by S. E. Smith
Mak glanced sideways at Natasha before rising up out of his seat. “I have no problems killing a female who threatens to harm my mate or my people,” Mak growled out pulling one of his short swords out from under his coat.
*.*.*
Natasha shivered as Mak’s figure seemed to grow to a massive size. She stared in fear and fascination as his teeth began to elongate and his eyes lit with dark, silver flames. At that moment she was thankful she was on the same side as he was. She had no doubt in her mind that he would not hesitate for a second to kill her or anyone else that threatened Tansy.
The two men at the bar turned at the same time, guns drawn just as the two men at the table near the entrance rose. Natasha didn’t wait. She opened fire with the precision of an assassin killing the two men standing near the entrance. Mak moved with incredible speed, slicing through the two men at the bar even as Natasha turned to fire at the three men who were seated near the hallway. The men flipped over the table and began returning fire. Natasha kicked the chair out of her way, crouching down behind the table as holes opened up in the wall around her. She quickly inserted another clip into her pistol before rolling over to where the man who had acted like he was sleeping fired at one of the men trying to escape down the hallway. He struck him in the upper thigh before taking a bullet to his shoulder.
“Sacha!” Natasha called out frantically as she watched her long-time friend fall backwards.
“Just a flesh wound. Get the other two!” Sacha yelled out from behind a table.
Natasha rose up to fire at the remaining two men but it was unnecessary. Mak had already dispatched with the men and was wiping his bloody short sword clean on their coats. Natasha hurried over to Sacha to see how badly he was hurt.
“Find Tansy and Helene!” Natasha called out to Mak.
“You stupid old fool! You were only supposed to watch over them,” Natasha mumbled to Sacha as she helped him out of his jacket.
Sacha drew in a painful breath. “How could I not participate in some of the fun? You have to let an old man have fun sometime,” he grumbled.
“You and your idea of fun,” Natasha snorted as she pressed a handkerchief against the torn flesh.
Chapter 14
Tansy knew she was going to be followed. The woman at the bar had been a rookie. It would have been more believable if she hadn’t been wearing a pair of Manolo Blahnik boots in a run-down little pub like this. She needed information and the pretty blonde was going to give it to her one way or another. Tansy was getting really tired of people chasing and shooting at her.
Tansy waited right inside the door. She leaned back against the wall and rolled her shoulders while she waited for the woman to enter. She almost rolled her eyes at how fast the woman followed.
Rookies, Tansy sighed. She hated killing them but they only got better if you let them live. Unless this one convinced her differently, she wouldn’t see another birthday.
Tansy reached out grabbing the woman’s arm that was pressed against the door as she pushed it open while wrapping her hand around the other one. She didn’t wait to give the woman time to recover from her surprise. She pulled her around and shoved her face first into the wall hard enough to grimace when the blonde’s face smacked the hard wall with a noticeable crunch.
Well, she could always have more cosmetic surgery if I let her live, Tansy thought in disgust.
Tansy pulled the woman’s arm up behind her back at a painful level forcing the knife in her hand to drop to the floor. Tansy used one leg to force the woman’s legs apart effectively immobilizing her.
“Who are you working for?” Tansy asked as she bent one of the blonde’s fingers back. “Answer my questions the first time I ask and I won’t break any bones. You don’t answer or give me a bullshit answer and I’ll start breaking every bone in your body one at a time.”
The woman moaned softly but nodded her head up and down once to let Tansy know she would cooperate. “Avilov,” she gasped. “Boris Avilov sent me.”
“How many?” Tansy asked as she applied a little more pressure to the arm when the woman shifted slightly.
“The... the ones in the bar,” the woman gasped before continuing. “Except for the barkeeper and the old man. There are three more outside.”
“How did they know I was going to be here?” Tansy asked through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know,” the woman cried out as the pressure on her finger increased. “I swear! I don’t know. I was just told to come here, capture you, and bring you back to him alive. If I don’t, Avilov will kill me. He told us not to return unless we brought you with us.”
