we surmised that he was trying to escape. We knew that he wouldn't get far. The second man was regaining consciousness, and Joey was standing over him. I saw her right fist clench and release three times, and I knew what that meant. She still held the nine millimeter automatic, and she put it on the coffee table. These tactics made me extremely nervous, but I knew this man didn't have a chance. He shook his head and looked around as Joey asked, "Who's your boss?" The man spotted the gun, but he knew better than to make a move for it right away. "If I have to ask you a question twice, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life." He was still silent, and Joey splattered his nose across his face. Blood spewed all over the white carpet. "Start talking while you still have a tongue."

The man lurched for the gun, and Joey struck like lightning again. She broke his arm at the elbow and smashed the bones of his hand. I still wasn't used to the screaming, but this was long from being over. I decided to intervene. "Look, pal, your partner's brains are all over the sidewalk. I have already watched her take one man apart today, so do yourself and me a favor, and tell her who you work for." He hesitated too long once again, and I got to witness the eye gouge maneuver that Joey had taught me a couple of years ago in this very room. I retreated to the kitchen to find something to drink. The chalet had been empty for quite some time, and I found nothing. I could hear the screams and pleading. I wasn't cut out for this, but it was a walk in the park for Joey.

Joey yelled to me as I was in the kitchen. "Bring me a sharp knife. I'm going to cut his genitals off."

Within seconds I heard the man give Joey the name Franco D'Angelo. She told him that we would be back after we checked if he was telling the truth. She explained to him that he couldn't escape, and the last man who didn't believe her was likely frozen by now.

We stepped onto the golden highway once again to target the boss man. I looked over at Joey. "Your heart rate doesn't even escalate during these episodes, does it?"

Joey smiled and shook her head. "Adriel, this was nothing compared to what I usually do. I held back for your sake. You have a weak stomach." I put us into parking mode where our subject was. We were in his office. It was plush with dark red draperies, a thick dark red carpet, solid walnut furniture, and original oil paintings. The velvety wallpaper was also dark red, and the wainscoting around the walls was a dark walnut as well. Joey turned to me. "You can navigate solo now, so I want you to put me into the room and remain in parking mode. I don't want this man to see you."

D'Angelo was sitting behind the desk. He was a large man and about thirty pounds overweight. His black hair was slicked straight back and cut to perfection. He had a rugged face and large lips. I released Joey to enter the office. When D'Angelo saw her, he smiled and arose from his chair. He began unbuckling his belt as he asked, "Well, well, well, did Johnny send you over here?"

"No, he didn't. I'm here about the wine shipment that got tainted with snake venom."

"I don't know nuttin' about no wine shipment, and the only bidness I do wid women is when they're naked. So, get your clothes off, Sweetie." D'Angelo's pants fell to his ankles. He was wearing large white boxer shorts with big red hearts. Suddenly, I had an idea. I grabbed Joey into parking mode and released her behind him on the other side of the room. He desperately looked around and saw her behind him. "Hey, you some kinda witch or sumthin?"

"Actually, Mr. D'Angelo, I'm the Angel of Truth and Death. Either you tell me the truth, or you're going to die."

D'Angelo gave a deep chuckle. "Honey, I'm Catholic, and I know da Pope personally. You can't touch me."

Joey gave a little hop and a kick and broke some of his ribs. He reeled backward and fell to the floor. Joey stood over him. "It's a little hard to breathe right now, isn't it, Mr. D'Angelo? Either you tell me about that wine shipment, or you won't be breathing at all."

D'Angelo winced as he tried to get up. He decided to stay on the floor. "Look, Sweetie, I told you I don't know nuttin' about no wine shipment. You got the wrong guy."

Joey knelt down beside D'Angelo. "Well, that's interesting because one of your henchmen gave me your name."

"Yeah, and who was dat?"

"It was Gino the driver. I worked him over fairly well before he broke."

"Gino don't work for me. He works for one of my guys. Name's Danelli. He's a two bit hustler, but I keep him on my payroll in case I need him."

Joey stood up. "Sorry about your ribs, Mr. D'Angelo." I snatched Joey from the room, and we headed off to find Danelli.

The scenario was much the same, we found Danelli, Joey knocked him unconscious, and we brought him to the chalet. Gino was still sitting on the white couch bleeding all over. Joey had me help her strip off Danelli's clothes and strap him into the rape machine that she had once used on me. It also served as an excellent torture chair. We waited until Danelli revived. Once he saw Gino, he started ranting and raving about how he was going to kill him. Joey walked over and slapped him hard about eight times to shut him up. Joey then grabbed Gino by the arm. "You sent us to the wrong person, Gino, but we found who we were looking for. I'm going to cut you a break and let you freeze to death." Joey dragged him through the kitchen and shoved him out the back door which automatically locked as it closed.

I was waiting in the great room. It was an absolute mess. The white carpet and couch were soaked with blood. Joey stood in front of Danelli and turned to me. "Dear, do you remember the blow torch that we used to use to glaze our creme brûlée?" I nodded. "I need for you to bring that to me along with that serrated bone knife." I retrieved the implements while Joey spoke with Danelli. Joey put the blow torch and knife on the coffee table, and took me by the arm as she led me to the kitchen. I was curious. "Good lord, Joey, what are you going to do?"

"Oh, Adriel, you're far too soft for this. I've been doing this a long time. Drivers and henchmen usually break fairly easily. Bosses are the easiest, but these middle men are nearly impossible to break. In order to hold a position like that, they need to be married and have children. They know well if they betray their boss, their wives and children will be sodomized by the entire crew and then murdered right in front of them. I love you, Adriel. Please, grab your jacket and go into the pantry. Close the door, and don't come out till I come for you. You have had enough nightmares lately, and you really don't need to see this." I did as she instructed, and after about ten minutes the screaming, cursing, and threatening began. The screams escalated, and just hearing it was almost more than I could bear. I put my fingers into my ears, but I could still hear the horrible sounds. There were brief intervals when I knew that she was interrogating him. Then the screaming would start again. This went on for about an hour. Finally, it was silent. I waited for several more minutes until finally Joey opened the door. "I need for you to stay in here a little while longer, Adriel, while I clean up the mess. I don't want you to see this." She closed the door and disappeared again.

I could hear her dragging the carcass outside, and I knew that she was throwing it over the precipice in front of her chalet. The body would get covered with ice and snow, and no one would ever find it. I could hear her shake open a trash bag, and I assumed it was to collect the body parts. I had smelled the burnt flesh when she had opened the door, and I waited at the back of the pantry to try to escape the odor. I was getting nauseous, and I was glad that she spared me the experience. It was another half an hour before she came to get me.

Joey opened the pantry door. "It's all clear. You can come out now." If I thought that the carpet was blood stained before, I was now overwhelmed. We decided to go upstairs into the loft and lie in bed to talk. Although I was out of sight of the blood, the stench was nearly more than I could bear. Joey wanted to explain our situation before we returned home. "As I suspected, I couldn't get any useful information out of him. Sometimes these guys can't handle the torture, and they break, but not Danelli."

"What if you had threatened his family? If that's what motivates them not to talk, it seems that might have worked."

"I've tried that in the past. They know what will happen if they talk, and they would rather have their family die under my hands than their constituents."

"So, where do we go from here?"

"Well, Adriel, we have to backtrack. I will need you to take me back to D'Angelo."

"But he said he didn't know anything."

"He may know more than he realizes. I need to talk to him. Come on, Adriel, let's go home and get a stiff drink. I think you need it."

## CHAPTER SIX

### _Time vs. Space_

ANNETTE WAS SCOLDING Joey after hearing what I had been through with the torture episodes. I was still recovering from the neurotoxin, and my thinking processes weren't quite up to par. Apparently, I thought I was doing better than Annette did. Naturally, I got the third degree that night in our bedroom. She glared into my eyes as she interrogated me about Joey. I could never successfully lie to Annette, and I assured her that all was well. I was exhausted, and I wanted to get some sleep. I was fairly certain that Yvonne was coming for me tonight, and we would be splicing time together. Annette had other plans. We hadn't caught up for my days in the coma. There were no extended orgasms, but we did have a rousing time together.

As I expected, Yvonne did come for me in the night. We chose a new location in Paris to enjoy our lovemaking. Splicing time gave us unlimited opportunity to make love for my healing sessions and have lengthy discussions. Yvonne had an agenda. She often taught me many things concerning the golden highway. Tonight, she wanted to discuss the world that we live in. "Adriel, do you know the difference between time and space?"

I thought for a minute. "Well, time isn't tangible, but space is."

"That's what most people think, but actually they are one and the same. You can't have one without the other. It's like water being wet. Some people think that the afterlife is eternity where there is no time. That's nonsensical because your taste of eternity is that it is always now. You can only live in the now. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is always out of reach. Every time we step onto the golden highway, we are at the hub of space and time. You see a golden road of glass, and you feel a breeze. You equate the golden road to space, and you equate the breeze to time. That's because you see them as two different entities, but they are not. I allow that imagery so that you can relate to your surroundings. Before space was generated by the Creator, there was no time. Tell me, Adriel, is light a wave or a particle?"

"Well, I have read that depends on how you view it. From one perspective, a photon is a particle, but from another it is a wave."

"Once again, the human perspective causes erroneous assumptions. Everything is composed of energy. That energy emanates from the Creator. The energy is channeled and modified to generate different elements and compounds with an incredibly complex design. Everything is part of the Creator. It is his sheer power that keeps everything in tact. Scientists keep searching for the smallest particle, but there really is no such thing. It's all energy."

"So, is my body part of the Creator?"

"It certainly is."

"Is my soul part of the Creator?"

"Yes, because you are composed of a unique wavelength that emanates from the Creator. However, there is one aspect of you that is not part of him. It's the only thing over which you truly have been given control. It's your free will."

"Several years ago when you gave me the ability to read minds, you also allowed me to remember my existence before I was born on this earth. I remember watching the creation of this three-dimensional world."

"Yes, and when the last soul descends to this earth, and the anointed returns, he will destroy this three-dimensional universe, and you will watch the Creator build a new environment. However, you won't remember your former existence."

"So, Yvonne, have you always been with me?"

"Yes, I have. I'm part of you."

"Did I live a life prior to this one that I don't remember?"

"Yes, you did."

"Do you remember my former life?"

"I remember all of your lives because I had to record them all."

"Can you tell me about them?"

Yvonne smiled and kissed me. "No, Adriel, I'm not allowed to do that."

"So, what is the purpose for living all of these lives?"

"They all have the same purpose. They are opportunities to use your free will to become more like the Creator. Exercising faith in him in all that you do will cause you to take on his character. This current life is based on faith. Few people understand faith. They usually confuse it with hope or desire. They try to pray to the Creator to get him to do their will. Some have referred to that as using his name in vain. Faith can only be chosen to trust in the will, nature, and character of the Creator and nothing more. His will is going to be executed no matter what. However, his desire is that you become like him. He won't interfere with your free will, so his desire is not always accomplished. Will and desire are two different entities. A person may desire to stay home from work, but it is his will that makes him go."

"So, if I become selfish and take advantage of others, is that the Creator's will?"

"No, of course not, Adriel. His will is that you will suffer the consequences for your actions. So, his desire is that you serve others and not be selfish. His will is that you will reap what you sow. Your desire for your children was that they would behave, but if they didn't your will was to discipline them."

"So, you said that faith is the basis of this life. Were my other lives lived on a different basis?"

"Yes, but I'm not allowed to tell you about your other lives. Each time you transition to another life, the basis changes. What you need to concentrate on now is that your current basis is faith. What people don't realize is that faith is the proof of a fact. That's another principle that everyone seems to confuse just like time and space, and matter and energy. The only real aspect of our existence is the Creator. When you place your faith in his will, nature, and character, it is the only really solid choice that you can make. Truth can be found anywhere you look if you are willing to abandon all other beliefs. It has been said that you must sell all that you own in order to follow the Truth. The largest obstacle that people face when seeking Truth is their erroneous belief systems."

"So, saving the world from a nuclear disaster or an evil influence that seeks to destroy mankind are just secondary aspects to my life?"

"In a sense that is true, Adriel, but it was part of your negotiation with the Creator before you were born on this earth. No matter what someone negotiates for his life, it can only be successfully accomplished by faith in the Creator. After all, the goal is that you become more like him."

"So, Yvonne, that's the answer to the meaning of life?"

"That's the answer to the meaning of all lives that are lived by everyone for all eternity."

"It all sounds similar to belief systems that say we keep coming back to this earth to gain more enlightenment."

"Yes, there are aspects of truth to all organized religions, but they are all wrong because they have their fatal flaws. People who subscribe to any of the them are locked out of the ability to understand the genuine nature of Truth. No one returns to this earth to live another life. Organized religion was created by men who only understood fragments of Truth. The erroneous assumptions that they built into their religion became the pitfalls in their belief system. The same is true of scientists who seek to understand the universe. Most don't even believe in the Creator, and it is he who is the essence of all. It is within him that we live and breathe and have our being."

"So, the Christian religion uses the concept of hell and heaven to draw people into its belief system."

"All religions have an erroneous component to draw people. You already know that the translations from original writings were incorrectly portrayed to serve the purpose of manmade religion. The concept of Hell was taken from the reference to Gehenna, which was the valley where the garbage dump that burned continually was located. People misappropriated that imagery to mean that souls would burn forever. However, the reference to Gehenna, as people understood it, meant that anything thrown into Gehenna never came back out. All of the senseless deeds of mankind, and anything that was done apart from faith in the Creator will not pass into the next life. It is thrown into the ethereal Gehenna never to return. The Kingdom of the Heavens refers to other lives to be lived apart from this world. The Creator does not use scare tactics. He loves, encourages, nurtures, disciplines, and teaches everyone who will approach him in faith."

"What if someone chooses not to live by faith? I interacted with souls before we came to this earth who were fearful about living their lives here. Some sought to cut their time short on earth, and some sought to control the earthly environment by conspiring with other souls."

"Everyone has an opportunity during his negotiation process with the Creator. It's like three investors who were given an amount of money to increase the investment of a wealthy client. One was given a thousand dollars, the second was given two thousand dollars, and the third was given five thousand dollars. The first one took the thousand dollars and hid it under his mattress. The second increased his allotment to four thousand, and the third also doubled his to ten thousand. At the appointed time, the client returned to check on his investments. The third man showed that his allotment was doubled to ten thousand. The client was very pleased. The second one showed that his investment had also doubled to four thousand, but the first one handed the one thousand dollars back to his client. The client was outraged, but the first man explained that he didn't want to risk losing what his client had given him. Instead, he kept it safe under his mattress. The client fired the first investor and gave the thousand dollars to the one who had made ten thousand. Everyone is given a measure of faith. Not everyone exercises it and capitalizes on it. The more faith you apply in your life, the more you gain the attributes of the Creator. The one who chooses not to live by faith will lose what he has and will start all over again in another life. No matter how remorseful he may be, it won't improve his situation. He may weep and gnash his teeth for his failure, but he will be in outer darkness as he starts all over again. For those of you who increase faith, you will enter the next life with more basis. Once again, it will require you to apply the next basis to increase your investment and become more like the Creator."

"Does this all come to an end someday? Will we ever stop the transitioning to another life?"

Yvonne giggled. "Actually, no, otherwise it wouldn't be referred to as eternal life. You got to watch your children grow into adulthood, but they eventually left home and built lives for themselves. The Creator never loses the opportunity to watch his children grow. The term life pertains to exercising your basis to take on the attributes of the Creator. The term death refers to acts that are done apart from the basis. It's difficult for people to shake the paradigms of organized religion. It requires a significant application of faith to do so."

"OK, so, how am I doing so far?"

Yvonne laughed. "You don't need for me to tell you that. How much like the Creator are you? You know his attributes of unconditional love, acceptance, encouragement, faithfulness, meekness, gentleness, self control, joy, peace, kindness, humility, forgiveness, nurturing, discipline, and patience, just to name a few. If you are lacking in any of his attributes, you aren't doing well."

I pondered for a moment. "I guess I have a long way to go."

Yvonne patted me on the leg. "Make the right choices, Adriel. Choose to live by faith."

"It's difficult sometimes, Yvonne."

"It's difficult all the time. You have to make the commitment. Right now you're emotionally tangled up with Joey, and you can't think straight. You don't need her, Adriel."

"I suppose you're going to tell me that I don't need Annette either."

"Annette is a completely different story. I felt somewhat responsible for her after her counterpart decided to step over the line with Joey. I couldn't come to you back then because you were sexually active with Annette. I had to send Annette via her counterpart to save you from that infernal rape machine that Joey had that Swedish engineer design for her. They barely made it in the nick of time. If I hadn't done that, Annette's counterpart would probably not have taken advantage of Joey."

"If you didn't, I would have been sexually addicted to Joey."

"I know, and that's why I sent them to save you. I still feel responsible for Annette's fate, and that's why I offered to adopt her as her counterpart. Annette is now your wife, and you need to stay faithful to her. Keeping Joey around is going to do nothing but threaten that. You will lose Annette and me for the rest of your days. Joey isn't a good influence on you. She has already killed three people trying to locate your assassin, and she doesn't operate by faith."

"You know how close Joey and I are. I can't just cut her loose. I'd feel like I lost my left arm."

"Yes, I know you're left handed, and that hurts me more than you realize. I should be the one closest to you, but you have made it clear that you would choose Joey over me."

"Are you jealous?"

"It isn't jealousy, Adriel, it's love. I want you to succeed with your negotiations, but you keep resisting me. Maybe you need to understand what life is without me."

"Oh, no, wait a minute here. You did the same thing when I started seeing Mia."

"Yes, and it did no good because you fucked her and got her pregnant."

"You know what she meant to me. Don't make my relationship with her sound cheap. It was meaningful."

"The point is, Adriel, you did the wrong thing. I removed myself from you, and once you stepped over the line with Mia I couldn't come back to you. You were still navigating back then, but this time I will remove your capability to use the golden highway. Good luck finding a portal with Annette to navigate. It's the only way that anyone can access the golden highway without a counterpart to help. Is that what you really want?"

"Of course not, Yvonne. Don't hold a gun to my head to get me to do what you want. It didn't work the first time, and I don't think it will work now. Let's talk this out."

"Get rid of Joey."

"No, I'm not getting rid of Joey."

"Then our talking is over. Goodbye, Adriel!"

I awakened in my bed next to Annette. I felt strangely alone. I had felt this in the past when Yvonne left me due to my relationship with Mia, but this was different. I felt more solitude and emptiness this time. What had I done? I couldn't let loose of Joey. I loved her dearly. Why would Yvonne impose an ultimatum on me? I scooted out of bed and went to the patio. I tried to step onto the golden highway, but I went nowhere. Maybe I could navigate with Annette. I would wait for a good opportunity to try it out tomorrow. I broke into a sweat as I thought of the ramifications with not being able to navigate the golden highway. I needed to get some more sleep.

As usual, Annette awakened me to make love. I took the opportunity to try to take us to the golden highway. As long as she held onto me, I could take her there, but I wasn't able to navigate. I was now getting very concerned, and Annette abruptly stopped as she was riding me hard. "What's the matter, Adriel? Where are you because you're not here with me."

"I'm sorry dear, but I had a tiff with Yvonne, and she said that she wasn't going to let me navigate anymore."

"Yvonne is you, Adriel. How do you have a tiff with yourself and lose your capability? That makes no sense."

"I know, it's complicated."

"Have you done something with Joey that I don't know about?"

Annette was studying my eyes as she awaited my answer. "Absolutely not, Annette! I have been true to you." I knew that Yvonne would disagree with me.

Annette rolled off of me onto her back. "So, what was this tiff about?"

"She gave me an ultimatum to cut Joey loose, and I refused. Joey is our friend."

Annette thought for a moment. "Well, I have a say so in that matter as well. Why would she issue you an ultimatum? Is she going to discuss it with me?"

"I rather doubt that either of us will be seeing her at least for a while."

"Adriel, this sounds like that time when she threatened you when you got involved with Mia. She'll be back."

"I don't know, Annette. I still had the capability to navigate back then. Yvonne said I would now have to find a portal with you in order to get onto the golden highway."

"So, you're basically back to square one when you and Evelyn used the portal at Giza to navigate."

"That's the way it appears. "

"Wait a minute! We don't need the portal at Giza. We used to make portals with a metal frame, a battery, and lights of infrared and ultraviolet. Let's just go get the materials and make our own portal."

"That sounds logical, but I doubt that it will work the same. I had navigational capabilities at that time, and the fabricated portals were used for stacking purposes. Natural portals have different attributes that anyone can use if they know the steps of aku/aki."

"Well, I know you don't like to fly, but we could relocate to Cairo."

I sighed. "Yes, but I don't have David's sextant, and trying to locate the portal without it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"Adriel, before I met you I flew all over this world via agency jets. We have nearly a trillion dollars at our disposal, and we can buy our own plane and hire a pilot. I know you're not accustomed to the old way of doing things, but I am. Don't worry, we'll work this out. Now, can we get back to our business here?" Annette smiled and locked her lips upon mine.

Since Gianette's death and my recovery, I decided to have our caretakers come to a dinner party on Saturday nights. Annette and I were making arrangements and choosing what to serve. Joey wanted to get back to searching for my assassin, but I held her off due to the party that we were planning tonight. I avoided Joey and turned my attention to the party with Annette. We decided to keep it simple and have steaks on the grill with baked potatoes and salad. Naturally, we were having wine, and we made sure that each bottle passed our scrutiny. Annette snipped some chives from our herb garden, and I started marinating the steaks. Brigette and Françoise requested to come early and play games in the pool with Joey. I completely understood their request, and they were now all in the pool together, but the games were different from what I expected. Joey was a good sport and indulged the girls to a limit. Unfortunately, I found it terribly arousing, and I tried to busy myself with dinner.

The steaks were at least an hour away from being grilled, and the girls waved me over to join them in the pool. I knew that it would be embarrassing because I always got aroused, especially when the three of them were together. Annette giggled and shooed me off to the pool. She knew that she would take care of me later. As usual, none of us wore any clothing. I stepped into the pool with a full erection and waded toward the girls. However, my arousal soon faded as they wanted to talk about Gianette and the poisonous snake venom that was used to taint our wine and cognac.

Brigette turned to me at one point. "Monsieur, we were sharing the cognac the morning after Gianette's death. It's a wonder we weren't all poisoned."

I responded. "That's true, but it was the last bottle from the previous shipment. None of those bottles had been tampered with." Joey confirmed my statement. Apparently, I had truly overheard the conversations between Joey and Annette when I was comatose. Annette brought us all some cocktails, and we made a toast to Gianette. Annette retreated back to the kitchen to finish the salad, and Joey took my hand to lead me to the other side of the pool. Brigette and Françoise began a sexual interlude as Joey turned to me to make plans to revisit D'Angelo. As much as I hated to disappoint her, I had to tell her that I could no longer navigate the golden highway.

Once Joey heard that Yvonne had abandoned me, she shoved me against the side of the pool and grabbed my testicles. She squeezed hard, and I screamed as she put her nose to mine and demanded, "Who have you been fucking now, Adriel? I swear, I will rip her heart out!"

I was in terrible pain as I pleaded, "Joey, please stop! I haven't fucked anyone."

Annette heard my scream and came running. "Get your hands off of my husband right now!"

Joey pushed me backward into the water. "Annette, Adriel has obviously fucked yet another woman. Yvonne won't come to him anymore, and we can't find his assassin without his navigational capabilities."

Annette jumped into the pool and grabbed hold of me. I looked over at the girls, and they both had a look of shock on their faces. I knew it was the first that they heard about navigation, and I hoped that they didn't ask questions. Annette yelled, "Get out of the pool, Joey! We need to talk in private." Annette made sure that I was all right and met Joey on the patio. I looked over at the girls and shrugged. I then waded over to them to be sure that they were all right.

Françoise gave me a coquettish look. "Monsieur, have you been a naughty boy with a woman named Yvonne?" The girls giggled and sandwiched me between them.

"Of course not, Françoise. I know you just want to meet whoever Yvonne is, but I assure you there is no other woman. Joey was jumping to terrible conclusions. Sorry to disappoint you. Let's go get another drink." I spent the next half hour running interference with the girls while Annette explained everything to Joey.

It was now time to start grilling the steaks, and Annette handed Joey off to me as she got into the pool with the girls. Joey was contrite. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Adriel. I misunderstood why Yvonne left you. Annette said that it was because of me."

"I understand, Joey. You thought that the only way I could lose Yvonne was to be unfaithful to Annette. I thought the same thing until last night. She wanted me to cut you loose, and I wouldn't do it."

Joey wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. "Thank you, Adriel. I will always be true to you."

"I know, Joey. You're the most faithful person I've ever met, and I appreciate that. I love you dearly."

"Annette said that you are going to buy a jet and hire a pilot."

"It kind of looks that way, Joey. I'm afraid that we will be doing conventional travel for a while if not for good."

Time and space just got a lot longer and larger for me. I had saved countless hours by navigating in seconds and splicing time. Life would slow to a crawl, and I couldn't observe in parking mode anymore. Maybe we should move to Cairo. There was a chance that I could find the portal, but the area where it is located is so large, and the portal shifts slowly. I might never find it without David's sextant. Even if I had the sextant, I didn't know how to operate it. As with so many times in my life, I hoped I would wake up in my bed and discover this was all just a bad dream.

Later that night, Annette scooted close to me in bed. "Adriel, I've been thinking. If Yvonne truly has abandoned you, what is going to stop you from taking Joey?"

I shook my head and looked over at Annette. "Do you think that was the only reason I never made love to Joey? Annette, I love you, and I really don't want anyone else. I'll admit, there are times when I feel overwhelmed by Joey because I love her so much, but I love you more. It's really my love for you that keeps me away from her. Don't worry, you and I are going to be fine."

Annette studied my eyes to her satisfaction and kissed me. "I hope so, Adriel."

"Annette, I really don't want to buy a jet and hire another staff of people. We already have our security guards and caretakers. I know you are a lot more accustomed to managing such things, but it sounds like a nightmare to me. Besides, I'm just an ordinary man now, and I don't have the abilities that I have used in the past five years."

"Adriel, you are anything but ordinary. I'm not concerned that you can't navigate anymore. You're right that I am used to conventional means, and I have a lot of experience. I seriously doubt that there is some sinister plot to destroy mankind, but someone is trying to kill you, and that is what concerns me. I can have Joey travel commercially to search for your assassin. She's very adept at finding people. I would gladly give her an unlimited expense account, but she has over one hundred million dollars that she has accumulated via private contracts around the world. Once she eliminates your assassin, we can relax and enjoy our lives together."

"That sounds really good, but I'm certain that's not the way it's going to be."

"What caused your argument with Yvonne? What was she talking about that led to her demanding that you get rid of Joey?"

"She was explaining the cosmic fabric of this world, about mass and energy, and time and space."

"What? She was giving you a science lesson?"

"Well, that's the way it would appear on the surface, but Yvonne always equates everything to my negotiations and living by faith. Do you remember during our last project that she had impressed upon me the need to understand the unity of everything? People continually separate themselves by nationality, race, beliefs, economics, and whatever means they can find or invent. It always creates the 'us' and 'them' mentality, and the 'us' is always wiser and more acceptable than the 'them.' They use cliques and exclusive societies to feel important and superior."

"I do remember that. Part of your problem at that time was that you were viewing Yvonne as someone else when she is intrinsically you. What I found interesting is that it was more obvious to me than it was to you. This contention between you and Yvonne actually is an internal conflict. How did this science lesson turn into a request to get rid of Joey?"

"She told me that I wasn't thinking clearly because of my feelings for Joey. She said that I didn't need Joey, and that I should cut her loose. She said that Joey threatened my relationship to you."

"I know you're in love with Joey, and I know that I'm largely to blame. I don't want to lose you to her, and I don't want to get rid of Joey. I wish Yvonne would talk to me."

"She's not going to do that. You're adopted, and your relationship with her is very different from mine. I don't really understand that realm very well. Instead of hiring an air force and transportation facility, I would like to go to Cairo to search for the portal. It shifts during different seasons of the year. David and I were experimenting with it during the month of May, so if we stay in Cairo this coming May I might be able to locate it."

"Wow, that's a real shot in the dark, Adriel, and May is another nine months away, but if that's what you want to do, I'm with you. In the meantime, I want to turn Joey loose to find your assassin."

"Thank you, Annette. Can I ask you a question about Joey? You've known her for many years."

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Does she enjoy killing people?"

"Oh, Adriel, I can understand your question after what you have experienced the past couple of days. Do you enjoy taking out the trash?"

"Not particularly, but I don't regret it."

"That's largely the way Joey sees it. She used to suffer from Emotional Detachment Disorder, and everyone thought that is what made her such a great assassin. However, since she has begun to feel emotion it seems to have no effect on her performance. She has killed over forty-seven hundred victims. It's just like taking out the trash to her. What does interest me so much is that even though she can be emotionless when it comes to work, she is hopelessly in love with you."

"I really can't understand that. I never dreamed that she would be interested in me."

"Adriel, a man like you has never entered our lives before. Joey and I both envied Evelyn at one point or another. I never dreamed that I would end up with you, but I'm so glad that I have."

"Me too, Sweetie!"

After breakfast the next morning, Annette asked Joey if she was comfortable using her own funds to search for my assassin. Joey set her coffee cup on the table and folded her hands as she looked into Annette's eyes. "I'm perfectly fine with that under one condition. You both must promise never to forsake me."

Annette reciprocated, "And you must promise never to make love to my husband."

Joey squinted at Annette. "OK, I accept. Finally, we have a reasonable agreement."

I knew exactly what Joey was thinking. She now had the clearance to do anything with me outside of coitus just the way that it used to be. I knew that Annette didn't intend it that way, but that was the way Joey interpreted it. I wasn't going to say anything. Joey spent the rest of the morning making travel arrangements and packing. I suddenly realized that Yvonne had once again manipulated me. She always knew what I was thinking, but I never knew what she was thinking. If I still had my navigational capabilities, it would have pushed Joey and me into a closer working relationship. Now that I could no longer navigate, it forced Joey away from me.

By noon, Joey was packed and ready to leave. She was taking a commuter flight to Nice to catch a plane to Paris. Her destination was New York where D'Angelo was located. I had no doubt that Joey would be successful in finding my assassin. I just didn't know if she would be able to find the perpetrator responsible. I felt my heart ache a little as Joey was ready to depart. I held her longer than usual and lingered on her lips with a kiss. I didn't care if Annette got upset. "Take care of yourself," I encouraged.

Joey smiled and kissed me again. "Adriel, we'll get to the bottom of this. I know you're concerned that we won't find the person responsible, but I will tell you that there isn't a strategic question that cannot be answered by studying the history of Rome. I'll find your enemy, and I will terminate him or her."

I spent the next hour contemplating what Joey said about Rome. I had a fairly good knowledge of general Roman history, but I didn't know essential details of strategies. I did remember the contention between Julius Caesar and Pompey. Pompey was assassinated, but that didn't solve Caesar's problems. I began to realize that I may be facing more than one enemy. My suspicions surrounded Avarro who was the head of the agency, but only the colonel, who was my superior within the agency, knew my capabilities. I wondered if he eventually shared them with his superior after I had been terminated with the agency. Interestingly, Avarro never had anyone revoke his power. I just went from being possibly the most powerful human in the world to being an ordinary man. However, that was a worldly perspective on my assessment. Yvonne encouraged me to live by faith and not my abilities.

Neither Annette nor Joey saw any other problem than the threat to my life. I had been concerned that people had seen Joey and me disappear into thin air during her quest to find my assassin. I felt that we were getting careless, and talk of someone who could appear and disappear was the last thing I wanted to happen. If the colonel ever heard of such a thing, he would most likely suspicion that it was I who was performing these spectacular displays. I began to wonder if that was another reason that Yvonne revoked my abilities. She wasn't willing to talk and appeared to be eager to cut me off.

I didn't have much confidence that I could find the portal at Giza, but it truly was possible. Most people wouldn't recognize it if they saw it. They would assume that it was some sort of haze or heat waves. However, I was very accustomed to recognizing it. I had entered it countless times. If I could find it and take Annette with me, I could force Yvonne to come to me by clapping my hand with Annette's. However, I wasn't willing to try to find the portal at Giza until the month of May. I hoped that having the earth in the same proximity with the sun that it was when I was experimenting with David could possibly allow me to find it near the same area. It had always appeared just west of the Great Pyramid about half an hour before dawn. Still, May was nine months away, and I didn't think that I had that much time to waste.

"Damn it, Yvonne! You win! You got Joey away from me. I can't understand how you could be me and undermine me so much! I have loved you, and I have desired you, but right now I hate you! How could you do this to me? You have admitted to being fallible, and yet you interfere in my personal relationships. You have put me into a position that you said I would have if I took Joey, but I haven't, and yet you have put me here. Come back to me, damn it! I command you!"

I fell sideways onto the sand being careful not to spill my cognac. I was angry, and I didn't care if Annette heard what I said, but she was still at the villa. I missed Joey so much I thought my heart would explode. The alcohol wasn't doing me any favors. I crawled toward the surf to splash water in my face. I was a wreck, and Joey hadn't yet been gone for six hours. Time away from Joey was torture. I fared much better when she was around, but when she wasn't I fell apart. I took another swig from my cognac bottle. I might as well have fucked her. I told Annette that it was my love for her that kept me from Joey, but I knew that Annette would let me have her as long as I didn't abandon Annette. I shook my head and splashed water in my face. How stupid was I being? Joey would never let me go back to Annette. I needed to get back home and go to bed. I crawled toward the stone walkway and collapsed face down onto the sand. I began to sob.

I felt a hand rubbing my back. How I wished that it was Joey. I bent my right leg and pushed against the sand with my foot to roll over onto my back. It was Brigette. "Oh, Monsieur, Madame is crying in your bedroom. She sent me here to bring you back. With your permission, may I speak freely?"

I was trying to fight the tears, but I was too drunk to get control. "Of course you can, Brigette."

Brigette lay next to me and put her head close to mine. I was obviously very drunk because she looked so inviting, but I knew better than to advance on her. I was trying to maintain some shred of control and listen to what she had to say. "Monsieur, it's obvious that there is incredible sexual tension between you and Joey. Please don't let Madame know that I spoke to you."

"I promise. What do you want to say?"

"I care so much for you and Madame, and I don't want you to have trouble with one another. Joey is wonderful. I will admit that, but Monsieur, don't jeopardize what you have with Madame. I have watched you both together, laughing, talking, and making sweet love. Please don't destroy that. My apologies, Monsieur, I know I'm way out of line."

I pulled Brigette close to me. "No, Brigette, I really needed to hear that. You're absolutely right. I'm very drunk right now because I'm upset that Joey isn't here. You know, when I was in that coma I had a dream that I hired you as my personal assistant. I know I've had a lot to drink, but it does sound good to me."

"That is very flattering, Monsieur, but I am certain that Madame would never allow that. I'm very happy with my current position. Please, let me help you get to your bed."

She was so young, and she was so beautiful, and I was so drunk. I kept kissing her neck as she helped me up the stone walkway back to the villa. She was sweet and kind, and she didn't take offense. I really meant nothing other than I did love our caretakers. Once we reached the patio, I turned my head toward her. "Would you be offended if I kissed you?"

Brigette gave a little giggle. "No, Monsieur, that would fine, and then you need to get to bed." I kissed her sweetly on the lips, but not sensually. She helped me into the bedroom, and I heard Annette thank her as she deposited me onto my bed.

Annette waited about a minute to let Brigette get our of earshot. "Damn you, Adriel! Joey isn't gone for six hours before you drink yourself into a stupor on the beach. I know you've been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours, but how do you think this makes me feel? Sometimes I think I should just cut you loose and let her have you."

My head was spinning, and I was blindly reaching for Annette with my right hand. "No, Annette, you're right. I'm terribly sorry. I don't want to lose you. I understand that you're upset, and I don't blame you. You have known me for four years now, and you know my relationship with Joey. I'm so sorry, Sweetie. I have always had such a hard time when she's not around, but I have always felt the same about you too. When Mia caused you to leave my villa in Milos, I was miserable. I can't stand to be away from either of you. I once had a wonderful life with Evelyn in the midwestern United States. We raised a family, and we shared a great life together. Since I met you and Joey, my life has been turned upside down, and I lost Evelyn and my family. If I could trade you both to get my former life back, I would be miserable without you. You are my left leg, and Joey is my right. I would be emotionally crippled without either of you." I couldn't stop sobbing.

"You can't have us both, Adriel, and you know it."

I nodded as I held onto Annette. "I know. Please try to understand, and don't leave me. We'll get through this."

"You need to stop drinking. I'll ration your alcohol from now on. There's no negotiating this, Adriel. If we're going to move forward, I need your cooperation."

I nodded in assent as I clung to Annette.

When I awoke the next morning, my head was pounding like a jackhammer. Annette had deposited a bottle of ibuprofen and a cup of coffee onto my nightstand. I slugged down eight hundred milligrams of ibuprofen with some bottled water and reached for the coffee. I took a couple of sips and decided to head for a cool shower to help me clear my head. When I returned to the bedroom, I pulled my phone from the charger and checked my messages. Joey had left me a text message that was just short of a novel. Joey was a very effective agent. She had contacts all over the world, and many of them owed her favors. She always kept debts in her favor, and she never hesitated to utilize them when needed. She had successfully gained entrance to D'Angelo's estate by introducing herself as the witch. I chuckled as I read her account of the meeting that she had with him late at night. To make a long story short, she agreed to accompany him to a social event to appear as his date. D'Angelo was a powerful man, and I had no doubt that he had been escorted to many events with a beautiful woman on his arm, but Joey was head and shoulders above any other woman in beauty and grace that I had ever seen. In return, D'Angelo promised to help her find who was behind the murder attempt. He had no doubt that they would get to the bottom of the problem.

D'Angelo lived on Long Island. Danelli was in Naples, Italy when we found him. D'Angelo had no idea why Danelli would be in Naples. He was surprised when Joey explained that she had taken out Danelli and his two henchmen. He offered her a job, and she stifled a laugh. She apologized and explained to him who she was. D'Angelo had no knowledge of the agency. That was not surprising. If one doesn't work for the agency, it's rare that he would know of its existence. When I first started working with Annette and Joey, I thought that they worked for some consulting agency that did business with the government. I later learned that the contract was not secured via normal channels. Agents were from all walks of life. Some were in the military, some in politics, and some were janitors with opportunity to learn significant information. One could never know if someone else worked for the agency. It was a well kept secret. In fact, some worked side by side without the knowledge of the other. The only way that I knew these things was from searching for people and listening from parking mode.

Joey had murdered three men and made one powerful ally. I was encouraged to know that D'Angelo was willing to help us. I wasn't naive enough to believe that Joey would allow this situation to put her in debt to D'Angelo. She would manipulate the relationship to put him at her disposal in the near future. My guess is that she would annihilate those whom D'Angelo wanted without charge. Joey wasn't just the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was shrewd, intelligent, skilled, professional, and her integrity was beyond my comprehension.

A year ago, I would have imagined that Joey would eventually be my wife. I was shocked when I ended up with Annette. I didn't see it coming. Annette and I had been the closest of friends. We did everything together outside of sex. That all changed one night when I was sitting on my patio in Milos while Annette was asleep in our bed. She came toddling out and straddled me as she put her arms around my neck. She was whimpering that she had a bad dream. I never knew until later that her counterpart was turning her sexual orientation for his own purposes. Once Annette began to have heterosexual desires, there was no stopping us. Our sexual compatibility was astounding. I had seen Annette make love to Gina countless times when I was with Evelyn. I knew how voracious her sexual desires were, and how vehemently that she would make love. She was dominant and demanding. However, with me she was submissive and subservient. She would do anything to pleasure me, and I did the same for her. It is the only way that we could achieve the plateau of extended orgasm.

Annette had our day planned, and it was going to be spent in our summer bedroom the entire time. She had Brigette on call to bring us food and drink throughout the day. In turn, she was giving Brigette the night off to catch up on sleep. Annette and I had done everything imaginable in bed together. We had explored erogenous zones all over our bodies. Interestingly, we had to revisit each area because some did not activate until after others. The experimentation was exciting and ecstatically overwhelming. Once we found a new combination, we would hold one another for as long as we could. Not all combinations took us to the plateau, but they were amazingly pleasurable. Annette would orgasm repeatedly, and on rare occasion she would ejaculate. She would hold me for long periods keeping me from ejaculation until the right moment. The orgasms were so powerful and satisfying. We would then break for food and drink and a short nap before starting all over again. It was incredibly addicting, and I begged to spend tomorrow in the same way. She agreed.

The next text I received from Joey was from Palermo, Sicily. D'Angelo had put her in touch with one of his family members who knew nearly every operation that was happening in the Mediterranean. What interested me was that the Merlot that I drink is Italian and comes from Sicily. I had hope that Joey was on the right track. I relayed the information to Annette who was somewhat perturbed that Joey wasn't including her on any of the texts. I had no idea what to say. If I defended Joey, Annette would get upset. If I agreed with Annette, it would deepen her aggravation. I kept silent. That too proved to be a mistake because she filled in the blanks in the worst way. I was now involved in a conspiracy with Joey against Annette, or so it was accused. There was no winning in this battle, just degrees of losing.

At least I had hope that Joey would find the person responsible for my attempted poisoning. However, I wasn't ignorant in these matters. My agency training taught me that those who were the perpetrators rarely left connections with the assassins. In one of my favorite movie series, _The Godfather_ , the courts used the term buffers. Yeah, there were lots of buffers. They never dealt with Joey. She was the best. I knew that Joey would step-stone her way through the buffers one way or another. She could be sweet and seductive or as dangerous as a ravenous tiger. She was known throughout the world by many names, and she sometimes used her reputation to intimidate whomever she needed. As much of a pacifist that I am, I found her incredibly sexy. She was the female James Bond ten times over. Someday, I need to write a book just about Joey, but she still won't tell me everything that she has done. I'll continue to work on that.

Three days later, the damnedest thing happened that I had ever seen. Annette received a call from the guard at the front gate that a man who had identified himself as my assassin was requesting an audience. The guard had sent him plunging to the ground and had handcuffed him behind his back. Annette instructed the guard to accompany the man to our villa, but she asked that the guard make sure that he wasn't carrying any explosives. The man was stripped naked, cavity searched, and brought to our stone entry. Our guard deposited the man onto the stone and stood over him. I watched closely as the man lay on his side naked and trembling. Annette had retrieved one of our garden saws and stood over the man. This was terribly reminiscent of what I had experienced with Joey. Annette commanded the guard to return to the front gate. I had no idea what I was about to witness.

Tears were streaming from his eyes, and he pleaded in Arabic for mercy. One of the essential languages taught to us by the agency was Arabic. We had all learned to keep our language skills current, and Joey was the best at demanding a regimen of language arts. Joey was holding his entire family captive. She had his mother, his wife, his children, and two grandchildren held as hostages. As alarming as all of this sounds, I burst into laughter. I was embarrassed, but I think it had more to do with the fact that my Angel of Death was outrageous and grandstanding for my benefit. As sick as it all was, she was endearing herself to me all the more, and she knew it.

The man begged me to text Joey to let her know that he had arrived. Only two hours remained before she systematically dismembered each member of his family in the presence of the others. I immediately texted Joey to let her know that the package had arrived. My assassin now had to get me to forgive him to save his family. Joey had a sick sense of humor, but she knew me well. I would never condemn a man to death. However, this man knew nothing of me, and Joey knew that I could get whatever information from him that I needed. She never stopped grooming me as an agent. We dragged him down the stone walkway and onto the beach.

We had this man where we wanted, but Annette was beginning to give me concern. It wasn't like her to let emotions affect her strategy, but she wanted to saw this man in half. I had to intervene to stop her from staking him down in the sand and cutting him in two. I asked her to stand down and let me take the lead. I offered the man a drink, but he refused alcohol. I wasn't being cordial. I wanted to know if he was truly Muslim. I knelt beside him as he begged for the lives of his family. I assured him in Arabic that his family would not die if he told us the truth. I then asked his name. He told me that his name was Aqeel. His name means wise or intelligent. I sincerely hoped that he could live up to his name.

I asked for him to give me the name of the one who had ordered my assassination. He pleaded for his family and said that he didn't know. I asked if he worked for the agency. He hesitated too long, and Annette gouged out his genitals with a knife that I didn't know that she had. I was outraged. I made her step away from him as I continued my interrogation. He was gasping and heaving, and I was afraid that I couldn't get any information from him. He was bleeding profusely, and I could see the shock overshadow his eyes. He convulsed, and in his dying breath as the blood and intestines oozed from his body, I heard him wheeze the name, Avarro.

Annette stood over him as she panted and wielded the blood soaked knife. I knew that wild eyed look, and she wasn't satisfied with the blood that was soaking into the sand. "We're going to get that son of a bitch, Adriel! You were right!" Annette was onboard. Joey always had been. I suspicioned that Joey had staged this whole opportunity to convince Annette that Avarro was behind the entire operation. We had the target and our goal, but unfortunately I no longer had Yvonne at my disposal, and I couldn't navigate the golden highway, or this would have been a walk in the park.

## CHAPTER SEVEN

### _Integrity_

AVARRO WAS PROBABLY the most protected man in the world. Foremost, no one really knew who he was. I seriously doubted that Avarro was his real name. Not many knew of the agency, and of those who did there were only three persons who were his subordinates. Even they did not know that he was at the very top of command within the agency. He lived in a secured penthouse in New York City. There was only one elevator that led to his apartment on the sixty-fifth floor. No stairway had access. He had a helipad on the roof, and an agency helicopter was available at all times at his disposal. I had watched him for countless hours in his penthouse. This man even had a fucking parachute and an explosive that would blow out his windows if he needed to escape to the ground.

Avarro was the most powerful man in the world, and he wanted to kill me. However, I knew that he had to work within limits. He would never want to attract the attention of the news media. His goal was to eliminate me as discreetly as possible and make it look accidental. It was typical agency tactics. Joey was the exception. She taught classes on assassination at one point. Avarro knew where I lived, but he knew that Joey was my bodyguard. He had to know her capabilities, and after the last couple of projects that Joey and I shared he would be very cautious. I had helped make her look superhuman. As much as we had tried to fake her death when we did mine, she had surfaced too much to let the world of espionage believe that she was dead.

I truly believed that Joey was the only deterrent to stopping Avarro from killing me. I knew that Joey was using this situation to secure her position with me. I realized that I couldn't trust Joey completely, even though I was so in love with her. Joey had saved my life countless times over the past four years. I could never cut her out of my life. It wasn't just the emotional aspect, but she had an undying devotion to me. How could I possibly let loose of that? I was trying to determine who was the fly in the ointment. Was it Annette, or was it Joey? I hoped that it was neither, but I was suffering an emotional dichotomy.

I knew that Joey was sexual quicksand. She was a whirlpool of sensuality that would suck me downward. There was no question that once I tasted that divine love canal I could never escape. There could be no more addictive drug in this world than Joey's vagina. Annette's counterpart was the only one to experience it, and he lost his soul for all eternity. It was the never-ending desire for the impossible future. I would lose everything if I gave in to her, and furthermore my weakness was an abhorrent threat to my negotiations. I knew that she knew what she was doing to me. Joey and I were more connected than Annette, and Joey knew it. I was losing precious ground in this battle for resistance. I felt doomed.

I pleaded for another day in bed with Annette, but she was now consumed with annihilating Avarro. Joey would return soon, and I was defenseless. Suddenly, I remembered what Joey had said about Rome. She was returning as the conquering hero, Annette was the Senate, and I was the people of Rome who adored the conqueror. I tried to remind myself that Joey had a strategy and an agenda. She had overwhelmed Annette to distract her with the annihilation of my enemy and return as my hero. Yvonne was gone, and Annette was consumed with revenge. Joey was coming to collect her spoils. My head was spinning. I wanted to alert Annette, but I also wanted for Joey to ravish me in her bed. I wanted to fuck my hero wildly as she sucked me inwardly to thrust me into an oblivion of orgasmic ecstasy. I was literally dripping with desire.

I couldn't resist. I lubricated myself and threw Annette onto the bed face down. I thrust myself into her anus and rode her hard. She squeezed as I drove her, and I exploded into an orgasmic frenzy. It wasn't enough. I turned her on her right side and pulled her knees up toward her breasts as I eased my way into her vagina. Annette had a deformity that I found early in our relationship. At one point during the Ophir project, I had suffered a coup staged by Annette and Joey when I was married to Mia. I was their superior, and they challenged my authority by charging me with violating agency protocol. I was able to turn the tables on them and frame them for lying to my superior. I used my time splicing ability to prove to my superior that they were lying about me. Granted, it was I who was lying, but my superior, who was a colonel at the Pentagon, incarcerated both Annette and Joey. This happened immediately after Mia's death.

I needed Annette, and I visited her via the golden highway to take her out of detention. However, I first needed to do a cavity search to be sure that she didn't have a cell phone hidden in her vagina. Believe me, I wouldn't have been surprised if she did. When I put my fingers into her, I was shocked to find that her vagina couldn't possibly hold a boiled egg. I had no idea, even after we had been naked together on countless occasions. After Annette and I became lovers, I did some exploring and found that her vagina continued in a very tight canal on the left side. I could access it by laying her on her right side and entering her to push through the left side of her vagina to continue through her canal. It was an incredibly exhilarating experience. She was so tight, and nothing had ever penetrated that area before. She was totally unaware that it existed.

I was now enjoying the tight squeeze into her tiny vagina, and I was jerking and convulsing with inexplicable pleasure. I pulled her left leg across my body to roll her over onto her back as I remained inside her. This maneuver created an intense massage of my most sensitive areas that sent me reeling once again into an orgasmic explosion. I felt bad that my intense arousal had been because of Joey, and I would never admit that to Annette, but I needed the sexual release to help reduce the overwhelming desire to fuck Joey with complete abandon. Joey was due back soon, and I had to find a way to gain some semblance of control. I still wasn't sure if I could. I advanced on Annette five more times that day.

I didn't know if plying myself with alcohol would help or hinder my desire for Joey, but Annette had me on a ration that I didn't dare violate. I asked if I could have a bottle of wine, but she refused. This was a first for us. Annette had never refused me anything, however I realized that she knew the pitfalls of Joey's return. As much as I wanted to keep my passion a secret, I knew that she suspicioned that my relentless advances on her had some root in my desire for Joey. I accepted that her decision was for the best. I busied myself in the kitchen to prepare for dinner. I insisted that she clean up her mess on the beach, but she had fully intended to do that. Living on the Mediterranean provided a convenient way to dispose of things. I had some pork ribs that I was going to grill tonight with a sauce of olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. I was rummaging through the fridge to find an accompaniment to the meat when Joey arrived.

She startled me when she entered the kitchen, and I spun around to see her dropping her bags to the floor. Annette was at the beach disposing of the remains of our would-be assassin. I couldn't contain myself and reacted immediately as I rushed to her and grabbed her into my arms. I kissed her long and hard and deeply as I slipped my hand under her pants. "You are my conquering hero," I whispered as I put my lips to her ear. We spent the next several minutes dueling with our tongues as my arousal mounted like a pressure cooker. I went into a frenzy and stripped her clothes off. I dove into her left breast with my lips and indulged myself as I vigorously sucked on her nipple. She reciprocated with her right hand and stimulated me to the point that I was ready to release. However, I spotted Annette as she was traipsing up the stone walkway, and I pulled back. I alerted Joey, and she grabbed her clothes and bags to head for her bedroom.

I turned back to the fridge to find something to accompany the pork ribs. As Annette entered the kitchen, I asked, "Would you prefer potatoes or rice with our pork ribs tonight?"

Annette pondered for a moment. "I think potatoes would go better with pork. Do you have a green vegetable in mind?"

"We have spinach and broccoli. Which do you prefer?"

"I'll choose the broccoli."

"Great! Why don't you wash up and help me with dinner?" My heart was still pounding like a jackhammer. I needed to get control of myself. I was sliding down that slippery slope as fast as could be. My hero had returned home, and she was going to take me soon. My head was spinning with the possibilities of enjoying Joey for the first time. I started the charcoal grill and turned to the ribs to season them. Annette soon returned and began to wash the vegetables.

She glanced over to me and asked, "When did Joey get back? You never said anything about it."

"Oh, she walked in just before you returned from the beach. I guess I had my thoughts on what to do for dinner. Sorry."

"Well, we have plenty for her to eat with us. I think the three of us need to talk about our next steps to locate Avarro."

Annette held me to no more than five glasses of wine for the evening. She even prohibited my usual cognac after dinner. Joey noticed her restriction on me and just smiled smugly. She was hoping that I would get frustrated with Annette. However, I wasn't. Instead, I was feeling a little guilty that I had intended to be unfaithful to her behind her back, but whenever I looked at Joey I was completely overcome with desire. We retired to the patio after dinner and began our conversation.

Annette offered a plan. "Avarro is extremely hard to approach, so I think we should use the same tactic on Avarro that he did on you, Adriel. We need to taint his food with a lethal poison."

I rebutted. "Annette, I have watched this man for hours on end. He has the daughter of one of his subordinates who is a taste tester, among other things. She tastes his food before he eats it to be sure that it is safe. His subordinate, who's the father of his taster, is the one who supplies all food and drink for Avarro. He's careful to keep his daughter alive."

Annette thought for a moment. "He has to leave his apartment at some time."

I agreed. "Yes, but he always uses the agency helicopter, and I have no idea where he is going at any given time. He's nearly impossible to locate without using the golden highway." I looked over at Joey, and she responded with a look of appreciation that I didn't banish her. I directed my question to Joey. "This is right up your alley, Joey. How would you approach him if you had a termination order for Avarro?"

"Well, I would usually use the tactic of becoming close to him somehow. However, he is extremely cautious, and that would be very difficult. If I were still with the agency, I would probably wait for an opportunity when I knew that he was home and use a rocket gun to blow his pad to smithereens. Granted, that would attract unwanted attention, but it would get the job done."

I looked over at Annette, and she shook her head. "We don't want that kind of attention. What if we released poisonous gas into the ventilation system?"

I objected. "Both of those ideas would most likely create collateral damage, and I don't want that. There has to be a cleaner, more precise way of eliminating him." I couldn't believe that I was advocating murdering Avarro, but it was him or me. I slumped back in my seat and continued. "I'm afraid that without the means of the golden highway we have no reasonable way to eliminate Avarro. He has been very careful to isolate himself by conventional methods to make it virtually impossible to compromise him in any fashion."

I could see Joey mulling over the problem, and she finally looked up to offer, "Adriel, you once asked me how I would take down one of the Black Ops agents. I explained that I would have to disable him due to his strength and stamina before I could have an opportunity to execute the fatal blow. I think that I need to apply the same strategy to Avarro. I need to take out the three operatives who report directly to him. If I can do that in one day, I can cause him to react on the defensive, and it might give me a chance to expose a weakness."

"Joey, as much as I hate to admit it, that sounds like the best plan that I have heard yet." I loathed advocating murder, but this was a game that was played for keeps. We needed to kick the struts out from under Avarro and cause him to scramble to regroup as we looked for an opportunity to attack at his worst disadvantage. Annette agreed and returned to the wine cellar to grab three more bottles.

As soon as Annette was out of sight, Joey rushed to my side and grabbed me into a tight embrace. She pressed her lips to mine and thrust her tongue into my mouth which always put my head into a spin. Joey held me tightly as she whispered in my ear. "If you wake up in the middle of the night, come to me beside the northeastern fountain. I will be sleeping on a blanket in the grass."

My heart took a leap, and I assured her that I would be there. Tonight was the night. I would finally plunge myself without reservation into Joey's loins, and I knew that I would be hers forever.

Annette returned with three bottles and popped the corks. I was apparently off my ration for the evening, but I wasn't totally surprised. We toasted to our new plan as Joey and I exchanged knowing glances for our night together beside the fountain. I felt like a high school boy who knew that tonight was the night that he would finally sacrifice his virginity for an opportunity of unbelievably, overwhelming sensual bliss. I was literally salivating. Yes, I disgusted myself for my infidelity and weakness, but unless you could experience being exposed to Joey you couldn't possibly understand.

We had an incredible history together, and our relationship was ripe for the ultimate indulgence. I would release on her with the wildest abandon that I had yet to deliver, and I knew it. I had already plied myself with the sex enhancement drugs that we had on hand, and I was ready to drive her into inexplicable euphoric bliss. Her blanket would be soaked in sweat, semen, blood, urine, female ejaculation, feces, and tears, as I bent her into every conceivable position to drill her in all orifices relentlessly throughout the night. She may have believed that I would become addicted to her sexually, and well I would, but she in turn would experience an intensity of sexual rapture that would captivate her too. We were about to seal an indelible bond of sexual epoxy that would never be breached. I pondered as my record for orgasms was twelve within an eight hour period. It was important for me to exceed that in my fantastic night with Joey. I had little doubt of success.

That night, I took Annette to the plateau of extended orgasm three times for a total of four and a half hours. I kept her overwhelmed so that she didn't concentrate on me too much. I successfully exhausted her so that she fell into a deep sleep. I rolled onto my back and took a deep breath and a long sigh. I had been four years in my sensual process with Joey. I was so glad that it was about to come to an end, or beginning, whatever. It felt like someone who had a terminal cancer, and this was his dying moment. The release from this life into the next realm of peace and affirmation was a welcomed experience. Yvonne had abandoned me. I was just a normal person, and yet Joey still wanted me. I would forever and always be in her arms to love and serve her in every way that I could. There was nothing that I would not do for her. I soon dozed off on my back next to Annette as she lightly snored.

I awoke in darkness. I glanced at the clock, and it was four minutes after two in the morning. Annette was still snoring lightly. I scooted out of bed very quietly and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water. I sat on one of the loveseats at the patio to sip my water and contemplate my next steps. I was about to make a life changing decision. I was standing on the ledge about to jump. I tried to talk myself out of the possibility of devouring Joey with every sexual fiber that I had to offer. I looked downward, and I was hard as a rock. The drugs and my desires made me sexually lethal. I set my water on the table and began to stride my way toward the northeastern garden. As I made my way past the banana trees, I surprisingly encountered Brigette. She gave a slight scream as I surprised her. She immediately noticed my condition, and she had already seen Joey at the northeastern fountain. She threw her hands over her face and trotted off toward the villa in tears.

I took the path eastward and around the red and yellow cannas. Sure enough, Joey lay as inviting as ever on a blanket in the grass just east of the fountain. I rushed to her side and slid onto the blanket as I gripped her naked body in a warm embrace and teased her tongue with mine. She reciprocated and pulled me fully on top of her as she continued to engage me with her tongue. It felt like an electrical current in my mouth as our tongues entertained one another. I was heaving with desire, and I thrust myself into her pelvis. However, I gave a slight scream as I was met with a terrible obstruction. Joey had protected her vagina with her hand. I tried to remove her hand by grabbing her wrist, but she wouldn't budge. I looked into her eyes with confusion, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm keeping my word to Annette." Joey pleaded with her eyes.

"What are you talking about? I'm ready to give myself to you as you have wanted all this time."

"I promised Annette that I wouldn't make love to you. We can't do this, Adriel."

"Have you lost your mind? I'm finally yours. Take me into your mouth!"

"No, Adriel, we need to talk. Please, don't do this. I promised Annette."

My head was spinning with desire. I was prepared and ready. I was a seething, dripping, heaving, testosterone drugged, sexually explosive, throbbing machine of female pleasure that was being held off due to Joey's commitment to Annette. "My god, Joey, this is it! This is our time! This is what we have been awaiting for years."

"Adriel, you know fully that I cannot breach a promise to Annette or anyone. She promised that neither of you would abandon me, and I agreed to her stipulation never to make love to you."

"Are you serious?" I advanced once again, but Joey prevented me from penetrating her.

"Adriel, please listen to reason. You have no idea how much I want to give myself to you, but I can't. I never lie, and I never break a promise."

I was reeling from the shock of the moment. The Angel of Death, the greatest assassin in the world, who could torture people without regret, the one who was feared by countless thousands, actually had more moral scruples than I did. My head was spinning in my shame for my own condition and my admiration for her integrity. I was out of breath as I asked, "How could you possibly seek to rape me twice and beg me to make love to you at the chalet, only to turn me down now at the point that I'm ready to give myself to you?"

"I know you well, Adriel, and I understand your confusion, but you must understand that I cannot go back on my word. You were there when Annette made the agreement with me. I asked that neither of you abandon me, and she requested that I would not make love to you. I agreed, Adriel, and that bond stands."

"Joey, I want you now, and I will give up everything that I am and everything that I own to have you. Isn't that what you have wanted all this time?"

Joey grabbed me into her arms and pressed my face into her breasts. "Oh, Adriel, of course it is, but that was before I promised Annette. You have to understand that my greatest asset as an assassin is that everyone knows that he can trust me. I carry out my promises, and I never lie. My integrity is my future. I know that others believed that Emotional Detachment Disorder was the reason for my undying devotion to dedication and truth, but once my disorder was removed I realized it was far more than that. It's a choice, Adriel. If I sacrificed my integrity, my career would be over."

My frustration was overwhelming. "Then why did you ask me to come to you here at the northeastern fountain if you didn't intend to fuck me?"

"Because I needed to talk to you alone, and I needed to give you the desire to come to me in the middle of the night. There are things that Annette should not know."

"Well, they are obviously not the things that I thought Annette should not know. So, what are they?"

"I can find the portal at Giza, Adriel."

I felt as though someone had hit me in the head with a hammer. I was trying to recover from Joey's statement. I finally looked up at her and asked, "How could you possibly be able to locate the portal at Giza?"

"Adriel, you know that I have an eidetic memory. We encountered that portal sixty-two times, and after several times I saw a pattern to its location."

I cleared my head and sat up. "Wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me that you know where the portal will appear at any given time of year?"

Joey pulled me back into her breast. "Yes, I do. David needed the sextant to ascertain the position of the portal, but after watching day after day, I realized that the portal followed a pattern of location. I believe that I can extrapolate that pattern to understand where it would be within a few meters."

I couldn't believe that I was pulling myself away from Joey's breasts, but I looked her in the eye. "If that's true, then we have a new plan to annihilate Avarro. If we can enter the portal to access the golden highway, we can end this standoff between him and me."

Joey looked down at me with concern. "Yes, that may be true, but Annette will never allow us to be together alone."

"OK, so we'll take her along to execute Avarro and be done with this nasty business."

She pulled my face back into her breasts and began to rock back and forth. I felt the moisture on my scalp, and I knew that she was crying as she held me in her arms. "Adriel, you don't know Annette as well as I do. I have never known her to have any other friend than me unless she was a lover. The only reason that I could be a friend to Annette was due to my Emotional Detachment Disorder. Surely you can see the struggle that she has now that I feel emotion. I don't want to lose her as a friend, but if she ever learns that I can locate the portal in Giza, she will get rid of me as soon as possible. I love you both, and I have to avoid that at all costs, even if it means finding Avarro by conventional means."

"OK, so what if I ask us all to go to Giza to find the portal as a desperate measure. We can act like we stumbled onto it."

"Once again, Adriel, you don't understand. I would be the one to locate the portal, and Annette would be terribly threatened if she knew that you and I could once again navigate alone with one another. It's too risky. Please keep this to yourself. Annette is very intelligent, and my guess is that she knows that you would give in to me. In fact, you were ready to do that tonight, and if I hadn't made that promise to Annette, we would be deep in a passionate frenzy at this moment."

"Then why did you bother to tell me if you weren't going to disclose it to Annette?"

"Because I'm hoping for a situation where you and I can find the portal together without Annette's knowledge."

"All right, I get it. I'll see if I can come up for a way to make that happen, but right now I want you so badly that I'm aching."

She released me. "Go back to bed, Adriel. Fuck your wife long and deep. Release your passion upon her. Drive her hard, and give her all that you would have given me tonight. I will hear her moan and scream, and I will imagine that you are doing everything to me. One day soon, we will be together, and we will share more than you ever had with any other. Until then, we need to put an end to the threat on your life."

Joey arose and pulled the blanket from underneath me. I watched in the night as she walked away. I sat naked on the grass and pondered what had just transpired beside this beautiful fountain. I had dodged a bullet, but not by my own volition. It appeared that she had a solution to my problem with Avarro, but she wasn't willing to allow Annette to be a part of it for fear of losing her. After several minutes, I decided to search for Brigette to ease her fears about Joey and me. I found her among the black elephant ears and pulled her up from the flower bed. I assured her that all was well and not to be concerned. She thanked me. She did care for Annette and me, but I knew that she was fearful that if Annette and I separated she would lose her job at our villa, and she certainly didn't want that.

I trudged up the stone walkway to the kitchen and got a cold bottled water. I sat on the loveseat at my patio trying to think of a way that Joey and I could go to Giza together without Annette. I couldn't imagine how we would accomplish that. I was impressed that Joey could determine the location of the portal at Giza. It wasn't the first time that she didn't inform me of her knowledge due to her eidetic memory. David had relied on his sextant that had been designed by a mechanical engineer. The engineer never knew the actual use for the sextant but David had provided the specifications for the design. Apparently, Joey was aware of the shifting of the portal every time David used his sextant. It accounted for the wobble of the earth's axis and determined certain electromagnetic pulses in that area. David apparently knew the formula for the location of the portal based on the dynamics of the geography and the sun. That was way beyond my expertise, but Joey seemed to have assimilated the pattern of the portal location. My worst consternation at the moment was that Joey appeared to be a better aide for me than Annette. She had an eidetic memory. Her integrity was more than I could comprehend. She was the Angel of Death. She was my protector, and I knew that I could rely on her at all times. However, I felt like I would die inside without Annette. I truly did love her, or so I thought. If I loved her so much, then why was I ready to cash in my chips to make love to Joey? I just couldn't settle for one of them. I needed them both.

I felt that I wasn't making much progress in my thoughts, and I decided to retreat to my bedroom. I knew that Joey wanted to hear Annette scream and cry and moan with delight, but I had already released my desire for Joey on Annette earlier, and I still felt guilty about doing that. I decided to go to sleep and redirect toward Annette in the morning. Annette was softly snoring soundly as I eased into bed. The sun would rise in a few hours, and I needed to catch up on much needed sleep. I lay on my back and pondered my situation. I knew that an answer would eventually present itself. As I drifted off to sleep, I was thankful that Joey had such integrity. I surely didn't.

I awoke to Annette literally kicking me off of the bed onto the floor. I screamed in pain as she shouted, "Damn you, Adriel! I can smell Joey on you. You sneaked off to fuck her in the night!"

"No, no, I didn't. I can explain, and you can ask Joey. She never lies."

"She's all over your face, Adriel. You weren't just talking to her."

I had forgotten that Joey used a light essence of a particular perfume. I failed to wash my face before going back to bed. Annette had caught me dead to rights. She always knew when I was lying. It was no use. I needed to confess and hope for mercy, but that wasn't one of Annette's virtues. "Yes, I did see Joey last night, but we were discussing how to get to Avarro."

"So, explain to me why your whole face smells like her."

"We did embrace at one point, but we didn't do anything."

"You're lying, Adriel. I can see it in your eyes. That's it, she's out of here for good."

"Annette, please, don't jump to conclusions."

"Adriel, I've known Joey a lot longer than you have, and I know the fragrance that she wears, and there are only two places on her body where she uses it. Your face had to be in one or both of those places. You either went down on her, or you were sucking her breasts. It's over!"

"Annette, I'm begging you. You need to talk to Joey. I didn't do either of those things." This wasn't going to end well because Annette would start interrogating Joey and eventually learn my intentions. "OK, Annette, I'll admit that I would have given in to Joey last night, but she stopped me. She held me tightly and we had a discussion. Honestly, we didn't do anything."

"So, if it isn't her chasing you, it's you chasing her. Either she goes, or I go. Make up your mind, and it has to be in the next hour. I'll start packing."

"Annette, you're overreacting." I tried to pull her in for a kiss, but she shoved me away.

"Don't you dare touch me with your lips. I have a pretty good idea where they have been."

It appeared that my antics with Joey were now going to cost me two marriages. Annette was right. There was no way that I could have them both in my life. I needed to make a decision, but I didn't see how that was possible. I couldn't bear to lose either one of them.

About the time that Annette had grabbed her bags out of our closet, Joey came sauntering into our room. "What the hell are you doing, Annette?"

Annette looked up with daggers in her eyes. "I'm getting the hell out of here. You can have him!"

Joey rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Annette, you greatly disappoint me. Are you really going to let me have him that easily? You know, you were livid when Mia ran us both off when Adriel was married to her. You couldn't stop criticizing her for her selfishness, and now you are ready to offer ultimatums just the way that Mia did. Put your bags away. You're not going anywhere."

Annette looked over at Joey. "Really? Just watch me!"

Joey stepped over to Annette and grabbed her wrist. "I love you, Annette, but I'm not going to let you destroy our little family over some foolishness that didn't amount to anything. Adriel and I did nothing, and you're ready to end a wonderful relationship over a misunderstanding. We need to work together, so stop your ridiculous insecurity, and let's get down to business."

Annette tried to jerk her wrist free from Joey, but she was unsuccessful. Joey grabbed Annette by the throat and threw her onto her back, pinning her to the bed. I couldn't believe my eyes. "Annette, I will kill you before I let you leave, and that's a promise. I'm going to tell you again to stop your nonsense. We have work to do." Annette broke down in tears, and Joey turned to me. "Go wash your face, Adriel."

Joey and I had another thing in common. We didn't want to live without Annette. I was glad that she intervened, but I had no idea where the future was going. Yvonne was gone, and I couldn't ask her anything. I knew that if Joey and I could enter the portal in Giza, we could clap and summon our counterparts. It would force Yvonne to come to me. I was eager to get to Giza with Joey, but I wasn't sure how Annette would react. I certainly didn't want two best friends to be at odds, but Joey wasn't bluffing. If Annette tried to walk out the door, it would be the last thing on this earth she ever did.

Annette was outraged. "So, you're going to humiliate me with Adriel like you did to Evelyn when we were in Italy?"

"Of course not, Annette. You have been my best friend for many years. Evelyn was never my friend. I would never do that to you. When I begged to come back, you humiliated me. I love you both, but the more I think of how you treated me the angrier I get." Joey put her face nose to nose with Annette. "And believe me, Annette, you don't want me to be angry. We both know how weak Adriel is, and I can control him far better than you have for the last four years. I'm not going to take him from you, and I'm not going to let you walk out on him. We have been a great team. Do you really want to destroy that? I won't let you. I would rather annihilate you than to let you linger in the wings. Either you keep Adriel, or I will end you. Please don't put me in that situation."

I was beside myself. Joey let Annette get up from the bed and told her to put her bags away. Joey had taken control, and Annette was fuming. She couldn't stand for anyone else to be in control, and the tension was mounting as they faced one another. Annette lashed out. "So, you're going to threaten me with murder to have your way?" Annette was ready to attack, and I knew that she would lose.

I stepped in between the two of them. "OK, please hold on, girls! This has spun way out of control. Let's make some coffee and have a great breakfast. I agree with Joey that we need to preserve this wonderful family, and Joey and I didn't do anything close to what we had done before. Annette, please calm down. Joey is right. We have business, and I think she needs to tell you a few things." I looked over at Joey with a demanding glance, but I wasn't going to be the one to explain her ability to find the portal. I spent the next several minutes trying to neutralize the situation.

I allowed Joey and Annette to continue in conversation as I began breakfast. I tried to keep an ear to their discussion, and Joey was getting Annette to laugh at past experiences that they had. Joey was taking control, and I knew that would make Annette very uncomfortable. I was fairly certain that Joey had surmised that was her best chance to get us to Giza and make Annette submit. I just didn't like the tactic that she employed, but I couldn't think of another more successful move with Annette. She was intimidating Annette and trying to gain my confidence. I was an agent. I knew this tactic, and I was aware of what Joey was doing. She may not humiliate Annette by taking liberties with me, but she was going to do the same by taking control of Annette. This was a dangerous game to play. I was relying on their friendship, but that was debatable under the current circumstances. Joey was determined to get us to Giza, and she obviously didn't see another way. This was a last resort.

During breakfast, Joey made her move. "Annette, if we're going to protect our boy we need to get to Avarro. I am the only one who can do that. Please don't take offense, but you serve no purpose in this endeavor. Adriel and I can take Avarro out together, but you are going to have to step aside while we work."

