Why in God’s name hadn’t he been brave enough to tell her how much she meant to him when they were last together? Had she been able to feel his love for her as he showed it with his hands, his mouth, his body? Three simple words would’ve ensured she’d know the depth of his feelings for her. Why hadn’t it been so simple then?
If, by the grace of God, he held her in his arms in the next few hours, they would be the very first words he’d utter.
21
“Go with Aleksei,” Orlov said two hours later when he, once again, unlocked the door of the room where Merrigan was being held captive.
“Sergei?” she whispered.
“What is it?”
“Be careful.”
He closed his eyes for just a moment, and when he opened them, she knew. Sergei had loved her all those years ago, and loved her still.
“Godspeed, Fatale,” he murmured, cupping her cheek briefly before he walked out of the room.
The man Orlov referred to as “Aleksei” waited outside the door until he was certain Sergei was gone, and then he came in.
“Bring me up to speed, Shiv.”
The MI6 operative who had successfully infiltrated Orlov’s team gave her a rundown of what he knew of Sergei’s plan. Everything Shiv told her confirmed what Sergei himself had said. His intention was to intercept Animus while relying on K19 to keep UR at bay long enough that he could get his hands on the documents she was delivering.
“And then he’ll kill her,” she added.
“She isn’t traveling alone. She’s being escorted in by one of UR’s best.”
“Who?”
“Raketa Ivashov.”
Shite. “And me?”
“Orlov has not given an order where you’re concerned.”
“My family?”
“As difficult as it is for anyone who knows him to believe, I am convinced Orlov’s intention is to keep them safe.”
Praying Shiv was right, at least for the time being, Merrigan was ready to put her own plan together.
“K19 should be on the ground now,” Shiv told her.
Merrigan nodded, part of her wishing they weren’t. There were too many players and too many moving parts to keep track of.
She needed to focus on one goal only: to be the first to find Animus and kill her and Ivashov before they killed her. From there, she’d make her own deal with United Russia. In exchange for turning over everything Calder had on them, she, the rest of the MI6 team, and K19 would walk away unscathed.
That left only Orlov. Merrigan knew Shiv’s plan was to take him out too, unless UR did it first. It was something she had to accept. In the end, it would be either her or him. If allowed to live, he’d never forgive her for this second betrayal. He’d kill her first and then ensure everyone she cared about was taken out as well, not just her family, but Doc Butler too.
“Ready?” asked Shiv, handing her a gun and leading her out of the room and down the stone corridor.
“One last thing. Who the hell is Animus?”
—:—
Kade, Razor, and Paps had just entered the tunnels when they heard a shot fired.
“I’ll take this one,” Kade yelled. “You two go that way.”
Razor and Pap ran down the right corridor while Kade ran to the left. He’d memorized the layout of the castle’s tunnels and knew both of the main corridors led to the dungeon where Shiv reported Merrigan was being held.
They’d agreed that rescuing her was their primary mission, leaving the MI6 team to deal with Orlov, Animus, and United Russia.
Rescue. He prayed that’s what they’d be doing in a few minutes. Kade couldn’t let himself think about the one shot they’d heard. He couldn’t accept that single gunshot meant anything. Shiver was with her, wasn’t he? Wouldn’t that mean that if, God forbid, Animus, Raketa, or anyone else had fired, Shiv would’ve fired back? He told himself that lack of additional rounds had to be a good thing.
Kade rounded each curve in the tunnel with expedient caution, wishing they’d been able to figure out how to give Shiver ears so he could at least tell them what was happening even if they couldn’t tell him they were on their way in.
The corridor he was in dead-ended with options to go right or left. He didn’t remember this from the map, but his instincts told him taking the right option would lead him to the dungeon.
—:—
Merrigan and Shiv went dead silent when they heard the single shot fired. Given there wasn’t anywhere close for them to hide, they stood in place, waiting until they heard something else—anything else.
“Let’s go,” Shiver whispered after a few minutes passed.
Merrigan nodded, wanting to be out of these corridors where anyone could corner them.
When they heard footsteps, a few minutes later, they both froze, leveling their guns before Shiver took two tentative steps forward and she went to the right. From that vantage, she’d see whoever it was first, and could get the first shot off. Shiv would then immediately fire the second at closer range.
They both heard the quiet, slow tapping of a foot and lowered their guns just as Paps and Razor rounded the corner.
Paps mouthed, “Shot?”
“We heard it too,” whispered Merrigan, motioning to a different corridor with her head.
Paps nodded, going first. She followed with Shiv and Razor behind her. Slowly they made their way, hesitating with each turn, four guns leveled.
“Shit,” gasped Paps when they saw the body. He moved forward and carefully rolled the woman while the other three covered him.
He felt for a pulse and nodded. “Raketa,” he whispered, and then began examining her body for the wound.
Merrigan knew the minute he found where the bullet hit, and then watched as he looked for an exit wound, shaking his head moments later.
Raketa was still alive, which meant the bullet had either grazed her skull, or was still lodged in her brain. If it was the latter, the chance she’d survive was slim. Without immediate medical attention, however, it would be certain.
Before Paps could move her, Raketa’s eyes fluttered open.
