Clandestine Affairs, Part Eight
Ani reaches the inner circle and learns how quickly plans can change.
Catch up on the previous seven chapters before diving in!
We arrive to the villa after weaving through the hills to the outskirts of Salerno for about forty minutes. I’m certain we didn’t take the quickest route, to ensure we weren’t being followed, considering I still have a view of the coast line in the end. As we make our way up the brick drive to the house, I see Chuck waiting to greet us. His crisp, white linen shirt stands out amongst the green landscaping lining the drive. The car slowly halts and he opens the door for Noelle.
“Come inside. Quickly, please,” he says with urgency.
This can’t be good.
Under “normal” circumstances, I would marvel at the exquisite design of this villa, but alas, I’m on the clock. We make our way to the main salon of the house. The wooden furniture is accented with plush cerulean cushions, which pop against the white walls and terra cotta flooring. As Chuck speaks with the villa manager, Lorna, I scroll through Instagram to see if I can find anything on Lisette — either her old account that I haven’t looked at in at least a year or anything new. I find nothing. Not surprising, considering there’s nothing on my account either — no follows, no photos, no stories. Off the grid is better for people like us.
Noelle walks into the room with two drinks in hand and sits next to me on the sofa, offering me one of them. “It’s just seltzer,” she says with a slight eye roll. “Since we have a lot to do this evening, we should stay sharp.”
I take the glass and have a sip. The bubbly citrus-flavored water revives me and I’m kind of relieved we won’t be drinking tonight. I probably need a break from it, if I’m being honest. Chuck finishes speaking with the manager and joins us. The sun is starting to dip in the sky and the room glows.
“Lorna will be back in about thirty with something to hold us over until dinner is ready. She’ll bring some coffee and tea, as well — sorry to say, but it’s going to be a late night, ladies,” he says. “Ani, tell me what happened.”
I repeat what I told Noelle about running into Lisette, seeing the initials “VR” pop up on her phone, how she invited me to dinner but I declined and offered to have lunch tomorrow instead, and that I told her I was staying down the street from where we saw each other. He nods along.
“You’ll need to meet her for lunch tomorrow. But see if you can push it to, let’s say… two? Three? And let’s control the location.”
“Sure. She made it sound like she wanted to ‘make a day’ of it, like go sightseeing and hang out for a while. I’d rather not,” I say, dismissively.
“And you told her you had a date tonight? That’s good, we can work with that,” he says as he unlocks his phone, scrolling through his contacts.
Noelle’s lips slowly curl into a small smile. “Chuck, Isn’t Rhys here? He usually comes to Ravello Festival anyway, why don’t you call and see if he’s available?”
Chuck grins approvingly. “This would be a good fit, yes. Let me call him.” He holds his phone up to his ear. “Rhys, is this a good time?” He excuses himself to continue his call in the next room.
Lorna reappears with a variety of meats, cheeses, and fruits and begins to arrange them on the table. Noelle and I smile, acknowledging the spread. As we mill around the table, I whisper, “so, who is Rhys? Why is this such a ‘good fit’?”
She lights up. “He’s… well, darling, he’s just wonderful. He’s a few years older than you, we’ve worked with him for a long time, and he’s capable. Smart. Worldly,” she says with a wink. “And devilishly handsome!”
“I could use something nice to look at,” I laugh.
“If he’s free, I’m sure Chuck will want him to crash your little lunch date with Lisette. An extra set of eyes will be good to have while you’re walking around with that woman. You never know what she’s up to.”
“You don’t think she’s… working with them, do you?”
“Hard telling. Look, I’ll let Chuck expand on this if he deems it necessary, but… we haven’t seen Lisette in a while. Really since we started working with you more, and there’s a good reason for that. She doesn’t like to toe the line, if you know what I mean. It’s hard to keep her on task because she’s, well, she’s always out for herself and that doesn’t always line up with what’s best for our clients.”