Annette became very agitated. "You came here asking to work for me, and I graciously agreed."

"No, I came her begging you to let me work with you again. I don't work for you. You're not my superior. If you want to protect your husband, you have no choice in this matter. You can never get to Avarro, but I know that I can."

"And just how do you expect to do that? We haven't come up with a decent plan yet."

"That's because I didn't want to alarm you by letting you know that I can find the portal at Giza. Adriel and I can navigate together."

I saw the shock on Annette's face. "Do you have David's sextant?"

"No, I have no idea where it is. However, when Adriel and I were experimenting in Giza with David I saw an intricate pattern with the location of the portal each day. I can make the necessary calculations by extrapolating the pattern of the portal for the number of days since we last visited."

"Did you ever tell David that you could determine the location of the portal?"

"No, I didn't. I never disclose all that I know because I realized long ago I might need secret information in the future. This is one of them. If people were aware of everything that I know, they would be far more afraid of me than they are now."

I saw the look of despair in Annette's eyes. She had lost all control over Joey. If she wanted to save me, she had to risk letting me be alone with Joey. Joey needed me, and I needed her to complete this project. I hated to admit it, but Joey was right. Annette was superfluous. As usual, Annette retreated to our summer bedroom without a word.

I felt awkward. I was a pawn used by two best friends in a game of strategy. Joey was right that she could control me far better than Annette. My thoughts quickly focused on our project because my life depended on it. I turned to Joey. "If Avarro has given an agency directive to terminate me, we're going to have to know who is involved. Just taking Avarro out isn't going to save my life."

Joey smiled. "Adriel, I have been aware of that all along. We aren't just going to visit Avarro to kill him. We need to get information from him."

"How do you plan to do that?"

Joey patted my leg. "We need to go clean up our villa in Switzerland first."

My heart took a leap. This meant that Joey and I would not only be on the golden highway alone, but we needed several days at the villa to clean up the mess that she made. "OK, but I want Annette to come along and help."

"Of course, Adriel. You didn't think we were just leaving her behind, did you?"

I gave a sigh of relief. However, I knew that it would be reminiscent of old times as we all slept in the same bed together. I excused myself and headed into the summer bedroom to talk with Annette. As I expected, she had been crying. "Damn you, Adriel. I can't remember the last time I cried before I met you. Since I have known you, I have been an emotional mess. I'm going to lose you forever, and I know it."

I sat on the bed and put my arm around Annette. "You're not going to lose me, so stop saying that. Joey wants us to go to the chalet in Switzerland to clean up her mess that she made. The carpet will have to be replaced along with the furniture in the living area. There is blood everywhere. She wants to grab Avarro and take him to the chalet for questioning. My guess is that it will be another mess made."

"Why does she want to clean up the mess? Taking him into the scene of a blood bath would be more advantageous because he would see his likely outcome."

"That's a good point. We can suggest that to her. If she kills him, the agency review board will open the vault that contains Avarro's will to see who is supposed to take his position. We still have too many unanswered questions. If we go to Avarro, we can't take him anywhere without navigational capabilities. I don't think Joey realizes how debilitated I am with navigating right now. We would need a portal. I think we should experiment with creating a portal here at the villa to see if we can use it to get to the golden highway."

"I thought you said that wouldn't work."

"I seriously doubt it, but it's worth a try. Let's order the materials and have them shipped here. We'll need to construct it right here in our bedroom out of the sun's influence."

"I can order the materials today and have them here this week. Just promise me that you won't go anywhere with Joey without me."

"I can't promise that, Annette. We don't know what capabilities that we will have without experimenting. I feel like I have regressed three years. We basically have to do what Evelyn and I did to find out what we can and can't do."

"Adriel, if we can get to the golden highway, we can summon Yvonne by clapping."

"Well, not exactly. I would have to do that with Joey because she has a valid counterpart. You and I can no longer do that, and I'm not sure that Yvonne will show if Joey and I try to summon her. She's not my wife, and I am now limited to what I can do with you and with her, but we need to try everything we can think of. Order those components for the portal, and I'll have a talk with Joey."

Joey was rummaging through the fridge to grab a bite to eat. I sat at the table with her and explained my conversation with Annette. I also told her my concerns of my limitations even if we found the portal at Giza. I could get to the golden highway and observe anywhere in parking mode, but if I stepped into the actual location, I was afraid that I couldn't get back to the golden highway without another portal. Once she understood my concerns, she said that we should wait to see if the constructed portal would work. If not, our only recourse was to travel to Giza and locate the portal. Once we stepped onto the golden highway, we would try to summon Yvonne. I retreated to the bedroom to make love to my wife.

We began slowly and sweetly. We weren't intending any visits to the plateau of extended orgasm. We were just wanting to enjoy our lovemaking for an extended period as we kissed and shifted to various positions. It was a healing experience for us both, and I wasn't taking any sexual frustration out on her. It was very different from our usual experiences, but it was intimate and gave her hope for our future. We gazed into each other's eyes as we slowly worked our pelvises in a harmony of rapturous bliss. We spent two hours enjoying our union and timed our orgasms in unison. We then took a short nap for about half an hour.

The components for the portal were to arrive in two days. Joey wasn't insisting on sharing our bed, but she wasn't holding back with caresses and kisses either. She didn't do more than normal, and I was glad, but I knew that Annette was perturbed with her. I just hoped that the constructed portal would allow us to navigate. I had no idea what to expect. The realm of the golden highway was still a great mystery to me after all of the time and experience that I had with it. Yvonne had taught me a lot, but I was still unaware of the rules. I hated discovering things by trial and error, but it was my only recourse at the moment.

When the portal components arrived, Brigette had the guard at the front gate load them onto the golf cart to transport them to our villa. Annette did a great job of ordering all of the hardware and necessary tools that we needed to construct the portal. She and I had done this before. The three of us carried the parts into our summer bedroom, and Annette and I began constructing the metal frame. I'm not allowed to tell you what kinds of metal were used, but it had to able to conduct electricity. She had purchased two batteries and the ultraviolet and infrared lights that we needed. The lights were controlled by rheostats because we had to adjust the mixture between the two of them to the precise percentages.

We got the frame constructed and attached the battery. The lights were now operational. We began adjusting the intensity of the two lights with the rheostats to find the right mixture. Suddenly, I remembered that we had suffered a failure in the past due to electrical interference. I had Joey go cut the power to our bedroom, and we started adjusting the lights again. This was a difficult and frustrating procedure. I never knew if more ultraviolet light was needed or if the mixture was supposed to be equal. I also didn't know the intensity of the lights that was necessary to create the portal. Natural portals were created by the electromagnetic pulses from the sun along with the ultraviolet and infrared light. Once we had the proper mix of lighting, a faint blue glow should appear within the metal frame. Annette and I tried mixing the lights for over half an hour. It wasn't working. I was getting frustrated and ready to quit. Joey asked if she could try to mix the lighting, and Annette and I stepped aside. She began to quickly and systematically try different levels of lighting.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of blue light, and I shouted. Joey retraced her mixture, and within a few minutes we were able to sustain the faint blue glow. The question now was whether I would first try to enter the portal with Annette or Joey, but Joey suggested that I try with Annette first since she was my wife. Annette took my left hand, and I made the step of aku to enter. My heart took a leap as soon as I saw the golden highway. Annette looked up at me with a big smile. We prepared our hands and clapped. As we heard the slapping noise, we looked around. Yvonne was nowhere in sight. We tried again to no avail. It was time to go back and try with Joey. I stepped aki, and we were back in our bedroom. Joey was grinning as we returned and asked if we got to see Yvonne. Sadly, I told her that we didn't. It was her turn.

Joey took my left hand, and I made the step. We were on the golden highway, and I noticed now that the breeze that we normally felt was not there when I came with Annette. I knew that was a bad sign. Joey and I coordinated and clapped. Instantly, we saw Yvonne and Agamon approaching. I could feel Joey's anger mounting, and she wanted to verbally unload on Yvonne, but I gripped her arm to let her know that she shouldn't. Yvonne was expressionless as she and Agamon extended their hands. I took Yvonne's, and Joey took Agamon's. We walked in opposite directions. I was hoping for a healing session.

As soon as Joey and Agamon were out of sight, we stopped walking. I turned to Yvonne and looked down at her. "You know damn well how angry I am with you right now." She remorsefully looked up at me as tears welled in her eyes. "You tried to manipulate me to get me away from Joey, but she has now gained a stronger position with me. You know what I was ready to do beside that fountain, and as soon as Joey decides that she is going to take me, it's over." Yvonne blinked as the tears splashed from her eyes. "I need for you to come back to me. I can't do this without you, Yvonne."

Yvonne threw her arms around me and buried her head in my chest as she sobbed. "Oh, Adriel, I feel like Annette. We're going to lose you, no matter what."

"Then come back to me, damn it. Otherwise, I don't stand a chance. Besides, I don't know how else I can get to Avarro if I can't navigate. I know you took my ability away because you wanted Joey to use conventional travel without me. Well, that has now backfired, and you know fully well that she has threatened to kill Annette."

"Adriel, I could take you right now, and we could leave them both behind. That would actually give you a better chance to live up to your negotiations, but I know that you won't do that. You're a weak man, Adriel, and both Joey and Annette know that. In fact, they rely on it."

"I can't live without either of them, and I can't seem to live with both of them. I wish I could marry them both, but I know that Annette is right. Joey would consume me, but right now I need to protect myself. At least, allow me to navigate again like I used to do."

"Adriel, I'm not sure if Joey knows that if she kills Annette she could marry you. You could still navigate, but it would destroy her relationship with Agamon. You must never tell her that, or Annette will be gone before you know it."

In that moment, I went numb. The very thought of losing Annette was devastating to me. "Make love to me, Yvonne. I need you so badly."

"Yes, but we need to get off of the golden highway. Too much time is passing, and Annette will be crushed." Yvonne led me to another hotel room, but this time it was in Florence, Italy. We intended to splice time and stay for as long as we needed. I had forgotten how sweet our love was, and I could feel the healing taking place within my soul as she consistently drove me on and on. It seemed like hours had passed, but I wasn't ready to stop. I rolled her onto her back and drove her relentlessly until I was completely exhausted.

Once we were sufficiently sated with our love, I turned to her. "Please come back to me, Yvonne. Otherwise, I'm destroyed."

I could see the look of concern on Yvonne's face as she wept and pondered for a few minutes. "You're wasting valuable time, Adriel. I haven't been able to teach you what you need to know. I'm afraid that you're going to fail your negotiation, and your life will be over. The reason that your life is threatened right now is because you are on the wrong path, and it leads to destruction. You will enter the next realm with far less basis than you started this one. You will be dreadfully sorry for your decisions here, and you won't be able to change them. It will be too late. I can't seem to get you to wake up to your fate. I don't know what else to do."

"Come back to me, please. We'll get this worked out."

"If you take Joey, your life will end soon afterward. I'm not supposed to tell you this, and I'm sure to get into trouble for it, but if you don't realize this I know what will happen. Fucking Joey is the equivalent of putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger. Please, don't do it, Adriel. I'm not sure what action your Overseer will take with me now that I have told you that. I may not be able to come to you, but at least you know the gravity of the situation. Try to come to me tomorrow, and if I don't show it's because I have lost my privilege with you."

The next thing I knew, Joey and I were standing in my bedroom facing the portal and holding hands. Annette frantically grabbed me into a hug, and she was crying uncontrollably. We had been gone for four and a half hours. I was in a daze as I looked over to Joey. She also seemed to be in a daze. I could tell that Agamon had told her something important as well. Annette continued to cling to me, and Joey and I tightly held our grip on one another's hand. Annette began pleading, "Where have you been? What have you been doing?"

Joey and I just stood there, frozen in place, hand in hand. Neither of us could seem to speak or know what to say. I finally was able to respond. "We met with Yvonne and Agamon for our healing sessions." Joey gave me a look of concern. "Yvonne asked me to visit her tomorrow, and if she didn't show it meant that she couldn't come back." Joey's look of concern grew even greater as she stood silently holding my hand.

Annette pulled back. "What's going on? Why are you just standing there holding hands? Let's go into the kitchen, and I'll make us some drinks."

Joey finally spoke, "We'll be there in a minute, Annette. First, I need to ask Adriel something in private. It will only take a few seconds." I nodded and encouraged Annette to give us a minute alone. She reluctantly left to go make a pitcher of cocktails. Joey turned to me. "Did Yvonne tell you what I think she told you?"

"And what do you think she told me?"

"I don't want to say it because if she didn't tell you what I think she did then I might be telling you something I shouldn't."

"Then I guess we'll never know." Joey sweetly kissed me and led me by my hand to the kitchen.

Annette annoyingly glanced up from stirring the cocktails. "So, are you two going to hold hands all night?"

I looked over at Joey, and she had fear in her eyes. I had never seen that before. We released hands as Annette handed us our drinks.

## CHAPTER EIGHT

### _Never Odd or Even_

THE NEXT MORNING, Joey and I were anxious about trying to summon our counterparts once again. If they didn't show, I was at a loss for what to do. I felt an impending doom as we stepped onto the golden highway. Joey held my hand tightly, and the electricity that passed between our palms was exhilarating. She looked over at me with concern as we prepared to clap. I wasn't ready. I put my right hand down at my side and turned to Joey. "What do you think that Yvonne told me?" Joey shook her head. "Joey, if they don't show, you need to tell me." Joey held her hand out to clap. I reciprocated, and we heard the slapping sound. I gave a sigh of relief as I saw Yvonne and Agamon approaching from the other side of the highway. We exchanged hands, and Yvonne and I departed in the opposite direction from Joey and Agamon once again.

As soon as they were out of sight, Yvonne turned to me. "Come on, we have to get off the golden highway. I don't want to put Annette through any more consternation." I was shocked as she stepped us over to the chalet in the Alps. I had forgotten how gruesome the scene was. It made me nauseous to see it again. She led me upstairs to the loft. Thankfully, the stench that once permeated the air was gone.

"What are we doing here, Yvonne?"

"We're going to splice time once again, but we need to have a lengthy conversation. I was called in to give an account of what I disclosed to you. My only defense was that I had tried everything to get you to release Joey, and I knew the consequences if you didn't. I am strictly forbidden to give you any more secret information, and I'm on some sort of probation, but that's not what we need to discuss. Are you familiar with the English phrase, 'Never odd or even?'"

"That sounds like a contradiction, and no, I am not familiar with it."

"Well, in the English language the phrase reads the same forward or backward. It sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. Values have either an even or odd connotation, but if something is truly null then it is neither odd nor even. Before energy was dispersed by the Creator to produce the realm in which you live, this universe was null and empty of anything. Once the energy produced the matter that you perceive, it also created something else. Are you familiar with Newton's third law of motion?"

"Well, I might be, but not by that name. What is it?"

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

"Oh, yes, I have heard that."

"Well, that applies to far more than most people realize. Are you familiar with antimatter?"

"I have heard of the concept. It sounds more philosophical to me than scientific."

"There are several theories, but most are inaccurate. In order to balance the scale of energy and matter, an equal opposite has to exist. It's the reaction to an action, forward and backward, the yin and the yang, the male and female, black and white, light and dark, and so forth. Some believe that they cancel one another into a null while giving off great energy. They actually don't give off energy, but neutralize it. Another aspect to antimatter that few know is that it has specific mathematics, but not like most assume. For example, in a simple mathematical formula, five minus one equal four. However, in the antimatter scenario it isn't like that. The negative one would have no impact. It would require negative five to diminish, or in this case annihilate, the positive five. There would be no explosion of energy. It would immediately fizzle into nothing. Perhaps you can imagine how the Creator will destroy this universe and create another."

"OK, Yvonne, let me see if I understand this. If a hydrogen atom from the antimatter universe collided with a positive oxygen atom, it would have no impact. However, if a hydrogen atom from the antimatter universe collided with a positive hydrogen atom, they would nullify one another."

"That is correct. It has to match completely in order for the cancelation to take effect. Antimatter does not diminish positive matter, it nullifies it."

"So, why are you giving me another science lesson? What does this have to do with my current project?"

"Adriel, you are being very naive in your approach. You are going to have to traverse a very different world to accomplish your task, but you are far from ready to do that. I was hoping that you could navigate it alone, but the more I observe the more I think you may need a partner."

"Oh, and that partner is likely to be Joey, correct?"

Yvonne looked sheepish. "I'm not sure yet. I know I make mistakes, but mine don't have nearly the impact that yours do. Be very careful, and don't forget what I told you. You have an opportunity for great success or greater failure. That's all I can tell you. Let's go somewhere else to make love. This chalet looks like a horror movie."

We had spliced time, and Joey and I were gone from Annette for only half an hour this time. She was in much better spirits when we returned. However, Joey seemed despondent, and that was very unusual. She retired early to her bedroom and didn't emerge the rest of the evening. I began to wonder if Agamon had told her what Yvonne had told me about the consequences if we became intimate. If it really would result in my untimely death, then Joey certainly wouldn't want that. Maybe she is upset because she really did intend to take me for herself. She wasn't telling me anything, so I was just guessing at this point. However, Yvonne had to answer to my Overseer for divulging that information. I doubted that Agamon would tell Joey such a thing. Besides, our counterparts didn't reveal much about other people to us. They basically reflected our subconscious thoughts about others, but that was often erroneous.

I related to Annette what Yvonne had told me about antimatter. Once again, she was surprised that it was another science lesson. I had no idea what Yvonne meant by traversing other realms, but it didn't sound appealing. At any rate, she said that I wasn't ready. I didn't know what I needed to do to prepare, but I assumed that was her responsibility. She made no mention of Avarro and told me that I was being naive in my approach. We had shifted from an obsessive vendetta to neutralize Avarro to a waiting state to gain more information. Perhaps that was what had Joey upset. She wasn't talking, and I was still trying to understand her emotions. Life was much simpler with her disorder. Annette took me by the hand to lead me to our bedroom. She wanted to take advantage of our time alone together.

This evening was the first time that Joey did not join us for dinner. I went to check on her, but she appeared to be sleeping. I left her alone and returned to the kitchen to help Annette with dinner. I was getting rather concerned, but I didn't want to voice it too much to Annette because she was still very sensitive about anything that pertained to Joey. We had a pleasant dinner and enjoyed a second bottle of wine on the patio. The night was warm with a slight breeze. As the sun began to set, I could see Brigette and Françoise heading out to the gardens to do the weeding and grooming of our plants. I felt bad that we hadn't hired a replacement for Gianette. We had been so busy trying to discover who was trying to kill me.

I was ready to retire for the night. I knew that Joey and I would be using the portal in the morning to step onto the golden highway. I still didn't have my ability to navigate without a portal. I was wondering if Yvonne would ever reinstate that. She hadn't given me much time to ask questions. Either she was giving me a dissertation about this universe, or we were heavily engaged in our lovemaking. She would return me to my villa as soon as our sessions were over, and I was completely overwhelmed with the aftermath. I intended to have a discussion with her in the morning after we separated from Joey and Agamon.

I awoke in the night with a demanding thirst. I reached for my bottled water, but it was empty. I wandered out to the kitchen to get a fresh one. I was surprised to see Joey sitting on the patio sipping a cup of tea. She heard me in the kitchen and motioned for me to join her. As I walked to the front of the loveseat, she patted the cushion beside her on the left to invite me to sit next to her. As I sat down, she pulled me in close and pushed my head onto her shoulder. Something was bothering her, and I decided to ask. "Are you all right?"

Joey pondered for a moment. "You know, Adriel, I have been giving you and me a lot of thought. I really used to believe that you and I would end up together, but now I'm not so sure."

"So, what changed your mind?"

"You and I don't have the same belief system, Adriel. I have heard you talk through the years about faith and a creator, but I have never believed those things. I always believed that I had to make my own life without any help from a higher power. My belief was congruent with my experience, until I met you. You and I have been extremely close for four years now. I have pursued you, and at times you have pursued me. However, it never seems to coincide at the same time. I have never had such an elusive situation in my life. Perhaps my belief system is changing, but I'm afraid that you and I were never meant to be together, and that greatly saddens me."

"I know what you mean, Joey. It saddens me too, but I'm beginning to think that you are right."

"If Annette hadn't turned to heterosexuality, you would most likely be with me right now."

"I don't think there's any question about that, Joey."

"Don't you think it strange that she flipped overnight?"

"I always have, but Yvonne said that it was Annette's counterpart who caused that to happen."

"That is another thing, Adriel. The whole idea of a counterpart is so strange to me. I mean, I have been on the golden highway, and I have received healing from Agamon, but it's so weird. If we weren't meant to be together, then why are we so much in love with one another?"

"I guess it's because of the Ophir project. You and I were forced into a closeness that was more than I had with Evelyn, except for the sex part. Not only that, but you're the most desirable woman I have ever seen. I never thought that you would ever fall in love with me."

"Well, I did." Joey pulled my chin upward and began kissing me. I could feel her breathing increase, and she started caressing my tongue with hers. She pulled me to the ground and lay on top of me as she continued to kiss me. I was getting terribly aroused, and I was wondering which one of us was going to put on the brakes."

I was beginning to realize that it had to be me. "Joey, we can't."

Joey put her nose to mine. "Don't worry, Adriel, I'm not breaking my promise to Annette. What did Yvonne tell you about me?"

I was weary of our little game of secrecy. "She said that if I ever made love to you that my life would soon come to an end."

Joey sat up with a wide eyed look. "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so. She got into trouble for telling me that, and she said that she can't tell me any more."

"She has made mistakes in the past, Adriel. What makes her so sure that your life would be threatened?"

"She didn't say it would be threatened. She said it would be over."

"Does she think Annette would kill you?"

"I don't think it's anything like that. I think it's just a wrong turn in life that would cost me everything."

"I don't get it. I would take excellent care of you. No one could get to you. I would be devoted to you. You know that."

"I really don't think she's casting any aspersions on you or Annette. It sounded more like an irreparable direction in my life that would derail my purpose."

"Once again, Adriel, our belief systems clash. I believe that your purpose here is to be happy. I would do anything for you. I would even let you have Annette and me together."

"Oh my god, Joey, that sounds incredible, but I know that it can't happen. Besides, Annette would never agree to that."

"Oh, believe me, if I ended up with you and invited Annette into our bed, she would be there in a heartbeat."

Just the thought of that arrangement was making my heart pound faster. "Well, I really need to get back to bed. If Annette wakes up, she's going to come looking for me, and you know what will happen if she sees me with you in the middle of the night." Joey gave me a soulful look as I kissed her goodnight. As I stealthily made my way back to bed, I was so grateful to Yvonne that she had told me my life would come to an end if I ever had Joey. Otherwise, Joey's last comment about having both her and Annette would definitely have pushed me over the edge.

The next morning, Annette prepared a hearty breakfast of sausage, eggs, potatoes, and fruit. I was surprised that she was that ambitious, but I wasn't complaining. We all enjoyed our meal and continued to sip coffee as we sat on the patio overlooking the gardens. It was another beautiful day, and Joey and I were scheduled for our trip to the golden highway in an hour.

Joey had created enough of a stir with those who were involved in my assassination. I was sure that Avarro was aware that we knew that he was behind it all. I wasn't sure if that would accelerate his plan or get him to back off for a while. After Yvonne's statement that I was being naive in my approach, I was beginning to think that trying to terminate Avarro wasn't the best move. However, she hadn't disclosed what I should be doing. She just said that I wasn't ready. I had hoped to get more information this morning when we made contact once again.

It was time to go, and Joey and I clasped hands as we stood before the portal. I took the step onto the golden highway, and we clapped. As before, Yvonne and Agamon approached. As soon as Yvonne and I were out of earshot from Joey and Agamon, I asked, "Are you going to restore my ability to navigate?"

Yvonne was silent. As soon as we were out of sight from the others, she turned to me. "Let's find a comfortable place to talk. Do you have any preferences?"

"Let's get a room with a view of the Eiffel tower." Within a moment, we were in a luxurious room in Paris north of the Trocadero. I asked again, "Are you going to let me start navigating again soon?"

Yvonne have a sigh. "Yes, but first there are some things that you need to know."

"So, tell me what I need to know."

"You may not like what I have to tell you, but I can't help that. First, you need to stop drinking alcohol. It's altering your brain chemistry, and it's debilitating you more than you know. We can't afford to have your navigational skills impaired because where you need to go is very dangerous."

"Do you mean no alcohol, or a reduced amount?"

"I mean no alcohol. Your brain and body chemistry are out of balance. You need at least two weeks without alcohol before I will let you navigate again. We have a lot to do, Adriel, and it's very dangerous."

"OK, I'm accustomed to danger."

"No, you're not accustomed to this kind of danger. You are aware of the fallen overseers that rebelled in the beginning after the Creator generated all of you immortal souls. They were jealous and revolted. They were cast into another realm into a dimension that is in a negative state. It's part of the antimatter that I described to you. Their banishment caused them to be locked into a dangerous prison, and they have to navigate carefully. One of the safest vehicles that they can use to traverse this world is within you humans. Once one of you summons a prince of darkness, he will reside within you till the day that you die. That is precisely what happened to the one you called the Black Hole. However, there are countless others."

"So, what does that have to do with me?"

"You are going to have to enter that realm to gain information. You will travel much the way you do here, and you will be observing in parking mode. Never come out of parking mode while you are there, or it could be disastrous."

"Well, that sounds relatively safe to me."

"It's not safe, Adriel, and the navigation is very different from your world."

"So, how do I get into that dimension?"

"There are three portals, and they are all underwater. One is in the Jordan River, one is in the Nile River, and the third is in the Euphrates River. The water provides a barrier to keep the fallen overseers from using it to gain entry to your world. If any of these rivers ever dried up, it would open the gateway between your world and that dimension."

"Does this mean that I have to go underwater to get to them?"

"Yes, but we will be using the golden highway to get there."

"When are you planning this excursion?"

"I have much to teach you. We will have to enter that realm for me to teach you how to navigate. The steps are very different, and you will see things that are alarming. The greatest danger is that you must never speak or read any of the names of the fallen overseers, or they will gain entrance into your body. It's the same principle that you used to incarcerate the leaders of the coup in Pakistan."

"I remember that. I see the danger now. Will you be coming with me?"

"Adriel, I will teach you what you need to know, but when you begin your investigation it will be with someone else. You won't be navigating alone."

"Will it be Joey?"

"I'm afraid that it might be, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Does she need to get trained as well?"

"No, the training is for navigational purposes, and Joey does not navigate. You will, however, need to inform her of the dangers of that realm. The last thing we need is for a fallen overseer to inhabit Joey."

"OK, so, when do we begin my training?"

"We will start tomorrow, but today we are concentrating on your healing. Just remember what I said about abstaining from alcohol. This is essential and not an option."

We spent the next several hours making love. I could tell that I really needed our sessions. The memory is insufficient to retain the magnitude of the pleasure and healing that takes place during these episodes. It's always far better than any of my recollections. We were splicing time, which always helped remove any apprehension about having to worry about time constraints. Out of everything that I learned about the golden highway, this one capability was by far the best.

Annette, Joey, and I spent the rest of the day discussing what Yvonne had told me. As resistant as they both were to the possibility of an underworld, they were about to get a firsthand experience. Well, at least whoever accompanied me to that realm certainly would. I was surprised when Joey and Annette volunteered to abstain from alcohol as well. I never expected anything like that would happen. Annette could probably keep a small winery in business by herself.

I would soon get the education of a lifetime. I had no idea what to expect. I was apprehensive. Yvonne warned that it wasn't safe, and so far I had successfully negotiated all of the pitfalls of the golden highway. David had lost three assistants in his experiments with the portals. I could understand that. Unless one follows the rules, it can be fatal. The aggravating problem is that there was no rule book. Well, at least not any that was obvious. The scroll that I had found in Avignon was very cryptic, and it wasn't an instructional text. It provided a confirmation of my enlightenment. For example, from reading the text it appeared that a husband and wife were essential to navigate the golden highway. The different statements could be applied to various relationships. However, once one received the necessary revelation concerning the golden highway it was clear what the text really meant.

I decided to retrieve a copy of the text that I kept at all times. I wanted to read it to Annette and Joey once again in case there was something that we needed to recognize. I sat on the loveseat and began reading aloud. "The two shall become one. He is the right, and she is the left. Together they shall clap and embrace. Together they shall tie and untie, bind and loose. They shall play the flute and the lyre as one. They shall step together and move as one. As he moves, so she moves. As she moves, so he moves. She thinks as he thinks, and no division shall separate them. Their eyes shall be upon one another, and their touch shall be as the heart with the lungs. One cannot without the other, and together they shall accomplish all things, the when and the where. They shall go to and fro, and their knowledge will increase. They shall walk the sands of time and the expanse of the heavens together. They shall meld in sweet union and enjoy the honey that drips from their loins. They will create, and it will not be destroyed. They shall build, and it will not be torn down. They shall see and do as one. They will walk time upon the golden way, and they shall know all things. Nothing shall be hidden from their sight, and nothing shall be impossible for them."

The text was contained in a leather scroll that was hidden beneath a heap of fragile papyrus scrolls in the subterranean archives in Avignon, France. The papal seat of the Catholic Church had taken residence in the palace in Avignon where the Rocher des Doms was located. The papacy remained in Avignon for much of the fourteenth century. The archives had been cut beneath the rock that was beside the Rhone River. Evelyn and I had explored the archives a few times without success, but I had a dream that a rabbit led me underground in search of a golden carrot. No one took any stock in my dreams, but the dream did lead to my success in finding the scroll. I later learned that it was Yvonne who had given me the dream. That was long before I met her. It was located in one of the deeper rooms cut into the rock. These rooms were far more ancient than the Pope's Palace in Avignon. They were used by the Catholic Church to house precious artifacts, but they had been forgotten over the century, and when the papacy returned to Rome, they were left hidden in the rock in Avignon.

The scroll had been confiscated by Antiochus Epiphanes somewhere during the second century BCE. Antiochus was the king of the Seleucids, who had been at war with the Ptolemies in Egypt. During one of his successful battles, he took the Egyptian scroll as a treasure. However, during the Maccabean revolt Antiochus was overcome by Judas Maccabeus to drive him out of Israel. It is the reason that Hanukkah is celebrated to this day. Both Antiochus and Judas had written a commentary in Greek on the backside of the scroll. As we carefully unwrapped the scroll using a steam technique, I was translating the Greek text. The more turns that we unrolled, the more exciting it got. We had a historic artifact in our possession, however, we were yet to learn its significance. Once we had completely unrolled the leather scroll, David Allen, the physicist who lived in Cairo, translated the hieroglyphics from the front side of the scroll. His translation is the text that I had just read once again to Annette and Joey.

As much as we had first assumed that this applied to husband and wife, it became perfectly clear to me that it really pertained to someone and his counterpart. No one had an advantage over another. Men and women had equal opportunity. Although Joey and Annette had never learned to navigate, I surmised that it had more to do with their belief systems than anything. One must be open to every aspect of Truth in order to advance in the realm of the golden highway. I had much to learn, but that was always the case. I laughed at myself when I remembered past times when Eddie and I thought that we might have come to the pinnacle of enlightenment concerning Truth. There is no such thing. Truth is as infinite as the Creator. We never stop ascending the ladder of enlightenment if we are willing to accept it without reservation.

My life had changed drastically over the last six years. I used to be a software engineer in the Midwestern United States with a wonderful family and a home in the suburbs. Children's sports, PTA meetings, school stage plays, high school band concerts, and family vacations in Florida were my life. I had a typical American middle class lifestyle. That was a lifetime ago. I had now been exposed to my counterpart, the golden highway, unbelievable sexual experiences, temptations beyond my wildest comprehension, torture, murder, deceit, danger, time travel, spatial navigation, and the most outrageous was yet to come. Yvonne told me that I had negotiated enough for three lifetimes with the Creator. However, that didn't guarantee my safety. I could make a fatal mistake at any time and fail my negotiation. I just hoped that this next episode wasn't my last.

The next morning, Joey and I prepared to step onto the golden highway once again. Today was the day that my training was supposed to begin. However, Yvonne began our session with an intensive engagement of our lovemaking. I was exhausted, and she let me nap since we were splicing time as usual. When I awoke, she began explaining to me what I was about to encounter. We were going to use the golden highway to navigate to the Euphrates River just southwest of Baghdad. She explained that I needed to hold my breath when we stepped out of parking mode because we would be underwater for just a second before we stepped through the portal. She warned me not to react once we entered the portal. The environment was more than she could describe to me. She said that I just needed to experience it and get accustomed. She also explained that time in that realm had no effect on time in my realm. It was much like splicing time without the need to navigate against the breeze on the golden highway.

I could feel my apprehension mounting as she took my hand to navigate to the Euphrates River. We were in parking mode, and I couldn't see the portal. The portal in Giza always looked like a hazy arch like heat waves. However, there was no visual aspect underwater. Just as I could navigate to any place on this earth with my eyes closed, I could still navigate to this portal without visual reference. I held my breath, and Yvonne took two steps to get us inside the portal. I was soaking wet. I gasped long and deeply as I sucked in a breath of air. The water was extremely cold, and it was a shock to my body. My body felt very strange. I looked around circumspectly as I tried to understand this horribly dark, dismal venue of hopelessness. I wasn't feeling well. I turned to Yvonne. "Something isn't right, Yvonne. I feel sick."

"Just relax, Adriel. I forgot to tell you what happens when you enter the portal to this world. All of the elements in your body, and the air in your lungs have been flipped to antimatter. Otherwise, you would smother to death because the oxygen in your lungs would have been nullified, and your body couldn't assimilate the oxygen in this world. Let's take a few minutes to get you acclimated. You're still in parking mode, but the elements in parking mode coincide with the elements in this realm. Never leave parking mode, or you will be exposed to the complete environment, and you won't survive."

I continued to look around. It was dark, but I could still see. It wasn't like seeing with my eyes though. Strange flakes of ash fell from above like black snow. "Where are we," I asked.

Yvonne chuckled. You're just inside the portal that we entered. Be glad that you're in parking mode and can't smell this environment. It's the opposite of your world with wonderful aromas of flowers and fresh air."

"This place is depressing!"

"Yes, it's the realm of utter hopelessness. All who reside here knowingly await their doom after the last soul descends to earth and lives his life. That is why they want to disrupt the human race and prevent the last soul from descending."

"So, how do we navigate this world?"

"I'm going to show you the steps necessary to go from place to place. However, you aren't familiar with the geography of this realm, so it's not like navigating in your world. In your realm, you use cognitive aspects of people or places to navigate to them. You cannot do that here. We have a lot of practice ahead of us, but first I need to take you to the highway of death. It is the antithesis of the golden highway, and it's the hub of space in this realm. Time does exist here, but it creeps at such a slow pace that you won't be able to detect it."

Yvonne spent a considerable amount of time teaching me the step to the highway of death. It was reminiscent of the time that David had taught me the rudimentary steps of aku/aki to enter the portal at Giza. Once I was able to mimic the step, Yvonne let me navigate us to the highway of death. It stunk like the worst sewer that you could imagine. Instead of a highway of brightly colored golden glass, it was a dark, murky highway of disgusting excrement. Dead, brittle shrubs lined the highway of death and added to the depressive aspects of this horrible environment. Yvonne gave me a few minutes to acclimate to this detestable place.

"Navigating this realm is not like your world, Adriel. Here, you must navigate by concept and not by physical identity. This is an advantage and a disadvantage. You will be able to more easily target the entities from which you need to glean information because you will be able to navigate to specific conversations concerning what you need to know. However, you cannot navigate back to the portal to return to your world in the same manner. In order to return to your world, you will need to clap with your partner much the same as you do to summon me on the golden highway. That should take you directly to the portal that leads back to your world. Don't forget to hold your breath, and when you step through the portal you will need to take the step back to the golden highway. Don't be overwhelmed by the transition and end up with water in your lungs."

"Can we practice navigating here by concept?"

"No, we aren't going to do any surveillance together. You will have to figure out your navigation with your partner. I'm here to teach you about this environment, not help you ascertain the information that you need. You need a human witness. We will be coming back here each day for the next two weeks until your body and brain chemistry neutralize. Whatever you do, don't drink any alcohol. Otherwise, your navigation won't work here the way that you intend. You're safe with me, but I won't be here with you when you start your investigation. I don't want you lost in here. You may never get out. I will begin to have you practice your navigation in and out of here tomorrow. If you have trouble, I will help you. Just remember, when I'm not with you, you are on your own. Now, clap with me, and we'll return to the portal."

Yvonne and I clapped hands, and instantly we were back at the portal to the Euphrates River. She explained the step in this environment that corresponded to aki in my world. It was very different, but it took us through the portal. She reminded me to hold my breath, and she wanted me to take the step from under the river to the golden highway. It was overwhelming, but I managed to get us back to the golden highway as we dripped with water. We then walked down the highway to meet with Joey and Agamon. Joey gave me a strange look as she saw me sopping wet.

We returned to Annette, and I had much to tell. They were eager to know who my partner would be, but I hadn't learned that yet. I did say Yvonne suspected that it would most likely be Joey. I could see Annette's disappointment. I still had a lot to learn about that realm, and I knew that Yvonne had adopted Annette. Joey had a valid counterpart, and I wasn't sure if that mattered. It was exciting, and it was dangerous. I didn't want to lose either of them, nor did I want to make a mistake in that environment never to return.

Yvonne and I spent the next two weeks practicing. She gradually let me take the lead to navigate to the portal, step into parking mode in the negative dimension, and then to the disgusting highway of death. It certainly wasn't a pleasant experience like the golden highway. I never saw anyone else during our practice sessions, but Yvonne assured me that I would once I started my investigation in this world. She did warn me that the entities that I would observe were hideous beyond imagination. They had been separated from the Creator and cast into outer darkness. They suffered the absence of the life-giving spirit, and they were full of corruption, decay, and ugliness. They oozed with sores all over their bodies, and they argued and fought with one another very often. They ate the excrement that flowed beneath the river of death, and their putrid flesh and breath stunk to an unimaginable degree. I was glad that I would avoid that aspect in parking mode. This was far worse than _Dante's Inferno_. In addition, this place was never meant for immortal souls. Had it not been for the redemptive provision of the Creator, I shuddered to think what it would be like to end up here.

We had all been sober for a little over two weeks. I was now going to have to announce who my partner would be to enter the realm of antimatter. As I suspected, it was Joey. I explained to Annette that the deciding factor was Joey's eidetic memory. I needed a witness, and we wouldn't have the luxury of taking notes. That night in our bedroom, Annette fell into a depression and started pouting again as she expressed her fear of losing me. I hadn't explained to her what Yvonne had told me about my life coming to an end if I ever sexually indulged with Joey. I told Joey because it pertained to her. I was afraid to disclose the information to Annette because Yvonne had gotten into trouble for doing so with me. As much as I wanted to put Annette's fears to rest, I wasn't willing to risk a mistake at this stage. I had no idea what Joey and I would encounter. There were too many unknowns at this point.

The next morning, it was time for Joey and me to clasp hands and take the step to the golden highway. My navigational abilities had been restored, and I was taking us beneath the Euphrates River to the portal of the underworld. I reminded Joey to hold her breath, and I warned her the water was very cold. I double stepped, and we were in parking mode within the dark realm of hopelessness. We both gasped and took a breath as the water ran from our bodies. We were totally soaked. I could never get used to the starkly frigid water at the bottom of the Euphrates. At least it felt that way. Any water below seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit was unbearable to me. As Joey tightly held my hand, I stepped onto the highway of death. Joey, grimaced, retched, and vomited at our feet. I wasn't expecting that, and I broke into laughter. She shot me a disapproving look as she wiped her mouth.

It was time to test our navigation of this world, and I asked Joey what she wanted to know. She said that she wanted to learn who was behind the attempt on my life. I took her suggestion and tried making the step that Yvonne had taught me. We went nowhere. Most of my experiences on the golden highway required me to use a trial and error approach. Here I was, back in the same situation, and it frustrated me. We decided to use a different tactic. I decided to navigate to any entity that was discussing my termination. Still, we went nowhere. We tried to navigate to any entity who might know Avarro. Again, nothing happened. I was blindly stabbing in the dark. I decided to try something a little more definitive within this realm. I made the step toward the one who was the instigator of the rebellion against the Creator after he had generated all of the immortal souls.

Joey gripped me into a tight embrace with fear as we beheld the most disgusting being. He was huge and had black wings that looked as though someone had taken bites out of them. His skin was black, and the irises of his eyes were red. It looked as though blood dripped from his mouth, and he appeared to be part bird and part Tyrannosaurus Rex. His feet were clawed with great talons, and some of his flesh had been ripped to the bone. He had the most hideous appearance, and he brutally beat some of the other beings with a huge club of spikes. The screaming was difficult to endure. I wondered how he had appeared when he had been in the presence of the Creator. We had gone way too far up the chain of command in this realm, but it was just a test. I asked Joey to clap with me, and we were immediately transported back to the portal. I stepped onto the highway of death once again. I looked over at Joey to see if she would vomit, but she held it in. I couldn't help but ask, "So, do you believe in an underworld now?"

Joey clasped my arm. "My god, Adriel, I had no idea. This is frightening! Do they have any idea that we are here?"

"No, we're in parking mode. They can neither see us nor hear us, but we can observe them. We need to try more experiments."

"OK, Adriel, but take it easy this time. Let's try to find someone a little less terrifying."

I giggled. "I agree. Let me think about it for a minute." I decided to try to locate the entity who had inhabited the Black Hole during my project to take down the coup in Pakistan. If I couldn't find him, I would suspicion that he was with Avarro. I took the step, and we were transferred to several beings who were discussing the entity that I was trying to locate. Everything in these realms was communicated telepathically which removed the necessity to understand language. Language was an earthly concept. Each of them had a different appearance. Granted, they were all hideous, but some appeared to be part human and part animal. Some seemed to resemble mixtures of animals. I wondered if my perception was what caused their appearance rather than how they truly appeared. Some had misshapen heads, and their eyes were often in the wrong places. They had bulbous lips and thick tongues. Most had oozing sores of pus and missing limbs.

I was surprised that they were discussing their jealousy over my targeted entity. However, they weren't just talking about him, but others who were able to inhabit the bodies of humans. Apparently, one of the priorities of inhabiting a human was to enjoy the sexual experience. I found this interesting as everyone in this group had never actually had a human. It was amusing as they discussed what they thought the experience would be like due to what they had heard from others. It reminded me so much of our discussions before we ever descended to earth. We watched so many people on the earth, and we had no idea what life was like here. We made more erroneous assumptions about the earthly realm, and it was so amusing. Joey gave me a confused look as she listened to the conversation. I just shook my head and smiled.

I was now very suspicious. I hadn't found the entity that I sought, and I knew that Avarro spent much of his day fucking so many women and girls. This led me to believe that these beings were now discussing his lifestyle and their jealousy over his excessive sexual indulgence. I wasn't positive, but it did heighten my suspicions. Suddenly, I turned to Joey to remind her never to say the name of any of these entities if she learned them. It would be the invitation for them to inhabit her body. It was essential to keep this in the front of our minds at all times. Otherwise, we would suffer an irreversible fate, and they would use their opportunity to invite their cohorts by causing her to say their names as well. Yvonne explained to me that there could be hundreds of these nasty creatures within one human.

Suddenly, I had a strange idea. I explained to Joey what we were about to do. I decided to try something that I doubted would work, but it was only error by trial. I used the step that I would use to locate Avarro from the golden highway. Much to my surprise, it worked. We were still in parking mode in the underworld, but I could see Avarro in the distance, and I could see my last target. He was more hideous than the others, but not nearly as frightening as our first subject. I could see a blood red cord stretch from his abdomen into the underworld. The visual aspect was confusing. It was like a double exposure photograph with an overlay of two people on top of one another. I could see Avarro, and I could see our entity superimposed upon him. Joey shook her head and did a double take. I had confirmed that my suspicions were correct. Avarro had replaced my Black Hole. I knew this entity's name, but I cannot write it or say it, and you certainly don't want to read it at any time. Therefore, I am assigning a different name to him for reference. We'll call him Fred. I know, it's not exotic or exciting, but I think we have enough of that going on right now. Besides, it makes him sound much less frightening than he really is.

When I dismantled the coup in Pakistan, I realized that Fred was trying to appear as the misconception of the Antichrist described in the book of Revelation. Most of the world had been deceived into thinking that it would be an actual person, however, the Antichrist had been around from the beginning. Fred believed that if he could convince the world that it was he whom the writings were describing, he could deviate events enough to destroy the faith that people had. Granted, they had put their faith in the wrong things, but he wanted to derail the purpose for humanity. He also wanted to create nuclear havoc to provide mass destruction to the human race. Unknowingly, I had been called in to prevent him from doing that. I wrote about it in my chronicles, _False Antichrist_. However, I was terribly naive. I didn't realize at the time that the main purpose for destroying humanity was to prevent the impending doom for these entities in the underworld. Once the last soul to descend had a chance to fulfill his negotiation, the end would come. They had no hope for redemption, but they were trying to kick that can down the road as far as they could.

There were countless ways to destroy mankind. These entities were relentless, and I had no idea how many times they had been prevented over the thousands of years that immortal souls descended to this earth. I was beginning to understand that my negotiations with the Creator had to be horrendous, but he had put them to great use. I began to realize why Yvonne was adamant that I continue to successfully fulfill my negotiations. It appeared that humanity hinged on my success, but I wasn't foolish enough to believe that I was essential. I was a paintbrush in the hands of the Great Artist. Whenever one of my oil paint brushes became frayed and unusable, I replaced it with another. I didn't want to become frayed and be replaced. I wanted to endure for the sake of serving my Creator. Those were noble words that I wondered would hold up in the face of Joey's temptation. Time would tell.

What Joey and I were now witnessing was frightening and disgusting. We could see Fred's intense pleasure as he fed off of Avarro's sexual escapades. Fred drove Avarro to do some disgusting things that sent Fred into a wild orgasmic ecstasy. He was abusing his coital subject, and she was bleeding and screaming. This man had to be stopped for no other reason than his devastating cruelty to the women he was exploiting. Joey and I knew what we had to do. It was essential to return to our world and then to the golden highway. My navigational ability had been restored, and Joey and I needed to travel to Avarro and end his life. Once we terminated Avarro, Fred would return to the underworld. I understood why Yvonne said that I was being naive. Once we stopped Avarro from hurting so many women, we needed to revisit the underworld to learn what Fred's next move would be.

We wasted no time. I had Joey clap with me, and we returned to the portal. I told her to take a deep breath, and I stepped through the portal into the chilly water. One more step, and we were on the golden highway soaking wet. I immediately stepped into Avarro's apartment on the sixty-fifth floor in Manhattan. Joey released my hand, jumped into the air in a spin, and knocked Avarro off of the poor woman who lay on the bed sobbing and moaning. I expected a swift execution, but Joey had other plans. She systematically disabled him by dislocating joints and breaking bones. She used excruciating pressure points on nerves that sent him screaming in pain. Two of his henchmen rushed into the room with guns drawn, but Joey had anticipated this. She was fast as lightning, and I could never understand how a human could possibly move so quickly. She easily disarmed the men with her foot, spun again, and broke their necks. The look on her face was frightening. She then returned to Avarro, whom she continued to torture unmercifully. She had immobilized him and broken out at least six of his teeth. She waltzed into the kitchen and found a suitable knife. I didn't want to watch and turned my back. I heard the guttural screams and moans as she disemboweled him on the floor in the corner. This wasn't what I had expected. Joey returned to my side, gave me a kiss, and suggested that we go home to rest.

If there was ever a time in my life that I wanted a drink, it was now. However, I didn't have that option. Annette, Joey and I sat on the patio describing all that we had experienced. Joey was glad that Avarro was gone. However, I explained that we needed to return to the underworld soon to learn Fred's next plan. Annette sat wide eyed on the loveseat as Joey recounted our experiences in the underworld. She never believed in such a place or such entities. Neither had Joey, but paradigms and belief systems were changing rapidly before my eyes. A new world was opening up for both of them, but it wasn't a pleasant one. Annette was having a difficult time accepting that there was an underworld that desperately wanted to undermine the human race. She asked me to take her there to see it, but I didn't think that it was wise to navigate to that awful place just to satisfy her curiosity. It wasn't somewhere I desired to be, and I knew that I would be spending far more time there than I wanted in order to learn what I needed to know.

Joey outlined several steps that we needed to take in the near future. Three agents reported to Avarro, and one of them had to be mentioned in Avarro's agency will to replace him. Joey suggested that we terminate the three candidates, but I knew that they also had agency wills, and the position would just fall to the next in line. She then suggested that we terminate everyone on the agency review board, but I wasn't willing to start a serial murder campaign. She was truly the Angel of Death, and I was doing my best to bridle her. I knew that she saw it as a way to take out the garbage and clean house, but I had a much different perspective.

I didn't want to wait too long to locate Fred in the underworld. I needed to know his next move. Joey and I decided to return to that horrid place in one hour. I asked if she was hungry, but she declined any food. She figured she would just lose it on the highway of death again due to the disgusting stench. Annette and I decided to share a salad before I left. I saw her make a couple of glances toward the wine rack, and I would never stop her from enjoying wine. I was still surprised that she was willing to abstain. We tried to have a pleasant conversation. I could tell that Annette was disturbed by all that she heard. It was difficult for her to remain in denial over this because Joey had told her everything that we had seen.

I wanted to get back to the underworld and learn what Fred might be planning. Joey and I stepped back to the golden highway and made our entrance via the portal at the bottom of the Euphrates River. We then stepped to the highway of death. It was difficult to get used to the stench, and we decided to try to find Fred as soon as possible to enter parking mode. Instead of trying to navigate to Fred by identity, I had to find him by concept. I decided to use the concept of the entity that had inhabited Avarro. Apparently, I was getting better at this because we found him. Unfortunately, he was reporting to his superior in the underworld, and he was being mercilessly beaten with one of those spiked clubs. I was beginning to understand why these beings looked like they had come from a bloody battle. It appeared that they were severely beaten regularly. It was a gruesome sight to watch.

Their plan had obviously been thwarted for a while, and I needed to determine Fred's method of inhabiting Avarro. I knew that if someone spoke Fred's real name it was an invitation to live inside that person. However, I seriously doubted that Fred was able to get Avarro to do that. I wondered if Avarro was even aware that Fred had taken up residence in his body. I had so much to learn, and I wasn't sure how to do that. I couldn't live in parking mode to await Fred's next attempt to take another human who could help him in his cause. However, if he did find another human subject, I could locate him by the same concept that I used just now. I knew that wasn't a longterm solution, but it was a way to keep kicking him down. The problem is that we would have to terminate the poor soul who fell prey to Fred's wiles. Naturally, Joey did not see that as a problem.

We waited until Fred's beating was over. His superior kicked him several times before he departed. Once he was all alone and lying on a pile of excrement, his cohorts began to gather at his side. They were timid and quiet as they gathered around him. He had been humiliated, and none of the other entities wanted to upset him, or they would most likely be beaten by him. He began cursing and spitting on them. He started spouting threats about those who had forced him back to this realm. I was getting concerned because for the first time he had seen my face and Joey's when we accosted Avarro.

This was the third time that I had been instrumental in stopping Fred in his quest to destroy mankind. The first time, I had dismantled the coup that intended to take control of Pakistan and eventually the entire world. The second time, Annette had given Joey a termination order on the human who was inhabited by Fred. Fred was using someone who had access to the golden highway to track my progress in finding the gold of Ophir. He had intended to kill me once I had the coordinates to the gold so that he could steal it and rebuild his regime. Once I had identified him, Annette gave the order to execute him. I tried to explain to her that killing him would release him to find another. Of course, she didn't believe in such things and only saw a man who threatened our project. Fred's next victim was obviously Avarro, and now we had terminated him. I imagined that if I weren't at the top of Fred's hit list before, I certainly was now. It's one thing to have a human after you. It's quite another to have a fallen overseer pursuing you. However, my guess is that he didn't want to kill me. Instead, he would want me as his next victim, especially with my capabilities.

I had no idea where Fred was in the hierarchy of the chain of command in the underworld. There was an apparent upward structure, and the entities who had gathered around him were obviously his subordinates. It was much like the golden highway with Yvonne. She had explained a little about the chain of command there, but I had no idea how many levels there were. I assumed that after the fallen overseers where banished to this world of shit, they had kept the former command hierarchy. One of the interesting things that intrigued me was that I could observe the fallen overseers in the underworld, but I couldn't observe the overseers that were related to the golden highway. Then again, those overseers were superiors in my realm, not the underworld. I wondered if I could gain an understanding of underworld hierarchy and in turn learn what the hierarchy was in my realm. As curious as I was, it was too unpleasant to be here.

Things had just gotten way too weird for me. If I thought the golden highway was difficult to accept, it was nothing compared to what I had seen in the last twenty-four hours. It was like a horror story come true. I had seen it, but my mind wanted to deny it. It had threatened my paradigm, and I had actually believed in such a thing. I couldn't imagine how Annette, and especially Joey, were dealing with this. Oh, how I wanted that drink right now. My head was starting to spin. As open as I tried to remain to be enlightened by Truth and reality, this was something I wanted to shove back under the ground and forget that it existed. However, that was far too dangerous, and I couldn't afford to ignore this. I had to determine what Fred was planning. The problem is that I'm not sure that he has come up with a plan yet. I doubted that he would try to get to the person at the top of the agency again. That had already failed. I decided that we would visit him again tomorrow.

## CHAPTER NINE

### _What is in a name?_

SOME HAVE CONTEMPT for names. They believe that names don't matter, but rather the character of the person. I understand that premise. However, many people are approaching a name as an empty title or allusion to status. It's important what it means to do something in someone's name. When the guards shout, "Stop in the name of the king," they are invoking the king's authority. Only one name is designated for the king at any time. The names may change, but then so does their authority as they become king. Whenever someone needs to write a demand note from a bank, or endorse a demand note, it requires a name, which equates to their right or authority to remit or cash the check. When anyone invokes the name of the Lord, it is utilizing his authority in a situation. The problem most people have is that they try to do so apart from seeking his will, which amounts to using his name in vain. It always amused me that so many believe that saying, "god damn it" is using his name in vain. God is not his name, and there is no authority being invoked.

The underworld is no different. Their hierarchy is determined by their names, and if I delved more deeply into the matter, I would expect to see intrinsic value to their names which placed them within that hierarchy of authority. That would definitely display their rank as well as their means of address. However, the last thing I wanted to do was entertain any of their names at length. It would be like carrying nitroglycerin in an explosive form from place to place. No one wants to do that and live. Their power is in their names, whether by authority in the underworld, or by taking residence within a human. My greatest fear in my endeavor so far was that if Fred, or any other entity in the underworld, ever came to know that I was spying on him in parking mode, he could write their names on a placard for me to read, and that would seal my doom. They would take me in an instant. This fear made me very apprehensive each time I entered the underworld because by the time that I knew what they had done, it would be too late as I would already have read their names. This was my greatest vulnerability.

I needed to speak with Yvonne to see if she had any ideas how I could prevent such a disaster. I hadn't seen her since Joey and I began investigating the underworld, but that had only been a few days. I decided to invite Joey to the golden highway to clap and request another healing session from our counterparts. I was feeling a bit sorry for Annette lately because she was essentially left out of the project so far. She was trying to be supportive, but it was obvious that she was having a hard time sitting on the sideline and not being in control. I did my best to console her, and most of her consolation was sexual. She needed the satisfaction and attention to ease her discomfort with having me spend so much time alone with Joey. However, I was thankful that so far Joey and I hadn't been distracted from our purpose. We were all business, and we had a project to finish. I was yet to learn what that project really was. It certainly pertained to much more than saving my life.

That next morning after breakfast, we all sat on the patio enjoying the morning breeze. It was beginning to cool off, and Annette and I would be moving to our winter bedroom soon. In spite of the fact that we had not hired another caretaker, the gardens looked beautiful. I suggested to Annette that she contact the respondents to her ad that she had placed in the lesbian tabloid. This would give her something constructive to do, but she was apprehensive about leaving to do any interviews. I offered a suggestion that she conduct phone interviews and review pictures and résumés before inviting the candidates to the island for a meeting face to face. We could provide their transportation and any necessary lodging with our outrageous funds that we had stolen from around the world. I still couldn't believe that Yvonne and I had done that. It wasn't necessary for the caretaker candidates to come to the villa. Annette could interview them at a restaurant. She finally agreed that was a feasible solution. I was relieved because she would now have something to keep her occupied. In addition, I was happy that Brigette and Françoise would now have some help in the gardens. Of course, I also knew that they would have a new lover.

We hadn't been to the beach to suntan in over a week, and we were beginning to fade. That was another change that affected Annette's emotions. In addition, we hadn't had a caretaker party in over a month, and we were long overdue for some fun. Unfortunately, we were all abstaining from alcohol, but the party was mostly for our caretakers, and they could drink as much as they wanted. Joey and I would visit our counterparts for some healing this morning, and I would interrogate Yvonne. I suggested that after we return, we go to the beach and lie in the sun. Instead of wine, we would just drink water. I also wanted to invite Brigette and Françoise to a pool party for tomorrow night, and I asked Annette to choose what we would be serving. I was doing my best to juggle business with pleasure, but I knew that Annette would be far happier if she were drinking. I intended to get her to end her sobriety tomorrow night at the party. Her abstinence was a nice gesture for my sake, but it wasn't necessary.

Joey and I held hands to step onto the golden highway once again. We summoned Yvonne and Agamon with our usual procedure and departed in opposite directions with our counterparts. Yvonne clung to my arm and held me closely as we walked. She occasionally glanced up at me with an anticipating smile. She was obviously eager for our healing session, and I found it incredibly exciting. She wasted no time taking me to Paris again knowing my pleasure at being able to gaze at the tower. She was aggressive and unrelenting as she drove me on and on. She moaned with delight, but tried to contain her screams since we were in an unoccupied hotel room. She didn't want to alert any of the hotel staff that we were using their bed for our unique form of blissful indulgence. She had countless celestial orgasms as she drove me hard. She needed this as much as I did. I rolled her onto her back and took control as I drove her as hard as she had done to me. The pleasure that consumed my soul was nearly more than I could bear. I lost all control and even my consciousness. When I revived, Yvonne was smiling down upon me as she lovingly caressed me. She leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Don't stay away so long."

I held her tightly in my arms as we both regained our composure. I began to explain my concern for possibly reading the names of the entities in the underworld, and I explained my apprehension for investigation in that realm. "I now realize what dangers you were inferring with the underworld. I thought parking mode was safe, but I now realize just how dangerous it can be."

Yvonne patted my chest. "Yes, danger is everywhere, but you have the advantage of stealth. They really don't know that you are there. They can neither see nor hear you. I'm not sure how they would know."

"Well, I assume it's like surveillance and espionage in my realm. For example, the British were learning how to break the secret code of the Nazis during World War Two. One of their scientists developed the forerunner to the first computer in order to recognize patterns in the codes that changed each day. When they finally ascertained valuable information, they learned of a scheduled submarine strike that would kill many Allies. They were faced with the dilemma of letting the strike take place or alerting the Allies in danger. If they did avert the secret strike, it would tip the Nazis off that their code had been broken, and they would have abandoned it for another. That meant that the Allies could lose the advantage, and most likely, the war. When Joey and I terminated Avarro, it was feasible due to the fact that we were already aware of his attempt on my life. However, if I act on another piece of information gleaned while in parking mode in the underworld, they might suspicion that I'm watching."

"Well, Adriel, you do have some alternatives. First, you know their names, but you realize that just knowing them does not invoke their authority. If you say or read their names, that gives them the authority to enter your body. You can control whether to say their names, and you can also control whether you read them or not. You don't have to observe them visually when you are spying on them. All thoughts are telepathic as ours are. You can divert your eyes or close them if you like. You will still learn what you need to know. That could be an advantage because you wouldn't see the hideous sights that you do now."

"What if they started writing their names in our world? Anyone who read them would be destroyed."

"They aren't allowed to do that, just as you aren't allowed to interfere with anyone's free will. There are boundaries everywhere, Adriel. Those boundaries provide the structure of all realms. Just proceed cautiously, and you should be fine."

Annette had lined up four interviews for candidates to replace Gianette. She was having them all flown from Paris to our island, and she had booked two rooms for the girls to share at Hôtel Restaurant Au Porquerollais. She would be meeting them there the day after tomorrow. Annette had decided to have our dinner catered for the party tomorrow night. She had ordered ten dozen oysters on the half shell, steamed lobster, Bouillabaisse, baguette, risotto with vegetables, creme brûlée, and Napoleon Dessert. The girls were to arrive at two o'clock in the afternoon to enjoy the pool and games. Dinner was to arrive promptly at six o'clock. This didn't keep her nearly as busy as I had hoped. Annette was very adept and efficient when making arrangements of any kind.

We spent a pleasant afternoon at the beach to work on our fading tans. We were still very dark, but not nearly black. As usual, Annette lay between Joey and me. It felt good to have the sun's rays on my naked body once again. We had begun our marathon tanning sessions during my second project when we were hiding from the agency in Italy. Annette had found a secluded bed and breakfast and rented the entire establishment just for us. She didn't want anyone else around, and she paid the elderly proprietors handsomely. We would all take our bread, cheese, and wine to navigate the rocky path to the sandy, secluded beach. We would lie naked for hours every day as we enjoyed the weather, the Adriatic Sea, and watched the clouds drift past. We had Evelyn with us back then, and the four of us slept in the same bed, showered together, tanned together, ate together, and at one point Annette took Evelyn as a lover. I remember the night that Joey and I were going into town to pick up our dinner. I had forgotten to take any euros, and I returned to our room. I caught Annette engaged with Evelyn on the couch. Those were strange times, indeed, but then again, my life has been nothing else but strange for four years now.

The next morning, Joey and I decided to forego any investigation into the underworld. We were having a party tonight, and we didn't want the memory of that hideous place lingering in our minds. Instead, we opted to go get healing sessions from Yvonne and Agamon. I felt bad for Annette because Yvonne had not come for her healing for quite some time. I intended to ask her why she hadn't visited Annette. Joey and I made the trip to the golden highway to link up with Yvonne and Agamon. We parted ways, and Yvonne took me to the eighteenth arrondissement for a great view of Sacré-Cœur. I dearly loved Paris. As she threw back the sheets from the bed, I inquired, "Why haven't you visited Annette for her healing sessions?"

Yvonne dropped her robe and slid into bed. "Oh, but I have. I have been splicing time with Annette for about three weeks now."

I scooted in next to Yvonne. "That's strange because she has never mentioned it."

Yvonne giggled. "I asked her not to tell you."

"Why would you do that?"

"Well, first of all, it's none of your business. What I do with Annette is between her and me, just as what I do with you is between you and me. It's the only way that she can cope with you being so close to Joey on this project."

"Well, at least I'm relieved that you are taking care of her."

"Of course I am, Adriel. I adopted her. I'm not going to abandon her, and don't you mention this conversation to her either. Now, get over here, and get on top of me."

We spliced at least twelve hours of time this morning. I was so exhausted. We made love for hours in so many different ways. We showered together, and then made more love for hours again. I know my memory can't retain our sessions completely, and this just seemed so much better than the others. I needed to rest, and she held me as I snoozed in her arms. Words cannot describe the experience that one gets from his counterpart. After I awoke, we made the trip back to the golden highway, walked into the breeze to acclimate ourselves to the time that we had left, and met Joey and Agamon to return us home.

I looked over at Joey, and I could tell by the smile on her face that she had just as good a time as I did. She leaned over and kissed me. I smiled and kissed her back. She grabbed me into an embrace and dueled her tongue with mine. We were standing on the patio, and I was looking around for Annette. "Joey, we need to stop." She nodded and released me. I didn't want to spoil the day for Annette. I was going to encourage her to imbibe tonight and enjoy herself. She did seem to handle my working relationship with Joey better than I expected, and now I knew why.

Annette was preparing for our party. The girls were due any minute, and Joey went to the pool to swim a few laps while she had it all to herself. Brigette would intercept the caterer's food at our front gate and load it onto the golf cart to bring to the villa when it arrived. We were anticipating a lovely evening together. I helped Annette with the cocktails and wine to set up the bar for the girls. I was going to do my best to get Annette to enjoy a few drinks, but I would wait until the party was in full swing.

The girls arrived and headed straight for Joey in the pool like bees to a flower. Within minutes, they were playing their familiar games, and Joey was indulging them. Annette and I began serving cocktails to the girls. Joey had chosen to continue to abstain. Annette and I returned to the kitchen, and I poured her a Margarita. She gave me a dubious look when I handed her the glass. "Annette, it isn't necessary that you abstain from alcohol just because I do. I want you to fully enjoy yourself today, and tonight I'll make sure that you do." Annette smiled appreciatively and gave me a kiss. She took the drink and wandered out to the pool. I grabbed a cold bottled water and joined them.

Brigette received a text from the guard at the front gate that our food had arrived. She hurriedly donned a robe and went out to the courtyard where the golf carts were kept. Within fifteen minutes, Brigette was back with our dinner, and we all helped carry it into the kitchen. I was impressed that the cold servings were very cold, and the hot servings were piping hot. Catering was a difficult business, but these folks were the best. I missed enjoying the raw oysters with wine, but they were magnificent anyway. The whole lobster entrees were at least three pounds a piece. I always loved the fresh baguette bread with French butter. The risotto and vegetables were cooked in a rich seafood broth, and the desserts were unbelievably good. Annette had done a stellar job deciding our meal. I kept her wine glass full throughout the evening, and I could see that she was fully enjoying herself.

Annette was getting fairly inebriated, and she insisted that I make love to her next to the pool. I tried to keep it low key, but she was escalating the event more than I wanted to display. At one point, Françoise got a little too aggressive with Joey, and I saw Joey gently back her off. Minutes later, Brigette and Françoise were engaged with one another in one of the deck chairs, and I felt sorry for Joey who was all alone. She decided to swim more laps. After Annette had violently convulsed in her fifteenth orgasm, she soon fell asleep. I carried her to bed and tucked her in before returning to the party.

I had seen Joey fill the girls' wine glasses several times and give them mixed cocktails to taste. I was getting suspicious, and I thought that she might be trying to get the girls smashed so that they would also fall asleep. Whether that was her intention or not, the girls were napping in deck chairs. I knew that look in Joey's eyes. She wanted to play. She walked across the pool and took my hand. She grabbed her towel from her deck chair and a large blanket from the deck. She practically dragged me out to the northeastern fountain and spread the blanket on top of the soft grass. She then pulled me down onto the blanket with her. She smiled and looked into my eyes. I gently warned her, "Joey, we need to behave."

Joey scooted in close to me and pushed me onto my back. "Adriel, we can still have everything we ever had before. I promise not to cross the line, and I won't let you either." She climbed on top of me and started teasing me with her tongue. It was more than I could bear. I asked her to back off, but she kept kissing and caressing until finally I exploded into an orgasm. She descended to my abdomen and licked me clean.

"Damn it, Joey! We're going too far! If I lose my capability to navigate, there's no way for me to continue this project. We have to stop this."

"You know, Adriel, you expect an awful lot from me. You fuck Annette beside the pool while Brigette and Françoise are fucking in a deck chair. I know Annette does that just to hurt me. I promised her I wouldn't have sex with you, but I want to enjoy what we used to do."

"We need to go get Yvonne and Agamon, and I suggest we do it right now. We can splice time, and I think we need the healing that we used to get when we lived together at the chalet. It always used to help us back then. Come on, take my hand."

Joey and I stepped onto the golden highway and clapped. I was relieved to see Yvonne, but she had a disapproving look on her face. I felt like a child about to be grounded for something he did wrong. Yvonne and I walked in the opposite direction from Joey and Agamon, and once we were out of sight, Yvonne took me to a secluded beach. She spread her robe onto the sand and pulled me down. "You're playing with fire, Adriel. That's about the closest you have come yet to crossing the line. If Joey gets you into that state again and decides to break her promise to Annette, you're doomed."

I shook my head. "I know, Yvonne, I have to stop this. You're right. I am playing with fire, and I know it. From now on, I will have to keep myself close to Annette unless Joey and I are working."

"Good, now let's enjoy one another."

I had learned from past mistakes and made sure to take a shower before I eased into bed trying not to disturb Annette. She was lightly snoring as I slid underneath the sheet. I lay in the dark feeling rather guilty that I had gone that far with Joey. Kissing was one thing, but having an orgasm was another. There was no way I could explain this to Annette. I just needed to make sure that it never happened again. Yvonne was right. If Joey decided to break her promise, I wouldn't have been able to stop. I was glad that I wasn't drinking because it made me more vulnerable to Joey. Even sober, I didn't stand a chance if I were alone with her.

The next morning, Annette wasn't able to get me to the plateau of extended orgasm. I felt too guilty for what I had done the night before. I attributed it to my preoccupation with our investigation of the underworld later this morning. She, however, was successful in reaching the plateau for ninety minutes. As she descended the plateau back to normalcy, I took advantage of her blissful state to ravish her over and over to my satisfaction. We then turned our attention to breakfast, which I suggested that we keep extremely light especially for Joey's sake. The highway of death was difficult to navigate on a full stomach.

An hour later, Joey and I made the necessary steps for our trek to the highway of death. I targeted the entity that had taken residence with Avarro. I forgot about diverting my eyes, and when we found Fred he was engaged in a ruthless beating of one of his subordinates. Once again, he wielded a club with spikes, and it was a brutal and gruesome scene. I was never sure of the anatomy of these creatures, but at one point he shoved the club into an orifice of one of the unfortunate victims. He ripped it back out along with bloody tissue as the victim screamed so pitifully that it nearly evoked sorrow from me. I looked over at Joey, who seemed to be taking mental notes.

Fred was obviously very angry, and I knew that his anger was due to Joey taking out Avarro and forcing Fred back to this god forsaken world. There was no question that he was torturing Joey in effigy as he beat and tore at his subjects. He finally shooed his victims from his presence and called other creatures that somewhat resembled dogs that walked on four legs. They began lapping up the disgusting pieces and remains of those who had been mercilessly flogged. Fred threw the club into a corner and turned to make his way toward his superiors. I was dreading another scene of torture.

We had already been in parking mode for hours, and I desperately wanted to leave, but Fred was now standing before three superiors. They all had a darkly majestic appearance. However, they were grotesquely disfigured, and horns grew from their necks and faces. One had totally black eyes. Even the sclera was a charcoal black and camouflaged his irises and pupils. Two of them had black tongues, and one had a tongue that was blood red. I had no idea if appearance had anything to do with other attributes, and I wondered where within the hierarchy of this realm these three fit. Fred did homage to them and bowed subserviently before them. I fully expected one of them to kick him in his face, but no one touched him.

One of the superiors commanded Fred to stand as the three of them took seats at a large wooden table. The one with the red tongue opened a massive book that made a loud echoing noise as he pushed it open on top of the table. He began scanning through the pages until he found the entry concerning Fred. The superior began to read the narrative of Fred's failures over the last five years. I recognized much of what he read because I had been instrumental in most of it. I noticed Fred trembling as the superior read from the book. I had no idea what was about to happen. I wanted to leave, but I needed information. The sentence against Fred was pronounced, and I gasped.

Two underworld guards had stepped in behind Fred without his knowledge. He turned to flee, but he was immediately apprehended and subdued by the huge guards. They dragged him over to a stone table and forced him onto his back. Each held an arm and a leg as they spread him apart before the superior with the red tongue. The superior justified his sentence. "You have been distracted by the sexual pleasures of mankind. From now on, you will traverse that realm in celibacy in order to make you focus on your objective." The superior bent down and bit Fred's genitals off. He chewed and swallowed. He then opened his bloody mouth in Fred's face and exhaled. Fred's screams were echoing throughout the halls of the underworld, and I nearly swooned. Joey supported me as she held me tightly. Once the bloody scene neutralized, the superior told Fred to return tomorrow with a plan. Otherwise, he would undergo more extreme discipline.

I had suffered quite enough from the gruesome scenes, however, I didn't want to miss Fred's disclosure of his next plan. There was no time correlation between our worlds, and I wondered if I were able to target time as well as concept within this realm. Yvonne told me that time passed so slowly here that it seemed nonexistent. I needed to ask her if I could target an event as well as a concept. Joey and I made the wet journey back to the golden highway and clapped to summon our counterparts. In the very least, I certainly needed a healing session from Yvonne. Once Yvonne and I were alone, I interrogated her about targeting events in the underworld. "Adriel, didn't I show you that? There are two distinct steps to target either concepts or events in the underworld. If you are aware of an event that either has taken, or will take place, you can visit that place and moment at any time." Yvonne took a few minutes to remind me of the step necessary to target a specific event. I had totally forgotten this. I thanked her, and we engaged in our healing session for the next several hours. This appeared to be easier than I anticipated, and it gave me the flexibility much like splicing time or visiting the past.

