“Home, Kira. You’re going home. How long has it been since you’ve visited Moscow?”
“The last time I was there was during my training. I haven’t been back for a visit at all.”
“Wow…so, about twenty years, then? So much has changed over there since then. It’s not the same place you remember. You won’t believe the differences.”
Somehow, I doubt that. A new coat of paint only hides the repulsiveness underneath for so long. It’s bound to rear its ugly head soon after our plane touches down. I turn my head to look out the side window for a moment, hiding my true thoughts and feelings from him.
“And your plans for her?” I motion to the terrified child sitting beside me, so close that she’s almost in my lap while I’m driving.
“I have a question for you.”
“Okay.” My response is drawn out much longer than usual.
“Are you aware that Silas is in love with you?”
I can barely find my voice to reply. “He’s not in love with me. Our relationship is just…convenient.”
“You really don’t know, do you? I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you this instead of him, but you’re wrong about that. I’ve seen how he looks at you. I’ve watched you two together when neither of you knew I was there, following your every move. That day at the beach was hot as fuck, by the way. You’re in love with each other, but you’re both too proud or stubborn or both to say it.”
“You’re wrong, Viktor. We haven’t even known each other long enough to fall in love.”
He laughs at that. “Kira, tell me something. Who is this wise and all-knowing person who set a time limit on how long it takes for two people to fall in love? Did they share the rules of love with the rest of the world and get a stamp of approval before making up these ridiculous laws? No, my dear. The people who subscribe to that are sheep—blindly led off a cliff without asking a question. I’ve seen it happen myself with people I’ve respected. I was shocked, no doubt, but it was just as real as if they’d spent ten years dating first.”
“Why are you telling me all this? You’re suddenly a romantic?”
“Hell no, of course not. Don’t be ludicrous. I’m telling you this because your death will be much more poignant and impactful to Silas than anyone else in his life. Sure, he’d miss his brother and sister, but he’d move on. But I don’t think the man has ever been in love before. And after he loses you, he will never fall in love again.” His maniacal laugh sends shivers down my spine.
Part of the reason why he’s telling me all this is for psychological torture. If he can break me mentally, he’ll revel in that accomplishment more than my physical death. There’s a reason why the Academy strongly discourages getting attached to others in our line of work. They can and will be used as pawns against us, putting them in harm’s way and compromising us as both agents and informants.
Time to change the subject. I don’t want his focus on Silas.
“Everything you did pointed to the senator as the culprit. The leaked confidential documents, the human trafficking through a spa close to his home in Miami, even getting my handler to send me on that mission. That was you, wasn’t it?”
“It was, indeed.”
“You knew I needed a way in, and you volunteered. Didn’t they question why?”
“Of course. I told them I had my doubts about you and your dedication to the cause. One grain of doubt was all it took for the GRU to test you. But I’m the one who let you pass. When I went to the bar for your refill and you spiked my drink, I took the antidote the Academy made for our special compound. When I ‘passed out’ in the office, I wasn’t actually asleep. After that, Silas was attached to you like a tattoo, which made my job easier.”
“You resumed your brother’s business since you knew where Silas was at all times and that his attention was on me. You used me as a diversion.”
“I played you like a bass drum, girl. You fell in line perfectly. When you disappeared, that only affirmed my suspicions to the GRU. I know you’re in love with him the same as he is with you. When I turn you in, the general will take care of you, but Silas’s fate will be much worse. You’ll probably get a swift and painless execution. Silas will be put through the wringer by his government and publicly disgraced. Once the shitstorm dies down, the CIA will eliminate him and put him out of his misery, and the public will think he’s rotting in some federal prison.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out.”
“I’ve thought about my revenge for a very long time. You’re just the first woman Silas has ever shown any attachment to, outside of his family members.”
He tells me to pull into a parking garage, and we ditch Noah’s truck, forcing the little girl and me into another car nearby. I’m sure Noah has a state-of-the-art tracking system on all his vehicles, but we’ll be long gone by the time he gets here. With the barrel held flush against her back, I can’t fight back and risk him killing her. I know his training, and I’ve seen his kind too many times to count. He’ll do it in a heartbeat and never look back. Inside the car, we head in the opposite direction, almost doubling back to the area we just left.
He turns down a dead-end street then slows when we reach the water. We pull into the driveway for a private marina, and he opens the gate with a remote he retrieves from his pocket. Boats of all shapes and sizes fill the covered slips along the multiple docks. He forces us out and through the gate toward the ships.
“They’ll be watching the airports the most. Private boats leave the docks all the time without any paperwork or tracking at all. Pretty smart, huh?” He’s genuinely proud of himself.
“Brilliant.” My deadpan response is lost on him. He takes it as a compliment. His only answer is a huge smile, showing he’s very proud of himself. I have to physically restrain myself from rolling my eyes. The art of a sharp, sarcastic jab is lost on so many. “You never told me what you’re doing with her, though.”