I understand the desire to not play along. Doing what you’re told gets old after a while… but I suppose in this line of work, you have to believe what you’re doing for the people who hire you is the right thing — the best thing. That’s the only way to get through the questionable decisions required during each job. This profession doesn’t exactly grant you grace to go rogue without dangerous consequences. I learned that early on, witnessing a few things I’d rather not remember when I first got started. For the most part, I’m okay playing by their rules — it means I’m taken care of, and more importantly, my mom is safe. And when I don’t like what I’m asked to do, I just remember that — makes it easy for me to fall in line.
I take another seltzer from the ice bath on the table and pour it into my glass, adding a generous squeeze of an orange slice I snatch from the fruit spread. When Noelle disappears to the kitchen (probably to find Lorna), I walk out onto the terrace to bathe in the last of the day’s sun, careful not to venture too close to the balcony’s edge. You never know who could be watching from the street or from another villa on the hillside. I find myself alone, waiting, wondering… again. I welcome these moments — it’s very much the calm before the storm. When I realize that, though, my mind spins into an endless state of speculation of what’s to come.
My thoughts are interrupted (thankfully) by Chuck returning from his call. He calls out for me and Noelle.
“Out here. Noelle is in the kitchen, I think?”
“Did you eat anything, dear?”
“I had a little bit. Don’t want to spoil this dinner — it smells incredible,” I say, suddenly starving. Before he gets a chance to respond or ask another question, I continue. “Should I be worried about this… well, should we call it an unexpected development?”
“I will be honest with you, Ani, I am certainly surprised by this turn of events. But I think we’ll be able to turn it around.”
“You sure about that?”
He senses my anxiety building. “Yes. We have a sharp team, I am confident in our capabilities. I’m confident in your capabilities, Ani.”
I believe him, and this gives me a much needed confidence boost. I take a sip of my seltzer. “Noelle said she would let you expand on why you haven’t seen or worked with Lisette in a while.” I pause, giving Chuck room to decide if he wants to respond to my prodding. He clears his throat and starts to speak, but is interrupted by Noelle returning from the kitchen.
“Dinner will be ready in about thirty, my loves. What did I miss?”
“You were right, my love — Rhys is in town and actually just down the road. He’s available to help us out and will be here within the hour.”
“Oh, splendid! Ani, you’re going to love him! Isn’t she, darling?”
Chuck smiles and nods in agreement. “He’s a great lad, and a wonderful asset. We’re quite lucky to be here at the same time.”
“What are you thinking?” I ask, eager to understand what they have up their sleeves.
“High level? You’ll meet Lisette as planned for a late lunch. Rhys will be close, as will a few others we’re working with to make sure you’re covered. Since we don’t know what her intentions are… Rhys will interrupt your lunch and pull you away, or join your excursion. We’ll see which direction the wind blows. Most importantly, he’ll know when to pull you away. We will discuss the specifics tonight, don’t worry,” he says, patting my shoulder.
Noelle points over her shoulder. “Why don’t you go freshen up? Your bags from the hotel just arrived, just let Philip know which room you pick and he’ll bring them up.”
I excuse myself and wander up the stairs, choosing one of the rooms with its own terrace. I see Philip standing at the bottom of the stairs and point to my new digs. He acknowledges me and says he’ll bring my things up. While I wait, I turn on the shower. Once he leaves my luggage, I lay out a simple black maxi dress and gold sandals and get cleaned up.
By the time I’m finishing my hair and I fasten the clasp on my necklace — a delicate, Italian gold paperclip chain I picked up yesterday in the heart of Salerno — I hear voices and laughter growing louder in the room below mine. Noelle appears in my doorway as I swipe a gloss across my lips.
“Darling, you clean up nice,” she says, grinning. “You ready to meet your partner for the week?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, slightly nervous. I’ve never had a “partner” for an assignment — unless you count Noelle.
“Well then, let’s get down there!” She links her arm with mine and escorts me downstairs.
We enter the main salon and Chuck lights up when he sees us. He turns his guest around to face us and makes the introduction. “Ah, here they are. Rhys Wilder, this is Ani. Ani Pierce. She’s been with us for the last couple of years.”
I nearly forget to breathe.
“Ciao, Ani, it’s a pleasure. Chuck has lovely things to say about you.”