Once Joey and I reunited upon the golden highway, I wanted to step us back to the villa, but she had another agenda. She wanted us to go somewhere else to splice time and talk. I was very apprehensive, and I promised Yvonne that I wouldn't do this. Joey held me closely and kissed me. "Adriel, I promise that I won't advance on you. I just want to explain a few things." Joey never lied, and she set my mind at ease. We stepped over to a secluded beach in the South Pacific where we had visited several times before. "Adriel, I know these episodes of cruelty and gore are difficult for you. I have tried to spare you such scenes, but now you are being exposed to far more than you know how to handle. I was trained as an assassin early in my career with the agency. At the age of twenty-one I performed a myriad of experiments and dissection of cadavers. There isn't a corner of the human anatomy that I haven't investigated at length. I became accustomed to seeing the inward parts of the human body at an early age. Granted, by Emotional Detachment Disorder was an advantage, and I think that the agency intended to capitalize on that. Regardless, after a while you will get used to it, and it won't bother you anymore."

"I don't want to get used to it, Joey. I want to avoid it. You have been doing this for a very long time. When I agreed to become an agent, I intended to use my abilities to avoid murder and torture. I'll admit, I haven't been very successful in doing so, but I still intend to turn things around."

"I understand, Adriel, but would you really let Avarro live knowing what he was doing?"

"We could have put him in some isolated place without murdering him."

"And how would he survive? Would you spend the rest of his life trying to support him? What if he eventually escaped? You would be right back where you started. Assassination has its purposes, Adriel. It is efficient, and it's final. We don't have the luxury of imprisoning every undesirable that we encounter. You have always told me that everything happens for a reason, and there are several reasons that I am in your life. You may not agree with my methods, but they are effective and stand the test of time. You have a very different moral code than I do, except when it comes to love. You are very weak in that arena, and I know that it's up to me to be strong. I just hope that I can. Now, let's get back home before the tide begins to turn."

Annette wanted to know all of the details of our trip, and I let Joey explain it all. I so much wanted a snifter of cognac, but Yvonne had given me stern warning, and I wasn't about to endanger myself in that horrible environment. As Joey sat on the patio talking with Annette, I decided to go to the beach and sit in the sand as I watched and listened to the surf. There were a few cumulus clouds drifting slowly into the east, and the air was salty and pleasant as the gulls dived and darted about over the water. It felt good to be alone to enjoy the serenity of the day. Unfortunately, my mind drifted back to the time that I found Gianette lifeless and floating in the water that dreadful morning after our party. I dearly loved our caretakers, and I wished that I could somehow have prevented her death.

Annette was leaving in a couple of hours to interview the candidates for the available caretaker position. Brigette and Françoise had been invited to enjoy the pool and some cocktails. I knew that Annette intended to keep me busy and prevent me from being alone with Joey. I actually appreciated that. I decided to head back to the villa and prepare some pitchers of cocktails for the girls. I was somewhat taken by surprise to see Annette dressed very professionally. It reminded me of the time that she and Joey had come to our house to meet Evelyn and me over four years ago. I had no idea at that time what would transpire, and I would have been shocked out of my skin if I knew that Annette would eventually become my wife. She looked as beautiful now as she did back then. I couldn't resist hugging her and kissing her several times before she left. I promised a special treat when she returned, and she smiled as she got into the golf cart with Brigette to travel to the front gate where her limousine awaited.

I assembled some canapés for the girls to accompany their cocktails. They were having a wonderful time romping in the pool and caressing Joey's magnificent body. I smiled and shook my head. Joey really was a good sport, and she would swim laps while the girls indulged themselves beside the pool. I wanted to go to the beach, but I knew that I had better stay within eyesight of the girls. I decided to park my naked body in a deck chair to soak up more Mediterranean sunshine. I sipped water and dozed off for a few minutes. I awoke to Joey caressing my face. As soon as I opened my eyes, she leaned in for a sensual kiss. I glanced over at the girls, but they were now napping in a deck chair together. I looked longingly into Joey's eyes. "Joey, please, I promised Yvonne. Annette is gone, and the girls are sleeping."

Joey nibbled my ear. "Relax, Adriel, we're not going to make love. We need to discuss our next move with the project."

I was relieved and sat up in my chair. "Yvonne has taught me how to target events as well as concepts on the highway of death. We should easily be able to attend the meeting with Fred and his superiors to learn what his next plan will be. I can't imagine what course he will take. We have thwarted him at every turn so far."

"Adriel, if there was a way to terminate Fred, I would do it immediately. I've never dealt with anyone who was immortal before. This just seems like an endless task to me."

"Well, I thought the same when I was conducting my first project. I used their relentless hold on humans to incarcerate six of them. Fred got away, but the other six are safely behind bars inside their victims. I reasoned that it would keep them at bay for at least twenty years."

"Why don't they just leave and find another human?"

"It's part of their nature. It's like a monkey reaching into a jar for a scrap of food. He can't get his hand out while clutching the treat, but he won't let loose of it."

"You're banking heavily on that aspect, Adriel. I hope you're right."

"Well, so far it seems to be working. Tomorrow morning we will target Fred's meeting and then decide how we want to deal with it."

Joey returned to the pool to swim more laps, and I dozed off once again beside the pool. I don't know how long I had been asleep, but I awoke to Annette rubbing my chest. She had left her clothes in the bedroom, and she had a blanket and some bread and cheese along with three bottles of wine. She invited me to the beach to discuss her options for a new caretaker. I toddled along behind her as we descended the stone walkway to the surf. She spread the blanket as I opened another bottle of water. Once we settled and began to enjoy the sunshine, she turned to me. "Well, I interviewed four girls. I have ruled one out. She didn't seem excited about the opportunity, and I need someone with enthusiasm." I knew what that really meant. Annette needed someone whom she could verbally abuse and drive to exhaustion. "I'm having a difficult time choosing between the other three. They are all beautiful young women, and they are eager to work for us."

"Who wouldn't be? You're offering half a million dollars per year to work in this paradise."

"I'm tempted to bring all three of them here to work on a trial basis. What do you think?"

"Oh, that's entirely up to you. This is your arena. Do whatever you like."

"OK, I think that's what I will do. I extended their stay at the hotel for two more days while I made a decision. I'll invite them here tomorrow to get them acclimated. When are you and Joey making another trip to that god awful place?"

"We've decided to go tomorrow morning."

"Great! I'll have the girls here at nine o'clock. Just don't reappear in their sight."

I laughed. "Of course not. We'll enter parking mode and find a discreet place out of sight."

We spent a pleasant afternoon together, and I made good on my promise for Annette's treat for tonight. I worked her over for hours as she moaned and writhed in pure delight. We fell asleep in one another's arms and didn't awaken until morning. I was pleasantly surprised that Joey brought us each a cup of coffee while we were still in bed. She was starting breakfast and said that it would be ready in half an hour.

After we finished breakfast, Annette summoned Brigette and Françoise. She asked that they prepare for the new caretaker candidates. The villa that Annette had provided for our caretakers would easily accommodate six. She also explained that Brigette and Françoise would be evaluating each of the girls in every respect. I knew she wasn't just referring to the gardens. Annette was planning a welcome party for this evening. She liked to impress people, and it was going to be quite an extravaganza. She called the caterer to order the meal, and she asked Brigette and Françoise to begin decorating the pool area. Annette never hesitated to invade the girls' sleep time, and I often felt sorry for them.

It was time for Joey and me to make the unpleasant trip to the highway of death. We stood amidst the stench and dripped as the water of the Euphrates ran from our bodies. At least we were naked and didn't have to deal with wet clothing. As we held hands, I took the step toward the event that showed Fred's meeting with his superiors. I was hoping that we didn't witness another torture beating. Fred made his customary bow of obeisance. The three superiors patiently waited as Fred began to disclose his plan. I shrieked in horror, and my knees buckled. Joey grabbed me around the waist and supported me as she intently listened to the rest of Fred's plan. I wanted to return home as soon as possible, but Joey insisted that we keep listening.

I needed a session with Yvonne. As soon as we returned to the golden highway, I had Joey clap with me. Yvonne and Agamon approached, and Joey and I departed in opposite directions. I was frantic. Yvonne held me closely as we walked out of sight. She then took me to another hotel room, but I didn't know where we were. "Oh, Yvonne, I'm not sure what to do."

"Adriel, take it one step at a time. Remember, everything happens for a reason. You need to approach this in faith and not by your ability."

"How do you suppose he is going to accomplish this?"

"I have no idea, Adriel. I don't know any more than you do at this point."

"Doesn't he have to get someone to read or say his name before he takes up residence within him?"

"That's the only way that I know. Then again, I don't know everything, especially about the underworld."

"I have to warn her. I have to make sure that she doesn't say any strange names that come to her mind."

Yvonne was pensive. "You're right, but she doesn't really believe in such things. I would suggest that you take her to the underworld, but that would be far too dangerous."

"Yvonne, I can't lose Annette. It would kill me."

"I know, Adriel, but I have no idea what is going to happen. Let's deal with your healing, and we'll get you back home at the same time that you left."

When Joey and I returned, Brigette was transporting the new caretakers from the front gate. Annette was awaiting their arrival in the courtyard. I desperately wanted to warn her of Fred's plan to inhabit her body, but she was too engaged with the caretakers. After serving some refreshments, Annette took them on a tour of the gardens. It took two hours to show them the various rooms in the gardens and explain the theme behind each of them. I was anxiously awaiting her return, but she transitioned from the gardens to the beach and then to the villa to show them their accommodations. I was growing more impatient by the moment. As she ushered them back to the patio, Brigette received a text from the front gate that a courier had arrived.

Annette called the guard at the gate to ask a few questions. She had the courier strip searched and escorted to the courtyard. He was held at gunpoint, and the letter that he carried was tested for toxins. The courier warned the guards not to read the contents of the letter as they examined the envelope. This made me all the more suspicious because I was afraid that Fred's real name might be contained within the letter. However, Yvonne assured me that they can't write their names in our world. Once the letter was cleared of danger, the guard handed it over to Annette. I could see the agency emblem on the envelope. She tried to excuse the courier, but he said that it was imperative that she silently read the letter in his presence. Annette shook the page to unfold it and began to read. Her eyes grew wide in astonishment, and she looked at the courier. He asked, "Do you understand what you have just read?" Annette was speechless as she nodded in recognition of what was contained in the letter. "You have twenty-four hours to respond. I will be staying close by, and my phone number is written on the envelope. If you agree to the offer, I have a second letter to give you. If you do not respond within the allotted time, we will assume your denial." The courier then departed.

Annette was in a daze as she folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. She silently walked back to our patio and sat in a stupor on one of the loveseats. Joey had Brigette take the caretakers to the villa to get them settled. I sat beside Annette as she silently stared out into space. I asked if she wanted a drink, but she declined by shaking her head. I looked over at Joey who gave a shrug indicating that she didn't have a clue what the letter said. We waited patiently before Annette turned to me. "Adriel, I can't believe what has just happened. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think such a thing was possible. Avarro has named me as his successor at the agency."

I turned in shock toward Joey who sat motionless with wide eyes. "Annette, how is such a thing possible? I thought that he had to name one of his subordinates to take his place."

"Not necessarily, Adriel. He can name anyone he chooses. Usually it is a subordinate, but in this case it's not."

My suspicions were growing by the second. "This makes no sense, Annette. Why would Avarro name you as his successor?"

"I don't know, but it appears that our project has just been completed. You feared that Avarro was involved in some world conspiracy because he was the most powerful man in the world. Somehow, this has fallen into my lap, and we are now in control."

"Something doesn't add up, Annette, and there's something that I need to tell you. You shouldn't accept this. Let it pass to the second alternate."

"Are you crazy, Adriel? This position is higher than the President of the United States. Only Avarro knew that he was at the top of the agency, merely because he reported to no one. His subordinates never knew, and the agency review board doesn't even know. They keep the will and successor letters sealed in a vault until they are to be distributed. Even they don't know what the letters contain. I'll bet that second letter explains it all."

"Annette, please, listen to me. That horrible entity in the underworld that I have named Fred fully intends to inhabit your body. This has to be part of his plan. You should decline this, Annette."

"Don't be ridiculous, and don't try to scare me with some ghost story. Adriel, this is the chance of a lifetime. I'll be the most powerful person in the entire world." Annette was a control freak, and I could see that she was dizzy with the possibility of such power at this moment.

I looked over to Joey for help. Joey offered, "Annette, let's take some wine to the beach and talk about this in private. This might be a great opportunity for you. Adriel, you need to stay here and interview the caretakers while I have a talk with Annette." I nodded in appreciation.

I texted Brigette to bring the new girls to the pool while Joey and Annette headed for the beach with some wine. I went to the kitchen to make some cocktails as I awaited the girls. Brigette and Françoise lined them up beside the pool and had them strip off their clothes. I could see the surprise on their faces as they didn't know what to expect next. Brigette and Françoise then removed their clothing and began to explain life at our villa. I wasn't willing to be naked yet in front of the new girls, and I served everyone cocktails as they enjoyed the pool. I returned to the kitchen to assemble some light snacks to hold everyone until our party tonight. I was hoping that Joey could talk some sense into Annette.

I took the snacks to the pool for the girls to enjoy. Brigette and Françoise sandwiched me between them and began pulling my clothes off. This was embarrassing because I was surrounded by five absolutely gorgeous young girls, and my arousal was apparent. Brigette and Françoise were giggling, and I slid into the pool to hide my condition. Brigette introduced the three new candidates for the caretaker position. Angelique was petite with long blond hair that hung nearly to her waist. I nicknamed her Lady Godiva. She was very sweet and polite, and I knew that Annette would enjoy driving her like a horse in the Kentucky Derby. The next young candidate was named Rochelle. She had short dark hair with bangs and reminded me incredibly of Annette. She had a very similar body as well, and I found her extremely attractive. She was very inquisitive and asked many questions about our lifestyle and the responsibilities at our villa. The third candidate, Xania, had auburn hair and green eyes. Her coloring was similar to Joey's. She was very personable and caressed my arm several times during our conversation. I could see that this would be a tough decision if we were to have to let one or two of them go. Their personalities all seemed very congenial, and from the way that Brigette and Françoise were looking them over, I knew they were eager to try them out tonight. This would be an interesting evening, indeed.

Joey and Annette returned from the beach, and Annette smiled at me as she noticed that I was naked with the girls in the pool. My condition had returned to normal, and I slipped out of the water grabbing my towel. I followed Joey and Annette back to the kitchen. I was eager to learn if Joey had any success in dissuading Annette from accepting the position. Annette was on her phone checking with the caterer about our delivery tonight. I looked over at Joey with a questioning look, and she just shrugged. Annette ended her call and turned to me. "Well, after discussing this with Joey I definitely think I should accept this offer. I'm going to call the courier and accept the assignment and then contact the agency review board in the morning to plan for my reinstatement." Annette went to the bedroom to strip off her clothes before enjoying the pool.

I turned to Joey in disgust. "I thought that you were going to try to talk her out of this. You know what will happen if she gets that kind of power. Is this your idea of a way to get rid of her?"

Joey gave me her perturbed look. "Of course not, Adriel. I don't want to lose Annette any more than you do, but I've known her for a very long time. As soon as you try to tell her not to do something, it's the first thing that she will do. You have to give her enough rope until she sees the noose form. The agency is demanding, and as much as it looked like Avarro did nothing but play, I can assure you he had his hands full. Once they dump the agency reports into her lap, she'll be overwhelmed. There's no way that Annette wants that kind of responsibility."

"Are you serious? Do you know her? She'll probably end up running the agency with ten times the efficiency of anyone else. I love Annette, but giving her that kind of power is scary. By the way, don't tell me that you're going to be her assassin."

"Adriel, this might be far more advantageous than you think. She wants to reinstate us as agents. We'll be at the top of the ladder."

"I can't believe this is happening! Am I the only one who hasn't lost his mind? I don't know how Fred ever got control of Avarro, but I'm beginning to think it has something to do with power. Annette's in real danger, and all you can think about is being at the top of the agency?"

"You're overreacting, Adriel. We can help Annette deal with this. Believe me, you're not going to persuade her to turn this down, so we'll just have to accept it. Come on, let's enjoy the party tonight, and you should have a drink. We already know what Fred's plan is. I don't think we need to go back to that horrible place again. Let's have some fun."

Joey stripped off her clothes and headed toward the pool. Annette emerged from the bedroom and grabbed a towel before joining the girls. I shook my head as I tried to comprehend what was happening. I was unsuccessful in trying to get anyone to understand the gravity of this situation. I grabbed a snifter and a bottle of cognac. Joey was right. It was time to have some fun because otherwise I was afraid I would lose my mind. I was about half way through the bottle of cognac when I saw Brigette slip out of the pool and grab a robe. I knew that the caterer had just dropped off the food at the front gate. Françoise jumped up from her deck chair to help Brigette bring the food to the kitchen. Soon, Annette retreated to the kitchen to help the girls unpack our meal. Joey was talking with the three new caretakers. I could see that they were admiring her flawless body. I slumped back in my deck chair not knowing what to do next.

I must have dozed off again because I awoke to Joey caressing my chest. "Come and eat, Adriel. Everything is ready." I forced myself up from my deck chair. I was feeling the effects of the cognac, and I knew that I needed to eat. The feast was incredible. A whole roasted boar was displayed on the center table. It was surrounded by various tropical fruits. Chafing dishes of rice pilaf and mixed vegetables were offered on an adjoining table. There were several kinds of bread, desserts, appetizers, cheeses, dips, and sauces to accompany the sliced boar. As usual, it was impressive and absolutely delicious. It looked like a pagan Roman holiday as everyone ate, drank, laughed, and played in the nude. I shuddered to think what life would be like once Annette controlled the most powerful organization in the world.

It just made no sense that Avarro would name Annette as his successor. This had to be influenced by Fred somehow. If Fred realized that I was his archenemy, then his tactic was to gain control of my wife. He knew that she had to have a tremendous influence on me, and I wouldn't be able to interfere in her position as the head of the agency. The only humans who knew that Annette was at the top were Annette, Joey and me. Annette was going to make the call to the courier in the morning to accept the offer. If she made Joey and I her subordinates, we would have to do her bidding without question. I could turn down the position, but if I did it would greatly limit my opportunity to help Annette avoid disaster. She wouldn't be allowed to disclose anything to me if I weren't an agent.

My conversation with Annette later that evening was extremely alarming. She hadn't even accepted the position yet, and she was already drunk with power. It was as though she believed there were no consequences to her indulgences. "Adriel, let's celebrate by bringing Lady Godiva into our bed tonight."

"What!? You're out of your mind, Annette."

"I see the way you look at her, and I don't blame you. It could take us to the next level."

"What level is that, Annette? You know damn well that it will alienate Yvonne from us forever. I'm not going to do that. That is preposterous."

Annette scooted close to me. "Adriel, we don't need Yvonne anymore. We have the world at our fingertips. The agency can provide everything we need. I can literally do anything that I want."

"Really? What if we brought Joey into our bed tonight?"

"She's soon to be my subordinate, as are you. I'll let you have her whenever you want, but you still have to make love to me on demand."

"Annette, you're destroying everything we worked so hard to build. One little taste of power, and you have gone berserk. I don't want to destroy our relationship. I don't want to mar our intimacy, and I don't want to be your subordinate. You seem oblivious to the fact that Fred has you right where he wants you. This project is far from over because it's no longer Avarro who is the threat. It's you!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Adriel. I'm going to be totally responsible with my new position. I'm not going to destroy the world. That is absurd."

"Is it, because I think the only reason you want Angelique or Joey in our bed is to prevent Yvonne from coming to me. Yvonne is my only chance of completing this project, and as much as I have been tempted with Joey I would never make love to her at this point. This might be the end of our relationship, Annette. I want you to think long and hard about that."

"Are you threatening me with an ultimatum, Adriel?"

"No, I'm not. I just want you to be aware of the likely outcome from all of this. Please, don't do this, Annette."

"Adriel, nothing is going to change my mind. If you want to leave, then leave. I don't need your money, and I don't need this villa. I can live anywhere I want with unlimited income. If you can't overcome your jealousy for my good fortune, then I guess you really don't love me."

"I can't believe you are talking like this, Annette. You know I'm not jealous. I love you, and I fear for you."

"Well, I can't help that you have deluded yourself into thinking that there is some ghostly threat to this world. I would say that whoever put me in control certainly knew what he was doing."

It was pointless to continue this conversation. Annette and Joey were about to realize the dream of their lives. As much as I loved them both, I couldn't be a party to what was about to happen once Annette stepped into the highest position in this world. If I maintained my relationship with Yvonne, I could go anywhere. I had more than enough money to live wherever I wanted, and I could hide from Annette if I needed. My life was crumbling in a matter of hours, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was afraid that Annette would soon become my worst enemy, and I couldn't bear to think about it.

Annette called the courier the next day, and he delivered the second letter. It came as no surprise. Annette pulled it from the envelope and began to read. "To my successor whom I have granted the privilege of continuing in my capacity within the agency. Your subordinates are named below, and you may be surprised to learn that you report to no one."

## CHAPTER TEN

### _Keep Your Enemies Closer_

ANNETTE MARCEAU WAS now in control of the most powerful organization in the entire world. Joey was her bodyguard. I had removed Annette's name from all of our bank accounts. She didn't care. She now had more money at her disposal than I did. She had secured residences around the globe in practically every major city. She had large staffs of servants to maintain her many estates. She lived in opulence to the most extravagant degree. She had taken Angelique as her lover. The other caretakers were dismissed, and she left the villa to me. However, I chose never to stay there. I didn't need the proceeds from the estate, and I was pondering to whom I could sign over the deed to the property.

I could never stop the tears from streaming down my face every time I visited her in parking mode. I dearly loved her, but it was as though I never existed to her. She had regressed to her old ways, and she drove Angelique mercilessly in bed demanding all of her previous demeaning favors and indulgences the same way that she had done to her former lover, Gina, in Cannes. Annette had alienated Yvonne forever, and she didn't care. There were times when she would bring other lesbian lovers into her bed, and they would abuse Angelique and make her cry. I soon realized that Angelique was a prisoner, and she was never allowed out of the house wherever they were. It broke my heart to see her mistreated so badly, but I knew better than to interfere.

Yvonne was very understanding, and we were working closely together these days. One night, I was feeling particularly lonely, and I asked Yvonne if I could take another lover. I expected her response. "Adriel, Evelyn shut you out after the Ophir project. She left you no recourse. You did your best to reconcile with her, but she wasn't able to overcome her grief. Due to circumstances concerning Annette's counterpart, it was necessary for you to marry her in order for me to adopt her. Annette has not abandoned you. You walked out on her. You're still married to her, and I cannot allow you to take another. Otherwise, you will lose me forever."

"Well, I certainly don't want that, Yvonne. I don't see how Annette and I could ever be together again. What if I returned to Evelyn?"

"Oh, Adriel, that is no longer an option. Evelyn is now like any other woman. You're married to Annette."

"I miss Annette. I want her so badly."

"I know, but you also knew that you couldn't be a part of the agency again. She would have had dominion over you as her subordinate. She would have forced you into countless sexual relationships with her lovers. You would have lost me forever and been at her mercy."

"So, I just have to live my life out in celibacy?"

"I have to do the same, Adriel. I can only make love to the counterpart of the person whom you make love to, but since Annette's counterpart was banished, and I adopted her, I have had no one to copulate with. It's not the end of the world. We still have a lot to do yet." Yvonne rubbed my back as she sat next to me.

I turned to Yvonne. "Is it time to go yet?"

Yvonne smiled. "Yes, let's go get her."

I held Yvonne's hand as we stepped onto the golden highway. In an instant, we entered into parking mode, looked around, and snatched Joey to the golden highway. Agamon awaited, and we watched as he led Joey off into the breeze. We then turned to make our way in the opposite direction. I turned to Yvonne. "Can I just please spend an hour with Joey somewhere while we splice time?"

Yvonne gave me a look as though I was crazy. "Really? As sexually needy as you are right now, and you want to spend an hour with Joey alone? You're just making this harder on yourself."

"Honestly, Yvonne, I'm not going to do anything to lose you. I just want to talk to her. You can stay right there if you insist."

Yvonne gave a long sigh. "Oh, I guess it will be all right, but I'm not leaving you for a second. Do you understand that?"

I smiled and hugged her. "Yes, I understand, and thank you!"

Splicing time was the coolest thing that I have ever done. It didn't matter how long Joey and Agamon indulged one another. It didn't have to coincide with my time with Yvonne. We could always meet on the golden highway at the same moment that we had left it. It always coordinated. Yvonne had really exhausted me today knowing that I would be spending time with Joey. I couldn't wait to talk to her. Yvonne didn't let me nap because that was like hitting a reset button. She wanted me drained before I had time with Joey. Finally, we chose an elegant hotel room in Rome, Italy to sit and have a chat. As promised, Yvonne attended as well.

Joey threw her arms around me and sobbed. I wasn't expecting that and looked over at Yvonne in surprise. Yvonne looked toward the ceiling and shook her head. She stood up and whispered, "I'll be right outside that door, now, behave yourselves!" In an instant, Joey's lips found mine, and we collapsed backward on the bed together. I couldn't get her to stop crying, and it made me cry. I held her tightly, and I could feel her heart pounding beneath her breasts. She was soaking my shirt with her tears as I soaked her hair with mine. We finally gained enough composure to talk. "Adriel, why have you waited so long to talk to me?"

"Well, there are a couple of reasons. Yvonne discouraged me from being exposed to you, and I wasn't sure how you would respond. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and begged her to let me talk to you."

"Oh, Adriel, life is terrible! I love you, and I miss you so much. Please let me come work for you."

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to hear that. I don't see how we can, Joey. I don't think we would last a day without ravishing one another. Yvonne is afraid for me to even talk to you. I can't afford to lose the abilities that I have with her."

"Oh, Adriel, I promise that I'll be a good girl. I won't let us do anything to alienate Yvonne. Please, give me a chance. It will be like old times. We can do this."

"Oh, my god, Joey, I was afraid that you would be angry with me for leaving. I never dreamed that you would want to work with me. What about Annette? Are you really ready to leave her?"

"She has become a monster now that she answers to no one. I don't trust her, and I have no idea what she might do with me. You're the only one who can protect me."

"Well, Joey, that's an interesting turn of events. You have been protecting me for over four years, and now you need my protection."

"Yes, you can return the favor now. Please, let me live with you."

"I understand, but the only way that I can bring you with me is if Yvonne agrees."

"Let me talk to her, Adriel. Go get her, and give me ten minutes with her."

"OK, but I'll warn you, she doesn't like to take chances. We still have a lot to do, and I can't afford to lose her."

"I understand. If she disagrees, I promise I won't ask again, but please keep coming to talk to me no matter what. I miss you terribly."

"All right, let me trade places with Yvonne, and you can talk to her in private."

I opened the door and stepped into the hall. It was pointless to explain anything to Yvonne. She already knew everything that I knew. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. I began to pace the hallway not knowing what to expect. This just sounded so impossible. I remembered the time that Joey and I spent at the chalet in the Alps. It had been incredibly difficult back then, and Joey was breaking down. I didn't see how she could possibly navigate this sexual mine field with me. It was hopeless. As much as I desperately wanted her by my side, I also didn't want the nagging temptation to fuck her with wild abandon.

I finally stopped pacing and stood outside the door. Yvonne opened and invited me in. I looked at Joey as she sat on the bed. I could see that she had still been crying. I turned to Yvonne. "So, Joey explained her desire to come work for me. What do you think?"

Yvonne shook her head and led me over to the bed. She sat me beside Joey. "Adriel, I have told you countless times before that I'm not the decision maker. I can advise you, and I can warn you, but you are the one with free will. I have to do whatever you decide."

I tearfully looked over at Joey and hugged her tightly. "I want her by my side, Yvonne."

Yvonne took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. "Then, she comes home with us right now. Come on, Joey, we need to get you settled into Adriel's place."

I had enough heartache in the Mediterranean. I needed to find a tropical beach far from that area. My good memories had recently turned to bad ones that led me down the road to depression. This wasn't the first place that Yvonne had helped me to find. She had aided me when I bought the small villa in Milos in the Sea of Crete. Unfortunately, that's where I lost Mia. We had looked in various places in our recent search and found some land for sale in Aitutaki, one of the Cook Islands northeast of New Zealand. It was a tropical paradise, and I was having a villa constructed that was about one-tenth the size of the estate that Annette had designed on the island of Îles d'Hyères. It wasn't elaborate, but it was very comfortable. The completion was about four months away, and I was staying at a resort on the western side of the island. Joey was disappointed that I wasn't including a pool, but I was never a fan of the high maintenance aspect, and I didn't want a staff of caretakers like Annette did.

Yvonne was concerned about our usual sleeping arrangements, but Joey and I had slept in the same bed off and on for years. It wasn't negotiable. I wanted to hold her through the night, and her feeling was mutual. We had been very much in love with one another for four years. We settled in for the night, and Joey turned to me. "Adriel, the first thing we need to do is rescue Angelique from that hell hole before Annette does serious damage to her. She needs to see a physician."

"So, I have taken her bodyguard, and now you want to take her lover?"

"Yes, I know that she will put out a termination order on you, but we need to save Angelique."

"How do I know that she didn't already put out an order on me, and you're here to kill me?"

"Well, for two very good reasons. First, I never lie, and I'm not here to kill you. Secondly, if I had such an order, you would already be dead."

I smiled. "How true. When should we rescue Angelique?"

"I suggest that we do it now. She's suffering terribly."

Joey and I held hands to make the trip to the golden highway. I targeted Angelique, and she was in bed with Annette in the late morning in London. We watched in parking mode for a while until Annette got up to use the bathroom. Angelique was about to get the shock of a lifetime, but we would have her on the other side of the world within seconds. We stepped into the room, grabbed Angelique, stepped back to the golden highway, and then into parking mode at the resort. I had to get Angelique to stop screaming before we entered our room. It took several minutes to get her to calm down, and Joey was comforting her as she explained what had just happened. Once we got her silenced, we stepped into my room. She threw her arms around me and sobbed.

She was naked and there were traces of blood on her thighs. I insisted on getting her to a clinic for examination, but first we needed to buy her some clothing. I asked her to relax in our bed while Joey and I made a quick trip to purchase some sweat pants and a top for her. We ended up splicing time and returned instantaneously. This further confused Angelique, and she was convinced that she was dreaming. We dressed her and transported her via the golden highway to a clinic for an examination. She had suffered some vaginal abrasions, but it was nothing serious. We finally returned to the resort in the early morning. Joey and I were dead tired, but Angelique had just slept all night in London. Jet lag from the golden highway was incomprehensible. Joey pulled Angelique into bed and put her between us. We both held her as we napped. She was safe now, and we would explain it all later in the morning.

I had gone from feeling lonely to having two absolutely beautiful women in my bed. It never ceased to amaze me how quickly life can drastically change. I wasn't allowed to indulge myself with them, but it felt so good to hold them closely. Angelique was so soft, cuddly, and very petite. I sweetly kissed her face as Joey and I both held her. When I awoke, Joey had already made coffee and was sitting at the table explaining everything to her. She still couldn't wrap her mind around my ability to traverse time and space. Joey also explained to Angelique that Annette would be utilizing face recognition software around the globe to locate her. We were adept at hiding and flying below the radar, but she needed to follow our instructions. It had been nearly three years since I had hidden in this manner, and I was enjoying the excitement.

I offered to go get us some croissants to accompany our coffee. I enjoyed the balmy weather, and we were less than a hundred meters from the beach. I wandered into the bakery and ordered a bag of the laminated pastry that I dearly loved so much. I took my time returning as I looked around at the tropical paradise. I was eager to have my villa finished. It was modest, but comfortable. When I returned to our room, I saw that Angelique was asleep in our bed. She wasn't yet accustomed to our time zone. Joey had a look of concern on her face and poured me a cup of coffee as she invited me to take a seat at the table.

"Adriel, we have a serious problem on our hands, and only we can solve it. Angelique has been filling me in on what Annette has been doing the past few months, and it is as reprehensible as anything that Avarro ever did. Annette had kept me in the dark about her affairs. If she weren't my friend, I would deal with her the same as I did him. She thinks that she answers to no one, and she has become unhinged. She has terminated Alexis, who killed her twin sister during the Ophir project. In addition, she has terminated every superior who ever abused her along with their families. Luckily, she used local assassins and never called upon me to perform any of those terminations. She is abusing and raping underaged girls. This has to come to a stop, Adriel."

I was in shock. "I agree, Joey, but what do you plan to do?"

"We need to pay her a visit today and let her know that she answers to us. If she violates any of our stipulations, I will dismember her piece by piece. I need to administer a punishment, but I think you need to isolate yourself."

"Joey, what are you planning to do? Please don't do any permanent damage. Remember, I still love her."

"Adriel, your relationship with Annette is over. You need to understand that. I have known her for many years, but I have never seen her act like this. You remember when she circumcised Gina with her teeth for being unfaithful. She has gone beyond that. I am going to tie her down and whip her mercilessly until she breaks. Otherwise, I will need to dispose of her, and I want to prevent that if possible."

I was sick to my stomach for more than one reason. I was so tired of seeing torture done to so many victims, and Annette was about to become the next. I had to agree with Joey that there was no way to let Annette continue unchecked. She couldn't handle the power that had been bestowed upon her, and only we could gain control of her. I didn't want Joey to terminate Annette, but if she didn't comply there would be no other recourse. Angelique was the sweetest, nicest individual that I ever met, and the thought of the disgusting things that Annette had imposed upon her broke my heart. "What should we do with Angelique?"

"Adriel, she is scarcely twenty-one years old. Her parents died in a traffic accident a little over a year ago while she was in college. She never graduated. We need to support her and get her back into school to earn her degree. I think she should attend a prestigious university in the United States. We both have plenty of money to pay her way. We'll get Annette to back off of her and us. Whipping Annette is an act of grace on my part. I fully expect that one day soon I will have to terminate her."

I knew that Fred was behind this terrible turn of events. I didn't know what to do, and I didn't see a better plan than Joey's. We had to curtail Annette's abusive actions. It would break my heart if Joey terminated her, but I also knew that it would release me to marry Joey. Believe me, I would never agree to Annette's termination to allow me my freedom. I dearly loved her, and I wanted her back. I knew that Joey was right. I could never return to Annette under these circumstances. I was dreading the next few hours. I didn't want Joey to hurt Annette, but there was no other option. I wasn't prepared for what I was about to experience.

I didn't want to leave Angelique alone, but Joey said that we would splice time in order to return at the same moment that we left. I chuckled to myself that I often forgot my own abilities in the face of extreme emotion. We made the trip to London where Annette was asleep in her bed. Much to my dismay, there was a young girl curled up beside her. We stepped out of parking mode into the room beside the bed. I had no idea what Joey was about to do. She silently stood over Annette and used one of the pressure points in her neck to render her unconscious. She never awoke prior to Joey putting her out, so the process was very silent. Joey held her hand out for me to take and quietly whispered for me to take Annette to the chalet in the Alps. My heart sank as this was the arena for Joey's horrible torture tactics. She then asked me to return to Annette's room in London.

Joey turned on a light and sat on the bed next to the young girl. She gently awakened her and asked if she was all right. The girl was frightened and cowered beneath the sheets. Joey assured her that she was safe, and we would be returning her to her home. I was appalled to learn that the girl was barely thirteen years old. Joey was right. Annette had become a monster that had to be stopped. Joey instructed the young girl to get dressed, and had her close her eyes during her transport to her home. We deposited her at her doorstep and went back to the golden highway. Joey had me splice time back to when we dropped Annette at the chalet. She didn't want for her to awaken before we returned.

Joey had me stand about four meters away from Annette. She didn't want to give her a chance to strike at me. Annette finally gained consciousness and looked around in confusion. When she saw me, she began cursing and threatening me. She demanded that I return Angelique. Joey kept herself between Annette and me. It broke my heart to hear the things that she was saying, and I kept silent the whole time at Joey's request. She then began to threaten Joey for abandoning her and promised to have her terminated. When she turned back to me in an attempt to denigrate me, Joey slapped her so hard across the left cheek that she nearly lost her balance. Annette regained her posture, but I knew that she wouldn't retaliate. Joey would take her down in an instant. As soon as Annette was upright again, Joey grabbed Annette by her throat with her right hand and lifted her into the air as she threw her on her back and pinned her to the couch.

Joey put her face close to Annette and promised, "If you ever disrespect or threaten Adriel again, I will cut your tongue out."

"Fuck you, Joey! I answer to no one! You're both as good as dead."

Joey slapped Annette across the cheek hard again bringing tears to her eyes. "You are so wrong, Annette. You answer to Adriel and me now. We can spy on you anywhere at any time. If I catch you abusing anyone or taking advantage of underaged lovers, I will personally gut you the way that I did Avarro. I don't care who you are. I won't tolerate it. Adriel, bring me a rope from the supply closet."

I gulped and went to find the rope. Joey forced Annette onto her knees on the couch and bent her torso over the back of the couch pushing her head toward the floor. Joey had me tie Annette's hands and push the other end of the rope under the couch. She pulled the rope tight and bound Annette's feet. She was now securely tied naked to the couch with her ass in the air. I dreaded what Joey was going to do. She left for a moment and returned with a rubber hose about one meter long. I begged her not to hurt Annette, but she took me by the arm and pulled me to the pantry. She closed the door behind me, and in a few minutes I heard the awful screams as Joey mercilessly whipped Annette with the rubber hose. There were brief moments of silence before the screams began again. I assumed Joey was reinforcing her warnings to Annette during those times. This sequence continued for over half an hour until there was silence.

Joey returned to the pantry and opened the door. "You can come out now." Joey led me to the couch. She had already untied Annette, who was curled up in a fetal position shaking and whimpering. "She finally broke. You're safe now. We'll let her recover for a bit before we take her home. Go get the antibacterial cream from the medicine cabinet, and we'll tend to her bottom."

I returned with the cream. It broke my heart to see Annette in such condition. "Was this really necessary, Joey?"

"It was either this, or I would have to terminate her. If she steps over the line again, I will have no other recourse. I won't tolerate this monstrous behavior. If it were anyone other than Annette or you, she would be dead now."

Annette jerked with pain as she trembled each time Joey spread the cream on her wounds. She wasn't spouting any more threats or insults. She wasn't making demands. She resembled a broken child who had just been taken to the woodshed. I had never seen her so docile and introverted. I wanted her back so badly, but as long as she remained in her capacity with the agency it could never happen. We waited for nearly an hour before Annette was conversational again. She had been humiliated, and she was submissive and repentant. Joey explained once again that she didn't want to have to administer such discipline, but the alternative was death. She further warned Annette that we would be watching, and if we ever caught her abusing her power, it would be the end of her. I wanted to hug and kiss her, but Joey wouldn't allow me to touch her. She didn't want to take any chances. Joey took my hand and grabbed Annette's upper arm. We made the necessary steps and deposited her back into her room in London. We then retreated to the golden highway, spliced time back to when we left Angelique, and returned home.

It was still morning, but I grabbed my bottle of cognac and a snifter. Joey chuckled and stood next to me rubbing my back. "Adriel, you're such a lightweight. I think it's one of your attributes that endears me to you."

I shook my head and looked up at Joey. "We have to stop this, Joey. I don't think I can take any more torture sequences."

"Well, Adriel, at this point I don't see why we would need put you through any more of this. I think we have Annette at bay for a while, but that whipping will eventually wear off. If she doesn't truly change her ways, it will pain us both to do what we will have to do. Until then, we need to take care of Angelique. We should go ahead and set up a trust fund for her to administer funds while she completes her education. We also need to research different colleges to find one that suits her. We can take her via the golden highway to visit different possible universities to see which she would prefer."

"Do you know what her major was?"

"She had been pursuing a business degree, but now that she has unlimited funds I think she may change her mind. We'll see."

Angelique was such an appropriate name for her. She looked like the perfect angel. Her hair was light blonde, and her skin was young and soft and smooth. There wasn't a blemish on her entire body. She didn't look nearly her age. All of the candidates back at the villa had to provide their credentials to prove their identities and ages. It had shocked me when I saw her age because she looked as though she could barely be in high school. I still couldn't believe Annette's cruelty to someone as innocent and kind as Angelique. I wanted to protect her in every way, and if I ever caught someone mistreating her, I would release my Angel of Death upon him. She looked so innocent as she soundly slept in our bed.

I turned to Joey. "I'm not sure where to go from here, Joey. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I know it involves Fred. We may need to make another trip to the horrible highway of death to see what is happening. I'm afraid that I have lost Annette forever."

"Adriel, you have made comments in the past that you and Annette were so much alike, but it isn't true. She's not a nice person. She's selfish and cruel. You are neither of those things. You would never do what she has done. You want her back, but she doesn't want you. I think you are terribly blinded when it comes to Annette. She doesn't love you, Adriel."

Everything that Joey said seemed apparent at the moment. "If I could get her back to the villa and away from the agency, I know that she would snap out of it."

"That's just it, Adriel, she doesn't want that. She's a control freak and she's drunk with power. I'm just afraid that she will revert back to her monstrous ways, and that will change everything. I realize that if I terminate Annette, you and I can be together, but I would never do that if there were another way. I love Annette as much as you do, but I know her better than you do. I don't have much hope for her." I sat in silence because I believed that Joey was right. I had suffered more heartache in the four years that I had known them than I had the entire rest of my life. I had lost Evelyn, my children, and my home. I lost Mia and our child, and I had lost Yvonne more than once. I had lost David Allen. I was now losing Annette, and I couldn't bear it. I collapsed on the table and sobbed. Joey scooted in next to me and held me. "I'll take good care of you in every way, Adriel, I promise. I know that you're hurting now, but one day we will be happy together." I clung to Joey as my heart continued to break.

We awakened Angelique to help her get accustomed to our time schedule. We explained our plan to set up a trust fund for her to finish college. To my surprise, she wanted to stay with us. I assured her that she would be safe, and we were monitoring Annette closely to be sure that she didn't step out of line again. She explained that wasn't the reason that she wanted to stay. She offered to finish college with online courses if she could remain with us. I looked at Joey, and she shrugged. Joey suggested that I elaborate on my plans for the villa and extend the property to include more than I intended. Of course, that meant adding a swimming pool as well. The three of us reviewed the current design, and I let the girls choose what they would like. We had plenty of money, and price was never a concern. I wasn't surprised that my villa would now be five times the size I intended.

I called my builder and set up a meeting to review the changes. He estimated six more months to include our additions. I was a little disappointed, but it would be worth the wait. I really didn't want it to remind me of our last villa, but Joey and Angelique were definitely leaning in that direction. They made some beautiful and extensive plans, and Angelique wanted to hire caretakers like we did at our former residence. I shook my head and chuckled because I knew that it would be more naked, beautiful, lesbian women running around my property. Some things never change, but I had always attributed my crazy lifestyle to Annette. Apparently, it wasn't so.

The next day, Joey and I checked in on Annette. She had no one in her bed, and we surmised that she needed at least two weeks to convalesce after the king of ass whippings that Joey had administered to her. She still couldn't sit in a chair, and she slept on her side or stomach. I was hoping she would never forget the experience, and she would continue to behave herself. I had to agree with Joey, it was unlikely. We intended to keep a close watch on her. Unfortunately, it was time to visit Fred to see what might have transpired in the underworld. We left Annette to traverse the dark, wet world of the Euphrates River and step onto the highway of death. I could never get used to this place.

We decided to target Fred's last meeting with his superiors. We stepped into parking mode to observe Fred standing before the three disgusting overlords to whom he reported. Fred was respectful as he described his situation. "We have suffered a minor setback with the human, but I have a plan to bounce back and put the advantage on our side. She is very predictable, and we will soon have her where we need her." The three superiors looked down at Fred without saying a word. "I have encountered some formidable adversaries, but I know how to neutralize them. Humans have their weaknesses, and I know how to capitalize on that. I should have results in four human weeks." The superiors glanced back and forth at one another and then nodded.

Joey and I made the wet journey back to the golden highway. I desperately needed a healing session, but Joey wanted to return to the resort to talk. She promised that we would visit Yvonne and Agamon after our discussion. We decided to make some cocktails and go to the pool at the resort out of earshot of everyone to talk. "Adriel, Fred is obviously planning something very enticing for Annette to regain control."

"That is fairly obvious. Why don't we just kidnap her and isolate her?"

"You're not that naive. You know that the agency offers locator implants for agents. Most of us never agreed to have them installed because we feared that one day we may have to hide. If she has chosen to get an implant, they would find her immediately, and it would unleash the agency on us. We can't afford that."

"So, you think our only recourse is to terminate her?"

"I don't know, Adriel. I have no idea what Fred is planning, but he thinks he can compromise you, and you have to know what that means."

"Well, I suppose it means that he is going to entice us to make love so that I will lose Yvonne."

"That's not likely because it's too obvious. Remember when you and Annette were the closest of friends, and one night she turned heterosexual?"

"Of course I do."

"Yes, and what was the outcome?"

"Oh, I see. Yes, we ended up making love together."

"Exactly, and what might happen if Angelique suddenly turned heterosexual and made a play for you?"

"Oh, my god, Joey, she's a child."

"She's twenty-one and very fuckable, Adriel. You need to be aware. You abandoned Yvonne for Mia, and you hadn't even known her."

"That's true. I had been celibate too long."

"Adriel, this is the longest time that you have been without sex since I have known you. You're weak, and you're a sitting duck for a temptress. The problem is that by the time you realize it, it's too late."

"So, what do you plan to do, shackle me with a chastity belt?"

"Under the circumstances, Adriel, that is not a bad idea. I do plan to never let you out of my sight. No one better lay a hand on you."

"What if Fred plans to separate you and me?"

"Well, I'm not sure how he would do that. We're fairly elusive these days with the golden highway. We need to be sure to stay attached like we were during the Ophir project."

"We spent almost a year like that. I'm sure we can manage it for four weeks. Fred seems confident to execute his plans by then."

"That's true, Adriel. We need to visit Fred tomorrow and target any meetings he has had with his subordinates. Maybe we can learn more."

"That sounds like a good idea. Now, can we go visit Yvonne and Agamon?"

As always, our healing sessions were stupendous. We had spliced time once again and returned to the resort. Angelique was getting hungry, and I could see that she was bored. I decided that it was time for a change of scenery. We needed a vacation, and we could go anywhere and do anything. I left it to Angelique to decide where we would spend the next two weeks. Joey assisted her as they perused different hot spots around the globe. Angelique was still having a difficult time comprehending that we could be anywhere within seconds, and expense was no object. I watched as they sat in front of the laptop computer looking for a destination. I was amused because I could tell that Angelique was falling in love with Joey. She would get excited over some of the destinations and hug and kiss Joey. Joey was fully aware of what was happening, and she let Angelique continue to progress in her attention. I raised my eyebrows when I saw their tongues meet. I just shook my head and excused myself before wandering out to the pool with a drink.

The alcohol relaxed me, and I ended up dozing off in a deck chair. I was awakened by Joey who joined me with a couple of drinks. She handed me one and leaned back in the chair next to mine. "I might be in a lot of trouble, Adriel."

I gave Joey a confused look. "Why in the world would you be in trouble?"

"I just went down on Angelique."

I bolted upright in my chair spilling my drink. "You did what?!"

"Honestly, Adriel, I'm straight as an arrow. I've never done anything like that before. She kept kissing me, and she stripped off her clothes. She started tugging at mine, and the next thing I knew we were in bed together. She was whimpering and quivering with desire. I felt sorry for her, so I gave her about ten orgasms with my tongue."

I was dumbfounded. "Oh, my god, Joey! You might have destroyed your relationship with Agamon."

"I know, I just felt so sorry for her. I always said that you were the weak one, but she was pathetic with desire."

"Did she do anything to you?"

"No, she was completely overwhelmed. She's sleeping soundly now. I can't believe I did that."

"Well, neither can I. You have led her on. She's going to think that you two are lovers now."

"You know, Adriel, I always blamed Annette for the craziness in my life, but I'm beginning to think it wasn't her fault."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I have had the same thoughts lately. You don't suppose this is part of Fred's plan, do you?"

"I have no idea, Adriel, but we need to find a lover for her soon. I can't do this again. She kind of reminds me of Annette with her needs."

"Oh, god, Joey, the thought of you with Angelique just excites me to no end."

Joey laughed. "Good lord, Adriel, everything excites you nowadays."

The next morning, Joey and I decided to peek in on Annette to see if anything was happening. We were splicing time, and Angelique was still asleep. It was evening in London, and Annette was dressed up. It appeared that she was getting ready to go somewhere, and we continued to watch. A limousine picked her up in front of her residence, and we followed in parking mode. I had never really used parking mode with someone who was en route somewhere. It was like sitting in the limousine next to her, but she was totally unaware. We finally ended up at Heathrow, and the limo driver turned into a private entrance and drove onto the tarmac. There was an awaiting agency jet, and Annette boarded. I supposed that Annette was moving to another residence, but I wanted to know the destination. Joey and I moved to the cockpit in parking mode and looked at the destination. Much to my surprise, it was Zanzibar.

I stepped us back to the golden highway and spliced time to return to Angelique at the same time that we had left. I turned to Joey. "Isn't Zanzibar the origination for the neurotoxin that Avarro used in his assassination attempt on my life?"

"Yes, but why would Annette be going to Zanzibar? It can't be to get more poison. She would have had someone else do that. If the head of the agency makes a trip somewhere, it means that no one else is intended to know the details. We need to follow her after she lands. We'll calculate the expected time of arrival and pick her up from there."

"Yes, but what about the vacation that I promised to Angelique?"

"We can splice time to do anything. I suggest that we go on vacation for two weeks, return to the same time that we left, and pick up with Annette when she lands in Zanzibar."

"Brilliant! Where did Angelique choose to go?"

"This is going to bore the hell out of you, but she wants to go to Las Vegas."

"Oh, no, not again! I hate that place. Couldn't you talk her out of it?"

"Adriel, she grew up in the Loire Valley. Her parents had owned a bed and breakfast establishment. She used to talk with the patrons who stayed at their residence, and she said that she had heard the most wonderful stories about Las Vegas. We can give her the experience of a lifetime. You and I can splice time and see the winning numbers at the tables. We'll advise her on what to bet, and she will think that she is having an incrediby lucky streak. It will be fun."

"Yes, fun for her, and that is the purpose. OK, we'll go back to Las Vegas. The food is terrible, and the people are obnoxious. Two weeks? Really? Can't we go to Italy for a week and enjoy the sunshine?"

"Well, maybe after a week of winning at the tables she will get bored, Adriel, and you can persuade her to go to Italy. Remember, this is for her."

I knew that we would be splicing time, so there was no urgency to do anything. I wished I had this capability long ago when I lived in the suburbs with Evelyn. We could have taken our time getting all of our plants prepared before the first autumn frost. There would have been no rush to do anything. I now had the luxury of putting time on my side. I wasn't frantic to do anything anymore. I wasn't rushing through traffic to get somewhere on time, and I wasn't frustrated by any setbacks.

This was so reminiscent of the time that Evelyn, Joey, and I went to Las Vegas. Evelyn had always wanted to visit Las Vegas and gamble at the casinos, so I decided to take us all there during one of our breaks. I had persuaded Angelique to return to our resort each night rather than spend our nights in Las Vegas. I knew that after we had displayed such a winning streak at the tables that we would be hounded by gamblers wanting to know our secret. Our first stop was in New York where we could buy the clothing that we needed to make ourselves presentable. Last time, Evelyn had us visit Paris to have our outfits tailored. It was largely a waste of time, but she enjoyed the process. After splicing time, we returned to the resort with dresses and accessories for the girls and a tuxedo for me. I was entertained by the fashion show that the girls put on for me. Angelique was already having a fabulous time, and her excitement was contagious. She was so sweet that I think she could talk me into anything. Joey was right. I needed to be careful.

The girls chose what they would wear for the day, and after we finished dressing we made the trip to Caesar's Palace, Angelique's first choice. We walked through the casino to learn the layout, and I spotted a roulette table that would be our target. We each decided to enjoy a couple of drinks before we bought our chips and engaged in gambling. Joey and I were waiting for Angelique to use the restroom so that we could splice time, step into the near future and watch ourselves winning at the roulette table. Joey's eidetic memory served us well, and she memorized all of the fourteen winning numbers that we played. We stepped back to the casino and retrieved Angelique as she exited the restroom.

We bought our chips and immediately stepped over to the roulette table. We let Angelique do all of the gambling, but Joey quietly instructed her on what numbers to bet. Needless to say, we won every game. This bored me to tears, but Angelique was jumping up and down at our incredible luck. After bilking the casino out of nearly a million dollars, we decided to quit before the security team had us investigated. We generously tipped the croupier and the waitresses and went to cash out our chips.

I won't bore you with all of the details of our various visits to different casinos. It was much the same wherever we went, and Angelique finally caught on to the fact that we were using our foreknowledge of the events at the tables to win every time. We did let her loose to try her luck, which resulted in her losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. She soon became disenchanted, and after splicing time over three days we decided to leave Las Vegas for something more entertaining. In the end, we netted over three million dollars that we socked away into a bank account for Angelique.

Her next choice of vacation spots was Disney World. I felt like I had a ten year old girl on my hands, but it was fun just watching her have a wonderful time. Again, we slept at our resort in Aitutaki each night, which was the same night because we were splicing time each day. I had to be careful to remember to return to the same time that we had begun before going to Las Vegas. I couldn't afford to let too much time pass because we needed to intercept Annette in Zanzibar. Splicing time was sometimes confusing and challenging. Angelique was oblivious to what we were doing. She never checked calendars or clocks, but I had to keep all of those details in the front of my mind at all times. I also had to be sure that we didn't duplicate ourselves anywhere at the same time and place. Angelique ended up having a fabulous ten day vacation that was accomplished in the span of a two hour timeframe.

It was time to check in on Annette to see what she was going to do in Zanzibar. We were again splicing time for our trip because we didn't want to leave Angelique alone. We hooked up with Annette in parking mode just as she was landing at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport. She was traveling alone which seemed odd. She had no bodyguard or attendant at her service. We continued to follow her in parking mode as she deplaned with her bag. She took a seat in a waiting area. She was obviously expecting someone. After about fifteen minutes, a black man in a white robe came and escorted her to an all terrain vehicle. Joey and I followed in parking mode as they wound their way into the Kichwele Forest Reserve. Suddenly, the man took a left turn off of the road and followed a pathway through the forest. After about five minutes, the vehicle came to a stop, and the man escorted Annette down a narrow footpath.

Joey and I continued to follow until they stopped before a large clump of baobab trees. Suddenly, they disappeared into an opening in one of the trees. We trailed behind them as they descended a stone stairway. Torches lit the way which were attached to the walls on either side. Finally, we reached the bottom. I wasn't sure how far they had descended, but Joey said that there were four hundred ninety steps. She estimated that we were about one hundred meters below ground. A flat stone platform spread before us for about fifty meters. There was a soft red glow in the distance, and we followed them across the platform. To my surprise, we were looking over a precipice with churning magna below. This had obviously once been a volcano, and someone had constructed the underground room above the lava below.

The man instructed Annette to remove all of her clothing. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, and I hoped this wasn't some sort of sex ritual. He handed her a white robe to wear. It was then that I realized his robe and her robe looked identical to the ones that our counterparts wear on the golden highway. I became frantic and pulled Joey out of parking mode as I rushed toward Annette. The man had taken her hand, and he led her over the edge of the precipice. I dove at her heels trying to stop her, but I was too late. They both disappeared into the hissing steam that arose from below. Joey had me by my left leg to keep me from falling over the edge. Annette was nowhere to be seen.

I was in a panic, and I took Joey back to the golden highway to locate Annette. We went nowhere. I knew this meant one of two things. Either Annette was now dead, or she was somewhere on the golden highway. It was time to summon Yvonne. Joey and I clapped, and Yvonne and Agamon approached. Joey and I departed in opposite directions with our counterparts. I began interrogating Yvonne, but she wouldn't speak until Joey and Agamon were out of sight. Finally, Yvonne turned to me and encouraged me to pick a place to go. I didn't care where we went as long as we could talk. She took us to the chalet in Switzerland. Every time I told her I didn't care where we went, she took me to my least desired place. Nevertheless, we had a place to talk. Yvonne slipped off her robe and pulled me into bed.

"What the hell just happened? Why can't I locate Annette?"

Yvonne shook her head and gave me a disappointed look. "Adriel, you never listen to me. I told you to abstain from alcohol, and now your body chemistry has been altered. You need to stop drinking again because you won't be able to successfully navigate the underworld in your current state."

"OK, but where is Annette? Did she die? Is she in the underworld?"

"The only reason that I can tell you is because I am her adoptive counterpart. You didn't follow up on your investigation. You got sidetracked with your little vacation for Angelique, and you missed Fred's plan. You wrongfully assumed that he was going to tempt you with a woman, but apparently that wasn't his intention. You also assumed that you could spy on Annette at all times and control her, but now you can't locate her. You have made a grave mistake by drinking again. You will now have to wait until the effects of the alcohol have left your system, and by then it could be too late."

"So, what's Fred's plan? What is he doing with Annette?"

"I don't know, Adriel. That was your responsibility to find out. I tried to warn you, but you became too complacent thinking that you had everything under control."

"So, why didn't you tell me this the last time I saw you?"

"Because I'm not your babysitter, Adriel. I have already told you everything you need to know. Now, make love to me."

"Why did that man give her a robe that looked just like yours?" I pulled Yvonne's robe from the floor.

"Adriel, put that down right now."

"Why? Let me try it on."

"Adriel, no! If you ever needed to listen to me, this is the time. I'm telling you now, put the robe down!"

I studied Yvonne's face. I noticed beads of perspiration beginning to form on her forehead. The only time I had ever seen that, we nearly both got killed. I dropped her robe back onto the floor. She climbed on top of me and worked me extra hard.

## CHAPTER ELEVEN

### _Flying Under the Radar_

WHEN JOEY AND I returned to the resort, Angelique was in an emotional tailspin. It was my fault. I couldn't splice time back to the point before Joey and I had followed Annette in Zanzibar. We had visited the golden highway again to summon our counterparts, and Yvonne had taken me to the chalet. This meant that I could only splice time back to the last moment that I left the golden highway. Therefore, I lost all of the time that Joey and I had been in Zanzibar, which was more than three hours. Angelique had never essentially been left alone until now. She was afraid that something terrible had happened to us. I apologized to Angelique and explained the mechanics behind my oversight. I promised to be more careful in the future.

Joey and I plied Angelique with a few drinks to get her to relax and take a nap. I could see the wanton desire in Angelique's eyes for another round with Joey. Joey was right. We needed to find a lover for Angelique. I suggested that we begin to interview candidates for our new caretaker positions, and I put Angelique in charge of our search. However, I reserved the right for a final analysis of the applicants. After all, they would be on my payroll. Angelique was pleased, and after a few drinks she was quietly napping in our bed.

Joey and I took the opportunity to retire at the pool for a while with some bottled water to discuss what Yvonne had told me. I had compromised myself with alcohol, and Yvonne was concerned that I would lose valuable time by not being able to navigate the underworld. Joey pondered for a few moments. "Adriel, you were in a coma after being poisoned by that neurotoxin. The medical staff had you hooked up to a blood cleansing machine that took your blood from your body, ran it through a filtering process, and returned it back to you. It may be possible to use that same process to speed your recovery from alcohol. In addition, they had you fed intravenously to balance your body chemistry."

I laughed. "Joey, saving someone's life with a blood cleansing technique is a far cry from sobering someone from the effects of alcohol."

Joey turned to face me. "Normally that would be true, Adriel, but what if you offered to donate a billion dollars to the hospital? I think they would be willing to do anything for you."

I scratched my head for a moment. "You know, Joey, you may be right. If we can circumvent the detoxification process, it could buy us some essential time."

"Yes, Adriel, I will contact the hospital administrator and explain our terms. I want you on that machine tomorrow morning. We'll get this done."

I never felt entitled just because I had money. It was often frightening what one could accomplish on this earth by offering generous amounts of money to institutions or individuals. Joey had contacted the hospital and offered the one billion dollar donation in exchange for the services that we sought. There was no hesitation. I reviewed my financial situation, and the billion dollars would be easily recovered in less than a month. My nest egg was multiplying at a dizzying rate. That next day, I had needles and tubes attached, and an entire medical staff was at my disposal. They were cleansing my blood and feeding me intravenously with a tailored concoction to correct my chemical imbalance. I never expected the outcome. I had the most incredible surge of energy and wellbeing that I had ever experienced in my life. I began to ponder if the early descendants that came to this earthly realm felt much the same way. The food that they consumed was pure, and everything was natural and healthy. The next day, I felt like an entirely new man.

It was time to take this rejuvenated body out for a spin. We returned to the resort. Angelique had lined up some interviews. I had given her an expense account to travel as needed. In addition, I had assigned her the task of monitoring the progress on my estate. She was scheduled to be gone for a few days. Normally, I would have taken her via the golden highway, but my current responsibilities were far more important. Joey and I stripped off our clothes and made the trip through the Euphrates to navigate to the revolting highway of death. I couldn't determine if this place got more disgusting, or if it was the fact that we hadn't been here in a while.

After a few minutes of acclimation, I attempted to find Annette. It was like seeing my worst enemy drive over a cliff in my brand new Rolls Royce. I was happy to have found her, but what I encountered was devastating. Fred had now successfully inhabited Annette. He had found a way to bring her to this disgusting underworld of filth and destruction where he could reveal his name to her. She was now on the highway of death trying to locate me in parking mode. Obviously, she was unsuccessful because Joey and I were also on the highway of death, and she apparently didn't have the capability that Yvonne had taught me. Navigation in this realm was different from the golden highway. At least I could find her by concept in this realm, and if she were back in the earthly realm I could spy on her in parking mode. She wasn't as elusive as I had feared.

I was learning more by the moment. Fred knew well that I would never agree to terminate Annette. Annette had always been my principle weakness. Many may have seen Joey in that role, but in reality it was Annette. We had terminated Avarro, but I would never let such a thing happen to my wife. I still loved her dearly, and Fred knew that. The weakness that he described to his superiors wasn't me with another woman. It was me with my wife. He had found a safe vehicle to execute his plan. I turned to Joey as the tears fell from my eyes. "If you terminate, Annette, you will have to terminate me. Otherwise, I will kill you." I could see the despondency return to Joey's eyes as once again she saw me choose Annette over her.

I needed to find a way to save Annette from Fred. That wasn't the focus of my project. My project was to save mankind from an impending disaster. Annette was a sideline. However, my heart was with Annette. I had to brainstorm, and I was dubious that Joey would be as diligent to find a solution for Annette as she was for me. I needed to talk to Yvonne. Fred knew that this would fragment me. I also knew that if I became too engrossed in my quest to save Annette that he might be able pull another tactic to take me unaware.

I wanted a drink so badly, but Joey was diligent to keep me on track. We sat at the resort pool with our bottled water to discuss my dilemma. Joey leaned forward toward me. "Adriel, I know that you love Annette. I do too, but from what you have told me it appears that Annette has permanently been infected with Fred. Do you really intend to have her incarcerated and perform conjugal visits? That sounds horrible."

"Oh, Joey, I never considered that. I'm hoping that there is a way to free her from Fred."

"Have you ever heard of such a thing? Obviously, the exorcism ghost stories don't apply here."

"How true, the mythical and allegorical stories about demon possession won't solve our problem. Joey, I hope you understand how much I love you, but I can't give up on Annette. She is my wife, and I do love her dearly. I can't possibly agree to anything short of saving her."

"Adriel, I will do everything possible to help Annette. I hope you realize that I love her too."

"Oh, god, I wish I could drink. A bottle of cognac sounds so good right now."

"Come on, Adriel, let's go summon our counterparts. I could use the healing, and you need to talk to Yvonne."

I had never heard a better suggestion. Once I had Yvonne alone, I turned to her as she dropped her robe out of my reach. "Yvonne, there has to be a way to save Annette from Fred. He has now inhabited her, and I have to find a way to remove him."

Yvonne gave me one of her looks. "Your paradigms become a problem, Adriel. You assume that certain things cannot be true. You're not as open to possibilities as you think you are."

"That may be so, but you have knowledge about these things that I need to know."

"Actually, you don't need my knowledge. Knowledge leaves no room for faith. The basis by which you live this life is faith, not knowledge."

"Perhaps, but we need knowledge to progress and learn to do things."

"Again, your erroneous paradigm prevents you from seeing the success of a life lived by faith. If you truly understood the premise of faith, you would find that nothing is impossible for you. The limits that you put upon yourself are those imposed by your feeble, deceiving knowledge. Knowledge imposes limits because it is incomplete. Faith, however, is limitless."

"So, you're telling me that by faith I can save Annette?"

"Don't be ridiculous. No one can save another person."

"Then how can I help Annette free herself from Fred?"

"You can't, Adriel."

"So, she's doomed to be the victim of Fred for the rest of her life?"

"Adriel, do you really believe that someone can be doomed with no hope of healing or reconciliation within this lifetime as long as he can exercise free will?"

"I don't know. Have you ever seen someone successfully get rid of an evil influence like Fred?"

"Do you now think that seeing is believing?"

"Of course not! I just want to know if you have any knowledge of any such success."

Yvonne laughed. "You really can't hear yourself, can you?"

"Damn it, Yvonne, help me out here! I love Annette, and I need to help her."

"Adriel, I took Annette as her adoptive counterpart. You can't overcome or negate the decisions that she has made. She chose to alienate me because she thought she didn't need me. She has a free will of choice to be redeemed, but it will be a long and arduous task. You can't intervene for her. The best that you can do is be there when she decides to return to a healthier life, but it's her decision."

I felt my heart sink. "So, what if she never chooses to return?"

"Adriel, that's the essence of free will. No one or anything can take that from any of you. You may have limited choices due to circumstances, but you still have free will of choice in how you will respond."

"So, what should I do?"

Yvonne shook her head. "Finish your project. Live out your negotiation. Choose the right things. Don't try to fix anyone else. You have enough problems of your own. Above all else, live by faith."

Joey and I returned to the resort and got ready for bed. Angelique was due back tomorrow from her interviewing. I looked longingly into Joey's eyes. "Oh, Joey, I feel so helpless. I just want to make love to you so badly, but I can't afford the repercussions."

Joey pulled me close and pushed my head onto her shoulder. "I understand. Let's get a good night's sleep and we'll talk in the morning."

I awoke to Angelique's return. I had to clear my head and do a double take because she was obviously enjoying my generous expense account. Her outfit and jewelry made me stifle a laugh. I grinned as she excitedly described our new, potential caretakers for the estate. I wasn't naive. This was sexual energy, and that was fine. I knew that I had the final interview determinations. She was so delightful and so fun. Joey looked over at me and grinned as she knew my infatuation with Angelique. She was also excited to report that our villa would be completed three weeks ahead of schedule. I shook my head to clear my thinking. I had a virtual Annette at by disposal, and it was beginning to concern me. Joey playfully licked my earlobe and whispered, "If you fuck her, I will break her neck." I assumed she was just kidding, but I really wasn't sure. Nevertheless, I would never take that chance.

Joey and I needed to talk in private to discuss what our next move would be with Annette. However, Angelique insisted that we all visit the construction site to review the progress. Joey and I decided to humor her and take a trip to our new villa. My jaw dropped as I saw how extensive this place was. Once again, Angelique was reminiscent of Annette in regard to the design of our new residence. In fact, it was so similar to our last villa that I became concerned that it would trigger bad memories for me. As much as I wanted to change the design, I kept my promise that Joey and Angelique had free rein to choose whatever they wanted.

We returned to the resort and headed out to the pool. Angelique swam laps with Joey for a while, and then Joey returned to the deck chair beside me to discuss our plans. "Adriel, I'm not sure where you plan to go from here. We have no idea what Fred is planning at this point. It appears that he has been successful as he promised to his superiors. He has neutralized us and gained possession of Annette."

"That's true, Joey, but his maneuver was merely posturing. He is trying to gain an advantage to execute his attack against mankind."

"So, do you think it will be nuclear war again as he attempted with the coup in Pakistan several years ago?"

"I really doubt that. The underworld has only one purpose. They are trying to delay or prevent their destruction, which is scheduled after the last soul descends to this earth to live out his negotiations. Nuclear war would not necessarily annihilate every human from the planet. His real goal was to destroy faith in the Creator. I'm still trying to understand how that accomplishes his goal to preserve his kind."

"Honestly, Adriel, when you tried to explain this to me several months ago it all sounded like a fairy tale. It's still hard for me to accept that this is really happening."

"I understand that. Yvonne warned me that I was holding on to certain paradigms that weren't correct. By doing that, I am preventing necessary enlightenment. It's difficult not to try to establish a belief system, but that's largely due to the interference of the brain wanting to make sense out of everything."

"Did she tell you what paradigm was false?"

"Not specifically, but it seemed to be related to my despair concerning Annette being possessed by Fred."

"Adriel, I don't see how we can win this. Fred is immortal, and you weren't able to detain him back in Pakistan. You certainly don't want to have Annette incarcerated for the rest of her life. Just how do you think you are going to overcome him?"

"This isn't something that can be reasoned, Joey. It's only by faith that we can accomplish our goal."

"That still makes no sense to me, Adriel. Faith is just blind hope in something that may never happen."

"That's not true, Joey. Faith is rock solid because it can only be successful if it is based on the will, nature, and character of the Creator. Those aspects can never change. Everything else that you can put your faith in is sinking sand."

"Adriel, that still makes no sense. How does believing in some supreme being going to help you stop Fred?"

"Well, I know for certain that the Creator wants me to be successful in curtailing Fred. It isn't my responsibility to figure how to do that. It is my responsibility to believe that he will always be true to mankind, and he will enlighten me at the appropriate moment to know what to do. I just need to be sure not to hold onto a paradigm that conflicts with his enlightenment."

"And how are you supposed to do that if you don't know what the enlightenment is?"

"Well, Joey, it's kind of like us taking off all of our clothes before we visit the underworld. We do so to prevent wearing soaking wet clothing from the Euphrates River. You have to strip your soul naked of any belief outside of the aspect of faith in the will, nature, and character of the Creator. I had been assuming that if some dark force from the underworld inhabited a human, there was no hope. I shouldn't assume that, or anything else outside the attributes of the Creator. Yvonne said that by faith all things are possible."

"I'm sorry, Adriel, none of this makes any sense to me. Plus, you're beginning to contradict yourself. Your solution during your project to take down the coup in Pakistan was to incarcerate the humans who were inhabited by the six overlords from the underworld. Your premise was that the overlords would never release their victims. Now, you are hoping that you can get Fred to release Annette. If your original premise is correct, then Annette is doomed. If it was not correct, you risk the possibility of the those six overlords being released."

"Gosh, Joey, I really hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right. Yvonne said that it was up to Annette's free will."

"Well, in that case it sounds even more hopeless. You saw what Annette chose once she had gained her position at the top of the agency. What would ever make you think that she would choose to change?"

"I agree, Joey, it does sound hopeless. Annette had become a monster without Fred. Who knows what she might do now that he is influencing her."

"I think we better keep a close eye on her, Adriel. She knows that we will be watching. However, she doesn't know that we can spy on her if she is in the underworld."

Joey and I decided to splice time and try to locate Annette. We stepped onto the golden highway, and we located Annette in Zanzibar in the subterranean room beside the pool of lava. The black man removed Annette's robe and made her lie on the stone floor. He then dropped his robe and explained to her that he needed to prepare her. I couldn't bear to watch what he was about to do. Annette worked him into an erection that was massive. He mounted her and pushed his way into her vagina. I knew that her deformity would block him, but he pushed hard as she arched her back and screamed. Blood oozed from between her legs as he continued to drive her. He obviously had torn the blockage to make a direct path to her cervix. He removed himself from her and explained that she needed time to heal before proceeding with their plan.

