A Secret Held Fast (CLOSED-PM for info)

[BeachBum25]

Zach's eyes were focused, not on Hassler, but on his protection detail. He was looking for weaknesses. His dark sunglasses were able to hide where his eyes were focused. The detail was large, but they seemed to be relaxed. It seemed like they did not perceive any threat here on this private island.

He could have taken Hassler out right then, but Zach knew he and Kess would not make it out alive. There were too many of them, and Zach was the only one with a weapon. Kess had no place to hide one with the outfit she was wearing. His handgun would take out a couple, but with 10+ men in Hassler's security team, it would have been suicide.

Zach leaned into Kess as she leaned over and nibbled his ear and whispered to him. He said nothing in response. There was a slight nod to let Kess know that he agreed with what she was saying. After she kissed him, Zach took a bite of his fish tacos. He wasn't hungry, but he needed to keep playing the role. He agreed that now wasn't the time, but he knew the time would come soon.

They sat at the table and played the part of two people in love who were enjoying a tropical vacation. Zach leaned over and whispered in Kess' ear, letting her know that they were on the same page. He kissed her lips softly before sitting back. For a moment, his mind moved away from the mission to how wonderful Kess' lips felt on his. His eyes wandered over her, slowly. However, he snapped himself back into mission mode.

He watched Hassler move around confidently. Zach kept an eye on the security team. They gave him space. A little smile, not perceptible to anyone else, came across Zack's face. They were going to be able to do this, and they would get out with no problem.

 

[zydrate]

They had finished up their meal and she grabbed her sunglasses before putting them back as Zach threw some cash on the table and they stood. As soon as she stood, Kess could feel all eyes on her...it was probably because of what she was wearing that caught their attention.

She did her best and ignored it but felt a little relief when she felt Zach's hand on the small of her back to guide her out. As soon as she was going to get back to the hotel, she was going to go get some more sensible clothing as she had gone through the suitcase that was packed for her by the powers that be, she had realized that all her clothing had been extremely revealing.

Hand-in-hand, she and Zach walked casually out of the small bar and Kess could hear the guys saying something about her in their native German and she made no indication that she understood it all. She knew Zach did as well and gave his hand a squeeze as they walked out, still vigilant of their surroundings.

Thankfully, the walk to the hotel was uneventful and as soon as they entered the room and locked it, Kess let out a heated huff of breath.

She had wanted to talk but like Zach said earlier, the room might not be safe... and wouldn't someone catch on they would always go to the balcony to talk?

So, with a smile, Kess turned and faced Zach, while holding out her hand, "I need new clothes." she said as she waved a hand at her suitcase. Once she had the credit card given to him for his cover... it did help there was a very high credit limit on it... you know, just in case.

I'll be fine, she mouthed to him as she took the card and headed out, closing the door behind her.

 

[BeachBum25]

Zach listened to the comments the men made as they left the dining area. German was one of the several languages Zach was fluent in. The comments made Zach angry. Yes, he realized Kess was not his real fiancee, but there was something about her that made him want to react to the comments.... he knew better, though. He simply placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked out. It was a two-fold sign. To Kess, it was a sign that he would do anything he had to do to protect her and keep her safe.... not that she was weak and needed protection.. just that he was her partner. To the guys making the comments it was a message saying.... say what you want but she is leaving with me.

They walked back hand in hand.. playing the part like the professionals that they were. It was easy to play the part of someone close to Kess. As they walked, Zach looked for the outer ring of protection. Once again, it was easy to spot based on the way they were dressed. The outer ring was a mere 50 yards outside the entrance to the bar.

Back in their room, Zach heard Kess' audible sigh as he closed the door behind them. They made eye contact which indicated that they were both aware that they were not sure they could talk in the room. He smiled at her when she mentioned needing new clothes. "So, you need clothes that cover your body and aren't so revealing? I guess you didn't like the comments those "gentlemen" were making at the bar."

He watched her head out of the room. Yes, she said she would be fine, but this was another variable that Zach did not like having to deal with. When working alone, there was nobody else to worry about. Was it really just worrying about Kess because she was his work partner... or was there something else?

Zach walked out onto the balcony. He looked down the street toward the bar they had been in. It wasn't that far. He could take out Hassler right from here as he walked out of the bar. The question was would he be able to get out safely.

Then, he looked down and watched as Kess walked out of the main entrance of the hotel. He followed her down the street. As he watched her walk, he looked to see if anyone was following her. He noticed guy's heads turn to look at her, but that was normal. Who wouldn't look at someone that attractive wearing a skirt and bikini top? Zach saw her go into a store and relaxed.. a little, but stayed on the balcony watching the area surrounding the entrance.

 

[zydrate]

Eyes. She could feel all eyes on her. And to be truthful, it felt odd. Kess wasn't used to be the center of attention. At least not for a span of time like this.

And sure, she wasn't armed, but she knew she could fight. Hand to hand combat was a specialty each agent in her field had to have, and boy, did she have to learn it the hard way. But right now, she had to play the sort of airhead, brunette one would never expect that could kill in a heartbeat.

And with no remorse.

It was her job after all. The US Government had spent millions on her in order to train her right. The pay wasn't half bad either... which was why she was able to pay for her sister's dream wedding in cash.

As she entered the small shop which didn't seem too touristy, Kess pulled her sunglasses off and looked around. She gave a small smile to one of the girls behind the counter and proceeded to look around... Kess wasn't a flashy person and but her character needed expensive clothes. Hassler's men were still walking around and if anything, she had to play fully into her role.

After about 20 minutes, she was ready to check out. Kess had chosen a couple of pairs of pants, some t-shirts, a leather jacket and some other small things need to make up for what wasn't packed by probably some junior agent.

She felt someone walk up behind her but she kept her composure and acted like she didn't notice. She could smell his cologne first and knew exactly who it was.

Hassler.

He said something in German and Kess pretended to act scared and she let out a fake laugh as she turned around, giggling, "I'm sorry...?"

Had she been a newbie, her heart would probably be racing but no, she kept calm. No need for panicking. She wasn't one to panic anyway.

Hassler took Kess' hand and brought it up to kiss the back of it and in a thick accent he spoke again, this time in English, "I said I would be happy to purchase all of your things if you would have a drink with me."

Her total purchase was well over $800, if she calculated it correctly.

And from what she really heard him say was that he would love to have his way with someone like her.

The jerk was married. Wow.

Kess kept her expression, letting out another giggle, "Oh, no, please, you don't have to..." she smiled and leaned in a bit, telling in a near whisper, "My fiancé is loaded, so it's on him.."

