Devon finally arrived back at the villa in the later part of the afternoon, where he was greeted first by Spot, then Dante, and finally by a very concerned Jennie. “Honey, I have a lot to tell you, and it is all bad. So let’s sit in the living room where we get comfortable, because this will take a lot of time.” Devon held her hand as they walked down the hallway from the foyer to the living room, with Spot and Dante in tow. It was hard to be sad when these two dogs were so happy, but Devon and Jennie managed to carry it off. As they sat down on the couch, both dogs, realizing that there wouldn’t be any playing today, plopped themselves on the floor dejectedly.
Devon looked into the scared eyes of his beautiful wife and began, ” Jennie, I want to first tell you that you can’t repeat what I am about to tell you to anyone, including your mother. When she asks where I am, just tell her I am on an important mission involving international travel and that I will be gone for a protracted period of time. Now, I will divulge what I will actually be doing. Since Burak Kaya is dead, I will be working with a new partner, someone you already know, Thomas Jenner. I am not sure if you know this, but Pope Pius XIII has a younger brother? Lorenzo Mateo Chiesa is a widower with only one child, a son named Marco Enzo Chiesa. Marco just got married a few days ago, in Bohol, Philippines. They took a plane to Palawan for their honeymoon. They thought this was appropriate because that is where they met. This is the tragic part: while his wife Sitti was using the facilities, he was abducted while waiting for their taxi. There was no request for a ransom, not that his family or hers had the money to pay for one. What is the truly heartbreaking part of the story is that two days later, his body was found in a jumpster behind a seafood packing plant. His body had been gutted with his heart, liver, and both kidneys, and his corneas removed, and he was also skinned, with large portions of his epidermis and dermis missing. As some small consolation, the only portions of his skin that they did not take were from his head, so they were able to have an open casket funeral.”
Devon continued. “This is where Thomas and I come in. Lorenzo asked his brother to help him find and eliminate the people responsible for his son’s death. He doesn’t hold much faith in the police department in Puerto Princesa City. He believes that most of the police in the Philippines are either corrupt, underpaid, or overworked, and certainly lacking in resources. This is the terrible part; he feels their punishment will not match the crime, even if caught. He wants old testament retribution, an eye for an eye justice. The Pope knows that Thomas and I have taken the law into our own hands numerous times. Hence, he wants us to not only clean up the mess in the Philippines but also to get to the root of these organ harvesting rings and take them down, just like I did with the sex trafficking rings a few years ago. I don’t want to return to that life, but I owe the Pope everything; his protection has made the life we’re leading possible. Without him, I would be an international fugitive instead of a respected member of the Gendarmerie.”
Devon further added. “I won’t lie to you, Jennie, this task that the Pope is asking us to do is highly dangerous, and there is a chance that either of us or both of us will not come out of it alive. One thing is for sure: you and Amelia will be provided for. I have transferred five million dollars into your checking account so you can live comfortably while I am away. All our bills, such as the phone, internet, electricity, etc., are set up for autopay. So there are no bills that you have to worry about. There is enough money to cover these bills for the next hundred years, so there is nothing to worry about. I have stocks worth over $60 million right now—every day that goes by, their value increases by at least $100,000. If you have any questions about our finances, feel free to call Mortimer Friedman, our accountant. He has been taking care of my portfolio for years, and I trust him implicitly.”
Jennie sat quietly on the couch, listening to everything Devon said, trying to absorb every detail. Finally, she spoke up. “Are you quite finished, Devon Howard? You know something, you are the biggest horse’s petoot that I know. Do you think I care about your money and all the things that you provide for us? I fell in love with you because of your principles, and all kidding aside, you do have a great ass, especially know that you have been working out. By the way, Henry Cavill, look out. So all I have to say to you is do what you must do. There will be no more talk about you not coming back. You damn well better come home, because I Have a lot of things that I want to do to you that I haven’t done so far, if you get my meaning.”
All Devon could do was shake his head, smile, and say, “Yes, Dear.” Because he had never been so proud of anyone in his life before, Jennie was something special.