Complicado (Queen of the South, My Season 6)

Part 12 - Down Memory Lane

Avi Moshe, Director of Mossad's External Operations, European department, was nervous, despite being a trained agent who was not supposed to show feelings; on the contrary he was supposed to control them, to put them in a 'compartment' so that they didn't upset the mission. He wasn't sure if meeting Teresa Mendoza at Ben Gurion Airport qualified as a 'mission'. However, he had told James that time didn't matter and that he didn't need any assistance meeting his former boss; the one for whom he had worked only for a few short months, but for whom he felt deep respect.

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Teresa had seen Kelly Anne and Suzie off as their flight to Cape Town had left at noon and had wandered aimlessly around the airport until her evening flight to Tel Aviv had started boarding.

James had called her the previous night and had explained that things had escalated, but they had received unexpected support from former associates. He had been brief and only the information that she needed to fly to Tel Aviv where she would get all the information made her think of his former connections with the Israeli intelligence. She had no idea what to expect but if James wasn't talking details over the phone, and Mossad was involved, she was sure the venture capitalist who had duped Dumas and Chicho had to be a lot more than a simple investor.

Kelly Anne was executing the business separation documents the moment she was back. Pote had not bothered to call her, and Teresa admitted she felt the need to talk to him because their last conversation had not ended well. Tony had not called her either. He had flown to London with the men after their little disagreement over his going. And finally James had been cryptic when he had called and it bugged her. Nothing was wrong, but also nothing felt right!

When it was her turn at the immigration desk and she handed her passport over, the border official asked her to wait and after a minute she was escorted to the back of the hall through a side door. Her heart gave a small blip with anticipation.

They handed her the passport back as a tall man in a suit came out of one of the offices and as he headed towards her, she recognized Avi, who had provided her security detail after James's return to NOLA. He looked older, sported some gray hairs, but had a serious air around him as he extended his hand to her and welcomed her. Teresa couldn't help but smile. This man also had believed she was dead for years and now acted like seeing her was the most natural thing!

Avi led her through the back side where her luggage had been offloaded and was waiting for her. He didn't say much as they mounted in a black SUV, and he cleared the exit for 'Authorized Personnel Only'. Teresa saw armed soldiers several times inside the airport, and when she spotted military vehicles on the street, she couldn't help herself and inquired.

"This is just regular security", Avi said, briefly glancing at her: "Part of life here...we're in constant raised level of alert...an attack of any nature can happen at any time." He sounded calm as if he was telling her that heavy traffic was a daily occurrence in his city. The constant level of raised alert somehow brought Mexico in her mind, and she just closed her eyes for a moment.

The moment passed as Avi got on the highway and finally said: "I suspected James helped fake your death..."

"How?" Teresa got out of her trance.

"I...know what his special military skillset involves...and when I got all the details of your supposed demise...", he stopped himself short and looked at her again. Then continued speaking glancing at the road and back at Teresa. "I'd better tell you myself."

Teresa's forehead wrinkled in a surprised face she couldn't hide: "Tell me what?"

"How I know the details what went down in Belize back then." His voice was mysteriously lower but didn't show signs of anything else.