God, she was playing with fire, but sometimes, it was necessary.

"Please! I could buy you the entire island and then more... its on me, I insist." He nodded to the young shopkeeper and she returned the nod. "Now, you owe me a drink! Come, we will go to my villa and have that drink." Before she could say or do anything, he held her hand firm, nearly crushing it and yanking her with him out the door.

Oh great.

Two thoughts ran through Kess' mind.

No contact was supposed to be made with the target.

But...lets see where this could go...?

 

[BeachBum25]

Zach froze when he saw Hassler walking down the street with his entourage. He was going to walk right in front of the store where Kess was. He hoped that she stayed in the store until he was past.

What? Zach saw Hassler stop and look into the shop. Then, he watched Hassler walk into the shop; followed by 3 of his men. This was not good.

Zach focused on the front of the store; periodically letting his eyes wander to the other men on Hassler's security who were standing around outside the store. Zach's mind was racing. He was confident that Kess could handle herself, but the numbers were definitely not in her favor.

Suddenly, he saw Hassler exit the store with Kess' hand in his. He was practically dragging her. However, it did not look like Kess was struggling.

Zach's mind started to race. He could take Hassler out from here with the rifle that was supplied to them, but that would mean that Kess would not survive, and probably, neither would he.

Deciding to slow play it, since they were on such a small island, Zach decided to start gathering information. He went down to the hotel lobby and looked around. Then he walked out in front of the hotel, looked up and down the street before going back into the lobby and up to the reception desk. He asked the clerk if she had seen his fiancee. She replied that she had seen her walk out, but had not seen her return. Zach thanked the woman and walked back out into the street.

He casually walked along the street, looking in stores, and surveying the area around. He was looking for Hassler's outer ring of security, which would give him a better idea of where Hassler was.

Approaching the clothing store, he stopped and looked in the window. He walked inside and told the woman behind the counter that he was looking for his fiancee. He described Kess to her. The woman said that she had been in the store shopping, but left with another man who purchased all of her clothes. Zach, playing the role, looked confused. "She left with another man? My finacee?" When the woman confirmed it, he walked out of the store. Looking to his right, he saw several men in black suits. That meant Kess wasn't too far away.

He walked i the direction of Hassler's outer ring. He wanted to do some recon. He had to find out what it would take to go in after Kess... if that was what was necessary.

Zach was able to walk within inches of a couple of Hassler's security men. It would have been easy for him to take them out, and nobody would know who did it. However, that would cause problems. It would put Hassler on high alert, and it would put Kess in more danger than she already was. He tucked the information in the back of his head just in case he needed to use it in the future.

Stopping next to one of the security men, Zach looked around. "Wow, that is a great villa. I think on my next visit that is where I will stay. It will be great for my honeymoon." The guard looked at him and scoffed. "You can't afford this villa. Only the wealthiest, like my boss can stay in a place such as this." Zach looked at him and thought, "you I will kill personally." Zach also thought it was great that the guard had confirmed for him where Hassler was staying.

Smiling at the guard, Zach responded, "Well, one can certainly dream. We all are not so fortunate as your boss must be. Hell, you are lucky, too. You get to come here with him." Once again the guard looked at him, almost disgustedly. "Go away. I don't have time for you."

Zach walked away. He now knew where Kess was, and where Hassler was. Now, he needed to find the weak points in the villa security. He saw the camera placements. They were simply focused on the entrances and exits... nothing on the surrounding area. That was very good.

 

[zydrate]

Kess ignored the feel of his slimy hand tightly holding hers. God, she could take him out right now... use him as a human shield as his guards fired on them but what then? Each guard had a machine gun as well as a holstered pistol on their person and Kess? She had nothing. She could get Hassler's gun and hold them off...

Until when?

She quickly pushed that thought away. Instead, she let herself be led by Hassler as he droned on and on about his villa and his vacation on the island and how much money he had, she ignored him and his bragging. Nothing about wealth impressed her, but she did proceed to be dumbfounded by it, successfully playing someone who wasn't too smart and added the occasional gasp of being impressed. It wasn't really that hard.

Usually someone who bragged so much about his wealth had a small dick. So he had to make up for it somehow.

As she was dragged into the villa, Kess looked around and gathered the information about the place. It would come in handy later, that was for sure. Her sunglasses hid her glances around the grand entrance and the many security cameras... even the many guards posted here and there.

She'd give Hassler one thing, he had a great place. There was a set of double doors that led to a pool that also had easy access to the beach.

Perfect.

Kess was handed a glass of wine and led to a couch and encouraged to sit with him, which she did.

"So dear, tell me about yourself.. you said you were engaged?"

Oh boy.. he wanted to hear about her?? Kess gave him a sincere smile. This is where she could play the part of a boring and talkative person... to the point of annoying.

It was funny how a lot of people could under estimate her and her attributes...

***********
"So, that's about it..." Kess said as Hassler wasn't even listening. Kess felt she had lost him about 10 minutes into her made up life story. She stood up, a little too fast perhaps as one guard near her jumped and she looked at him, giving him a confused look, "I better go now.... my fiancé is probably wondering what happened to me."

"Of course," Hassler said, clearly bored with her. If he was looking for someone interesting and someone to be impressed with his wealth, he had chosen the wrong person, he could see that now.

He got up, grabbed Kess by her elbow and led her to the door, "One of my men will escort you to your hotel." He said, not giving her a choice and Kess tried to protest but he just waved her off, "I am having a party here tonight, you and your fiancé will attend. I must meet the man who is lucky to have you. Pray I don't take you away from him."

I'd like to see you try... thought Kess as she was practically grabbed by the other arm and led out of the villa and back toward the way they had come.

She didn't have to look around as she could feel Zach watching her from afar and that gave her some comfort until she was taken to their hotel where the guard left her.

Once in the elevator, Kess slumped against the wall of the elevator and let out a deep breath. She had a good idea of the layout of Hassler's place... she needed to give Zach a report of what happened--

As the doors opened, there was Zach. Without a word, Kess flew into his arms.

A sense of relief washed over her as she felt his arms wrap around her.

She always felt safe in his arms. It felt good because she couldn't get Hassler's slimly touch out of her mind.

In their room, she saw it was a bit messy and could tell Zach had gone through, looking for any bugs. She looked at him, trying to show she was OK.. but was she? She swore she could feel herself shaking in his arms a moment ago. "Guess you saw happened?" Kess bit her lip and took a deep breath and started to tell Zach all about Hassler's villa. What she saw, how many men were on the inside and what sort of security system he seemed to have. She had the first floor layout memorized also. It would come in handy.

