could be left alone.
The little girl totally disregarded any expectation of privacy he might have had. He guessed she was around four or five years old. After putting his sunglasses on the table, and feeling yet another wide-eyed inspection, he unexpectedly made a funny face that caught her by surprise. It produced an irresistible giggle as she was eclipsed behind mom again. Her mother recognized something had captivated her daughter’s attention and turned around to see what all the fuss was about. She smiled in response to the man’s seemingly innocent expression, and was quick to say “Thank you” when he noted she was “precious.” The girl sat at a table of eleven, mostly adults, so the mother felt secure in not being overly protective. There wasn’t anyone quite the girl’s age to play with among the group, so she busied herself with her new friend, making outrageous faces in return. The mother admonished the girl by telling her to stop, but Nathan Yadin assured her it was okay.
“I’m just as guilty,” he playfully admitted. The little girl’s innocence was just what he needed at the moment. It was reassuring that he could still be touched in such a way.
This unscheduled getaway for him was meant to be therapeutic. If he worked in a more structured environment, the likely recommendation would have been to see a psychiatrist, and post-traumatic stress would have been the probable diagnosis. Yadin had never grown fond of killing, but he took pride in ridding the world of its ill citizens. Still, on this day, instead of totally enjoying the warmth and atmosphere of this gorgeous place in Crete, he was slightly troubled.
It was the woman.
He had nothing against killing women. They had, over the years, proven just as capable of devious acts as men. No, killing women was not a concern. Killing that woman, however, stuck with him. Other than her name, he only knew what Ezra had told him: that she had to die if the overall operation was to succeed. There was something about her, though, and hearing her speak, however briefly, stayed with him. Presented with the inevitable, she was not afraid. Others, when confronted with her situation, often begged for their lives or promised anything. He didn’t want to question Ezra about it—at least, not at the moment. There was too much at stake, and jeopardizing it on something he couldn’t get out of his mind seemed altogether silly. Yadin tried to put the matter to bed by promising when all this was done, he would learn more about Erica Janway. This was a first for him, caring about the dead.
For now, he fully intended to give in to what his body and mind were aching for. They needed rest. The first part of achieving that had him getting out of Paris shortly after his meeting with Ezra had concluded. He didn’t want to take the chance of Mossad or anyone else figuring out that Paris was where he officially resided. He didn’t bother to tell Ezra he was heading to Crete and couldn’t be contacted for the next several days. Yadin knew Ezra’s timetable. If there truly was a problem, an e-mail would alert Yadin, and that was the only thing he checked anyway. He was not the kind of person one easily got in touch with to begin with, so being totally out of contact was not unusual. Anyone looking for him had better have a damn good reason for doing so.
Yadin took a deep, cleansing breath as he soaked in the surroundings. This was what life was supposed to be about. People from different backgrounds experiencing the same things while enjoying and respecting each other’s existence. He winked at his little friend. Families spending time together. He liked to think he was doing his part in making people feel safe. Tonight, at least, he would go to sleep with that belief. That would be after he answered another of his mental and physical needs. He would find a woman tonight to lie down with. He wanted his strong hands to gently caress the body of someone soft. A woman
The little girl totally disregarded any expectation of privacy he might have had. He guessed she was around four or five years old. After putting his sunglasses on the table, and feeling yet another wide-eyed inspection, he unexpectedly made a funny face that caught her by surprise. It produced an irresistible giggle as she was eclipsed behind mom again. Her mother recognized something had captivated her daughter’s attention and turned around to see what all the fuss was about. She smiled in response to the man’s seemingly innocent expression, and was quick to say “Thank you” when he noted she was “precious.” The girl sat at a table of eleven, mostly adults, so the mother felt secure in not being overly protective. There wasn’t anyone quite the girl’s age to play with among the group, so she busied herself with her new friend, making outrageous faces in return. The mother admonished the girl by telling her to stop, but Nathan Yadin assured her it was okay.
“I’m just as guilty,” he playfully admitted. The little girl’s innocence was just what he needed at the moment. It was reassuring that he could still be touched in such a way.
This unscheduled getaway for him was meant to be therapeutic. If he worked in a more structured environment, the likely recommendation would have been to see a psychiatrist, and post-traumatic stress would have been the probable diagnosis. Yadin had never grown fond of killing, but he took pride in ridding the world of its ill citizens. Still, on this day, instead of totally enjoying the warmth and atmosphere of this gorgeous place in Crete, he was slightly troubled.
It was the woman.
He had nothing against killing women. They had, over the years, proven just as capable of devious acts as men. No, killing women was not a concern. Killing that woman, however, stuck with him. Other than her name, he only knew what Ezra had told him: that she had to die if the overall operation was to succeed. There was something about her, though, and hearing her speak, however briefly, stayed with him. Presented with the inevitable, she was not afraid. Others, when confronted with her situation, often begged for their lives or promised anything. He didn’t want to question Ezra about it—at least, not at the moment. There was too much at stake, and jeopardizing it on something he couldn’t get out of his mind seemed altogether silly. Yadin tried to put the matter to bed by promising when all this was done, he would learn more about Erica Janway. This was a first for him, caring about the dead.
For now, he fully intended to give in to what his body and mind were aching for. They needed rest. The first part of achieving that had him getting out of Paris shortly after his meeting with Ezra had concluded. He didn’t want to take the chance of Mossad or anyone else figuring out that Paris was where he officially resided. He didn’t bother to tell Ezra he was heading to Crete and couldn’t be contacted for the next several days. Yadin knew Ezra’s timetable. If there truly was a problem, an e-mail would alert Yadin, and that was the only thing he checked anyway. He was not the kind of person one easily got in touch with to begin with, so being totally out of contact was not unusual. Anyone looking for him had better have a damn good reason for doing so.
Yadin took a deep, cleansing breath as he soaked in the surroundings. This was what life was supposed to be about. People from different backgrounds experiencing the same things while enjoying and respecting each other’s existence. He winked at his little friend. Families spending time together. He liked to think he was doing his part in making people feel safe. Tonight, at least, he would go to sleep with that belief. That would be after he answered another of his mental and physical needs. He would find a woman tonight to lie down with. He wanted his strong hands to gently caress the body of someone soft. A woman
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