Joey held me tightly as I shook with grief and heartache. I wasn't sure what the plan was that he was referring to, but whatever it was Annette had gotten herself into something really horrible. I was afraid of the coming events, but I knew that whatever it was it wouldn't happen until Annette's vagina had healed. In the meantime, Joey and I would be keeping a watch over her. As much as I wanted a drink and to make love to Joey, I knew that I could do neither. We spliced time and returned to the resort. I sank into a deep depression.

Joey insisted that we visit Yvonne and Agamon. As soon as Joey and Agamon were out of sight, Yvonne took me to another hotel room in Paris. "Adriel, I'm sorry that you are suffering from Annette's choices, but you need to prepare yourself. It's only going to get worse. The more that you spy on her, the more you will see, but you can't neglect your surveillance." I had nothing to say. Yvonne continued. "It is imperative that you avoid any face to face meeting with Annette. It's too dangerous for you now. Are you listening?" I nodded my head. Yvonne pulled me onto the bed and made sweet love to me to heal me, but I wasn't as receptive as usual. She was patient and insistent, but I never came out of my funk.

I spent the next three days fighting my depression. Even Angelique wasn't able to lift my spirits. She was planning for the caretaker candidates to come to the island for second interviews. She had also planned to give them a tour of the villa which would soon be complete. They would be arriving in two days, and I would need to interview them with Angelique. My heart was far from interviews, villas, beaches, parties, or anything outside of Annette. I needed to talk to Annette, but Yvonne warned me not to be in her presence. Joey hadn't let me speak to her when she had given her that horrible whipping. I didn't know what she was planning, but I felt that I had to intervene somehow. Yvonne said that it would only get worse. My heart was breaking more by the hour.

The caretaker candidates had come and gone. Angelique and I had settled on three young women who met her approval in every way. They were arriving tomorrow, and we were all moving into the new villa. It was about half the size of our previous estate, and like the other one, it had a caretakers quarters. However, Angelique had chosen to live in our villa. This somewhat surprised me, but I really didn't mind. Joey, on the other hand, was a little concerned that Angelique was pursuing her. Joey's regrets of pleasing Angelique were growing by the day.

It was quite a relief to leave the resort and settle into our new home. It was spacious, elegant, beautiful, and elaborate far beyond my tastes. As I observed Angelique, she was acting creepily like Annette. She would stride through the gardens and prance around naked just like Annette used to do. Joey raised her eyebrows and glanced at me a few times. It was difficult to tell which one of us she was trying to attract, and perhaps it was both of us. I didn't know, and I really didn't care. I couldn't get my mind off of Annette.

Joey and I had visited Annette six times over the last four weeks. She was staying in her residence in Cairo not far from where David Allen had lived. Other than the occasional lesbian lover in her bed, we saw nothing strange or suspicious. I assumed that her vagina was healing, and whatever plan she was involved in would soon start. I couldn't bear to see her fuck another man, but I was certain that was part of it. I couldn't imagine what kind of a plan would include a sex ritual, but I was likely to find out soon. I was dreading each day as it approached.

We decided to step up our visits to Annette to twice a day until we saw her prepare for another trip to Zanzibar. It had been six weeks since she had last visited, and I knew that she was unaware that we could spy on her in the underworld. I was dreading the excursion, but I knew that it was necessary. Joey and I timed our visit to coincide with Annette's arrival. After all that I had experienced in my life, this day was to be the worst of all. Annette had made her descent down the four hundred ninety steps to the stone platform that led to the precipice of lava. Her black companion had her remove her clothes and handed her the white robe as he did before. I couldn't get used to the fact that they stepped over the ledge which had to be some sort of portal into the underworld.

Joey and I made the necessary steps to the golden highway, then to the Euphrates, and finally onto the highway of death. We easily connected with Annette, but I was too distraught. The last thing I wanted to see was Annette engaged sexually with other men. I tearfully turned to Joey, who pulled me close and put my head on her shoulder. "Rest on my shoulder, Adriel. I will tell you what happens. You shouldn't see this." I closed my eyes and clung to her desperately as I awaited her narrative. "They have removed her robe. The man who accompanies her is standing off to the side. Someone has put a blindfold on her and strapped her to a sex chair. Her legs are spread wide."

"Oh, god, Joey, I can't take this. How many men are there?"

"I see no men, Adriel. That ugly son of a bitch with the red tongue is approaching."

I could hear him speak within my head as he approached Annette. "You shall be the second Eve. You are the mother of all mankind from now on. All will answer to you and worship you as you lead them to subdue the earth. They shall multiply, and nothing will be impossible for them. You will be immortal, and none shall contain you. You will be our savior, and we will bestow the highest honor upon you." I twisted my head to look as he turned away from Annette to command, "Bring the seed of the new race of mankind."

Horror gripped our hearts as we beheld Hermaphroditus brought forward in chains. He was screaming that most hideous, high pitched exhibition of sexual desire. They led him closer to Annette, and finally he was allowed to release himself in a sexual frenzy that was unparalleled upon the earth. She writhed and screamed in orgasmic delight as he drove her hard. I could see the semen drip from her vagina, and I realized that the timing for her to be fucked relentlessly by Hermaphroditus coincided with her time of fertility. The underworld had limits, and they were not allowed upon the earth except for taking residence in a human. They had brought Annette into their world to impregnate her with the offspring that would destroy the human race.

After half an hour, they pulled back on the chains and led Hermaphroditus away as he screamed at the top of his lungs. Once he was out of sight, the black man in the white robe removed Annette's blindfold and returned her robe. He took Annette by the hand and they disappeared from the underworld. Joey and I took the steps to return to our bedroom at our villa and discuss the events that we had just witnessed. I knew what Joey would say. "Adriel, we have no choice except to terminate Annette. She's infected with Fred, and now she will be carrying the baby from Hermaphroditus. We can't possibly let her live to give birth. We have no other option."

"No, Joey, we don't have the right to choose death for someone. You assassinated over forty-seven hundred victims. Was it ever your decision to terminate them?"

"No, of course it wasn't. I had a directive from the agency, but we're not with the agency anymore, Adriel. We have to make these tough decisions ourselves now."

"That's just it, I don't believe that murder is the proper solution."

"On the contrary, Adriel, it's the only feasible and obvious option that we have."

"You know that I could never decide to terminate Annette. I still love her, Joey."

"Yes, and that is exactly what the underworld is counting on. You're playing right into their hands. Can't you see that?"

"Actually, no, I can't. I have found that most circumstances that appear to have only two choices are deceptive. Either we terminate Annette, or we allow mankind to be destroyed. I say neither choice is the right one. There has to be another alternative."

"Really, and just what exactly is that other alternative?"

"I don't know yet, but I know by faith it will be revealed to me at the right time."

"You can't afford to approach this from some make believe standpoint. In the very least, we need to somehow terminate Hermaphroditus to prevent this from ever happening in the future."

"We can't do that either, Joey."

"Why not? He's not human."

"Yes, he is half human. You gave birth to him. Besides, the reason we had to incarcerate him was due to the fact that killing him was not an option. Yvonne would never allow it."

"What are you afraid of, some judgment day condemnation? I'll take the responsibility for it. It's our only choice."

"I don't believe that. No one knows that we are aware of what just happened. Neither Annette nor the underworld knows that we can spy on them. As long as we can fly under the radar, we have the advantage of gaining more information."

"Adriel, Annette could give birth in weeks or days. You remember what happened to me."

"That could be, but you were impregnated by Annette's counterpart from the golden highway. Hermaphroditus is half human, so the gestation period may be longer."

"Yes, and it may be shorter. You don't know that."

"That's true, Joey, this is a very unique situation. Yvonne had to research the archives from thousands of years ago when the 'sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and took wives unto themselves,' as it says in the first book of Genesis. Counterparts left their proper abode and copulated with women causing a super race upon the earth. The only way to rid that population that was consuming mankind was to flood the earth with water. Only one family of eight people was saved."

"Adriel, I don't believe in any of those writings. They are just stories."

"No, Joey, they are not just stories. Once you became pregnant, Yvonne tried to get information from the Akashic records to understand more specifics. However, there was little to be gleaned from that short excerpt of time."

"So, according to your story, the only way to save the earth was to annihilate them, but you're now saying that isn't an option."

"It's not my decision to make, Joey. If it is the only option, the decision must come from someone far greater than I."

"What makes you think that I'm so wrong, and you're so right? What if you are the one who is now making the bigger mistake? My solution works. You're risking the welfare of mankind because of your love for a woman who has proven to be a monster. Surely, you don't think you have a chance to return to Annette, do you?"

"I have no idea, Joey, but if Annette could be saved, leave the agency, and return to me, I would take her back in an instant. I'm not going to destroy that option. You need to work with me on this."

"I will give you fair warning, Adriel. If you ever put me face to face with Annette again, I will end her immediately. You need to know that." Joey walked out of our bedroom.

As with our previous villa, we had no doors. Doorways were strategically angled to give ample privacy, and we clapped instead of knocked to announce our arrival. I heard Angelique clap and request entrance. I asked her into my bedroom, and she said that she was going to order our dinner. She had found a cafe on the island that catered, and she enjoyed their food. I told her that I didn't have any preferences. I was yet to cook at our new villa. It was too reminiscent of time spent with Annette, and I found it too painful emotionally. Angelique sat next to me on the bed. "Monsieur, our caretakers are nicely settled into their quarters. They seem to be handling the gardens well. With your permission, I would like to plan a party for them the way that you used to do for us, if that's all right."

I nodded in assent. "Of course, Angelique, I think that would be nice. I'm sure you will choose something elegant."

"Oh, thank you, Monsieur." Angelique patted me on the leg. "I know that you miss Madame terribly, but I want you to be assured that I can do anything that Madame used to do. Please let me know, and I am willing to do absolutely anything for you."

I smiled. "That is very kind of you, Angelique. You are doing a wonderful job, and I appreciate it."

Angelique looked into my eyes for a moment before getting up to leave. Just as she got to the doorway, she turned back toward me. "Oh, Monsieur, I know it is none of my business, but Joey seems terribly upset. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, yes, everything is fine. We just disagree on a major topic, but it's nothing serious. Have no worries." Angelique nodded and left the room.

I wanted to go see Yvonne, but I decided to give Joey some time to settle down. I would ask her in the morning to make the trip to the golden highway for a healing session. I was wondering if sobriety was still absolutely necessary. I thought perhaps that I had seen all that I needed on the highway of death. I was hoping that she would give me the all clear to enjoy a bottle of cognac. Besides, our caretaker parties were a lot more fun if I could drink. I was sure that Angelique would plan something to exceed Annette. She was quite a little temptress, but I was too consumed with how I could save Annette to let it bother me.

Just as I was leaving the room, Joey came in and pushed me backward onto the bed. She got on top of me and straddled me as she pinned my hands down. "Joey, what the hell are you doing?"

I could see the anger in her eyes. "I don't want you around that little bitch without me being there. Do you understand me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Angelique wants to be more than your employee. She wants to own what you do, but that will only happen over my dead body. She thinks she's Annette. I'm tired of playing second with you, Adriel. First, it was Evelyn, then it was Mia, then it was Annette. I'll be damned if I let you sidestep me for Angelique."

"Joey, my goodness, calm down. I don't want Angelique. I would never choose her over you. I have too much on my mind anyway. She's a sweet young girl, and she is helping me tremendously around here. She's planning a caretaker party. We could use some fun, so lighten up. I was going to wait until morning to ask you to visit Yvonne and Agamon, but based on your emotional condition I think we should go now." Joey agreed, and we summoned our counterparts for a much needed healing session. Yvonne and I were splicing time in Paris once again, and after we were totally sated with our love I turned to talk to her. "You know that we are having a caretaker party soon, and you also know what I want to ask you."

"Adriel, I know you want to have fun, but what if Annette makes another trip to the underworld? Do you really want to jeopardize your chance for valuable information? What if you find a way to help her out of her predicament?"

"I thought you said that was totally up to her free will."

"Well, that's true, it is, but what if she wants your help? How will you know what to do if you don't pay attention?"

"I see your point. I need to deny myself the pleasure in case I can be there for her. Thanks. I needed to hear that. You know that Joey wants to terminate Annette. I can't do that."

"Nor should you, Adriel. You know better than that."

"Yes, but Joey does have a point that it would solve the immediate threat to mankind."

"Perhaps, but that's only a part of the problem. Annette is another part, and annihilating her would fail that portion of your project."

"So, there is hope for her, after all."

"Adriel, there's always hope, but I don't know what Annette will choose to do."

"My god, Yvonne, they have offered her immortality and control of the entire world with a new race that will worship her. Is that even possible?"

"It doesn't matter if it's possible or not. What matters is if she truly believes that and wants it."

"She was dizzy with power when she got the offer from Avarro to take his place. I can't imagine how overwhelmed she is with this new proposition. I have no idea what to expect, and I don't know how long it will be before she gives birth. Will this new creature have the same sexual effect as Hermaphroditus? He can appear as an irresistible female to a man, and an overwhelming sex magnet as a male to a woman."

"Yes, Annette's offspring will have the same effect. That is how they overwhelmed humanity several millennia ago. I really don't know the gestation period, but it will be far more abbreviated than humans."

"We incarcerated Hermaphroditus, and that was largely unsuccessful because he ended up in the underworld. I have no idea what to do now. Joey has promised to murder Annette at her first opportunity."

"Well, you shouldn't be face to face with Annette, so that's unlikely."

"That's only if I take her. She could fly to Cairo and kill Annette on her own."

"I doubt that. You would know she was missing and go get her via the golden highway. She knows better than that."

"How am I supposed to solve this?"

"I have no idea. This was part of your outrageous negotiation with the Creator. I'm doing my part; you must do yours. Do you need a nap before we return?"

"That's not a bad idea. Do you ever sleep, Yvonne?"

Yvonne laughed. "No, I'm the only aspect of you that never sleeps. I record all that you do and think, I supply your dreams, and I give you taps on the shoulder when you need to realize something important."

"Well, Yvonne, I'm so happy that you revealed yourself to me."

"Yes, and I'm happy that you diligently sought me. Otherwise, I couldn't have revealed myself."

I fell asleep in Yvonne's arms and napped until I was completely rested. We met Joey and Agamon in the same spot where we had departed. Time had been spliced, and Joey and I were back in our bedroom. I held her in my arms and kissed her until it was time for dinner. The cognac would have to wait.

## CHAPTER TWELVE

### _The Robe_

YVONNE HAD BEEN very careful every time that we made love to keep her robe out of my reach. Ever since the time that I threatened to try it on, she had kept herself between it and me. Whatever the reason was that made her break into a sweat had intrigued me ever since. I couldn't keep anything from Yvonne. After all, she is me, and she knows everything that I think. However, I don't know anything about her knowledge or capabilities. Every counterpart on the golden highway wears an identical robe. There were countless times that she had spread her robe upon the sand or the ground for us to make love on top of it. Just the aspect of touching the robe made no difference. However, there was something significant about me putting my arms into the sleeves and wrapping it around me. I knew she wouldn't tell me, and I was fearful to force her to let me put it on. Yvonne could never resist my free will, but she often gave me stern warning against doing certain things. My principle curiosity was whether or not it could somehow help me save Annette.

I often pondered the ramifications for donning her robe. Would it get her into trouble with her Overseer? Would it give me capabilities that I wasn't supposed to have? Would it impart knowledge of the secret things that I wasn't supposed to know? Was it an unforgivable, stolen liberty that would jeopardize our relationship forever? I certainly didn't want to lose her, and that fear alone kept me at bay. I was embarrassed that I sometimes thought of having Joey grab Agamon's robe to try it on, but he would know immediately if I asked her to do such a thing. Besides, it was sinister to jeopardize her position to satisfy my curiosity. If Yvonne would only explain it to me. However, most likely she wouldn't do such a thing due to the fact that the temptation to violate her robe would be overwhelming for me.

I suppose that Yvonne's robe is much like Joey. I have been in love with Joey for nearly five years now, and Yvonne has sternly warned me against making love to her. As much as I want Joey, I can't afford to lose Yvonne. As curious as I am about Yvonne's robe, I know that I need to just forget about it. Still, the thought nags me, and she knows it. By profession, I am a software engineer. I remember times past when I would engage certain computer games that seemed impossible. I would find a way to get into the software to read the program in order to win the game. Some may suppose that it took the fun out if. Contrarily, it brought closure to a maddening goal. I wasn't opposed to cheating against an inanimate opponent like a computer. I was trying to affix some moral aspect to me taking Yvonne's robe. After all, she is me, so then why can't I wear her robe? I wasn't unaware of my character. I could perform the most incredible ethical gymnastics to justify nearly everything that I wanted. I needed to be careful.

I heard Angelique clap, and I responded, "Yes?"

"Monsieur, may I have a word?"

I took a deep breath. Joey was swimming laps in the pool. She had given me stern warning not to be alone with Angelique, but I thought her request was ridiculous. "Yes, Angelique, you may enter."

She stepped into the room and sat on the bed. "Monsieur, I hope I'm not being too bold, but I have a request."

"And your request is?"

"I have heard you and Joey speak of counterparts on the golden highway, and I was wondering if I had one as well."

"Yes, Angelique, I assure you that you do."

"Would it be too bold of me to ask to meet my counterpart?"

I found this incredibly intriguing. I took Angelique by the hand and led her out to the patio. I still couldn't get over the fact that our new villa reminded me so much of the one in Îles d'Hyères. I fixed her a drink and grabbed a bottled water for myself. I spent the next half hour explaining to Angelique about her counterpart and what the responsibilities were. I think the more intriguing aspect to this was that our counterparts appear to us as we desire. My question was whether Angelique's counterpart would appear as male or female. It would be rather revealing to learn the gender. However, as much as I wanted to invite Angelique to the golden highway to clap with me and summon our counterparts, I knew that Joey would most likely break her neck thinking that I was having an affair with Angelique. Once again, I was faced with a tantalizing curiosity. I needed to disarm Joey's insecurity in order to travel to the golden highway with Angelique. "Angelique, let me discuss this with Joey. I would love to introduce you to your counterpart, and I believe that you're ready. I'll send you a text to let you know what we decide."

I wandered down to the pool, removed my clothes, and eased into the water as Joey continued to swim laps. She swam over to me and joined me at the side of the pool. I began to explain Angelique's request to Joey. "Do you really think she is ready for this, Adriel?"

"Actually, I do. I just don't want you getting overly upset if I take her to the golden highway."

Joey pondered for a moment. "What makes you think this isn't a ploy to get you alone with her?"

"Really, Joey, she hasn't done anything too forward with me, and she has shown great respect. I don't think she's trying to manipulate me."

"You're a man, Adriel. You're oblivious to female manipulation."

I laughed. "That may be so, but I think it's safe. Can you handle it if I take her to meet her counterpart?"

I could see that Joey was perturbed. "If I say no, then I'm being unreasonable. I'm not comfortable with it, but you have my permission."

I raised my eyebrows and gave her a look. "Permission? Well, OK."

Joey returned to swimming laps. I knew that she was upset with me, but I didn't think that Angelique's request was unreasonable. She had heard enough stories about counterparts and the healing process. I slipped out of the pool and texted Angelique that we were good to go to the golden highway to meet her counterpart. Within minutes, she was back at the patio and ready to leave. I had her take my hand, and I made the step onto the golden highway. She was still apprehensive about being in this environment, and I gave her several minutes to look around and get familiar with the surroundings. We talked about the breeze that we felt from our left, and I explained the aspects of the different attributes that we perceived which were not actually real. They were just the ways in which our brains perceived this environment to make it more acceptable.

Once she seemed to be more acclimated, I had her clap her left hand to my right. In a moment, I saw Yvonne, but the person who held her right hand made me gasp. I was in more trouble than I realized. Joey had accused Angelique of thinking that she was Annette. Once Annette had begun to feel heterosexual feelings toward me, her counterpart appeared as a replica of me prior to my facial reconstructive surgery. The counterpart who held Yvonne's hand was my current identical twin. Joey had been correct. Angelique looked up at me and smiled brightly. She went up on her toes to reach my mouth and kissed me.

I saw the look in Yvonne's eyes. She wasn't pleased. Angelique took her counterpart's hand as I took Yvonne's. We walked in opposite directions, and I knew that Angelique was about to get the experience of her lifetime. Once they were out of sight, Yvonne turned to me. "Why do you insist on making things more difficult?"

"Yvonne, I had no idea. Her request was reasonable. She was questioning about her counterpart, and I thought she was ready for the encounter. I can't help how she feels. My goal is to free Annette from her dilemma."

"You really have no foresight, do you, Adriel? How often do you think that Angelique will want to come for healing from her counterpart? How often do you think she will want to spend time alone with you? How many hours will she want to discuss her experiences with you? Are you going to deny her these things? You have opened a can of worms that you cannot afford. Why didn't you confer with me before deciding to bring her here?"

"I didn't see this as a big deal. I honestly think it's manageable. It's flattering that she desires me, but I'm really not interested in her."

"My god, Adriel, it never ceases to amaze me how stupid you are sometimes. Mia, Annette, Joey, Angelique! Seriously, Adriel, you're insufferable!"

"Yvonne, I think you're making a bigger deal out of this than needed. You're trying to divert my attention from your robe. What is it about your robe that you don't want me to know?"

Yvonne squinted her eyes and turned away. "I know what you have been thinking, and I know how curious you are. What if I told you that my robe would neutralize you? What if I told you that it would be the end of our worldly existence? What if I told you it would compromise your negotiations and make everything that you have done so far null and void?"

I pursed my lips and gave Yvonne a sideways glance. "None of those things are true, are they?"

"Maybe not, but what if they were? Would you be willing to drop the matter forever?"

"No, I'm not. I want to know what significance your robe has if I wear it."

"Really? Are you willing to risk your entire existence in this realm to find out?"

"Why don't you just tell me? I don't understand why you keep insisting that it will be so devastating."

"Because I can't just explain it, Adriel. You would need to experience it, and it would be too damaging. Why can't you just trust me and move on?"

"You've told me before that you aren't infallible."

"Yes, that's true, Adriel, and I admit that I don't know everything about someone else's character, but I do know yours. I may not know the outcome of every event, but I do know how to warn you of impending danger. I'm not the Creator; I'm your counterpart. I'm here to guide you in your negotiation fulfillment process. You have erroneously assumed in the past that my interaction in your life was the Creator. Granted, I do follow direction from your Overseer whose authority comes from the Creator, but I am part of you, and I'm mortal as you are. I love you, Adriel, and no mortal will be as true to you as I am. Please stop fighting me, and work with me. I can't stop you from doing something incredibly stupid, but I'm begging you to let it go."

I grabbed Yvonne into my arms. "Please, take me to Paris. Make love to me. I need to feel you inside me, healing me, loving me. I do love you, Yvonne. I don't want to resist you. I'm just desperate to find a way to help Annette."

"Come with me, Adriel, and I will show you something new."

Yvonne took me to Paris, but on the other side of the Seine with a different view of the tower. "Surely you weren't referring to a new look at the Eiffel Tower when you said, 'something new.'"

Yvonne laughed. "No, no, not at all, Adriel! Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Yvonne."

"Do you trust me to disassemble you?"

"I don't understand the question."

"Do you remember when I made love to you in front of Annette on the beach in Italy during the Ophir project? She became incredibly frightened."

"Yes, I do remember that. She had been asleep, and when she awakened she said that it looked like you had my internal organs outside my body."

"Yes, Adriel, I did. Tonight I want to completely disassemble your body on this bed and make love to you. Will you let me do that?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean. How can you take me apart?"

"I can do many things that you cannot comprehend with your worldly understanding. However, I need your permission to disassemble you. You're never going to forget this experience, I promise. If you think that you and I have made incredible love before, this will top anything you have ever felt."

"OK, Yvonne, I'm still not comprehending this. Are you saying that you are going to take my body apart on this bed? Won't I bleed to death?"

"No, Adriel, you won't bleed to death. Your blood will stay inside all of your organs. I can separate them all right here without any danger. I've wanted to do this for some time, but I didn't think you were ready."

"Will it hurt?"

"On the contrary, it will be the most exquisite pleasure you have ever had. Do you trust me?"

"Well, it sounds delightful and scary at the same time. Will I be the same when it's over?"

"No, Adriel, you will never be the same. Do you trust me?"

I pondered for a moment. I didn't like the sound of what she just said, but I recounted the experience in Italy to the best of my recollection, and it was stupendous. I couldn't fathom the possibility of Yvonne taking my body apart, but the temptation to experience a new level to our lovemaking was enticing. Yvonne had never done me any harm. In fact, she had provided healing and pleasure beyond my wildest expectations. Finally, I turned to her and resigned. "Yes, Yvonne, I trust you. Do to me whatever you desire."

I'm not sure how to describe the experience. I refer to Yvonne's healing process as a sexual lovemaking encounter because it's the only earthly concept that can come close to what the true delight really is. However, it's so feeble that one cannot understand the height of pleasure that our counterparts can give. My experience was one of total abandonment. Yvonne appeared to fragment into several different women. They all looked incredibly gorgeous, but diverse. I was being ravished by all of them simultaneously, and the overwhelming aspects of the orgasmic pleasure cannot be depicted in earthly terms. I assumed that the variety of women who consumed me was due to me being disassembled upon the bed. Yvonne was utilizing a way to expose my most intimate parts to enhance her lovemaking to me in a multiplied fashion. I'll have to admit that her promise to exceed anything that I had ever experienced was accomplished. I didn't want it to end, and when I felt her beginning to withdraw, I grabbed her in multiplicity to hold them all within me. I couldn't let them go. I writhed and screamed in pleasure, and I never wanted it to stop. She continued to indulge me, and she increased the intensity. I wanted more. I turned the tables and flipped the women onto their backs. It was as though I had seven penises to thrust and drill my lovers into a wild frenzy of passion. I exploded again and again into a crescendo of celestial orgasms that rivaled the most incredible display of grand finale fireworks ever seen.

When I became conscious, I looked down at my body to be sure that it was still intact. I saw Yvonne smiling down at me as she leaned over me in bed. I pulled her down upon me, and kissed her profusely. She was right. I would never be the same again. I knew that she knew what I was thinking. I couldn't imagine what other magic she had stashed away in her bag of tricks for me. She smiled and shook her head. "Oh, Adriel, by now you should know that there is no limit to what we can do."

We made sure to splice time. Yvonne and I met Angelique and her counterpart on the golden highway to return to my patio at the exact same time that we had left. Joey was still swimming laps in the pool, but I was taken aback by what happened as we set foot onto our patio. Angelique jumped into my arms and wrapped her legs around my waist as she planted a deep kiss upon my lips and probed my tongue with hers. Annette had done the same thing to me many times, but long before Angelique was in my life. This girl truly had the soul of Annette, and I was getting rather suspicious how such a thing could be. I had a lot to learn. Her lips were like candy, and her tongue was like velvet. As wrong as I knew this was, I didn't want the moment to end.

"Oh, Adriel, it's me, Annette."

I pulled Angelique from my body. I looked sternly into her eyes. "Angelique, you're being inappropriate. I am your employer, and you are to address me as Monsieur."

"But Adriel, it's me. Don't you recognize me?"

"Angelique, either you are terribly delusional, or you are playing a very dangerous game of charades. If Joey sees you act like this or hears you speak this way, she will end you in a moment."

"Please, Adriel, ask me any question, and I can answer it. Let me prove it to you."

"Really? What's your favorite sex position?"

"Take me to the bedroom, and I will show you."

"Angelique, that's enough! I don't want to have to terminate your employment, but if you don't behave I will have no choice. Otherwise, it could cost you your life. I will have to put you on probation, and you are moving out of the villa immediately. Take your belongings to the caretakers quarters. In addition, I want you appropriately dressed when you are in sight."

"Please, you have to believe me. I can help you."

I walked away toward the pool. I needed to do some damage control. I didn't want Joey to see or hear anything that would cause her to react hastily. I slipped off my clothes and into the water in the shallow end of the pool. Joey saw me and immediately swam over to me. "So, how did it go? Did Angelique get to meet her counterpart?"

"I'm afraid so, and we have a serious problem."

"Those are the only kinds of problems we ever have, Adriel. What's going on?"

"Listen to me, Joey, I don't want you to hurt Angelique. She's very sick and delusional. She honestly thinks that she is Annette."

"Of course she does, Adriel. I already told you that. She's trying to get into your head, not to mention into your bed."

"I don't think she's being devious. I think she truly believes it. She wants me to test her to prove to me that she's Annette."

"Oh, Adriel, you are so naive sometimes. She was Annette's lover. She knows all sorts of intimate details about Annette. I'm sure that she's confident that she can convince you that she is Annette. She's a young, ambitious, and beautiful temptress who wants your money and your capabilities. I'll admit that she does act incredibly like Annette, but that is part of her plan. She knows how to mimic Annette down the to smallest mannerism."

"Joey, we've seen some really strange things in the past year. What if somehow Annette has been transferred to Angelique's body?" Joey slapped me hard across my left cheek. "Ow! What did you do that for?"

"To wake you from this preposterous dream that you are having. Angelique is not Annette, and if I see her pull any shenanigans with you, it will be the last thing she ever does."

"Please don't overreact. I put her on probation for being inappropriate and moved her out of our villa to the caretaker quarters."

"What did she do that was inappropriate?"

"She kept addressing me as Adriel rather than Monsieur."

"And you kicked her out of our villa for that?"

"No, she got rather forward and wanted to prove to me that she was Annette."

Joey had me pressed against the side of the pool. "And just how did she intend to do that, Adriel?"

"She offered to prove it to me in our bedroom. Please, don't do her any harm. I disciplined her, and I told her that I would have to terminate her employment if she continued her charade."

"I don't want you taking her to the golden highway anymore, and I don't want you alone with her. I meant what I said earlier, so if you value her life you better be careful." Joey dove into the water to swim more laps.

I needed some time alone. I walked down the stone pathway to our beach. The setting was far more tropical than our last villa, and I loved the palm trees that lined the coast. There was a slight breeze as I walked out onto the sand. I was startled as I noticed Angelique sitting beneath a palm tree crying. I sauntered toward her and looked down upon her. She looked up with tear streaked cheeks. "I'm not angry with you, Angelique."

"Oh, Monsieur, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I can't explain it, but I suffer overwhelming experiences that Madame has taken over my body. I don't understand what is happening. Please don't banish me from the villa."

I sat down next to Angelique and put my arm around her. "Angelique, I'm trying to protect you. Joey is very upset with your behavior, and she has threatened to kill you if she catches us alone together again. This is too dangerous. I will lift your probation in three days. I need to get Joey to calm down. Until then, you need to comply with your probation and stay out of sight as much as possible. Take this time to plan our caretaker party, but don't commit to a specific day until I can neutralize Joey. I'll text you with my progress. Now, take the back way to the caretaker house."

Angelique jumped up and scurried through the jungle toward her quarters. I continued to sit in the sand and watch the surf roll onto the beach. I felt sorry for Angelique. She had suffered so much from Annette's abuse, and now she was obviously having identity disorder episodes. I needed to get Joey to understand just how sick Angelique was. As adamant as Joey had been to prohibit me from taking Angelique to the golden highway, I think that the healing sessions that she could get from her counterpart would be beneficial. My only reservation was that he was a replica of me which could further confuse Angelique's affection toward me.

Joey and I needed to check in on Annette, and I wanted to splice time to discuss Angelique's condition. I quickly walked back to the pool, but Joey was no longer there. I returned to the villa, and Joey was in the shower. She asked me to join her. We took turns washing each other's backs, and I explained that we needed to visit Annette to see if there was any progress in her condition. We stepped directly from our shower to the golden highway and then to Annette in Cairo. We were relieved to see that there was no swelling in her abdomen. I could see that something was troubling her. We watched for another fifteen minutes, but we saw nothing of interest.

We returned to our villa and settled in on our patio. I wanted to address my concerns for Angelique. "Joey, I think you are overly harsh with Angelique. It was your idea to rescue her from Annette to save her from extreme abuse. I'm afraid that the trauma of her experience might have caused dissociative identity disorder. She seems to take on the personality traits of Annette at intervals. I think we need to be patient with her and get the help that she needs. I know you don't want me taking her to the golden highway, but I think her healing sessions will be helpful."

Joey pondered for a moment. "I may have overreacted, Adriel. It's just that you need to know I will never tolerate her being your lover. You can handle her however you like, but if I catch you two being intimate, I will end her. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Thank you. I'm going to take her off probation after three days. We can schedule the caretaker party for the following weekend. I'll let her know." Joey got up and went into the kitchen to find something to eat. I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't feel as though I was walking on needles and pins any longer. I texted Angelique to let her know that she could schedule the party for the following weekend. In the meantime, I wanted to take her for daily healing sessions with her counterpart. She was delighted. I just hoped that I knew what I was doing.

The next morning, I invited Angelique to the patio for a trip to the golden highway. We stepped, clapped, and walked in opposite directions from one another with our counterparts. I still couldn't get used to her counterpart looking identical to me, and I wondered if this was due to her dissociative aspect of thinking she was Annette. I had another multifaceted experience with Yvonne. We were at it for hours before returning to splice time and meet with Angelique to return to our villa. Once we stepped onto the patio, Angelique hugged me. She went up on her toes to reach my mouth and kissed me sweetly. She then whispered in my ear, "Meet me on the beach at the top of the hour. I want to tell you what I'm planning for the party." She smiled and kissed me again before heading back to the caretaker house.

I found Joey in our gym. She had been working out with weights and encouraged me to join her. I passed on her invitation and decided to walk the gardens before going down to the beach to meet Angelique. I was curious what she had decided for the caretaker party. Our new caretakers were doing an excellent job of tending to our gardens. The flower beds and tropicals were absolutely gorgeous, and there wasn't a weed in sight. Annette would have been pleased. The northern gardens were lined with grassy paths instead of stone. It felt like a plush carpet beneath my feet. I decided to return later to enjoy the other gardens after my meeting with Angelique.

I wandered down to the beach. It was a pleasant day with a slight breeze. I walked out onto the sand, but I didn't see Angelique. I heard her call to me, and I spotted her sitting under a palm tree. I strolled over and sat next to her. "So, tell me about your plans for our party." Angelique put her arms around me and kissed me tenderly, teasing me with her tongue. I pulled her from my lips. "Angelique, you're being inappropriate."

"Oh, Adriel, I thought that you would recognize me. Let me prove who I am. Ask me anything. I swear to you that I can answer any question."

"Oh, Angelique, please, let's not play this game. You are very ill. We need to get you professional help."

"Ask anything, Adriel!"

"OK, how many brothers and sisters do you have?"

"I had one sister, Yvette, who was crazy in love with you until she was murdered by Alexis, my superior at the agency. Ask me another question."

"When we were in Italy, Joey and I were going into town to get dinner, but I returned because I had forgotten to take any euros. What did I see when I walked into our room?"

"I had your wife, Evelyn, on her back on the couch with her knees up as I licked her pussy."

My heart began racing wildly. "What was David Allen's favorite alcoholic drink?"

"He had two favorites, a white wine of Pouilly-Fuisse, and a Scotch of Johnnie Walker Blue."

Tears streamed from my eyes as I grabbed her into my arms. We tumbled backward onto the sand and kissed incessantly as our tongues teased one another. It was Annette's kiss, and I knew it well. "Oh, Annette, if Joey finds us together, she will kill you."

"I want you to make love to me, Adriel."

"I can't, or I will lose Yvonne forever."

"No, you won't because I am your wife. Please, Adriel. It's the only way that you can save me."

"We can't take that chance, Annette. We have to convince Joey that you really are Annette. Maybe we can set up a question and answer confrontation with her. You've known her far longer than you have known me."

"I'll do anything I can to convince her, Adriel. I want to be back in our bed together. I want us to take each other to the plateau of extended orgasm once again."

"Believe me, before that can ever happen you have a lot of explaining to do. You need to get back to the caretaker quarters before Joey sees you. Do your best to stay out of her sight. I will try to arrange a question and answer session. Wait for my text. It may be a day or two. Now go."

She looked nothing like Annette, but otherwise she was the exact image of her inwardly. Annette's hair was short and black. Angelique had long, light blonde hair. She was also much smaller than Annette which added to her youthful appearance. I was still having a difficult time believing that somehow Annette had inhabited Angelique's body. Where was Angelique? Who was in Annette's body? How could such a transfer take place? Was I married to Annette's body or soul? This was all very confusing. I needed to speak to Yvonne.

This seemed like a good opportunity to coax Joey to give Angelique a chance to prove herself. However, I decided instead to suggest a healing session from our counterparts. I really needed to speak with Yvonne before proceeding with Angelique. I returned to the villa and waited until Joey had finished her workout and showered. Once she was ready, we joined hands, made the step, and summoned our counterparts. I waited until Yvonne and I were alone in another hotel room. I then proceeded to ask about the possibility of Angelique reading my mind. "Adriel, I have explained this to you before. When you were on the Pakistan project, I gave you the ability to read minds all around the world. As you know, three-dimensional space is no object. However, in order to transfer someone's thoughts to you, or yours to them, I had to be accompanied by your Overseer who contacted the Overseer in charge of the other person. These protocols had to be obeyed in order to accomplish the task. One cannot just choose to read someone else's mind, although that is the way that it appeared to you."

"So, you're saying that there is no way that Angelique can read my mind."

"I would be the first to know, and I assure you that she is not."

"Then how do you account for Angelique's intimate knowledge of Annette's life?"

"It's not my job to answer your questions about another person. You must figure this out yourself."

"But, is it possible, Yvonne, that somehow Annette's soul has gotten into Angelique's body?"

"Once again, I cannot answer that, Adriel."

"Angelique seems to think that since she is Annette that she can make love to me without the risk of losing you."

"Don't listen to her, Adriel. It's not true. You handled the situation fairly well, but you were getting sucked into her world. I admonish you to be extremely careful. I really don't know for sure what is happening, but I do know that you should not make love to her."

"As you know, I was planning to have Angelique demonstrate her knowledge of Annette to Joey, but after our discussion today I think I need to visit the underworld again. Something doesn't add up to me."

"That may not be a bad idea, now lie on your back. I have something that I want to do to you."

After Joey and I returned to the villa, I suggested that we visit the highway of death to see if we could target a conversation concerning Angelique. I was beginning to suspect that we were being set up by the underworld to undermine my abilities with Yvonne. I hated this excursion because it was dreadfully unpleasant. Once we were on the highway of death, I tried to target a conversation that had anything to do with Angelique. I was unsuccessful. I then tried to target a conversation concerning Annette's soul. Again, we went nowhere. I was out of ideas, and we returned to our villa.

I couldn't let Joey know that Angelique had another episode and wanted to make love, so I decided to play the "what if" game with Joey. "Joey, what if Angelique really could answer intimate details about Annette's life? Would it convince you that she really was Annette?"

"Of course not, Adriel."

"Well, if she could do that, how would you account for her knowledge?"

"First of all, she hasn't done that. As a field agent, if I were faced with someone claiming to be someone that I seriously doubted, I would most likely use a torture technique to get him to break."

"Have you ever done such a thing and found out that you were wrong about them?"

"Yes, that did happen twice. Why, do you want me to torture Angelique to see if she really is Annette?" Joey smiled.

"Oh, of course not, Joey. I was just curious how you would handle a situation like that." I definitely decided not to have a question and answer session with Angelique and Joey. I knew that I had gotten sidetracked. I needed to determine what to do with Annette and her unborn child. I was getting nowhere, but I had gotten accustomed to that over the last six years. I desperately needed a bedroom break right now, but that just wasn't going to be possible. I had to admit, Joey had been on her best behavior lately. I think she was diligent not to impact our project, and the severity of the threat at this point was enough to sober us all. Well, all but Angelique, who seemed to be convinced that she was my lawfully wedded wife. You have no idea how tempting that is for me, but I could in no way jeopardize this project, especially now. Joey and I had been checking in on Annette briefly about every other day. We saw no swelling in her tummy, but we were aware that it could happen within days. I was still clueless what we would do once we saw development.

The next day, Joey was preoccupied with something, but I wasn't overly concerned. I needed a break from her, and I decided to go down to the beach. I hadn't lay in the sun for weeks, but it was overcast today. I just wanted to enjoy the day and walk in the sand. We owned about one hundred meters of beachfront. It was nice to have such a secluded area. I was looking forward to more days down here with our wine, bread, and cheese, but that was very much an Annette experience. Besides, I knew that it would have to wait until after the completion of this project. I dearly loved Joey. She had been my bodyguard for over four years. She had a tendency to mother me on occasion, and it sometimes irritated me.

A young woman was walking by in the surf. I waved, and she reciprocated. I wasn't used to seeing people on my beach, but there was an easement that allowed others to pass by. My previous residences were surrounded by rocky terrain, and they didn't allow pedestrian traffic. I really didn't mind as long as no one was offended that we wore no clothing down here. I watched as she disappeared around the corner. I decided to head back to the villa. I took a stroll through the gardens on my way back, and I was impressed with the work that our caretakers had done. Our party was scheduled for the coming weekend, and I was looking forward to a great time. I just hoped that Angelique would behave herself.

When I arrived on the patio, Joey was sitting in one of the loveseats with her legs crossed. She had a glass of white wine in her hand which surprised me. She grinned, squinted her eyes, and patted the seat next to her to invite me to join her. She turned to me as I sat down. "I have some interesting news for you, Adriel. It's about your little temptress. Apparently, Annette didn't carefully vet her new caretakers. We had left the agency, and she didn't have the means to properly research them. As you know, many people around the world owe me favors. I got in touch with someone at the agency, and he did me a solid. Our little Angelique is a ghost."

My eyes grew wide. "Are you serious?"

"Oh, yes, I have the documentation on my laptop. That little bitch is mine. I'm going to break her."

"Oh, Joey, please, no. I can't agree to that."

"Adriel, we all agreed after we left the agency to maintain agency protocol. I discovered her, and I get to break her. It's as simple as that. You don't have to watch, but I will take her apart piece by piece and enjoy it."

My heart sank. "Are you sure about this?"

Joey gave me a disgusted look. "Adriel, these are agency professionals. They don't make mistakes. I had her photo and fingerprints sent to my contact. Her past has been carefully erased. She's not who she says she is. After the party this weekend, I want you to take her and me to the chalet. Then, I want you to get out of there and come back here. I will text you after I dispose of her, but I want all of the information that I can glean from her. I'm operating according to protocol." I was sick to my stomach, and I was so tempted to take Angelique to a safe place and drop her off, but I knew that Joey would turn on me and do whatever she could to find Angelique. This was out of my hands.

My heart sank as I wandered the premises. I was impressed with the decorations and lights that Angelique had planned. Crews of professionals were installing speakers for music and timed lighting to coincide with the songs. Stations of food and bars were strategically placed throughout the grounds to allow everyone to walk the gardens and enjoy food and drink along the way. She had insisted that all caterers and servers be naked to fit in with us all. She had truly exceeded anything Annette had ever done. Naked dancers were to perform on stages around our property, and she provided a decadence that was beyond what I wanted to experience. She fully intended to be by my side the entire time, and I would allow it.

Joey was far more lenient to let me be with Angelique as she led me on a tour of our grounds. Angelique explained everything that she had planned, and she often stopped to kiss me along the way. Her heart was encouraged, and I wanted to let her enjoy the moment. I grabbed her into my arms, and kissed her long and sensually, thanking her over and over for doing such a stupendous job of planning our party. She swelled with confidence, and it broke my heart that the morning after the party she would be writhing in pain from Joey's torture. I had to continually remind myself that she was a ghost, an unknown who had been hired to take me down. Still, her beauty and innocence were overwhelming. I was falling in love with a terminal victim.

Once we were on the far side of the property, Angelique turned to me. "Adriel, you haven't given me a chance to convince Joey who I am. I thought that you would set up a meeting for me to demonstrate to Joey that I am Annette."

I wasn't sure if these were really dissociative disorder episodes, or if Angelique was just playing me. I looked soulfully into Angelique's eyes. "Oh, Sweetie, I am afraid that Joey's mind is set. I doubt that any question and answer period will suffice. Let's just enjoy the weekend together." That was such a lame thing to say, and I was afraid that it might tip her off that we were on to her. I really didn't care at this point. I couldn't protect her, and she was obviously out to destroy me.

Over the next two days, I had watched Angelique flip flop from Annette to Angelique a couple of times. Either she was an incredible actress, or she truly was a very sick girl. Although Joey didn't prevent Angelique from being by my side most of the time, I could tell that she was keeping an eye on us. We took one last stroll throughout the estate to be sure that everything was ready. I still couldn't believe that she had provided such an elaborate celebration for six people. This was going to be the most fabulous party I had ever experienced. The party would begin in two hours, and I decided to spend the remainder of the time with Joey. I wanted to try to dissuade her from harming Angelique. I found her in our bedroom.

"Joey, I think you're jumping to conclusions about Angelique. I know that you're jealous of her, but I think we should interrogate her together before you go off half cocked and torture her."

"You're falling for her, Adriel. You know full well that she will manipulate you in an interview. The only way I will get the truth from her is to inflict pain."

"Joey, you know that those tactics cause victims to admit anything. I think this is unfair, and if you're wrong about her, I would never forgive you."

"Let's compromise. You interrogate her all you want, but I don't want to be there, or I'm afraid it will disgust me when she tries to manipulate you. You can be her advocate, and if you can convince me that she isn't a ghost I will leave her alone. Otherwise, I'm going to proceed as planned."

When I returned to the patio, I could see that our caretakers had arrived, and they were naked in the pool. Angelique was serving drinks and waved me over. She asked permission to undress and join the girls in the pool. I consented, and she gave my shorts a tug as she smiled. I promised to join them in a short while. I wasn't sure how I was going to proceed with my interrogation. Joey walked up to me and handed me a glass of Merlot. "Enjoy, Adriel. Tomorrow will be a new day." She smiled and stretched out naked in a deck chair. I removed my clothes and slipped into the pool with my wine.

The next thing I knew, Angelique was at my side. "Oh, you have wine. Are you ready to enjoy yourself?" I turned and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and teased my tongue with hers. After a few moments, she took my free hand and pushed it under the water onto her pelvis. I began to gently work her with my fingers. She closed her eyes and began to lightly moan. I continued to work her with my fingers. She started writhing and trembling until she finally released into an orgasm. Joey bolted upward in her deck chair. I didn't care. I wanted to give Angelique as much pleasure as I reasonably could before her unfortunate end. She purred and looked longingly into my eyes. "Oh, Monsieur, there is something that I want to confess." I looked over at Joey, who was ready to snap her neck in an instant. I shook my head and held up my index finger to gain some time.

I whispered in her ear as I continued to work her with my fingers. "What is it that you want to tell me, my love?"

"Angelique is not my real name, and I need your help."

I withdrew from her pelvis. I feigned ignorance. "I don't understand. Didn't Madame perform a background check on you?"

"No, she did not. She didn't need to do that."

"And exactly why did Madame not need to do a background check on you?"

"Because Madame bought me as a slave. I have been wanting to tell you this, but I had to be sure that I could trust you. My life is in danger."

"Well, your life might be in more danger than you know. What is your real name?"

"I was born Monique Trudeau, but I was trafficked as a slave at a young age. I am so sorry, but I had to lie to you and Joey for fear that they would find me and kill me. Madame took me with her when you left because she had paid a million dollars for me. If she contacts the traffickers, they will come for me. Please, I need your help."

I knew that Joey wouldn't buy any of Angelique's story unless it could be verified. If Angelique had been taken at an early age, it could account for no record of her existence. So far, this was nothing more than a carefully devised story, and I had to find a way to verify it. Fortunately, I had the capability of doing so. "Until I can verify your story is true, I am still calling you Angelique." She nodded. "I need to get Joey involved at this point, and I will warn you that if she catches you lying, she will kill you." Angelique clung to me. I waved Joey over to us. She bounded from her chair and was at our side in an instant. "Joey, Angelique has something that she wants to explain to us, but I think we need to go inside." Joey excused herself to let the other girls know that we had to conduct some business, and we would be back shortly.

The three of us retreated to our bedroom, and I continued to hold Angelique as she shook with fear. She recounted her story of being kidnapped at an early age and taken prisoner as a prostituted sex slave. Her parents had been killed in an automobile accident, and she had been abducted soon afterward. There were thirty young boys and girls who had been held captive. Angelique had been allowed to choose her preference of sexual orientation, and she told them that she liked girls. They marketed her at high prices to well known influential women who were later blackmailed. There had been times when the captives were forced to watch their captors beat young slaves to death for noncompliance. They were all warned that they too would suffer the same fate if they ever told anyone their stories.

Joey listened patiently until Angelique finished her account. "So, your driver license that showed your age is fake." Angelique readily nodded. "Then, just exactly how old are you?"

Tears fell from Angelique's eyes. "I am not really sure. I lost track of time, but I know that I'm at least nineteen years old."

Joey studied Angelique's face closely. "Just how to you intend to prove your story to us?"

"Well, according to my understanding of Monsieur's abilities, I can show you who the traffickers are."

Joey raised her eyebrows and looked over at me. "Well, Adriel, if our little Angelique is telling the truth, it might be time to take out the trash." She looked back at Angelique. "Explain something else to me, Angelique. Why have you been trying to convince Adriel that you are Annette?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I become Annette, and I know everything that she knows. I can't explain it. I am so sorry, but I have no control over it."

I turned to Angelique. "I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth. I suggest that we return to the party and enjoy ourselves. Tomorrow, we will follow up on verifying your story, and if you are telling us the truth we will keep you safe and get rid of the people who harmed you."

Joey gave me a surprised look and smiled. "Well, Adriel, maybe you're finally coming around." She then dismissed Angelique to return to the party. "This certainly has made an interesting turn of events. Are you sure that you want to terminate these people if they exist?"

"I don't know, Joey. We can't let them continue if Angelique's story is true."

"Well, if she is telling the truth I hope you realize what a true monster Annette really is. I never dreamed that she would stoop so low to be involved in slave trade. You need to let me end her, Adriel."

"As much as I would agree with you at this point, Joey, I just can't do that. However, we do need to investigate why Angelique thinks that she sometimes becomes Annette. You and I need to visit Annette as soon as we see another one of these episodes with Angelique. I want to see what she is doing at that time."

"I agree. I would certainly like to make some sense out of her behavior. I'll admit that I think Angelique is being truthful, but I would like to see some proof. Let's grab another drink and go back to the party, and keep your hands off of her genitals, or I'll break your fingers."

"I agree, but I want you to stay close. As soon as she starts to act like Annette again, I want us to leave instantly and visit Annette."

"No, Adriel, I need to stay in the distance. She has never had one of these episodes in front of me. Just signal if it happens, and I'll be right there."

Joey and I stopped at the bar and made ourselves some cocktails. She explained that she was going to stay out of sight and watch me with Angelique. As soon as she had another episode, I was to raise my hand, and we would immediately visit Annette via the golden highway. I returned to the pool and invited Angelique over to talk. After about half an hour, she suggested that we catch one of the dancing performances that was scheduled near the northern fountain. We stopped and got two more drinks from the bar and wandered over to the northern fountain. The dance was extremely well choreographed, and we enjoyed some of the acrobatics that were included.

I had my arm around Angelique, and I felt her begin to tremble. She looked up at me and begged, "Oh, Adriel, take me to the beach and make love to me. Please, it has been far too long."

I immediately raised my left hand into the air, and within two heartbeats Joey had grabbed a hold of it, and we were on the golden highway. One more step, and we were in parking mode in Annette's bedroom in Cairo. I gasped as I beheld Annette sitting upon her bed in a lotus position. She was in a trancelike state, but it wasn't her posture that surprised me. It was the fact that she was wearing the white robe that she had from the underworld. Instantly, Annette came out of her trance and screamed, "Damn you, Adriel!"

## CHAPTER THIRTEEN

### _Strike Three_

YVONNE HAD A lot of explaining to do. She claimed that she had no idea how Angelique was suffering from Annette's personality, but if Yvonne had to record everything that Annette did or thought she had to know about this. I felt betrayed. I wondered if it had anything to do with my questions about Yvonne's robe and the fact that she didn't want me to know anything about it. Somehow, I needed to get that infernal robe away from Annette, but I couldn't be face to face with her, and I knew that Joey would kill her instantly if she had the chance. It now made perfect sense that Annette was trying to compromise me with Angelique by trying to convince me that she was really Annette somehow. She wanted to disarm my capabilities with Yvonne.

I had now lost all hope of Annette ever returning to me. She had purchased Angelique before she ever received the invitation to take Avarro's place. It wasn't just the dizzying power that she had inherited via the agency. She was already a monster, and I didn't know it. I had no idea that she had sunken to these depths to buy a slave. Still, I could never agree to have her terminated. I honestly didn't want her back now. She disgusted me. I knew that Annette was multifaceted. She once told me that she could be a cruel, cold hearted bitch. I had seen that side of her. I also saw the tender, kind, and loving side to her. However, I could never justify her latest behavior. It was intolerable. I would deal with her later.

I felt so sorry for Angelique and all that she had suffered. Joey and I were going to follow up on Angelique's story today to find the perpetrators behind her captivity. We were taking her along to identify the individuals and explain to us in parking mode everything that we saw. We had determined to immediately free any slaves that we found and deal retribution to their captors. However, we didn't want to destroy any chance of finding who was at the top of this sex slave ring. Our goal was to bring down the entire organization.

We were traveling as a trio. Joey was wearing her skin tight black leather outfit that she often wore as an assassin. Angelique and I were dressed comfortably in sweat outfits. We all held hands with Joey on my left and Angelique on my right. I stepped onto the golden highway, and Angelique told me where they had been held in a small village in Germany. We made the step to the location, but it was empty. I asked if Angelique knew the names of any of the perpetrators. She identified one of them as Lars. I took the step toward him, and we were now in a subterranean holding cell where twenty-five young captors were held. Lars and another man were guarding the children who appeared to range from possibly nine years old to early twenties.

Joey instructed me to come out of parking mode into the room. She would disable the two men, and we would leave Angelique with the captives as we quickly moved the men individually to the chalet in the Alps. I was to return to Angelique, and we would determine where to take the captives to safety while Joey dealt with the two captors. Angelique was terribly frightened, and Joey had to take a few minutes while we were still in parking mode to explain what we needed to do. She promised that Angelique was in good hands, and Joey would disable the men immediately. Everything happened so fast that Angelique didn't have a chance to panic. As soon as we came out of parking mode, Joey moved like lightning and took both of the men down in one circular kick. They lay unconscious on the floor, and Joey grabbed the first one as we transported him to the chalet. Within two breaths, we were back for the second one, and I left Joey at the chalet with them as I returned to Angelique and the children.

Angelique was trembling and crying as she tried to explain to the children that we were there to help them escape. There was so much confusion. The children had seen Joey take down the two men. They had seen us disappear and reappear. Some thought that we were angels, but Angelique tried to explain that we were just like them. She began to interrogate each of them, and their stories were all very similar. They were orphans. Some had just arrived, and some had been there for many months. We needed to transport them to a safe place. I checked my cell phone locator. We were in another small town in Germany. However, these children had been taken from three different countries.

I had no idea how much time we had to get everyone out of there, but I knew that I needed to splice time. Unfortunately, these poor traumatized children were about to get the ride of their lives via the golden highway. Angelique separated the children into groups according to the country of origin. We needed to determine the destination for each of them. Ten were returning to the United States, seven were going back to France, and eight to England. I felt terribly unprepared, but I grabbed Angelique's hand so that we could step onto the golden highway and to another location in each country to make the necessary phone calls via a burner phone to learn where to take the children. We would be splicing time so that the groups of children wouldn't be alone for more than one second.

This was a tricky endeavor, for sure. By splicing time, I could transport all of the children individually to each targeted location in all three countries prior to the time that the institutions had received my phone call to determine where to take them. We dropped off the children according to country as we spliced time for each group. I redialed all of the numbers for the institutions, and Angelique explained that the children had arrived. She also informed the institutions that the children had been rescued from a sex trafficking ring, and we were in pursuit of the perpetrators. They wanted to talk with us in person, but I had Angelique hang up, and we ditched the phone.

I took Angelique back to the villa, and we made a couple of drinks even though it was still morning. She was shaking like a leaf. I had my right arm around her as we sat on the patio. She looked up at me gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Thank you so much for what you did today."

"Oh, Angelique, you are the one who is the heroine of the day. We couldn't have found those children without you. It's just the tip of the iceberg, though. Joey will do whatever she can to find out how large this organization is, and we will systematically dismantle it."

Tears began to form in Angelique's eyes. "Oh, Monsieur, please, don't call me by that horrid name anymore. I am Monique, and today you have freed me from the bonds that continued to enslave me."

I put our drinks on the table, and I held her tightly. "Monique, I will do everything I can to protect you for the rest of my life." I strangely remembered a time when I had told Annette the very same thing. Monique raised her head to kiss me. Her tongue met mine, and I swelled with desire. "Monique, I thought that you liked girls. Is Madame vexing you again?"

Monique shyly put her head on my chest. "No, Monsieur, I only told my captors that to avoid being violated by men."

"But what about your encounter with Joey? She thought that you were very attracted to her."

Monique looked down as she shook her head. "I did learn to enjoy women. I suppose that I am a bisexual, but I prefer you, Monsieur."

"Monique, you are but a fraction of my age. You need to find a nice young man to settle down with and raise a family."

"I love you, Monsieur, and I would rather stay under your protection."

"That's not realistic, Monique. You're a wonderful young woman, but you need to be with someone more your own age. I can still protect you, and you can live near me if you like."

"Oh, Monsieur, I am so sorry. I have been too presumptuous. I thought perhaps that you loved me too. I am embarrassed."

"Monique, I do love you, and I want you to be happy. I just think that you would be happier with someone your age."

"Boys my age are foolish and stupid. I'm not interested in them."

I laughed. "Well, I can be foolish and stupid too, Monique. Just ask Joey."

"It's Joey, isn't it? That's why you don't want me. You want her."

"Monique, if I were your age, I would snatch you up in a moment without hesitation. I think you're wonderful, and I do love you, but I'm afraid you're just too young. Physically, we would be great together, but emotionally I'm afraid that we wouldn't be that compatible. Besides, you're forgetting that I'm currently married to Annette, and my counterpart will never allow me to be with another woman." Monique was silent as I held her with her head resting on my chest. "Come on, Monique, let's celebrate the day with another drink and walk the gardens together."

We walked the gardens hand in hand as she told me her future plans for some of the flower beds. She would stop from time to time to stand on her toes to kiss me. "You don't mind if I kiss you, do you?"

I laughed. "No, Monique, I rather like it."

I stopped to text Joey to learn her progress. We walked for another several minutes before she responded. "I'm glad you aren't here, Adriel. You cramp my style. I'll probably be here the rest of the night with these two. Are you good without me?"

I nearly had forgotten that we were now upside down on the clock. I responded, "We're good here. Let me know if you need anything."

Monique turned to me. "Monsieur, I hope you don't think that it was Madame who planned our party. I did that on my own."

I gave Monique a smirk. "No, I never thought that. You did a wonderful job."

"Do you think that she will try to do that to me again?"

"I don't know, Monique, but I doubt it. I think she knows by now that we are on to her. I want you to relax and get settled into your position here at the villa. If you feel any more intrusion from Madame, I want to know about it. She is using some strange kind of voodoo to affect you, and I'm trying to think of a way to prevent it."

We walked in silence for a few meters, and Monique turned to me. "Monsieur, I am willing to take more responsibility here for you. The caretakers are easy to manage, and I want to do more."

I glanced down at her as we walked hand in hand. "That's fine with me. What did you have in mind?"

"I want to do everything that Madame did for you."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Monique, I assure you that you cannot do everything that Madame did for me, but I will give you as much responsibility at this villa that you can handle."

She was the most attractive, delightful, young waif I had ever seen, and as tempted as I was to take her, I knew how wrong it was. I put my arm around her and held her tightly as we finished walking the gardens. We returned to the patio, and I relaxed in a loveseat as she chose what to have for dinner. She encouraged me to cook with her, but I was reluctant due to my memories with Annette. Monique wasn't naive, and she manipulated me into cooking with her. She was far more astute than I gave her credit. We laughed and enjoyed more wine as we concocted some new creations in the kitchen. I knew that she didn't care what we were cooking. She was trying to captivate me, but I knew that Joey would end her in an instant if she discovered what Monique was doing.

Joey texted again, and she said that she wouldn't be back until the following day. As soon as Monique heard that Joey would be gone overnight, she begged to sleep in my bed as Joey did. She didn't want to be alone for the night, and frankly neither did I. Unlike Joey, I did request that we both wear pajamas. As enticing as Monique tried to be, I was going to remain solid as a rock. I would never risk Joey's wrath nor ever entertain such a young girl. I dearly loved her, but more as a family member than a lover.

I persuaded Monique to enjoy another healing session from her counterpart. I had a bone to pick with Yvonne, and I wanted some answers. We held hands and stepped onto the golden highway. Monique hugged me tightly with her head against my left arm. I held out my hand, and she clapped it smartly. Yvonne and Monique's counterpart approached. Yvonne knew that I was perturbed and would be drilling her for answers to my questions. I remained silent until Monique was out of sight. I turned to Yvonne. Take us somewhere to talk. You know exactly what I am going to ask. She obediently stepped us into another hotel room in Paris. She dropped her robe on the other side of the bed and tugged at my clothing.

"Just a minute, Yvonne! You know how upset I am that you never told me that Annette was performing some kind of weird voodoo on Monique to make me think that she was possessed by Annette." Tears formed in Yvonne's eyes as she blinked and looked away. "Damn it, Yvonne, I want answers!"

She sheepishly turned back to me. "Adriel, I'm not obligated to tell you anything about Annette as her counterpart."

"Don't give me that shit. When I asked you if Annette could possibly inhabit Monique's body, you said that you didn't know. Why didn't you tell me right then and there that she was using that infernal robe to influence Monique? I had a right to know that."

Yvonne sat cross legged in the bed as she looked down, and tears fell from her eyes. "I didn't betray you, Adriel, and I didn't withhold information."

"Yvonne, that's preposterous! If you record everything that Annette thinks or does, then you had to know."

"Oh, Adriel, there's so much that you don't know about my realm and my responsibilities, and you're not supposed to know. I really don't owe you an explanation, but you will eventually find out, so I'm going to tell you what I didn't want you to know. I voluntarily adopted Annette as her counterpart after hers defected and had sex with Joey and impregnated her with Hermaphroditus. The only way I could do that was to have you marry Annette. That freed you from Evelyn."

I was fuming. "Yes, Yvonne, I know all of that. What I want to know is why you kept me in the dark about something I desperately needed to know."

"Adriel, I am so sorry, but my upward command has revoked my adoption of Annette after her involvement in the underworld. I didn't know that she was using that robe to affect Monique."

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Wait a minute! Are you telling me that you are no longer Annette's counterpart?"

"I'm afraid that's true, Adriel."

"Then who is recording her thoughts and actions?"

Yvonne gave a deep sigh. "No one is recording her."

"But you told me when you adopted her that if her life wasn't recorded that she would soon die."

Yvonne put her hands over her face. "That's true, she will soon perish from your world." Yvonne broke down crying.

I felt numb. I didn't feel grief or relief. I felt nothing. "Then I suppose that her pregnancy from Hermaphroditus is moot."

Yvonne collected herself. "Well, you would eventually discover that Annette is sterile."

"Oh my god, Yvonne! Is that another nugget of information that you were hiding?"

"I didn't know until recently. Before my adoption was revoked, she visited a doctor to check on her pregnancy. It was nonexistent, and tests proved that she was unable to conceive. I'm really not supposed to tell you this about someone else."

I shot Yvonne an angry glance. "Yeah, well I don't think HIPAA applies here. This sure seems like an anticlimactic end to my project."

"Oh, Adriel, you have a long way to go. You never understood what your project was to begin with. Stay your course, and work with Joey and Monique. I have told you far more than I am allowed. I'm sure to answer for this. Now, take off your clothes, and let me take you apart."

My head was swimming with possibilities. If Annette died, I was free to take another wife. There was no question in my mind who that would be. After five years of being in love with her, I would finally get to take Joey as my spouse. I began to fantasize about buying her an engagement ring and taking her out for an elegant dinner to propose after I explained to her that Annette's hour glass was running out of sand. She had patiently waited for me ever since Mia had died, but I ended up with Annette. Joey had been hurt by me so many times, and I hoped that this would make it all up to her. I was going to keep my secret about Annette until I had the perfect opportunity to disclose it. However, I didn't want to act too soon.

Monique and I returned to the villa and sat on the patio with a bottle of wine as we watched the sun dip into the western sky. I had my arm around her as she looked up at me with those big, beautiful, adorable, blue eyes. "Monsieur, what are you thinking about? You're very quiet tonight."

"Oh, I'm just thinking about everything that has happened lately, and what a wonderful evening it is."

Monique placed her wine glass on the table and snuggled into me. She began rubbing my chest and kissing my neck. I began to laugh. "You are one very persistent little temptress."

Monique looked up at me and smiled. "Is it working?"

I laughed again. "Behave yourself, or you won't be sleeping in my bed tonight."

Monique feigned a pout and retrieved her wine glass. I continued to hold her with my left arm until there was no more light in the sky. It had been a long day, and splicing time often took its toll through exhaustion. We decided it was time to get a good night's sleep. I had Monique get ready for bed in her own room as I did the same. She snuggled in next to me, and I held her until the wee hours of the morning when I received a text from Joey. She was ready to come home.

I carefully slipped out of bed to keep from disturbing Monique. I stepped onto the golden highway and then to the chalet. The stench was deplorable. I grabbed Joey's hand as quickly as possible and brought her back to the villa. She was physically drained and wanted to go straight to bed. She gave me a strange look. "Since when do you wear pajamas?"

"Oh, Monique didn't want to sleep alone, and I told her the only way that she could sleep in our bed is if we wore pajamas."

"Monique is in our bed?"

"Yes, but there's plenty of room, and you can sleep between us, but first you need to take a shower. I don't even want to know what you did to those two."

"OK, Adriel, but I have a lot to tell you in the morning. There's something that we definitely need to do."

Joey showered and scooted into bed next to Monique. I got back into bed next to Joey, and she made me remove my pajamas. She then held me for the remainder of the night. I was so eager to tell her about Annette, but the timing wasn't right. In the morning, I was going to invite her to an elegant evening with me. I needed to splice time to go buy an engagement ring. My excitement grew by the hour.

I awoke again before sunrise while Joey and Monique were still snoozing. I carefully scooted out of the bed and went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. The air was warm, and a slight breeze was blowing from the west. I took my coffee out to the patio and sat on one of the loveseats. Within a moment, Yvonne was sitting next to me. "I wondered when you might show up."

"Well, I'm fully aware of what you have been thinking and how excited you are. So, it looks like you are finally going to get to marry Joey after all."

I smiled. "Yes, and it looks like you will soon get to make love to Agamon."

"Well, then, I guess I should be excited too, Adriel."

"Yvonne, I want to settle down with Joey and have a normal life. Is that possible?"

Yvonne chuckled. "I rather doubt it, Adriel. Your negotiations aren't going to allow that."

"Joey mentioned before that she wants to give me children. That sounds so scary at my age. Is that part of my negotiation too?"

"You know I can't tell you that, Adriel. You have to accomplish your negotiation by applying faith."

"I need to splice time and buy Joey an engagement ring."

"Don't you think you're jumping the gun a bit? Annette hasn't expired yet, and you're planning your next wedding. I think you need to wait. What if I get reinstated as Annette's counterpart?"

"Can that happen?"

"I really have no idea, but she's still around. I'd hate to see your disappointment if you couldn't marry Joey. Let's be patient."

"You're right, Yvonne. I'm trying to celebrate too soon. I know that sounds horrible, but after what I have been through with Annette, I'm finally ready for it to be over."

"I understand, but don't get sidetracked. You still have a lot of work to do. Come on, let's go somewhere to make love before the girls wake up. You need the healing."

Joey didn't arise until midmorning. Monique insisted that we make a huge breakfast together. She was hugging, kissing, and caressing me more since Joey had been gone, and I was concerned how Joey would react. Joey entered the kitchen as I was making another pot of coffee. She wasn't conversational until her second cup, but I could see her watch closely as Monique showed me a considerable amount of attention. I warmed her breakfast and served it to her along with more coffee. She ate about half of what I gave her, and she put her fork down as she turned to Monique. "Monique, Adriel and I need to talk in private. We'll be down at the beach if you need us."

Joey took me by the hand and grabbed a blanket. She started pulling me down the stone pathway toward the beach. "What's the hurry? Are you upset about something?" She glared back at me. Once we got to the beach, she spread the blanket and pulled me down. "So, what's the matter?"

"You know what the matter is. I'm gone for almost two days, and when I return Monique is sleeping in our bed, and she's all over you."

"Good grief, Joey, relax. She's a child, and I told her in no uncertain terms that there could never be anything between us."

"And just exactly why did you have to tell her that?"

"I think it's just a case of transference. We just saved a bunch of children, and I offered to protect her for the rest of my life. I think she's enamored with me due to the circumstances. It's nothing serious. I told her to find a young man her age."

"How many times have you kissed her?" I was silent. "OK, so it's too many to count. I supposed your tongues met too." I was still silent. "Damn you, Adriel! I warned you about her."

"My god, Joey, you sound like a jealous girlfriend. I'm not interested in her." I couldn't help myself. "Joey, I want you to marry me."

She gave me a surprised look. "You know we can't do that. You'll lose Yvonne."

"What if I told you there was a way for us to get married and not lose Yvonne? Would you marry me?"

"Are you proposing, or just curious?"

"Well, I wanted to wait until I purchased an engagement ring for you, but yes, I am proposing. Will you marry me?"

"Adriel, stop being ridiculous! We can't afford to lose Yvonne right now. We have a lot to do. I need to tell you what I have found."

"Oh, Joey, it's probably too early to tell you this, but Annette is going to die soon."

"What are you talking about?"

"Yvonne said that her adoption as Annette's counterpart was revoked. That means that Annette has no one to record her life, and she doesn't have long to live." Joey sat in a stupor as she looked out at the ocean. "I want to marry you, Joey. I have been in love with you for so long, and we can finally be together."

Joey turned to me. "Are you absolutely sure about this? Did Yvonne tell you that Annette had no chance?"

"Well, not exactly. She said that it could be possible that she could get reinstated, but she had no idea."

"Oh, Adriel, I wasn't expecting this."

"So, will you marry me?"

Joey grabbed me into her arms. "Of course I will marry you, Adriel, but I don't want a ring, and we don't need to do it legally. If you and I commit to be faithful to one another for the rest of our lives, that's all we need."

"Oh, my god, Joey, finally we're going to get to be together." We fell back onto the blanket together and kissed.

After several minutes, Joey looked into my eyes. "We need to discuss business, Adriel. I know you don't want the gory details about my time at the chalet, but I found an interesting link. Both of those men sung like canaries as I took them apart." Joey shook her head and smiled. "It was too easy. Anyway, they started spilling all of the names that they knew that were connected to the trafficking ring. Interestingly, I recognized one of the names. He is an agent that was involved in an assassination project that I did seven years ago. We have several people to visit via the golden highway. We also need to steal the documents that Avarro kept in his safe. I'm sure that Annette has possession of them now. We also need to steal the documents from the agency vault that contains all of the wills and assignments, and we need to steal the protocols and documentation from the agency for all of Avarro's past projects."

"But how in the world are we going to find all of those things?"

Joey laughed. "Adriel, I worked for the agency for sixteen years. I had assignments from over three thousand agents at various levels during that time. All of the agency documentation is kept at the headquarters in Washington, D. C."

"But what about Avarro's files? Annette has residences all over the world."

"Yes, but the files are kept at her office in D. C. She inherited Avarro's office along with his title. This is going to be simple. The hard part will be sifting through all of the documentation to find valuable information."

"OK, but if we're going on a stealing rampage, I want to get that infernal robe away from Annette. The last time I saw her, she was in Cairo. We could go there right now."

Joey stood and held out her right hand. I grabbed hold of it, and in two shakes were at Annette's residence in Cairo. We searched the place in parking mode, and Annette was nowhere to be found. We came out of parking mode and began rummaging through her things. I found it rolled up in her bed, and we took it to our villa and put it in our safe. We then decided to find Annette. I took the necessary steps, and my heart sank as we stood next to the hospital bed in parking mode. She was hooked up to monitors and had tubes and needles in her. I wasn't prepared to see this, and we went back to the villa. I was visibly shaken, and Joey held me as I stared out at the gardens. "Oh, Joey, I wasn't expecting that. The idea of Annette dying is far different from actually seeing her dying."