She told him exactly what happened in his place as she paced the length of the room. "So, what do you think?" She honestly wanted to know what he wanted to do next.

 

[BeachBum25]

When Kess came out of the elevator, he took her in his arms. He could tell she was stressed, bit, of course, stress was an everyday part of the job. It was all about how you handled stress, and he was happy that he was there to help her decompress.

"So, did you have a nice date with Hassler? Did he treat you well?" Zach joked with Kess. He could sense that she wanted to smack him for making those comments. Heck, he probably deserved it if she would have smacked him.

"I am 100% certain that the room is not bugged. I tore it apart, as I am sure you noticed, and I used the electronic detector. I pulled out all of the switches and the outlets, and even took the tv apart. That was after I did a little recon on the outside of the villa."

Zach told Kess how he had watched Hassler walk into the store and then watched her get practically dragged out of the store by him. He told Kess about walking around the exterior of the villa and that he noticed the cameras were only focused on the entries and exits and not on the area surrounding the villa. Finally, Zach told her about his interaction with the member of Hassler's security team, and how easily distracted the man had been during their moment together.

"While the interior layout is fresh in your mind, draw it up. I am not sure that we will need to get back in there, but, if we do, it will be good to have."

Zach watched her closely as she started to settle down. She had rambled through what happened while she was with Hassler, and was now starting to relax. "You did a great job. You took what could have been a really bad situation and turned it into a positive; for us. Of course Kess, you don't need me to tell you that. You know you did a good job. I am really glad you are my partner on this."

He smiled at her and watched her face for clues to how she would take his comments. She was good... her facial expression revealed nothing.

"So, what do you say we go hang out at the pool for a little. You are pretty close to being appropriately dressed to be laying out by the pool. It will be a good time to relax and decompress before we have to put a plan into motion. Plus, we have to at least be a little visible and keep up the charade."

 

[zydrate]

Kess was hyped up. Very hyped up. She couldn't relax but she hid it well... even from someone like Zach.

She knew she wanted to get Hassler's touch off of her. It just left an odd sensation on her skin...

Zach had mentioned the pool and Kess just sat there and thought about it. Yes, they'd have to keep up appearances. It was getting a little late though, late afternoon. She was starting to feel the exhaustion from everything.

Playing an airhead took a lot out of a person, that was for sure.

With a deep breath, Kess nodded at Zach's mention of the charade, "Yes, lets keep it up..." she stood up from the bed, grabbed the paper she had drew out Hassler's home and crumbled it up. She knew Zach had memorized it so there was no need to keep it and have it turn up if things went awry. She tore it up and walked to the bathroom and flushed the torn up pieces down the toilet.

"I don't want to go to the pool," she said, matter-of-fact as she came back out and grabbed Zach by the hand, leading him back to the bathroom, where she turned on the shower water. She then turned around to face Zach and she started to undress him. He didn't fight which was good. Kess didn't want him to fight or protest... she pulled his shirt up and over his head, tossing it on the floor. She then removed her bikini top and then leaned into him, kissing him deeply.

She needed to burn some of the energy off and she knew just how to do it.

Pausing, she looked up at Zach as she untied her skirt and pushed off her bikini bottoms, "Let's keep up the charade..." with that, she backed up in the shower and let the water rain down on her as her look invited Zach to join her in the steaming water...

 

[BeachBum25]

He could tell when he mentioned the pool that Kess really wasn't interested. Zach had a feeling that her mind was still racing about her interaction with Hassler, so, he was willing to let it go.

Zach watched as Kess drew the diagram of the first floor of the villa where Hassler was staying. It was a fairly simple layout, and he had it etched in his brain quickly. When she realized he had the layout committed to memory, Kess tore it up and Zach watched her walk into the bathroom.

When she started back out of the bathroom, Kess confirmed what Zach thought. She had no desire to go down to the pool. He followed her into the bathroom without any resistance when she took his hand. He put his arms up in the air as she lifted his shirt over his head.

After she removed her bikini top, he held her close to him as they kissed. He loved the feel of her perfect breasts pressed to his chest. His hands caressed moved up and down her back; his fingertips caressing each vertebrae of her spine.

When she broke the kiss, Zach looked down into her mesmerizing eyes. As Kess finished undressing, Zach did the same while his eyes wandered over her wonderful body. As he watched the water rain down over her body, Zach slowly moved toward the shower; smiling at his beautiful "fiancee."

Stepping into the shower with her, Zach took Kess in his arms again and pressed their bodies together. Their lips met almost violently, as they attempted to devour each other with the kiss. His hands wandered down her back to her tight, hot ass and he pressed her even closer to her; his hardness pressing firmly to her stomach. He had been foolish to think that the first night at the motel would be able to satisfy his desire for her. The more time they spent together, the more he wanted her.

Zach lifted Kess up and lowered her onto his straining member.... slowly filling her... stretching her. He leaned her back against the tile of the shower wall and allowed his lips to move from her lips to her breasts as they began to move together. It was perfect. They moved together like they were made for each other..... maybe they were. their hips crashed together as their wet bodies moved in such an erotic dance... a dance that Zach didn't want to end.

 

[zydrate]

Kess moaned... rather loudly, as she felt Zach fill her so fucking completely. She had never been with anyone else that made her feel as complete as he had. Hell, she had never felt anything like this for anyone but him...

It was then that realization hit her.

She loved him.

Kess had fallen hard for him probably the first night they met. Maybe it was because no one would understand this life style like him. She had tried her best to ignore it and not think about it but the feeling kept creeping up on her all this time.

Those little kisses she had been giving to him all day had not just been in character... it just felt so natural...

Grabbing onto his shoulders, she ground her hips against his, encouraging him to not be gentle. Her eyes met his and she rested her forehead against his, kissing him hard and deep, feeling herself reach her height of orgasm as she screamed into his mouth..

 

[BeachBum25]

They moved perfectly together: as if they were made for each other. The way she moved her wonderful body with his encouraged Zach to thrust into Kess harder... filling her deeper.

There was nothing to think about when he was with Kess. Everything occurred naturally. His hands gripped her firm ass as they moved together in an incredible, erotic dance. He felt her body stiffen and Zach felt Kess start to spasm around him.

Swallowing her scream, Zach exploded deep inside of Kess. Despite the intense pleasure, he didn't stop. He wanted to make sure that Kess' orgasm was as pleasurable as possible. He continued to move his hips; thrusting into her until they both began to settle down.

