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CHAPTER 6

Frank leaned casually on the bathroom’s doorframe, watching her with an arched eyebrow and trying to disguise his immense amusement and impatience. He would wait till she was ready to talk. He would not hurry her up. Yet he was so, so desperate to get some kind of commitment on her part. His mind was working on some different alternatives for her to choose, but he would not force her to do anything. Surely, she also would have her own point of view. He would wait.

The years he had worked for the F.B.I., he had come across very different people to protect. Confused and scared people; people willing almost to do anything to get certain normality, certain security in their hopeless lives. In the beginning, it was always difficult. He had to find a good enough reason to get some sort of reaction from them. Sometimes it was necessary to use some threats, to use any other valid way of action to get a commitment from them--a firm enough commitment to ensure their own survival and that of the case. He would always find people ready enough to accept a sudden change of plans, and he would also find people reluctant to adapt to a new life... like her.

Yet he could understand. She was a young woman, full of life, with her own job and independence, with friends and plans, with hopes and dreams. And she had lost everything in mere seconds. Her stubborness to accept it was the main obstacle to reach a reasonable agreement. She needed to be sure about her future; at least, she needed to follow some kind of pattern in order to maintain certain coherence with her previous life. And he would give her that. When she was ready, of course.

She was pacing up and down the room, snapping at her nails and sucking her thumb unconciously, apparently focused on geting some kind of answer to her position. She seemed so confused, and at the same time so sure of herself.

She knew she had been given an ultimatum and that fact bothered her more than anything. Since the beginning, she had known that everything was on their side. They held the power. They needed her, of course, but she needed them even more. After the terrorist attack they had taken care of her; she had had no where to go, she had had no place to hide, she had had no friends to contact... She had lost her life at the same time that that damned bomb had exploded. And now it was time to face her fate. It was in her hands to win some dignity and respect for every victim that day. It was in her hands to put an end to the anguish and the pain of the broken families that day. It was in her hands to prevent any other attack carried out by those men.

Frank watched her carefully, sensing that finally she had reached a decision. Her big dark eyes nailed to his and a soft smile lightened up her face.

“I believe that I’ve been left no option,” she said without any trace of sarcasm or hypocrisy. “I still hate this idea of becoming another... another person, but I hate even more being a target to any sort of radical Islamic group or to ETA.”

She walked slowly toward him. Frank could see the soft swaying of her hips under her dress. Her big dark eyes smiled warmly and she sighed with resignation stopping in front of him. She was tall but still she had to raise her head to keep eye contact with him. And he liked it. It gave him some kind of power against her nearness, although it was very difficult to keep his hands off of her.

Laura put her hands on his strong shoulders and slowly, very slowly, rested her head against his broad chest. His hands came immediately to her waist and he crushed her against his powerful body with softness, as if she was a precious porcelain object between his arms.

“Tell me, Frank,” she demanded in a whisper. “Tell me what it is to be another person. Tell me what it is to live a manufactured life. Tell me what I have to do to remain alive and not go insane in the process, because I can’t stand it anymore.”

Frank hid his face in the crook of her neck and closed his eyes, crushing her almost painfully against him. Laura’s hands left his shoulders and traveled to his neck enveloping him, pressing her slender and trembling body against his, letting him know how much she needed his presence, his strength; letting him know how much she needed him, and not only his help and reassurance.

“Laura,” he said huskily, caressing her back.

She loved the sound of her name on his lips. It sounded so different in English... Besides, he had an accent so, so sexy... It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know where he was from. Indeed, she didn’t know anything about him but suddenly it became very important to be aware of something related to him. Of anything related to him.

“Where are you from?” she asked softly without leaving his arms. “Your look, your accent... It seems that you have spent most of your life here, but I can feel something different in you... I don’t know...”

Frank chuckled. His warm hands surrounded her waist once again and he raised his head to look her in the eye. Laura waited patiently, contenting herself with being between his arms, with feeling the heat flowing from his perfect body, with being the object of his desire. For she knew that right then, Frank Donovan wanted her as much as she wanted him.

