Opus Dei

Eleven

I need to sit, or else I might faint. All the newfound information along with Vincent's gaze are making me dizzy. I move past him and sit down on the little beige couch. I exhale as I let my back hit the pillows on the couch, my feet tangling on the edge.

I do realize that at this point I am quite involved in the situation, and that the man is not playing with his words at all so I try my best to wrap my head around what he is saying.

"You're going to need to tell me more. I ... I'm not sure what all of this means."

He comes towards me again but stops at a decent distance, bending down so that we can be face to face. He looks cautious, I can see him trying to find the right words to express himself. Taking a calming breath, he continues:

"As I said, there are people looking for you... Important people who believe that you hold some information that they need in order to figure out some," Obviously at a loss for words, he coughs, stroking the back of his head with his arm. The fact that even he is unable to pin point the exact situation makes me sick to my stomach. "...stuff. Let's say that your family holds some of this information that they need. I understood that you are not quite a big fan of the society and that your parents did not force it onto you, but what you know is really valuable."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's where you are wrong. I had only heard of the Free Masons in books and the freaking Da Vinci Code before I met you, my parents are small town people, who made their money through advertising... None of this makes sense... The person you are talking about can't...it can't be me, I have no idea what information you are referring to or what all of this even means."

Frustrated, he gets up and runs a hand through his hair, pacing around the room. "One thing I know for sure, it is you. I-I had your DNA checked that night, at the club... when we took the shots. The name did not match but..." He then stops and I see realization hitting him just as it hit me.

Two things I can think of before I pass out. One, the motherfucker checked my DNA that night. Two, I am adopted.

I can feel the smell of fresh air as I wake up. My head hurts like hell and it's impossibly hard for my eyes to get accustomed to the darkness in the room. Thank God I wasn't out too much. Taking in my surroundings I realize that I am in my hotel room, on the king sized bed, balcony door opened wide. The smell of the ocean combined with the darkness in the room make me feel secure. But then I remember. Why would something like this happened to me? I have no idea what those so called important people need from me and furthermore, I have no idea who I am or how to figure that out.

I get up in a daze, and a shot of reality surges through me as my feet touch the cold marble on the floor. Where is everybody though? Did Kendall know about this? Did Vincent leave?

I feel claustrophobic and in desperate need of air, so I walk towards the balcony. Even from afar I can see the moon as it gazes over the ocean and the completely empty beach. I step onto the balcony and realize that the only thing that my eyes didn't register is probably the most important one.

Vincent is leaning over the railing, the probably custom made suit emphasizing his muscles as they flex to sustain him. He can probably feel my stare, because he cautiously turns around, looking at me with such depth that it takes me aback for a second. However, I step closer to him and lean into the railing myself, letting the air blow my hair off of my face, which feels like a much needed refreshment. I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of letting go of the million thoughts that I have even for the shortest amount of time.

Vincent's hand touch the base of my neck as he puts the suit of his jacket around my shoulder. I enjoy the contact and the feel of his musky perfume. Without opening my eyes I can feel the goosebumps appearing on my arms and lean into his jacket, letting the smell give me the feeling of security that it always brings me.

"We need to get on the going in the morning. You'll take a shower, sleep this night off and we'll take it from there."

"We? Where are we going?" I emphasize the word we, but knowing that he has a plan for all of this makes me feel better. If there somebody out there who could help me figure this mess out, it is for sure him.

"All of us. We'll be going to your parents' house. You need to talk to them, Ashley. Not just for the purpose of-". He cannot find the word so he allows the silence to fill in the blank before continuing "but for yourself. This is a huge piece of news, and you need to give them the chance to explain things out. If there's somebody out there who can help you right now, it's them." I open my mouth, but he interrupts me quickly. "We'll take my jet to Florida tomorrow. Kendall is with my brother, but they will be joining us as well."

I am curious to know how the hell does he know where my parents live, but to be honest it doesn't surprise me anymore. I want to know why he wants to help me, but then I realize that he also needs the so called information that I should know and figure out that he is actually not helping me but himself.

Exhaustion takes over me so I can't do anything but stare at him blankly. The situation itself is overwhelming, but the fact that this man is here for some reason makes me feel prepared for whatever is going to happen. Not because of feelings, which I try to bury as deep inside of me as I can but because I have a feeling that he has seen a lot of shit in his lifetime.

Before I realize what is happening Vincent bends down and puts his arm around my knees, while the other one lays flat on my back. In a swift motion he lifts me up, and I instinctively lay my head on his shoulder. The fabric of his shirt feels like a rose petal against my cheek, which joint with the heat that his body is emanating put me in a daze. I inhale his perfume deep and hold it in.

He feels that, because I can sense him tensing as he moves us into the room. Kicking the balcony door closed with his leg, he moves us towards the bed and gently puts us down, propping his body against the headboard. I make myself comfortable and move my body in between his legs, still wrapped around his jacket. The shower is long forgotten as he pulls the duvet over us and places one soothing hand over my shoulder. In the new found serenity, I dare to speak, "Tell me more, please. I need to be prepared." My voice is hoarse and I try to clear my throat but end up coughing. He jumps in, "Shh, let me do the talking."

He starts talking, voice soothing as if he was telling me a bedtime story, "A long, long time ago, during the lifetime of Leonardo DaVinci there where two powerful families that had taken over the freemasonry. As a matter of fact, the majority of the freemasonry at that point were members of these families. Their names were Rothschild and Balestrieri."

Meaning his family and some other one. Noted. He looks down at me, seeing that I am slowly drifting off.

"Long story short, they formed another alliance, called Opus Dei. They held some incredibly valuable information. Things related to everything and anything, from religion to wars and aliens. Never getting to actually pass that information over to us, their successors. Recent information shows that there was one person who actually knew the existence of these documents, along with the ones that recently went missing from the Dead Sea, and that person would have been your biological mother."

The sole mention of that makes me cringe, so I stop him. I will have to face all of this tomorrow anyway, but for now I just wanna fall asleep and feel safe in his embrace.

"Can you just hold me? We'll get to all of that in the morning."

He doesn't say much but tightens his arms around me as I fall into a deep, much needed sleep.