"I understand, Adriel, but we need to get those documents today. The first thing we need to know is who Annette's successor is."

Yvonne had taught me how to splice time. However, I wasn't nearly as adept at it as she was. She could precisely return us to our origination in the same moment that we had left. If someone were to watch it happen, it would appear much like a movie that had several frames cut out and spliced back together. We wouldn't be in the exact same stance when we returned, and it would look like a glitch in time. I often lost a couple of seconds when I spliced time, but that was good enough for me. Joey and I needed to splice time to steal all of the necessary documents, but first she wanted a healing session from Agamon. That sounded reasonable.

We stepped onto the golden highway and clapped. We departed in opposite directions with our counterparts, and Yvonne took me back to Paris. "Adriel, you are playing a dangerous game. Why did you take that robe from Annette's residence?"

I squinted my eyes at Yvonne. "You know perfectly well why I did that. You can read my every thought."

"You are in possession of a very dangerous item."

"We locked it in our safe. I didn't want anyone else to be able to use it."

"You are naive, Adriel. First, and foremost, you are never to wear that robe. Do you understand?"

"I had no intention of wearing it. I just wanted to keep it from everyone else. Should I destroy it?"

Yvonne closed her eyes and gave a sigh as she shook her head. "You can't destroy it, Adriel. That robe, and the one that I wear, are not made with earthly material and cannot be destroyed by anything in your realm. Have you never noticed that as often as we have made love upon it in the sand or on the grass that it has never stained? It's as white as snow and isn't affected by earthly elements."

"Then what should I do with it?"

"It's too dangerous for you to handle it. For now, you will need to leave it where it is, but you need to know that someday someone will come for it, and that person will do anything necessary to get it."

"I don't understand why it's so dangerous. I took it from Annette's residence in Cairo without a problem."

"Yes, and that was the first time you ever touched it. That won't be the case if you touch it again. You continually make matters more difficult for me, and I have to explain things to you that you should never know. That robe has an intelligence. It knows who you are now."

"So, does your robe have an intelligence too?"

"Adriel, you are delving into things that you have no right to know as a mortal human. You always have a tendency to seek the mechanics behind everything, but if I explain all of this to you it will give you an unfair advantage, and that's forbidden."

"Well, then tell me what would happen if I wore that robe?"

"It would destroy you, Adriel. Annette made a terrible mistake by taking the top position at the agency. She was corrupted absolutely by her limitless authority. She made another terrible mistake by getting involved in the underworld and becoming a vehicle for Fred. The third and fatal strike against her was utilizing that robe. Those three bad decisions have led to her end. Oh, Adriel, there's so much that I'm not allowed to tell you, and you must discover it on your own. As I said before, work with Joey and Monique. Waste no time. You will be horribly upset with me, but remember that I am limited in what I can do. I'm not allowed to divulge personal information about Annette."

Several hours later, Joey and I spliced time to travel to Washington, D. C. Our destination was the project archive vault that contained all of the documentation for every agent in command. They were kept in files alphabetically by agent name. The subterranean vault was massive, and a guard stood outside. I was relieved to find that no one was in the vault. It took several minutes to get acclimated, but we finally found the files for Avarro. I shook my head and turned to Joey. "Did this man not have a first and last name?"

"Oh, Adriel, don't be ridiculous. Are you really Jasper White? Avarro was never his real name. Come on, we're going to have to make several trips. There are far too many files to take."

We had no idea how much time we had, and we couldn't splice time to take the files. Otherwise, we would have been in the same place at the same time in duplication, and Yvonne strictly warned me against doing so. Luckily, it was the middle of the night in D. C., and it was doubtful that anyone would be delivering documents to the vault at that time. It took nearly an hour to transfer all of the files. I asked Monique to arrange them chronologically as we went back for more documents. We needed to find the agency wills that were kept by the agency review board. They had to be contained in a separate place that was only accessible by those who sat on the board.

We stepped into parking mode inside the vault. This gave us the opportunity to pass through walls without obstruction to look around. We found a door at the back of the project document vault and passed through to the other side. It was a separate area, and we were relieved to discover that it contained all of the agency wills for the assignments of successors. Unfortunately, the wills were kept in locked drawers that required two keys. We could see inside the drawers in parking mode, but we couldn't read the files, and we couldn't come out of parking mode inside the file drawers because we didn't fit. The only way to retrieve the files would be to build a portal inside the vault and use the stacking procedure that Yvonne had taught me on our last project.

We now had to splice time to buy the materials to construct the portal, assemble it within the vault, and connect it to another portal for stacking. My villa in Îles d'Hyères was still in my possession, and we had built a portal there to access the golden highway after Yvonne had abandoned me. It would need a new battery, but that was easy. We could then access the locked file cabinet from that villa and steal the documents much like I stole the gold from Ararat on my last project.

We wasted no time. We made the necessary trips to purchase the batteries, the infrared and ultraviolet lights, the rheostats, wire, and the metal for the frame. We transported it all to the vault and quickly assembled the apparatus. Unfortunately, we had one significant oversight. We couldn't get the portal operational due to the interference from the electrical lights in the vault. We knew if we somehow cut the power that the backup generator would invoke, and if we did anything to disable the generator it would alert the agency guards that someone had breached their security. Suddenly, Joey remembered that the interference was due to the low voltage used to create the portal. We then hooked up both batteries and tried adjusting the rheostats again to get the proper mix of infrared and ultraviolet lights. After feverishly trying different combinations, Joey was able to find the right mix within half an hour. However, we needed to purchase another battery for the portal at the villa.

We couldn't splice time or we would duplicate ourselves within the vault. I was getting very apprehensive as we returned to my old villa with another battery. It was emotionally difficult for me to be back at that villa. I burst into tears when I saw the place. The gardens had suffered devastating neglect, and the memories of Annette were overwhelming. Joey kept me on track, and we hooked up the new battery to the frame. Joey began the adjustment of the lights, and once we saw the faint blue glow we entered the portal together.

Joey was unaccustomed to stacking portals. Annette and I had finally determined how to stack them on our last project. As we stood on the golden highway, Joey looked left and right. "Where is the portal at the vault, Adriel?"

I smiled. "It's all a matter of perspective, my dear. Come, follow me." I led Joey off the golden highway behind the portal that we had just entered. She gasped as she saw a continuous line of portals stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions beside the golden highway.

Joey turned to me in confusion. "But which one of these is the portal at the vault? How are we going to find it?"

I laughed. "More simply than you would imagine." I stepped her through the other side of our portal at the villa that we had just entered.

Joey gasped again as she looked around. "Adriel, where are we?" Joey had expected to be on the golden highway, and in essence we were. However, when one steps through the other side of a portal toward the golden highway it looks like an endless hall of mirrors.

I began to explain. "We're actually inside our portal, Joey. All I need to do is take the step toward the vault, and it will stack the portal at the villa with the portal at the vault. This will enable us to be in parking mode at the vault. It's the only way to be in parking mode within a portal." We stepped into the vault, and I demonstrated to Joey how to use the portal in parking mode to retrieve the files from the locked cabinet. We transferred Annette's agency will back to my old villa. Next, we returned to the vault to disassemble the portal and remove it to my new villa. We then stepped over to my old villa to retrieve the documents and returned home. Needless to say, we were totally exhausted, and we spliced time to find a place to sleep for several hours.

After our naps, we spliced time again to return home. Monique was still arranging the project documents into chronological order. Joey was more concerned about Annette's successor, and she walked over to retrieve the sealed outer envelope from the table. She extended the envelope toward me. "Would you like to do the honors, Adriel?"

"Oh, Joey, you have to know whose name is the first choice. You are the only logical person that she would choose to succeed her."

"I don't think so, Adriel. I think it's you."

"That wouldn't make any sense. She knows that my intention was to take down the agency."

"Do you want to make a wager, Adriel?"

"Oh, please! Making a wager means that either of us would have to give up something of which we would normally not be willing to do. What would you withhold from me, and what would I withhold from you? Neither of us needs or cares about money."

"Hmmm, that's a good point. Let me think for moment." Joey pondered as I went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. "Tell me, Adriel, what do you intend to do with the villa in the Mediterranean?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. It's too painful to be there. I was thinking of giving it away."

"OK, what if we wager the villa? If I'm right, then we keep the villa and restore it. We can spend six months there and six months here out of the year. If you win, we offload it."

"Joey, there's too much heartache tied to that villa. I would be miserable."

"No, Adriel, we would establish new memories together. Plus, we could alter it during the restoration process to make it look much different. Monique would love to design new gardens." Monique looked up from the documents and nodded vigorously.

I sighed. "OK, we have a deal. You open the envelope. By opening the envelope, you will nullify the will."

"No, Adriel, these wills are kept in duplicate if not triplicate. They are held in different locations for protection." Joey broke the agency seal on the outer envelope and shook it onto the table. Three envelopes fell out with numbers on the outside to designate first, second, and third choices. She smiled as she grabbed the first envelope and broke the seal on the flap. She removed the letter and read it silently. She certainly didn't have a triumphant look on her face, so I knew that it wasn't my name contained in the letter. She shook her head with a confused look and handed it to me.

I was shocked when I saw who the addressee was. I looked up at Joey. "Why in the world would Annette choose Evelyn to be the head of the agency? That makes no sense. Evelyn is the last person in this world who would want such a thing."

Joey shook her head with a pensive look. "Adriel, when is the last time that you saw Evelyn?"

"Well, that would be the day that she told me to go back to my deceptive grave. She suffered so much when you and I faked my death after the Ophir project."

"Oh, would that be the time that you first learned to splice time and started fucking her behind my back?" Monique looked up at us with widened eyes.

"For god's sake, Joey, are you going to keep throwing that up to me? She was my wife, and I wanted to let her know that I was still alive. She broke it off with me when she found out I was living with you at the chalet."

"Yes, she ended your relationship, and what's the first thing that you did? You ended fucking Mia and getting her pregnant, but you wouldn't give me a chance."

"That's not true. Yvonne wouldn't let me be with you, and when I met Mia Yvonne gave me an ultimatum. Yvonne ended up leaving me, and all that did was throw me into Mia's arms."

"It wasn't her arms that got her pregnant, Adriel." Joey was fuming. "Then after Mia died, did you give me a chance? No, you ended up fucking Annette and marrying her."

"That's not fair, Joey! You make me sound horrible. Yvonne didn't allow you and me to be together."

"Well, she didn't allow you to be with Mia either, but that didn't stop you. You turned to Annette right after Mia died, and the only way that you got Yvonne back was when Annette's counterpart tricked me into making love with him. I thought he was you! I never would have done those things to you, Adriel."

"No, you just tried to rape me twice, and if Annette hadn't rescued me it would have destroyed us." By now, Monique was frozen in place as she sat on the floor with her mouth agape.

"You have lied to me so many times, Adriel, but I have never lied to you. For once, please tell me the truth. When is the last time that you saw Evelyn?"

"I just told you. It was when you and I were living together at the chalet, and Evelyn and Annette were lovers. Annette saw her multiple times after I saw her. Evelyn ended up breaking it off with Annette as well. That's when Annette lived with Mia and me, and she was still homosexual. You were there too."

"Yes, until Mia threw Annette and me out because she couldn't handle us with you, and you didn't stop her."

"Good lord, Joey, do we really need to rehash all of this? I'll admit that I didn't handle things well, but hindsight is 20/20. I don't want to argue about this. Open the second envelope because there is no way that Evelyn will agree to take Annette's place at the agency."

"Maybe she will, and maybe she won't. What if Evelyn wants you back, and that is the only way she can get you?"

"That's absurd, Joey! You obviously don't know Evelyn very well. Besides, she wouldn't know me if she saw me on the street. My face and vocal cords have been altered to where she wouldn't even recognize me."

"Really, because if you expect me to marry you, you are going to have to prove to me that Evelyn doesn't want you back. I don't trust you, Adriel, and I'm not leaving a chance that I will lose you to Evelyn." I glanced over at Monique. This was definitely not a conversation that we should be having in her presence. I could see her mental wheels turning, and I knew that she was looking for an opportunity.

"I'm not sure how you think I'm going to prove to you that Evelyn doesn't want me back. Do you want to go ask her yourself?"

"You have a poor memory, Adriel. I told you before if I ever saw her again, I would end her. You need to go to her and disclose who you are. If she says that she doesn't want you back, then I'll marry you."

"What if she's already with someone else?"

"That makes no difference to me. I want her to tell you face to face that she doesn't want you back."

"I'm not going to visit Evelyn, Joey."

"Then we're not getting married." I looked over at Monique, who was now giving me a hopeful look.

"Just open the second envelope, and let's see who is second."

Joey tore the next envelope open, and threw it onto the table. "We keep the villa in the Mediterranean. She named you as second."

"No, we wagered on who was first."

"No, we wagered on who was first between you and me. I win."

I tried to clear my head. "Joey, these assignments make no sense. Evelyn and I are the last two people on earth who would accept these offers. Who is in the third envelope?"

Joey ripped it open. "It's me, Adriel."

"Are you going to accept it?"

"Are you going to prove to me that Evelyn doesn't want you?"

"Are you trying to tell me that the only way that you won't accept it is to marry me?"

"What choices do you leave me, Adriel? If you don't marry me, you will end up with someone else, once again. Why wouldn't I accept the offer?"

"Joey, this is ridiculous. We finally have a chance to be together, and now you put some ludicrous condition on it."

"Oh, do I, really? In the past, you have chosen Evelyn, Mia, and Annette over me. You have lied to me and hurt me countless times. Soon, Evelyn will be the only one of your women who is still alive. Pardon me if I don't trust you, Adriel, but either you prove to me that Evelyn doesn't want you back, or I'm accepting the position."

"OK, what if I do prove that Evelyn doesn't want me? If you don't trust me, then what makes you think I will be faithful to you?"

"Because I think you know that if you so much as kiss another women when you are married to me, I will take her apart and force you to watch." Monique gasped and put her hand over her mouth in shock.

"Joey, when I asked you earlier to marry me, you agreed. You didn't say anything about Evelyn at that time."

"No, I didn't, until I saw her name as the first candidate for Annette's successor. Think about it, Adriel. We still need to retrieve Annette's files from her office. I'll bet that when we review them we find Annette has been in contact with Evelyn. I suspect that she has manipulated her into wanting you back in order to irritate and threaten me. If she persuaded Evelyn to take you back and offer her the opportunity to control the agency with you, then you could both dismantle the agency together from the inside. Then you two could go back to the suburbs in the Midwestern United States and retire together with twin rocking chairs."

"That's the craziest thing I have ever heard. I don't want Evelyn back, Joey. I want you. If that's not good enough for you, then maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't marry one another." I walked away and headed toward the beach.

## CHAPTER FOURTEEN

### _When My Best Isn't Good Enough_

I DECIDED TO walk southward away from my property along the beach. I was angry, hurt, confused, frustrated, depressed, disappointed, and mostly regretful that I hadn't brought any alcohol with me. For the last five years, all I ever wanted was Joey, but there were always extenuating circumstances that prevented us from being together. I was soon to be free to take another wife, and Joey was suffering from instability. Everything she said was true, but she made it sound so much worse than it was from my perspective. I desperately wanted to end my celibacy without losing Yvonne. Joey was right, if she turned me down I would end up with another woman soon, and I shuddered to think that it would be Monique. That could never work.

I really didn't want to visit Evelyn. I wasn't sure how I would feel, and I honestly didn't know what her response might be. I was afraid of losing Joey, but I understood her request. I knew that she couldn't take another heartbreak like that from me, and I frankly didn't blame her. She once told me that maybe we weren't meant to be together. I hoped that wasn't true, and I knew Yvonne would be silent on the matter. I needed to go back to the villa and have a talk with Joey. We had to work this out somehow.

I turned around and walked the beach back to my property. I was about one hundred meters away when I saw someone running my direction. I recognized the tiny frame that approached me. She ran into my arms and embraced me tightly. "Monique, you are either very brave, very desperate, or very naive. You are playing a precarious game with me. Joey won't tolerate you, and you know that."

"No, Monsieur, she has assured me that she will not keep me from you. We are free to be together."

"Monique, you can't be that gullible. Joey has no intention of giving you a chance with me. She's just tormenting me with you to prove a point. I'm so sorry that she would use you like that, but I will not. I dearly care for you, but you have to be realistic. What do you want from me? Is it my wealth, my ability to navigate and splice time?"

"Monsieur, you told me that you could be foolish and stupid, and now I can see that. You place too much importance on chronological age. If you had any sense, you would realize how ageless we all are. Is it preposterous that I love you? Is it essential that I live more decades to be compatible with you? You are superficial and arrogant. Do you think I'm really that naive or too young to know how to love? I apologize for my insubordination, but you offend me, Monsieur."

It took a few moments for me to process what Monique had just said. As I reviewed each statement, I couldn't disagree with her. "Monique, I sincerely apologize. You are absolutely correct. Age really means nothing when it pertains to relationships. However, certain boundaries must be established. I recognize that you are mature enough to know how you feel and make your own decisions. You will outlive me by many years. Do you really want to sign up for a relationship that is destined to leave you as a widow?"

"Once again, you assume that you can predict the future. You may outlive me, Monsieur, or you may not, but does it really matter? If you don't love me, then tell me so. You say that you do, but now that there is a chance for you and me, you avoid it."

"Look, Monique, I'm not sure what Joey is planning. You have to know that I want to marry her. I do love you, but I think we need to defer this conversation for quite some time. Don't think for a moment that I wouldn't enjoy you to the fullest, and I would love you the rest of my life. I just want what is best for you, and I seriously doubt that I am what is best for you."

"So, you think you are smarter than I am. You think you know what is best for me. You don't know what I feel in my heart. If you continue to view and treat me as a child, you will never get to really know me. Do you really have such contempt for me because I am young?"

"No, Monique, I don't have contempt for you. I am so sorry. Maybe I have been presumptuous concerning your age. I promise to rethink our relationship and disregard your age. I will try to be more objective, but if you think that Joey is giving you permission to start seeing me romantically you are making a fatal mistake."

"I have heard you admit that Joey never lies."

"That's true, Monique, as long as I have known her I have never heard her tell a lie."

"Then I can trust what she told me, and she said that I could have you."

I studied Monique's eyes. "You know, you are one tenacious little temptress, and I've never met anyone like you, not even Annette."

Don't think for one moment that I was entertaining the idea of marrying Monique. As much as I may agree with her that age has no bearing on love, I could never see myself with such a young girl. I desperately wanted Joey, but I was very perturbed with her for saying those things to Monique, and I didn't want to jump through hoops for her and visit Evelyn. I felt like Joey was testing me, and I didn't like it. I suggested that Monique and I return to the villa. I wanted to hear Joey say those things to her in front of me.

Monique and I made our way up the stone walkway to the patio. Joey was sitting on a loveseat sipping a glass of white wine. She saw us approaching and invited. "Well, why don't you two love birds sit and have some wine with me."

"Joey, you're acting childish. Stop this nonsense. Why did you tell Monique that she could have me?"

"Because I'm not going to stand in the way of true love. Monique, do you truly love Adriel?"

Monique held me tightly. "Of course I do."

"So, Adriel, do you love Monique?"

"Joey, this is ridiculous. You know that I love Monique, but not as a wife. Please, what has gotten into you?"

"Adriel, I'm not going to risk losing you to Evelyn. I meant what I said. Either go to her to prove to me that she doesn't want you, or you and I are through."

Monique was outraged. "But you said that I could have him!"

Joey smiled at Monique. "And indeed you may, if he so desires."

"OK, Joey, you win. I guess I owe you this after all that I have put you through. I'll go to Evelyn when she is available in her time zone, and I will introduce myself to ask her if she has any inclination to take me back."

I assumed that Evelyn still worked her regular job as a software analyst. It had been nearly four years since I had seen her. I would need to check on her in parking mode to learn her routine and determine the best time to drop in on her. However, Evelyn was a very cautious woman, and she was apt to ignore a stranger at her door. I opted instead to send her an email and schedule a visit to discuss her late husband. Then again, if I mentioned her husband she may be leery of anyone who wanted to discuss the matter. After all, I had to fake my death in order to protect her. The more I thought about it, the more difficult it seemed to gain an audience with her. I had promised not to spy on her, and I certainly didn't want to invade her privacy.

I checked the time of day. She was five hours ahead of me on the clock. It was Tuesday afternoon at her house, so I decided to wait another hour when she would normally be coming home from work. I retrieved a small voice recorder from my bedroom and slipped it into my pocket. I made the trip via the golden highway. It appeared that she hadn't arrived yet, so I sat on the front porch swing to wait. Within half an hour, she pulled into the driveway. I stood and waved to her. She pulled into the garage and came outside to greet me. "Can I help you?" My heart took a leap. She had aged noticeably since I last saw her, but she was still a very beautiful woman.

I extended my hand. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Chevalier, my name is Jasper White. I apologize for the intrusion, but I promise not to take much of your time. I'm here to discuss Agent Annette Marceau."

Evelyn put her right hand over her mouth. "Oh no! You're from the agency, aren't you? Something terrible has happened."

"When is the last time that you saw Agent Marceau?"

"Oh goodness, it has probably been about four years. Has something happened to her?"

"Well, she's on life support in London at this time. It appears that she isn't going to live much longer."

"Oh, I'm so very sorry to hear that, but why are you here?"

"I apologize, Mrs. Chevalier, but this is very awkward. Are you aware of her marital status?"

"No, she has never been married that I know of. I don't understand."

"So, you never knew that she was married to your ex-husband."

"You mean my late husband. He died over four years ago."

"I know that this is a delicate matter, but we are well aware of his life since he staged his death. It's all right, Mrs. Chevalier, you don't need to be concerned. You can speak freely with me. So, you weren't aware that he and Agent Marceau are married to one another?"

I saw the grief on Evelyn's face as she looked away. "No, the last I heard Agent Marceau told me that Adriel was married to a black woman and expecting a baby. She must have lied about that."

"Actually, she didn't lie. That was true, but his black wife and baby were killed in an accident. Agent Marceau then took him as her husband."

"So, what does this have to do with me?"

"As I said, this is very awkward, but the question has arisen whether you would want him to return to you."

Tears began to fall from Evelyn's eyes. "I hope this isn't some sort of a sick joke. Who are you, anyway?"

"I have been very close to your husband, and he wanted to know if you would take him back."

"Mr. White, you need to leave immediately." Evelyn quickly turned and went back through the garage and closed the door.

I knew that Joey wouldn't be satisfied with the recorded conversation. Evelyn hadn't taken me seriously enough to indicate whether or not she would take me back. It wasn't fair to Evelyn to press the matter any further. If Joey couldn't accept my effort, then I would have to accept that she wasn't willing to marry me. I returned to my villa and handed Joey the recorder. "This is the best I could do. I hope it will suffice." I went to our bedroom to change my clothes. When I returned, Monique and Joey were listening to the recording for the second time. Monique tearfully blinked as she looked up at me.

Joey slumped back onto the loveseat. "Well, Adriel, that's not exactly how I expected that you would handle it. Surely, you didn't expect her to admit to a third party that she would be willing to take you back."

"Honestly, Joey, I didn't know how to handle it. She would have been outraged if I tried to convince her that I was Adriel Chevalier, and the only way I could do that would be to show her my body. I certainly wasn't about to do that. I seriously don't think she wants me back, and even if she did I couldn't return to her. My life is here with you."

I could see the apprehension in Monique's eyes as she turned to Joey. "So, are you going to accept that recording?"

I interjected. "Joey, you heard Evelyn admit that the last time she saw Annette was when I was married to Mia. Annette hasn't visited Evelyn to influence her to take me back."

Joey looked up at me. "Then why would she name Evelyn as her successor?"

"Look what it has done to you! You once told me that Annette was the most intelligent person that you ever met. She knows how to manipulate you and drive you mad. Can't you see what she is doing? She knows that Evelyn won't take that position."

"We don't know that, Adriel. We need to wait until Annette has expired, and the agency presents Evelyn with Annette's letter."

"What difference does that make?"

"Because the only reason she would take the position would be to get to you. If she turns it down, that's good enough for me."

Monique stood and extended her hand. "Come on, Monsieur, let's take a walk together." She glanced over at Joey who smiled.

Joey nodded. "You are one gutsy little bitch, Monique, but I like you. Don't be gone too long. We still have a lot of work to do. We need to review these files and steal the ones from Annette's office."

I grabbed a bottle of cognac and held Monique's hand as she led me out to the gardens. As we walked along the northern fountain, Monique turned to me. "If Joey becomes the new Madame, do you think she will make me leave?"

"No, Monique, I think that Joey really likes you. However, you're playing with a cobra. You need to be careful. You're lucky that she isn't threatened by you. It's me whom she doesn't trust, and I don't want to do anything that might jeopardize your safety. We need to stop kissing. It upsets her."

"Oh, Monsieur, would she really murder another woman in front of you for just kissing her?"

"Joey never lies, nor does she make idle threats. I assure you that she would."

"Monsieur, please forgive me, but do you really want a wife like that?"

I chuckled. "Oh, Monique, you would be surprised what I have seen in the last five years. Yes, I will marry Joey if the circumstances allow. We need to get back to the villa. Joey's right, we have a lot of work to do."

By the time we got back to the villa, Joey had already begun to sift through Avarro's documents. She had organized them into piles on the kitchen table. When Monique and I walked into the kitchen, Joey looked up at me. "Adriel, what was the online lesbian tabloid that Annette used to place her ads for the new caretakers?"

Monique stepped in to answer the question. "It was Lesbienne Élégante."

Joey continued, "That's interesting because there are several ad copies in these files for the same publication. I doubt that it is a coincidence."

I was intrigued. "Why would Avarro place ads in a lesbian tabloid?"

"Take a look at these. They make no sense. This has to be some sort of covert communication with someone."

I perused the ads. Joey was right, they made no sense. This was obviously some sort of cryptic message meant for someone specific. "Is there any way that we can decipher the meaning?"

"I doubt it, Adriel. It most likely requires a predetermined key to translate it, and the intended recipient of the messages would be the only one with the key."

"How many of these ads are there in the file?"

"I haven't finished going through all of the documents. You two can sort through that stack over there, and I'll continue with this one."

Monique split the stack between us, and we began sorting through the documents looking for more ad copy. Suddenly, I stopped cold. "Oh, my god, Joey, take a look at this!"

I handed the ad to her, and she looked up at me. "Adriel, this is definitely no coincidence. We need to find that key somehow."

"But how will we do that? We don't even know who the recipient was."

"Oh, I think we have a fairly good idea. We need to retrieve Annette's files from her office in D. C. This lesbian tabloid along with this ad that mentions Zanzibar are a definite intersection. I believe that Annette was the recipient for these ads. Look at the date on this document. This was just before you were poisoned."

"Wait a minute! You don't think Annette was behind the assassination attempt, do you?"

"No, I don't, but we need to determine what this says. Annette was as determined as I was to eliminate Avarro. We need to ascertain if she was placing ads to communicate with him."

"How could we possibly determine that?"

"I'm not sure, but we need Annette's files. First, let's check on her to see if she is still alive, and then we can go to her office." Joey looked over at Monique. "We're going to splice time, so we'll be back in just a second." Joey took my hand, and we stepped onto the golden highway. I took the step toward Annette, and we went nowhere. My heart sank. I then targeted the hospital room where we had last seen her, and the medical staff was removing the equipment. The bed was bare. Tears began to stream from my eyes as Joey held me. "Come on, Adriel, let's go back to the golden highway and get Yvonne and Agamon. You desperately need a healing session."

Once Yvonne and I were alone in another hotel room in Paris, I broke down. It was reminiscent of the time that I lost Mia to a shark attack. Yvonne held me as I tried to catch my breath. As upset with Annette as I had been, I was still devastated by her demise. I would never hold her in my arms again. I would never feel the softness of her tongue or take her to the plateau of extended orgasm. I cried for hours before Yvonne could comfort me enough to make love with her. I have no idea how long we were there, but the sun had risen and set before we were finished.

We met Joey and Agamon after splicing time. Joey and I made the step to Annette's office in Washington, D. C. As I feared, the file cabinets were locked. I looked over at Joey, who nodded in agreement. We knew that we needed to retrieve our portal from our villa in the Mediterranean and stack it with the one that we has just left in our current villa. We spliced what time we could to repeat the same procedure that we had done in the project archive vault. We finally retrieved the files, removed the portal, returned to the villa, and I was drained both emotionally and physically. Joey didn't want to take the time for a nap, even though we could splice it back to the current time. She was too curious about what was in Annette's files. "Come on, Adriel, we need to sift through these files for some answers. I can't believe that she has this much documentation." Monique could determine from my demeanor and tears that Annette was no longer upon this earth, and she clung to me. No one spoke as we all perused the documents. After several minutes, Joey looked up with a triumphant smile. "Well, well, well, it looks like this is going to be easier than I thought. Annette has the translations for Avarro's ads in her file along with her responses."

The last correspondence via the tabloid was just prior to my poisoning. Avarro's message read, "Your asset is a grave danger to me. Succession comes with a price."

Annette's response was. "Price too high. Cannot comply."

"Oh, my god, Joey! Annette was expecting to succeed Avarro."

"Yes, it appears that way, but it looks like she denied his request. Let's look at an earlier post. Here is the one about Zanzibar." Joey read the translation. "Zanzibar awaits when you succeed. He will find you."

"I don't understand, Joey. Why would Avarro name Annette as his successor?"

"He apparently knew that you wanted to remove him. It appears that he hoped that she would betray you, but she didn't. However, look what happened. He was able to get her away from you. She must have known his agenda, and she obviously knew about the sex traffickers because she purchased Monique from them. In the very least, Annette was having communication with Avarro behind your back in hope of taking his position. However, I don't think that she believed that you would leave her."

We continued to search through the files. We learned that Avarro was tipped off by Annette that I was intending to take him down. She also explained that I would not kill him because I was too much of a pacifist. She was bargaining for a new position within the agency. He promised her succession for information regarding my plans. Apparently, when she refused to terminate me, he took matters into his own hands. I turned to Joey, "I don't understand how Annette knew how to communicate with Avarro."

"Well, we still need to finish going through these documents. All we have been looking for so far is ad copy, but to answer your question, when I was an assassin, I often received instructions via publications in the exact same way. Whenever the agency wanted to communicate without any trace, we used public notices and ads with a cryptic key to communicate. There were many times that I never saw my directive agent face to face or had any direct communication. I can tell you this, Annette had to have this line of communication established for quite a while, and it is specifically tied to Avarro." I was exhausted, but Joey insisted that we continue to sift through the documentation.

After another hour, Joey found a project initiation document that was established prior to the time that I was fired from the agency. "Adriel, this is a surveillance project, and you are the subject. The commencement date coincides with the time that Mia lived with you, and Annette and I turned you in for violating agency protocol. Apparently, Annette never left the agency. It was transferred from the colonel, who was your superior, and handed directly to Avarro last year. Annette has been working for Avarro all of this time and reporting your activity."

"No wonder she was so upset when Mia forced you both to leave. She didn't have a way to report my activity."

"Yes, Adriel, but she did manipulate the situation. She tried to get me to rape you at her residence in Cannes, but Yvonne snatched you away. That was when Mia died. She wanted to destroy your relationship with both Yvonne and Mia, but I had no idea what her agenda was. I didn't know that she was still employed by the agency. She promised you to me, but later when I was gone she took you as her husband. I thought that she had betrayed me, but she was establishing her position with you according to the project protocol."

I broke into tears. "Oh, my god, Joey, did she ever really love me?"

Joey came around the table to hold me in her arms as Monique knelt beside me and clung to my waist. "Oh, Adriel, I know for a fact that she really did love you. Think back, and be honest with yourself. You both could not have had the unbelievable sexual experiences on that plateau if she didn't love you."

"Good god, Joey! I was her project."

"Yes, and you were once my project, and I fell in love with you. What you had with Annette was real."

"No, it wasn't. I can't believe that she would ever have married me if I weren't the subject of her project. My marriage to Annette was a sham. Yvonne told me that I would be upset with her once I learned more about Annette. She's right, I'm furious!"

"Adriel, please, I understand, but I don't think you're being objective. You're hurt, and I get it, but Annette did love you. Otherwise, she would have terminated you for Avarro, but instead she fought to save your life."

I looked up at Joey with my tear soaked face. "You never would have done this to me."

"Of course not, Adriel. I could never deceive you like that, but then again, I'm very different from Annette. You need to put on your game face. We have a lot to do, and we can't afford to have you bogged down with emotions. You're worse than a woman sometimes. Annette is gone, and I need to have you do something very uncomfortable."

"Most of the things that I have to do are uncomfortable anymore, Joey. What's one more?"

"I need for you to take Annette's letter of succession to Evelyn to see if she will accept it."

"Are you out of your mind? She wouldn't give me the time of day at this point."

"She thinks that you are from the agency, and she knows that Annette was dying. We need to know if she's receptive to accepting the offer."

"This is a waste of time. There's no way Evelyn would ever accept that kind of responsibility. I know you're insecure and want to know if she's trying to get back with me, but that can never happen. We should monitor her daily to see when the agency contacts her. My guess is that they will have a very difficult time presenting her with that letter."

"OK, so if Evelyn rejects it, that means you are next in line. Are you going to accept it?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, Joey. It could be our ticket to dismantling the agency."

"Don't be naive, Adriel. It could be a ticket to getting you assassinated. I know far more about the agency than you do. If anyone sees suspicious activity from you, it could put you in your grave."

"Oh, and I suppose that you want me to pass it up so that it gets offered to you. I don't think so. What happens if neither of us accepts it?"

"Well, that's a good question, but I would assume that it would fall upon Annette's three subordinates, and once they realized that they didn't report to anyone, it would be the survival of the fittest. The problem is that once you turn it down, it gets offered to me."

"Are you telling me that you will accept it?"

"No, but I'm not saying that I won't either."

"Joey, if either of us takes that position, it will destroy our relationship. No one person in this world should have that kind of power."

"And yet, Adriel, someone does, and that person is the only one who knows it."

"That's not true anymore. We know about it. Whoever ends up in that position will be known to us, but he won't know that we know."

"Let me ask you something, Adriel. Let's just take a walk on the wild side and imagine that Evelyn did accept that position. What would you do? Would you take her down? That's rhetorical, by the way, because I know that you wouldn't. The safest person for the agency whom Annette could name was Evelyn."

"Don't be ridiculous, Joey. Evelyn would never put up with the things that the agency is doing. She would shut down all of the disgusting operations that they control."

"Oh, I find that interesting. You told me that absolute power corrupts absolutely, but you think your precious Evelyn is immune to such power."

"No, I don't think she would ever put herself into such a situation."

"Would you like to make a wager, Adriel? You lost the last one."

"You know, Joey, I think this is the first time that you have ever really pissed me off."

"Oh, is that because you're still in love with your ex-wife, or is it because I know people better than you do?" I started to get up. "Be careful what you do next, Adriel, because I really like Monique, and I don't want to end her over your silly mistakes."

I looked back. "Don't worry, I'm walking alone tonight." I could see that Joey held Monique's wrist under the table to keep her from following me.

I headed out toward the beach. It was dark now, and I appreciated the cloak of anonymity as I walked the sand southward. I once believed that greed was the worst sin of mankind, but when one has more money than he can spend the ugly side of human nature turns elsewhere. I began to contemplate if jealousy was a form of greed. Was it the threat to one's happiness much like the threat to one's financial security? Joey was jealous, and I didn't blame her. She wasn't really jealous of Evelyn or Monique. She was jealous for my commitment. I wasn't so obtuse that I didn't realize my terrible track record with women. I had serious issues because I fell in love with them all. Annette told me once that I justified my behavior by fooling myself that I was in love. Maybe she was right. I loved Evelyn, I loved Mia, I loved Annette, and I loved Joey. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I loved Monique, but I think her age wouldn't let me admit my true feelings. I was terribly flawed, and I knew it. What woman would want a man who fell hopelessly in love at every turn?

Joey had been with me for five years. She knew my weaknesses, and she didn't want to risk any possible antics with Evelyn. Mia was gone, Annette was gone, but Evelyn still lurked in the wings, or so Joey thought. Joey wouldn't hesitate to terminate anyone else, but she knew my history with Evelyn. Joey had been hurt too many times, and I didn't want to hurt her again. However, I didn't trust myself. I had to be the most insecure person that I had ever known. For some strange reason, I couldn't turn a woman away who loved me. Was I that desperate to feel loved? For god's sake, I lost both Evelyn and Joey at one point because I couldn't bring myself to commit to either of them.

Interestingly, I was able to commit to Mia. Perhaps it was because she was expecting my child, whom she named Melokuhle. It's hard to say. However, I did choose against Annette and Joey for Mia's sake. I offered to leave the agency and take her anywhere upon this earth to live. I chuckled as I remembered her response. "Goodness, there's just no middle ground with you, is there? First, you want two female coworkers sleeping in our bed. Within hours, you want to abandon the agency and go hide with me and Melokuhle. Can't you just go to work and come home to your family like a normal husband?" Oh, how I missed Mia, but there I go again. Sometimes I think that there is no limit to the number of women whom I could love and entertain, but none of them would feel special. I was damaged goods, for sure. Perhaps my fear of being alone was the main reason that I would be alone.

I really believed that once Joey and I were husband and wife that no other woman could possibly turn my head. However, I was still unable to get her to the point of letting me marry her. She had seen me with other women, but she had never experienced me with her as my wife. The entire premise behind me being prohibited from making love to Joey while I was married to another was the devastating affect that it would have upon my commitment. Annette knew that I wouldn't return to her. Evelyn knew the same. I'm sure that Mia knew it too. The only one who didn't understand my perfect, irresistible mate was Joey. Joey didn't want a ring, and she didn't want a formal proposal. She didn't want a ceremony of marriage, nor a certificate. How was I going to make her feel special enough to trust my commitment?

Before I realized it, I had walked all the way to the Tiki Bar down the beach from me. I hadn't brought any money or charge cards, and I really wanted a drink. I trudged through the sand and walked up to the bar. I was surprised to see that the bartender was the same young man who tended the bar at the resort where I stayed while my villa was being built. "Hey, Derek, I didn't know you worked here."

"Oh, hello, Mr. White! What brings you here?" I adored his Australian accent.

"I built an estate less than two kilometers down the beach. I was just out for a walk, and the next thing I knew I was here."

"Well, I'm glad to see you. Have a seat! What can I get you?"

"Oh, Derek, I left my wallet at home. I had no idea I would walk this far."

"No worries, Mr. White. I know you're good for it. You can pay me later this week. What are you in the mood for?"

I pondered for a moment. "I tell you what, Derek, why don't you make me one of those mixed exotic island drinks? You choose."

"I can do that, Mr. White." Derek began spinning glasses, scooping ice, tossing bottles, and the next think I knew, I had a tall glass with a little umbrella in it sitting in front of me.

I chuckled. "Thanks, Derek, I appreciate that. I'll be sure to catch up with you tomorrow." I sat and sipped the overly sweetened drink. I could taste pineapple and spiced rum. It had a cherry and an orange slice on top, but I wasn't sure what else was in it. As I sipped my drink, I really wasn't paying much attention to anyone else at the bar. I was deep in my thoughts as I continued contemplating what to do with Joey. After about fifteen minutes, Derek placed another drink in front of me. "Oh, Derek, I really wasn't planning on ordering another one."

Derek was drying a beer glass with his towel as he looked up. "Oh, Mr. White, that lady on the other side of the bar bought you the drink." He nodded his head toward the woman. It was so dark outside, and the lighting was dim. I had a difficult time seeing who she was, but I did see her rise from her stool and walk around the bar toward me. I swallowed hard as she walked into the light next to me. She was a gorgeous woman whom I judged to be about forty years old. She had flowing honey blonde hair, a pointed nose, thin lips, and her eyes were bluish grey. She was wearing a yellow bikini with a large orange flowered scarf tied around her waist. Her body was slim and athletic.

I lifted my drink to clink my glass to hers. "Thanks for the drink. Are you staying nearby?"

She smiled. "May I?" She nodded toward the stool next to mine.

"Oh, certainly!"

She took a seat and scooted close to me. "I'm here on vacation for two weeks. How about you?"

"Oh, I have an estate down the beach. I was just out for a walk tonight and ended up here." She gave me a dubious smile, and I knew that she thought I was lying about my residence. "You don't believe me."

She shrugged her left shoulder and shook her head. "It's all right. I don't have to believe you. I just wondered if you wanted some company tonight."

Sadly, my first inclination was that she was most likely a hooker. Regardless, I wasn't going to spend the night with her, but I was curious. "So, you're on vacation. Where do you live?"

Her sexy demeanor and the fact that she was practically in my face made it obvious that she was a sure thing for tonight. "I live in San Jose. I decided to celebrate my recent divorce and come to some place exotic in the South Pacific. So, do you have a wife here?"

"Actually, I'm recently a widower." She gave me another dubious grin. "Oh, my god, you don't believe that either. I'm telling you the truth."

"Oh, really? Then why don't you invite me to your estate for a drink, Mr. Widower?" She extended her hand. "I'm Carol."

I reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Jasper, but my friends call me Jazz. Let me text my secretary so that she can alert the staff that we are having company."

"Oh, you have a staff?"

"Yes, I have four wonderful young women who maintain my estate and a business partner. We all live together."

"And is your business partner a woman also?"

"As a matter of fact, she is. Just a minute while I text Monique." I texted Monique that I was having a guest tonight. I wanted the girls on call to help prepare a light snack and manage the bar. I asked that she alert Joey, and I also explained that I was Jasper White for the evening. I turned to Carol. "We have about a half hour walk northward along the beach."

I could see Carol's apprehension. "How do I know that you're not a serial killer?"

I laughed. "Hey, Derek, Carol wants to know if I'm a serial killer."

Derek chuckled. "I seriously doubt that Milady. He's the richest man on the island."

I stood and extended my hand. As Carol took it, she asked. "What kind of business are you in, Jazz?"

"I'm an international spy."

Carol broke into laughter as we walked toward the beach. "Oh, Jazz, your stories just get better and better."

As we leisurely walked beside the surf, I began to ask about her life in San Jose. She said that she had been married for twelve years to a real estate attorney. She decided one day that her life wasn't going in the direction that she wanted, and she filed for a divorce, which was finalized three weeks ago. She apologized for her insensitivity about my late wife. She really thought that I was making it up, but I understood and assured her that no offense was taken. She held my hand as we walked up toward my estate. She looked over at me with surprise. "Are you kidding me? Is this really yours?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it is. It's far more than I wanted, but I let my partner and my secretary design it all. I will introduce you to everyone and then give you a tour." We trudged barefoot through the sand as I led her onto the stone walkway that led to the villa. She kept looking circumspectly as we climbed higher and higher.

She was in wide eyed amazement. "Jazz, this place is incredible! It rivals any garden I have ever seen."

"Oh yes! My caretakers work very hard to maintain it, and they do an excellent job." We finally stepped up onto the patio where everyone was awaiting our arrival. I led her to Joey first. "This is my business partner, Joey, and this young lady is my personal secretary, Monique. I will let Monique introduce you to our caretakers and provide refreshments while I have a quick conversation with Joey."

Joey and I stepped out of earshot into the kitchen. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Adriel?"

"Oh, it's Jazz White for the evening. I have a plan, but first I need for you to vet this woman while I take her on a tour of the estate. If she is telling me the truth, and we can trust her, I might have a way to get that letter successfully delivered to Evelyn."

"You can't be serious, Adriel."

"It's Jazz, remember?"

"You're going to use a total stranger to deliver one of the most important letters in the world?"

"Perhaps, but it depends on whether we trust her or not. Let's just take it one step at a time. I'll have you take a picture of her and me together. You can get her fingerprints from the glass that she is currently holding. Send them both to your contact at the agency, and we'll see if we can trust her."

"So, you want me to call in another favor for this?"

"Yes, please, and tell him it's a rush job. We need that info as soon as possible."

Joey sighed. "And if we find that we can't trust her?"

"She goes back to her resort in the morning. She's only here for two weeks, if she's telling the truth."

"You do realize that you are taking a considerable risk by exposing us like this, don't you?"

"Maybe, but I think she really is who she says she is. We'll know soon."

Joey and I returned to the others. I put my arm around Carol and turned toward Joey. "It's good to make a new friend. Joey, why don't you capture the moment with your camera?" Carol and I smiled as Joey snapped a picture. "Monique, I'm taking Carol on a tour. Would you please follow along with the other girls and bring the appetizers and drinks?"

Carol and I leisurely walked along the paths through the gardens as Monique explained some of the shrubs and plants. We snacked and replenished our drinks from the trays the girls were carrying. I made sure to control our slow progress as we wound our way through the gardens. I wanted to give Joey enough time to vet our new friend. We finally finished our excursion of the grounds, and I could see that Joey was still awaiting a response. I decided to give Carol a tour of the villa and courtyard as well. She was surprised that we had no doors, and I explained the open concept to her. She was mostly impressed with the large kitchen and the fact that everything at our villa was constructed with stone. I needed more time, so I asked Monique to show Carol the caretaker's quarters while I had a word with Joey.

"Adriel, I mean Jazz, I'm not sure that I can get this information in the timeframe that you are requesting."

"Well, we'll do the best we can."

"So, is she spending the night, or what?"

"I haven't really gotten that far. I'm sure that she would like to, but I know what that means, and believe me, that's not going to happen."

Joey's text notification sounded. We had the information that we needed, but it would take some time to read everything and learn what we needed to know. I had Joey review the report while I met with Carol and the girls on their way back to our villa. Carol was awestruck with our estate. "Jazz, I've never seen anything like this. If you don't mind my asking, how much did all of this cost?"

I put my thumb and forefinger to my brow. "Oh, goodness, this is embarrassing. I'm really not sure." I turned to Monique. "Monique, dear, do you remember what the construction costs were for this estate?"

"Do you mean the total cost, Monsieur, or just the villas and furnishings?"

"I would assume the total cost." I turned to Carol with a questioning look, and she nodded her head.

"Well, the final cost after construction, furnishing, and landscaping ended up just a little more than nine hundred forty-six million dollars."

Carol nearly choked. I smiled as I turned to Carol. "So, my dear, are you having a good time?"

Carol's eyes were still wide. "I'm not so sure that I'm not dreaming."

"Oh, I assure you that you are wide awake, but the evening hasn't really begun yet. Come, let's sit on the patio and open a few more bottles of wine." I nodded to Monique who rallied the girls into the kitchen.

I led Carol by the hand as I seated her onto one of the loveseats. I sat next to her and put my arm around her. Joey sat facing us and put her laptop on the table. The girls brought fresh wine glasses along with three bottles of red and three bottles of white wine. I poured Carol a Chardonnay and filled my glass with Merlot. "So, Joey, what do you think of my new friend, Carol?"

"Well, Jazz, I think you have incredibly fine taste in women."

"Thank you, Joey, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

I could see the concern on Carol's face. "What's going on here?"

"Oh, Carol, I'm sorry if I concerned you. Actually, I need your help."

Carol looked back and forth at Joey and me a few times in confusion. "Why in the world would you need my help? We just met."

"Well, I have a very delicate situation that I need to handle, and unfortunately neither I nor my partner can accomplish it. You seemed to be a likely candidate, and I had Joey vet you before disclosing this. Congratulations, you passed the test."

"I don't understand. What do you mean that you had me vetted?"

"I told you that we are international spies. I can't just trust a total stranger. We had to make sure that you are who you say you are."

"Are you serious? I thought you were just joking about your profession."

"Oh, no, not at all! Believe me, if you're willing to accept this assignment, I will make it more than worth your while. You can comfortably retire for the rest of your life."

"Where does Carol work, Joey?"

Joey grabbed her laptop. "She's a paralegal for Samson and Smith in San Jose."

"What is her net worth?"

"As of today, she has assets just over two and a half million dollars."

I turned to Carol. "If you are willing to accept this assignment, I will immediately double your net worth to five million dollars. If you succeed in this assignment, I will increase your total worth to one billion dollars."

Carol continued to look back and forth at Joey and me in confusion. "Is this some sort of a joke?"

Joey put her laptop on the table. "No, Carol, Jazz is very serious, and he doesn't negotiate. I suggest that you accept his offer."

"But how dangerous is this assignment? What do you want me to do?"

"Well, it's not dangerous at all, actually. I just need for you to deliver a privately sealed letter to a woman in the Midwestern United States and make sure that she reads and understands the letter. If you are successful in delivering the letter and making sure that she reads it, I will deposit the remainder of your compensation into your bank account. It's very simple, really, and believe me, I would never put you in any danger. We'll pay all of your expenses and fly you first class. If you're willing to do this, I will explain all of the details. There are some very important points that you will need to follow, but they are simple."

"So, what's in this letter that you can't deliver, if I may ask?"

"It's an offer for a very high executive position for an intelligence agency, and that's all that I can tell you."

"So, can I have some time to think about this?"

"Oh, certainly, but you need to give me an answer before you leave this estate. Enough business for the evening, let's have another drink and go enjoy the pool." I turned to Monique. "Let the girls know that they can have the rest of the night off and join us at the pool." I turned back to Carol. "Oh, and I forgot to mention that swimsuits are optional."

Everyone but the four girls decided to keep our swimsuits on. We watched them laugh and frolic together as I stood between Joey and Carol with our backs against the side of the pool. We had several bottles of wine on deck, and I kept everyone's glass filled. I explained to Carol about our parties that we held regularly for our staff. She began to discreetly ask about my late wife, but I explained that her death was too recent for me to discuss. She asked how long I had been in the spy business, but I declined to comment on that as well.

I could see that Carol was enjoying the wine. She turned to me and planted a kiss on my lips. "Well, Mr. White, it appears that you know everything about me, but I don't know much about you."

"On the contrary, Carol, I have never been to your house, but you have seen every nook and cranny of mine."

Carol put her head on my left shoulder. "Well, I hope I get to see even more."

I slowly turned my head toward Joey, who had that, "You better behave yourself," look on her face. Our three caretakers had spread their towels beside the pool and were enjoying one another. Monique sat on the edge opposite us and glared at Carol. I slowly shook my head to assure her that I wasn't getting involved with Carol.

I had my left arm around Carol's waist, and I felt her start to slump. "Whoa, Carol! I think you're starting to fall asleep."

She jerked her head. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry. I'm such a terrible guest."

"No, no, not at all." I motioned Monique over to us. "Monique, please take Carol to the guest quarters so that she can shower, and get her some pajamas. I think she needs to get some sleep."

Carol looked over pleadingly. "Will you join me?"

"You get settled, and I'll check on you in a little while." Monique led Carol toward the villa.

Joey turned to me. "Just how long do you plan to entertain this new relationship?"

"Only until we get that letter delivered. We're going to have to make a duplicate letter and change the contact information to one of our burner phones. We'll need to fabricate an agency seal as well. I want it to look as official as possible. Hopefully, we will beat the agency to Evelyn, but we don't have much time. If Carol accepts my offer, I want her at Evelyn's front door within thirty-six hours. We will be watching from parking mode."

"You are terribly naive sometimes, Adriel. If you pay Carol what you promised, she will end up on your doorstep within a week."

I pulled Joey close. "It doesn't matter. I hope to marry you by then." I kissed Joey without reservation. I was now single, but not for long.

## CHAPTER FIFTEEN

### _Trouble in Paradise_

I PEEKED IN on Carol. Unfortunately, she was still awake. She saw me and stretched out her arms. "Please, don't make me sleep alone tonight."

I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. There was barely enough light in the room to see. "Oh, Carol, I am so sorry, but I'm still grieving my wife."

"But, Jazz, I'm not asking for sex. I just want you close to me."

I gave a sigh. "Let me get ready for bed. I'll be back in about twenty minutes." Why could I never say, "no," to a woman? Joey and Monique would both be livid if I slept in the same bed with Carol. Suddenly, I had an idea. I stopped by Monique's room and asked her to come to my room with me. I explained to her and Joey that Carol wanted me to sleep in bed with her, and that she wasn't asking for sex. I requested that both Joey and Monique join us. There was plenty of room for four of us. They agreed, and I took a shower before putting on my pajamas.

The three of us entered Carol's room and eased into bed. Carol looked around in bewilderment. "What's going on?"

"Well, I explained to Monique and Joey that you didn't want to sleep alone, and we all agreed to come and keep you company through the night." There was a little contention about the sleeping sequence between Joey and Monique, but I slept next to Carol, Joey slept next to me, and Monique slept next to Joey. I chuckled to myself. This was nothing compared to when Evelyn, Joey, Annette, and I used to all sleep naked together in the same bed three years ago. However, tonight I had a difficult time sleeping, and every once in a while I would see Monique sit up and look over to make sure nothing was happening between Carol and me. I desperately wanted to get out of bed, but I didn't want to disturb anyone, and I didn't want Monique trailing behind me. I finally dozed off and slept a couple of hours.

When I awoke, I could tell that Monique and Carol were sound asleep. I knew from Joey's breathing that she was awake. I leaned over and gently whispered, "I have got to get out of here. Let's go back to our bed." Joey and I carefully scooted off the foot of the bed and quietly tiptoed back to our room. I hoped to get another hour or two of sleep before we started breakfast. Suddenly, I had a great idea. I persuaded Joey to go to the golden highway with me and splice time so that we could get several more hours of sleep somewhere else. It worked like a charm. We returned fresh and rested and ready for a new day.

Joey started the coffee, and I put two pounds of bacon in the oven. She started beating a dozen eggs while I chopped vegetables. She wanted fried potatoes, so I had her get those started while I sautéed the vegetables for the eggs. I grated some cheddar cheese and combined it with Parmesan to put into the eggs with the vegetables. In an hour, we had a fabulous breakfast ready while Monique and Carol continued to snooze. We sat close and enjoyed our breakfast as I gazed at her face. I was so in love with her, and I couldn't wait to get that letter delivered to Evelyn. I knew that she would turn it down. If she didn't respond within twenty-four hours, it meant that she rejected the position. I was hoping that Carol would agree to help. Who would turn down a billion dollars?

Monique was the first to emerge. She wandered into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. She was such a doll. I invited her to sit next to me while Joey poured her a cup of coffee. She sat on the stool to my right and put her head on my shoulder. I was afraid that she would fall back to sleep, and I encourage her to drink her coffee as I finished my breakfast. I rinsed my plate and filled my coffee cup. Joey started another pot brewing, and I was concerned that Carol would awaken alone. I went back to her bedroom and climbed back into bed. I gently rubbed her back and invited her to come into the kitchen. She put her arms around me and pulled me in for a kiss. I felt bad that I didn't fully engage her, and I coaxed her to get up for breakfast.

I was eager for an answer, and I told her that we needed to discuss business after breakfast. I sat with her and sipped my coffee while she enjoyed the eggs, bacon, and potatoes. She continued to put her arm around me, pull me close, and kiss me on the cheek. I got up to fill our coffee, and Joey gave me her, "I told you so," look. I shook my head. Once Carol finished her breakfast, I took her plate to the sink and rinsed it. Joey invited her to the patio with another pot of coffee, and we all took a seat.

I began to explain. "Carol, time is of the essence. We are in competition with another agency, and if you are willing to accept my offer, I need to get you onto a plane today. Before you leave, I will transfer two and a half million dollars into your bank account. Once you are successful, I will complement it to put your net worth at one billion dollars. Now, I need to know if you are onboard."

Carol put her coffee cup on the table. "OK, you say there's competition. They're not going to kill me, are they?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, goodness no, Carol, I promised not to put you in any danger. This really is a simple task. If you're not willing, I can find someone else today."

"No, no, I really want to do this."

I looked over at Joey. "Joey, you have all of her information. Please transfer the initial funds to her account now, and I'll have Monique purchase the plane tickets." Monique stood to retrieve her laptop. I turned back to Carol. "Now, this is extremely important. You must never mention our names to anyone. If you are able to deliver the letter to the recipient, you must ask her to read it in your presence to be sure that she understands the contents. Once she acknowledges that she does, you may leave, and your mission is complete. You will then catch your flight back to this island to finish your vacation, and you will be a billionaire."

"OK, but how will you know that I have delivered the letter?"

"Because you will be under close surveillance the entire time. We have technology that no one else has."

Monique quickly returned and explained that she had a charter flight scheduled for Carol to Tahiti. From there, she would fly through Los Angeles to her final destination. She should arrive in less than eighteen hours. Monique had called for a limo as soon as possible to get Carol to the Aitutaki airport. There was no time to waste. She didn't have the appropriate clothing, but luckily, Carol was the same size as Annette. Joey and I excused ourselves briefly to splice time to retrieve some of Annette's business attire from our villa in the Mediterranean and fabricate the letter for Evelyn. We returned in seconds with the letter and the outfits for Carol. By the time that the limo arrived, we had her bag packed, and she was ready to leave. She needed to swing by the resort for her passport and undergarments and change her clothes.

I explained my rationale to Joey. "Carol has a much better chance of getting a response from Evelyn. She is a professional woman with a pleasant demeanor. She's attractive and looks to be around forty years old. I don't know who the agency is sending, but I doubt they have a better representative. We can track the flights to her destination and be there via the golden highway to witness the delivery. Once Evelyn has read the letter, she has twenty-four hours to respond to our phone."

"OK, Adriel, what are you going to do when Evelyn accepts the position?"

"Good heavens, Joey, she won't do that."

"OK, what are you going to do if she doesn't?"

"Then we're getting married, remember?"

"Well, if Evelyn turns it down, then it's either you or me."

"No, neither of us should accept it. I think it would destroy us. Can't you see what Annette is doing to us? Look, Joey, I don't know how Fred got to Avarro, and I don't know how he got to Annette. I certainly don't want him getting to any of us, and I think whoever accepts that position is doomed."

"I don't know, Adriel, we have been doing a lot of drinking lately because we thought that our mission on that nasty highway of death was over. Maybe we have made a big mistake. We haven't visited that horrid place since Annette died. Maybe we need to listen in on Fred again to see what his plans are."

"OK, maybe you're right, but I'm going to admit that my first priority is to marry you. It certainly doesn't seem to be your first priority."

"I'm sorry, Adriel, but I can't commit to something that I'm not sure about. I need to be certain that Evelyn doesn't want you back. You have no idea how badly you hurt me before when I found out that you were fucking Evelyn behind my back."

"My god, Joey, I was still married to her then. I had faked my death, and I wanted her to know that I was still alive. You can't possibly compare that time to the present. There's no comparison. I don't care if she wants me back. I want you."

"I know you, Adriel, and that leopard doesn't change his spots."

We set up a track on Carol's flights and the three of us went to the beach to enjoy what sun remained in the day. Joey and I decided to drink water to prepare for our visit to the highway of death in the near future. We estimated that Carol would arrive at Evelyn's home around seven o'clock tomorrow evening. I wanted to start tracking her during her limo ride to the house. Time seemed to drag slowly as we waited for Carol's plane to land. I was hoping that Evelyn would be home when Carol arrived. Carol's return flight didn't allow much time for her to deliver the letter, and if she wasn't able to connect with Evelyn in an hour we would have to reschedule for her.

Finally, Carol's limo was pulling into Evelyn's driveway. Joey and I were positioned in parking mode and followed Carol to the door. Carol rang the bell. I heard Evelyn's voice. She had installed a doorbell camera since I had lived there. "Yes, can I help you?"

Carol responded. "I have a special delivery letter for Evelyn Chevalier." After a few moments, Evelyn opened the door. Carol presented the letter. "My instructions were to have you read the letter in my presence and acknowledge its contents."

I could see the look of concern on Evelyn's face. "Oh, dear, this an agency seal." Evelyn tore the letter open and read it. She looked up in bewilderment. "I don't understand. Annette is offering her position at the agency to me. I have no idea why she would do that. Agent White stopped by Tuesday evening to tell me that she was dying."

"Excuse me, Ms. Chevalier, but you don't mean Jasper White, do you?"

"Yes, that was his name."

"That's impossible because I was with him Tuesday night in the South Pacific."

Evelyn invited Carol inside. She offered her a seat at the kitchen table while she retrieved her phone. "Here is a video recording of him on my porch." She handed Carol her phone.

"This is impossible. I spent the night with him at his estate." Carol saw the look on Evelyn's face. "Oh, no, not in that way! In fact, there were four of us sleeping in the same bed."

Evelyn had connected the dots. "Let me take a wild guess. Was one of those women named Joey?"

Carol gave Evelyn a surprised look. "Why, yes, it was! How did you know that?"

Evelyn started pacing the room. "Damn it, Adriel, I know you're watching. Come out of parking mode right now and talk to me."

Carol stood in alarm. "Ms. Chevalier, are you all right? Do you need for me to call someone?"

Joey looked over at me. "Congratulations, Adriel, you have now botched a second attempt. We need to fix this. Put us in the room. I promise not to harm Evelyn."

I reluctantly took the step. Once we appeared, Carol screamed and fell back into her chair in shock. Evelyn was furious. "How could you do such a thing to me? I told you to leave me alone. What is the meaning of this, Adriel?"

"Evelyn, I'm sorry, but this is a very dangerous situation. I don't have time to explain it all, but Annette has offered her position to you at the agency. If you don't want it, it will pass the next person in line that she designated."

"Of course I don't want her position at the agency. I want nothing to do with them. Why did you come here two days ago and ask if I wanted you back?"

Joey stepped in. "Actually, Evelyn, that was my idea. Adriel didn't want to do that."

Evelyn looked Joey up and down in disgust. "Well, I see you're still around. Why would you have him do that?"

"Because Adriel and I want to get married, and I wanted to be sure that you didn't still want him."

"No, I don't want him back. You are the main reason that we broke up in the first place. How dare you invade my home and come in here to try and act noble with me, you bitch! You stole my husband a long time ago. I want all of you out of here right now, and don't you ever come back!" Evelyn was screaming at the top of her lungs.

I led Joey over to Carol and took her hand. I pulled her up from the chair and sternly instructed, "Brace yourself, Carol." I took the steps to take us back to our villa. Carol screamed wildly for about five seconds and lost consciousness. I carried her to the bedroom that she slept in two nights ago.

When I returned to the patio, Joey handed me a snifter of cognac. "We may need to visit the hospital again to get your blood cleansed and your body chemistry corrected, but tonight we're definitely drinking!"

"Joey, that was horrible! Are you satisfied now? Will you marry me?"

Joey pushed her glass forward and clinked mine for a toast. "Yes, Adriel, let's make a commitment to one another." Joey stood and held out both her hands. I stood and grasped them with mine. She looked into my eyes. "Adriel Chevalier, I Joann Nyari take you as my chosen husband for the rest of my life, and I promise to be faithful to you always."

Tears streamed from my eyes as I choked out the words. "Joann Nyari, I, Adriel Chevalier, Jasper White, take you as my chosen wife for the rest of my life to cherish and love and be faithful and true."

We embraced and kissed long and deep. The moment that I had awaited so long finally had come. I was so glad that we had never crossed the line before. Tonight would be our honeymoon, and it would be the most special night of my life. I held Joey in my arms and looked over her shoulder. I saw Monique standing by the kitchen with her hands over her mouth and tears streaming from her eyes. She quickly ran off to her bedroom.

I pulled Joey down onto the loveseat with me. "We should splice time for our honeymoon tonight. I don't want any time constraints. We can go anywhere in the world and do anything that we want. We can spend weeks together in one night. We can have breakfast in France, lunch in New York, and dinner in Hong Kong. Let's decide how to spend the most unique and original first night of our lives as husband and wife."

"Oh, Adriel, I can't believe this is happening after all this time, but we need to determine what we are going to do with Carol. She has seen far too much."

"You're right, she has, but we can splice time tonight for as long as we want and return to this moment. We can spend months together enjoying our marriage, and we can pick a two week period at the end to stay sober to prepare our return to the underworld. We can determine how to handle Carol, and when we are ready we can splice time back to the present."

"That's true, Adriel, but if we're splicing time we can't return to the golden highway until we are ready to return to this moment. We couldn't go for our healing sessions."

I stood and began to pace. "Actually, Joey, that's not true. We can splice multiple segments of time as long as we don't duplicate ourselves in the same place at the same time. There's no limit to the number of splices that we can do. Let's splice time right now to make a plan." Joey took my hand, and we stepped onto the golden highway. We decided to walk a foreign beach to talk. I knew if I got her into a hotel room, I would be overpowered by my desire to make mad passionate love to her, and I wanted to wait for it to be special.

"So, Adriel, what do you plan to do with Carol? She really likes you, and she will be your first test in our marriage."

"Oh, please, Joey, I'm not interested in her. At first, I was disinclined to give her the billion dollars because she violated my direction and disclosed our names. However, now that we are husband and wife I really don't care. Her mistake actually caused us to learn Evelyn's decision much sooner."

"I know how naive you are. Carol won't disappear from your life like you expect."

"Well, I don't mind having her as a friend, but rest assured she's no competition for you. In fact, there isn't a woman on this earth who could turn my head from you."

"Well, Adriel, I must be out of my mind, but at this moment I'm inclined to believe you. So, where should we spend our first night together as husband and wife?"

"I will let you choose, however, it will become the most special and precious place on earth to me. I was hoping it would be in our bedroom. I want to have that memory for the rest of my life."

"Adriel, that won't be possible. We can't duplicate ourselves at the villa, and Carol will wake up soon. I'm sorry, but we need to go elsewhere. You love Paris."

"That's true, Joey, but it holds too many recollections of Annette, and I want our night unencumbered by past memories.

"OK, I have an idea. We should make it some place close to where we live in the South Pacific. We can return there from time to time for anniversaries and special occasions. How does that sound?"

"I love the idea! Let's explore some nearby places. Once we pick one, we can book a room for the night and enjoy our first time together."

Joey and I went back to the golden highway and spliced time back to the moment that we had left our patio so that I could retrieve my wallet. However, we didn't have the luxury of spending any time at our villa to research places, so we had to rely on venues that we knew were relatively close. We headed over to Bora Bora and found a room at the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort. We decided not to do any more planning and just concentrate on our love for one another. We settled in to our room and enjoyed the view. We had no luggage or personal items. It wasn't necessary. All we needed was a special place to consummate our marriage.

I chuckled as Joey and I slipped under the sheets together. "What's so amusing, Adriel?"

"Oh, Joey, this is more special than you can imagine. This is the only time that I will first make love to my wife after marriage. You have no idea what that means to me."

Joey pulled me close and looked deeply into my eyes. "Oh, Adriel, I wanted so much for you to be my first, but Annette's counterpart deceived me. I thought he was you."

"That's all right, Joey, you had no way of knowing, and that was partially my fault." Joey giggled. "Is that funny?"

"No, Adriel, it's just that you haven't had sex in so long that you won't last three seconds."

That started me laughing. "I don't care, we have as long as we want. We can splice time in several different places to enjoy our honeymoon." The more that we talked, the more I realized that Joey and I had far more in common than just sex. We had been in love with one another without coitus for almost five years. As much as I had wanted to engage her sexually over the past few years, at this moment I was so content to gaze into her beautiful emerald eyes knowing that we were now husband and wife. We recounted past experiences and some of the playful antics that we had enjoyed. We laughed and giggled together for over two hours. We kissed, caressed and explored one another without restraint.

Finally, the time naturally arrived, and it was the most fulfilling experience of my lifetime. I had melded with the woman of my dreams, and we clung to one another as the rapturous delight consumed us as one entity. I couldn't determine where the line of demarcation was between our bodies. I was part of her, and she was part of me. We enjoyed the intertwining of our tongues as we felt the intenseness of our orgasms. As I slowly thrust myself inside her, our tongues caressed one another causing an electrifying euphoria that made a full circuit between our tongues and our loins. She was tight, and every time I pushed forward, it pulled her soft sensitive clitoris downward and provided an overwhelming pleasure as she orgasmed over and over.

We hadn't done any oral or anal, nor had we tried various positions or explored one another's bodies for erogenous zones. I didn't want my lips to part from hers, and we faced each other as we made sweet love. I wasn't aware of the intermissions that we took. It didn't matter if I was physically inside her or not. The thrill of being with her apart from any restrictions was the most incredible delight. Our kisses were as sensuous and rapturous as our genitals were as they joined as one. For the first time in my life, it wasn't about the sex. It was about our love. Joey had suffered from Emotional Detachment Disorder for most of her life. She was the Angel of Death, and yet this woman had a deeper capacity for love than I could comprehend. I could actually feel her love penetrate me like a warm, wonderful radiation.

This woman who had captivated me over the years and tempted me beyond my wildest expectations turned out to be far more than I ever anticipated. I expected that the sexual addiction would have consumed me as an intensely addicting drug, but it wasn't the sex. Don't get me wrong. The sex was unbelievable, but it couldn't exceed the love that we shared with one another. This was the one truly incredible aspect that would cause me to be faithful to Joey forever. I now realized why I couldn't commit to another woman. I had never experienced this kind of love and connection to any other. I had never felt so loved. I had never felt so safe, both physically and emotionally.

During one of our interludes, as we held one another closely, Joey softly purred, "You know that I want to give you a child."

"I know, and I hope that we can raise a wonderful family together."

Joey looked lovingly into my eyes. "I hope that you have impregnated me tonight."

"That's a shot in dark," I offered.

"Oh, but wouldn't it be fantastic that I conceived on our honeymoon?"

"Well, it would be stupendous, to say the least, but you have a small window of ovulation within a month."

"Yes, but it is possible according to my cycle."

I pulled Joey in closely as I kissed her lips. "My dear, I honestly hope that you and I have produced a child with our first night of passionate love. Oh, why couldn't I have met you first and married only you?"

"Well, Adriel, maybe it is because the first time you ever got married I was eight years old."

I closed my eyes and chuckled as I shook my head. "Oh, my goodness, I often forget our age difference."

We began to engage ourselves again and again with the hope of starting our family on our wedding night. I couldn't begin to tell you the number of orgasms that we had together because for the first time in my life I wasn't counting. It made no difference. I wanted my sperm to penetrate her egg and give us a wonderfully, beautifully, intelligent child to raise as our own. I couldn't imagine a more fulfilling consummation to our love for one another.

Joey and I were so enthralled with our honeymoon that we spliced time in several different venues. We multiplied our first night together, and each time it was as special as the first. It took us over one hundred different splicings of time to finally agree to return to our villa on the patio before Carol awoke. We had made love all over the world in one night. At each spliced interval, we met our counterparts on the golden highway for our healing sessions. I could tell that Yvonne had been enjoying Agamon. She was radiant, and she couldn't stop smiling. She disassembled me time and time again. Between Joey and Yvonne, our honeymoon was the most exhilaratingly, rapturous time in my life both emotionally and physically.

At last, Joey and I finally returned to our patio at the same time that we had made our commitment of marriage to one another. Monique marched out of her bedroom with swollen eyes. "You lied to me! You told me that I could have him, and then you stole him from me. I hate you! Are you going to kill me now? Go ahead!"

I began, "Monique," but Joey took my arm to stop me. She walked over to Monique and embraced her tightly. Monique struggled and pounded on Joey with her fists, screaming insults at her. Joey continued to hold her tightly until Monique finally collapsed in Joey's arms and sobbed on her shoulder. Joey nodded her head toward Carol's bedroom to have me check on her. I stopped in our bathroom to get a cold cloth for Carol's head.

Carol was beginning to stir as I entered. I sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her forehead to pull her hair back before applying the cool cloth. She blinked a few times. "What the hell just happened? Have I been dreaming?"

"I'm afraid not, Carol. You have just suffered severe shock, that's all. I have a lot of explaining to do, but you need to rest for a while. Keep this cloth on your forehead, and I'll be back in a few minutes." I walked back out to the patio. Joey was sitting on a loveseat holding Monique and rocking her back and forth as she cried. "Is she going to be all right?"

Joey nodded. "It's just a young heartbreak, Adriel. She'll be just fine."

I grabbed a bottled water from the kitchen for Carol and returned to her. As I handed her the water, she sat up and lamented, "I guess I failed my mission that you gave me."

"Actually, Carol, in the end it turned out just the way that I wanted. I'm increasing your net worth to one billion dollars today."

Carol tilted her head with her eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

"I certainly am. I am a man of my word, and you accomplished what I wanted even quicker than I expected. Joey agreed to marry me, and we took our vows on the patio with one another. That's really all I wanted."

