The Silent Courtesan

The light from the open fridge brought Kenzie into view, spread out on the couch he had been on earlier, her sword still within arms reach.

"Why are you still here?"

He poured orange juice into a glass and carried a bottle of water over to the couch, tossed it at Kenzie and sat in one of the chairs across from her. She caught it in her left hand and took a sip before placing it on the floor.

"Because we haven't reached an agreement on the breeders and I know you think on your feet so I had to remove the muscle relaxant so you could."

"I can't help you, the President wants the farm and the Masterson's organization destroyed, and besides, there are over two hundred breeders. The US Marshals couldn't cope with that many people entering witness protection all at once."

At first it was a slow giggle, then a laugh and finally Kenzie was almost bent double in hysterics over his comments. Alex placed his juice on the table next to the couch, he watched as her hand never left her sword while he was within arms reach of her. He may be a man and had close to a hundred pounds on this woman but he knew well enough to back off, his combat training was out of use so hand to hand with this woman would prove futile.

Going by the information he did have on the Farm this was one of the most dangerous of the lot. She was still giggling when he sat across from her, eventually her head shook and normalcy came to her. It seems there had never been two hundred breeders in all the time that the Farm had existed, Kenzie told him that at the moment there where seventeen breeders in total and only six with child. Jacob's son it seems had told his mother to wind down the breeding system. With the world now in such turmoil it was easier and faster to just collect what you wanted on the open market.

With so many displaced people in the world losing a few wouldn't be noticed, to a place like the Farm it was like cherry picking off the human shelf. Jacob's plan all along was to go slow, and infiltrate the areas he could see both profit and influence amongst the silent people in the corridors of power. To his son it wasn't going fast enough.

Need an instructor in hand to hand combat? With the collapse of the Russian empire there were many Spetsnaz troops now out of work and willing to relocate. Need an Asian child for a future project, simply wait for the next earthquake and send someone to pick one up off the streets, to Jacob's son you had now saved yourself not only nine months pregnancy but upwards of five or six years growing up before one would start training.

He wanted complete dominance over the power brokers of this country. To this end he felt he must not only outdo his late father in the search for power but dismantle the system that had worked for them for so many years. When Ashimi protested she was ignored and his hunger for power now became his undoing. People in the shadows could see what the son was doing and the whispers got louder and that's when Alexander Donaldson not only heard but realized the potential threat. Even more so when no one could or would say were the Farm was

It was also when the cracks started to appear in the Farm's organization that Shingi Osowar seized his moment and now armed with the information that was for so long denied him he sent Kenzie out into the world to bring about the demise of the Farm.

The glass of orange juice still sat on the coffee table, Alex was genuinely in awe of the information coming from this dealer in death. When Kenzie finally stood he watched her as she paused and pulled something from a fold in her blouse and tossed it at him. Instinct made him catch it; it was a memory stick that looked rather small in his big hand. Her voice made him look at her as she walked towards the door of his apartment.

"Everything I've said to you is on that drive. Show it to the President. Get him to agree that all the breeders get new lives and identities and the Farm will cease to exist by the end of the month."

Alex knew one other question still needed answering and her hand was already on the handle.

"What about the other Courtesan's? They have to be taken out of play as well or the whole organization will just be dormant not destroyed."

The air seemed to go out of Kenzie as she held onto the door, Alex noticed and suspected, but he knew the President would want an answer, only she could provide it.

"I have the names and locations of every living Courtesan and silent Courtesan's, they get to live and join the clan or they die."

Kenzie looked towards Alex, "To many deaths will come from all of this, make the President understand that the breeders are the innocents in all this, let some hope come from all this Mr. Donaldson."

It was only as she closed the door that Alex asked a question that hadn't occurred to him.

"How can I contact you to let you know the Presidents decision?"

The door simply closed, at first he was confused that she didn't answer and then a realization came to him. She would know because she is the Silent Courtesan.

*******

The president sat and listened to his aid, the pen drive still sat on the table in his office.

"Do you trust this woman?"

For sometime Alex just sat and thought about the question.

"I have no choice but to trust her Mr. President, I had the secret service people go over every camera monitoring the whole building and they can find no trace of her, either coming into or leaving the apartment building, they even expanded their search and checked the camera's up and down the street, she is that good."

Alex could see that the President was going to say no, it was then a thought came to him and inwardly he smiled.

"Mr. President I have an idea that may benefit all of us, but it will mean you granting her request."

It took nearly an hour to outline his idea, making parts up as he went along but happy that the idea not only granted this woman's requests but dealt with her not long afterwards. It would mean another conversation with the Emperor and his request filtering down to the clan but by the end of his explanation even the President smiled.

*******

Casey pulled me to one side and said that she had checked the weather and that the twins were going to have a camp out in the back garden, it was a treat we gave them a couple of times a year. The first time they pushed for one we went out and got a tent and that weekend they slept in it while I snuck out of the house and sat up all night in the rocker on the back porch.