He looks down at the little girl for a moment before replying. “I’ll give her to the program. The Academy will train her well. You were really too old when they took you—they’ve figured that out in the last twenty years. Younger is better. If she never knows a different life from the one that we teach her, she’ll never betray us like you did. Her mother died tragically, and her father was some low-life thug who traded drugs for sex with her mother. She’ll have a better life with the Academy than she would in the foster care system here.”
Over my dead body.
I don’t voice the words, because that outcome is inevitable, but I’ll find a way to get her out before they get their claws into her. She’s had enough pain and heartache already in her short life. That needs to end now. Viktor is obviously a sociopath who thinks he’s genuinely doing her a huge favor and saving her life with this option.
“Get in.” He waves the gun, motioning for us to climb onto the speed boat and into the cabin. He takes my phone from me and throws it overboard, smiling as he watches it sink in the salt water.
He locks the door, leaving us inside, and I immediately look for any communication devices. Marine radio, ham radio, satellite phone, flares, walkie-talkies, anything. But he’s thought of that ahead of time because the cabin has been stripped of all radios—even for music. The refrigerator is stocked with food and drinks, and there are clothes in the small closet that will fit me but not the child. Guess he didn’t account for every possibility after all.
When I look down at the little girl, her big blue eyes are wide, staring at all the food. That squeeze in my chest is my heart cracking in two for her.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I kneel down in front of her and brush her long blond hair from her face.
“Amber.”
“Hi, Amber. My name is Kira. Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat?”
She nods enthusiastically, so I start pulling out items out of the cupboard and refrigerator. With all the provisions he stocked in this cruiser, I wonder if
we’re sailing all the way to Moscow. I know better, but this is somewhat overkill considering what’s about to happen. Makes me wonder if this is his boat or if we’re just stealing someone else’s. Neither would surprise me at this point.
While Amber eats, I check every inch of the cabin, looking for anything to help us escape. Life vests, rope, a net bag, knives—I start making a small stockpile of anything useful I can find. I’ll only have one shot at this, so I have to make it the best I can. The windows have already been boarded up from the outside, so I can’t even get Amber out one of the small portholes. There’s only one way out—the locked door where Viktor is waiting on the other side.
It’s either pick the lock…or eat all the chocolate on the way to wherever he’s taking us. I hear the engines fire and feel the boat start to move out of the slip just as I being to work on the door.
“You’re very resourceful, Kira. But you’re not going anywhere. You don’t think I’ve already taken every precaution, knowing your abilities? I suggest you enjoy the time you have getting to know little Amber. We have a long night ahead of us. The bed in there is for you—I have my own out here.”
He’s watching me. Of course, there’s a camera in here. Secured door. Provisions. Bedroom. Bathroom. No way out.
We’re stuck inside here until we reach our destination.
Chapter 22
Silas—One Week Later
“Are you shitting me right now?” I’m about to crush this fucking phone in my hand. “You know I’m still working this case. You know what has happened here—you’ve been updated every fucking day. And I know you have because Shadow has been staying here with me, and he never stays here when he’s in town. He has his own place.”
I’m pacing back and forth, about to wear a hole in the marble floor of the foyer, arguing with my deputy director about his unreasonable demand.
“No, I’m not flying back to DC when he took her from here in Miami, and he could still have her here somewhere. If you want to see me in person, you can come down here. If I haven’t found her by the time you get here, I’ll gladly talk to you. But just so we’re clear, you are not my priority right now.” I end the call before I throw the phone against the wall in a fit of sheer rage.
“He wants you to fly to DC now, knowing what’s going on? What the hell, man?” Shadow stands beside me, regret etched in his face.
“Don’t even go there, Shadow. You were only doing your job by reporting the information back to them. I have nothing to hide. I blatantly kept her in the country past the two weeks he gave me. Then I brought her down here to catch the bastard. My eyes are wide open—I did all of that knowing the consequences I’d face because of my actions. And if you hadn’t done your job, you’d be in trouble now because of me.”
“Let me talk to the deputy director and tell him I have it under control. See if I can convince him to stay out of it for now and let me handle it.”
“He won’t, but I appreciate the offer. He’ll say we let Kira get away with Viktor and that it was her plan the entire time. Then he’ll say you and I look like dirty CIA officers now, so the whole agency looks bad.”
“You’re probably right.” Shadow runs his fingers through his hair, aggravated and irritated with the circumstances. “He should know us better than that by now, but he’d use that just to tear us a new asshole.”
“He’ll say what?”
Shadow and I whip around at the same time to face the angry voice demanding answers.
Oh shit.
“Elle.” The color drains from Shadow’s face, while Elle’s quickly fills with red-hot rage.
“The deputy director of the CIA will say you’re a dirty officer, Devon’ Shadow’ Kane? Is that what I just heard?”
Oh shit. She used his full name.
Shadow doesn’t answer right away, but his guilt-ridden expression says enough. “Let me explain, darlin’.”
