After the Falls

After the Falls

D. A. Ratliff

“I watched the waterfall, hoping to ease my nerves about what was coming.”

I looked up from the book I was reading to see life imitating art. Before me, an idyllic waterfall flowed into a plunge pool along a quiet stream. The vibrant colors of the leaves glowed in the sunlight—a spot where anyone should feel at peace from the soothing sound of the falling water.

I felt anything but peace. Like the character in the book, my concern about what lay in store weighed heavily on me. My fault for starting the events, but I had to end it.

No one knew about the cabin—at least until now. It was my safe house when the agency’s locations weren’t secure enough. I glanced at the table beside me, holding a Glock 30, a Tanto cold steel knife, and a glass of wine. All a gal needs to defend herself.

The non-traceable phone I had beeped, and the person with the number was the only person in the world I trusted. I answered.

“Devin. Tell me.”

“He’s coming.”

“Thank you.”

“Naomi, be careful.”

“I will.”

I ended the call and checked perimeter surveillance. Nothing yet, but he would arrive soon.

I took a sip of wine and considered what had brought us here. Peter Rodgers had been with the Company longer than I had. He was the golden boy—at least, until I came along. No brag, but I was more intelligent, astute, and decidedly more cunning than Peter. Our careers soon parallelled each other’s until the incident in Tenerife. Peter knew that after his error in judgment, he would never progress in the Company. I did advance, and now he wanted revenge as he blamed me for not covering for him.

I suspected he would arrive at dusk. He appeared on the security cams, seemingly unfazed that he could be seen. I heard him before he stepped onto the deck.

“Good evening, Peter. You found me.”

He had aged since the last time I saw him, nearly four years ago. His hair was now gray, and his clothing was less than elegant. I had him assigned to the CIA office in Manilla, where a trusted employee could keep an eye on him. She first noticed the change in him and warned Devin. The person I trusted with my life had discovered his plan to kill me.

Peter scoffed. “The great Naomi Winters. You always thought that you were smarter than me. I suspected you had a private safe house, so I did a bit of digging. I am cleverer than you imagine, and here I am.”

“I never underestimated your intellect. It was your judgment I found suspect.”

“You know what happened in Tenerife could have happened to anyone. It was a small error that didn’t affect the outcome of the operation. You should have overlooked it.”

I practiced maintaining a stoic demeanor in dire circumstances and didn’t reveal the rage that boiled inside me. “Peter, you had an affair with a woman we had under surveillance as part of the arms dealer organization. “

“So, what? We all slept with people for the cause.”

“For the cause, Peter. You were starstruck and jeopardized the operation. Had we not been able to pull two of our agents out in time, they would be dead. You compromised the mission.”

“You killed her, didn’t you? Tell me the truth.”

The tremor in his voice told me that he was losing control. I needed to be careful.

“I did.”

“And you took the opportunity to ruin my career to enhance your own.”

“No, Peter, I did not. You ruined your career by falling for a beautiful woman who was our target.”

He was about to act, but his anger dulled his reactions. I shifted slightly in my seat, the Glock only inches away. He would think I didn’t have enough time to reach it, and he would be overconfident. The split second he took to decide I wouldn’t have time to grab the gun was all I needed.

“It's time, Naomi. You thought you were smarter, but it’s time to die.” As he spoke, he raised his gun, his eyes drifting to my Glock.

When I fired, he hadn’t even pressed the trigger. His eyes widened in shock as the bullet penetrated his chest, tearing a hole in his heart. I stood and kicked his weapon off the deck into the grass and then knelt to check his pulse. I laughed softly. “I was always the better shot, Peter.”

I returned to my chair and called Devin. “It’s done. Send in the cleanup crew.”

“They will be there in minutes. I’m pleased with the outcome.”

“So am I. Thank you.”

As I waited for the crew, I took a sip of wine, thinking about where to establish my next private safehouse. There was an isolated house on St. Croix that was easily defendable. I would check it out.

I picked up the book and continued to read. I hope the character in the book resolves what is in front of her as well.