Neither of the girls noticed me there when it got to midnight and they snuck back into the house because of the rain, I nearly had a riot on my hands when I went to take the tent down the next afternoon once the sun had dried it out. That same evening they kissed us goodnight and trundled out to the tent in pajamas and coats and me in the rocker once again. I joined my wife at sun-up, she even let me sleep in while she got the girls breakfast.

It was something in her tone and the way she looked at me when she asked me to set the tent up, it spoke volumes and I understood the real reason why. The twins kissed both their sisters that evening and promised that next year they would all have a sleep out together. That meant I had better find more comfortable cushions for the rocker. Casey put Paige and Danielle to bed a little early that evening and gave the same promise to each of them when she kissed them goodnight.

When she came out of Danielle's room I had emptied the gun safe and handed her a sig and two magazines, she knew better than to argue and both of us knew we were in for a long night. She closed the house down and sat on the floor of the corridor at the top of the stairs while I took my shotgun and went and sat on the rocker.

I watched that tent like a hawk and yet it took the sound of Erin gasping for me to realize that Kenzie was in there with them, I never heard her and sometimes children don't come with volume control so I knew they were talking to someone and not each other. My ears could never pick up what they said just who was talking and it stayed that way for close to four hours.

By one o'clock with the moon at its highest all conversation had ceased, it wasn't even a minute later that I sensed her to the right and just behind me. Her voice was set low so that even I had to listen real hard to hear her.

"Both those girls love you so much, Erin understands now. She regretted saying it the second it came out of her mouth."

In all the time I had sat on that rocker and moments alone through the years I had thought of what to say to Kenzie should she come back into our lives and now she was here and within arms reach, my thoughts screamed an answer whilst my mouth betrayed me with silence.

"Enjoy all your family, Matt. You are a man who thrives on family life and all four of them will keep you both young."

Other than nod my head I did nothing and then my self control slipped a little.

"Stay safe out there, use us as an anchor Kenzie, you will always have people who love you here."

Nothing but silence came back and for a while I believed she had gone, and then I felt her lips on my cheek my skin felt the dampness of her tears as well.

"I was born a Courtesan, my life had but one direction. You taught me how to love and for that I will always be in your debt."

There was a reason she didn't move from my side, it was easier for both of us to talk this way. As long as I didn't look directly at her then Kenzie could find the strength to walk away.

"Casey is taking Paige and Danielle to the park for a couple of hours tomorrow, I'm going to be punishing Erin with cleaning her room so I know Susan will want to stay to make sure I don't find her diary."

I think I caught Kenzie unaware because she almost choked and then giggled. She also knew the meaning of what I was telling her.

"Oh and a message from Casey, she says she's up for a Polyamorous relationship so when you feel like retiring then you know where to place your running shoes."

She giggled again, I got one more kiss before I felt her breathe by my ear. "My vow is to keep you both alive and happy, how could I do that if I end up killing you both with sex."

Again she paused and I really did feel that she was thinking about what I had said. Two arms came around me from behind and hugged me.

"I'm sorry it came to this, but my heart will always be yours, please tell Casey her message gives me hope for the future."

I had to hold my shotgun even tighter because if I didn't my hands would have moved to join hers. I thought I heard a sob as her head rested against the back of my neck, she pulled in a lungful of air.

"I hadn't intended to talk to you for so long, please let me go Matt."

When Kenzie kept things on a non physical level her own self control could dictate her action, she had her arms around me now and although I wasn't touching her our love for each other held her there. My own will power crumbled then and my hand finally left my shotgun and gently squeezed her hands. It was my turn to gulp and breathe in before placing my hand back on my lap.

"Goodnight Kenzie, please be careful out there."

Her arms moved and my sense of her was gone as well, I wiped a tear from my eye and went back to watching that tent in the middle of our back yard and I was once again left with my own thoughts. She was right, I lived for the mornings when we all had breakfast together, the teasing and banter would bounce around the table. Danielle was still a little young but she picked up and understood most of it and never one to take a back seat she joined in when she had something to say.

Over the years I did come to realize I was with the right woman, Casey was my other half of everything and it took Kenzie to drop kick me into her arms and for that I will always be truly grateful. Casey and I had little doubt that Kenzie would hover over us all, she would never admit it but she had a vested interest in doing so. Through a trick of paperwork Paige was Casey's and mine, but all three of us knew the truth that would never be spoken for risk of placing this whole family in danger.

That angel of love and death would stay a lifetime in our shadow, I had admitted to myself sometime back that I have loved two great women and I'm damned lucky that I still get to sleep with one of them. Our children will never know they are probably the most protected children in the country.

They have three parents looking after them and one of those happens to be an Angel of death, I sure pitied the boys and eventually men that would come and go in all their lives. I watched the sun start to rise and let myself back into the house, Casey was in the kitchen making coffee for us both, she looked more done in than I did so I sent her to bed for a couple of hours.

It was almost a draw amongst the girls, I was bringing Paige and Danielle down the stairs as Erin and Susan came crashing in through the patio doors. The twins swept the girls into their arms and between them set about telling make believe stories that had the young ones hanging on the edge of their seats while I made breakfast. Tales of exotic lands and people who spoke in strange languages, Susan called them shadow people and Erin glared at her.