Zach held her closely. He kissed her deeply. His feelings for Kess were different than he had ever felt for another woman. It was an odd feeling for Zach, because his job had never allowed him to get close to a woman... there was never time for that. The few times he had been with Kess led him to have feelings that were so outside his norm. He wondered... "Is this what love feels like?"

Holding onto Kess felt so right. He did not want to let her go. Well, the fact that the shower started to turn cold changed all that. He looked into her eyes and smiled. "I am going to have to talk with the manager about the fact that we ran out of hot water before we finished showering."

 

[zydrate]

Kess smiled and nodded, feeling the shower water getting cooler. It was a good feeling after what they had just done... Kess wasn't sure where that had come from. She was used to stressful situations. She was trained for it. She had been through worst but for some reason, knowing that Zach was there for her was comforting.

They quickly cleaned up each other... another intimate moment that could have been more but both had cleverly ignored it for what it was.

Finally, Kess was able to put on practical clothing. She had a few pieces that had been delivered in addition to what she had actually bought earlier. Kess didn't say anything as she casually put them aside with her other things. Pulling out her suitcase, the one that some junior agent had probably packed for her. In an inside back compartment of her suitcase was a few weapons she would need. She knew Zach had the some sort of weapons but more specified to what he requested and worked well with.

As she straightened up her stuff, Kess told Zach about the party Hassler had invited her to. Well, more like demanded she would attend. "What do you think? Is tonight too soon to hit?"

 

[BeachBum25]

Once Zach was dressed, he watched Kess go through her things. He could feel that her mind was racing. He wondered if there was something that happened while she was with Hassler that she was not telling him about.

He listened while Kess told him about the party that their presence had been requested at. Actually, she said that Hassler had almost demanded that they be there. Zach did not handle someone making demands of him very well, even if it was part of a mission. On top of that, he did not like the type of person Hassler was. He believed he cold have anything and/ or anyone he wanted. Many of the people who Zach had eliminated were not necessarily bad people, they were just on the wrong side. Hassler was on the wrong side and he was a bad person. Suddenly, Zach was making this mission personal; something he always tried to stay away from.

Zach got up and walked over to his bag. Opening it, he took out a vial of liquid and held it in the palm of his hand. "I don't know that tonight is too soon, but the problem will be that there are going to be a lot of people around. Taking him out at the party will be easy.. .getting out of there would be almost impossible.... unless." He paused for a minute and then opened his hand and showed Kess the vial.

"If we, and by we, I mean you, can get this liquid into his drink, we can eliminate him tonight. It is slow acting, but it is extremely deadly, and there is no way to counteract the effects. It slowly starts causing paralysis, but in a way that the person just feels they have had too much to drink. By the time they realize it is more than that, every muscle in their body is starting to seize up, including their heart. Within 30 minutes of ingesting it, he will be dead."

He watched Kess intently. "He is fascinated by you, and e sees you as a challenge, because he would be taking you away from someone. You will be able to get close to him." Zach paused. "What do you think?"

 

[zydrate]

What did she think?

She didn't like it so she said so. "I'm not used to being the 'fascination' of someone creepy like Hassler. I'm use to working in the back...away from the attention." She didn't have to explain further because she knew he knew what she meant.

The trick of doing what they did best was to blend in. Not be the center of attention or catch anyone's eye. Kess took the small glass bottle from him and briefly looked at the amber liquid. She knew about it and it's effects. She never used it but she knew of it. She had read even though the person experienced paralysis, they would be in excruciating pain the whole time.

Extraction was standing by and would be able to pick them up when they were notified. The caveat? It would take about an hour for them to arrive. So much could happen in an hour. They were on an island and there would be no where to run. Limited places to hide. On the way over, Zach and Kess mapped out possible hiding places at the edge of the island. The next closest island was over 10 miles away...there was no way they could swim that far.

With a deep breath, Kess smiled and handed the vial back to Zach, "This feels rushed. I don't like rushed. You don't like rushed. Let's see what happens tonight. I'm pretty sure I can handle Hassler. Just knowing you're there, we'll be OK. Of course, we'll be weaponless, but that' a chance we'll have to take."

Before she could continue, there was a pounding on their door to their suite. Some voices could be heard from the other side.

It was Hassler's men. Kess was sure of it. "I guess our escorts are here." She said, motioning for him to put his gun away as she went to answer the door. Kess huffed out a breath and smiled as she opened the door, "Yes? We didn't answer room service!"

Thank God for her short stint of acting classes after school. She could play the dimwit when it served her purpose. And right now, it did.

There were 3 men. All still wearing their insufferable black suits, their weapons obvious under their coats in their shoulder holsters. "Let's go."

Kess was still not letting them in as she blocked the door, "Go where?"

Having no time for her, one grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out. She held a hand out behind her to stop Zach from doing anything rash. This was part of the plan... the plan that was being made up as they went along.

"OHhh, the party! I totally forgot about that..." she said as she walked with them... well, she was forced to walk with them. It was funny how people could under estimate Kess. She could defend herself quite well. But right now, she chose not to.

The sun had recently set and brought an evening glow to the island. In a different time, she would have stopped to appreciate the scenery, but right now, she was a little busy. Kess briefly turned to see how Zach was holding up. He did not look pleased. Their eyes met briefly as she gave him a look that said 'trust me'.

 

[BeachBum25]

Zach was good at his job, because he was able to make sure that he did not take anything personal. There was nothing personal about the job.. .it was just business. Well, that was until now. He struggled to suppress the urge to eliminate 3 of Hassler's men because of the way they were manhandling Kess. Yes, he knew she could take care of herself, but she was his partner, and he had to have her back.

Was that really it? Did he take it personal because Kess was his partner? Or was there something more to it?

He didn't have time to think about it.

Zach saw Kess' hand signal that told him to relax. He was a professional and knew that the easy elimination of these three black suits would severely jeopardize the mission and put both his life and Kess' life in jeopardy. He saw Kess pocket the glass vial, and then his eyes met hers. The message she was sending told him that she was okay.

He made eye contact with the one security man that was reaching for his arm. Zach was willing to let a lot of things go, but he was not going to play the role of a patsy. When the black suit continued to grab at his arm, Zach said, "NO. We are going to your boss' party. We don't need to be manhandled. We are quite capable of walking there on our own."

He moved away from the man and up next to Kess. Moving between her and one of Hassler's men, Zach took her hand. He squeezed her hand gently as they walked; letting her know that he trusted her and that if she had the opportunity and wanted to go with the latest plan, that e would support her and they would be okay.

