***
“Hello, Mrs. Ashton.” Annabel greeted as she opened Dora’s door for her. “Good to see you again.”
“Hello, Anna.” Dora hugged Annabel. She was grateful to Annabel for the way she took care of Tanesha whenever she stayed over at Ty’s. And she never failed to call her every Monday just to say thanks. “Are we set for the bake fest?”
Annabel laughed as she took Dora’s handbag and linked her hands with hers. “I’m so impressed with myself on how I’ve set the place up I think we should probably turn this into a TV show of sorts. Maybe we should call the food network channel to come shoot the whole thing…”
Dora burst into laughter as Tanesha shook her head in amusement. She’d made the mistake of telling her mother that she craved freshly home-baked cake. And Dora had been so thrilled to hear that Tanesha, for once had a craving, she’d called Annabel to set it up so they could bake the house down. Now Tanesha was regretting opening her big mouth.
“We can call it the ‘Saturday Cake Bakefest.” Dora waved a hand grandly above her head, and then joined Annabel to laugh even harder.
“You two are something else,” Tanesha muttered as she listened to their laughter.
“But that would be so cool if it could be arranged.” Dora gushed.
“Well, there’s a camera of sorts in the kitchen,” Tanesha muttered as she entered the living area. Ty’s house had security cameras everywhere. Tanesha smiled when she recalled that one heavenly week they’d spent together before Ty had to leave on his mission. He’d always made sure he either turned the camera off in any room they fucked in, or destroyed the tape afterward…which was very often, taking into consideration the number of spontaneous quickies they’d had in almost every corner of the house. “You could always get Peter to focus on you. All you have to do is pretend you’re an Iron Chef, teaching your audience how to bake on TV.”
“Yes!” Annabel shouted, making mother and daughter laugh. “Peter…” She started screaming her husband’s name even as Dora entered the kitchen.
“Oh my God, she’s crazy.” Dora Ashton breathed as she took in the setup in Ty’s kitchen. It was absolutely beautiful and looked so professional. When her eyes landed on two aprons, with the names, Dora and Anna boldly printed on each, she gasped. “I love her.” Dora beamed as she reached for the apron with her name.
“Done,” Annabel said as she entered the kitchen with a wide grin on her face. Let’s get this show on the road. Tanesha, you’re our audience. Just sit there and look beautiful. One of the cameras will be focused on you throughout.” She said as she fixed her apron.
“Showtime,” Dora shouted as she did a classic Usain Bolt celebratory lightning pose.
Both Tanesha and Anna burst into laughter. Tanesha couldn’t help but imagine Ty’s face when he got to see her crazy mother on the tape, being her usual crazy self. She could imagine Ty with his head thrown back as he laughed uproariously. That laughter of his…so rich, deep and soul-stirring…the sound so open and free and infectious, always leaving goosebumps in its wake.
She couldn’t wait to hear that sound again…feel Ty’s laughter sweeping over her. She lived and breathed to hear that sound from Ty. Tanesha’s heart swelled and she couldn’t breathe for a moment. She missed him so damned much. She didn’t see the worried look on her mother’s face. Neither did she see her move towards where she sat. When Tanesha felt her mother’s arms go around her, she simply melted into her warm embrace.
“He will be back.” Dora Ashton murmured against her daughter’s hair as she rubbed her back soothingly. “Everything will be fine. Just you wait and see.”
And even as Tanesha nodded against her mother, she believed. Her Ty was going to come back to her and their babies. There was no room for any other possibility in her book.
***
Meanwhile, somewhere in the deep Balsas dry forest in Mexico…
“We move in on my mark,” Ty said quietly to his crew.
Finally the night they’d all been waiting for had arrived. That night, they planned to take the ZONKAI by storm. Take it out once and for all. The so-called financiers had finally arrived. And Ty and his men were stunned to realize that one was an advisor to one of the country’s prominent senators. To say they were shocked would be an understatement. Was the Senator in on it? Or was the man only using his relationship as an advisor to the senator to infiltrate into the government to accomplish whatever he’d set out to do. Whatever the case was, the Arrowheads planned on capturing the two financiers and Lord Wasaga himself, to aid in whatever investigations the FBI deemed fit.
Ty was pumped. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. It was finally time for action. They’d left home eleven weeks earlier…almost three months, with just one goal…to take out ZONKAI. And that was exactly what they were going to do. It was going to be a quick and silent operation. They knew they were outnumbered. It would therefore be very foolish to go in with guns blazing. The plan was to mostly make use of their knives.
Fortunately, they’d been able to steal some pistols and silencers and some grenades from their generous targets. The grenades, they hoped not to use as the sound would only get more target on their backs. Immediately their job was done and they had their three prisoners secured, they planned on contacting their Admiral using ZONKAI’s communication systems, which the Arrowheads were shocked to realize were highly sophisticated GoTa CDMA handsets.
They were highly sophisticated military walkie-talkies that could be used where there was no network coverage available… like the Balsas dry Forest. But unlike the usual walkie-talkie which was a two-way communication gadget, the GaTo enabled communication of all terminals at the same frequency, ensuring communication continuity. Well, the Arrowheads planned on making good use of those gadgets.
Everything had been planned to the tee. The operation was not going to take more than thirty minutes. They’d studied and strategized so well Ty knew nothing could go wrong. He trusted his men. This was what they did best. They’d been punished enough by having to walk for a whole week in a dense forest, live in the forest, and be away from their families for almost three months. No more. Not if they could help it.
And with that determination and ferocious savagery pumping through their veins, the Arrowheads made their move on the unsuspecting criminal-packed camp.