“Don’t you dare ‘darlin” me right now. How long have you been back with the agency?” She folds her arms over her body and burns a hole through him with her eyes. “What the fuck, Devon? You never left, did you?”
“Elle, wait just a second before you fly off the handle and say something you’ll regret later.” He holds up his hands in mock surrender, trying to calm her down before it escalates out of control.
My opinion? Her temper is already out of control.
“Too late, Shadow. You’ve lied to me this whole time. I’ve always supported you and your career. I even waited months on end for you when you were undercover. But we’re married now. We’re building a home together, and I’d hoped one day soon we’d start our own family. But after everything we’ve endured, you decided you didn’t trust me enough to let me into your life fully. This secret isn’t like you spent too much money on your hobby, or, surprise, you came home with a brand-new motorcycle. You intentionally chose to leave me out of one of the biggest parts of your life, as if I’m not affected at all.”
“It’s not that I wanted to leave you out of anything. No officer can share what they do with their families. You’d have to be part of the operation or have a need to know—with security clearance—for me to tell you anything.”
“Don’t try to pull that agency bullshit with me. I’ve never expected you to tell me anything top-secret. But you could’ve told me you were working for them. As your wife, I have a right to know that. What if you were out on a mission and didn’t come home? Did you ever consider what that would do to me—not having a clue you were still in that line of work?”
Elle walks away and leaves Shadow with his head hanging low in shame. “She’s right. I tried to protect her from my life but only ended up shutting her out of it instead.”
“You should’ve known she’d support your decision to stay on the same as you’d support her if she decided she wanted back in front of the camera.”
“Is the world’s most eligible bachelor giving me relationship advice?”
A knock on the front door interrupts our conversation. Our eyes meet, and I know we have the same questions. Who’s here, and how did they get past Noah’s security gate?
When I open the door, I’m hardly surprised to find the deputy director standing on the doorstep.
“Graves. Come on in.” I step back and let him enter. “Brought your own equipment, I see.”
“Sure did. Don’t trust yours one bit. Where do you want to do this?”
I show him to Noah’s office and make room for the high-tech machine and brain scanner that will tell him if I’m lying.
“Have a seat, Steele. We’re going to settle this right now.”
“Fine by me. The quicker, the better.”
“Kane, you can leave now.” Graves arches his eyebrow at Shadow. Being the true friend he is, Shadow looks at me for confirmation before leaving us alone.
“It’s fine. Go take care of your business. Graves knows I can take him out with a snap of my fingers. He won’t try anything underhanded with me.”
Graves doesn’t crack a smile. Typical.
After he straps me in, measuring all my vitals along with my brain wave pattern, he pulls a large brown envelope from his briefcase. “I received some interesting documents in the mail today. It’s a full dossier on you, actually. I’m going to ask you questions about yourself, the work you’ve done with the Russians, and the black-market business you’ve set up here in Miami. I also have a few questions about your girlfriend.”
“The black-market business I’ve set up? What business would that be?”
“We’ll get to that.”
Over the next two hours, he grills me about every single encounter I’ve had with anyone of Russian nationality—whether they were an asset, a spy, or a dignitary. When he brought up Dmitri, the explanations were more complicated than a simple yes or no answer. I gave him more ammunition about our interactions, so we spent a good thirty minutes on my relationship with Dmitri and his wife.
“Are you in any way involved in a human traffic
king business operated anywhere in the world?” Just the mere accusation makes my blood boil, but I cool my jets before my temper sets off a false positive.
“No.”
“Did you assist in any way with setting up a human trafficking business here in Miami?”
“No.”
“Have you visited the spa where a suspected human trafficking ring conducted business?”
“Yes.”
I explain the nature of my visits and what occurred each time, including all the days and nights on stakeout time while we waited for someone to make a move. I even tell him about the little girl we rescued from that sick fucker and the bullet I put between his eyes on her behalf.
“Since you passed all the questions for that part, I’m going to tell you what the official documents I received from the Russian embassy contain. You’re not going to like it, Silas.”
“Go ahead. I need to know.”
“Through his work with the CIA and the network he has established in the numerous countries he has worked over his career, Silas Steele has created a virtually undetectable human trafficking ring. One of his main hubs is an unassuming day spa in Miami, Florida. We have a five-year-old girl currently in our custody who was a victim of Mr. Steele’s activities. Our agent, Kira Petrova, rescued her and fled the country, as she feared for their lives.
“Silas Steele, in conjunction with Senator Hunt, is passing top-secret information to North Korea regarding every government with which he has ties. The data to substantiate these claims can be found on Senator Hunt’s private server in his Miami home. Attached you will find copies of some of these documents, along with the IP address from where it originated and where it was ultimately transmitted.”
Graves hands the documents to me for review, but my dark chuckle holds anything but humor. “You know what’s really fucking funny about this? A week ago, Shadow received intel alleging Kira and Viktor Sokolov were in league together, and that she concocted this whole scheme about Senator Hunt selling secrets so her partner could finish his Miami human slave sale without me catching on.
BLURRED LINE Page 18