“Fuck,” they heard her mutter, trying to sit up.
“Stay still,” Paps whispered, motioning for them to go ahead.
“Animus,” she groaned, pointing in the opposite direction from where Merrigan, Shiv, and Razor were headed.
If it were solely up to her, she wouldn’t trust Raketa, but it wasn’t, and Razor and Shiv appeared to be contemplating which way to go.
“Let’s split up,” Razor suggested. He went in the original direction while she and Shiv went where Raketa pointed.
“Go,” she heard Raketa say to Paps, but he shook his head.
He looked conflicted, but there wasn’t a single one of them who could stand by and watch someone die.
“Do what you think is best,” Merrigan said before following Shiv.
When another corridor dead-ended, they split up. Merrigan went right; Shiv went the other way. At this point, they just needed to find Animus and neutralize her. They knew she had no backup, so it wasn’t as though they’d be outnumbered, unless of course, UR had found her and were looking for Merrigan to fulfill their side of the agreement.
Razor had told them Kade was somewhere below ground too, and where Orlov was, was anyone’s guess. The entire dungeon level was a potential minefield.
Merrigan could hear footsteps not far from where she was. Like before, it could be anyone, and without backup, she had no choice but to proceed with caution. She scooted tight against the wall, gun leveled, until she could see around the corner, and was about to proceed when she heard a voice say, “Just the person I’m looking for.”
When Merrigan spun around, Lena was standing in front of her, holding the same gun she’d probably shot Raketa with.
“You’re Animus?” she gasped.
“That’s right,” said the last woman she expected to see pointing a gun at her. “You all underestimated me, even th
e Russians.”
Lena looked very pleased with herself, but there was something else Merrigan saw. Looking into the woman’s eyes, she could tell she was operating on pure adrenaline, but worse, she saw madness.
“You don’t have to do this,” she began. “If it’s Kade you want, you’ve got him. He and I have nothing—”
“Shut up,” Lena shouted at her. “Don’t talk to me about Kade. I’ve loved him my whole life, and he loves me. He always has. I don’t need you to give him up.”
“Then what is it you want?” Merrigan kept talking, hoping someone would hear them and give her backup.
“I don’t ever want to see your face again.”
From where she stood, Merrigan could see the hammer of the gun was cocked, and the safety was off. If Lena got the shot off, it would be a tossup as to whether she could as well.
Before either could do anything, she heard Kade’s voice from behind her.
“Don’t do it, Lena. Put the gun down, now.”
“Her gun is pointed at me, why aren’t you telling her to put the gun down?”
Merrigan lowered it without him needing to ask.
“What are you doing?” Kade said in a soft voice as he rounded slowly past Merrigan toward his ex-wife. Instead of soothing her, though, Lena leveled her gun at him.
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned. “Not another step.”
Kade froze and held one hand up while the other still held his gun. Merrigan raised hers again as well.
“This isn’t going to end well for you, Lena, unless you give up your gun and take a walk with me.”
When Lena closed her eyes momentarily, Merrigan knew she was about to fire. Before she could get a shot off, Lena did, and Kade fell to the ground.
“Freeze!”
Merrigan could feel the person step up behind her and knew Paps had a gun too, also leveled at Lena.
“Don’t do this, Lena. If you think I won’t shoot, you’re wrong.”
Lena’s eyes darted between Merrigan, Paps, and Kade, who was on the ground, holding his leg, his gun still pointed at her.
Lena took another deep breath and closed her eyes. Before she could get the second shot off, Merrigan heard the ptew of a gun being fired over her shoulder and watched Lena crumble to the ground.
Paps raced around her and caught the woman in his arms before her head hit the concrete, but there was no question she was dead; he’d hit her square in the chest with a .45. No one could survive a shot like that.
Merrigan ran to where Kade sat, holding his leg. “What can I do?” she asked.
“Didn’t hit the femoral artery, so I’ll live,” he said, looking over at Paps and Lena.
“Goddammit,” they heard him cry over and over again, still holding Lena is his arms.
“Paps,” yelled Kade. “Listen to me, we need to get out of here, and I need your help.”
It took a couple of seconds, but Paps eyes focused on Kade’s at almost the same time Razor and Shiv rounded the corner.
“Shit!” Razor yelled when he saw Lena first and then Kade holding his leg.
“Raketa?” Paps asked him.
“UR has her,” he answered, but then looked at Merrigan. “They got Orlov too.”
“Is he…”
“Between the eyes.”
The familiar pang hit her square in the chest even knowing he’d done it to himself by making the choice to do what he did for a living. Thinking any of them could come out of this unscathed, would’ve been naive, and that’s the last thing she was.
“My family?” she said to Shiver.
“Rivet’s got them.” He looked at his watch. “Should be safely ensconced in London by now.”
“Thank God,” she murmured, closing her eyes and imagining the sweet faces of her nieces and nephew. If anything had happened to them, she doubted she would ever forgive herself.
“You steady?” Razor asked as he helped Kade up. “Can you make it outta here?”
Kade didn’t answer, but he appeared to be moving fine.
“Come here,” he said to Merrigan, motioning for her to come closer.
