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  “Always glad to be of assistance,” replied the air marshal.

  “Mr. Sidorov, you have a call from the air marshal,” the attendant told Dmitry.

  “Yes, Carlos, are we set?”

  “Si, we are all set. I went around to the American and told them to piss off – with an official government directive of course. You know, those Americans are scared when we issue such things,” replied the air marshal.

  “You are an excellent man Carlos! I have to go – the other plane just pulled up. Thanks again!”

  Dmitry got on the phone with Elizabeth’s pilot and was put on the loudspeaker: “Elizabeth, our planes are right next to one another. I know the shades are down and you can’t see but you are so close. What is going to happen now is the pilot is going to open the door and help you down. It is a bit of a jump but he will help you. You run over to the door on my plane where I will be waiting for you. I will pull you up and then we are going to take off right away.”

  “Okay, let’s do this. I can’t take this fucking suspense anymore.”

  “Oh – you should know that the Americans who were firing on your plane have left the airport property. Now, they may gain access again but are gone for now and we need to take advantage and move fast.”

  Dmitry went to the cabin door and opened it with the help of the attendant. “Alright, get Elizabeth down from the plane. I am ready for her.”

  Elizabeth, her pilot and cabin attendant moved toward the door and opened it. “I don’t know you both but I want to thank you. You are helping good people.”

  “It’s all part of the job,” replied the pilot. Once the door was opened, he assisted Elizabeth to the ground holding her arms until her feet were as close to the ground as she could get them. She jumped the rest of the way, got her balance and ran quickly to Dmitry’s plane.

  Dmitry reached down to Elizabeth “At last! You’ve made it! We are going to make it! I love you!” he exclaimed as he pulled her up and into his arms aboard his plane.

  Elizabeth broke into tears of happiness in his arms. Dmitry quickly let her go, directed her to sit down and fasten her seat belt. “We need to get out of here. We have a long flight ahead of us where we can talk.”

  Dmitry told the pilot to complete fueling and then called the air marshal: “Carlos, I’ve got her! We are ready to take off. My pilot is finishing off the fueling and we should be good to go in a few minutes. Are things clear from your end?”

  “Si, all is clear. I am sure there is something of a shit storm at the US Base about my directive but you know they will learn to live with it. Need to hurt their pride sometimes, eh?”

  “Good – I am going to compensate you further. I will call you when I am in my office and let you know the arrangement.”

  While Elizabeth and Dmitry were preparing for takeoff, Mr. Madison was receiving some of the worst news he had ever received: “James, we were ordered to retreat from the airport. It is government property and the Communist military was going to get involved. I had to let it go. You can put in your report or hearing or whatever you have that you tried. You were up against a stubborn-ass Commander in a Communist country.” There was a long silence on the phone. “James? You there?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m here. What the FUCK did you let happen Commander?”

  “You know what, this is on your shoulders. I made that clear from the get-go. I’ve given you the information. I will provide a written debrief from the Lieutenant on the ground once received. Goodbye.” With that the Commander hung up.

  Mr. Madison went into a near-psychotic break screaming: “Fucking hell! Fucking Russian! Fucking fuck you all!” He screamed towards the other CIA personnel in the room and stormed out.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Elizabeth and Dmitry’s plane was cleared for takeoff and began heading down the runway. “Dmitry, we did it!”

  “Yes, we did. This will not be the end though my dear. We were lucky to be in a Communist country where the CIA did not have much ability to pull strings. In Russia it is not going to be easier for them. I have many connections and I believe I can keep us from them but it will not be without battle.”

  “I know but at least we are together now and we will never be apart,” replied Elizabeth.

  Their plane had taken off, headed for Europe. “This is the start of our new lives together. I love you more than life itself. I will love you, be your friend, protect you, care for you and do everything to provide the best life for us,” said Dmitry.

  And it was the beginning of their new life. They still faced many challenges but they had one another now and would face them together with trust and honesty.