Tansy worried about Natasha and Helene now. This is why she was better off alone. Then, she only had to focus on her own back. She personally didn’t like to kill. She only took a life if she didn’t have a choice or the person threatened the welfare of humanity. She didn’t believe in playing God but she did believe that some people were too evil to let live. Roberto San Juan and Boris Avilov were just two of those people.
“You have a choice…,” Tansy started to say when gunfire erupted in the bar.
Tansy cursed when the woman threw her head back. She barely had time to jerk away. Even so, the woman’s head connected enough of a blow to her chin she saw stars. Tansy reacted out of instinct bending down low and kicking out a leg to try to sweep the woman’s legs out from under her but her adversary proved to be a little more skilled than she anticipated.
Tansy felt the blow to her chest as one of those expensive Manolo Blahnik boots connected with her stomach knocking her back into the sink. She twisted as the woman kicked out again, ducking under the outstretched leg and ramming her fist up into the woman’s thigh forcing her to back away.
“You stupid bitch,” the woman said with an ugly smile as she jerked back and pulled out another knife. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”
“I may be stupid but you are the one with the broken nose, sweetheart,” Tansy said spreading her hands out in front of her. “I don’t suppose you heard about the warehouse or the farmhouse for that matter or you wouldn’t be feeling so confident right now,” she added with a grin.
“Do you think I give a damn about them?” The woman scoffed as she moved closer to Tansy and took a swipe. “Avilov wants you back. He does not like it when someone steals from him. Where is the information you took?”
“Oh, it’s in the hands of about a hundred people by now,” Tansy goaded. “And not the politicians in Avilov’s pocket.”
“He is going to enjoy killing you slowly,” the blonde smirked as she wiped her hand across her mouth smearing blood from her broken nose. “I will enjoy watching.”
Tansy shook her head sadly looking at the blonde in front of her. “I really wish you hadn’t said that,” Tansy said softly. “I really do.”
Tansy rushed the blonde, gripping the outstretched arm holding the knife and rolling her back into the blonde’s body so she could push her up against the wall. At the same time they hit the wall the door opened knocking into both of them. Tansy twisted around letting the momentum carry the knife still gripped tightly in the blonde’s fist between them. The blonde’s eyes opened wide as the knife embedded deeply into her stomach.
*.*.*
“Tansy,” Helene said breathlessly as she almost fell over her.
Tansy released the blonde whose eyes were already fading. She stepped back letting the body fall to the dirty floor of the bathroom. She fought the bile that rose in her throat. It happened every time she took a life. It was only a matter of time before it was her body on the floor in some dirty, forgotten cesspool somewhere on Earth. She clenched her fists tightly and breathed through her mouth so she didn’t have to smell the death mixed in with the urine.
“Come my friend, the men outside are dead,” Helene said gently touching Tansy’s arm.
“When does it end?” Tansy whispered sadly before pulling away.
“Never as long as mankind lives. There wil
l always be those who prey among those weaker than they are and there will always be those of us who will stand up and fight to protect them. It is our blessing and our curse to care for things to be different,” Helene said quietly as she wrapped her arm around Tansy’s shoulders. “You have not recovered from your wounds. Come, we must leave.”
Are you hurt? Mak’s voice brushed across her mind.
No, Tansy answered soberly before erecting a wall to keep him out.
She wasn’t hurt physically but she felt like she had lost a little more of her soul tonight. She also accepted that this would be her last assignment. She knew deep down it would be. Watching the blonde as her life faded away was almost like an omen. Tansy could almost see her own body being the one with the knife sticking out of it. She could not let her feelings for Mak go any further. It was time to make sure he returned to his world. She would close down the portal than finish this once and for all.
Tansy shrugged off Helene’s arm and gave her a stiff nod before she calmly pulled her pistol out and checked it. She opened the door to find Mak towering outside with a forbidding frown on his face. She pushed past him, ignoring his soft growl of displeasure.