"I am so confused, Jazz. How did we get back to your estate?"

"It's a well kept secret that I would prefer to remain so. Once you feel up to it, I'm going to walk you back down the beach to your resort. I need to settle up with Derek for the drink I had a couple of nights ago as well. Come out to the patio when you're ready to go. I'll be out there with Joey and Monique."

When I returned to the patio, Joey was coaxing Monique to sit next to her as she held her in her arms. She continued consoling her and assuring her that all would be fine. She understood Monique's emotions and began to recount her own heartbreaks that she suffered from me. I intended to gather our employees later this afternoon to explain that Joey was now to be addressed as Madame, and that they worked for her as well. Carol wandered out to the patio. She was still in the business suit that we had loaned her. I explained to Joey that I was going to walk Carol back to her resort, and I would be returning soon. I also asked that she complement Carol's assets to total one billion dollars. Carol left her shoes in the bedroom, and we both walked off barefoot toward the beach.

Carol was still considerably wobbly as we walked along the beach. She clung tightly to me and put her head on my shoulder. "I really don't know how to thank you, Jazz. I can't believe that you're giving me a billion dollars."

"Well, it's two and a half million short of a billion, but you are now a billionaire. You should be able to retire comfortably."

"I guess I was a little foolish to think that there could be anything between us."

"Oh, Carol, I hope that we can be good friends. I really like you, and you are welcome at my estate any time."

"I still can't understand how we got back here. You seem to be able to pop across the world in an instant. Are you even human?"

I burst into laughter. "Oh, I assure you that I am. Someday, maybe I will explain it all to you, but I think it would be too much for you at the moment."

"So, let me understand this. You and Joey aren't going to get officially married?"

"No, it's not necessary. We committed to one another, and we have no desire to make a legal contract out of it."

"So, then she doesn't own half your assets?"

"Well, yes and no. I have given her complete control of my accounts. She has a sizable fortune of her own, but we really don't care about money. By the way, I hope I haven't done you a disservice by making you a billionaire. Sometimes people can't handle having an excess of wealth."

"Well, I guess time will tell. I'm not a drug user, that's for sure. I will trade my Mercedes in for a Rolls Royce, and I'm definitely building a new home. I'll be sure to invite you to my new place when it's finished."

"I appreciate that. I'm looking forward to it."

Carol stopped and pulled me close. "Jazz, I hope I'm not being too forward, but I'm still here for nine days. I came alone, and I don't know anyone here. I hate to invite myself, but would you mind if I spent the rest of my vacation with you?"

"Oh, not at all, Carol. We would be delighted to have you stay with us. I will warn you though, we will be having a caretaker party in the next few days, and they can get fairly wild. We completely abandon clothing, and the girls get rather loose at times."

"Yes, I saw them beside the pool the other night. Is that common?"

"Yes, very common, but we have boundaries. I am exclusive to my wife, however, the girls might approach you. So, if you are uncomfortable with that I will ask them not to do that."

"I don't know, let's just see where it goes, Jazz."

"OK, well, I will stay at the bar and settle up with Derek. I think I'll have another couple of drinks too. Why don't you go to your room, and pack your bag? In fact, you could even check out of the resort. You don't need to come back here. I'll help you carry whatever you need."

Carol trudged toward the resort as I sidled up to the bar. "Good afternoon, Derek! I came to settle up for the drink the other night. I'll also have a Hennessy neat while I wait for Carol to return."

Derek set the drink in front of me and grinned. "Well, mate, it looks like you two hit it off brilliantly."

"Oh, Carol and I are just friends. In fact, I got married since you have seen me last."

"Congratulations, Mr. White! That drink is on me, by the way."

"Why, thank you, Derek. That's very kind of you." I lifted my glass to him. Of course, I was tipping him five hundred dollars.

Carol returned as I was finishing my second cognac. "Wow! You look fantastic!" She had her hair pulled back and wore a large sun hat. She wore the tiniest red string bikini that I had ever seen. Her body was tight and sleek. She was truly a very attractive woman. She was pulling a suitcase through the sand and had a bag slung over her shoulder. I quickly took the suit case from her, and we headed back to my place.

Joey and Monique were having a snack on the patio. They both eyed Carol up and down when we approached. She had her arm around me, and I could tell that Joey wasn't pleased. I quickly broke away and pulled Joey in for a kiss. Monique invited Carol to walk the gardens while I explained to Joey that Carol was going to be our guest for the next nine days. "She has her eyes on you, Adriel."

"Oh, don't be silly. She's just a friend. She doesn't know anyone else here, and she didn't want to spend nine days alone."

"I'm sure she could pick another man up at the bar."

"Joey, don't be jealous. There's absolutely no reason. You're a hundred times more attractive than Carol, and I'm hopelessly in love with you. Besides, we can splice time together, so having her as a guest won't interfere with our time alone." I noticed that Joey was sipping water. "Oh, my goodness, I just had a couple of cognacs at the bar down the beach while I was waiting for Carol to change and get her things. I totally forgot that we weren't drinking."

"Well, I don't think that two drinks will throw your body chemistry off that much. We need to go to that god forsaken place to check on Fred and see what he is up to."

"OK, but we might as well do it now while Monique and Carol are walking the gardens." Joey and I went into the bedroom and removed our clothes. We took the step onto the golden highway and then to the Euphrates River. We held our breaths and stepped out of parking mode and through the portal onto the highway of death. This time, it was I who retched and vomited, which triggered Joey's gagging and vomiting.

Joey wiped her chin. "Well, there goes my lunch."

This place was more disgusting than I can describe. I navigated toward the entity that had inhabited Annette. I nearly vomited again. He was lying in a pool of black blood. Several of his horns had been torn off, which left deep sockets in his face and neck. He was missing an arm, and his shoulder bone was protruding. His face had been beaten to a pulp, and they obviously used one of those spiked clubs. It appeared that intestines were trailing from his rear orifice. Infernal dogs were licking his blood, and he kicked at them to shoo them off. A fraction of the beating that he had suffered would easily kill a mortal, but in this realm these nasty beings were subject to the worst of treatment without the hope of death.

He certainly wasn't as smart as he thought he was. He had surmised that I would never harm Annette, and he was right about that. However, what he didn't realize was that Yvonne had adopted Annette, and her adoption had been revoked. Annette couldn't continue upon this earth without a counterpart, but she had made fatal decisions that no longer permitted Yvonne to record her life. This was Fred's third major failure, and from the beating that he received I wondered if his superiors would let him continue in his endeavor. I suspicioned that they might give the responsibility to someone else. If so, I knew that I could easily find them by that concept, but that meant that I needed to come back to this disgusting place to do so. We figured that regardless of the decisions in the underworld, they wouldn't be able to regroup that quickly.

Joey and I wanted to imbibe during our party, so we decided to enjoy ourselves to the fullest and remain sober for two weeks afterward. What excited me most is that Joey and I could spend those two weeks returning to our honeymoon activities while we detoxified from the alcohol. It always amused me that I wasn't very creative when it came to splicing time. It had so many wonderful benefits. Joey and I made our way back to the golden highway and spliced time. We stepped into our bedroom and immediately into the shower. We quickly toweled off and dressed before returning to the patio.

Monique and Carol were talking intently as they leisurely walked up the stone path toward the patio. Joey and I decided to fix a light snack for everyone to enjoy. However, I noticed a disturbing change in Carol's demeanor whenever Joey's back was turned. She was extremely flirtatious with smiles and winks and pursing her lips for a kiss. I ignored her, and we served the snacks with several bottles of wine. I excused myself to go speak with the caretakers about Joey's new role as Madame. Carol asked if she could come along, and I agreed. However, once we were out of sight from our villa, Carol pulled me into an embrace and kissed me as she slipped her hand below my waistband. I pulled back hard. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Monique told me that you could't wait to get me alone to make love to me."

"She said what?!" I was outraged.

"She told me that you two made love regularly by the fountain while Joey was asleep."

"Oh, my god, Carol, none of that is true. She's upset that Joey and I committed to marriage. She was under the false impression that Joey had promised me to her. She's playing a dangerous game. My wife is a global assassin. If she ever saw you do what you just did, she would terminate you in an instant."

"Oh, Jazz, you can't be serious. She would kill me just for kissing you? She has seen me kiss you before, and she didn't do anything."

"Yes, that was before our commitment. The horrible thing is that Monique knows this. She just put you in grave danger. I can't tolerate this. You need to come back to the villa immediately with me and disclose your conversation with Monique to my wife. Whatever you do, don't tell her what you just did."

"Oh, dear, she won't kill Monique, will she?"

"No, but Monique will lose her position here. I will demote her to being one of the caretakers."

I led Carol back to the patio and sat Monique on one of the loveseats. Joey joined us, and Carol nervously recounted her conversation with Monique. Monique had her knees pulled tightly against her shoulders as tears fell from her eyes. Joey patiently listened to Carol and thanked her for her candor.

Joey turned to Monique. "I understood your anger when you knew that I had taken Monsieur as my husband. I wanted to console you, but you have betrayed me and our guest by trying to drive a wedge between my husband and me. You have lied and put Carol in danger." I could see the trepidation increasing on Carol's face. Joey continued. "Until further notice, you are to remain fully clothed at all times when you are away from the caretaker quarters where you will be staying from now on. I am putting Kristina in charge as the lead caretaker, and she will be monitoring your activity and performance to report to me. You are banned from all parties until further notice as well. I don't want to see your face at this villa, and I don't want you near my husband ever again. You will be working in the middle of the night with the other caretakers. I'm sure you are fully aware of what will happen if I discover that you have disobeyed me. Now, go gather your belongings from your room, and move them to the caretaker quarters. I will be there in half an hour to explain to Kristina and the others what the new arrangements are."

I could see Joey's anger as she grabbed Monique by her upper right arm and practically dragged her to her bedroom. As soon as Joey was out of earshot, Carol turned to me. "Oh, Jazz, I am terribly sorry. I apologize for what I did. I didn't know."

"Let's just consider that it never happened. I will never speak of it again. Thank you for disclosing Monique's deception to Joey. I can imagine how uncomfortable this has been. I apologize for Monique's actions. It was a terrible thing to do to you. Now, let's enjoy some of that wine."

Monique made three quick and tearful trips to her bedroom to remove all of her belongings. I was extremely disappointed in her. I never dreamed that she would do anything that horrible. Joey was revoking all of Monique's security and access to our accounts and files. Once everything was secure, Joey went to talk with the caretakers. Carol and I continued to talk and sip wine on the patio for about half an hour before Joey returned. Joey invited Carol to help plan the caretaker party that was scheduled two nights from now. We no longer had Monique at our disposal to plan parties. This would give Carol and Joey a chance to get to know one another better. For the first time in quite a while, I actually had a chance to be alone.

I decided to take a walk along the beach. It was difficult to comprehend what had transpired in just a few days. Splicing time the way that we did for our honeymoon made it seem like so many weeks had passed, but in reality we had delivered those children from slavery just a few days ago. We needed to follow up on the trail that Joey intended to investigate with the agent's name that she recognized as part of the trafficking ring. I knew that the agency would be trying to deliver the real letter from Annette to Evelyn very soon. I wasn't sure if they knew how to find us, but I rather doubted it. My guess was that they would try the villa in the Mediterranean, but it was now empty. Since Joey had left the agency, she would be considered AWOL, but that depended on whether Annette had reported her. I had no idea, but we still needed to address the issue with Annette's successor.

Fred was in fairly bad shape the last that we saw him, so I wasn't too concerned that the underworld would regroup very quickly. Joey had thwarted Fred with Avarro. His second attempt failed due to Yvonne's adoption of Annette being revoked. I was trying to understand the reason behind all that had happened. I originally thought that my project dealt mainly with the underworld entities, but as things progressed I realized that Joey and I needed to dismantle this horrible child trafficking organization. My suspicion was that it was somehow related to the agency, and we definitely needed to dismantle it. The agency was so vast and had its tentacles into so many aspects of this world. It would be like putting chocolate syrup into a glass of milk and then trying to remove the chocolate from the milk. Even if I could take down the agency, I feared that the political and financial structure of this world might fall apart. The principle reason that the agency existed was to maintain a controlled cohesion of the world's condition to keep mankind from destroying it.

I was going to miss Monique, but in ways I was relieved that Joey had banished her from our villa. It was one less distraction for me. Monique had taken so much of the daily responsibilities at our villa. I wasn't sure how much Joey was going to rely on Kristina. I still couldn't believe that Monique could be that sinister to endanger Carol and try to drive a wedge between Joey and me. I liked Carol, but I was just being kind by letting her stay with us for the remainder of her vacation. I was looking forward to her departure so that Joey and I could settle into our married life together. If Carol really were hoping for a relationship with me, I hoped by now she would realize how impossible that would be. I knew that the party would be a test for her. We would all be drinking and naked and having a wonderful time. However, that could often become a recipe for trouble, especially for someone who wasn't accustomed to our parties. I intended to stay very close to my wife, and the days of sharing a bed with anyone other than Joey were now over.

I felt like life was so much better defined now that I was married to Joey. Maybe it was our love for one another. Maybe it was because everyone knew that she wouldn't put up with any nonsense. Joey had a deep capacity for love and commitment, and she expected the same from me. I didn't want Joey to know about Carol's behavior on the path to the caretaker villa. If she had seen that, she would have ended Carol without warning. I was still concerned that Carol had fully intended to take me right there on that jungle path, which meant that I couldn't fully trust her. Joey's standards of fidelity were high. Women needed to be careful how they touched me. I could see Joey's displeasure when Carol had her arm around me. Things were going to be a lot different now.

It was such a beautiful day, and the air was warm and pleasant. There were intermittent clouds, and the seagulls were darting and diving over the water. The sounds of birds, surf, and rustling palm trees were relaxing. It felt so good to have some time alone. Monique wasn't clinging to me and kissing me. Carol wasn't hanging on my arm. I chuckled to myself as I thought about my lonely period after I had left Annette at the villa in the Mediterranean. I was alone with Yvonne. We had found this island together and planned my new estate. Annette moved out of our villa within a month after she had accepted her position at the agency. She didn't remove any of her personal belongings. I wasn't concerned about looters. If Joey and I were going to return there and restore it, we would be buying all new furnishings and equipment. I wanted to renovate it so much that it didn't look anything like its original design. It never ceased to amaze me how quickly life can change in a moment.

I decided to turn around and head back to my estate. It was a delightful break from everyone, but I was ready for another glass of wine. I admired the gardens every time I walked up the stone steps toward the patio. Joey and Carol were enjoying a bottle of wine and pleasant conversation when I approached. Joey looked up as I stepped onto the patio. "Carol, dear, would you please excuse us while we go into our bedroom for a private conversation?" Carol nodded, and I could tell by the look on her face that this wasn't going to be pleasant. Joey led me into our bedroom and sat on the edge of our bed. She patted the bed on her right to invite me to take a seat. "So, Adriel, is there anything that you would like to tell me?"

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. "Not that I can think of, why?"

"Well, as Carol and I were researching the menus for several caterers, she broke down crying and confessed that she had kissed you and made an advance on you when you went to talk to the caretakers. Adriel, I don't want you keeping secrets from me. That is the beginning of trouble."

"What did you expect? I was afraid that you would kill her. I'm not about to endanger someone's life by divulging things like that. I didn't reciprocate. I decided to treat it as though it never happened."

"Adriel, you have totally misunderstood my warning. I said that if you so much as kiss another woman I will end her. I didn't mean if a woman kissed you, and I didn't mean if you kissed another woman as a friend. Good heavens, that would leave a trail of bodies longer than I could imagine. If you don't entertain another woman's sexual advances, I'm not going to harm her. I would expect you to handle it appropriately, and you did. However, I want you to let me know about these things. I don't mind if you kiss Carol or our caretakers as a friend, except Monique is off limits. Carol was scared out of her wits to confess that to me, but her conscience was bothering her too much."

"Well, what about your threat to Monique if she disobeyed you. It sounded like you would terminate her."

"Oh, my god, Adriel, I wouldn't kill Monique. I would certainly make her life unpleasant, but I wouldn't harm her. You have greatly misunderstood me. I'm not a jealous monster, but I won't tolerate any infidelity from you. From now on, please let me know these things. I'm glad Carol had the intestinal fortitude to confess to me. It brought us a lot closer. She admitted that she is very attracted to you, but she assured me that she wouldn't do anything else inappropriate. She thought you were pursuing her from what Monique told her. We need to be completely candid with one another, Adriel."

"OK, what about when Carol had her arm around my waist when we came back from her resort. You looked like you were angry."

"I wasn't angry, Adriel, but I was aware. I can tell by the way a woman touches you if she wants you. Like I said, if you behave everything will be fine."

"Well, I'm relieved to hear that. I didn't like keeping a secret, but I feared for Carol. I'm glad she told you. It relieves me because I was concerned about our upcoming party."

"I think she'll be all right. Now, let's go clear the air with her."

We returned to Carol, and I apologized for my misunderstanding. I didn't want Carol to think that Joey was a ticking time bomb ready to go off at the slightest provocation. Joey assured Carol that everything would be fine, and she wanted her to feel comfortable around me. She even had me kiss Carol on the lips several times and explained that it was acceptable as long as we kept our tongues in our own mouths. Hugging and caressing were acceptable too, if they weren't sensual. Joey really didn't mind how much affection Carol and I showed one another as long as it didn't lead to infidelity. I could see Carol breathe a sigh of relief.

Joey called Kristina to come to the villa. She wanted to familiarize her with the party arrangements and show her how to do the ordering. She also gave her limited access to an expense account for all of the daily transactions at our villa. As Joey worked with Kristina, Carol and I grabbed two bottles of wine and walked the gardens. Carol turned to me with a look of relief from the terrifying experience of confessing to Joey. "Oh, god! I was afraid that she might attack me, but I just couldn't take it any longer. I felt so bad about what I had done, and I put myself in her place thinking that I would want someone to confess to me if I were her."

"Well, I'm so glad that you did. It caused her to clarify her threat to kill someone if I entertained her sensually at any length. At least we can show each other affection. I would have been on needles and pins at the party, especially after a couple of bottles of wine. By nature, I'm a very affectionate person, and I really like you."

"Oh, same here! So your real name is Adriel. I asked Joey about that because she kept calling you Adriel. She said that you had facial and vocal reconstructive surgery a couple of years ago in order to prevent yourself from being recognized. I hope you don't mind that she also told me a little about your late wife. I'm really sorry you suffered that. I was surprised that you and Joey got married so quickly, but she explained all of that to me as well. You have had an interesting life, that's for sure. I can't believe you are both international spies."

"Well, I can't believe that she told you all of that. She must really trust you. By the way, before you leave to go home, we will need to have a debriefing session with you."

"Oh, my, that sounds so official."

"Believe me, it's for your sake as well as ours. The more that you know, the more danger it puts you in, and I don't want you to make a mistake and get tortured to death for information."

Carol looked over at me with widened eyes. "I hope that your joking."

I shook my head. "No, Carol, I'm very serious. I'll wait until the debriefing, but you need to follow a particular protocol. You must never tell anyone about us or our estate. It's far too dangerous."

"OK, I have a really crazy idea. What if I came to work for you and Joey?"

"Oh, Carol, you have no idea what you would be signing up for. If you think you really want to do that, I need to discuss it with Joey. It would require you to know far more than you do, and we would have to have a lifelong commitment before we disclosed everything to you. This is one job that you can't resign from. You could never leave us, so you need to think about that before you offer."

"It just sounds so exciting, like in the movies."

"Oh, no, no, this is nothing like the movies. It's real blood, and it's real stench, and it's real danger. I have been highly trained as an agent, and sometimes it's difficult for me to see some of the things that I have to see. You could never see your family or friends again, and we would have to change your name and possibly your appearance. This isn't fun and games."

"Oh, I guess you're right, I had no idea. Can we remain friends?"

"Of course we can, as long as you don't get yourself killed by what you know."

"Oh, dear, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I bought you that drink at the bar."

I chuckled. "Well, Carol, that's probably not the first time we have ever met, but that's another long story."

## CHAPTER SIXTEEN

### _Scratch Where it Itches_

CAROL AND JOEY were making the final arrangements for our party tomorrow night. I decided to call Kristina over to our villa to have a discussion about her new responsibilities. She was a very conscientious and intelligent girl, but she didn't have near the creativity and ambition that Monique had. I was beginning to think that was a positive aspect. Kristina thanked me more than once for her new role, but I had to give the credit to Madame for placing her in that position. Kristina and I discussed the catering and grocery orders that we usually made on a semi-weekly basis. I took her into the kitchen to familiarize her with the layout and where everything was kept. She would be responsible for stocking our shelves once the orders arrived. I also encouraged her to do a little cooking as well, and I invited her to help with breakfast in the morning.

I asked Kristina to walk the gardens with me so that I could discuss Monique without Joey overhearing. I waited until we were on the other side of the northern fountain to ask about her. "Oh, Monsieur, she spends much of her time crying. I feel so sorry for her. She can't come to our parties, and she can't come to the villa except to work at night. What did she do to make Madame treat her so harshly?"

"Oh, Kristina, I would rather not discuss Monique's offense."

"But Monsieur, what if I mistakenly did the same thing?"

"What Monique did was a terrible offense, and it was no mistake. She told some horrible lies, and she got caught. I don't think you would ever do such a thing, so don't worry. How is Monique working out in the gardens?"

"She is a hard worker, Monsieur. I think she hopes that she can please Madame and get reinstated to her position."

"Oh, Kristina, I seriously doubt that, but please don't tell her so. I would appreciate it if you told her that I think of her often, and I hope that she is doing well."

"Monsieur, I must tell you that Emily and Fanette think that Monique had an affair with you."

"Well, I will admit that was one of the lies that she told, but rest assured that it certainly isn't so. I love all of you girls dearly, and it greatly disappointed me that Monique would lie and be so manipulative. I have to have someone in charge whom I can trust."

"Oh, Monsieur, you can trust me. I will do anything that you want."

"I know that, Kristina. I think that's why Madame put you in charge. As long as you continue to do a good job, I believe that your position is permanent. I'll walk you back to your quarters. Please be at the villa at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

I returned to the villa after walking Kristina home. I joined Carol and Joey in the kitchen and decided to enjoy a snifter of cognac. I offered Carol a glass, and she cordially accepted. She was getting excited about the party tomorrow night. Carol was a big fan of beef, so they ordered a nice prime rib with roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables for the party. The meal would be complemented with several sauces and breads and desserts. It sounded wonderful. Joey invited Carol to cook dinner with her for the evening. I explained that Kristina would be joining us in the morning to help cook breakfast and eat with us.

As Joey and Carol busied themselves in the kitchen, I took the bottle of cognac out to the patio. As I sat on a loveseat enjoying the gardens, my thoughts turned to Monique. I was so disappointed, and I wished that she hadn't done something so foolish. I missed her, even though she was sometimes exhausting. Tomorrow would be the first party that she would miss. I pictured her lying on her bed and crying all night. It broke my heart. I was beginning to wonder if Joey had been too harsh with her. I wandered back into the kitchen as Joey was basting three red snapper filets with some herbed garlic olive oil. "Joey, do you think that maybe we were a bit harsh with Monique?"

Joey glanced up as she continued to baste. "No, Adriel, I don't. Monique's insubordination and offense is inexcusable. Anyone else would have terminated her employment, but we can't do that with her now. She has to remain with us. I know how soft you are, especially when it involves Monique, but she has to learn that I won't tolerate behavior like that."

"You're not going to ban her from our parties forever, are you?"

"I told her it was until further notice. I don't want you saying anything to any of the girls, but Monique hasn't tried to apologize for her actions. I might go easier on her if she would show some level of contrition. You need to remember what she did to Carol and just how sinister it was." Carol glanced over at me with a sorrowful look.

"I suppose you're right. That really was dastardly of her."

Carol, Joey, and I enjoyed our dinner together and cocktails afterward on our patio. It was a pleasant evening. Joey and I were planning to go to the golden highway at bedtime in order to splice time for our lovemaking together and our healing from our counterparts. Joey was much more discreet about making love, and she didn't want others to watch or hear us. I greatly appreciated that. Annette, however, often enjoyed making love in front of others. It was a way for her to mark her territory, and it was often Joey who suffered from it. As it got later, Carol could sense that Joey and I wanted some time alone. We both kissed her goodnight, and she retired to her bedroom.

Joey and I were hungry for our love that we shared, and we spliced four nights together in separate places to sleep and make love until we were satisfied that we could last another day. Before returning to our bedroom, we summoned Yvonne and Agamon from the golden highway for our healing sessions. Yvonne and I ended up back in another Parisian hotel room. After Yvonne had disassembled me and made love to me in multiple fashion, I wanted to talk. "Yvonne, it has been a long and confusing road for me. When I was coerced into the Ophir project, Evelyn and I discovered how to navigate the golden highway, and we eventually met you and her counterpart. Due to the intense threat to my life and someone else who had access to the golden highway, Joey had to stay connected to me at all times. That all began the night that someone tried to snatch me in the middle of the night. Annette ordered Joey to hold onto me and never let me out of her grip. We showered together, went to the bathroom together, slept in the same bed, and she was holding me whenever I made love to Evelyn. Luckily, Joey suffered Emotional Detachment Disorder back then, but due to the closeness that Joey and I shared, I fell in love with her. When I discovered who you really were, you warned me never to have sex with Joey because it would prevent you from coming to me."

"Yes, Adriel, and I'm surprised that you were able to avoid it. However, I had to intervene a few times when it was completely out of your control."

"That's true, although, I did take liberties with her, and we enjoyed certain intimacies, which led to Evelyn leaving me. That was after Joey started feeling emotion after she saw you make love to me on the beach in Italy. Joey and I faked my death at the end of that project to protect me from those who sought to kill me or force me into their service. That was the most difficult three months of my life because we shared a bed, bathed together, and we were as close as husband and wife without sex. After Evelyn left me, I met Mia. Even though you warned me not to make love to her, I was overcome with her, and we decided to become husband and wife. She was soon carrying my child. I thought that I would never see you again." My eyes welled with tears. "Then Mia died, and you were able to return to me."

"Yes, and during your time with Mia, you and Annette became very close. That's when Annette's counterpart caused her to feel heterosexual attraction to you, and you both ended up in bed together, which shut me out of seeing you face to face once again."

"I'm so sorry, Yvonne. I had chosen against you twice. It wasn't until Annette's counterpart crossed the line with Joey and impregnated her with Hermaphroditus that you were able to return to me as Annette's adoptive counterpart. Annette and I married, and we were happy together until she was offered Avarro's position at the agency. Then she died. Finally, I am now with Joey, and for the first time since I have known her I'm not fragmented with another woman. Joey was always a threat to any woman that I was with, but now that I'm with her we have no apparent threats to our relationship. However, the thing I fear the most is that Joey will die soon. I lost Mia, and I lost Annette, and now that I have Joey, I'm afraid of what I might have negotiated. I can't bear to lose her too."

"Adriel, I cannot discuss your negotiations. Fear will imprison you. It will cause you to make bad decisions. You can only live in the moment, and if you fear that Joey will die soon, it will destroy your joy and peace in that same moment. Love her, enjoy her, be true to her, and live by faith one day at a time."

Joey and I returned to our bedroom for another good night's sleep. I had nearly forgotten that Kristina was arriving early to help with breakfast. I quickly showered and dressed before going into the kitchen to start the coffee. Kristina soon arrived, and I let her choose what we would prepare. She chose to make blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, and sausage. I basically left it to her as I showed where all of the utensils and ingredients were. I stayed close by in case she had any questions, but she had a considerable amount of experience in the kitchen due to her upbringing.

Joey and Carol had both come into the kitchen as Kristina was cooking. I poured them cups of coffee and shooed them from the kitchen as I worked with Kristina. They settled in on the patio to enjoy the warm breeze, singing birds, and the colorful flowers and shrubs in the gardens. There were several strategically placed palm trees that provided shady spots along the garden paths, and I loved to watch them sway as the wind blew. Kristina called to Joey and Carol as she was setting the table. Breakfast was ready, and we all sat and talked at the kitchen table as we enjoyed the wonderful breakfast that Kristina had provided.

After breakfast, Joey and Carol took a walk along the beach as I familiarized Kristina with our alcohol orders. I walked her through the inventory and explained how much of each type we needed to have on hand at all times. She took notes on her phone and set up the necessary schedules. I also showed her how to examine the bottles to be sure that there had been no tampering. I explained my concern due to the neurotoxin that nearly killed me several months ago.

I dismissed Kristina and took advantage of my time alone to go to my gym and get in a good workout. Joey was the one who kept me on track, and we usually worked out together. However, having Carol with us put a crimp in our daily routine. I was glad that Carol and Joey were spending more time together. I knew that it would help relieve the fear that Carol had felt for Joey. It would also cause Joey to be more understanding of Carol. I wondered if Carol would mention the possibility of her coming to work with us. Carol was very naive, and I didn't see how she could reasonably fit in with our operation. She was a little older than Joey, and she hadn't been trained as an agent.

I showered again and returned to the kitchen. Joey had made a pot of tea, and she and Carol were sitting on the patio. Kristina texted Joey and asked if the girls could come early to enjoy the pool. She consented, and before long we had three beautiful young naked girls frolicking in our pool. The girls had tried to wave Carol to join them, but Carol was reluctant to take off her clothes yet. I warned her that the girls were very crafty, and it wouldn't be long before they had her surrounded in the pool with some fabricated game that required them to touch her. Joey laughed and told Carol some of the things that the girls had done to her. However, now that she was Madame they could never initiate physical contact. Monique, on the other hand, had crossed that line many times with me, but I permitted it.

We continued to while away the time as we talked on the patio. Joey checked on the caterer to be sure that everything was still on track. I went into the kitchen to make batches of cocktails and refrigerate them for the party. The girls had been in the pool for over an hour, so I stocked the portable bar with liquor, mixers, water, glasses, ice, and garnishes. I wheeled the bar out to the girls, and they wanted me to join them for a drink in the pool. We all fixed our drinks, and I stripped off my clothes to join them. I felt very comfortable being naked around the girls. They had no sexual interest in me, and it prevented any awkward tension. There were times when one of the girls might ask me to rub her shoulders to relax her, but it was purely platonic. We maintained protocols at our estate, and sexual relations between employer and staff were strictly forbidden.

One drink led to four, and we were laughing and joking with one another. I was careful not to mention nor entertain any conversation about Monique. Kristina had brought a robe to the pool with her so that she could accept the caterer's delivery. I offered to help her when the time arrived. Finally, Joey led Carol to the pool, and I could see that Carol was still a bit shy. Joey took her clothes off and began undressing Carol beside the pool. Joey took Carol by the hand as she walked her into the pool. Carol had a fantastic body. She wasn't nearly as voluptuous as Joey, and Joey could often make women feel uncomfortable and inferior due to her magnificent figure. However, she was aware of that and did what she could to put Carol's mind at ease. I saw her kiss Carol a couple of times and fill her wine glass as they stood with their backs against the side of the pool.

The girls wanted to string the volleyball net. We played rotational teams of three. During the fourth game, Joey's phone notification alerted her that the caterer had arrived. Joey decided to help Kristina and left me in the pool with the others. Carol and I waded over to the side. "I hope you're having fun," I encouraged.

"Oh, yes, I'm having a great time. So tell me, do we eat dinner naked as well?"

"Frankly, when no guests are around, we never wear clothing at any time. So, yes, we will be naked for the entire party. Are you uncomfortable? You can get dressed if you like."

"Well, I'm not used to it, but after a couple more drinks I think I'll be OK."

I noticed during dinner that Carol began to loosen up. The alcohol was removing her inhibitions. After one of my bathroom breaks, I ran into her in the hall, and we hugged and kissed as we passed one another. Everything seemed to be going very well. The sun had set, and I had Kristina light the oil torches around the patio and pool area. She had Fanny and Emily light the ones along the stone walkway from the patio to the pool, and I lit the kitchen candles. We turned off all of the electrical lights. I opened more bottles of wine and carted them out to the pool for more games. Joey and Carol prepared some of the leftover food to take down to the pool in case anyone wanted to snack during our games. Every time Carol passed by me, she would stop for a brief kiss.

We all settled in at the pool with our drinks and enjoyed the fire light as the reflections danced upon the water. Carol stood on my left in the water and put her head on my left shoulder. The last time she had done that, she began dozing off, and I had Monique take her to our guest room. I looked over to make sure she was still awake, and she kissed my lips. Emily and Fanny wanted to start another round of volleyball, but Joey and Kristina declined so that they could talk. Carol and I were partners, and every time we scored a point, we hugged and kissed, which was customary for all of us whenever we played. We finally had enough volleyball, and I took down the net. The girls decided to play some of their own games in the corner of the pool while Joey swam laps. Carol and I continued to talk as we stood in the water. I filled our wine glasses and hugged her intermittently as we discussed life at our villa. At intervals, she would put her arms around my neck and sweetly kiss my lips.

After about an hour, Joey finished swimming and filled her wine glass. I was standing between Joey and Carol with our backs against the side of the pool about chest deep in the water. We were watching the caretakers splashing one another with a beach ball. I filled our wine glasses and emptied the last bottle that we had on deck. Carol turned toward me. "I think this is the first time I have been naked with a man and not had sex."

Joey leaned over to look at Carol and smiled. "You'll eventually get used it."

Joey was the first to finish her wine and offered to go get six more bottles for us. She pushed herself up and sat on the deck to retrieve the empty bottles. Soon after she left, as I was watching the caretakers, my left arm was pressed against Carol's right arm. I felt her start to tremble considerably. I looked over at her. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing hard. I looked down below the water. "Oh, my god, Carol, are you masturbating?"

Carol glanced over at me with her eyes rolled back as she breathlessly whispered, "Oh, yes, it's either this, or get myself killed." In a few seconds, she released into a discreet orgasm as she grabbed my left hand. I couldn't help but laugh. She buried her face in my left shoulder, and I slipped my arm around her waist. Luckily, she gained her composure before Joey returned with the wine. I was ready for a refill.

Joey filled our glasses, and we continued to watch the girls pass the beach ball. Carol grasped my left hand and held it against her stomach. Over the next several minutes, I notice her inching my hand closer to her pelvis. Once I felt her hair, I pulled my hand away to fill my glass. I decided to put my arm around her shoulders. The girls took a drink break for a few minutes and then invited everyone to join in the pool games. Joey decided to participate, but Carol held back. I decided to stay with Carol to keep her company. Before long, I noticed that tears were running down Carol's cheeks. "Carol, are you all right?"

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Adriel, I just can't do this. The hugs, the kisses, being naked with you, all of this wine, and this party, it's just too much. I'm going to do something really stupid if I don't get out of here, and I really like Joey. I'm going back to the villa and book a flight home tomorrow. Please forgive me, but I'm not used to this."

I was dumbstruck as Carol climbed out of the pool and wrapped herself in a towel. She quickly headed back to her bedroom. After a few minutes, Joey came and stood beside me. "Did Carol take a bathroom break?"

"No, she said she couldn't take this anymore, and she's booking a flight out tomorrow."

"Oh, my, did we do something to offend her?"

"I'm not sure, but you should go talk to her."

Joey nodded and climbed out of the pool. I decided to join the girls in a game of splash. It seemed strange not having Monique with us, but it was somewhat of a relief due to the emotional tension that she brought to our parties. After a while, the three girls ganged up on me, and I nearly drowned from all of the water in my face. I finally conceded and decided to return to my wine glass. Half an hour passed, and I agreed to join the girls in a game of beach ball pass. Everyone was having a great time, and I began to get concerned about Carol.

Finally, Joey came walking back out to the pool and slid in beside the wine bottles. I excused myself and went to talk with Joey. "Carol is overwhelmed, Adriel. She has very strong feelings for you, and she kept apologizing to me. I explained that I had to spend over two years in the same situation, and I couldn't leave. I tried to get her to stay, but she said there was no way she could. I'm sorry that she feels this way. I know you were looking forward to having her as a friend. If anything ever happens to me, I hope you two can get together."

"That's a hell of a thing to say. Besides, I'm not physically attracted to her. I'm sorry she feels that way too. At least we can get back to our project without juggling her into our schedule."

"Well, I will handle her debriefing session in the morning. It's probably best that you stay away from her until it's time for her to say, 'goodbye.' Her emotions have gotten the best of her."

The next morning, I took a walk before breakfast. Joey was going to debrief Carol first thing before serving her breakfast. I was going to return about ten minutes before she needed to depart. I liked Carol, but I didn't want to have to tiptoe my way through a volatile relationship much like Monique. I checked my phone, and it was time for me to head back to the villa. I ascended the stone walkway to the patio. Carol was waiting with packed bags when I arrived. Joey gave Carol hugs and kisses and wished her a safe trip. She then took me aside. "Adriel, I want you to say your goodbyes in private with Carol. You have no restrictions. Make her feel special. I think she needs that. I'll be in our bedroom until she leaves."

I walked over to Carol and took both her hands. "I'm sorry that you have to leave like this. I know how you feel."

Carol was embarrassed. "Oh, Adriel, if only the circumstances were different. I guess I got my hopes up when you said that you were recently a widower. I can be foolish sometimes."

"You're not foolish, Carol." I pulled her into my arms. "You're still going to invite us to your home after it's built, aren't you?"

Carol smiled. "Of course I am!"

"Good, because I would love to see it. Joey said that she was going to handle your debriefing this morning. How did it go?"

"She explained that I needed to treat the situation as though I never met you, and I was never here. Since I am traveling alone, it makes it a lot easier."

"I'm sure she explained the potential danger if anyone discovered that you knew me."

"Oh, yes she did, and it's truly frightening."

"Well, follow the protocol, and you will be fine."

"Well, it's time for me to go. The limo is waiting."

I pulled Carol's lips to mine. After a few moments, I caressed her lips with my tongue, and she offered hers to me. We enjoyed a few blissful moments as our tongues entwined with one another. I felt her quiver in my arms as I gently sucked the tip of her tongue. I whispered, "Text me when you get home."

Carol smiled with a tear in her eye. "I will, I promise, and thank you for everything. I can't believe you paid me that much money."

"Enjoy it responsibly, my dear, and if you ever need anything don't hesitate to contact me."

Carol nodded as she bit her lips. "I will, Adriel, thank you." She quickly grabbed her bags and marched toward the front entrance. Kristina intercepted Carol on the other side of the patio and assisted with her bags. I thought it was best that we didn't part ways at the limousine.

I went to the bedroom to get Joey. "I'm starved. Can I eat now?"

Joey chuckled. "Yes, you may eat now. There are eggs, sausage, and croissants. I'll heat them up for you."

Joey poured me more coffee as I finished my breakfast. Carol was gone, the party was over, and Joey and I needed to get back on track. "Joey, I suggest that we splice time over a two week period to recover from all of the alcohol so that we can go back and research what is happening in the underworld. During those two weeks, we can also follow up on the agent that you recognized from the two captors that you interrogated at the chalet."

"That's a great idea, Adriel! That way, we won't lose any time in our investigation. We can splice multiple segments just like we did for our honeymoon as long as we do it in different places."

"Yes, and we should get started today so that we splice it all back to this same day."

Rather than bore you with the details of our surveillance while in parking mode to determine who was behind the sex trafficking ring, I'll summarize our failures over those two weeks. It was a major disappointment from a project perspective, but very satisfying from a relationship perspective, both physical and ethereal. As I have mentioned before, watching from parking mode was terribly inefficient. It was basically a stakeout of this one agent, and we were faced with all of his mundane activities, his wife, children, and all of the other things that come with family life. We weren't learning anything significant. We never saw him interface with anyone suspicious, and there was no mention of kidnapping, sex trafficking, or anything else incriminating. Joey and I were bored to tears, and we began to realize that we were approaching this from the wrong direction. Unfortunately, this agent was the only lead we had to investigate.

I offered the suggestion that perhaps Monique could help us target other individuals who were responsible for this disgusting, reprehensible business endeavor. However, Joey strictly forbade me to talk with Monique. We weren't quite at a dead end because we still hadn't navigated to the highway of death. I shuddered to think that was our only alternative. Suddenly, I had a moment of enlightenment. I think it is often strange that we cannot see the obvious answer that sits and stares us in the face. It seems as though I am in a stupor sometimes until the fog abates from my perception to reveal what I should have seen long ago. When Joey and I were on the highway of death trying to locate Fred, we found him by targeting Avarro. The golden highway gave us the ability to locate persons or places. The highway of death gave us the ability to target events and concepts. If I found a way to marry these two worlds with these capabilities, it could prove limitless. However, it was the concept of matter and antimatter, and I needed to proceed cautiously because I had no idea what the ramifications could be.

Joey and I were now sitting on our patio the day that Carol had left. We had spent two spliced weeks watching our target agent to no avail. I explained my new revelation to Joey about somehow bringing the best of the golden highway and the underworld together. She pondered for some time as she went to get us a couple of sparkling waters from the fridge. She returned and sat beside me as she handed me a water. "You know, Adriel, there is an interesting concept in what you have just told me. Have you ever scratched where it itches, but you just couldn't seem to get relief?"

"Actually, I have, and it's maddening."

"Yes, and that is because of the nerve connections in different parts of your body. Your ankle might itch, but the relief is found by scratching your wrist where it doesn't itch. These nerve impulses can often be misleading. It's like our investigation. We may not find the answer where it seems obvious to look."

"Then how do we know where to scratch if not where it itches?"

"It takes a little knowledge and experience, both of which we have in our situation. What if we chose the concept of the sex trafficking ring and targeted it in the underworld to see where it leads?"

"Oh, I see what you mean. We need to approach this by concept and not a specific individual. Then we can use the golden highway to target the people that we find behind the trafficking."

Joey clapped her hands. "Exactly!"

We removed our clothing as I shuddered to think of navigating to the highway of death. There was nothing pleasant about this excursion, from the cold Euphrates water, to the stench of the fecal river, and the disgusting sights that permeated that realm. We made the necessary steps, and once again we were standing on that detestable highway. I stepped toward the concept of the sex trafficking ring that we had just discovered. We were overwhelmed by what we saw. It was a kaleidoscope of images of thousands of individuals from captors to customers. I stepped us back out of parking mode. I wasn't used to targeting concepts that could provide a myriad of various places in parking mode. I took a moment to clear my head. "We need to be more specific. This operation is vast, and it's going to be a formidable task to take it down."

Joey agreed. "Let's see who is at the top of this organization."

I made the step in the direction of the person responsible for the entire organization. We went nowhere. "This doesn't make sense, Joey. There has to be someone, or at least a panel of supervisors, who controls this organization. It's too vast and intricate to be without a director. We need to rethink our approach. Besides, I'm dying to get out of here."

We returned to our patio to reconvene and consider the possibilities. It wasn't long before we surmised that the reason we couldn't target the leader of the organization was because the position was vacant. This lead us to believe that it had to be the director of the agency. I had no idea if Evelyn had been presented with the real letter from Annette, and it didn't matter. She would refuse it, and it would pass to me. However, I also didn't know if the agency was trying to locate me. That wouldn't be an easy task. The courier would obviously go to the villa at Îles d'Hyères, which was vacant. The agency was very adept for locating people, but I was a ghost these days. I wasn't exposed to the outside world much, and if they relied on worldwide cameras, they might have more of a chance of seeing me in Paris than anywhere. Then again, that would mean that there were cameras in the Parisian hotel rooms, and that was a frightening thought as well.

I hated where our conversation was leading. "What are you going to do when the agency finds you, Adriel, and you get presented with Annette's letter?"

I was fairly certain that if I turned down the position, Joey would accept it, and I certainly didn't want to lose another wife to that despicable underworld. "I'm going to accept it, Joey. However, I'm disinclined to make myself available. What will the agency do if they can't find me?"

"Well, according to my best understanding of protocol, they will continue to seek you for one full year. If they are unsuccessful, then the position will pass to the next alternate."

I was shocked. "Really? They would wait an entire year before moving on? Who would take the responsibilities of the director during that time?"

"I would imagine either the board of directors, or the subordinates to Annette. I'm not really sure."

"But if that were the case, wouldn't we have found those individuals when we were on the highway of death?"

"I don't know, Adriel. I'm not sure how long they would wait to make that assignment. For now, the position is empty. You'd be a fool to take the position. It wouldn't take long before they would notice the agency crumbling, and you would be the obvious reason."

"Well, then I could say the same for you if you took the position."

"No, because you and I would approach it very differently. I wouldn't destroy the agency, but instead I would clean it up."

I broke into laughter. "And so said Michael Corleone in the _Godfather_. You can't bridle the agency, Joey. It's too vast and powerful. How could you possibly justify the revenue loss if you stopped the sex trafficking? It won't happen. The agency has to be dismantled completely."

"That's totally unrealistic, Adriel! That would be like taking the mortar out of the bricks of the Empire State Building. The entire world economy, political, and diplomatic structure would crumble. We would be submerged into war and devastation within a year. You know how essential the agency is to holding everything in balance. Do you have any idea how many assassinations I have performed to maintain that balance?"

"Rest assured, Joey, I will show up on the agency's doorstep within the year to accept that position just to keep you from taking it."

"Well, then I suggest we enjoy what little we have left of our lives together."

"You underestimate me, Joey. You know my abilities to splice time and duplicate myself in multiple places at once. I can strategically dismantle this monster in one night."

"Oh, my god, Adriel, sometimes you are so naive that it amazes me, and by the way, it would definitely require you to terminate people, which I know you won't do."

"That's not true. There is always a way to succeed without murdering someone. I know that has been your life's profession, but it's not mine."

I was relieved when Kristina texted Joey for permission to return to the villa to do the inventory. Joey would assist, and it would give me a break to take a walk and do some thinking. It was a sunny day, so I decided to grab some water, a blanket, and head to the beach to suntan in the nude. My tan had faded considerably over the last few months. I was looking forward to turning a couple of shades darker as I enjoyed the intensity of the sun's rays. I was far enough away from the surf that passersby wouldn't notice I was naked. There was a pleasant breeze, the warm air was delightful, and I promptly fell asleep.

I think I started to dream because I thought that I heard someone whisper the words into my ear, "Shika Ultima." I could still hear the distant surf and the palm trees rustle in the wind, so I wasn't totally convinced that I was asleep. However, I couldn't seem to raise my head to check if anyone had approached me. I heard the words again, "Shika Ultima." I had no idea what it meant, but just hearing the words excited me. I felt someone touch my genitals, and I was immediately aroused. Whoever it was, she put her lips to my ears and whispered once again, "Shika Ultima." I jerked up onto my elbows and looked around. There was no one in sight. Was this some irritating dream from Yvonne?

I lay back on the blanket again, and I fell asleep immediately. I was definitely dreaming because I saw a woman approach. She was the most magnificent creature I had ever seen. I heaved with desire as I grabbed for her, but I wasn't able to grasp her. She leapt on top of me, pinning me to my blanket. She was naked, and her breasts were full and magnificent. She swayed back and forth as she dragged them across my chest and smiled at me. She pressed her forehead and nose to mine as she pushed my head against the blanket. I felt my head sink into the sand. I begged her to fuck me. "Oh, I will fuck you beyond your wildest dreams, but not today." I shot up into a sitting position wide awake. What a dream! I looked down to see that I was fully aroused.

I decided to sit up for a while on my blanket. I began looking circumspectly to see if I could spot anyone who might have been teasing me in my sleep. There was no one around. During my months of celibacy, I had never had a dream similar to this one. I didn't know what to make of it, but I would definitely ask Yvonne the next time we were together. After all, she was responsible for my dreams. I decided to look up the name, "Shika Ultima." I snatched my phone from the blanket and started to search. The best that I could find was the name, "Shika." It meant sexy or beautiful. Ultima must refer to the maximum of sexiness or beauty. That made perfect sense from what I had experienced in the dream. Up to this point in my life, Joey had been the epitome of that term in my experience. However, the woman in my dream far exceeded Joey's attributes. Then again, it was just a dream using my imagination.

I had hoped to come down here and do some brainstorming, but so far all I had accomplished was an irritating and mysterious sex dream. Oh, my god! Those eyes, those breasts, that body! I couldn't get those images out of my mind. She was completely over the top of anything I had ever seen. I began to suspicion that Fred might be fucking with me. It was now a priority for me to talk with Yvonne. She knew what I was thinking, but that alone would not summon her if she didn't have her own agenda. I needed to go to the golden highway and summon her with Joey. This was far too disturbing to let it pass.

I grabbed my phone, water, and blanket. I wasted no time getting back to our villa. Joey and Kristina were just finishing the inventory, and I patiently waited on the patio as they finished their review. As soon as Kristina left, I approached Joey. "I just had a very disturbing dream, and I need to summon Yvonne to talk about it. Are you in a position for a healing session?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, I think so, but my curiosity is driving me crazy. I need to talk with Yvonne."

"OK, we can go now if you like."

"Yes, please, take my hand."

Joey and I made the step onto the golden highway, clapped, and Yvonne and Agamon approached. I studied Yvonne's eyes as she drew nearer, but I didn't see any telltale signs of mischief or emotion. We departed in the opposite direction from Joey and Agamon. Once they were out of sight, Yvonne snatched me to another hotel room in Paris. "What the hell was that dream about, Yvonne?"

Yvonne studied my face. "How did the dream make you feel, Adriel?"

"It made me feel desperate to fuck that gorgeous dream of a woman, that's how it made me feel. What the hell is going on?"

"So, the dream caused extreme desire. Did you feel any reluctance due to your marriage to Joey?"

"For god's sake, Yvonne, you're not my therapist. Just tell me what the dream meant."

"What do you think it meant?"

"If I had a clue what the dream meant, I wouldn't have summoned you to explain it. Why did you give me that dream?"

"Adriel, since I have been coming to you, you have tried to boss me around like I'm your slave or employee. Well, I'm not, so stop demanding things from me, and take responsibility for your own tasks. You have expected me to swoop in and make everything OK. That's not my purpose. If I give you a dream, you need to reflect and understand what it means. If I told you the meaning of your dream, you would immediately go into denial and start arguing with me." Yvonne smiled and threw her robe onto the floor. "Now, lie down, and let me get started."

Once Yvonne and I were finished with my healing session, I turned to her. "Yvonne, can we splice time so that I can go to the underworld and locate the courier who has the letter from Annette?"

"Of course we can, but not until after we return to Joey. Actually, you can do it by yourself after you return. I'm rather surprised that you haven't used that capability yet."

"But you told me not to navigate to the underworld alone."

"Yes, but that was when you were gathering information, and you needed a witness who could assist you. You can go by yourself and find the courier, but are you going to tell Joey?"

"I hadn't planned on it. I wanted to make sure that I had the advantage to accept Annette's position."

"Do you think it's a good idea to keep secrets from your wife?"

"That all depends. We don't see eye to eye on this matter, and if I tell her that I found the courier, I'm not sure what she will do."

"Well, that's entirely up to you. Just be prepared when she finds out what you have done."

We returned to the golden highway, and Joey and I spliced time to return to our patio at the time that we had left. We sat on a loveseat as she inquired, "So, did Yvonne explain the dream to you?"

"No, she said that it was my responsibility to reflect on it."

"So, tell me the dream. Maybe I can help you decipher it."

I recounted the dream to Joey in great detail. I could see the alarm on her face. "What's the matter? Do you have any idea what it means?"

"Well, it sounds like you would be willing to fuck another woman if she were prettier than I am."

"No, no, that's not what was happening."

"Really? Explain how that wasn't happening if you begged her to fuck you?"

"I think it had more to do with the essence of something that is irresistible."

"You're still not making me feel any better. What if I had that dream about a man and begged him to fuck me?"

"OK, I see your point, but I don't think the dream is about me being unfaithful. I think that the woman is a symbol of something else."

"So, what about the dreamy eyes, incredible breasts, and the promise to fuck you beyond your wildest dreams? What do those symbolize, Adriel?"

"I don't know, but you have to understand that I would never be unfaithful to you."

"Well, it sounds like you just were unfaithful."

"For god's sake, Joey, you can't hold me accountable for a dream, especially when it is orchestrated by Yvonne. She obviously had me make that decision in the dream. I would never do that. I love you with all my heart. I would never jeopardize what we have together no matter how great a temptation might be. Besides, you're still the most incredibly beautiful woman that I have ever seen."

Joey looked down and shook her head. "Well, Adriel, I hope that you always believe that. I'm sorry that I got upset. I guess that I'm still healing from the past."

I pulled Joey in for a sensuous kiss. "Come on, let's go to the bedroom and make love. I think we need it."

Joey and I spent the next several hours in our bed. As many times as we had made love, we still had not tried any other position than facing one another. The rapturous bliss that we received from our tongues caressing as our genitals melded as one was so incredibly satisfying that I couldn't pull my lips away from hers. I wasn't interested in the plateau of extended orgasm, and we hadn't done any oral sex either. Just the sweetness of our love with one another was more than enough.

The sun had finally set, and we decided to sit on the patio and enjoy the stars. I could see the four lights moving from garden to garden in the distance, and I knew that one of them was Monique. I turned to Joey. "So, has Kristina given you a report on Monique?"

"Yes, she said that Monique is very despondent and cries a lot. She also said that Monique works harder than the other girls."

"How long do you plan to banish her from our villa?"

"I don't know, Adriel. Can we please change the subject for the evening?"

How foolish could I be? First, I upset Joey with the disclosure of my dream, and now I start asking about Monique. I attempted to change the subject. "I wonder what our next step should be to find a thread into the sex trafficking ring."

I could tell that Joey was perturbed. "I don't know, Adriel, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. I'm getting sleepy. I think I'll get ready for bed." Joey arose and headed toward our bedroom.

I was so tempted to go talk with Monique, but that would be my third and fatal mistake of the day. I sat and watched as I tried to determine which one of the distant lights was Monique. It was too dark to tell. As much apprehension that I felt, I thought this was a good opportunity to splice time for a trip to the underworld and find out who the courier was that held Annette's letter. I reluctantly stepped onto the golden highway and immediately to the Euphrates River. I transitioned from parking mode through the portal and was transported to the highway of death. I wasted no time. I stepped in the direction of the person responsible for delivering Annette's letter. At once, I saw him. He was on the island of Îles d'Hyères. It was midday there, and it appeared that he was interrogating people, but I couldn't listen from the underworld. I needed to return to the golden highway, splice time, return to my villa, back to the golden highway, and find the agent.

He was asking residents in various places if anyone knew who owned the huge estate on the eastern side of the island. It appeared that he was unsuccessful because he was asking everyone he could. It was far too early for me to accept the letter, but at least I knew how to find the agent responsible for the delivery. When I was ready, I could locate him directly and accept the position. I now had this piece of information in my arsenal of knowledge for later use. I stepped back to the golden highway, spliced time, and returned to my patio. I was just about to head toward my bedroom when a tempting thought occurred to me. I decided to go back to the golden highway and step in the direction of someone named, Shika Ultima.

I made a quick trip to the golden highway and took the step. I went nowhere. Apparently, there was no one with that identity. Then another thought struck me. What if it were a concept that I could target via the highway of death? I was playing with fire again, but my curiosity was too great. I made the trip to the underworld and stepped toward the concept of Shika Ultima. I was immediately overwhelmed by what I saw. I began trembling uncontrollably with desire. I now had her identity, and she was a real live woman, but how could she have possibly gotten into my dream? Was Yvonne baiting me with this indescribably beautiful and sensuous woman? It made no sense. I reluctantly tore myself away and returned to the golden highway. It took every shred of self control that I had to resist locating her from the golden highway because if I did, I was afraid that I would go to her and never return.

I spliced time, returned to my patio, and made a beeline for my bedroom. I took a quick shower and scooted into bed next to Joey. She was already sleeping soundly. I had opened a can of worms that I never expected to find. It was one thing to deal with Shika Ultima as a symbolic concept. It was another thing to deal with the fact that such a woman truly existed. I knew myself well enough to know that it was just a matter of time before I would be face to face with this incredible goddess. Still, how did she ever get into my dream?

## CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

### _Îles d'Hyères_

WHEN I AWOKE, Joey was in the shower. I decided to join her because we seldom showered separately in the morning. "Good morning! Are you doing all right?"

Joey was lathering her body. "Oh, sure, you were sleeping soundly, and I didn't want to awaken you."

"You seemed a little upset last night."

"I'm sorry, I guess it was just that stupid dream that you had. It really upset me."

"Well, I'm sorry I told you about it. I don't think it was as serious as you think it was."

"Maybe I'm just overly sensitive, but I wonder how you would react if the tables were turned, and I had men who were pursuing me."

"What are you talking about? No one is pursuing me. Carol was very decent, and she always respected you."

"Yes, but Monique didn't, and I know how much you miss her."

"I think you're making more of that than you should. I do miss her in ways, and in other ways I'm glad that I have a break from her. Besides, I'm going to be busy figuring out what I need to do."

Joey rinsed her body, and I hurried to finish with her. "I think we need to go back to Îles d'Hyères and restore the villa. You lost the bet, Adriel, remember?"

"I think it's too early to return. Let's give it a few months before we get too busy with that task."

"What are you talking about? All we have to do is hire the crews to come in and restore it."

"Yes, but we planned to modify it considerably. Who is going to do the planning? I hate to mention it, but Monique would have been perfect for that job."

Joey stopped drying herself with her towel and looked up at me. "You know what, Adriel, you're right. It will give her something to do instead of moping around all day and crying. I think I'll visit her right after breakfast."

I could smell coffee from the kitchen. "Did you have Kristina come this morning to cook breakfast?"

"Oh, yes, I did. I forgot to mention that. She's baking her wonderful croissants. I had her start during the night while the other girls were tending the gardens. She's going to eat with us too. By the way, she's working out famously."

"Yes, she really does a good job, and she greatly appreciates her new position."

"That's true, and what's more, I can trust her with you."

I rolled my eyes. "Good god, Joey, you can trust me with all of them." There was only one woman in this world that Joey couldn't trust me with, and I wanted to put her as far out of my mind as I could. I still couldn't imagine how a real woman could invade my dreams. I needed another discussion with Yvonne, but knowing her she wouldn't explain anything. I persuaded Joey for an early morning trip to the golden highway before breakfast. We could splice time back to where we were. She knew that she needed the healing, and in an instant we had Yvonne and Agamon approaching us. We departed in opposite directions, and Yvonne and I ended up in our favorite hotel room.

"I know exactly what you're going to ask me, Adriel, but before you do I want to tell you that this new situation has put you in over your head."

"I know, you're going to tell me how stupid I was to seek the Shika Ultima."

"No, actually, it didn't matter in this case. You have a formidable adversary, and I'm not so sure you're going to overcome this one."

"So, tell me, Yvonne, how does a real flesh and blood woman get into my dreams?"

Yvonne smiled. "You always want to know the mechanics behind everything you experience. I often find that amusing, Adriel. However, in this situation I think you should know. Remember when I told you that in order for you to read minds that I had to have your overseer accompany me to the other people to contact their overseers and counterparts?"

"Of course, I do. It made a lot of sense out of my first project to prevent the coup in Pakistan, but what does that have to do with this woman?"

"Well, something similar has happened to you. This woman has gained entrance into your life. Now, I'm not allowed to tell you how she did that, but you will eventually figure it out. What concerns me more than anything is that you are no match for her. As you know, if you are unfaithful to Joey I will not be able to return to you, and you will eventually lose your capabilities on the golden highway."

"So, let me take a wild guess. Is Fred behind this overwhelming temptation?"

"I can't tell you that either, Adriel, but this morning when Joey mentioned women pursuing you, she has no idea what's coming. You need to stay close to your wife. There's a wedge already developing between you both, and you need to neutralize that, but be cautious. Her feelings are on edge, so don't go spilling everything you know, especially about this woman. That will become a problem in itself soon enough. OK, that is absolutely as far as I can go in disclosing this to you. Now, lie back on the bed. I have something new once again to show you."

After breakfast, Joey went to talk to Monique, and I wandered out to the patio with another cup of coffee to ponder my situation. Joey didn't think that I could successfully take down the agency from the inside, but I think that I can. By utilizing the underworld and locating events and concepts, I can determine if anyone intends me harm. I can circumvent future events, and I can use the golden highway in parking mode to listen to conversations and observe. I had never before possessed this level of attainable knowledge and surveillance capabilities, and I could do it all on my own. Being the director of the agency would empower me to have the authority to do whatever I wanted. It would also make me privy to the information that I needed concerning the sex trafficking ring. I could devise a plan of attack, and in one night by splicing time I could dismantle the most powerful organization in the world.

Joey assumed that I would have to terminate agents in order to take it down, but that wasn't true. I could destroy lines of communication, reassign agents to bogus positions, terminate employment, restructure the hierarchy to utter nonsense, and no one would know what was happening. Even the review board had a sketchy understanding of the contruction of the agency. Only superiors knew who their subordinates were, and those levels didn't run very deep from what I knew. No one knew anyone above himself other than his first line superior. The agency had kept everyone in the dark to protect them, and I could utilize that ignorance to my benefit.

I needed to do a fair amount of research. I would have to splice time to follow the chain of command from Annette's three subordinates downward. It was essential to gain an understanding of how deeply these chains were and how they spread so widely throughout the world. The agency had been built from small, compartmental groups that were independent of others. These cells split and grew much like the cells of a developing fetus. I was curious how much would be divulged to me once I ran the agency. If no one else knew the true structure, I wondered if it could be contained in a document that only the director of the agency possessed.

However, I was apprehensive about some of the mysteries. How did Fred get possession of Avarro and Annette? Was I going to be compromised somehow by being the director? Then again, they were power hungry, abusive people. I am not. Admittedly, I had never been exposed to the type of power that the director of the agency possesses, but I wasn't an abusive person, regardless. Annette was abusive before she became the director. As I learned, she was greedy and power hungry as well. Being the director didn't change her character, it revealed it. However, I think my biggest concern was how to break this decision to Joey. Yvonne warned me to stay close to her, and I didn't want to antagonize her by discussing the directorship of the agency.

Somehow, I needed to get her onboard. I knew that I would never get her permission. I began to consider the possibility of agreeing to restore the villa at Îles d'Hyères and allow the courier to find me there. Joey wouldn't leave me just for taking the offer. She might be terribly upset, but if I could create an appropriate position for her, perhaps that would assuage the situation to make it more tolerable. The more I thought about it, the more I began to believe that taking down the agency from the inside was my best chance.

I was startled as Joey plopped down beside me on the loveseat. "Oh, dear god, I didn't hear you return. So, how did it go with Monique?"

"Well, she broke down crying and apologized profusely for what she had done. She begged my forgiveness, and promised never to do anything against my wishes again. I explained what we wanted her to do with the redesign of the villa. I also explained that I eventually wanted her to hire the staff to maintain it. She's going to have to travel with you, Adriel, and I warned her that my punishment would be severe and physical if she ever got out of line with you again. Do you think that you can handle her?"

"Actually, yes, I believe that I can."

"OK, but you have to tell me if she does anything to violate our employee protocol. I don't want you hiding anything from me, and don't you dare kiss her or initiate contact. Do you understand me?"

"Oh, I agree absolutely. I think it will be good for her to have a challenge to redesign the villa. Actually, I was just sitting here thinking that you were right about the restoration. We should start immediately."

"I'm still apprehensive about having you be alone with her, but I need to stay here and work with Kristina. There is still so much more that she needs to learn. I have to be sure that she can manage this place without me. You and I are going to be extremely busy in the near future."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. So, when should we start the redesign process?"

"Well, since you can splice time, why don't you get started this morning? Kristina is due in about half an hour."

"OK, well, I guess I'll text Monique and tell her to arrive with Kristina. I'll go find something appropriate to wear."

I was so incredibly excited. I loved Monique so much, but not as a lover. She was far too young for me and certainly too sinister for my tolerance. OK, what am I saying? I was married to Annette and infatuated with her, and she was a hundred times more devious than Monique. Dear god, I was nearly giddy with the prospect of traveling to Îles d'Hyères with Monique. I felt somewhat ridiculous, but I couldn't help it. She made me feel so young again. I needed to contain myself. No kissing, no touching, no hugging, and maintain employee protocol at all times. I donned a white shirt and a white pair of pants. I chuckled when I looked into the mirror. I reminded myself of David Allen with his dark tan and white outfit. Oh, how he aggravated me when he made overtures to Evelyn when we were on the Ophir project. However, David and I had become good friends, and I missed him dearly. Kristina and Monique arrived as I exited my bedroom. I tried to hide the elation on my face in front of Joey as I nonchalantly wandered into the kitchen for a cold bottled water. I cordially greeted Kristina and engaged her in a brief conversation. After a few moments, I kissed my wife and bid her adieu. I approached Monique and stoically extended my hand before we stepped onto the golden highway.

In an instant, we were at the villa on Îles d'Hyères. At first, it was all business as we walked the property and discussed what needed to be changed. I wanted to keep the outside walls and perimeter the same. We would employ the usual security staff, and I wanted to hire four caretakers instead of three. Annette had been too hard on the girls, and I wanted a more reasonable workload. We discussed salaries and expectations. The gardens looked atrocious, and I opened my heart to explain to Monique the things that I wanted to be changed due to my memories of Annette. She took meticulous notes as I explained it all to her.

We decided to take a break and sit on one of the stone benches in the northern garden. Monique had a forlorn look on her face as tears ran down her cheeks. "Oh, Monique, I'm so sorry, but I'm not allowed to touch you or kiss you."

"Oh, no, Monsieur, it's not that. I am just so happy to be here with you. I am so sorry for what I did. I don't know why I did such a horrible thing. I was terribly upset and jealous. Madame had promised you to me, and I felt betrayed. Then Carol came, and she obviously wanted you too. She was more your age, and I felt desperate and threatened. I didn't mean any harm."

"That's not true, Monique. You lied to Carol about you and me having an affair. You wanted her to think that I was already unfaithful to Madame in order for Carol to have confidence with me. You knew full well that if I engaged Carol that Joey could have killed her. What you did was reprehensible, but I forgive you. I'm sure you know that if you ever upset Madame again, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I love you, Monique, and I don't want any harm to befall you, but you need to be extremely careful from now on."

Monique looked down, and the tears fell from her eyes upon her legs as she sat on the bench. "I know, Monsieur, and I promise that I will, and if Monsieur would allow me to say that I love you too."

It was all I could do to keep from grabbing her into my arms. I took a deep breath and gave a sigh. "I am going out to the front gate for a while. I want you to walk the rest of the gardens and the pathway to the beach. Please make this place look far different, and be as creative as you like. I'll be back in about an hour."

I left the front entrance of the villa and started my trek toward the front gate. The golf carts had no electrical charge, so I jogged quickly as I crossed the courtyard for about a kilometer. Much of the perimeter appeared to be in good shape. I needed to alert the courier somehow that I was back at the villa, but I didn't want to do it directly. I stepped onto the golden highway and then to one of the bars on the island where I knew the courier had been. I sat down and ordered a Godfather, which is equal portions of Scotch and Amaretto. As I sipped my drink, I casually let the bartender know that I was the owner of the estate on the eastern side of the island. I could see by his countenance that he took note. I pretended not to notice as he wandered to the other side of the bar and made a phone call. I was sure that he would receive a handsome fee. I finished my drink and overly tipped him. I spliced time back to the villa and examined the outer wall as I awaited the courier.

He was taking longer than I expected, so I used the golden highway to locate Monique. I spent about half an hour with her as we discussed various aspects of possible designs. I excused myself once again, spliced time, and returned to the gate. About fifteen minutes later, I saw a car speeding in my direction. I eagerly awaited the courier, and in a moment the car came to a screeching halt at my gate. The courier emerged from the limousine and approached. Before he could speak, I addressed him. "I know why you are here. I know what is in the letter that you carry, and I have a question. Are you able to answer it?"

The courier gave me a questioning look. "Am I to assume that you are Mr. Jasper White?"

"You assume correctly, sir. I know that you hold a letter from Agent Annette Marceau to invite me to take her position within the agency. I also know that you have to watch me read the letter to acknowledge my understanding. However, I have a question concerning the offer. Are you able to answer me?"

"Indeed I am according to my knowledge. What do you want to ask?"

"I want to know about my personal assets, and whether I can retain them."

"I will answer your question once you read the letter and acknowledge its contents."

I took the letter from his hand and ripped it open. I read the expected message. "Yes, I understand the content."

"Thank you, Mr. White. If you decide to accept the offer, all of your current assets will need to be signed over to the agency within six months. You will receive a residence anywhere in the world that you desire, and you will have an unlimited expense account."

"Well, thank you, Agent McDermott, I have decided to accept the offer."

He gave me a quizzical look. "I'm sorry, but do we know one another? I never had a chance to introduce myself."

I chuckled. "Oh, we may know one another better than you would imagine."

He shook his head. "Well, Mr. White, I will relay your acceptance to the agency, and someone will be in touch with you very soon."

I shook his hand and spliced time back to Monique. I now had the lead position at the agency, and Agent McDermott had no idea. I had made the plunge, and somehow I needed to disclose it to Joey, but I was going to wait for the opportune time to do so. I walked with Monique as she described how she planned to modify the environment to remove the reminiscence of Annette. Every place that Annette and I had made love would be torn into something new and innovative. I could sense the sexual energy that Monique used to obliterate Annette's memory from our surroundings. In an emotional crescendo, as she passionately described her intentions with our environment, I snatched her into my arms and kissed her passionately. Our tongues met again, and the euphoria drove me into an orgasmic explosion.

I had compromised Monique, and I fell to my knees in sorrow. She pulled my head into her pelvis as she stroked my hair. "Oh, Monsieur, I am so sorry. I will not tell Madame, but I did not do this. Please, let it end here, or I will suffer the consequences. However, do as you wish with me."

I collected myself and stood up. "Oh, my god, I can't believe that I did that. I am so sorry. No, you did nothing wrong. Rest assured that I will not let Madame know what I have done. My apologies, Monique, the offense is mine."

I was beside myself. Why did I do such a selfish thing with Monique? Did the acceptance of this new position have anything to do with my indiscretion? My fear of the incomprehensible power of the directorship could be compromising my ability to make the right choices. However, I knew better than to blame my actions on circumstances. This was the revelation of my character. I didn't want to jeopardize Monique's opportunity to redesign our villa. I had to control myself and never repeat my weakness to her again. I didn't want to keep secrets from Joey, and if this never happened again she need not know. Besides, Joey would take out her anger upon Monique, and Monique had done nothing wrong.

Monique and I spliced time and returned to the villa in the South Pacific. I immediately headed into my bedroom while Monique conferred with Joey about her plans to redesign the villa. Joey related to me later about the fact that Monique was extremely talented with design, and she was impressed with her ideas. I was struggling with the secrets about Monique and my new directorship at the agency. I feigned illness and went to bed. I was already beginning to crumble, and I hadn't yet dealt with Shika Ultima. I didn't even know what that challenge was, except that Yvonne didn't think that I could overcome it. I had no idea what I had negotiated with the Creator, but I was beginning to think that it was a blazing display of bravado that was far beyond my capabilities. As devastated as I was with the current circumstances, I had not the wildest inclination of what was about to happen.

Joey brought me a cup of tea. She was being so sweet and kind that it heaped burning coals upon my searing guilt for the things that I had done. I broke down and sobbed upon the bed as Joey sat beside me. She rubbed my back as I lay there weeping. I tried to catch my breath to offer my confessions, but I was too overwhelmed. "You kissed her, didn't you?" Joey continued to rub my back. "I knew that you would."

I desperately tried to regain my composure as I pleaded, "It wasn't her fault. She did nothing wrong. Please don't hurt her."

"I'm not going to hurt Monique. I fully expected this. You're a weak man, Adriel. You two are in love, but you're my husband, and I can't permit you to be with another woman. How do you expect me to handle this?"

"I promise that I won't let it happen again. I can take Fanny with us if need be so that Monique and I won't be alone."

"Don't be ridiculous, Adriel. You and Monique could splice time without Fanny even knowing. I have to be able to trust you, Adriel, but you have proven to me time and again that I can't. I was afraid of the possibility of Evelyn being available to you, but that wasn't a real threat. You weren't attracted to Carol, thank god, or I would have suffered from that. Monique is the real threat to our relationship, and I'm going to have to banish her from you once again."

"Oh, please, don't remove her from her design responsibilities. She is so excited about it."

"Of course not, Adriel. She can continue in the design, but from now on, you two cannot be alone together. I think that she needs to reside on Îles d'Hyères to finish the project. We can take her there in a few days after she requests the initial contract proposals. We can hire guards for the perimeter and front gate for her protection."