That term was never mentioned again in the stories they told the youngsters so I figured out real quick where the source of this story had been. Casey came down a couple of hours later and took both of the younger ones to the park while I put the twins (or rather Erin) on cleaning room duty, Susan pretended to help but it didn't take long to figure out were she kept her diary.

It was Erin that came to both of us and asked if she could do some form of self defense classes, although we both suspected who first broached the subject we knew our daughter would never admit it. We toyed with the idea for a few days and realized that it could be her salvation, Erin had energy to burn and taking defense lessons would be so positive for her. Not to mention the rules that govern such a sport would only add to her own self discipline.

We looked around and by the end of the week she was enrolled in Karate classes. It took about six months before Casey and I were asked to attend the dojo Erin used, what we learned pulled us both up. Our daughter had taken to Karate like the proverbial duck to water, they had held her back for as long as they could, it seems the twins past were known to one of the Dojo's instructors.

We had noticed Erin was calmer now and put it down to the riggers of training, but the instructors wanted to extend her training despite her youth. We talked to her about it and amongst us it was agreed, Casey became a traveling mom while I looked after the girls when competitions come up. We all attended the more local ones but those that needed overnight stays or excessively long hours on the road, we decided to keep the other children at home.

We were all at the final event that made her one of the youngest black belts in the state. When the rest of the girls caught up with her after she was awarded her belt she knelt down and wrapped all three of them in her belt and told them she loved them all and this was all for them. My wife and I talked about what she had done later that evening, we wondered if it was intentional to place her belt around her sisters, symbolic perhaps.

Casey and I suspected more but at the end of the day it was Erin's choice to devote so many years to this, all we did was support her when we could.

*******

Just as I was placing breakfast on the table Erin came crashing down the stairs almost taking them two at a time.

"Daddy. Someone is hiding under the bushes at the far end of the garden."

Just the look on my daughters face stopped me from asking her any further questions. Susan and Casey went into 'well oiled machine' mode and collected the girls as Erin and I headed for the basement and the gun locker.

It had been almost two years since we had last seen Kenzie and in all that time my daughters seemed to have been the most vigilant of us all, Erin ran back upstairs carrying the walkie talkies we'd purchased after the last time the girls went 'camping', extra water and food for her sisters while I carried Casey's Sig in its hip holster and handed it to her.

Erin followed me out and stopped when I asked where she thought she was going?

"With you, Mom's got my sister helping with the young ones so don't even think I'm not coming with you as back-up."

An angry frown took hold for awhile before she put what she was thinking into words.

"I'm a black belt in Karate now, so stop looking at me like I'm your little girl."

That's the point, she would always be my little girl. I radioed Casey and told her Erin was with me. I half expected a fight but all I got was an acknowledgment. Even mid-way across the lawn it was plain to see my daughter was right, there was someone there. The figure hadn't moved and although I recognized what the person was wearing I suspected my daughter had as well.

The person was lying in a half fetal position with their back to us, one hand hidden close to the body while the other held onto a short sword. Erin stepped over to the other side of the prone figure the eyes closed and visible through the face cover. The breathing, although regular, sounded raspy. All of that could have been fake of course, it was as I watched the figure that Erin knelt down, her hand reaching for the sword.

"No. Step away."

Erin looked at me, uncertain why I wasn't about to disarm the figure on the ground.

"Unconscious or not, if you try and take the sword, then reflexes will kick in and you will lose a hand if not an arm."

Her cheeks reddened and the nod of her head came a second later, what caught me unprepared was that she didn't stand up and ease away, she just pulled the other hand free. In one motion I gasped and dropped my Sig and knelt over the body, my own hands clasped the now free hand. If whoever this is moved now I was totally defenseless.

"Honey I need you to back away."

"But daddy?"

"No sweetie I have a job for you and believe me it's real important."

I couldn't move my hands and thankfully she never got to see what the prone figure was holding.

"Honey the keys to my truck are in the bowl by the door, take the keys and go into the basement. When you get there I need you to go to the far end to a storage chest sitting on its own. One of the keys opens the padlock."

Erin opened her mouth, I stopped her.

"Sweetie this is important believe me, when you open it look on your left and about half way down you will find a green canvas bag, on the zip you will find what looks like a key ring with what looks like a split pin attached. I need that here as soon as you can get it here Erin."

It was clear to me she thought I was getting her out of harms way and I suppose to an extent I was. But she hadn't seen what the prone figure was holding. My daughter looked intently at me for a moment and then nodded before getting up and running into the house.

This was one of those 'time stood still' moments, Casey's voice came over the radio asking if I was ok. I couldn't answer her, thankfully Erin had made it back and pulled the radio from my pocket and answered her second call. With her mother appeased she knelt next to me.

"You have never mentioned the chest before, medals daddy? Honestly, what are you some kind of hero?"

"No honey just too stupid to duck. I need you to go back to the house now while I deal with this."

I have never seen my daughter shake her head so emphatically.

"Well that ain't happening. You die and I'm left to explain to mom why I let you."

She held the ring in her hand it jiggled slightly with the nervousness my daughter was trying to hide.