I shake his hand. “So nice to meet you, Rhys.” I am desperate to be professional. What else can I say? I’m already weak in the knees over his piercing blue eyes. Suddenly, I’m reminded by how long it’s been since I butterflies erupted in my belly over a man. I have to keep my head in the game.
“Come, let’s go out to the terrace and enjoy this meal Lorna has prepared. Rhys, I trust you haven’t had dinner yet?”
“I’m actually famished, you caught me as I was attempting to make my evening plans.”
“I hope we aren’t keeping you from anything,” Noelle says. “We really appreciate you coming by. It’s been too long.”
“Yes, it’s been… what, nearly a year? We simply cannot let that happen again!”
Rhys pulls my chair out for me and I’m taken back by his chivalry. Keep it together, I think. I can’t let him become a distraction. Not on this assignment.
The majority of dinner is spent with the three of them catching up, and me observing. I speak up where appropriate, but I feel like listening for now. I glean a lot about the relationship Chuck and Noelle have with Rhys and it feels like they are more than just colleagues and old pals. They are close. As they chat, I sit back and sip my wine, smiling as I get lost in my own thoughts. It dawns on me that I have now entered their inner circle — the last few weeks have certainly opened that door, and they have fully ushered me into their space. I might as well embrace it — I can’t look back or be who I once was… and why would I even want that? Considering everything I was before I met these people… my life is generally better. Will it continue that way? And if so… for how long?
I look at Rhys and consider what his story could be, who he was before all of this. I may never know, but I can’t help but wonder. I’ve thought the same thing about Chuck and Noelle before, too. We will never speak of it, but it feels a bit unfair because they know my story. Maybe I’ll ask one day… But for now, tonight, I’m trying not to stare — I don’t want to call attention to my pondering — but damn… Noelle was right. Rhys is devilishly handsome.
Our cheeks have become flush from the wine and laughter (and mine even more so from Rhys’ many compliments). After dessert, Lorna brings us each an espresso to help us switch into strategy mode. Once we finish, we migrate back into the salon. Lorna has already drawn the curtains and excused Philip for the evening. She retreats to her quarters, telling Noelle if we need anything to call her. It’s clear she understands the game.
“Alright, my friends,” Chuck begins, clapping his hands. “Game plan for tomorrow. Ani, you didn’t tell her why you were in Salerno, did you?”
I shake my head. “I did not, no. I wouldn’t have, but also, we didn’t get that far.”
“We can use that to our advantage.” Chuck paces back and forth in front of the sofa. “Cover story time — how about… you’re here for the same reason Rhys is here, the Ravello Festival.” He claps again. “Yes! It’s perfect. You told Lisette you had a date tonight and that’s why you couldn’t have dinner with her. So let’s get those details ironed out first. Obviously, Rhys is your date!” He grins, seemingly thrilled things are working out this easily for us.
“I figured,” I say, catching Rhys smiling at me.
“Okay. She knows you have just arrived, so… You met him on the flight over. Yes, yes, plausible. You flew in from…” he trails off, looking at Rhys for an answer.
“London. Let’s just go with London, it’s easy,” Rhys says in his perfectly posh accent.
“Great. Rhys, you took her to… oh, Noelle, what’s that little seafood place right on the beach near the Raito? You know the one, dear, we had dinner there the last time we were here. Or, there’s that one at the Baia?”
“La Ciurma? Or Re Maurì, ” Noelle responds, setting down a tray of glasses and a pitcher of water on the table between us. “Either is good for a date.”
“Re Maurì is much more appropriate for a first date, after all, I am trying to impress her,” he offers. “We could still go for a nightcap, Ani, if you’re up for it,” he winks.
I don’t know how to respond, so I just smile and give a slight nod.
“If you want, sure — might be good for you two to get to know each other a little better,” Chuck says approvingly. “Okay, lovely. Ani, you can then debrief Rhys on the rest of our assignment there. For now, let’s flesh out what’s going to happen tomorrow.” He pauses to take a drink. “Ani, you’ll reach out to Lisette around eleven tomorrow morning. Instead of meeting her at the Raito, let’s pick a cafe in Salerno. We’ll have our people there well before you are set to arrive to make sure you’re covered. Rhys, why don’t we have you in the vicinity as well, and you can ‘run into’ Ani there. But first… you do not know Lisette Holmes, correct?” Chuck takes out his phone to show him a photos of Lisette in various looks, knowing she changes her appearance like I do for jobs often.