"OK, that's reasonable. Thank you for not punishing her."

"Why would I? She did nothing wrong. I will begin assembling a security team. I have several contacts for candidates who have already been vetted. We can contract their services, and I can have them in place at the villa in two days. I will need your assistance in retrieving a locked harness body camera for Monique." I gave Joey a puzzled look. "It's the only way that I can be sure that you don't splice time with Monique. She will not be able to remove the harness, and she is to keep the camera clear at all times. We will then both go together to escort her to Îles d'Hyères. She can reside at the caretaker quarters while our villa is being remodeled. We will be sure that everything is operational there for her. We can both make weekly visits to her and check on the progress."

I was relieved that my stupidity hadn't endangered Monique. I was also glad that she could continue with the redesign of our villa. However, I needed to make sure that no agent showed up at the front gate to contact me. I needed to splice time to go to Washington, D. C. I would initiate contact with the agency and sign all of the necessary documents to make my position official. I still wasn't sure when I would disclose my new position to Joey. I had the idea of splicing time and leading a double life much like I did when Joey and I lived at the chalet for three months. As exhausting as I knew that could be, I didn't see a better alternative at this point. I was just glad that Joey didn't insist that I wear that ridiculous body camera.

As Joey busied herself assembling a security staff, I took the opportunity to snag my business attire from the closet and step onto the golden highway. I stopped off at one of my favorite Parisian hotel rooms to shower and dress. My next stop was agency headquarters in D. C. I stepped into the office bypassing security and presented myself to an administrative assistant for the agency review board. She scanned my fingerprint for identification and alerted one of the aides. The young aide escorted me to a conference room and handed me a packet of documents that I needed to sign. He asked if I would like a cup of coffee or tea. I opted for coffee.

There were nearly one hundred documents that I needed to sign. Several were agency protocols for my position, some of which I already knew. Some were for signing over my assets to the agency, but I wasn't about to disclose them. It took the better part of four hours for me to read and sign as many of the documents that I thought pertained to my position. No one recognized that I was the head of the agency, but I knew that I could follow the chain of command and have these protocols revised to suit my needs. I was their boss, but they were clueless. That's how the agency operated.

After I had finished with the documents, I turned them over to the assistant at the desk in the lobby. I also asked if she could have someone draft some agency letters for me with agency sealed envelopes. She summoned another aide who took me to another room and drafted the letters that I dictated. Three letters were sealed with agency seals, one for each of my subordinates. These were letters of introduction explaining that I was now their superior. I intended to deliver these letters in person immediately as I left headquarters. Once I had my identity established, I would begin giving directives to my subordinates. I had received the keys to my office, and I stopped in to take a look around. I chuckled as I thought about the fact that Joey and I had stolen the files from those cabinets not long ago. No one would ever know. All of this took far longer than I anticipated, but I was splicing time, so it was really moot. However, as I was getting ready to leave, an aide arrived to escort me to an agency clinic. It was mandatory to have my inoculations reviewed and updated if needed. I received three vaccinations before leaving.

I returned to another hotel room and changed out of my business attire. I spliced time back to the moment I left my villa and hung my suit in the closet along with my shirt and shoes. I wandered back out to the patio where Joey was conducting business on her phone. As she continued her conversation, I sat on a loveseat pondering the splicing of time. I was trying to comprehend what was happening at the villa while I was in D. C. Somehow, there was a disparity between the sequence of time when I was in D. C. that did not coincide with time at the villa. It was the deficiency in my mental paradigm of time because time is relative. I had to realize that nothing was happening at my villa while I was signing those papers. The fact is that as I sat here on my patio, I was also in D. C. at this moment in a conference room. Splicing time created a future aspect of activity at agency headquarters rather than negate a past activity at my villa. Yvonne said that I analyzed things too much, but I felt a burning need to understand.

Joey's conversation continued, and she got up to stroll the gardens. I began to contemplate the effect that the golden highway had on the emotions. Annette complained that since she had met me she had cried more than any other time of her life. I had seen it affect Joey, Evelyn, and David as well. I have always been a passionate, emotional person, but the golden highway had definitely heightened my sensitivity. I cried at the drop of a hat, which I had never done before I was introduced to the portal at Giza. Interestingly, I think I laughed more as well. The golden highway seemed to evoke all kinds of emotion. I had seen Evelyn's anger flare, I had seen Joey overwhelmed with desire, and I had seen Annette become outraged. Some people see emotion as weakness, but I see it as a necessary part of humanity. Joey had suffered from Emotional Detachment Disorder when I met her. She was much easier to get along with, but she had no passion. Now that she feels emotion, she is often hurt by my actions, but I would rather see her passion than deal with her much like a robot.

Joey returned to the patio. A security team had been hired, and she was transferring funds to seal the deal. The armed guards would be in place at our villa in Îles d'Hyères sometime late tomorrow. Three shifts of guards would provide round the clock protection of our property and Monique as she managed the redesign project. I had circumvented any agents arriving at that villa, so I saw no chance of anyone discovering that I had accepted Annette's position. The idea that I now had the most powerful position in the world had yet to hit me. I was too preoccupied with how I would dismantle the agency, but first I needed to do a significant amount of research. Although I could splice time, the differences in time zones could make it easier for me to duck out of my personal environment during sleep hours. Life was getting more complicated. However, it was far more than I anticipated.

Joey asked me to get dressed because we needed to retrieve the body camera from one of her contacts at the agency. I chuckled to myself knowing that the agent was now working for me. We made the necessary navigation to get the body camera, and Joey paid a visit to Monique to lock the harness onto her upper body. The harness was very difficult to remove without a key, but Monique knew better than to tamper with it. The camera would be positioned over the indentation in her throat just above her sternum. It was high enough that her blouses would not interfere with it. It was also waterproof, so she could shower and swim while wearing it.

As I continued to splice time and research the documents that we had stolen from Annette's files, I realized that there was no documented evidence of the hierarchy within the agency. Each cell of agents who were responsible for political and economic balance around the world had directives to maintain the necessary operations to control their areas. If I saw a situation that I wanted to initiate action upon, I would tell my subordinates, and it would ripple downward and outward like throwing a stone into a pond. The communicated directive would soon make its way to the personnel responsible. My goal was to circumvent the ripple and control the communication links within the agency. That way, any directives that I wanted to employ would be isolated to specific agents and unknown to others.

My first task as the director of the agency was to find the agents responsible for operating the sex trafficking ring. I could use the highway of death to target specific agents within the operation, and I could visit them via the golden highway to gain more information to begin the dismantling process. I wanted to free all of those slaves as soon as possible, but I needed to do it cautiously. I had to know what the annual revenue was from the slaves. It wasn't just the prostitution revenue, it was the blackmail proceeds as well, and those were most likely ongoing from each victim. All of them would be highly profiled politicians, dignitaries, and celebrities of all sorts. Money flowed into the agency from several different revenue endeavors, and once I began to disrupt those channels there would be an immediate backlash. What that backlash would be, I had no idea. I needed to disguise myself because if I had personal contact with anyone, I didn't want to be identified later.

Joey and I were taking Monique to Îles d'Hyères in the morning to get her settled. She had invited Monique to have dinner with us so that we could discuss her responsibilities and establish a prioritized schedule for her to follow. I was very nervous that the three of us were dining together tonight, but I would be on my best behavior. I spent the afternoon looking for opportunities to splice time and continue my research. I was getting better at gathering information, and I had used the highway of death to identify the individuals responsible for the reception of the revenue from the sex trafficking ring. The ones who received the bribe money were an entirely different group.

As with most operations within the agency, nothing was centrally located or funneled into one coffer. There were finance groups all over the world, and they were often specific for the type of revenue. I had located one hundred twenty finance groups around the world that received the proceeds from the prostitution fees. I found fewer groups that received bribery money. However, I now knew the specific places where I could get the information that I needed to understand the revenue generated by the entire operation. This was going to take a significant amount of time, and I needed to splice months instead of days. That meant that I would be absent from my wife for long periods of time, even though I was returning back to her undetected of my absence.

Dinner with Monique was difficult. She arrived and sat down at the table. She refused to look at me. I could see the camera on her neck. Joey made Monique remove her blouse so that she could show me the camera bridle and how it looped Monique's neck and went under her arms. The lock was positioned in the center of her upper back. Monique's tears fell as she sat in embarrassment, and I was embarrassed for her. Joey handed her blouse back to her. Kristina served us dinner, and Joey explained to Monique that she would stay at the caretaker quarters in Îles d'Hyères to manage the project. She wanted Monique to start interviewing candidates for the caretaker positions immediately. Once she had the prospective candidates, Madame would accompany her to interview them. The new caretakers could assist Monique with the preparations and maintenance of the grounds from the start. Monique continued to wipe her eyes with her napkin throughout the evening. It was breaking my heart, and I just wanted the evening to be over. Had it not been for that infernal camera, I had no doubt that I would visit her in Îles d'Hyères.

Tonight was going to be a doozie. I needed to splice time to visit one hundred ninety finance centers all over the world to gather the information of the total proceeds generated by the sex trafficking ring. I had to strategically plan the sequence so that I could enter each office in the middle of the night at the location in order to remain undetected. Luckily, none of the file cabinets were locked. However, a high level of security was established on the outside, which meant nothing to me. I wanted to know how long these operations had been in existence, and I wanted to see their annual growth over that period. It took a while for me to become familiar with the file structures and sequences, but the agency had protocols that dictated their record keeping which made it easier as I visited each place.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to all of the centers in one night due to splicing time that required me to be gone in other time zones. Every time I spliced the night, I returned to the same hour that I had left. I needed to handle this in different eight hour intervals in order to be in each place in the middle of the night. It actually took me two days before I could get all of the information that I needed. I ended up splicing time at the villa in Îles d'Hyères when we took Monique to get her settled in. Everything at the caretakers quarters was functioning, and Joey had ordered new furniture which was to arrive this same morning. This gave me plenty of time to sneak off and splice another night on the other side of the world. It was an organizational and bookkeeping nightmare, but I was able to get the information that I needed.

The most alarming thing that I had discovered was the number of slaves and their ages. It was heart wrenching to learn how dastardly these bastards were. They had no regard for human life whatsoever other than their own. Due to the devastatingly alarming aspects of what I learned both from the physical and financial aspects of the operation, I have chosen not to disclose any of the numbers. There were over a thousand holding cells around the world where slaves were incarcerated. There was no way that I could handle this on my own. I needed a way to funnel the slaves to a secure location and have someone intercept them to keep them safe. In addition, I needed to do it covertly so that no one knew who I was. This was going to be monumental.

The night before I had finished gathering my information, something terribly alarming happened after we returned from Îles d'Hyères. Joey and I had spent the evening making sweet love in our bed. We finally dozed off somewhere around midnight. I had another incredibly sensuous dream about Shika Ultima. She had climbed on top of me and began kissing me all over. She caressed my body and put her mouth upon mine. Her tongue was soft and sweet, and her saliva was running into my mouth. As gross as that may sound, it was like a sweet aphrodisiac as it ran around my tongue and down my throat. She seductively whispered, "I'm coming for you soon, Adriel, and I'm going make you come for me, over, and over, and over." I quickly raised my head and looked around. There was no one in sight, and my mouth wasn't covered in saliva. As I looked down, I could see that I was hard as a post. "Damn it, Yvonne, these dreams have to stop."

I had decided to take Joey to the golden highway the next morning so that I could have a talk with Yvonne. I was getting tired of being seduced by a woman in my dreams as I slept next to my wife. I certainly couldn't tell Joey about any more of these incidents. I had fucked up with Monique, and I was trying to stay on my best behavior as I sneaked off at various hours of the day in my investigation to take down the agency. More secrets, more deception, and it grew each day. I was going the opposite direction that Yvonne had instructed. I knew that Joey was getting suspicious that I had not suggested that we do more research on the golden highway together to identify the sex traffickers. This meant that I would have to maintain the appearance of an investigation which was really a sham, and that just increased my deceptiveness. Life was getting overly complicated by the day, but that was because of my choices, and I still had a very long way to go.

Yvonne insisted on my healing before we talked. It was always difficult to recover and collect my thoughts after one of our power sessions, and she was upping the ante these days. I was having a hard time focusing. "Let me start the conversation, Adriel. Just how long do you think that you can juggle a multifaceted life without Joey finding out? You will need a spreadsheet the size of Baltimore just to keep your deceptive pseudo facts straight. Don't you think it would be a lot easier to employ her help rather than spend so much time and energy deceiving her?"

I gave a long sigh. "I know that you're right, but the further I go, the harder it is to confess. She's already upset with me, and if I tell her that I accepted the agency position she's going to be livid."

"Do you think that will upset her more than if you fail your project and never gave her a chance to help?"

"No, I suppose you're right, Yvonne. I need to sit down with her and have a heart to heart talk. I honestly don't think I can keep this up much longer. I'm exhausted, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Why are you giving me that horrible dream about Shika Ultima?"

Yvonne silently stared into my eyes for a few moments. "I didn't give you those dreams, Adriel."

"But I thought that you were responsible for all of my dreams."

"Normally, that would be a true statement, but what you are experiencing is a violation of your dreams, and I'm powerless to stop it."

"So, who is causing this?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you, but you'll soon find out. Adriel, we need to make the best of the time that we have together." I saw sadness in Yvonne's eyes, and I knew that she expected to lose me.

Joey and I returned to our patio. I took her by the arms and seated her as I sat next to her. "There's something that I need to tell you, and you are going to be more upset than you ever have been."

Joey bit her lips and held up her palm. "Adriel, did you fuck Monique?"

"Of course not! We couldn't have summoned Yvonne if I ever did such a thing."

"OK, then I don't think that whatever you have to tell me could ever upset me more than that. Did you have another one of those dreams?"

"Actually, I did, but that's not what I have to tell you. Please, just let me get this finished because it has been driving me crazy for days. I am so sorry, but I have been withholding so much information from you that it will take me the rest of the day to explain, but first you need to know that I accepted Annette's position at the agency."

Joey's brow furrowed. "Let me guess. You spliced time to go behind my back to accept the position. When and where did you do that?"

"I was able to identify the courier who had the letter and have someone direct him to the villa at Îles d'Hyères. I had Monique assessing the grounds while I intercepted the agent at the front gate. I accepted the position then and there. I also spliced time from here to sign all of the agency documents and draft introduction letters for my subordinates with agency seals. I also have the keys to my new office in D. C."

Joey squinted. "My, my, my, Adriel, you have been busy."

"Yes, but that is just the tip of the iceberg." I spent the next several hours disclosing to Joey everything that I had learned while splicing time. I also shared my initial plan for dissolving the sex trafficking ring. Once she heard about the number of slaves and their ages, she was immediately onboard. However, she wanted to go on a killing spree, and I had to insist that we do no such thing. The best that I could negotiate was that she got to take key individuals to the chalet and force them to the brink of death, remove body parts, and return them to their families with letters of their confessions. I was relieved that she wasn't nearly as upset with me as I anticipated. I think it was mostly due to the progress that I had made already.

"Oh, Adriel, as angry as I am with you over Monique, I don't see how we can leave her out of this project. She has knowledge and passion concerning these sex traffickers, and I know that she could be an incredible asset. She could organize the transfers of the slaves to safe havens. In fact, we have the money to establish shelters and set up a program to return them to their families utilizing local authorities in their areas."

"I have to agree with you. Once we establish the necessary shelters, we can effectively steal the slaves by splicing sections of time over a twenty-four hour period. We would be spending years in one physical day, but it is possible."

"OK, I'll get her onboard, but I still never want you to be alone with Monique."

"I know, and I understand, and I definitely agree."

"I want Monique's input on how we should establish these shelters. She was a prisoner of those sick bastards, and she will have better insight than we do. I'll text her tonight to let her know that we want her help on one of our projects. She's now upside down with us on the clock by eleven hours, so we'll make the trip this evening when she is getting up for tomorrow morning."

I was not only relieved that Joey was onboard, but her enthusiasm was just what we needed to get the ball rolling. She had the passion for murder, torture, and retribution. Monique had the impetus of anger and revenge. They were two of my greatest assets, and they were creative and intelligent. Yvonne was right, I was far better off disclosing my secrets to Joey. From now on, I was going to be far more open and honest. This was just before I got totally blindsided.

I started clearing the kitchen table of our dishes as Joey rinsed them and put them into the dishwasher. I stepped out onto the patio to retrieve our tea cups, and I noticed someone strolling up our stone walkway from the beach. I froze in place, and my heart nearly leaped from my chest. I looked in horror as I saw my Shika Ultima slowly approach. Her eyes were glued to mine, and she had a confident smile upon her face. She was the most devastatingly beautiful woman beyond my wildest dreams. She was as graceful as a ballerina, and her muscle structure exceeded Joey's. She was barefoot, and the only stitch of clothing that she wore was a sheer white dress that barely covered her crotch. I couldn't move, and I couldn't breathe. I felt as though she totally had me under her power. She was nearly up to the patio and continued with her eyes locked upon mine when Joey emerged from the kitchen to see what happened to me.

My blood ran cold while Joey's jaw dropped, and her eyes grew wide. She burst into tears as she screamed, "Oh, my god, what the fuck are you doing here?"

Shika Ultima extended her arms toward Joey. "Are you surprised to see me, Sis?"

## CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

### _Shika Ultima_

SHE LOOKED OVER Joey's shoulder at me with a smug grin as they hugged tightly. As Joey released her, she looked into Joey's eyes. "Well, I see that you have overcome your Emotional Detachment Disorder."

"Oh, yes, that happened about three years ago. How did you find me?"

"Oh, I have my ways." Shika Ultima gave me a flirtatious look and grin. "And who might this handsome man be?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, this is my husband, Adriel. Adriel, this is my younger sister, Barbara." Joey looked back at her sister in astonishment. "I can't believe that you found me. Honestly, how did you do that?"

"Oh, Juli, I can't give away all of my secrets, or I wouldn't be as mysterious as I like."

"Oh, Barbara, my name is Joey now."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not calling you by that stupid name." Barbara looked over at me with that flirtatious grin again. "So, Adriel, did you know that her name is really Juliska? We call her Juli for short."

I cleared my throat. "No, I actually didn't know that."

"Hmmm, really? So, where did you two get married?"

I was the first to speak. "We took our vows right here on this patio to commit to one another for the rest of our lives."

Barbara looked confused. "You mean there was no ceremony?"

"No, all we needed from one another was a commitment. We didn't see a reason to do anything legal."

Barbara broke into laughter. "So, you're just girlfriend and boyfriend going steady. That's all this relationship amounts to. Well, Adriel, it looks like you're still available."

I couldn't believe my ears. Barbara was being incredibly rude to us. Joey changed the subject. "So, how did you get here? Do you have any bags?"

"No, Sis, I travel very light these days. I'm sure you have everything I need right here. Aren't you going to offer me a drink and a tour of your home?"

I shook my head to clear it. "Oh, of course, I'm so sorry. What would you like to drink?"

"Oh, I think I'm in the mood for a cognac, Adriel. Why don't you join me?"

Joey interjected, "Oh, Adriel is abstaining at the moment, but he can have a bottled water."

Barbara gave Joey an indignant look. "For chrissakes, Juli, let the man speak for himself. Adriel, I insist that you have a cognac with me. Bring us two glasses and a full bottle."

I went to the kitchen to retrieve a full bottle of cognac and two glasses. I knew that I could splice time to detoxify. She might be the most incredibly beautiful woman beyond imagination, but she was a real bitch. When I returned, I handed Barbara a glass, and she took the bottle from me. She poured me a drink and filled her glass as well. She then handed me the bottle and put her arm around my waist. "Juli, dear, why don't you go make up a bed for me in one of your guest rooms while I have Adriel take me on a tour. It will give me a chance to tell him some of your embarrassing childhood stories."

I could see the disappointment on Joey's face as she nodded and turned toward the guest area. Barbara pulled me by the waist to descend the stone steps to the gardens. I explained about our caretakers and how they maintained the gardens. She listened intently to every word I said as she smiled coquettishly at me the whole time. She was on her third glass of cognac as we rounded the northern fountain. She stopped and took the cognac bottle from me. She set it on the side of the fountain along with our glasses. She pulled her dress over her head, and she was completely naked. She tugged at my shirt and pants. "Come on, Adriel, let's skinny dip in the fountain." I tried to resist, but she outmaneuvered me and pulled my shirt off. She tackled me onto the ground laughing and pulled my pants down. "I can make this more interesting if you like." Barbara buried her face in my crotch and put me into her mouth.

I pulled away, and exclaimed, "Barbara, what the hell are you doing? I'm married to your sister."

She jerked my pants completely off. "Don't be silly. You're my sister's boyfriend, and I can take whatever I want from my sister. Come on, she'll never know."

"But I'll know. No, I don't want to do this. Please, stop this nonsense. We need to get back to the villa. Now, put your dress back on."

Barbara protested as she held our clothes. "No, I'm not leaving here until you make love to me next to this wonderful fountain."

"Barbara, why are you doing this? Why are you so inconsiderate and rude to your own sister? I don't understand."

"Because she's Juli, that's why."

"What did she ever do to you to make you so mean to her?"

"I don't know. She has never complained before."

"She suffered from Emotional Detachment Disorder back then. Good god, Barbara, she would be terribly hurt if she knew what you were doing. Please, have some consideration for her."

Barbara threw my clothes at me. "OK, but if she agrees to it, you owe me a good fuck before I leave."

I quickly dressed as I replied, "Well, you can rest assured that will never happen. Let's get back to the villa." I grabbed the cognac and my glass. I didn't wait for Barbara and quickly hurried back to the patio. Joey was waiting as she sipped a glass of Chardonnay. I gave her an alarmed look as I passed by into the kitchen.

Barbara was close behind me and stepped up onto the patio. "Wow, Sis, you have a wonderful place here. So, Adriel tells me that you have three caretakers that maintain the grounds. They are just beautiful."

"Oh, thank you. Yes, we do have three caretakers and another employee who helps with various tasks."

"Well, I have a great idea. Why don't we have a party with your entire staff, and we can all get to know one another?"

Joey took another sip of wine. I could see from the bottle that this wasn't her first glass. "OK, that does sound like fun. We just had a party not long ago."

"Oh, but your sister is here, and we haven't seen one another in close to a decade. I think it's time to celebrate."

Barbara raised her empty glass, and I went to the kitchen to get the cognac bottle. As I filled her glass, I was afraid to ask, "So, Barbara how long do you plan to visit?"

"Oh, I have no plans. I'm extremely flexible. I am basically retired."

Joey looked over with a hint of surprise. "Oh, you don't dance for the Russian Ballet anymore?"

"Oh, no, no, I quit the company about three years ago. I had been with them for nine years, and I was going through some lifestyle changes that led me into retirement."

"Oh, really, what sort of lifestyle changes?"

"Well, it's rather complicated, and I think it's too late in the evening to start that conversation. Perhaps later this week I will tell you all about it." My heart sank. I was hoping to get rid of her in a day or two.

I was eager to get Joey alone. "Well, Barbara, I hate to appear rude, but Joey and I have an early start for tomorrow. I wish you could have let us know that you were coming. We have a few errands to run, but we will have our attendant, Kristina, take care of you until we return."

"Well, why don't I just tag along with you two?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but that won't be possible. This is very private, and Joey and I need to do this alone."

Barbara was taken aback. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Oh, I imagine it will be most of the morning. We should return soon after noon if not earlier. Joey will show you where you are sleeping, and we're going to turn in for the night." I couldn't take another minute with her and left her to Joey as I went to get ready for bed. I definitely needed a shower to wash her saliva from my genitals. I toweled off and scooted into bed. Joey finally arrived, and she took a quick shower before joining me. "What the fuck is the matter with your sister?"

Joey gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?! She's the rudest, most inconsiderate person I have ever met. She treats you like shit, and I can't stand it."

"Oh, she's just being Barbara. She has always been like that. We were always very close."

"Yes, but you suffered Emotional Detachment Disorder back then. I wonder how you will feel about her now."

"What are you talking about? She's my sister, for god's sake. I love her dearly. You just don't understand her." Joey turned to face me. "Isn't she just gorgeous? I'll bet you don't think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world now."

I was frustrated. "Beauty is far more than outward appearance, Joey."

"Yes, but she won countless beauty contests in her late teens and early twenties. She was always the favored one."

I pulled Joey close for a kiss. "Maybe so, but she's not my favored one, however, you are, by far." We continued to enjoy the dueling of our tongues, and Joey pulled me on top of her. Before long, we were engaged in sweet love that consumed me to the point that I felt nearly delirious.

I was shocked back to a starkly disturbing reality as I heard Barbara's voice. "Oh, my god, are you two fucking?" She was naked and approached our bed. "Can I join you?"

I wasn't sure that my ears were working correctly. I was beside myself. "Excuse me, but can you do what?"

Barbara sat on the edge of the bed next to Joey. "Can I join you? Juli, do you remember when I had you lie in bed with me and my boyfriend when I was fourteen years old? I just want to experience that same thing with you right now."

Joey giggled. "Oh, I do remember that. He kept feeling my breasts and my vagina while you two made love."

I was appalled. "OK, I think I've entered the Twilight Zone here. Joey, you can't be serious."

"Oh, Adriel, it's OK. Let Barbara scoot in next to you. You can feel her body while we make love. I kind of owe that to her."

"Uh, no, I'm going to decline. Barbara, please go back to your own bedroom. I need to be alone with my wife." Barbara scooted next to me as she caressed my abdomen. I turned to Joey. "Joey, please make her leave, or I will sleep somewhere else."

"Oh, Adriel, you're such a party pooper. Barbara, please give me some time with him. We'll do this tomorrow night."

Barbara patted my abdomen a couple of times and got up. "OK, Juli, you need to work on him because I want to have some fun while I'm here."

At this point, I was beginning to wonder if I had flashbacks of the neurotoxin. I couldn't believe what I had experienced this evening, and I had never seen Joey so compliant with anyone who wanted to participate with us sexually. After Barbara left the room, I turned to Joey. "Have you lost your mind? You're asking me to feel up your sister while we make love, when you went ape shit over me kissing Monique?"

"Monique is in love with you. Barbara is my sister. She's not in love with you."

I shook my head. "OK, how shall I get you to see this? Would you be upset if I fucked your sister?"

"Oh, Adriel, Barbara doesn't want to have sex with you."

"But would you be upset if I did?"

"Well, of course I would, but that's not what she's asking. You're making more of this than you should."

"Oh, on the contrary, I think you're making far less of this than you should. We need to get out of here and splice time to make love. I don't want to be anywhere near your sister while we enjoy one another, and I'm not allowing her in our bed at any time. Let's get out of here."

Joey and I made our usual arrangements navigating with the golden highway and splicing time. We chose another favorite Parisian hotel room that happened to be vacant in the middle of the day in France. It felt so good to enjoy our intimacy in private. I writhed with pleasure as we sweetly made love for hours. Her lips tantalized me, and I swelled with desire as I released within her loins. "Oh, Joey, I love you so much that I never want this moment to end."

The next morning, Joey and I were in good spirits. We had spent hours upon hours making sweet love and then napped for more hours to our satisfaction before splicing time back to our bedroom. At least we had the capability to escape Barbara for our intimate times. Kristina had made breakfast, and Joey and I emerged from the shower to dress ourselves and enjoy our coffee that awaited. When we entered the kitchen, I was disappointed that Barbara was already sitting at the counter sipping her coffee. I had hoped to have a private breakfast with my wife, but that wasn't going to happen.

As Joey sat at the table and began to sip her coffee, Barbara turned to her. "I hope that you talked some sense into your boyfriend." Joey, shrugged, smiled, and lifted her coffee cup to Barbara. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I was about halfway through my breakfast and decided to grab another croissant from the counter where Barbara was sitting. As I took the pastry from the tray, I heard Barbara faintly whisper. "Oh, I love you so much that I never want this moment to end." I was frozen in shock as she scrunched her face at me and smiled. She had repeated the words that I had spoken to Joey in Paris as we made love. This was far more than coincidence.

Joey and I were navigating to Îles d'Hyères to bring Monique back to our villa in the South Pacific for a party to celebrate Barbara. It was early evening for Monique, and we transitioned from coffee to wine. Monique was surprised that we were drinking alcohol, but I explained about Joey's sister visiting. Monique was excited to hear about the party and the fact that she was attending. I didn't want to bad mouth Barbara in front of Joey, so I had little to say. Joey explained that Barbara was the pretty one, and she was two years younger than Joey. She went on and on about Barbara and her beauty pageant crowns, and her gymnastics awards, and her accomplishments at the Russian Ballet. Joey practically worshipped her sister, but Barbara took terrible advantage of Joey. I couldn't understand how Barbara could be so cruel to someone who loved her so much. I never dreamed that Joey would be willing to share me with anyone, but Shika Ultima turned out to be the witch from hell, and I had no desire to be with her.

Monique walked us throughout the property to explain more of her designs. Her passion was contagious, and I loved the way that she portrayed art in nature. She was one of the most creative people I had ever met. I shook my head as I watched her with Joey while she explained everything. Joey was right. I was in love with Monique. It wasn't Carol, and it wasn't Shika Ultima, it was Monique. I dearly loved my wife, but if anything ever happened to Joey, I would make a beeline toward Monique. I just needed to be sure not to get out of line with her while I was married to Joey. Joey may be intuitive when it came to Monique, but she was oblivious about her own sister.

As the evening progressed, I was impressed with the way that Joey handled Monique with love and consideration. I wondered if it had anything to do with Barbara bringing out attributes of Joey that finally surfaced in her sister's presence. Admittedly, I had seen a great change in Joey since Barbara appeared, but it was mostly alarming. I was hoping that what I saw between Joey and Monique at this moment could be a positive aspect of Barbara's influence. I began to wonder if Barbara was merely proving my resolve at the northern fountain. Perhaps it was a sister's test to see if I would be faithful. I hoped that I passed that test, but taking my penis into her mouth seemed like an absurd tactic. Perhaps that was just Barbara. Before the evening ended, I had made concessions for Barbara that I never expected. Maybe it was the love that Joey exhibited toward her sister. It could also be my doubt of my first assessment of a relationship between two sisters of which I knew nothing.

As we left the villa in Îles d'Hyères with Monique, I had a fresh perspective of Barbara. I needed to give her a chance and be more objective. She was part of my family, although she did not understand it that way. I wondered if her contempt for my marriage to Joey was real, or whether it was again just another test for me. Time would tell. So far, it appeared that Joey had not been injured by Barbara, and I was glad for that. Still, bringing Barbara into our bed gave me great concern.

We returned to our villa on Aitutaki just after noon. It was the middle of the night for Monique, and she retired to the caretaker quarters to catch a nap for a few hours. Joey and I went into the kitchen to make a quick lunch. Barbara was swimming nude in our pool, and I hoped that she stayed there. However, before long she came wandering back to the patio and had a seat as she let the sunshine dry her body. Joey took a shrimp salad out to Barbara and sat with her as they ate. I knew that she expected me to join them, but I was reluctant and decided to stay in the kitchen. Before long, I heard Barbara call out to me. "Adriel, how am I supposed to get to know you if you keep avoiding me? Get your ass out here, and sit next to me." I quickly finished my salad and poured a glass of wine before I took a seat across from Barbara. "No, no, no, sit here, Adriel, and take off your clothes." Barbara turned to Joey. "You too, Sis, Kristina tells me that you never wear clothes around your house."

I declined, "I think I'll keep my clothes on today, Barbara."

"No, I insist. If we're going to be a happy family, we need to start acting like one. Come on, you two, undress." Joey stood and removed her clothes. She then gave me a look of concession and nodded her head. I couldn't believe it. I stripped off my clothes, and Barbara grabbed my hand to pull me in next to her. "Now, that's more like it. Juli, why don't you go get me a glass of that wine?"

Joey stood and went to the kitchen. As soon as she had turned her back, Barbara put her arms around my neck and began to kiss me. I tried to resist, but she forcefully put her lips to mine and put her tongue in my mouth. "Barbara, please stop. I don't know if this is some sort of test that you're putting me through, but it's getting old. I don't want to kiss you." Barbara reached down and began to fondle me. I pulled her hand away, and called to Joey. "Joey, can you please control your sister? She won't leave me alone."

Joey returned with Barbara's wine. "You know, Juli, I'm not having much fun. Remember that game that I used to make you play with my boyfriend when we were teenagers? I had you stroke him until he ejaculated. You need to return that favor. You can watch if you want."

I could see the sadness come over Joey's face. "I'd really rather that you didn't do that, Barbara."

"Well, I'd really rather that I did. I don't think it's fair that you got to do that to my boyfriend, and now you won't let me do it to yours."

I chimed in and tried to get up. "Well, I would definitely rather that you didn't."

Barbara pulled me back down and reached for me again. Once again, I grabbed her hand to stop her. Barbara looked over at Joey. "Can I at least borrow his tongue?"

I could see that Joey was finally getting perturbed. "No, Barbara, Adriel is my husband, and he pleases only me. Likewise, only I please him. It's part of the commitment that we made, and I insist that you respect that."

Barbara pulled her wrist from my grip. "Oh, all right. You two are no fun. You've gotten selfish in your old age, Juli. I'm going back to the pool." Barbara abruptly got up and left for the pool.

I looked over at Joey with alarm. "We have got to get her out of here, Joey. She tried to fuck me by the northern fountain. I didn't want to tell you because I thought maybe she was just testing my resolve, but I'm now convinced that wasn't it."

Joey's face was full of sadness. "I've been thinking back to our childhood when I used to have Emotional Detachment Disorder. Barbara took advantage of my lack of feelings. There were times that she would exploit me in front of others just to show I had no emotion. Luckily, I never had a boyfriend back then, but I'm afraid she wants to use you to humiliate me."

"Come on, let's get dressed and go down to the pool to tell her that she needs to leave. I'm sorry that you haven't seen her in years, but there's no way I can put up with her. She disrespects you, and she's dangerous." Joey nodded her head, and we put our clothes back on. We descended the stone steps together as we went down to the pool. As soon as we approached, I announced, "Barbara, we need to speak with you right away."

Barbara stopped swimming and was treading water. "Oh, no, why did you get dressed?"

"Please, come sit with us at the table." Joey and I took a seat and waited for Barbara. As soon as she sat down, I began, "Barbara, your visit is an unwanted surprise. We had no idea that you were coming, and quite frankly you have been offensive since you came. We want you to leave now, so please go get your dress and go back to where you came from."

Barbara looked back and forth at Joey and me in wide eyed shock. "Oh, my goodness, Juli do you feel the same way?" Joey nodded her head. "Oh, dear, I am so sorry if I offended either of you. Juli, I'm not used to you having feelings of jealousy or anger. I meant no harm. You and I shared everything in the past. I had no idea that you wouldn't share your boyfriend with me, but now that I know how you feel, I apologize. Please don't make me leave. We haven't even had my party yet. Please, forgive me. I promise I won't ask you to share him again."

Joey looked over at me with a questioning and pleading countenance. I gave a deep sigh. "Barbara, you need to keep your hands to yourself and your lips too, if you're going to stay. Joey is glad to see you, but we can't tolerate any infidelity in our marriage. If you can respect our home and our marriage, you can stay."

Barbara threw her arms around me. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Adriel. Oh, I'm sorry. Can I hug you?"

"Yes, as long as it is platonic. You may hug me."

Joey finally spoke up. "Thank you, Barbara. I'll get started planning your party. We can schedule it for tomorrow night. You really came at an inopportune time for us. We have several things that we need to catch up on, and I would appreciate it if you would depart the day after your party. I hope you understand."

Barbara looked disappointed. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry I couldn't give you advanced notice. Let's see how it goes. I can stay out of your way."

I looked over at Joey. "Joey, could you loan Barbara some clothes? I would appreciate it if she was dressed while she's staying here."

Joey nodded and stood as she held her hand out for Barbara. She led Barbara to the guest room and picked out three different outfits for her to choose.

We needed to get back on track with our project. I needed to go to my office in D. C. to check my email and any other correspondence. The director of the agency had been absent since Barbara arrived, and I knew that I had a lot of business to do. I took advantage of being alone and spliced time to go to my office. I wouldn't be seen by anyone, so I wasn't worried about my casual attire. I ended up spending six hours answering emails and reading reports. I had barely made a dent in my obligations, but I needed a break. I decided to return home.

Barbara had chosen one of Joey's cuter outfits. She strolled over to me and held out her hands. "Come on, Adriel, let's walk the gardens together. I need to clear the air with you and offer you a proper apology."

I looked over at Joey with concern. She conceded with a nod, and I descended the stone steps with Barbara. I was terribly apprehensive once we were out of sight from Joey. Barbara was still being incredibly flirtatious, and she kept her hand around my waist. "You know, Adriel, I'm not used to men resisting me. In fact, I can't remember a time in my life when that has happened." I kept silent. "I've never met a man like you before. You must really love my sister."

"I really do love her, Barbara, with all my heart." I stopped walking and turned to her. "Barbara, you never did explain how you found us."

Barbara shrugged her right shoulder and raised her eyebrows. "Oh, is it really that important?"

"Yes, it truly is because we're not easy to find, and I need to know how you found us."

Barbara gave a sigh and looked away. "I was really hoping to wait until later to explain this to you. Here, take my right hand." I gave Barbara a quizzical look and took hold of her right hand. "No, use your left hand, Adriel." I switched hands, and the next moment we were on the golden highway. I turned to Barbara in shock, and she immediately stepped us back into our gardens.

"So, that's how you found us! That's how you heard me tell Joey that I never wanted the moment to end when I made love to her."

"Yes, Adriel, that is right. I know about your directorship at the agency too. In fact, that's the main reason that I am here."

"So, you tried to have sex with me so that I would lose my abilities on the golden highway."

"You don't need them, Adriel. I can navigate the golden highway. We can be an incredible team together as husband and wife. Believe me, I can satisfy you far better than my sister can."

"I don't care what you can do, Barbara, I love my wife, and I don't ever want to be apart from her."

"I understand how you feel, Adriel, but I'm not leaving here without you. You need to know that."

"Barbara, you have no idea who you are dealing with. I would tread lightly if I were you."

Barbara chuckled smugly. "Oh, I think I know perfectly well what I am doing. You'll see."

"So, how long have you been spying on me?"

"Well, off and on since right after Juli murdered Avarro."

"So, are you an agent?"

"Oh, good heavens, no, Adriel! I would never want to be shackled to the agency."

"I'm a little confused, Barbara. What is it that you want from me?"

"You have knowledge that I don't have, and I have knowledge that you don't have. Together, we will be unstoppable."

"Unstoppable for what? I don't understand."

"You want to take the agency down. I can help."

"Yes, but we don't need to be married to do that. I can stay with Joey, and you could help just the same."

Barbara broke into laughter. "Oh, Adriel, that is so funny. We don't need Juli. She would just get in our way. Besides, I want you as my husband. You know, you were far more compatible with Annette than you are with Juli."

"That's not true, Barbara. Joey and I are extremely compatible."

Barbara smiled at me. "Adriel, you are at a terrible disadvantage. I know a hell of a lot about you, but you know very little about me." Barbara stopped walking and turned to face me. "If I wanted, I could make you fuck that little blondie who is so crazy about you and force my sister to watch."

"Now, why in the world would you do something so horrible to your own sister?"

"Just to prove that I can, Adriel. You have no idea what I can do."

"So, tell me, how you were able to get into my dreams?"

"Like I said, I know things that you don't know. You would be surprised what I can do."

"Look, Barbara, I'm not interested in marrying you. I want you to leave Joey and me alone. Please, at least have that much respect for your sister."

"Oh, Adriel, you need to listen to me, or you are going to get one horribly rude awakening soon. There is nothing that you can do to stop me. Seriously, when you get a taste of how tight I am, you will worship me more than my sister does."

"What makes you think I won't tell Joey about this?"

Barbara shrugged. "I frankly don't care if you do. Adriel, I could physically steal you from Juli by snatching you from on top of her if I want. I can incarcerate you by preventing you from using the golden highway. Once again, you have no idea what I can do. I just wanted to make this easier on you both. You're not really married to my sister. You and I can go and do it legally. She can't navigate the golden highway, and before long you will need me to do that."

"You know, Barbara, you are possibly the most wicked person I have ever met."

Barbara grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment, Adriel. Come on, let's get back to your villa and see what Juli is planning for my party. Oh, and I think it's only fair to warn you that you should make one last visit to your counterpart before the party."

Barbara and I returned to the villa, and she walked into the kitchen where Joey was talking on the phone. I sat at the counter in consternation. I knew that Joey and I couldn't run and hide via the golden highway. Barbara could easily find us. I certainly didn't want to hang out on the highway of death, and I couldn't afford to stay on the golden highway due to the time differential. Barbara was right, I had no clue what she was capable of doing. She could certainly do things that I couldn't do. No wonder Yvonne was so pessimistic about my future. I needed to see her as soon as possible.

Joey got off the phone, and Barbara gave her a kiss. "Adriel and I had a great walk and conversation. I think we understand one another much better now. So, show me what you have planned for my party, Sis." Joey took Barbara out to the patio and explained what she just ordered from the caterer. The party was to begin at six o'clock tomorrow night. Joey explained that the girls often came early to enjoy the pool and play games. Barbara confirmed that we wouldn't be wearing any clothing. Joey consented as she glanced over at me. I had a horrifying idea of what Barbara was planning, but I didn't want to alarm Joey. Barbara had warned me to visit Yvonne before the party. That could only mean one thing to me. Barbara was planning on having sex with me. I seriously doubted that Joey would terminate her own sister, but I suspicioned that I was about to find out tomorrow night.

I was going to wait until bedtime to invite Joey to summon our counterparts. I dreaded the idea of Barbara watching us wherever we went. We had no privacy to make love or for our healing sessions. Barbara could listen to every conversation and watch everything that we did. I really didn't want Joey to know that. She was already intimidated by her sister, and I didn't want Joey to know just how evil Barbara was. I used to think that Annette was a monster, but she was nothing compared to Barbara. I dreaded the coming party. It felt like a death sentence, and in ways it really was.

Barbara continued to show Joey lots of attention and affection throughout the evening. Every once in a while she would glance over at me with that sinister grin. I could see Joey relax more as the evening progressed. However, I knew that she was still eager to get rid of Barbara and looked forward to her departure. I didn't want to squelch her hope. Regardless of Joey's contrary opinion, I had never been relentlessly pursued by a woman in my life. I had no problem saying, "no," to Barbara, but she was in a position to refuse that as my answer. The evening was finally beginning to wind down, and Joey wanted to go to bed. I was hoping that Barbara didn't intend to join us. She had been the model guest all evening, but I knew that it was just the calm before the storm. Barbara had hoped to win me over with her original antics, but it failed. She was obviously now following her second plan.

Joey and I stepped onto the golden highway and clapped. I had never seen Yvonne look so remorseful. She was already crying. We chose our favorite hotel room, and I tried to comfort her. She didn't want to talk. She continued to weep as we made sweet love. She wasn't disassembling me, and she was more passive than usual. She wanted me to take the initiative with her. The bed was soaked with her tears. Our kisses were intermittent to allow her to breathe. I kept a facial tissue box on the bed for her, and the pile of tissues continued to mount. It broke my heart to see her in such despair. Finally, I had to ask, "Yvonne, you once told me that when the odds were stacked against me, and I had no way of escape that you were allowed to rescue me."

Yvonne looked away as the tears fell faster. The corners of her mouth turned down, and she struggled to speak. "Adriel, there is nothing that I can do for you now. I'm sorry, but you are on your own. I'm going to miss you so much." I held her in my arms for a while and then started another session of our love. I couldn't believe that this was possibly our last time together. I don't know how long we enjoyed one another until we finally knew that it was time to go. We spliced the time, and I met back with Joey. I knew that if Joey and I went anywhere else that Barbara would be spying on us. It sickened me to think that she probably witnessed our extended honeymoon. Joey and I returned to our bedroom and made sweet love until we fell asleep. Luckily, Barbara never showed.

I awakened very early the next morning long before dawn. Joey was still asleep, and I didn't want to disturb her. I quietly got up and silently stepped into the doorless entry of the guest room where Barbara was staying. I could tell from her breathing that she was sound asleep. I breathed a sigh of relief and decided to go down to the beach for a while. Joey had mentioned that she wanted Monique to join us for breakfast, and afterward she was going to have a private conversation with Monique concerning the sex trafficking ring. That meant that I would be left to entertain our guest, and I wasn't comfortable with that idea. I didn't want to hear any more of her sinister plans to destroy my wife.

Unfortunately, I was really curious about Barbara's capabilities. She could invade my dreams, and she claimed that she could incarcerate me by preventing me from using the golden highway. Apparently, these were things that I would eventually learn with Yvonne. I wondered how long Barbara had been able to navigate the golden highway and how she learned about it. There was so much that I wanted to know, but I knew that she wouldn't tell me unless I was onboard with her plan. I guess I wasn't that curious.

Something was definitely about to happen. Yvonne had given up on me. Even if we made it through the party tonight, Joey would be upset with Barbara if she didn't leave tomorrow. My fear was that Barbara was leaving tomorrow, and I was going to be forced to go with her. I couldn't let that happen. Once she got me away from Joey, I had little hope of returning. Shika Ultima turned out to be a very different threat than I anticipated. Barbara had obviously given herself that name. She was the most narcissistic woman I had ever met. If Barbara had given me those dreams, then why did Yvonne encourage me to analyze them? At my first questioning, she didn't deny that she had given me that dream. Barbara was apparently trying to captivate me even before we met. However, as sensual as the dreams were, the reminiscent aspects of them now disgusted me. I found it interesting how Barbara's cruel nature and disregard for her sister could negate the indescribable beauty that she possessed.

Before now, I had doubted that a more beautiful woman than Joey even existed. Of course, who else would it be if not her own sister? The greatest irony of it all is my track record with tempting women. As difficult as it has been in the past to resist them, the one who is far more attractive and seductive than any of them gave me no pause for refusal. Evil and selfishness were definitely relative. As appalled as I was by some of the things that Annette had done, and the lies that Monique had told to Carol, they were nothing compared to the devious nature of Barbara. Suddenly, the question came to mind. Was she influenced by someone from the underworld? I wondered if Fred was behind this whole ordeal. Although, Barbara had been following me since Avarro's death, so I doubted that it was Fred. However, it could be another one of those nasty beings.

I knew one thing for sure, I was about to learn something significant in the next eighteen hours. Just how significant, I had no idea. Barbara said that I knew things that she didn't. I had no clue what they were. She also said that the main reason that she had come for me was that I was now the director of the agency. She could only learn that via the golden highway. She sought my knowledge and my standing at the agency. I doubt that she had contacted Avarro, and I also doubted that she had contacted Annette. I wondered if she would have come if Joey had accepted the directorship. What if I resigned from my position and designated Barbara as the director? Although, she said that she didn't want to be shackled to the agency. I wanted to learn about her true agenda, but I wasn't sure how.

I changed direction and headed back to my estate. I was hoping to return before either Barbara or Joey awakened. I was going to be spending a considerable amount of time with Barbara this morning, and I had to resist appearing antagonistic. However, if I were too congenial, she would get suspicious. I needed just the right mix of resistance with a hint of compliance. Oh, my god! What if she could read my mind? She could certainly invade my dreams, and Yvonne likened it to when she caused me to read the minds of others during the Pakistan project. Maybe that's why Yvonne is in such despair. If Barbara can read my mind, I don't stand a fighting chance.

I hurried up the stone walkway as my hope diminished by the moment. I had to devise a test to see if Barbara could read my mind. However, she would know immediately what my intentions and plans were. Suddenly, I had an idea. I needed to cause an involuntary reaction with Barbara, and the best way to do that was to coerce her laugh when she read my mind. I just needed to think of something that she thought was funny. As spontaneously mirthful as I could be in the past, nothing was coming to my mind. It was like standing before a firing squad and being asked to tell a joke.

I carefully scooted back into bed next to Joey. She began to stir, and we took advantage of our time alone together. The sun would be up soon, so we showered, dressed, and headed to the kitchen where Kristina was already busy with breakfast. She poured our coffee, and we sat at the table. Monique strolled into the kitchen and sat next to Joey. Barbara was next to arrive, and she sat closer to me than I wanted. I had no idea what my challenges would be with her this morning. I still couldn't think of a funny thought. Breakfast was pleasant. Monique was eager to get started with Joey, and Barbara was behaving herself.

We cleared the breakfast table, and Monique and Joey took seats to discuss our project. Barbara took my hand, and we went for a stroll along the beach. I remained as quiet as I could. The more she spoke, the more I would learn. Unfortunately, she also was silent as we meandered our way down the beach. She put her arm around my waist and pulled me close as she put her head on my left shoulder. We had walked a few hundred meters, and she stopped to pull me close as she wrapped her arms around me. She tilted her head upward and began kissing my face. She made her way to my lips, and I pulled away. "Barbara, please, we shouldn't do this."

She gave me a forlorn look as she pleaded, "Please, Adriel, I have been such a bitch to you and Juli, and I'm really sorry. I get so aggressive sometimes." She gently kissed my lips, and I began to reciprocate. She escalated her kisses, and we were now caressing tongues. She was incredibly seductive, and I was quickly losing ground.

I finally pulled away. "Please, Barbara, this isn't right. You said that there were things that I knew that you didn't. What are they?"

"Well, I don't know everything that you know, but I do know that you can be in several places at the same time. I don't know how to do that, and I want you to show me. I know that you also do something with portals to pull distant geographic locations together. I can't do that either."

"So, tell me how you invaded my dreams, and I'll explain some of these things."

"Now isn't the time or place, Adriel. After we're married we can teach each other what we know."

I decided not to protest, and I didn't respond. I hoped that would be my hint of compliance that I intended. "Where were you planning on us living if we got married?"

Barbara gave me a pleasing glance. "You're the director of the agency. We can have residences all over the world, Adriel. I don't care where we live as long as I'm with you."

"Well, I would insist on some place where it never snows."

Barbara smiled. "Anything you want, my dear. I'll make you the happiest man on earth no matter where we are." Barbara clung to my left arm with her head on my shoulder as we walked along the surf.

"Barbara, I don't understand why we can't just work together. Why do you insist on us getting married?"

Barbara stopped in her tracks and gave me an incredulous look. "For chrissakes, Adriel, why does anyone want to get married? I'm in love with you. You're wasting yourself on my sister. You should be my husband. Juli has never been the first, but always a second."

"Well, not in my experience she's not. She's definitely a first."

Barbara pulled me close as we started walking again. "Well, we'll see about that."

When we returned to the villa, I noticed that Monique was pleasantly excited to the point that she was hugging Joey repeatedly. Joey very affectionately kissed her, and my heart was softened to tears. It reminded me of times when Joey and Annette were getting along. Joey asked Monique to bring the girls to the villa. Barbara waited until Joey looked our direction, and she pulled me in for a sensuous kiss. As much as I wanted to pull away, I decided to let it stir Joey's ire toward her sister, and I engaged her. When we finally parted lips, I could see the shock upon Joey's face. Barbara was encouraged, Joey was angry, and I was being manipulative.

Fanette and Emily strolled onto the patio with their towels. They were naked and ready to play in the pool. As soon as Barbara saw them, she stripped off her clothes to join them. Kristina gave a pleading look, and I nodded in assent to dismiss her for the afternoon. As soon as everyone was out of the kitchen, Joey turned to me. "Well, it looks like you and Barbara are finally getting along."

I flippantly responded, "Oh, yes, she's just being Barbara. Isn't she wonderful?" I smiled at Joey.

I was pleased that Joey was agitated. Barbara could use a good ass kicking. I decided to load up the drink cart with glasses, ice, water, liquor, wine, beer, and mixers. I wheeled the drink cart to the pool and began fixing cocktails for everyone. Joey waited in the kitchen for the caterer to arrive. Soon after I returned to the kitchen, Joey went to the front gate to receive our food order. I helped her unpack our dinner and went to the pool to announce that it was ready.

Everyone gathered, and we enjoyed our meal with more drinks. Barbara insisted that Joey and I strip down and join her with the girls at the pool after our dinner. She walked over to me where I sat and pulled my shirt over my head. She made me stand and pulled my pants down as she made me step out of them. Joey's eyes were glued on Barbara as she brushed against my appendage. Barbara stood and pulled me into a naked embrace as she sensuously kissed my lips. I saw Monique give Joey an alarmed look as she couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Barbara smiled as she looked me in the eye. "Now, that's more like it, Adriel."

Barbara took my hand and pulled me toward the pool area. Joey quickly rallied the girls, and I knew that she was instructing them to occupy Barbara at the pool. Soon after Barbara pulled me into the water, the girls surrounded us and begged Barbara to play some games. She graciously indulged them as I took a seat next to Joey on a deck chair. I noticed that Barbara was engaging Emily and Fanette in some sexual play, and I decided to watch. She soon noticed that I was observing and went down on Fanette with a fervency that sent her into multiple staccato orgasms. I was surprised how aroused I became, and she turned toward Emily. Emily wasn't an easy piece of sexual satisfaction, and Barbara had to spend considerable time before Emily convulsed into an erotic display of pleasure. My arousal was now apparent, and Joey was aware.

Barbara sat on the edge of the pool as she had Emily and Fanette take turns on her. I saw her moan and writhe with delight, but I couldn't detect an orgasm. My arousal continued to aggravate Joey, and that was part of my plan. Barbara took close notice of my condition, and she smiled at me often as the girls massaged her clitoris with their tongues. I got up to make a drink for Joey as my penis pointed skyward. The ice cubes had stuck together, and I couldn't find the ice pick. I called over to Kristina, who quickly retrieved another from the kitchen. I served Joey a strong bourbon and soda. She annoyingly glanced at my erection several times. The powder keg was heating up, and I knew that it would explode soon.

Barbara came strutting over in all of her glory. Joey was angry, Barbara was confident, and all I needed to do was light the match to ignite the fireworks. However, before I could do anything, Barbara feigned a fall into my chair and grabbed my genitals. Joey erupted. She jumped from her chair as Barbara sprung onto her feet. Barbara turned her palms upward and motioned with her fingers. "Come on, Sis, show me what you got!" Joey leaped and spun with a signature kick, and Barbara caught her foot, twisted, and threw her into the pool. Barbara strutted along the pool deck. "Is that all you have? Come on Sis!" Joey sprang from the pool and used her superhuman reflexes to attack Barbara with her hands. Joey was as quick as lightning, but Barbara was faster. Joey had initiated fifteen punches, and Barbara not only blocked each one, but managed to slap Joey in the face three times in the process.

Every one of us at the pool had our mouths agape. The Angel of Death had met her match. Joey reengaged with a cartwheel and a rotation to throw Barbara off balance. Barbara descended with a leg sweep causing Joey to jump over it, but while Joey was in the air, Barbara spun her body to kick Joey in the crotch and vault her into the air once again to land her in the pool. Barbara continued to strut back and forth on the pool deck, flexing her muscles, and taunted. "What do I have to do to get a good fight out of you, Sis? Do you want me to fuck your boyfriend in front of everyone?" Because I will! Barbara marched toward me. "Come on, Adriel, let's show my sister how to fuck."

Joey was now fully engaged. She completely unleashed herself upon her own sister. I knew that look in her eyes, and I had my answer. She was ready to terminate her own sister. She twirled, faked, spun, rotated, and Barbara knocked her cold at her feet. Barbara triumphantly walked over to the drink cart. "You see, girls, this so-called Angel of Death is nothing. I told you we didn't need her, Adriel. She'll just get in our way." To my shocking surprise, Barbara retrieved a syringe that she had obviously planted behind the ice bucket. She took the strides to Joey and injected the contents into her trapezius muscle. She then dragged Joey to a deck chair by her hair. "What the fuck did you just do to my wife," I demanded as I approached her.

"Oh, relax, Adriel! I just administered a mild neuromuscular blocking agent to allow her to watch you and me make love on the pool deck."

I attempted to dismiss Barbara as I tried to help Joey. She caught my arm and pulled my face to hers. "If you don't mount me and fuck me within the next minute, I will start breaking the necks of your girls beginning with your beloved blondie." She turned toward the girls. "No one leaves this pool! Do you understand?" She jerked me down upon the pool deck next to the drink cart. "Once we're done here, you're leaving with me, and we're taking that robe that is locked in your safe." She descended on my groin to work me into an erection. I was doomed, and I knew it. I understood Yvonne's despair. I would fail my negotiations. I would become Barbara's slave for the rest of my life.

Barbara pulled me on top of her. The girls were cowered into the far corner of the pool. Monique was sobbing with her face in her hands as all of the girls held her in their arms. Barbara grasped my buttocks and thrusted me deep within her. "Harder, Adriel! Fuck me harder! Show my sister how much you enjoy me!" She demanded over and over. Suddenly, I spotted my salvation out of the corner of my eye, but it was three inches out of reach. Barbara was pleading. "Fuck me harder, Adriel. Fuck me till I bleed!" I thrust myself deeper and harder as I inched her across the pool deck. "Yes, Adriel, harder, harder!" Finally, I had reached my target, and I planted my lips upon hers as our tongues lashed one another. I extended my left hand and felt along the deck. I had reached the wheel of the drink cart, and I felt behind it. I grasped the lost ice pick, and within the blink of an eye, in an instant, I had stabbed Barbara sixteen times. I saw the look of shock and horror frozen upon her face. I heard the gasping wheeze as blood splattered onto my torso. In a rage, I rapidly stabbed her fourteen more times until I felt her expire beneath me. Her left breast was mutilated like ground beef, and her blood had pooled around her body.

I pulled my blood soaked body from Barbara's lifeless form and crawled over to Joey to hold her in my arms. Before I knew it, Monique had grasped me around my waist sobbing uncontrollably, and the other girls hugged my shoulders and neck as they wept with her. We caressed and massaged Joey hoping that she would soon recover from the neuromuscular blocking agent. After about twenty minutes, we were able to get Joey upright and respond. We helped her to her feet and escorted her to our shower. Monique started scrubbing Barbara's blood from my body as I washed my genitals to remove her vaginal secretions. The three girls washed the blood from Joey, Monique and themselves, and we all toweled one another. Everyone climbed into our bed. The four girls had not stopped sobbing the whole time. I felt numb, and Joey was showing characteristic signs of her former Emotional Detachment Disorder. I held Joey, and Monique held me from behind. The girls had all nestled against us and clung to our bodies. They continued to cry until I was unaware of my slumber. It had been the nightmare from hell.

I awoke in darkness and silence. Everyone had finally fallen asleep, and I carefully slipped from beneath them to free myself to go back to the pool. Barbara lay in a huge pool of blood next to the drink cart. I knew what I had to do. I picked her up over my shoulder and made the step onto the golden highway. I deposited her corpse into the middle of the Pacific Ocean and returned to my pool after grabbing a bottle of bleach. I pulled the hose from the caddy and scrubbed and rinsed the deck and my body until no more blood could be seen. I wheeled the drink cart back to the kitchen and unloaded everything. I then went back to extinguish all of the lanterns and gather the trash.

Once the area was clean, I collapsed onto the loveseat near the kitchen and sobbed. I had always thought that murder was unnecessary. I believed that there was always a better alternative. However, I had never been faced with such a hopelessness that Barbara imposed. She threatened my family, my marriage, and my life. There was no way to stop her from destroying Joey and our relationship. The only way that I could protect Joey and the girls was to terminate Barbara. I thought that Joey would end her, but Barbara was unbeatable. The only advantage that I had was that Barbara never dreamed that I could kill her, nor did I. The horrible irony was that my first kill was my wife's sister.

## CHAPTER NINETEEN

### _Taking Care of Business_

I EASED BACK into bed and put my arms around Joey. Monique awakened and clung to me. I stroked her hair and maneuvered to kiss her cheek. I whispered quietly into her ear. "You're safe now. You're all safe." Kristina began to stir, and she broke into another crying spell. I pulled her up on top of me and held her as I stroked her back. "It's OK, Kristina. Everything is going to be all right." The girls had been traumatized, and they fully expected that Barbara was going to murder them all before the night was over. I was glad that I had cleaned up the mess. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to see the terrifying, macabre display that remained at the pool after we left. Emily and Fanny began to sit up and look around as I was still comforting Kristina. They began to cry with her as they held her in their arms.

Monique wouldn't stop clinging to me, and Joey was beginning to awaken. I could tell immediately that she was devoid of emotion. I hoped that her condition was temporary, but I was relieved that she wasn't distraught like the girls were. She sat up and blinked a few times and then looked over at me. "We have a lot of work to do, Adriel." Joey glanced at Monique as she held me tightly. She made no indication that she cared.

"Joey, everyone has been through a very traumatic experience. We need to work with the girls to help them process this."

Joey scooted from the bed. "I'll leave that to you, Adriel. I'm sure that you understand them far better than I do." Joey got into the shower.

The girls didn't want to be alone, and I suggested that we all cook breakfast together and then sit to talk through our ordeal the night before. I slipped on a shirt and pants and walked the girls back to their quarters so that they could shower and get dressed. We returned to the kitchen, and I gave everyone a task to complete our breakfast. Joey entered the kitchen and immediately walked out toward the pool. I excused myself briefly to catch Joey as she returned to the scene.

She was standing at the edge of the pool deck and assessing the environment when I walked up behind her. She turned to me and said, "Well, you did an excellent job of taking out the trash. I couldn't have done better."

She turned to walk away, and I grabbed her arm. "Joey, you realize that your Emotional Detachment Disorder is back, don't you?"

She blinked at me a couple of times. "Of course I do, Adriel." She left me standing by the pool deck and went back to the kitchen. I followed and helped the girls finish our breakfast. It wasn't long before the girls were giving one another confusing glances. I finally needed to explain Joey's emotional history and the fact that I believed last night's experience likely triggered a regression, which I hoped was temporary. The girls attempted to show Joey affection and understanding, but she seemed oblivious to their sympathy. She had returned to her robot-like state. She initiated no hugs, kisses, or any display of emotion. I felt strangely like a door had been slammed in my face. It didn't take Monique long to realize that Joey was numb to the affection that Monique was displaying toward me, and she began to take advantage of the situation. By midmorning, Kristina had taken Monique aside, and I knew that she was using her authority to intervene on Joey's behalf. Although I could not hear the conversation that Kristina had with Monique, I saw Monique become angered and tell Kristina to mind her own business.

I gathered the girls onto the patio, and we took turns talking through last night's incident. Monique was the angriest due to Barbara coercing me into sex. The other girls were appreciative that I wouldn't let any harm befall them, and I promised that I would always do the best I could to protect them. The murder had been gruesome, and we discussed some of the aspects of what they experienced. None of them had ever seen anything like it, and I apologized that I was out of control. I had felt desperation, anger, fear, and remorse for what I believed I had to do. However, what was done was done, and we all needed to deal with it emotionally. Joey attended our meeting in utter silence. The girls often gave her tearful glances in hope that Joey would eventually respond to our conversation.

The only catalyst to Joey overcoming her Emotional Detachment Disorder in the past was to come face to face with Yvonne. I was hoping for a trip to the golden highway as soon as the girls were stable. That was another aspect of my apprehension. I had been forced into sex with another woman, and I had chosen murder as the solution. I had no idea how Yvonne could or would respond to my actions. I was also uncertain if I could persuade Joey to go to the golden highway for healing now that she felt nothing emotionally. I was wondering how long the damage would linger from Barbara's visit.

Joey was right. We had a lot of work to do, and Monique was a central component to what we needed to do. If Joey remained devoid of emotion, Monique would wear me down before long, and I couldn't afford that. We needed a swift plan of attack to destroy the sex trafficking ring. Joey's anger had been a driving force to take down the traffickers. However, we had just lost that impetus. I was rethinking my approach. Was murder the most efficient and effective means to accomplish our goal? I couldn't believe that I was asking myself that question. Just because my resources appeared to be dwindling didn't mean that I needed to make unnecessary concessions.

I needed some time to think. I had been preoccupied with Barbara and the aftermath, but it was time for me go to the golden highway and splice an interval to be alone and contemplate. I decided to go back to my office in D. C. to catch up further on my correspondence. I had requested financial reports from each of my three subordinates to determine which branch produced the most revenue. I had no hope of targeting the traffickers from the top down, but I was hoping to get an indication of the direction of the operation. Protocol did not allow an agent to disclose subordinates or superiors. It would be extremely difficult for me to trace the trafficking ring through the hierarchy. I wouldn't have a clue how far down the chain it began, and I didn't know how deeply or widely the hierarchy branched.

There were reports and protocols of past projects in the archives in D. C. However, they were filed under the superior agent's name. Even if I targeted trafficking agents via the golden highway, I wouldn't know to whom they reported in order to locate the files. I was hoping that the anonymity of the agency would work to my advantage, but I first had to find a way to identify the personnel that I needed to target. Even though I was at the top of the chain, no one recognized me or my authority. My influence within the agency had to trickle down through my subordinates. Even the agency review board had no idea of the structure. They kept letters of wills and project documentation, but carefully designed protocols protected the disclosure of the relationships between agents. It made it virtually impossible to penetrate the agency. I knew it would require my knowledge of the golden highway, and most likely the highway of death as well. Nothing ever happened by accident or coincidence.

I hoped to use the aspect of identifying agents by concept from the highway of death. It appeared to be the only way that I could trace upwardly from the traffickers to superiors that led all the way up the chain to me. Then again, I was assuming that the trafficking ring was isolated to the chain beneath one of my subordinates. It was a poor assumption. This revenue producer had spread like a cancer, and in the end I realized that trying to dismantle it with my influence within the agency as the director was not going to be viable. I needed Joey's eidetic memory capabilities to help keep track of the players in this horrible game of prostitution and blackmail.

Unfortunately, in my preoccupation with trying to devise a plan, I had stepped back to the golden highway, onto the highway of death, and retraced my steps back to my office. By the time that I realized what I had done, I had lost over an hour at my villa. I quickly spliced what time I could and returned immediately. I observed from parking mode. Joey and Monique were in our bedroom. Kristina was in the kitchen. Fanny and Emily were cleaning the pool. I came out of parking mode in the gardens and wandered out to the pool. Fanny looked up as she was skimming debris from the surface of the water. "Oh, Monsieur, Madame has been looking for you. She's in your room."

"Thank you, Fanette, I'm on my way." I hurried up the stone steps, across the patio, down the hallway, and entered our room. Joey and Monique were sitting on our bed.

Joey looked over at me as I entered. "Oh, Adriel, there you are. I was explaining to Monique what her new position would be here at the villa."

I gave Joey a confused look. "What new position? I thought she was managing the remodeling of our villa in Îles d'Hyères."

"Oh, she is, but she's staying here with us. You can take her to the villa as needed. Monique is my new personal assistant. She will be by my side constantly."

"So, she's moving back to her room here at the villa?"

"No, Adriel, she's moving into our room with us."

I looked at Monique, who was giving me a smile of anticipation. "Monique, I need to speak with my wife in private."

As Monique began to rise from the bed, Joey caught her arm. "No, Adriel, she stays. She's my assistant, not yours."

"Joey, you're not well, and I don't think you should be making any decisions this soon after what we have suffered here. We both need to visit the golden highway and visit our counterparts. I believe that your disorder is temporary, and hiring Monique as your personal assistant prematurely isn't fair to her. Please, let's give it a month to see how things progress. If you still want her in this position at that time, then I would agree." I was hoping to buy time as gracefully as possible. I certainly didn't want Monique in our bed, and I really believed that Joey would overcome her disorder soon and come back to her senses.

Joey pondered for a while as Monique clung to her arm. "Perhaps you're right, Adriel. Maybe I have been a bit rash, but let's negotiate. Why don't we make a trip to the golden highway to visit our counterparts and see if that changes anything? If not, then I would like to proceed with my plans."

I didn't like the idea of hinging our future on one trip to see Yvonne and Agamon, but I was afraid if I didn't accept her offer, she would disregard my proposal. "OK, and I think we should splice some time together as well."

I could see that Monique was growing uncomfortable. I held out my hand, and Joey stood to grasp it. In an instant, we were on the golden highway. We clapped, and much to my relief, Agamon and Yvonne approached. Joey and I parted in opposite directions, and Yvonne and I went to one of our favorite places. She was distraught. I held her in my arms and asked what was the matter. "Oh, Adriel, it was horrible. You have to know that what Barbara did to you equated to her counterpart doing the same to me. I was raped. You have no idea how relieved I was when you ended her life. It enabled me to do the same, but now we're left with the consternation of murder on our hands."

"Yvonne, I couldn't trust Barbara. Even if I agreed to what she wanted, I had no guarantee that she wouldn't still murder Joey and the girls."

"Oh, no, Adriel, I'm not questioning your decision. I'm just saying that regardless of how you justify it, we took someone's life."

"We need to make love, Yvonne. I think we both need the healing. Plus, I'm hoping that Joey will recover from her disorder."

"She has been severely traumatized, Adriel. I have no idea how long it might take, or if she will ever recover. She witnessed you having sex with her sister and her sister's murder on top of that. I'd be very patient if I were you."

I chuckled. "Yvonne, you are me." I was glad to get a first smile from Yvonne. We settled in to make love for hours. It helped us both immensely, and I held her before we spliced our time back to meet with Joey and Agamon.

I stepped Joey over to another hotel in Paris. I wanted us to make love hoping that it would stir feelings within her. She was obviously still devoid of emotion. I kissed her, and she responded, but it was apparent that she felt nothing. I undressed her and caressed her body, but her breathing wasn't increasing, and she was unresponsive. I continued to kiss her as I mounted her. She wasn't reciprocating. I gently entered her body, but the melding of our union was absent. There was no electricity in our kisses. She went through the motions, but she was getting no pleasure from the love that I was giving her. I withdrew.

"I think you need more time. We'll see how you are in the next few weeks."

"Adriel, Barbara was right. You don't need me. You should have taken her offer and married her. She could have protected you better than I, she could have satisfied you better than I, she was far prettier than I, and she could have helped you in your project better than I."

"Joey, don't be ridiculous! Barbara didn't make me an offer, she made demands. I turned her down countless times. I never wanted her. I want you. You'll get past this. Just be patient."

"Adriel, I have lived most of my life with this disorder. I don't want you shackled to a wife who can't respond. I saw Yvonne face to face, and it did nothing to help me recover. I'm releasing you from your vow."

"No, I'm not willing to do that. Joey, you have to remember that regardless of how you are feeling right now, I love you. I don't want anyone but you. We'll work through this."

"Adriel, you will change your mind in time, and I want you know that I am offering Monique to you as your wife."

I pulled from Joey and protested. "Stop this nonsense, Joey! I'm not taking Monique. You are my wife, and I believe that you will recover from your disorder."

"Time has never healed me before, Adriel, and it's not going to heal me now. I'm taking Monique as my personal assistant. She will never leave my side."

I was getting frustrated. "Then I'm taking you both to Îles d'Hyères where she can monitor the progress on our villa. In the meantime, I have more work to do on my project, but I'm going to need your help soon."

Joey and I returned to our bedroom, and I left to find Kristina. I wanted to explain that Monique and Madame would be absent to conduct some business. So far, we had kept our three caretakers in the dark concerning the golden highway. I was going to take the opportunity while Monique and Joey were in Îles d'Hyères to disclose my ability to navigate. We were a much closer family these days, and I was growing weary of the secrets.

"Kristina, I need to talk with you in private for a moment." She followed me from the kitchen to the pool. I watched her closely to see if she had an emotional reaction. She appeared unaffected. I made sure that we sat on the opposite end to talk. "I have much to tell you, and I need to demonstrate something to you that I have kept hidden. I know that I can trust you."

Kristina leaned forward and reached out her hand. "Oh, Monsieur, I assure you that you can trust me with anything." I nodded as I reached out to shake her hand.

"I am taking Madame and Monique away to conduct some business. They will be gone a few days, and I am going to need your help with a few things. As soon as I get you up to speed on what I am doing, I will have you help get Fanette and Emily onboard as well. Please meet me back here in this spot in one hour."

Joey wanted me with Monique. Monique was eager to be with me. I was exhausted with that hindrance. I knew that I could trust Kristina. She had proven to be very responsible, and she had great respect for both Joey and me. She was now my first choice of assistants on my project, and if the other girls could help, I would employ them as well. However, everyone was going to know what we were doing, and how we were doing it. I wanted no more secrets. I returned to the bedroom and took Joey and Monique to Îles d'Hyères with their bags. I would return for them in seventy-two hours.