“There are more men outside,” Tansy said calmly, walking back into the blood-soaked bar. “If the blonde was telling the truth there should be at least three more waiting for us. I am sure they have the exits covered and would have heard the gunfire.”
Natasha looked up from where she was sitting next to the old man who had been sleeping at the table next to them earlier. He had a bloody bandage pressed against one shoulder. The barkeeper was sitting in the chair across from him pouring him some vodka into a small glass.
“We will not have long once they realize we are not the ones dead,” Nastasha said responding to Tansy’s statement. “Cosmos secured a jet for us at the Bykovo airport. What do you suggest we do to get out of here without getting killed?”
“I’ll go out first,” Tansy said in a voice devoid of emotion. “They want me. I think it is time to give them what they want. I surrender, they take me to Avilov, and I kill him. I want you and Helene to take Mak back. You need to find Cosmos and have him send him home. It would be best if you both stay under the radar until this is over.”
“No!” Mak ground out harshly turning Tansy around to face him. “You will not give yourself to them. They plan to kill you.”
Tansy pulled away and raised her gun, pointing it at him. “I know exactly what they plan. I told you before, I’m better off alone,” Tansy said moving backwards toward the entrance. “Don’t think I won’t shoot your huge ass. If it is the only way I can keep you alive, I’ll do it.”
Mak froze. “You do not have to do this,” he said quietly. The flames in his dark, silver eyes burned with cold anger. “I can move faster than they can see, especially at night. I can see better at night, as well. I will find them and eliminate the threat. We will all go to the transport Cosmos sent together.”
“No,” Tansy said softly shaking her head as she continued to back up. “This needs to end. My identity has been compromised. They know who I am. They will keep searching for me until they find me. In the meantime, they will use my family and friends as a weapon against me. I’ve sent the information I stole to multiple people, including my handler. It's time to end this. Go home, Mak. You should never have come in the first place,” she said quietly before she turned toward the door and moved rapidly in an effort to get through it before she had to follow through with her threat to shoot him.
Mak sprinted after her the moment she turned, determined to stop her foolhardy plan. He refused to let anyone harm her. She did not understand either way would be death to both of them now. He had claimed her as his. She bore his mark. She belonged to him and he would do anything to keep her safe.
He caught her just as she was about to pull the door to the bar open. Catching her arm as it swung around, he wrapped one hand around her wrist and applied pressure while his other hand moved up to her exposed throat. He did not give her a chance to argue. He gripped her throat and applied pressure there as well. He saw her eyes widen in comprehension right before they rolled back in her head as she collapsed unconscious in his arms.
Chapter 15
Tansy groaned silently as she slowly came to. Her head ached and her throat felt swollen and bruised. The constant fatigue still gripped her but at least she wasn’t cold. She struggled to make her foggy brain analyze the sounds around her. She could feel a strange vibration underneath her, she was lying down, her head was on a soft pillow and her feet were…
Tansy’s eyes popped open at the same time as a curse burst from her lips. She was going to castrate a huge ass alien male! She was going to… All thought deserted her as said big ass alien male began massaging her foot in his big ass calloused hands. The curse turned into a moan of pure pleasure.
“I’m working really hard at being mad at you right now,” she said huskily.
“I am working very hard right now at changing your mind about castrating me,” Mak responded with a small smile as he continued to massaging the arch of her left foot.
“You are doing a good job,” she said honestly. Another soft moan escaped her as he applied just a touch more pressure. “So, do you often strangle the women you are with or was I just a special case?” She asked in a husky voice.
“You left me little choice. I could tell you meant it when you said you would shoot me,” Mak chuckled. “I was not looking forward to that. It was much easier to render you unconscious until I could safely remove you.”
She turned her head and looked at the luxurious interior of the jet. “What happened while I was out?” She asked.