“Israel,” he said.

“What?”

Frank chuckled again.

“I said, I come from Israel.”

Laura froze at his words and Frank noticed it. Her eyes showed her emotions without any kind of remorse. Concern, fear, understanding. He could read every one of her feelings only looking into those big, dark eyes.

“Israel,” she repeated. “So, you know. You have known what I was talking about the whole time, haven’t you? You have lived in a country where terrorist attacks are nothing new. Israel, Spain, Ireland... The name is not important, is it? We all know too well what it is to live with a terrorist threat over our heads.”

“Yes,” he agreed.

“The name is not important,” she repeated. “ETA, IRA, Al Qaeda... It doesn’t matter the name because the effect that they have on our lives it is always the same. Death, destruction, pain. I have never blamed every Basque, or every Irishman, or every Palestinian. It wouldn’t be fair for them. I have always believed that if it is difficult for me, it is even more difficult for them; because they are always in the eye of the hurricane. They are always under suspicion. Aren’t they?”

Frank sensed her nervousness and as gently as the tension of her body would allow him, he crushed her hard against him again. Her head was a hyperactive one, damn it! She was always thinking, always pondering, always assessing, always weighing everything... It was exhausting!

“Come,” he said softly, releasing her but taking her hand immediately. It was as if he couldn’t break contact with her. “Let’s talk about it.”

“About my new life?” she asked arching an eyebrow but following him to the table.

“About everything you want,” he said. “Laura, you have talked to me about your experience, about your feelings, about your fears.” She frowned and sat in front of him. She had the feeling that Frank was trying to get to a more concrete point. “What about your dreams, your hopes? You are young, you have a future in front of you and surely you have thought about it. What would you really like to do? Is there anything you have dreamt of all your life and...?”

“Of course I have dreams!,” she retorted, clearly annoyed. “I’m not wrapped in cotton, Frank Donovan! I know what I want.  In fact, I have always known what I wanted to do with my life, what I wanted to have in my life and how to fight for it!” She left the chair and started to pace the room up and down again; but now, Frank enjoyed her outburst.

He was sure she was more willing to accept her fate under pressure. If he challenged her, she would gladly accept it only to prove that she was able to regain the control of the situation. She needed to be in charge, she needed something that would keep her mind at work, and he could give her something good enough to keep her attention at the highest point.

“Then you do it, Laura!” he challenged. “You don’t need to be another person to have a new life. They will change your name, your previous life, but they will offer you a future.” He looked carefully at her, letting the words sink in. He knew that she was listening to his words. “Your soul, your mind, every simple thing that had happened before in your life, your family, your friends... They will always live in you, Laura. And that’s because you are a unique human being. Nobody can take your memories away from you, even if they forced you to do without every object of your previous life, you would always have your mind to keep them protected... and with you.”

Laura opened her mouth to retort but she closed it again without finding the right words to put Frank Donovan in his place. He had a point there and she knew it, but she still was reluctant to give up her argument.

“You are not a name, Laura,” Frank whispered, knowing that his words had made their way to her heart. “Susana, Laura... what’s the difference? I see in front of me the same woman that I saw yesterday.”

Slowly, Laura returned to the table and sat on the chair looking at Frank. The damn guy was right and he knew it! He knew that he had trapped her. She sighed tiredly and rubbed her eyes before smiling softly.

“You win, Frank Donovan,” she said. “I knew since the beginning that, eventually, I would accept an arrangement between our governments. It only... it only scared the hell out of me, you know. I... I’ve been a fool going around the same point all this time but... but I had to try.”

Frank chuckled and rested his arms on the table looking for her hands. They entwined their fingers and squeezed them without saying a word. Their eyes spoke volumes and no word was necessary to make their feelings clear.

“What are you going to do?”  Frank wanted to finish business before tackling a matter of a very different nature.