Entering the villa, Zach looked around. He took notice of everything. Of course, he already had a mental picture of the interior based on the drawing Kess had done earlier. She had nailed it exactly.

From across the room, Zach saw Hassler holding court. He could see all of the people milling around him trying to get his attention. There was a part of Zach that wanted Hassler to look into his eyes as Zach killed him. Of course, that was not going to be part of this mission.

When Hassler saw Kess, he broke away from the group and started to make his way toward them. Zach saw the way he looked at her, which made Zach want him dead sooner rather than later.

When he approached them, Hassler totally ignored Zach and went right to Kess; kissing her on each cheek. Zach blew it off as a normal greeting, and when Hassler finally turned to him, Zach looked him right in the eye. He played the role of the fiancee who was jealous that his wife-to-be was getting attention from another man. When Hassler said that he must be the fiancee, Zach responded, "Yes, she is my fiancee." All the time Zach gave no indication that he knew who Hassler was or what he did.

Putting his arm around Kess' waist, Hassler led her away. Zach followed closely. She was not going to be out of his sight tonight. Hassler led her to the bar and asked her what she wanted to drink. He told the bartender, "I will have another, and give my beautiful friend anything she wants." Zach stood back. He was happy Hassler didn't ask him what he wanted. That would have required him to order a drink and leave it untouched, which could be seen as offensive.

 

[zydrate]

Goddamnit, he wanted her to drink something. Kess wanted to be sly and tried to order an iced tea. She had wanted to keep a clear head but Hassler only laughed and told her she didn't want that. He made the bartender give her the same drink as him.

Kess wasn't sure what was in it, what she did know was that it was red in color and smelled like fruit juice.

She knew better than to drink any of it. But she took a small sip in order to make it look like she was thankful for it. In all truths, she paid no mind to what Hassler was saying. He was bragging. He couldn't shut up about his money. It took a lot for Kess not to roll her eyes at what he was saying. He led her toward the balcony, the place where he took her earlier that day. Yes, he was still talking. His accent was thick but Kess understood him.

She could feel Zach close behind them and she could tell Hassler was a bit annoyed but acted like Zach wasn't there. Kess kept her attention on her surroundings, making sure she knew where each guard was at. She played it off like she was looking at the décor and strategically placed a small laugh to what Hassler was saying to her here and there.

"Well.. I think Zach and I should get going now.. We have reservations for dinner."

Kess turned to leave but she felt Hassler's hand on her waist grip her tighter, "Nonsense. You will stay. I will have someone from my staff make you both something to eat."

Man, this guy didn't get it, did he?

Kess pried his hand from around her waist, probably using more force than she should have but it was getting tiresome at this point. "No, really, it's not necessary. I want to thank you for the invite. You have a lovely home. Your wife is a lucky woman." It was then Kess linked her arm with Zach's and nodded to him, "Shall we?"

She could see the guards on edge but they only eased up and let them pass by. Although Kess had wanted to rush out of there, she walked with ease, her hand in Zach's.

Once outside, Kess waited until they were in the clear and that no one was following them, "He let us go too easy." She said, when they reached their room. Immediately, Kess went to her bag and grabbed her weapon from the hidden compartment and readied it. She placed it on the nightstand, still not sure what was going to happen next. She started to pace the length of the room, her mind was racing.

Although this was not the first time she worked with someone, she didn't like showing what she was like during a job. Kess' mind always raced during a mission. It wasn't until after the mission did she give herself the time to relax. She was working out a million scenarios in her head, nearly forgetting that she had Zach to rely on...

 

[BeachBum25]

Zach was on edge the entire time that they were at Hassler's villa. He took everything in. He watched how much distance the guards gave Hassler when he walked out onto the balcony, and how edgy they got when Kess moved away from Hassler. It was obvious that Hassler was unaccustomed to being rejected by anyone, and his guards were unsure of how to react to it.

Back in the room, Kess' mind was obviously racing as she paced the room. "Kess, we need to go to dinner. I know you probably are not in any mood to eat, neither am I, but there is a good chance that Hassler will check up on us. You told him we had reservations. Let's go to the restaurant downstairs. We will order something, push it around our plates for a while, and then we can come back up here. It will give us both a chance to decompress."

He didn't wait for her to respond. He moved over and grabbed his Sig 9mm and put it in the back of his waistband, which was covered by the sport jacket he was wearing. Then, he took Kess' hand and squeezed it softly before leading her out the door.

As they walked into the restaurant, the maitre d' was not at the front, but Zach saw a waitress and motioned for her to come over. "Do me a favor while there is nobody here, put the name Zach in for a reservation for 15 minutes ago." He discreetly placed a very large tip in her hand. She did as he asked, and walked away smiling. When the maitre d' returned, Zach greeted him. "We are so sorry for being late. We were at a private gathering and couldn't get away. The name is Zach." The maitre d' looked surprised, but checked the reservations and saw his name there and told them they would be seated momentarily.

Once they were at the table, they were fortunate enough to have the same waitress that had put Zach's name in the reservation book. He chatted with her for a while, and he said to her, "I won't tell anyone what you did. It will be our secret." They each ordered seafood dishes, and ate very little; spending most of their time looking around. Right after they ordered their food, Zach saw two black suits enter the restaurant and talk with the maitre d'. He went to the reservation book and pointed to something and nodded to them. Then he discreetly tried to point in the direction of Kess and Zach. Zach brushed Kess' knee and he nodded in their direction. The look he got from Kess told him that she saw what he saw.

The black suits left and Kess and Zach played with their food for a little longer; eating just enough to make it look like they were really out to dinner. They paid their check, and Zach tipped the waitress in cash; once again a very generous tip. Zach hoped that the tip was a clear message to be quiet about what she had done. He would hate to have to kill her to keep her quiet.

After returning to the room, Zach moved out onto their balcony and looked around. He wanted to see if there were any of Hassler's men outside the hotel. He didn't see any, but he could not be sure that they weren't hiding in the shadows somewhere. Walking back inside, he looked at Kess. "Would you like to plan now, or would you rather sleep on it and plan in the morning? I don't think we can use the full week. His fascination with you has definitely sped up our timeline."

Zach waited for Kess to respond. He watched her closely, and could not help but let his eyes wander over her wonderful body. She was amazing. Zach was certain that Hassler's fascination with Kess revolved around her beauty, her sexy body, and the fact that he was not able to have her. Zach was certain that Hassler was not going to stop his pursuit.