He pushed Razor away when she was close enough to walk into his open arms.
“I promised myself that this would be the first thing I said to you today.” He looked into her eyes. “I love you, Merrigan. I don’t want another minute to pass without you knowing I do.”
“I love you, Kade,” she whispered right before he covered her mouth with his.
22
“How are you holding up?” Kade asked Paps while they waited for the various intelligence agencies to clean up the mess they’d made this afternoon.
“I cared about her,” he answered. “It fucking kills me that I had to be the one.”
“I know.” Kade rested his hand on Paps’ shoulder. “I don’t know if I could’ve done it if I thought about it.”
“That’s what we’re trained for, Doc. Don’t think, just kill.”
That wasn’t all they were trained for, but Paps didn’t need a dressing down from him now, all he needed was for his friend to listen. Every single kill was tragic; each one took a little bit more of the shooter’s soul, even if it was kill or be killed.
Kade longed to leave the grounds of Brodick Castle and bask in the goodness he knew lived inside of the woman he loved, but she was gone. Shiver had whisked her out of there, presumably headed to London so she could see her brother and his family. The goodbye they said to one another was fleeting, neither knowing when they’d see each other again, only that it had to be soon.
The evidence against United Russia that Calder had held onto all those years was in their hands now, but no one in Russia’s FSB would be naive enough to think there wasn’t another copy.
While no formal agreement had been made, UR would leave Scotland knowing that both the CIA and MI6 continued to hold something potentially devastating to Russia’s current ruling political party.
At some point, the bureaucrats would make it official, but for now, Kade knew he could rest assured there was no longer imminent danger hovering over his family.
Soon, he’d have to call Leech and tell him Lena was dead. Regardless of what she’d done, she was still his daughter. He would be understandably heartbroken, which left Kade feeling that way too.
“Let me do it,” said Paps.
“Call Leech?”
“Yeah,” he answered, nodding.
“You don’t have to, I’ll—”
“I want to, Doc. More, I need to.”
“Understood.”
That left Quinn, and Kade had to be the one to tell his daughter that her mother was dead. That wasn’t something anyone but him should do.
The call could wait, though, until he was alone in his hotel room, and then, he’d make it a video call. Not knowing when he’d be back in the States, it was something he couldn’t put off.
“Chopper’s on its way,” Razor said to both him and Paps. “Taking us to London for the night.”
Kade nodded, hoping that meant he would have the chance to see Merrigan, even if only for a little while.
—:—
“They’re at Vauxhall Cross,” Shiv told her.
Merrigan nodded. “I’ll just…”
Shiver folded his arms. “I’ll just taxi you over.” He smiled.
“That would be great. Thanks, Shiv.”
God, what was she going to say to them? Sorry, I almost got you killed, but it was nice seeing you again. Maybe they wouldn’t even want to see her. They could return to their simple life on the Isle of Arran, back to the precious little stone cottage she assumed they lived in, and do their best to forget their Aunt Merrigan even existed.
She turned and looked at Shiv as he maneuvered the car closer to MI6 headquarters. “Maybe they won’t want to see me.”
He smiled. “They’ve been asking for you.”
“Who has?”
“All of them according to Rivet, but the little ones have been relentless.�
��
“Why?” she asked reflexively.
Shiver smiled. “Because you’re a delightful human being.”
“Rubbish,” she said, laughing.
Regularly facing down criminals who wanted to kill her didn’t make Merrigan as nervous as she was in anticipation of facing her brother. If she were him, she’d banish herself from their lives forever, and maybe that was what he planned to do.
“Stop it,” Shiv said as he held her car door open. “You look scared to death, and I can speak from experience in saying that will not endear you to children.”
“Thank you for the ride,” she said as she entered the lift and pressed the seventeenth floor button.
“It’ll be brilliant,” he said as the door closed.
Wiping her sweaty hands on her pants, Merrigan took a deep breath in, and then blew it out slowly, willing the lift to slow down.
On the walk to Rivet’s office, she felt the same way she would if she were about to be reprimanded.
“Merrigan!” her brother shouted when she opened the door, running over to hug her. “I was so worried.”
“Merrigan, Merrigan, Merrigan!” the little ones chorused after their father, and then ran to put their arms around her legs. When she caught her sister-in-law’s eyes, she saw tears, but she was also smiling.
“We’re so glad you’re safe,” said Mary Pat. “That’s Auntie Merrigan,” she playfully scolded her children.
“Where are you staying?” she asked once the raucous had settled.
Mac shrugged. “We didn’t get that far.”
“I have a flat here in London.”
“We wouldn’t want to impose,” said her brother’s wife.
“No imposition whatsoever. I do have a guest room, although you’d be the first to sleep in the bed. The kids can take my room if that works.”
“The kids can sleep with us or whatever other accommodations we can patch together. They’re not taking your bed,” said Mac. Her brother put his arm around her and brought her closer to him. “We were worried,” he murmured.
Merrigan didn’t know what to say. The events of the past week weren’t much different than what she’d experienced on any other mission. Only that he had an inkling of the danger she faced made it unique.
The Return (Butler Ranch Book 6) Page 19