Mak leaned back, picking up her other foot. “I went out the back door. The barkeeper turned off all the lights around the bar. Even with the item you call night vision goggles they were not able to keep up with me. I took out the three men who were waiting outside in a matter of minutes. Natasha and Helene borrowed a vehicle from the barkeeper’s son not trusting their transport might have been compromised. We drove to Bykovo where Cosmos had this transport ready,” Mak explained as he worked his way up to her calf.
“How did they know where we were? The men who were there?” She asked as she felt her muscles turning to mush under his expert touch. “They were waiting for us.”
“Helene’s communication device was compromised,” Mak said with a grimace. “She was very upset about it. That is why she had the old male called Sacha and the barkeeper there to help us until they arrived. They were detained when their vehicle exploded as they approached it outside their headquarters. Natasha was wounded and needed medical attention.”
Tansy tried to sit up in concern but Mak pushed her back. “How bad was it? Why in the hell didn’t they just disappear? Where are they now?”
“We are here,” Natasha said coming from the front of the jet. “It was not that bad. I was more upset that Helene’s car that she loved so much was destroyed. She had her favorite stuff animal hanging from the mirror.”
“You should have taken off and disappeared for a while,” Tansy bit out with a worried frown.
“We have disappeared. Everyone thinks we are dead except for our family which we notified through a secured line. They knew this might occur. Cosmos set up extra security for my parents and brothers. We are used to living our lives like this since my mother and brothers were kidnapped,” Natasha said setting a tray of food down on a low table bolted to the floor. “You need to eat. We have a long trip ahead of us. We will be traveling to England, then France before making the journey across to the States.”
Tansy reluctantly pulled her feet off of Mak’s lap and sat up. She rubbed her hand over her throat and scowled at Mak before taking the offered cup of coffee from Natasha. She took a sip of the coffee before setting it down and turning to look at him.
“You were in my head again,” she mumbled out. “I told you to stay out of it.”
“I could no more stay out of
your head than you can stay out of mine. Besides, the image of what you wanted to do to me before you open your eyes was very vivid. It would have been difficult for me to ignore it,” Mak said picking up the plate Natasha had uncovered and placing it in Tansy’s hands.
“What was she thinking?” Natasha asked curiously.
“Only that I was going to castrate him for knocking me out,” Tansy mumbled again but this time it was because her mouth was full of food. “You ever do that again and I won’t just be thinking it,” she added pointing her fork at him.
Natasha stood up with a wince and chuckled. “I think I will leave you to each other. You are well suited. Both hot-headed and dangerous,” Natasha added as she smiled down at Tansy who was eating like it was the first meal she had eaten in a year. “I am glad he is on our side.”
*.*.*
The trip took almost seventy-two hours. Cosmos, or more than likely RITA, had smoothed the paper path for them. A complete packet of documents including passports, money, and all government required identification were on board the jet when they arrived. Tansy was now the arm-candy to Mak’s elusive Ukranian millionaire businessman. Natasha and Helene were his secretary and personal assistant according to the documents. The deception was sealed by the time they reached Paris with a bogus corporation and history established.
Tansy had never thought before about all the money Cosmos had as he never acted like it was a big deal. But for him to be able to do the things he did in such a short time showed he was more than just an absent-minded scientist. Cosmos had a full team of experts meet them at Charles de Gualle airport in Paris where they were transferred to a Boeing 757 with a full staff. In addition, his most trusted security team was aboard. They included a wide variety of expertise. A tailor and team of seamstresses measured all of them before they even took off before disappearing until about two hours ago when they brought in the dress, as well as, several suitcases full of other items. She, Mak, Helene and Natasha met with the security team made up of ex-CIA, marines, and mercenaries. They had hashed through several plans before deciding because of Mak’s size, and the impossible task of making him blend in completely, they would use his size to play down Tansy. None of them said a word about the fact they couldn’t understand a word he said, or his burning silver eyes, or anything else. Either they were used to the unusual or Cosmos had given them just enough information to distract them from the truth.