 

[zydrate]

All right, this was crazy. Kess took a couple of deep quiet deep breaths. Why was Hassler so fascinated with her? “Someone’s not telling us something…” she said to herself as she took a sip of her ice water. Her seafood dish sat nearly untouched in front of her. Nothing like this put her out of sorts before. If this situation as odd, why was she acting so out of it?

Maybe because she was also worried about what could happen to Zach also if she made a stupid move.

This wouldn’t happen if she worked alone.

Maybe he was thinking the same thing about her?

This was why she didn’t have a partner. This was why Zach didn’t have a partner. Those who did what they did generally did not have partners.

“Was there something we missed on the report?” Kess asked, looking at Zach. She could tell he was mentally going over what they had researched a few days ago. They didn’t have anything on them because if things went awry, then there would be no proof of their assignment.

The small dining room was nearly empty as most of the people were probably at Hassler’s party…

“Let’s go for a walk? I need to get out of here.”

She just wanted to get away from the hotel and needed some time to think. Hopefully to talk without having to be careful.

About 10 minutes later, they were both on the beach, the faint music of the party could be heard but other than that, the waves of the ocean were drowning it out as they walked further down the beach and away from the center of the island.

Both were ever vigilant of their surroundings but still, Kess could breathe a little better, her mind finally slowing down. Just something about this mission bugged her and usually, her gut feeling wasn’t wrong.

Kess was about to say something about the weather and yes, had they not been on a mission… had they been in a different situation, this walk would probably rank somewhere on the romantic scale. Not that she knew much about romance. Who had time in their line of work?

Stopping, Kess turned to look at Zach, about to say something when she heard something, and she was sure he heard it too. They were being followed. “Just let it happen…” was the last thing she was able to tell him just as they were quickly surrounded by 8 of Hassler’s guards!

Kess still had the vial she was given earlier. It was, at this point, her only weapon. They were being yelled at by the men to stay where they were. She pleaded with eyes locked on Zach not to do anything just yet. It was bad enough they were going to find his weapon on him but, for now, if they cooperated, things wouldn’t take a turn for the worse.

She felt someone grab her by the back of her head, a handful of her hair in their grasp. It took a lot not to react with her training to defend herself. In any other situation, she would have countered that move and taken the man out. But there was Zach to think of. His safety. Just as she was sure he was thinking of hers.

They were split up with Kess being taken toward the villa. They were still talking in German and although she understood everything they were saying, she played along with it… for now.

Her heart was racing… not with fear, but with adrenaline. God, some people were going to die tonight, and she wouldn’t be one bit sorry.

The first on the list? Hassler.

 

[BeachBum25]

It was a beautiful night for a walk on the beach. Zach held Kess' hand even after they were out of sight of the others. Was he still putting on a show as part of their cover. No, he didn't think so. He enjoyed being with Kess. He just wished that they were here together and not on an assignment, but they were on a mission and Zach's antennae were up.

He felt the hair on his arm stand up seconds before he heard people walking in the sand. He knew this wasn't good. Then they were surrounded. On any other day, these eight men would have been dead before they knew what hit them. They were no match for Kess and Zach. However, there was no place for collateral damage... not yet anyway. That would come soon enough.

Zach saw one of the men grab Kess by the hair. Zach took note of the one who did that and thought to himself, "I am going to make sure that you die a painful death tonight."

There was a lot of shouting in German. He looked at Kess as she was dragged away. Their eyes met, and their message to each other was clear. "Tonight"

Two of the men standing in front of Zach pointed down to the sand as five of the men led Kess off of the beach. Zach was sure that they wanted him to kneel in the sand; something Zach was not going to do . He sat in the sand. This way, the gun that he had in his waistband was not going to be obvious, and if he needed it, he was still able to get it.

One of the men punched Zach in the face, and all three of them laughed. Zach took the punch and didn't react. He had to think of Kess' safety. The men had no idea that Zach spoke German. He heard one say, "this guy is a pussy. His future wife is being taken away from him and he does nothing about it." All three laughed. Another one said in German, "he probably thinks he is marrying a virgin. If she is a virgin, she won't be after Herr Hassler finishes with her tonight." And then he heard, "there won't be a wedding, neither of them are going to be alive in the morning."

Zach processed everything that they were saying. There had to be more to it than just Hassler's fascination with Kess. Then he thought about the comment that they were both going to die tonight. Zach started thinking about getting back to the hotel room. If they were going to die, they would go out in a blaze of glory... and Hassler was going with them, too.

Zach felt a punch to the side of his head.... then another to the other side. He still wasn't ready to go all out... not yet. Not if there was any chance that the mission could be successful. He had to think clearly. He had to get to Kess. He had to notify the extraction team.

As the next punch came, Zach reacted. He had skills that these three men could never dream of having, and in a matter of minutes, all 3 of them were dead, and not a single shot had been fired. He dragged the bodies away from the ocean and up near the small dunes. He wanted to make sure they were not seen by any other couples who might be walking on the beach. He placed them in a location where they wouldn't be found until morning.

Heading back to the hotel, Zach's mind was racing. He needed to get to Kess. First, he went up to the room and took out a couple of weapons that he could conceal. Then he changed clothes. He had a better chance of concealing his identity if he had on something different from what they had already seen him in. Then he notified the extraction team to come get them. That gave him an hour to find Kess and make sure Hassler was dead.

He made his way to the villa. He had to get inside, and fortunately, there was still a large crowd of people mingling around and drinking and partying. He kept his head down as he passed a couple black suits who were obviously not concerned about anything at the moment. He made conversation with a group of women who were drinking and laughing. He said they looked like they needed another drink. They all agreed, and he went with them toward the bar... using them as cover.

Finally inside, now....... "where are you Kess?"

 

[zydrate]

No one seemed to notice that Kess was being dragged through the party and up the stairs. Everyone was busy mingling amongst themselves, enjoying the music and free flowing drinks. Definitely not her scene, that was for sure. She went willingly...for now.

The room she was taken to was dark, except for the small balcony that mirrored the one downstairs. The guards backed off... well, not all of them.

The first punch to the side of Kess' face was hard and fast. It shouldn't have caught her off guard because she knew something was coming but it did surprise her due to the fact it was a hard hit... was the asshole wearing brass knuckles?! OK, now she was pissed...but, Kess didn't fight back.

Yet.

So in a dramatic action, she fell to the floor, pretending to be hurt. She kept her head down as she braced herself for another hit. But none came, instead, she again was grabbed by her hair and forced to stand back up. As she stood, she could feel pain on the side of her face which she reached up to touch and felt wetness... she was bleeding.

Goddamnit. At least her jaw wasn't broken.