“She does not look familiar. I know of her through you, of course, but I do not believe our paths have ever crossed.”
“Good, good. You’ll interrupt them then. Let’s go ahead and say you two were planning to meet tomorrow night anyway in Ravello for the festival. That way, Rhys, you don’t miss some of what you came to Italy for,” Chuck says.
Rhys laughs. “It lasts a full month, Chuck. I have plenty of time to catch some of the events. But, it is a good cover. Ani, does that sound good to you?”
Considerate, too? Ahh. “Sure, whatever we need to do to get rid of this,” I gesture vaguely, “ahead of our actual work, I’m down.”
“I’ll let Simon know we will need another day or two to settle things here before we can head to Sorrento, I’m sure he won’t mind, considering.”
Noelle interrupts. “Chuck, we should have contingencies in place in case Lisette tries to pull something over on us? We don’t know who she is working with,” she says with concern.
“I’m going to take care of that, between Rhys and I, we have enough contacts in the area, right chap?”
“You bet. I’ll put a line out to a few people right now, if you don’t mind?”
“Go for it. In fact, why don’t we both go outside and make some calls, Rhys, and let the ladies figure out the location for tomorrow.” He leads Rhys back out to the terrace.
Noelle retrieves her laptop from a bag in the corner of the room and invites me to sit with her at the table. She pulls up Google Maps and starts zooming in to possible locations. She’s “driving” with street view to explore some side streets when I see a spot I think can work.
“Stop there, that one. Caffè dell’Arechi. It’s perfect — look, there’s a bookstore across the street with big windows, two spots with outdoor seating in proximity of the cafe, plenty of people walking around to make our guys blend in. Shops everywhere. What do you think?”
Noelle pauses to consider and begins nodding her head. “If Chuck and Rhys can scrounge up a few men, this could work… yes, this looks promising. Just sit outside, so we’ll need you there earlier than she is… you can go shopping before, have a few bags with you? We will have someone on you the whole time. You good to kill a few hours wandering aimlessly around Salerno?”
“Oh sure. The usual, right?” I ask with a slight scoff before realizing it comes across as sarcastic. “Sure, I’m fine wandering through shops and picking up a few things. Sorry Noelle, I truly don’t mean to be flippant. This whole assignment is hard enough without this added stress. I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing Lisette, if I’m honest.”
“I understand, hon. She’s not my favorite person either,” Noelle says, rolling her eyes. “For what it’s worth, I feel the same way.”
“Don’t get me wrong — I’m thankful to a certain point for her role in getting me where I am now, but… I don’t trust her further than I could throw her.”
“I trust her even less,” she responds, thinly.
I decide to crack open that door. “What… what happened with her, anyway?”
Noelle closes her laptop and turns toward me, eager to get it off her chest. “She tried to burn Chuck. On a job in Rio shortly after we started working with you. As if it’s hard enough working down there, you know? I’ve never trusted her, always found her to be a liability. But Chuck’s old partner found her, and when he retired, Chuck became her handler. In Rio… she really put Chuck in a terrible situation and he nearly didn’t make it out. Simon was there, thankfully, and extracted him in the last possible moment. We haven’t seen her since.” She sighs. “I almost lost him, Ani.” Her eyes start to well up with tears.
This is so unlike the Noelle I know. I clasp her hands in mine. “But you didn’t. Remember that.”
She nods slowly, blinking back her tears. She clears her throat after a moment. “Lisette is a liability,” she repeats.
“Well…” I choose my words carefully. “How important is it that we find out why she’s here, who she’s working with?”
Noelle considers my question and reading her expression, I’m certain she understands what I’m really asking. “I think this game may be changing, Ani.” She looks out to the terrace and locks eyes with Chuck. He meets her gaze and in that moment, I realize how deep their connection truly is.
Maybe, just maybe, I’ll have that one day.