Bound for Marrakesh

   Bound for Marrakesh

Suzanne Marsh

Clouds seemed to be her thing on these exotic vacations her family planned every year. Jenny Bagatelli, often found herself wondering what a normal vacation to say Disney World would be like, instead her she was with her family on the may to Marrakesh, Morocco. The thought entered her mind that now that she was eighteen, maybe she could just go off by herself and see Marrakesh. Her brother Tony had mentioned to her father that she was no eighteen, perhaps it was time to bring her into the family business. Tony Senior, almost chocked on his glass of red vino, his reply rather curt:

“No daughter of mine is going to become an assassin, Tony. Her job is to have babies

and grow the family, same as your mama.”

“Pop, there are some excellent female assassins, in fact you met one a year ago.”

“Who, Tony?”

“Adrianna Merkle, that red head you thought was so terrific.”

“Her? Tony, she couldn’t assassinate a bull frog.”

“Yeah, she did a hit on Mohamed bin Hussain.”

“Oh, well then she is one in a million.”

“Ah, pop, times are changing. Sooner or later, you are gonna have to tell Jenny about

the family business.”

“Your mama keeps telling me the same thing. Okay, I will think about it.”

Tony the tot, knew then the discussion was closed at least for the moment; he knew Jenny would make a good assassin. How many times had she crept up on him and scared him enough make his heart skip several beats. Jenny was not what would be deemed an assassin, she was a soft, shy girl, with large dark soulful eyes, a rather plump figure. She was clumsy at times, but Tony thought she would outgrow it as she grew into adulthood. Tony Senior, summoned Tony the tot, he had decided to tell Jenny the truth, but only after the job was done, after Marrakesh. She had to be protected if anything went wrong. Mohamed bin Hussain was a notorious murderer, assassin by choice. The CIA used Tony Senior whenever there was need of a hard-core assassin. Tony Senior taught Tony the tot from the time he was a young boy of thirteen, he was thirty-three now.

Tony’s wife Maria had decided long ago that she would not have any more children after Tony Junior. Then in the spring of 2005 the unspeakable happened, Maria found herself pregnant with Jenny. She did not want Jenny to ever know that her father and brother were assassins for hire. Time took its toll on Maria, she aged quickly. One gray afternoon in the Bronx her heart gave out; father and son were devastated. Their world collapsed, they decided on the day Maria was buried, they would honor her memory by keeping Jenny from becoming an assassin. They went on exotic vacations, they hired guides to take Jenny on trips to places most children never would see such as Russia, where their business was to eliminate a rival of the President of Russia, one Vladimir Rostov. Jenny had a Russian guide, Valentina Markov. Jenny had cried because her father told her she was not going with them, end of discussion so Valentina, took it upon herself to show Jenny the Kremlin, and the grand palace. Jenny, stopped in her tracks when she saw the splendor of the rooms. Valentina explained the different rooms to her. She explained how life was back in “the day of the Czars.”

Upon Tony and Tony tot’s return, they hid the M16’s in the cases, which for all intense and purposes looked like regular suitcases. When Valentina and Jenny arrived, everything was back to the way it had been left. The following morning as the news about Rostov’s assassination was on television, The Bagatelli family were on a plane out of Moscow.

The following summer the family vacation took them to the Isle of Skye, Jenny was sixteen and was attracted to a young piper with the Scots Guard. She had wanted to stay in Scotland for a while. Tony Senior told her:

“You commin home now. Forget that boy he ain’t worthy of you.”

Jenny had cried all the way to home on the plane, Tony Senior felt that he done the right thing. He had someone already picked out, Salvatore Farasi, a member of the larger assassin teams. He at least would help maintain the Italiano connection. Jenny began to wonder why her father was so adamant about her marrying a nice Italian boy. She felt as if she were his captive, not his daughter. Time went on, and here she was with her brother and father on her way to Morocco.

Jenny had always been a curious child; she began to plot a way to discover what exactly her father and brother did while she was touring historic sights. She decided to give the slip to the tour guide her father, no doubt, had hired. She thought about how her father and brother would vanish for an entire day and return exhausted. She sensed that they were hiding something from her, something her mama would never speak about. She remembers her mama being terrified at times but never saying anything. Jenny, was certain now that her plan would be to follow them, see where they went and what they did. Once her curiosity was solved, everything would be fine…she hoped.

The following morning Tony Senior made arrangements for a guide Zara Abadi, her eyes smiling at Jenny. Tony and Tony tot prepared to leave for Rabat, Jenny knew she would have no problem tracking them. Jenny asked Zara about the Medina, the most ancient part of the city. Zara told her about the open-air markets. Together they walked toward the Medina. Zara began by showing Jenny the fruits. Zara turned her back to discover Jenny had gone.

Jenny quickly boarded a bus for Rabat. As the bus sped onto the next stop, she thought she saw her father and brother fueling a small car. She had them in her sights as the bus continued on its way. The car with her father and brother passed the bus as she slouched down. Her instincts told her not to let them see her. Jenny, asked the bus driver where the Hassan Tower was, hoping she arrived before her father and brother. She had overheard them mention the tower and some person by the name of Mohamed Hussain. This vacation, Jenny thought and hoped that it would explain what the two men hid from her.

The Hassan Tower is the minaret of an incomplete mosque, Jenny could not imagine what its purpose could possibly to the men she followed. At one o’clock Mohamed Hussain appeared, walked slowly past Jenny. Tony tot, his scope aimed at Mohamed suddenly froze:

“Pop Jenny is here!”

“La merda!”

“Pop, I can’t get the shot with Jenny standing there. What do we do?”

“Tot, I will go down there and grab Jenny. Once she is safe take the shot.”

That seemed to placate Tony tot, he nodded as their father ran down the steps of the tower. Mohamed Hussain saw Tony senior running toward him. He pulled a gun, poking it in Jenny’s ribs. Tony saw the move. Tot, his rifle trained on Hussain, took the shot. Hussain dropped the gun staggered away from Jenny then collapsed, bleeding out.

Tony Senior, held Jenny, soothing her as she wept: hoping she would not ask him any questions.

Tony, motioned tot to come down from his sniper's perch. Once Jenny began to control her tears, she faced both Tony’s”

“Why did you kill that man? What did he do?”

“Jenny, we will discuss this once we are in the car on the way back Marrakesh.”

“No dad, I want to know now.”

“Jenny, you will wait.”

Jenny frowned as she nodded reluctantly.

The car lurched into gear as they sped toward Marrakesh, Tony Senior began as calmly as he could:

“Jenny, we have a family business, do remember when Uncle Carlo paid a visit from

Sicily? He brought gave us the order to assassinate the man who would have killed you.”

“Dad, what are you telling me?”

“We are a family of assassins, that is how we earn our money.”

Jenny although shocked responded:

“Well, dad, I guess I am joining the family business.”

Tony Senior simply chuckled.