No one noticed she wasn't crying or whining on why this was happening. The loud music continued to be thudding beneath them. The party was really getting going. And no one knew what was happening upstairs. Good. Let them party. Let them be oblivious. Their host would be dying tonight.

She knew there were at least 2 guards by the door and another.. so just 3? Really?

Where was Hassler?

Almost as if on queue with her thoughts, she heard someone enter the room. He spoke in German, telling the two guards to stay alert and find out if the others had reported back in yet. The he walked over to Kess and stood in front of her, looking down at her, he saw the blood on the side of her face and smiled.

He continued in his native tongue, asking her "Who sent you?"

The time for playing dumb. She had to worry about Zach. Was he OK? In the back of her mind, Kess wanted to believe so.

A hard punch to her gut snapped her out of her thoughts. She gasped and fell to her knees, gasping for air.

"When I speak, you will answer. I will not ask you twice."

Kess grimaced and stood, looking Hassler in the eyes, "No one." She said, answering him in German.

"So you do understand. Funny. I had a feeling you did..."

"And they said you were stupid," Kess said.

It only took a side glance from Hassler to the guard next to them to get him to 'encourage' Kess once more, but this time, she was tired of it. She countered the guard's move and quickly subdued him, disarming him and then shooting him in the head. All in front of Hassler. The shot wasn't loud but even with a silencer, the sound still reverberated throughout. Suddenly, Kess felt two gun barrels shoved into her back. The two guards by the door.

Good.

All in the same move, she had the downed guard's gun pointed right at Hassler... it was a literal stand off. Kess knew the other guards could end up hurting their boss if they fired because that would mean, Kess could fire too...

Hassler didn't seem as bothered as he really was. Kess saw him sweating, she picked up on his increased breathing when she trained the gun on him. "Have them back off or else." Kess said, find it harder to speak as the side of her jaw was throbbing in pain.

 

[BeachBum25]

Zach stood at the bar with the women. He pretended to be listening to them, but his focus was on trying to locate Kess. The ladies asked him what he wanted to drink. "Oh, no thanks. I want to stay sober. If I end up with a beautiful lady tonight, I want to remember everything about it." He flirted a little so as not to draw attention to the fact that he was searching for Kess.

This was taking longer than he was comfortable with. Kess was right when she said that something wasn't right. Somehow Hassler knew something was up. Zach had to find her. The clock was ticking.

He excused himself from the ladies. "I will be right back." Moving around the first floor slowly, but looking upstairs, Zach tried to find any sign that would lead him to Kess. "There it is," he said to himself. He felt the vibration. There had been a gunshot. "Be alright Kess. I am coming to help you" He hoped that it was her that had fired the shot. The only thing that bothered him was that it was only one shot. If Kess had fired a shot, wouldn't the guards have returned fire.

He saw two blacksuits go into a room immediately after the shot. Now, Zach knew where Kess was. Looking around carefully, Zach made his way up the stairs to the closed door of the room where he saw the guards enter. He listened for a second, but the loud, thumping music prevented him from hearing anything. "Well, it is now or never..... time to go cowboy."

Zach entered the room with a gun in each hand. This was not normal, but the situation they were in was far from being normal. His eyes went immediately toward the balcony where he saw 2 men with guns trained on Kess, and he saw Kess with a gun trained on Hassler. Moving slowly across the room, looking to see if there were any others in the room, Zach said, "Are you okay Kess?" She didn't respond, but her nod said enough.

Without saying a word, Zach fired a shot into the thigh of the man he saw grab Kess' hair on the beach. "You are going to bleed to death asshole." Then he trained both of his weapons on the other guard. "Shoot me and you have nobody to work for, because my partner will kill your boss." Then, Zach moved up and stood next to Hassler. It was then that he noticed that Kess was bleeding. The butt of the gun in Zach's right hand opened up a gash across Hassler's cheek. Hassler screamed in pain, but nobody would hear him. The gun in Zach's left hand stayed trained on the remaining guard.

Looking at Hassler, Zach said in German, "I know you are not the one who hit her. You don't have the balls enough to do it. You have others do your dirty work." Hassler let go a barrage of expletives in German. Zach smiled at him and then put a bullet in the head of the one guard still standing. That left the two of them with Hassler. Killing him was going to be easy. Getting out of here was not.

Zach moved over and took the weapon from the dead guard, and retrieved the weapon from the guard who was bleeding out from the gunshot to the femoral artery. He looked at the guard bleeding to death and said to him, "you should have learned how to treat a lady the right way.... especially this one."

Turning around and standing next to Kess, Zach stared into Hassler's eyes as blood ran down his face. Then he said to Kess, "how do you want to do this? It is totally up to you since he is responsible for bringing you up here. It is your call, but we don't have a lot of time."

 

[zydrate]

“One last drink before you die?” Kess asked, not breaking from speaking to him in German. She didn’t want anything to get lost in translation, so she stuck with it. “What tipped you off about me?” she asked as she brought her gun down, knowing that Zach had his trained on him. She kept it as if all this was because of her.

It was a relief to know he was OK. She knew he would be, but the worry was still there when they weren’t together. She turned and walked over to the small bar in his bedroom. She kept her walk determined but damn, was her side hurting. She knew there was no internal bleeding it was just… she wasn’t used to getting her ass kicked.

At the small bar, she poured him a glass of bourbon. It matched the gold leaf container it was in. He hadn’t answered her, so Kess looked over her shoulder at Zach, knowing he knew what to do to make Hassler answer.

As she turned back to the drink, she pulled the vial out from the side of her bra. She didn’t need to think twice about pouring the liquid into Hassler’s drink and with that, she tossed in two ice cubes and swirled it as she made her way to him, handing him the glass.

He finally answered, “You said my wife was a very lucky woman… no one but those in my closest circle know of my wife.” He quickly took the glass and down the contents.

Well, shit…. Thought Kess. She had ruined it. All this was her fault. She didn’t want to feel defeated, but she did. She didn’t let it show though as she watched Hassler down the drink. “A small mistake on my part I admit. But the biggest mistake on your part was messing with us. This could have gone a lot smoother but all this..” she waved around at the dead guards, “Is your fault…”

Suddenly, there were shouts and screams coming from downstairs and the music had stopped.

The rest of the guards were here.

“Let’s go.” Kess said to Zach. Their job was finished. They needed to get to the extraction point before anyone found them. They didn’t have to worry about Hassler. He wouldn’t be a problem anymore…

 

[BeachBum25]

Zach felt that their time was running short, and he was right. When the music stopped and the screaming began, they both knew that it was time to exit. Just for the hell of it, he punched Hassler. "That is for fucking with her. Bad move asshole."