Laura shrugged. “I suppose that I’ll leave as soon as possible.” Her eyes never left his. “I want to clear things in Spain first. If Mr. Angel Aceves was right... then things are changing and I don’t want to lose a good opportunity to put that pig in prison.” She averted her eyes and shrugged again. “After... after finishing there... Well, I suppose that I’ll come back. If I can help also here, that would be just fine.”

“And then?” Frank wasn’t willing to slow things down. “What will you do then?”

“You mean, after finishing here?” she asked arching her eyebrows. “Hell, I don’t know! That’s not my job. I’m sure both our governments will have something in mind for me.”

“A new life,” Frank said squeezing her fingers again.

“A new life,” she finally accepted.

“So, can I say that we’ve finished our business here?” he teased.

“More or less.”  She grinned. “I had better telephone my embassy. They will want to know what’s been my decision.”

Frank released her hands and left his chair slowly. Laura swallowed hard when she saw how his playful expression changed into a more dangerous one. His eyes, deep, dark mahogany eyes, had darkened two shades at least. And his measured, calculated movements... Sweet Lord! Laura almost felt like trembling prey in front of her predator. He moved slowly; she could see his hard muscles flexing and stretching under his clothes and suddenly she felt her mouth go dry. Without thinking, she licked her lips and almost jumped from her chair when a loud groan came out from his lips.

Frank stood in front of her in silence. His hungry eyes, his laboured breath, his tensed body told her about his desire and she swallowed hard once more. He raised his right hand and waited patiently until she left her chair and put her hand on his. He could get lost into those piercing eyes, but right now, he only wanted to get lost into her slender and inviting body. She had to be sweet, and warm, and passionate. And he could not wait to taste her once more.

Laura knew that he was going to kiss her again when he crushed her against his powerful, aroused body. She could feel his hands on her waist, pressing her against his hips. She could feel his strong thighs against hers. She could feel her breasts pressing against his broad chest. And, oh my God, she could feel his arousal deliciously pressing against her belly, giving her sweet shudders of pleasure.

“Laura...” Her name sounded like a question and she almost wanted to laugh, to cry, to shout her need of Frank Donovan. He was asking her permission, for God’s sake! She had never met a man so gentle, so considerate towards her, so thoughtful of her feelings and desires. How could she deny anything to him? She could feel his trembling hands roaming over her back, his fingers entwining with her long, wavy hair, his hot breath against her cheek... His hands traveled up her back to her neck and caressed it slowly, seductively, playing with her ears for a second. Then, he framed her face and they looked into each other’s eyes. Laura licked her lips again and Frank watched her mouth with an intensity that made her shiver. She never knew where she got the strength to whisper but FINALLY, she did it.

“Yesss,” she hissed.

And then, his mouth was on hers tasting, challenging, coaxing, begging... And she yielded to him and to her own desire. Laura closed her mind to everything but Frank and enjoyed the feeling of his hands roaming over her whole body.

“Laura...” he said again. “I want you.” He snapped at her lips softly. “I want to feel you, to be inside you...”

Laura moaned against his full, whispering lips, and her dark eyes opened to look at him. She felt as if she could close a door and open another one. Perhaps being with Frank was not the right choice but it felt right in her heart. She felt a strange bond between them and was sure he felt it too. A bond she could not place or even explain, but a strong bond none the less. And looking into his warm eyes, and feeling his reassuring hands on her, she realized what a wonderful present Frank had given to her.

Trust. She trusted him fiercely. And for the first time since the terrible terrorist attack, she trusted herself and was ready to trust other people.

“Perhaps tomorrow I’ll be gone and...” She tried to put some reasonable thought into her melting mind.

“I’m not talking about tomorrow, Laura.” Frank almost shook her in his desperation. “What we have now is this... us.”

Laura threw every objection out the window and her hands caressed his neck and hair lovingly.

“Then make love to me, Frank Donovan,” she said. “It will be the best farewell I’ve been given in my life.”

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New Life - Eplogue