THE PAST HAS A VOICE

**Rebecca’s story**

Everything was ready for today’s barbecue, right down to my mood. I quickly got over who Olivia was. But I really couldn’t give myself away with so many people there. My undercover mission wasn’t over yet. And because Olivia was in charge of the London branch, she knew about my mission.
Now all I had to do was keep it cool. However, I was sure it would be a light day.
“They’re here, Dominic! I’ll go greet them,” I said excitedly, heading for the door. I unlocked it and invited them in. “Welcome,” and my eyes met Olivia’s again. I flashed her a wide smile, which I then showed to everyone.
“We’re so glad to be here,” Emily replied, holding out her hand first to me and then to Dominic. One at a time, everyone walked past us all and settled comfortably on the terrace. It was a pleasure to have them in our home, especially knowing what tied me to them.
“Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go get some lemonade. In this heat, I suppose it’s perfect. Emily, will you help me?” I asked her, gesturing to the kitchen. I had to know if the event had gone to her liking.
“Of course. After you, please.”
“I hope your book launch was up to your expectations,” I began the conversation as I pulled the pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge.
“It was perfect, Rebecca. Don’t worry. And since we’re alone, I’d like to thank you not only for an unforgettable day but also for your involvement in getting me found. Olivia and I talked about it a lot.” Although we’ve recognized each other since we met, we haven’t brought it up until now. We didn’t even have where or how to do it.
I was pretty sure this topic would open up one way or another.
“You don’t have to thank me, Emily. I just did my part to help a friend. Now you’re one of my friends, too,” I could see his eyes getting slightly moist. It wasn’t easy what she went through.
“I don’t suppose Dominic knows... who you are, as I haven’t seen you discuss such topics in front of him,” Emily concluded, arranging the glasses on the tray. I couldn’t deny that I didn’t wince slightly at the mention of this issue. It wasn’t time yet, and I wasn’t doing it because I was lying to him. The importance of the mission simply didn’t allow me to make mistakes.
“That’s right, Dominic doesn’t know yet and I intend to keep it that way. For how long? I haven’t decided yet. I know a relationship as serious as ours shouldn’t have started out this way, but I have no choice.”
“I understand. Even Olivia went through what you’re going through now, and not because she enjoyed lying to me, but because my ex-husband was far too dangerous for me to know she was working undercover.”
“I’m glad, though, that it all ended well and you and Mike are where you should have been all along. As for Olivia, she did the right thing. And not because the orders came from me, but because she is so dedicated to what she does. She puts her heart and soul into every mission. Which is why she got the promotion. But that’s another story. Let’s get back to them, shall we?”
“Your secret’s safe with me!” she said, winking at me and taking the tray. We walked out onto the terrace where the chatter was in full flow. I caught Dominic and Mike up in what was probably a manly conversation and Olivia was sitting secluded in a corner talking on the phone. Every now and then, she looked at me and frowned.
“Excuse me a minute, I’m going to go talk to Olivia. I see our men are busy as it is...”
“Of course, don’t let me keep you.”
I moved closer to Olivia, who was already holding my gaze. A wide smile spread across her face as soon as she hung up the phone.
“Good morning, Miss Holland,” she greeted me with a courtesy that was already out of place.
“Hey, it’s Rebecca to you from now on, okay?”
Her smile got even warmer.
“Okay... Rebecca,” she tried shyly at first. “I wanted to thank you for the promotion.”
“You don’t have to thank me. You deserve it big time. The way you’re getting involved in the agency’s assignments is fantastic. You and Andy make a great team. By the way, how’s my old friend?”
“He’s fine. He’s just refusing to retire. You know how stubborn he is. So, he’s still in the agency helping us out. The truth is, he’s very resourceful.”
“I imagine. I know that when he sets his mind to something, there’s no human power to stop him or to turn him back.”
“There’s something else I want to thank you for that I didn’t get to do it in person until now. Your help in finding Emily. You know what she means to me...” Her voice suddenly changed. Their relationship extended beyond friendship. And I knew how important Emily was to her.
“I suspected this is what you wanted to thank me for, but you don’t have to. You know, I was just doing my job.”
“I know... Rebecca... but at the time I was so angry at Kevin, Emily’s ex-husband. Especially since I never liked the guy. There was always something that bothered me about him. He was also the reason I got close to my sister, as her agent, without her suspecting anything. But even now I regret I didn’t manage to prevent the wedding and her suffering.”
I sensed a regret in Olivia’s voice, as if she blamed herself for everything her sister went through.
“You know it’s not your fault for Emily’s life, right?”
“I know, Rebecca. I knew the minute she told me she was marrying Kevin. But, as her sister, I could have insisted more.”
“This is the way love is, blind I mean” And even I knew that. My story with Dominic was not without its trials and tribulations, but the love I had for him made me fight for him. But I couldn’t compare him to Kevin. He was a deceitful, two-faced man. More like Tom, the man I was on right now. And even if he was dead right now, someone much more dangerous had done the really nasty stuff. He was just following orders. “But let’s leave the bad ones behind. At least with you, they are already finished. I’m working on an assignment that’s already taking up a lot of my time. And most of all, I hate not being able to tell Dominic.”
“I heard you went to rescue those girls in Bali from the traffickers”
“Oh yeah, that was another assignment that was inserted into the one I was already working on. The point is that for the first time in my career, someone beat me to it and it wasn’t the Bali police. They gave me the coordinates of the place, but by the time I got there someone had already released the girls.” I remembered what had happened right before my eyes.
“Strange if I think about it. Could it be another agency? I just can’t find the explanation why another agency would have the coordinates of the same mission.” Olivia’s mind was so sharp, but I couldn’t say the same thought didn’t cross my mind.
“Or maybe someone in our own agency? I’m going to ask you to keep an eye on the London branch. If things check out, it could mean either someone is helping us or betraying us and taking it one step at a time. I refuse to believe that the agency doesn’t have a record of the assignments and more importantly to the one I had already been sent” Somehow the thought of Logan flew into my head but again my mind refused to believe that Agent Logan’s involvement was not purely professional but went much further.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on what happens in London. If we look at it that way, I find it rather odd, too. I mean, they already knew you were going on that mission, so why send someone else?” The more we asked that question, the more out of the ordinary it seemed to me.
Things were getting rushed, and frankly, I disliked it. Luckily for me, meeting Olivia would mean that I would put the London office on watch. And what better person to help me than her, the person I’d put in charge?
And I was also lucky that Dominic was busy talking to Mike, so I caught up on these very important details.
“Let’s get back to them,” I finally said, gesturing that it was time to join the others. The grill already smelled delicious. I was starving. “Good Lord Dominic, what goodies are you guys turning over there” I said, approaching them but with my eyes fixed on the meat on the grill.
“Glad you like what you see. It’s almost ready,” Dominic replied, planting a quick kiss on my temple." On the other hand, we were very sad that you ladies retreated into a corner, as if you had national secrets to share. What were you all whispering about?"