Turning to Kess, Zach said to her, "Are you okay? This is going to be tricky." He knew what her answer would be, but he had to ask her. He hoped she didn't take it the wrong way and feel that he was treating her as less than an equal.

"Let's go out the balcony. There is a trellis on the one side. We can start out climbing down until we are low enough to jump. Then we are going to have to run like hell." He made eye contact and knew that Kess was good with the plan. Then he went toward the door and fired a couple shots through it. "If this door is opened, Hassler gets a bullet to the head." Hopefully that would slow them down a little.

As Zach walked back, he could see the drug was already having an effect on Hassler. He was trying to speak, but couldn't. Good, the paralysis was starting to set in. As he approached the balcony, he looked at the guard who was bleeding from the shot to the thigh. "Don't worry, it will be over soon." Zach continued to the balcony, took Kess' hand, looked her in the eye. "We've got this."

Then, he climbed over the balcony. "I'll go first. When I get to the ground, I will cover you. We will stay along the wall to the entry gate. Then we are going to run like hell to the extraction point." Zach climbed part way down and then jumped. As soon as he landed, he took his weapon out and gave a short whistle. He saw Kess climb off the balcony right before he heard some commotion in the room. Seconds later, a man appeared and looked over the balcony at Kess. A second after that, the man was falling off the balcony with a bullet between his eyes.

"Come on baby." He didn't even realize he had said it. It just came out naturally. Zach's head was on a swivel.... looking left..... looking right... looking up. When Kess jumped, he grabbed her by the waist. "Okay, once we get outside the entry gate to the villa we are going to go to the beach. We will move the the extraction point that way. They will be heading to the hotel to look for us, and they will be covering the streets. The beach will be the last place they will look."

Taking Kess' hand, Zach moved toward the wall and used the surrounding darkness as cover. They were almost to the gate when flood lights lit up the whole compound. People were running around and screaming. Zach tried to maneuver them so that they mixed in with the crowd.. hopefully not standing out. Once through the gate, they headed straight for the beach. As they moved along the beach, Zach could see the cigarette boat waiting to get them out of there. They were close, but not quite there. He knew that there was enough firepower on the boat to protect them. They just had to get there.

 

[zydrate]

There was no time to stop. There was no time to think.

She had to act and keep going. If she had time to pause, then they’d be dead. Right now, they had to rely on each other’s skills and work together if they wanted to get out of this alive.

And God, they worked together so well… it was almost unnatural.

When Zach grabbed Kess by the waist to help her down, she gasped out loud, feeling her middle bruising up from the punch. Like she thought before, she wasn’t used to being pushed around. Not that she couldn’t take it, but it just wasn’t something she had encountered too many times before.

They ran… boy did they run. At least she could do that well. Before all this, after she and Zach got out of the shower, Kess had changed into a pair of jean shorts and a tight-fitting blue t-shirt. She didn’t want to see another bikini again if she couldn’t help it.

There was the boat. In the moonlit night, she could see the soldiers ready and waiting for their signal. She and Zach couldn’t very well just run up on them and have them start shooting at them, mistaking them for the enemy. So as Zach kept a watch out behind them, Kess grabbed the other gun from his waist, which she knew he would have, and fired 2 shots into the air… then waited a moment before firing another 2. Hopefully, they would get it.

It was now or never, “Go!” Kess whispered harshly as they ran toward the boat. From behind them, she could hear Hassler’s men yelling and then it proceeded with them firing on them. Thankfully, the soldiers in the boat had night vision and could fire back at the men as Zach and Kess ran for safety. As they approached the boat, they all but threw herself and Zach in the boat and covered them with their own bodies, shielding them as the boat took off…

They rode for a couple of more minutes before reaching the next island where there were 2 helicopters waiting.

Wait… why 2?

Before she could question, she was being dragged to one and Zach to the other.

This was not in the plan!

 

[BeachBum25]

As the boat took them away from the island, Zach started to relax. He was very much looking forward to the break that would come now that the assignment was finished. There was always a minimum of one month between assignments, and the stress of this assignment had Zach very much looking forward to it. The assignment itself wasn't what was the stressful part. No, taking out an enemy operative is what Zach does. Working with someone else was what was stressful.... especially when it was someone he cared about.

As the boat approached the island where they were supposed to board the chopper, Zach noticed that there were 2 choppers. He really didn't think much of it, at first, because he figured the second one was for members of the extraction team. That all changed quickly once they reached the island.

Kess was forcefully dragged to one of the choppers. Zach could see her wincing in pain as the pulled her away from the boat. He tried to make eye contact with her to let Kess know everything would be alright. Then Zach was pushed toward the other chopper. He knew better than to ask the men any questions. It wasn't worth the breath. They wouldn't answer. They were just following orders to deliver the two of them somewhere, and had no idea what or why.

When the chopper landed, Zach was escorted to a large warehouse. Once inside, he looked around and saw nothing but a single table with 3 chairs; two on one side of the table and one on the other. He was instructed to sit in the chair that was alone on the one side. He sat there quietly. Zach looked around and took in where the men from the extraction team were standing. About 20 minutes later, 2 men in suits entered the building and slowly walked over to the table. Zach recognized the one, Paul Tomlin. He had always stayed in the background at any meetings Zach had been in. Zach had no idea who the other suit was.

Without any greetings, Tomlin asked Zach what went wrong. Zach looked at him, then at the other guy, then back to Tomlin, but did not reply. Something was up here, and Zach was going to get information before he started talking. The question was repeated, but this time Tomlin added that he knew Hassler was dead, but it didn't go smoothly. Once again, Zach did not respond. He started to realize that they had been watched during the mission.

The guy Zach did not know asked Zach if Kess had been responsible for things going sideways. Zach paused, he looked at Tomlin, then at the other guy. Pointing at Tomlin, "I know you." Then he pointed at the other guy. "I have no idea who you are." Then he addressed both men. "My report goes to my debrief team and only to them. If you want information on anything, then, you can get it from them. I am not going to break protocol."

Zach stared at them. He was now finished talking. They could ask whatever they wanted, but he was not going to say a word. He wasn't sure what they were up to. After all the missions he had been on he had never had anything like this happen. There had been other missions that didn't go exactly as planned, but that had always been discussed in his debriefing.

Were they trying to get him to blame something on Kess? Were they trying to get Kess for some reason? Were they trying to see if he would try to save his own reputation by blaming her? He had no idea what was going on. They would have to start talking to him, because he was done until his debrief meeting took place.