I was reluctant to shock the girls into my reality, but in order to splice time efficiently, I needed to get them to the golden highway very soon. I met Kristina back at the pool, and I asked her to brace herself for what she was about to experience. I would splice time to explain it all because I wanted to return to the pool at this same time to get the other girls acclimated. I asked Kristina to firmly grasp my left hand. I stepped us onto the golden highway and immediately to a beach on a deserted island. Kristina frantically screamed and clung to my body as she shook violently. I was accustomed to this. I held her tightly and stroked her back. "It's OK, Kristina, everything is fine. I apologize for the shock that I just gave you, but I needed to show you this."

I spent the next several hours explaining to her how I navigate and what she had just experienced. I explained about splicing time and how we would return to the exact same moment that we had left the pool. I also described some of the history behind what I had learned. Several times she said that she thought she was dreaming and that the horrible experience at the pool had affected her sanity. I assured her that what she was experiencing was real. The brain goes into a terrible denial when one faces the reality of the golden highway. I was going to wait until the other two girls had been acclimated before I explained my project.

We returned to the pool, and I asked Kristina to bring Fanny and Emily so that they could get a ride on the golden highway. Kristina would wait by the pool to see that the time that I took with the other girls would seem instantaneous. I began splicing time with all of the girls at intervals to get them accustomed to traveling the golden highway. We had already spent two days of time in a matter of minutes at our pool. Once the girls became acclimated to our capabilities, they began to beg me to take them to places all over the world. I started taking them two at a time in parking mode to see sights that they had always wanted to see. The requests escalated, and they wanted to come out of parking mode and enjoy some of the cities and restaurants and parties around the world.

I wanted to experiment, and I had Kristina hold my left hand while Fanny held my right. I could easily navigate with the two of them. I had Emily take Fanny's right hand, but I couldn't get us to the golden highway. I asked her to go to the other side and take Kristina's left hand. Voila! I was able to take all three girls anywhere via the golden highway. They all wanted to go places that required appropriate attire. We went on a shopping spree in Paris, London, and New York before our day came to an end at the villa. We had to check time zones and plan our coming day. The girls were having the time of their lives. Over the next twenty-four hours, we spliced the equivalent of six weeks of time galavanting all over the world. I was buying tables at exclusive restaurants for ten thousand dollars each to get us seated immediately without reservations. We all had an incredibly good time.

We had slept in the same bed together every night. The girls were already free around me to make love to one another. I was relieved that there was no sexual tension between us. I was their older brother, and they were my younger sisters. We had solidified as a loving family. I had relaxed the employee protocol. They were free to call me by my first name and initiate physical contact. I often held them in my arms and kissed them lovingly. They were sweet, affectionate, and respectful young women, and I loved them all dearly.

However, it was now time for business. I made us all some cocktails, and we sat around the kitchen table to talk. I began to explain about the agency and the position that I now held. I briefly explained to the girls about Monique's fate with the sex traffickers and our intentions to destroy that operation. The girls were all aware of Joey's disorder and Monique's intention to captivate me. I believed that those two problems would hinder me in my cause, and I wanted to employ the girls to help me. They were willing and excited to be part of the project. After a few hours, we all decided to splice time at a plush resort to continue our planning.

Emily suggested that we disclose the traffickers to the authorities, but I explained that via blackmail and other influences the authorities would be unwilling to pursue them. This operation was controlled by the agency which controlled the entire world by and large. Kristina thought that we should steal the blackmail tapes and destroy them, but there was no guarantee that other copies didn't exist. Besides, my first and main goal was to free all of the slaves who were being held captive around the world. Fanny reminded me that even if I did that, the traffickers would just keep kidnapping more children. The more we talked, the more I felt that I was being backed into a corner. I began to believe that Joey was right. The only way to extinguish the stench of this operation was to take out the trash.

My first task was to identify all of the personnel and holding cells for all of the captives. It would require extensive record keeping, and I didn't want to get bogged down with paperwork. I lamented to the girls that it would require Joey's eidetic memory, which meant that Monique would be tagging along the entire time. Kristina perked up. "I have an excellent memory."

"Well, I need more than just an excellent memory."

"Adriel, I used to amaze my friends by memorizing the sequence of seven decks of cards mixed together."

I gave Kristina a doubtful look. "Then why were you taking notes when I was familiarizing you with the kitchen?"

Kristina gave me a shy smile. "Because I didn't want to appear disinterested to Monsieur."

I started to laugh and asked our waiter for seven decks of playing cards. I shuffled them all together, and stacked them. I turned each card over in rapid succession as Kristina called out every card. I then turned the stack over and had her call each card before I turned it up. She remembered every one. I had my record keeper. However, this was going to require trips to the highway of death, and I had yet to take her there.

I explained to all of the girls what we needed to do. We were all going back to the villa, and Kristina and I were going to splice time to go to the underworld and gather information. We would be back momentarily, but Kristina would be spending hours memorizing names and places. Kristina and I removed our clothes, and I warned her about the cold water and to hold her breath. I also warned her about the disgusting environment that she was about to experience. We made the necessary steps, and in a few seconds we were standing on the highway of death. Kristina began to gag, and I waited for her to acclimate.

We spent the next several hours locating personnel and geographic locations by concept of the sex trafficking ring. I was overwhelmed. Kristina seemed to be keeping pace, but the extent to which this disgusting organization had spread seemed impossible to thwart. We weren't going to be able to splice time and take out each cell of captors. It could take years. Kristina and I returned to our villa. I was discouraged. The agency was a dreadful entity, and it was too vast for me to disassemble it.

I had no one to whom I could appeal. There was no governing entity. The agency review board was merely a facilitator for agency business. It had no real power to control anyone. Worldly governments were at the agency's mercy. Even if I issued a directive from my vantage point, it would be impossible to follow up to see if each subordinate passed the directive downward. Many agents were indulging themselves with the prostitutes, and they wouldn't want to support the removal of the operation. I had to find a way to shock them into submission. My desperation led me down a very dark path. I would be using agency tactics to control them the way that they controlled the world, and that tactic was fear.

My girls were far too innocent and fragile to disclose my idea to them. Only my Angel of Death would be able to accomplish this disgusting display of the plight of the sex traffickers. I would need a buffer between Monique and myself, and the only buffer reasonable was Kristina. I spliced time with her to explain what I needed for her to do. She vowed to do whatever I wished. I warned that she would witness things far worse than she had already seen. She appeared very stoic and held to her commitment. We returned to the others at our villa. I was scheduled to pick up Joey and Monique tomorrow morning. The girls needed to catch up on the gardens, and I sent them out to clear weeds and water as needed.

I spliced time to go back to my office and draft letters for my subordinates to pass down the directive to dissolve the sex trafficking ring. However, I wasn't distributing the letters until Joey and I had made a display at agency headquarters. I needed to choose a victim, and there were plenty of candidates. However, Kristina and I had learned the principle coordinators of the trafficking ring, and I was going to start with them. I couldn't believe what I was about to do, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I returned to my villa to cook dinner for the girls. I retrieved them from the gardens. They had worked hard, and they were all exhausted. I spliced more time to take them to a room for naps. We all snuggled together and slept a few hours. We returned to the kitchen, and our meal was still piping hot. We enjoyed dinner, drinks, and games in the pool until well after dark. The memory of the horrid night that we had with Barbara had faded into the distant past due to splicing time and experiencing weeks of leisure together. It was finally time to retire for the night, and we all crawled into my bed and slept soundly until morning.

After breakfast, I explained to the girls that we needed to resume normal employee protocol around Madame. Kristina and I were going to bring Madame and Monique back to the villa in about an hour. I had given my plan more thought, and I needed to determine when the project documentation was normally delivered to the archive vault in D. C. Joey and I were going to leave a disgusting spectacle there, and I wanted to be sure that I had an airtight alibi to reduce any suspicions about myself. I invited Kristina for another trip to the highway of death to target the concept of document delivery to the archive. After a few attempts, we determined that documents normally arrived between ten and eleven o'clock every morning.

Kristina and I returned to the villa and got dressed. She took my left hand, and we stepped our way over to the villa at Îles d'Hyères. Monique was shocked and angered that I had Kristina with me. Joey was sitting in a loveseat on the new patio. "Well, Adriel, it looks like you've been busy. So, you're traveling with Kristina these days."

"Yes, I thought it was time to teach the girls about my capabilities. We've had quite a time, really. I also thought that since you have a personal assistant I could use one too." I leaned down to kiss Kristina's cheek and watched Monique's blood boil.

We all shared a pot of coffee as I explained my plan in detail. Joey sat in silence for several moments. "My goodness, Adriel, that plan is quite a shock coming from you. Are you going to participate in this mutilation, or are you leaving all of that to me?" I explained the parts that I was willing to do.

I turned to Kristina and Monique. "I apologize for dragging you both through this disgusting plan, but I see no other way to get the agents to comply."

I saw Kristina's glance of disapproval as Monique reached out to touch my knee. "Oh, Monsieur, the most disgusting plan that you could possibly devise would appear merciful in my eyes toward these horrible people."

We all eventually joined hands. I had Joey on my left, Kristina on my right, and Monique held onto Joey's left hand. It was the only sequence that would allow the four of us to navigate together. We returned to the villa just as the sun was setting. As Kristina began to depart to her quarters, I grabbed her wrist. I whispered into ear that she was to remain with me at all times. She was my only buffer against Monique, and I couldn't afford to have her out of my reach. I apologized for not having explained this sooner. She immediately texted Emily and Fanny to let them know that she would not be attending to the gardens tonight. She asked if I would accompany her to her quarters later to gather her personal items and sleepwear. I consented, and I explained that we would be sleeping in one of the guest rooms apart from Monique. I knew that Joey and Monique would sleep nude, and both of them were determined to wear me down.

The four of us decided to enjoy ourselves in the pool with several bottles of wine for the remainder of the evening. I clung to Kristina the entire evening and sweetly kissed her on the cheek several times. Monique was getting agitated, and I grew concerned that I was driving a wedge between her and Kristina. I was hoping the wedge would have been between Monique and me, but that wasn't happening. However, Monique would soon learn that she could never get me alone with herself. It saddened me that our little family was polarizing, and I knew it was the beginning of the end. I had to devise a schedule for my project because my time was running out.

We finally decided to retire for the night, and Monique threw a temper tantrum when she learned that I was sleeping in the guest room with Kristina. Joey reprimanded her for her insubordination and wished us a good night. Kristina and I showered separately and donned our pajamas. We lay in bed for over two hours talking about our plans. I was choosing three of the principle agents that Kristina and I had identified who were mainly responsible for the inception of the sex trafficking ring. We needed to splice time tomorrow to gather the necessary implements and abduct the agents. The chalet in Switzerland was going to be our staging area. From there, Joey and I would transport them to the project documentation vault in Washington, D. C. at the appropriate hour. I had to coordinate the splicing of time so that I was in the presence of agency personnel in order to establish an alibi and witness the shock of discovery when the daily documents arrived at the vault.

Kristina awoke in my arms. She whispered, "Monsieur." I slowly began to awaken, and she whispered again, "Monsieur, I need to get the coffee started. If it pleases, Monsieur, he needs to let me get up."

It made me giggle, and I pulled her head toward me and kissed her lips. "It pleases Monsieur. Go make the coffee, and I'll be in the kitchen in a minute."

I took the quickest shower ever, dressed, and hurried out to the kitchen to assist Kristina with breakfast. I lovingly smiled at her. This was the most unique relationship I had ever experienced. I loved to hold her and kiss her, but I had no sexual attraction to Kristina whatsoever, and she felt the same. We had a mutual admiration and respect for one another. We could enjoy our affection and attention without the annoying aggravation of sexual pressure or temptation. The closest I had ever come to this before was with Annette prior to her having heterosexual desires. The difference was that I was incredibly attracted to Annette sexually, even though she did not reciprocate. However, my relationship with Kristina was the purest and most delightful that I had ever enjoyed. No matter where my future was headed, I hoped that Kristina would be there with me.

I did little to contribute to breakfast. Kristina was a wizard in the kitchen, and I often just watched and learned. Joey and Monique emerged just before breakfast was ready, and I poured them cups of coffee. Monique gave me angry glances as I stayed close to Kristina. Joey and Monique were still naked, but Kristina and I were both clothed. Breakfast was stupendous. Kristina had baked her own English muffins. She had browned Black Forest Ham in the skillet, poached eggs, and made the most velvety Hollandaise sauce that I had ever tasted. She served everyone Eggs Benedict with fresh fruit and whipped cream. I nearly had a culinary orgasm over her breakfast. Monique tried to complain about the consistency of her eggs, but I pulled Kristina's lips to mine, gave her a kiss, and insisted, "My eggs are absolutely perfect."

Kristina blushed and collected herself while adjusting her pajama top. "Monsieur, please, you embarrass me." She smiled sweetly into my eyes.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had kept Kristina from her lovers. I leaned over to whisper in her ear that I was splicing time to take her, Emily, and Fanny to an elegant hotel to make love. I would come back for them whenever they texted me. This would afford me the time to splice multiple intervals to finish gathering the information that I needed and possibly purchase some of the hardware necessary for my plan. There are times in my life when I am so incredibly productive that I cannot believe it. This was one of those times. I was able to purchase everything that we needed, transport it to the chalet in the Alps, gather my information, allow the girls to satisfy their carnal desires and sleep to their content, and return us all to our villa without losing a single moment. All I needed to do was appropriately time our abductions, preparation, and posture myself for an alibi.

One nagging little concern was eating away at me from the corner of my brain. When we were conducting the Ophir project, Annette's supervisor, Alexis, had murdered Annette's sister. She was incarcerated for the crime, and Annette was passed up the hierarchical chain to the next in command, who was a colonel at the Pentagon. He was the only agent who knew my capabilities due to times when I had to appear and disappear from his sight under extreme circumstances. It was he who insisted on my facial and vocal reconstructive surgeries when I returned to him after staging my own murder. Secrecy and anonymity were my greatest protections. Avarro had been aware of my abilities, but he had been terminated by Joey. I had to make sure that I didn't suffer an unwanted exposure. I stepped onto the golden highway, and much to my relief and sorrow, I could not locate the colonel. I now realized why the surveillance project to track me had been passed from him to Avarro. The colonel was no longer with us. I appeared to be safe. I was now ninety-nine percent sure that the colonel had reported directly to Avarro, which meant that if Annette had never left the agency, she had passed up the chain to Avarro after the colonel's demise.

Possible dots were rapidly connecting, and both Joey and I had been in the dark the entire time. Joey's integrity had made her the most trusted person that I knew. However, if your game was deceit and treachery, she was the last person that you could trust. She never lied, and she always kept a promise. I didn't deserve her, but I loved her with all my heart. I missed our intimate times together. It was the closest and most romantically unique relationship that I ever had. My heart ached for her, and I was devastated that she would offer Monique to me. Her Emotional Detachment Disorder left her devoid of love and passion. I had never know a person to love as deeply as Joey, but now she was as loving as a fence post.

I contemplated what I must have negotiated with the Creator. I suffered loss at every turn. Whenever I had finally achieved the ultimate relationship, it was pulled from beneath me like a rug that sent me tumbling to the ground. I had compromised my principles by stabbing Barbara to death. I had no idea how much further I had to go in this difficult life that I had chosen. I certainly wasn't pleased with my character, and I had no redeeming qualities that I could trust. I had to admit that I offered no qualities that were of any use to my Creator. Yvonne had taught me that the only thing that I could offer of lasting substance was to live by faith in the will, nature, and character of the Creator. That meant that it was his responsibility to provide what I needed to accomplish a task. I could take no credit. It was merely a free will choice to allow him to do what he had intended from the beginning. I was an empty vessel that only he could fill. I was a lifeless paintbrush in the hands of the Great Artist, and only he could paint the masterpiece. I laughed in derision of myself as if I thought that I could impress my Creator with any of my attributes. Any shred of integrity that I thought I had was a filthy offering in his sight. All he wanted from me was trust by faith.

We all returned to the villa without losing a moment. I pulled my team together on the patio to discuss what preparations I had made. We reviewed the schedule three times as Joey and Monique made a few corrections. Timing was crucial. We reviewed the letters to my subordinates that I had prepared, and we refined them a bit. I needed to reattach agency seals to the envelopes, but that was minor. Finally, we all nodded to one another in agreement. Our operation would start in twelve hours. We would be splicing a considerable amount of time. We had no hurry or concern for deadlines. Our only challenge was the opportunity that the clock presented us in the time zone of Washington, D. C. It sounded too simple.

I was wearing a tailored, dark blue, pin striped suit with a white shirt and a maroon tie as I walked down the corridor of agency headquarters from my office to the documentation archive reception area. My Italian shoes were as comfortable as evening slippers. I flirted with the cute receptionist for a few moments and actually acquired her telephone number. She had accepted a dinner date from me for Tuesday night at eight o'clock at Bistro Cacao. I flirtatiously requested an aide to escort me to the document archive to retrieve a file of one of my subordinates. It was nine o'clock in the morning, and that would give me an ample window of time before the documents arrived for archival at the vault between ten and eleven o'clock.

An incredibly handsome, young man arrived at the front desk in minutes to escort me into the archive. He asked which file I was requesting, and I gave him the agent's name. He asked me to wait at the front of the vault while he retrieved the file. After a couple of minutes, he walked back to me and handed me the file. I feigned a mistake and said that I had inadvertently asked for the wrong agent's file. I corrected my request, and he took the file he just delivered and disappeared into the archive once again. I was taking a risk here because if we overstayed our visit to the vault, it could be disastrous. However, I believed that we had ample time, and my request for a second file would help alleviate any suspicion that I was the perpetrator of what was about to happen. He returned with my second request, and I thanked him profusely as he escorted me from the vault.

My alibi was now secure, and my intention was to return to the receptionist and continue my flirtation until the document delivery to the archives arrived. The receptionist was pure delight. I estimated that she couldn't be over twenty-five years old. She had short, blonde hair, blue eyes, the fairest skin I had ever seen, and her frame was very petite. She had a cute, but rather boyish physique, but I didn't care. She was part of my alibi. I was halfway through listening to her life story when I saw two agents rolling a document cart down the hall. This was the moment of truth, and I had to employ my best thespian tactics. I looked inquisitively at the cart and turned back to the receptionist. "Darla, why is there no coffee on that cart?"

She giggled. "Oh, Agent White, that is the document delivery. Don't be silly. They arrive every morning about this time to deliver the project documents that have been filed for the agency. Do you want me to order you a coffee?"

"Oh, that would be delightful, my dear." Darla punched a button and spoke with someone to get me a coffee. The agents with the cart had reached the archive door. Fireworks were about to ensue. Both agents pressed their right thumbs to a reader, and I heard the click as the door unlocked. I made sure to maintain eye contact with Darla as the agents entered the vault. In a few moments, I heard the deafening alarm sound, and the steel security doors closed from the ceiling to the floor locking us all inside. An armed team of agents streamed onto the floor in protective gear and filed into the vault. Two of the armed agents exited and stood on either side of the vault door as guards. They issued the demand that everyone take a seat and no one was allowed to speak. Another armed guard walked among us to ensure that we complied. I sat near Darla and shrugged my shoulders as I raised my eyebrows. She smiled and reached out to take my hand. I could see that she was frightened. I grasped her hand, and I nodded to her securely.

Much to my dismay, we were detained for six hours before anyone came to start the interrogation process. During that time, as we sat in silence, I contemplated the fact that as I stood flirting with Darla, Joey and I were transferring the three captive agents to the archive vault. Each one had been tied to a wooden cross by his neck, wrists, and ankles. I had driven large, metal spikes through the palms of their hands. Joey had plucked out their eyes and cut off their genitals, which she immediately cauterized with a branding iron. She cut out their tongues as I branded each of them on the abdomen with the letters, "SEX TRAFFICKERS." We had deposited them into the back of the archive vault and leaned the crosses against the cabinets. All of the crucified agents were still breathing when we deposited them into the vault. I wanted the record to show that they were still alive. I had learned by watching the underworld, and death was a release that I wasn't willing to offer.

This had been the first experience in my time splicing endeavors that I had seen my duplicity work in a past timeframe. I began to realize that time splicing had nothing to do with past or future events. It was always my perspective that gave it those relevant aspects. Yvonne had tried to explain to me that time and space were all relative. I was beginning to see that our perception was the major component to its relativity. Two people may never perceive it as the same, and that helped me understand why two witnesses to the same event could have such conflicting testimony.

My alibi was solid. However, my directives to my subordinates were cascading like a hot chain letter. It explained that anyone who was involved in the sex trafficking within the agency would be dealt with in like manner as what was found in the agency archives this morning. Everyone was charged with the release and safe passage of all captors to housing facilities to be processed back into society. In addition, the agency was providing relief funds to the captives for their futures and well being. Monique's addition to my letters was to name the next agents who would be crucified if there were a glitch in compliance. It was a gutsy move that we could accomplish, and I liked it. We also included our unique surveillance warnings that anyone found in noncompliance would be crucified.

Our next challenge was far more difficult. The first threat that we had delivered to the agency was met with a disappointing disbelief and contempt. Everyone had seen it as a blind scare tactic. We now had to abduct the three agents named in the letters, and we were abducting thirteen more who had scoffed at our warning. The golden highway made it easy to abduct agents regardless of the security that they had instituted at their homes. I laughed as we had snatched six of them while they were fucking their wives. Some we took from the shower or the toilet. They had no idea who they were messing with. Sixteen men were bound to wooden crosses at the chalet. Monique requested to be instrumental in the preparation of our victims. I was shocked how adept she was, and Joey, Kristina, and I basically stood back and watched her perform the entire operation. Joey definitely had a protégé on her hands.

Three armed guards had been placed within the vault. I found this amusing because I stepped Joey behind each one as she used pressure points to render him unconscious. We transferred the sixteen crucified agents to the vault along one corridor. Every one of them was breathing when we left. Fortunately, we had now gained more compliance to our demands, but not nearly fifty percent. We were preparing for round three, and we needed to increase our threat. Monique had entered a level of reckless abandon as she demanded that we splice more time and visit the holding cells to impale the guards with long, sharp spikes. She became very skilled at shoving these honed poles up the asses of the captors as I watched the points end up in their mouths. She begged Madame to scoop out their eyeballs and stuff their penises into their mouths. She was relentless and wouldn't agree to take a break until we had brutally murdered one hundred fifty-two captors in a matter of minutes by splicing time.

She was in a wild eyed frenzy, and I had to take her aside to talk some sense into her. "Monique, you need to calm down. We have made great progress tonight, but we have murdered over a hundred people. We need to see how the agency will respond."

"Oh, Monsieur, you don't understand. These monsters raped me repeatedly, and impregnated me, and then they aborted my child. I can't rest until we kill every one of them."

It broke my heart to hear Monique disclose her pain. I held her in my arms, and I rocked her like a child. "Oh, Monique, I can't begin to imagine how you have suffered, and I now understand your hatred and longing for retribution. However, you must realize that no matter how many thousands we may murder in your defense, your pain will never be alleviated. The only recourse you have at this point is forgiveness. It's the only way that you can be released from your anger. I will work with you, but killing and torture will never bring you the healing that you so desperately need." Kristina and Joey watched as I held Monique in my arms and continued to rock her back and forth. She sobbed for over half an hour. We needed to go home. However, I was becoming more vulnerable than I wanted.

Once we were back at the villa, I asked Kristina to stay close to me. Joey stepped over to whisper in my ear. "Make love to Monique, Adriel. Comfort her, and let her cling to you. Let her be your wife. I'm giving her to you tonight." I vigorously shook my head and walked away.

Monique was on my heels, and I turned to stop her. Just as I was about to speak, Kristina spoke. "Monique, please join us in our bedroom tonight. Let Monsieur and me hold you and comfort you. You have suffered so much, and no one knew. We love you, and we are your family." Kristina embraced Monique and kissed her sweetly. I was so grateful that Kristina had prevented me from making a grave mistake with Monique. Kristina put Monique's hand in mine. "Come, we must spend a glorious night together."

This appeared to be another crossroad in my life. I had hoped that Kristina would help me avoid Monique, but she had now invited her into our bed. We all showered together, and no one intended to wear pajamas. I had been without sex too long, and I didn't trust myself. I looked over at Kristina with concern. She smiled and sweetly kissed me as I heard her whisper, "Let me take care of her." Kristina advanced on Monique and engaged her in a sweet exchange of licking, kissing, caressing, and fondling one another. I scooted back to watch. Kristina was an impressive lover, and she had captivated Monique in a short time to engage her in a frenzy of clitoral stimulation that excited me to no end.

Once Kristina and Monique were engaged in rapturous delight, I sprang from the bed and scurried to Joey in our bedroom. I leaped into the air and scooped her into my arms. I didn't care if she felt nothing. I drove her hard as I enjoyed every fiber of her body that she had to offer. I released into an intense orgasm that left me breathless. I kissed her over and over as I clung to her. She gave me a deadpan look as she spoke, "Oh, Adriel, don't waste your time with me. I can't give you what you deserve. I really never could. Barbara and you would have been great together, but she's gone. You need to find another. Monique loves you so much, and there's Carol too."

"Joey, I'm not leaving you, no matter what. I meant what I said when we took our vows. You never lie, and you always keep a promise, but you're breaking your promise to me by trying to get me to take another wife. You're not being true to me. You need to realize that. I don't want anyone else, so stop trying to push me away. I have hope that you will eventually overcome your disorder, and when you do we can be happy together again."

Joey made no response. She turned over and went to sleep. I was now sufficiently depressed. I wandered out to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine. I chose one of the bottles of Merlot as Kristina came sauntering into the kitchen. She told me that Monique had fallen asleep, and she had the same idea that I did for a glass of wine. I took two glasses from the cabinet and told Kristina that I would meet her on the patio. However, as I was pouring the wine into her glass, it stopped in midair. The bottle felt weightless, and I decided to let go. It was suspended in space. I called to Kristina, "Kristina, come here, you have to see this." I was shocked that I couldn't hear my own voice. I looked out toward the patio, and I could see Kristina sitting on a loveseat. She was motionless.

Suddenly, I realized that a man was standing on the patio about three meters from Kristina. He looked middle aged with grey hair, and he was wearing a white robe. I rushed out to see who he was. "Excuse me, but can I help you? Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Once again, I could not hear my own voice.

The man just glared at me. "Come with me, Adriel, we need to talk." He was communicating with me telepathically just like Yvonne did. As I approached him, I realized that there was no breeze blowing, and the night was deadly silent. He motioned for me to follow him, and he descended the stone steps toward the beach. I followed him down the stone path and out onto the sand. The surf looked as though it was frozen. There was no movement. Finally, I demanded, "What the hell is going on?"

"I had to pause time in order to talk with you, Adriel. Normally, I find you very amusing, but lately you have pissed me off to no end. If you kill another one of my agents, I will snuff you out like a bug along with your pathetic entourage of young women. Do you understand me?"

## CHAPTER TWENTY

### _E_

"NO, I DON'T understand you. Who are you?"

"My name is E."

"Is that an initial for something? I still don't know who you are."

"I am not the Alpha, and I am not the Omega, but I am the Epsilon. You have no idea what the alphabet symbolizes. Not that I owe you an explanation, you revolting worm, but I have been shackled into the position to keep you sorry humans from annihilating yourselves from this planet before the last soul descends and lives out his negotiation."

"So, you are fighting against the underworld to preserve mankind."

"You really are a brainless bag of manure, Adriel. I don't fight against the underworld. Those idiots down there don't have a chance of escaping their fate. I fight against mankind to keep you pathetic sacks of entrails from destroying life on earth, and lately you have disrupted the agency that I use to keep you fools from wiping out your own race."

"But I'm the head of the agency. I don't understand."

"Your head is stuck up your ass. You work for me. Everyone at the agency works for me. They just don't know it. By the way, you haven't completed your successor envelopes. Make sure that you do that first thing tomorrow morning in the office. That's around four o'clock in the morning here, and don't forget it. I have never had to speak with any mortal face to face, and that isn't a flattering statement for you. I've never seen someone create such a ruckus as you have. You are disrupting my agency, and I can't permit that."

"But do you realize what they are doing? They have kidnapped children and prostituted them all over the world."

"Don't insult my intelligence. I know everything. I don't care if you morons butt fuck yourselves sideways into oblivion. I just have to make sure that you don't destroy life on this planet. What you do to one another short of obliteration means nothing to me."

"What they are doing is wrong, E. I can't let them continue."

"Oh, you senseless idiot, who in the fuck do you think you are? If you lived in an apartment that was infested with cockroaches, and you took it upon yourself to use an insecticide to drive them away, you might kill thousands of them. However, they would just move to the apartment next-door where you have no authority, and they would multiply faster than you could kill them. Those cockroaches that you are trying to control will pop up in other places and propagate faster than you can murder them. Leave my agents alone, or you will be the next one to die."

"If you're from the golden highway, how could you condone their behavior?"

"Adriel, you have the knowledge of a retarded piss-ant. I'm not from the golden highway, and I don't condone anything that you buckets of vomit do down here. You are all slaves to your appetites and fears. I told you, I have one purpose, and you're beginning to disrupt it."

"If you're not from the golden highway, then how can you stop time? Yvonne told me that time and space are the same thing."

"I can't determine if your ignorance exceeds your stupidity. Your Yvonne doesn't know the first thing about time and space."

"So, are you an Overseer?"

E began to chuckle. "Oh, good god, no!"

"Are you the devil?"

E burst into a boisterous laugh. "Oh, for the love of idiots, Adriel! Don't make me kill you because you are far too entertaining. You have provided a lot of amusement for me in the last few years, until lately."

"I'm sorry, but I'm still terribly confused."

E gave me a contemptuous look. "Get used to it because you always will be. You couldn't begin to comprehend who I am or what I do. I have watched all of you from the beginning. Things were much simpler in days past. I could easily manipulate world powers until this last century. I used Greece and Rome to bring stability to Europe and the Mediterranean. I have used wars and plagues to thin the herd to make my job easier. Back in those days, I didn't need to be concerned if Attila the Hun would destroy the tribes in the rain forest of Brazil. Today, it's a different ball game. You brainless bastards now have the technology to wipe out the earth's population. That's why I built the agency. I can't have some world leader go off half cocked and fill the atmosphere with nuclear fallout."

"If your job is to protect mankind, then why do you have such contempt for us? I thought that you would have more of the attributes of the Creator."

"Like you said, it's my job. I don't have to like it, but I do have to be successful. I think mankind is nauseating. I have no idea why the Creator puts up with any of you, but for some strange reason he actually loves you."

"Then it must be the Creator who gave you this job."

"You really are an imbecile. All authority cascades down from the Creator, Mr. Obvious. Just because I work for him doesn't mean that I understand him or agree with him."

"So, where within the hierarchy do you fit, if you're not an Overseer?"

"Honestly, Adriel, you're insufferable and beginning to disgust me beyond my tolerance. Stop murdering my agents, and I won't interfere with your life. Kill one more, and your life is over. Go back to your kitchen and grab that bottle of wine before it breaks on your floor. Thankfully, you will never see me again. I don't think I could stomach another meeting with you."

E disappeared, and I hurried back to my kitchen to grasp the wine bottle suspended in space over my countertop. As soon as I gripped the bottle, the wine continued to pour into Kristina's glass. I poured one for me and joined her on the patio. She was totally unaware of my encounter with E. I debated whether I should mention it to her. Instead, I put my arm around her and pulled her close. "Kristina, how would you like to take a trip to the golden highway and meet your counterpart?" Kristina looked up at me with considerable apprehension. I spent the next half hour explaining about our counterparts and their responsibilities. I told her about the healing process and the fact that they appear to us in a form that is most conducive to our healing.

Kristina reluctantly agreed to meet her counterpart. I was eager to speak with Yvonne about E. I pulled Kristina from the loveseat, and we stepped onto the golden highway. I instructed her to clap, and in an instant Yvonne approached with Kristina's counterpart. As I expected, Yvonne held the hand of a beautiful young girl. Kristina and I departed in opposite directions, and Yvonne took me to one of our favorite rooms. She dropped her robe on the floor on her side of the bed, and scooted in under the sheets. I cuddled in next to her and asked, "Who exactly is E?"

Yvonne looked startled and confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I was just approached by a man in a white robe who stopped time to warn me not to kill any more of his agents. He said that he owns the agency."

Yvonne sat up and looked down at me. "Just when did this supposedly happen?"

"It couldn't have been more than an hour ago. I was pouring Kristina a glass of wine, and the wine suspended in midair along with the bottle. This man stopped time to come and talk with me."

"Adriel, this is impossible. I am aware of all of your thoughts, conversations, and dreams. I don't understand. Even if you thought you talked with this man, I would know about it."

"He told me that he was responsible for preserving the human race until the last soul descends to live out his negotiations. He has incredible contempt for humans though. He never stopped insulting mankind."

"Adriel, this just makes no sense. I have to record everything in your life, but if this really happened, I have no way to give an account."

"Oh, believe me, it happened, all right. He said that if I kill another one of his agents that he would end my life as well as the girls."

"Adriel, this is terrible. Your life has been threatened, and I know nothing about it except what you are telling me. This has never happened before."

"Well, he did tell me that I was the first human that he had ever spoken with, but he said that wasn't a compliment to me. Apparently, I have made quite a dent in the agent population."

"Yes, you have all gone on quite a killing spree. You know how wrong that is."

"I didn't know how else to stop them, but E isn't going to allow me to continue. It's hard for me to accept that there's nothing I can do to dissolve that detestable organization."

"Adriel, I really don't know what to make of all this. What did he look like?"

"He looked quite normal, actually. He was a pleasant looking man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties. He had grey hair and blue eyes. He spoke to me telepathically the way that you and I do. That is another strange thing, Yvonne. When I tried to talk, I couldn't hear my own voice. No sound waves could be produced because time had stopped."

"Adriel, it's not possible to stop time. I don't see how this could have happened."

"Well, he said he wasn't from the golden highway. He also said that he wasn't an Overseer either. His authority comes from the Creator, but he insulted me when I mentioned that. He said that was obvious. Oh, yes, and he insulted you too saying that you know nothing of time and space."

"How long did you talk to him?"

"Well, it was less than a split second because time had stopped. Even the surf was frozen in place. There was no breeze and no sound."

"I'm dumbfounded, Adriel. I never got one shred of thought from you about this man. So, he called himself E?"

"Yes, he said that he wasn't the Alpha or the Omega, but he was the Epsilon. He also said that I was clueless what the alphabet represents."

Yvonne pondered for a few moments. "I have no idea who this entity is. I have never heard of him, but you better do what he says. I can't believe that he could talk to you without my knowledge."

Yvonne and I spent hours in my healing session before splicing time back to the evening. Kristina and I returned to the patio, and she was gushing with gratitude and stories of what she experienced. I was going to wait until morning to explain to everyone that our project was over. I wasn't sure if I should remain at the agency. I really didn't want to be a part of an organization that was so detestable that I couldn't tolerate it. I needed to create my successor will and deliver the letters to headquarters early tomorrow morning. I would splice time to allow myself ample opportunity. First, I needed to decide who would succeed me, which could happen relatively soon if I were to resign. However, Kristina begged to walk the beach with me. She was exhilarated by her experience, and she didn't think that she could sleep.

We walked for over an hour before Kristina finally began to feel sleepy. I escorted her back to our room and left her beside Monique. I decided to get another glass of wine and sit on the patio to contemplate my utter failure. In my desperation to rescue the captives, I had resorted to murder and mutilation to use fear to influence the agents in hope that they would comply with the disbanding of the sex trafficking ring. However, E stepped in and put the kibosh on my project. I had no idea that someone was above all of the agents and knew the entire roster and hierarchy of the agency. I had not acted in faith. I had not sought the answers to the right questions. I knew for sure that I had failed part of my negotiation with the Creator.

I dreaded breaking the news to Monique that we could not continue to help the poor victims of the traffickers. She had been carrying such a terrible weight of hatred and revenge. I knew the only answer for her was to choose to forgive. Nothing could change the past, but forgiveness could change her future greatly. Joey wouldn't care one way or another. Things certainly hadn't turned out the way that I expected. I honestly had hope that I would be successful in dismantling the traffickers, and I wasn't sure where to go from here.

I was beginning to fear that Joey wouldn't overcome her disorder. It would just be a matter of time before I suffered another failure. I knew that I couldn't resist Monique forever. I knew that now was a bad time for me to be making decisions. I was depressed, but I had to name my successors to my position within the agency. My despondency was causing me to lean toward naming Joey as my first choice. She was very capable, and her Emotional Detachment Disorder could serve her well as it had in the past. I knew that it would be the end of our relationship. I also knew that she wouldn't care about that either.

I sat and pondered for another hour before I decided to splice time to create my will and the letters to the recipients for my successors. I would schedule a few hours to sleep and dress for the office to arrive in Washington, D. C. at nine o'clock in the morning. I could also tender my resignation when I delivered the agency will. I saw no reason to continue in my position with the agency. My life seemed to be filled with second choices rather than first choices. I dreaded having to deal with Monique. I loved her dearly, and the physical relationship would be stupendous, but she was far too young for me. I had decided to take care of all of my unfinished business and just disappear to San Jose. I liked Carol, and I'm sure that she could be wonderful, but she just wasn't a woman whom I ever considered as a wife. Nevertheless, we got along very well, and she would be elated that I was hoping to start a new life. None of my plans made me happy.

I finished my tasks, and I had everything that I needed. I slipped into my bedroom hoping not to disturb Joey and donned one of my suits. I grabbed my will and the letters, and stepped my way over to the office in D. C. I met with an administrator who handles the will and letters. She wasn't allowed to read the contents, but she created the necessary envelopes and put the agency seals on them. She then told me that I had to deliver them to the agency document archive. I knew it well because I had been there not long ago. I trudged down the hall and entered the vestibule to the archive.

All at once, I was blindsided. Darla looked up and smiled. "Agent White, I hope you didn't forget about our date tonight." She smiled sweetly, and my heart sank. I had totally forgotten about her.

"Of course not, Darla. We're all set for tonight. I worked for the agency. We could get tables at any restaurant anywhere in the world at a moment's notice. "Do you want to meet at the restaurant, or would you prefer that I pick you up?"

"Why don't you pick me up, and we can go back to my place after dinner?"

"That sounds delightful. I'll swing by your place at seven thirty. All I need is your address."

Conventional travel bored me to no end, but I had to play by the rules tonight. Obviously, I was going to splice time for my date with Darla. I wasn't sure if this annoyance was even worth my effort. My alibi was now moot at this point. I guess I didn't want to disappoint the young lady by blowing off our date for this evening. I couldn't believe that I was doing this. I hadn't submitted my resignation yet. I had decided to wait a couple of days. I returned home to sleep the remainder of the night in a separate bedroom alone.

I invited everyone for breakfast the next morning to explain about my conversation with E and the fact that our project was over. Monique was angry, Kristina was supportive, and Joey didn't care one way or another. My depression was increasing, and I was wishing that I had canceled that date with Darla. However, I was hoping that she would provide a pleasant diversion from my disappointing life. The next day, I planned to tender my resignation and splice time to visit Carol in San Jose. I decided to text her after my breakfast meeting to see if she was available to have me visit. As it turned out, she insisted on canceling her plans for next week to have me come and stay. I was scheduled to arrive on Monday afternoon.

Two o'clock in the afternoon arrived quicker than I anticipated. I needed to snag my suit, splice time, and pick Darla up at her home. I arranged a limousine for our jaunt to the restaurant. She lived in Georgetown near Dupont Circle, so it would be a fairly straight shot down Mass Avenue. The restaurant was elegant, pleasant, and I was impressed with the cuisine. However, I knew that Annette would ridicule the chef. This was a French restaurant, and she always had such contempt for the ones in America. I wasn't very hungry and opted for the French onion soup and Steak Tartare. Darla had skipped lunch in anticipation of our meal tonight, and she chose the Salad Cacao, and the duck with orange sauce.

Darla was acting a bit coy, but I attributed it to her personality. However, I was mistaken. Dinner conversation was pleasant, and Darla seemed to be having a good time, but she was eager to take me home. She obviously had an agenda, and I was curious. We finished the meal, and we took the limo back to her place. She invited me in for a drink, and I dismissed the driver. She had a wonderful Remy Martin XO and offered me a snifter. We relaxed in her living area across from one another. Embarrassingly, I hadn't really listened intently to Darla during our first encounter due to my preoccupation with my alibi at the document archive. I soon learned that her last name was Bracken, and I was beginning to connect the dots. She was the daughter of Colonel Bracken, who had been my supervisor at the agency on the Ararat project.

She was looking rather smug as she offered, "I know who you are, Agent White." I raised my eyebrows and my glass to her. "I know that you secured six billion dollars for the agency on your last project."

"That's classified information," I reminded her.

"Yes, and that's not all I know. My father told me about your capabilities."

"My condolences over the loss of your father. He was a good man, but he violated agency security protocol by divulging that information to you."

"Well, I'd say that's rather moot at this point."

"So, that is why you accepted this date with me, but explain yourself. Why are you telling me this?"

"I want to come work for you, Agent White. My father insisted that I receive agent training. I'm qualified."

"Your timing couldn't be worse, Darla. I am tendering my resignation from the agency tomorrow morning."

Darla gave me a look of surprise. "Agent White, surely you know that you can't do that. The agency will have you annihilated."

"I thought you knew my capabilities, Darla."

"I know that you can pop from place to place all over this world. Agent White, you can run, but you can't hide."

"Sure I can. I have the ability to reside in remote places."

Darla gave me an incredulous look. "Agent White, I have seen your file. I have a friend in the document archive vault. Aren't you aware of your locator implant?"

"I have no locator implant. What are you talking about?"

"Did you not visit an agency clinic when you accepted your current position?"

"Yes, but that was just to bring my vaccinations up to date."

Darla rounded her lips and looked away. "So, you're not aware that one of those vaccinations was a microchip locator that they put into your bloodstream? Believe me, my father told me a lot about agency business. Agents are stationed all over this world. You have to sleep sometime, Agent White, and they will find you. Let me come and work for you. I have a tremendous amount of knowledge about the agency, and I can help protect you, but you can't resign. My father had a lot of respect for you, Agent White. He felt really bad about your termination. However, terminations are overridden when you are named as a successor to a superior. Did you know that you have been under surveillance since before your termination?"

"Actually, I did find that out recently. The surveillance project was assigned to your father which passed to Avarro after your father's demise."

"Yes, that's true."

"So, tell me, Darla, how is it that you know all of these things?"

"My father wanted to protect me. He has contacts in high places, and they have promised to watch out for me. I probably know more about agency business than any one person on this earth."

If I had blown off this date with Darla and turned in my resignation, I would most likely have been assassinated in my sleep. E wouldn't let me kill any more agents, and now it appeared that I was unable to resign as the director of the agency. As much as I detested this organization, I was apparently shackled to it like a prisoner. If I had a locator implant, not only could they track my whereabouts, but they would see that I was in multiple places at one time. I wasn't sure if that would be another reason to have them kill me.

"Darla, are you sure that you want to put yourself in the position of my subordinate? You're aware that I can do anything with you that I want."

"Yes, I do know that, but my father said that he trusted you. I believe that I can do the same."

"If you work for me, you have to live with me, and I live on the other side of the world. Are you ready to leave the United States?"

"I'm bored to death behind that desk, Agent White. My father was the only reason for me to stay in Washington, D. C. My mother passed away when I was seven years old. You can take me anywhere."

"Darla, do you know the procedures for modifying agency protocol?"

"Of course I do. I work in the document archive. We interface with protocol revisions all the time."

"Well, then welcome aboard. Let's take care of the necessary arrangements and documentation. Once we have all of that completed, I will take you on the ride of your life to my villa in the South Pacific."

Darla and I exchanged phone numbers, and I returned home after splicing time. No one had been aware of my date with Darla, but somehow I needed to explain that I was employing a subordinate who would be living with us. My plans were changing rapidly. I would need to splice time with Carol for my visit. Trying to keep all of the facts and sequences of events straight in my mind was difficult when I spliced time. I wanted to explain Darla to Joey in private, but she insisted on having Monique by her side. As a counter measure, I had Kristina sit in on our meeting as well. Joey was concerned that I had a locator implant. Monique was outraged that I had taken Darla on a date and saw her as competition. I shook my head in annoyance and looked at the ceiling. As usual, Kristina was supportive. However, I kept my upcoming visit with Carol a secret.

I had Kristina prepare a room for Darla. Three days later, I received a text that I needed to come to the office and sign the documents to assign Darla as my subordinate. The documents would be sealed and held in the archive vault. I spliced time and visited the office, signed the documents, delivered them to the archive, and stepped into a stairway to take Darla to Aitutaki. Surprisingly, she handled the trip better than anyone I had ever seen. I introduced her to everyone. Joey reprimanded Monique for being a bitch. I gave Darla a tour of the estate. As with anyone who visited for the first time, she was in awe of the vastness, elegance, and beauty. It took about two hours before she realized that Joey was the Angel of Death. She was surprised and impressed that I had married the most notorious assassin in the history of the agency. She was also aware of Joey's disorder. It was obvious that Darla had been properly trained. Her demeanor and adherence to protocol reminded me of Joey during the Ophir project. She acted far differently from the other girls. After all, she was an agent.

I spent the next few days explaining to Darla about life at our villa. I prepared her for our parties and warned her about our caretakers. I also explained about our estate protocols, and I was going to let the girls know that Darla was to be treated the same as Madame and I were. They were to address her as Ms. Bracken, and they weren't allowed to initiate any contact. However, any physical involvement would be at Darla's discretion. I filled her in concerning the emotional dynamics with my little family because I knew that she would see and hear things, and I didn't want her to misinterpret them. I tried to be as candid as possible without disclosing the horrible events that had recently taken place. Everyone had been sworn to secrecy.

My next task was to explain to Darla what her first task as my subordinate was. We were modifying agency protocol to allow agents to retain all previously attained assets. If I were shackled to this agency, I wanted it to serve my purposes as much as possible. I was going to wait to explain about the sex trafficking ring. I was also going to wait to disclose to her that I reported to no superior. However, I definitely wasn't going to mention anything about my incident with E.

Darla was very professional and extremely organized. I asked her what she needed, and we used the golden highway to secure anything that she desired. Much to my surprise, she chose to live very modestly even though we had unlimited funds through the agency. She wasn't materialistic, and she lived a regimented lifestyle. She didn't drink alcohol, she ate a healthy diet, and she loved the gymnasium that we had that was near our summer bedroom cut beneath the stone below the rest of the estate. She immediately began a routine of sparring with Joey. Darla was an impressive combatant, and I doubted that I could overtake her even though I had been trained as well.

It was time for me to visit Carol. I stopped at her home in parking mode and observed for a few moments. I decided to come out of parking mode at her front door and ring her bell. She opened and invited me in. She tearfully hugged me tightly. We embraced for several moments, and I found her lips with mine. I offered my tongue, but she pulled away. She continued to embrace me as she struggled to regain her composure. I apologized. "It's OK, Adriel. If you weren't married, I would react very differently."

"Carol, there's so much I need to tell you. I need a good friend, but I don't want to burden you, and I don't want to frighten you either."

"Well, Adriel, you can't burden me, and I'm willing to be frightened. I'm flattered that you would consider me as a trusted friend."

We opened a couple of bottles of wine and settled into her living area. I began by explaining to Carol the horrible ordeal with Barbara. She was shocked and saddened. She was very concerned about Joey's Emotional Detachment Disorder. I spent the rest of the evening describing my former projects and how I met Annette and Joey. I was very candid about my selfishness when I indulged myself with Joey on the Ophir project. Carol took Evelyn's side, and I totally understood. I wanted Carol to know how weak I really was. I also disclosed my relationship with Annette, but I omitted the details of our sex life. That would prove intimidating to any woman. After two more bottles of wine, we were finally getting sleepy.

I wasn't sure what the arrangements were. "Are we sleeping in the same bed tonight, Carol?"

"As much as I would love that, I really don't trust myself, Adriel. I'll put you up in my guest room. I'll get the coffee pot ready tonight, and if you wake before I do, just push the button."

The next morning, we enjoyed cooking breakfast together. We settled into the living area once again with coffee this time, and I continued my story. I led her from my first project with Pakistan into the subsequent endeavors with the gold mine. I concentrated on the personal relationships, challenges, and my enlightenment with the golden highway. I tried to give as much detail as possible. She found much of it hard to believe, and I saved the explanation of Yvonne until last.

I sat in silence as I watched Carol try to process everything that I had told her. I still had not confessed our murderous attempts to take down the sex trafficking ring, nor had I told her of that detestable organization that I hoped to destroy. She sat in deep thought for several minutes. Finally, she responded. "Honestly, Adriel, if you hadn't taken me from Evelyn's house back to your estate at Aitutaki, I probably would think that you were seriously deluded. Never have I heard such an outlandish story. Did you really steal billions of dollars from countries around the world?"

"Admittedly, Carol, I did. That's how I could pay you nearly one billion dollars."

"Well, so far, I'm not burdened, and I'm not frightened, but I am shocked beyond my wildest expectations. I mean, if everything you are telling me is true, this world isn't what I thought it was at all."

"That has basically been my experience over the last six years. I never dreamed that I would experience all of these things. I still haven't told you everything. I need you, Carol, and I don't want to lose your friendship, but I have done some really terrible things."

"OK, I'm not burdened, but I am a little frightened. I can't imagine what you haven't told me, but considering what you have told me, this doesn't sound good."

"I understand. Maybe now isn't a good time. I have dumped far too much on you already, and I'm afraid if I go any further that it will be more than you can bear. Could you do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Will you let me just hold you right now?"

Carol closed her eyes and grimaced for a moment. "OK, Adriel, but I'm warning you, if you make advances on me, I'm not going to resist you."

"I understand, but I just need to hold you right now."

Carol snuggled into my arms. I wasn't interested in a romantic relationship. I just wanted to feel her close. I was hoping to have a good friend in whom I could confide everything without the complications that sex imposed. I stroked her hair and kissed her temple. She looked up to offer me her lips, and we kissed for a few moments. It was now late afternoon, and I suggested that we cook together. We would be transitioning to wine soon, and I didn't want her to lose any more inhibitions.

We had lots of fun in the kitchen creating new dishes and experimenting with herbs and spices. We laughed and spilled wine, threw out a couple of our concoctions that weren't fit to eat, and decided to grill a couple of steaks. I needed to tell Carol what my challenges had been and what we had done to try to get the agency to comply. We settled back into the living area as I continued my story. She was appalled to hear about the sex trafficking ring and what Monique had suffered. However, as I began to explain what we had done, Carol grew reticent and began to stare into space. Finally, I paused my story to ask if she was all right.

"Adriel, I'm not sure how to respond. I can't believe that you could do those things. You are not the man whom I thought you were. You violated and disregarded due process. As an officer of the court, I have an obligation to report you. I'm not your defense attorney, and you have just confessed to a heinous crime. You have put me into a very uncomfortable position. In the very least, you need to leave now, and I think it's best if you don't see me again."

I was saddened. I had hoped to be able to confide in Carol, but she was absolutely right. I should have known better. I hated to lose her friendship, but she had little choice in the matter. I apologized and excused myself as I stepped onto the golden highway to splice time. Suddenly, I had an idea. I was going to do something I had never done before. I had spliced time in multiple segments, and I was careful not to duplicate myself in the same place and time. However, I was about to take a chance. I had to erase what just happened, and this was a first for me.

I stepped back to San Jose down the block from Carol's home. I called her immediately. She answered after the first ring. "Carol, listen carefully because you are in grave danger. A man who looks just like me is going to ring your bell. You must not answer the door. I need to get you out of there. He is not who you think he is." It was too late. I could hear myself speaking to her in the living area. "Carol, don't say a word to me right now. I can hear that he is already in your house. You need to excuse yourself by telling him that you need to finish this conversation in private. Go into your bedroom, and close the door. Once you are out of his sight, I will come and take you out of there."

I heard Carol explain that she needed to finish her conversation in private. I also heard myself consent with understanding. In a moment, Carol whispered into the phone. "OK, I'm in my bedroom." I wasted no time. In two breaths, I had Carol on the golden highway and back to my gardens in Aitutaki. Her screaming was minimal this time, but it sent Joey running to see what the problem was.

Joey rushed from the patio and found us by the banana trees. "What's going on? Is everyone OK? Oh, Carol, what are you doing here?"

Carol embraced Joey. "Oh, Joey, Adriel just rescued me from a man who looked identical to him. Adriel said that I was in danger."

Joey gave me a confused look. I began to explain. "I needed to bring Carol to our villa for a few days. It was important to spare her from being exposed to a dangerous situation. She needs to stay with us for at least two nights."

"What dangerous situation, Adriel? I don't understand." Joey looked back at Carol. "Did you violate the gag protocol?"

Carol quickly replied, "No, no, of course not. Adriel scheduled a visit to my place for this week, but when I let the person into my home who looked just like him, Adriel called me on the phone and said that the man I let in the door wasn't who I thought he was. He told me I was in danger, and asked me to excuse myself to my bedroom. He took me from there to here. I have no idea what is going on."

I intervened. "I'm sorry for the abrupt trip here, Carol. I know you're shaken, and we need to get you settled. I'll have my personal assistant get a room ready for you. Until then, let's relax at the pool and enjoy ourselves. Let me get you a drink, and then I need to talk with Joey briefly before I join you." Annoyingly, Monique was following Joey as close as a shadow.

I was scrambling. If Joey didn't have her Emotional Detachment Disorder, I would have a lot more explaining to do about scheduling a week long visit with Carol. I needed to let Joey know what I had told Carol and why I needed to keep her at our villa for a few days. The new relativity of Carol's experience being here would negate the one that was now taking place at her home in San Jose. I had never dreamed of doing this before, and I had never been in such close proximity of myself while splicing time in the past.

I handed Carol a vodka and tonic as I walked her out to the pool. I excused myself to speak with Joey in our bedroom. Joey had Monique wait in the kitchen. I told her everything that happened at Carol's place. "Adriel, sometimes you do the stupidest things. You know better than to confide in anyone outside the agency. You have violated your security protocol, and if Darla found out she would be obligated to report you to the agency review board. You need to get out to that pool right now and explain to Carol what you have done. At least you were able to save her from your mistake. You can divulge anything you want about your capabilities, but you aren't allowed to discuss projects with her.

Kristina had finished preparing Carol's room, and she made haste with me to the pool and sat down next to Carol. I began to explain my capabilities to her and what I had just done to save her. She was having a difficult time understanding how I could be in two different places at the same time. It took a considerable effort to get her to realize that I could cheat time. I didn't want to tell her about Barbara, so I only said that Joey had a relapse of her Emotional Detachment Disorder. I also told her a few things about the past, but I left out most of the details about Joey, Annette, and me. I explained that I had divulged too much information to her at her home, and I had put her in unwanted danger. I needed to negate that conversation. Carol was still having a difficult time understanding how I could do that.

Joey came out to the pool with more drinks and let me know that Darla wanted to talk with me. Joey sat with Carol as I ascended the stone steps back to our patio. Kristina remained with Joey, Monique, and Carol because she wasn't allowed to know about agency affairs. Darla was all business as usual and began to explain that she had submitted the initial request to modify agent property retainment. She showed me a copy of the document, and I was impressed that she had justified the amendment to the protocol in a very convincing manner. She saw no problem with getting the request passed by the review board. If I couldn't leave the agency, at least I could retain my assets without violation. Her next assignment wouldn't be that simple. I needed to explain to her about the sex trafficking ring and get her input on how we could dismantle it. However, I was going to wait a few days before I dropped that bomb on her.

"Darla, I think we should have a party tonight. It will help you get more acquainted with everyone, and my friend, Carol, just arrived. It could be a great diversion from work, and we could use some fun." Darla was shocked when I explained that clothing was optional, and most of us chose to enjoy the parties nude. She opted to wear a bathing suit, and that was fine. I just didn't want her to get blindsided by all of the naked bodies. I also told her that during the parties, I relaxed the household protocol, and the girls were allowed to initiate contact with us. However, I vowed to protect Darla from any unwanted advances. I was hoping to get Darla to address me as "Adriel," instead of "Agent White," or "Sir." However, she had grown up in a military household, and she was too uncomfortable with the informality.

I returned to the pool where Joey and Carol were talking as Monique and Kristina stood in attendance. I saw Joey kiss Carol and assure her, "You two will make a wonderful couple." Monique was looking over at the Black Magic elephant ears that were on the edge of the garden adjacent to the pool as she blinked tears from her eyes. Kristina gave me a very solemn look.

"So, what's going on down here? I thought tonight would be a wonderful time for a party." Joey agreed and left with Monique to make the arrangements.

Carol reached over and put her hand on my left thigh. "Oh, Adriel, Joey just gave us permission to be husband and wife."

I rebutted. "Oh, Carol, she's suffering from her disorder. She doesn't know what she's saying."

"Adriel, she explained your predicament. Do you really want to live in a loveless relationship? She's giving us the green light."

I couldn't risk Carol getting upset and returning home too soon. I patted her hand that was on my thigh. "I guess I need to come to terms with her disorder."

"Yes, you do. After the party, we should spend the night together in our own room."

I gave Carol an assuring nod. "We'll talk more at the party tonight. Please excuse me for a few minutes. I need to show Kristina some things that we need to do before evening. I'll be right back with more drinks."

I practically dragged Kristina toward the caretaker quarters. About halfway down the path, I pulled her into the denser part of the jungle. "What the hell is going on here? What did Joey tell Carol?"

"Oh, Monsieur, Madame promised you to Carol, and she said that she would do anything in her power to make you two husband and wife in the most traditional sense, but Monsieur doesn't want that, does he?"

"Of course I don't want that, Kristina. Something is not right. Things aren't making sense anymore. Well, not that they ever have, but still, this is insane."

Kristina pulled me toward her and looked me in the eye. "Monsieur, I have a terrible feeling about tonight. I am afraid. Monique is maddened by this situation. I have concern that she will murder Carol."

I asked Kristina to serve drinks at the pool. I would join everyone later with a fully stocked drink cart. She departed, and I stood among the natural tropical density of our estate as I pondered. I needed to keep Carol at our estate for at least two nights. Joey had given Carol too much encouragement. I couldn't afford for Carol to return home until the day after next. If Monique was truly a threat, I needed to remove her from the party, but she was Joey's personal assistant, which meant that I had no authority over her. I decided to neutralize the situation by giving Monique false hope. If I could keep her at bay for another couple of nights, I could return Carol to her home and back to safety.

The party was ensuing without me. I returned to the villa and stocked the drink cart. I wheeled it out to the pool, and the girls were all naked and frolicking together. I spotted Darla pressed into a corner of the pool away from everyone, and she looked incredibly uncomfortable. Once the girls saw me approach with the drink cart, they all gathered around me and stripped off my clothes. We prepared cocktails for everyone as I glanced over at Darla, who appeared to be appalled to the greatest degree. Once we had taken care of the drink orders, I slipped into the pool and waded over to Darla. She was stiff as a post, and I could tell that she would rather be anywhere but here.

"I know how difficult this must be, and I know you had no clue what working for me would be. I'm sorry, but this is our life here. It helps if you imbibe."

Darla looked very stoic as she gazed out over the surface of the water. "Agent White, perhaps you have underestimated me. I can handle this."

"OK, Darla, but if you decide to have a drink, no one will think any less of you."

"Thank you, sir, I'll keep that in mind."

I started to return to Carol, but I stopped and turned to Darla. "Agent Bracken, have you ever engaged in sex with anyone?"

Darla stiffened into attention. "No, Sir, I have never been romantically inclined, and I have never indulged in sex, Sir!"

I waded over to the girls, who were dying to get their hooks into Darla, but I forbade any advancements upon her.

Carol was patiently waiting in the pool as she leaned against the side. As I approached her, Joey whispered into Carol's ear and departed to a deck chair with Monique. Carol held out her hands and wrapped her arms around me as she began to initiate a sensuous kiss. "Oh, Adriel, Joey insists that we marry soon. Isn't it wonderful? We can be happy together for the rest of our lives. I desperately want to make love with you. I can't wait until tonight. Let's go to my room right now."

I knew that something was terribly wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it. The circumstances had changed rapidly, and something just didn't make sense. I asked her to wait in the pool. I told her that I needed a bathroom break, and I wanted to fix us another drink. I quickly made my way to my bathroom. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle the situation. However, when I emerged to go back to the pool, I noticed that eerie silence once again. There was no breeze, and everything was dead calm. I looked out toward the pool, and everyone was like a stone statue. I feared what might be coming, and I slowly walked out onto the patio. I scanned the area, but I saw no one. Suddenly, I heard his voice in my head. "I'm right behind you."

I quickly pivoted to see E standing about two meters away. "What are you doing here? You said that I would never see you again. I have done everything that you asked."

"Take a seat, Adriel. This pains me more than you could possibly understand. Normally, I would let you perish in your incompetent ignorance. However, as much as I loathe talking to you, I have no other recourse. I need for you to terminate Carol before your party comes to an end this evening."

I jumped up from my seat. "Terminate Carol?! Whatever would be the reason for that? She has done nothing wrong. That is absurd!"

"Sit down, Adriel. I know that I'm going to have to explain this to you in the simplest terms that you can understand. Honestly, you are as clueless as a two-year-old child. You did considerable damage to my agency. What you don't know is that there is an organization who is trying to take control of the world for their own purposes. This organization employs agents whom you know, and Carol is one of them."

"That is preposterous, E! Joey had Carol vetted by the agency."

"Yes, well, you humans leave a lot to be desired in the awareness and intelligence department. If anyone vets most of my agents, he will find that they live normal lives as janitors at a university, or an aide to a president, or a United States senator. I have agents all over the world in a myriad of positions who use their professions to steer this world politically by gaining necessary information and reporting to other agency departments to effect change. Your loving Carol is a paralegal, but she works for a very dangerous organization. Normally, this would give me no concern. However, she hopes to captivate you and bring you into their service. I can't afford that."

"This makes no sense. When I told her what I had done, she asked me to leave her home and never come back."

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You're too stupid to see what is going on. She was playing you. She knew that you would be back, and she could have easily manipulated you. As much as our conversation disgusts me, I'm going to have to connect the dots for you because you're clueless. Carol and Barbara knew one another and worked on the same project to captivate you into their service. Surely, you have to know that you're not that good looking. The disparity of attractiveness between either Carol or Barbara and you should have made you suspicious. Women like that don't pursue a man like you. Carol was the first to make contact with you. She already knew a lot about your situation and your life, but what she didn't count on was that Joey might have killed her if you entertained Carol romantically. She backed off and befriended Joey to maintain a relationship with you. That's when they brought in the big guns. Originally, they thought that sending Barbara was overkill, but after Carol's concern about Joey it made perfect sense to send Joey's sister to captivate you. By the way, you did handle that beautifully. No one thought that you could kill her."

"So, you're telling me that Carol intends to get me to work for the other side?"

"That's a poor way to put it, but in essence that is true. She believes that if she formally marries you that you won't lose your abilities to travel in seconds and be in multiple places at the same time. Regardless, I can't suffer the cost of you leaving your current position with your capabilities. You need to terminate Carol as soon as I leave."

"So, should I just drop her off in the middle of the ocean?"

"Absolutely not! You must be sure that she is dead before she leaves here. We can't risk her being rescued. I don't care how you do it, but Carol has to die now."

"How am I supposed to explain this to everyone? If I kill Carol, they will think I have turned into a homicidal maniac after what I did to Barbara."

"I'm not going to do your job for you, Adriel. Just do as I say because Carol will be leaving with you in a couple of days if you don't. I can't let that happen, and I think you know what that means." E stood to leave. He hesitated and turned to me. "Oh, yes, and as a courtesy I will let you know that because you sent Carol to Evelyn, they now know who she is and where she lives. You might want to think about that."

E disappeared, and I could hear the splashing down at the pool as everyone continued in the games. I was fighting denial as I slowly made my way back to the pool. Carol had given me absolutely no indication that she had any sinister intentions. She did seem awfully eager to get me to marry her though. I was trusting an entity named E, and I had no idea who he really was. Yvonne was no help either. I stalled by stopping at the drink cart to fix a couple of cocktails for Carol and me. Darla was still standing alone in one corner of the pool. I handed Carol her drink and slipped into the pool beside her.

"Oh, Adriel, I'm so excited. Where should we get married, here or San Jose?"

"Well, I assumed that we would perform the ceremony here, but we can do it in San Jose, if you like." I felt treacherous as I gained Carol's trust. I still couldn't believe that she needed to die tonight.

"Let's finish our drinks and slip out to my room." She sweetly smiled up at me as she kissed my lips.

"I need to talk business with Agent Bracken for a few minutes. I'll be right back. I waded over to Darla, who seemed to grow more uncomfortable as I approached. I stood shoulder to shoulder with her, and I could feel her tremble. "Agent Bracken, you need to relax. I may be your superior, but I'm not going to take liberties with you. You can trust me."

"Thank you, Agent White. That's what my father told me."

"Agent Bracken, have you ever terminated anyone?"

"No, Sir, I have not."

"Do you think that you are able to carry out a termination order?"

"I'm quite certain, Sir."

"OK, listen very carefully. My superior has informed me that Carol is an enemy agent. He has ordered her termination. Due to circumstances of which you are unaware, I need to have you perform the termination, but we have to do this discreetly. It has to look like an accident or natural causes. Can you handle that?"

"Yes, I can, Sir."

"Very good, Carol is taking me to her room in a couple of minutes. I need for you to leave the pool and wait there out of sight. She intends to have sex with me, but that can't happen. As soon as we enter the room, I need for you terminate her."

"I understand, Sir, but I will need a few minutes to prepare. Would it be possible for you to stall her?"

"I'm sure I can. Leave immediately, and we will be there in about five minutes."

Darla jumped from the pool and scurried off toward the villa. I returned to Carol as she commented, "My goodness, Darla seems to be in quite a hurry for something."

I chuckled. "Oh, yes, she's a very regimented agent. Her motto is, 'Why walk when you can run?' I needed for her to check to see if we received a response for one of our requests. I was hoping to celebrate a victory tonight."

Carol pulled me close and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Well, I'm one victory that you need to celebrate right now. Let's go to my room."

"OK, but I need to talk to Joey for just a minute, and I'll be right back."

I waded over to Joey and Monique and explained to Joey that Carol wanted to consummate our marriage early. Monique was disturbed and asked to be excused for a bathroom break and departed. Joey pulled me close and smiled. "I want you to be happy, Adriel. I think you and Carol will make a great couple." She kissed me sweetly, but as of late, without emotion. I excused myself to go back and retrieve Carol.

I took Carol by the hand as I escorted her out of the pool. She adoringly smiled and put her arm around my waist. I started to lead us up the steps toward the villa, but Carol stopped me. "I've changed my mind. Let's go into the garden and make love there."

"Oh, Carol, we need more privacy than that. I thought you wanted to go back to your room."

"But I like the excitement of possibly getting caught. Let's go to the northern fountain. Come on, Adriel, it will be fun. I insist."

It was now up to me, and this wasn't going to look like an accident. I decided to wait until we got to the fountain and terminate her there. However, she stopped us about ten meters short of the fountain and pulled me down onto the grass. She began kissing me, and pushed me onto my back. She got on top and straddled me as she attempted to arouse me to make love. Suddenly, as I was about to grab her throat, she convulsed and screamed, and I saw the blood fly. Monique was stabbing Carol repeatedly in the back with a kitchen knife. Carol gasped and fell sideways onto the grass. Monique was heaving and had that crazed, wild-eyed look on her face.

"Monique, it's all right. Calm down. Carol is gone. Don't worry, I'll protect you." I stood and took Monique into my arms as she continued to shake. I held her tightly as I stroked her hair. "Come on, help me get rid of the body." Not that I needed her help, but I had to let her know quickly that I was onboard, and I wasn't upset with her. We dumped another body into the Pacific Ocean, returned to our vacant beach to wash off the blood, spliced time, and ascended the stone steps back to the pool. Joey gave me a confused look as I left Monique with her and rushed back to Carol's room to call Darla off from my termination order.

The party was winding down, and I helped Kristina clean up the mess and take the drink cart back to the kitchen to unload and wash it. I scheduled some time to speak with Monique, Kristina, and Joey to explain what had happened to Carol and why it needed to happen. No one could quite understand that I had a superior at the agency, but I really couldn't explain it. Kristina, Monique, and Joey were all going to sleep in our bed with me tonight. However, I asked for some time alone and left the bedroom to get another drink and sit on the patio in the darkness as I contemplated all that had happened.

As usual, I never had a clear indication of what my project was. There had been a threat to the world for sure, but it was from another direction of which I knew nothing. I still wanted to clean up the agency, and I hoped that Darla could help, but that is another story for another time. I had faked my death after the Ophir project to protect Evelyn and the kids. It cost me my family, but I wanted to keep them safe. However, in time those who sought me had found me, and I had unwittingly led them to Evelyn. I realized that it was inevitable. Barbara knew how to navigate the golden highway. I had feared what might happen if someone else had that capability. Admittedly, everyone does have the potential. There are just precious few who bother to investigate it and experiment with it. Events unfolded far differently from my expectations. I had become the director of the agency. I never dreamed that would happen. If it didn't happen, I doubt that E would ever have come to me. The outcome of my circumstances would have been much different.

My original intent was to dismantle the agency, but I was clueless as to what the real agenda was. I began to entertain the idea that E had manipulated the circumstances to get me to accept the position as the head of his agency. That is the last thing that I ever thought would happen. In addition, he had prevented me from doing any more harm to the agency. I was now shackled as the director to steer the most powerful organization in the world, contrary to my desires. Avarro had seen me as a threat, and he tried to terminate me. However, his plan backfired, and Joey put an end to him. There was no way that I could have remained with Annette once she took Avarro's place. She was as evil and selfish as he was. As much as I hated to admit it, I was the much better candidate for this position.

I was also unaware that rival agents had discovered my existence and whereabouts. Carol and Barbara were employed to bring me into the agency where they worked. E saw that as a formidable threat to the stability of this world. I wasn't sure who that agency would send next, but I had the ability to find out and thwart their endeavors. My new abilities to target concepts and events along with my advantages on the golden highway to find persons or places gave me the necessary tools to protect myself. However, protecting Evelyn was now paramount. I couldn't risk someone abducting her and using her as leverage. Although, through careful monitoring, I would be able to detect any attempt to utilize Evelyn against me. This certainly wasn't the life that I would have chosen, but then again, it must coincide with my negotiations. Perhaps I did choose it.

I finished my drink and rinsed my glass in the kitchen sink. I scooted into bed next to Joey and held her in my arms. I was still hoping for her recovery. The next morning, I awoke to the sound of Joey vomiting in our bathroom. I rushed in to make sure she was all right. She glanced up as I walked over to her. "Are you OK, Sweetie," I asked as I rubbed her back.

Joey wiped her mouth and nonchalantly replied, "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just pregnant, that's all."
About the Author

Adriel Jacques Chevalier descended from a French family that migrated to the Netherlands before immigrating to the United States. His ancestors were jewelers and watchmakers for many generations. However, Adriel was never adept with handling the delicate parts of tiny machinery. Instead, he turned his interests to the software industry that was just becoming popular early in his adult life. He found that logic and problem solving better suited his skills, and he excelled in his field.

Adriel's elder sister had taught him to read and write at the age of three. Due to boredom suffered from structured learning, he sought to educate himself from his youth. He spent decades studying ancient history and various writings, mostly Christian and Judaic literature. Some of his studies he opted to conduct in the pre-translated, original language to gain a clearer understanding.

Always frustrated with the structure and politics of organized religion, he sought relationships according to the instruction of the Messiah, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst." Adriel recognized that the Messiah's name was synonymous with his authority, which is Truth, and that any group larger than three brought annoying problems.

Adriel and his fellows departed from the mainstream teaching of the established religions and embarked on a journey that led them on a quest for intrinsic Truth. Through many enlightening revelations and miraculous experiences, Adriel came to recognize that much of what is taught today concerning the Creator and his anointed one is rubbish. He forsook the erroneous cliches, rhetoric, and discrepancies of the religious culture and embraced Truth, which is available to any man, anywhere, at any time.

Although it was contrary to Adriel's belief system to share his findings in a rhetorical document, in his later years, he decided to envelop them into a work of fiction to be enjoyed by others. 
