Sergei smirked and dropped it into her hand.
“Valya,” Nikolai said, using the nickname reserved for only those closest to her. “What is this I'm hearing about you refusing treatment? How badly are you injured?”
Dammit. She couldn't lie to him. Glaring at Sergei, she admitted, “Sergei is correct. The injury was serious, but I am healing. Additional treatments are not necessary. I can return to the surface tonight.”
“No,” he ordered. “I will arrange to have a new commlink sent to you. Sergei has assured me they have state-of-the-art medical facilities in the towers. You will not return until you are completely healed.”
Her jaw clenched, but she couldn't dispute his orders. “Very well.”
“I need you to assess the situation while you are there. Given what happened with Pavel and Sofia, I have concerns about this alliance and our people. You will let me know if Sergei is unable to hold command.”
She swallowed, not willing to risk glancing at Sergei again. “I understand.”
“Good,” he replied. “Be well, Valya, and return to me soon. You're missed.”
Valentina ended the transmission and handed the commlink back to Sergei, doing her best to ignore the uneasy feeling in her stomach. Nikolai knew that of all the people she'd ever been asked to investigate, Sergei was the one person she wanted to avoid, and she suspected that's why he was now demanding she do so. Sergei wouldn't allow anyone other than her to get close enough to find out the extent of any problems—or even if his loyalty still lay with the Coalition. She'd heard rumblings from their people about the amount of time Sergei had spent with these Omnis and how his sympathies had possibly even fallen in line with the towers.
Sergei pocketed the commlink. “He's ordered you to remain here?”
“Yes,” she snapped, irritated by his meddling.
It was his fault for putting her in the position to spy on him. Though, it might be for the best. She would at least give Sergei a fair assessment, which was more than what he might get if the assignment had been given to someone else. Sergei had never been particularly good at making friends. He had too many enemies and too many people envious of his command.
“If you're going to remain here, I have plenty of room in my quarters. You can have one of the guest rooms,” Lars suggested, taking a step forward. “You'll be more comfortable there instead of staying in the medical center. It's the least I can do for the woman who helped save Ariana.”
Sergei stiffened. Valentina glanced at him, somewhat amused. He didn't appear to like the idea of her staying with Lars. Good. She always got perverse pleasure out of annoying him.
Valentina smiled at Lars. “That's a very generous offer. I would be honored to accept and stay in your quarters with you.”
Sergei glared at her, but she simply smiled sweetly at him.
Oh, Seryozha, you have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into.
Chapter Two
Valentina walked down the hall, escorted by Sergei and Lars. Apparently, Sergei wasn't willing to let her out of his sight just yet. She had mixed feelings about this—she needed to get close to him, but she needed some time to mentally prepare herself. He was a little too good at reading her.
Since her visit to the towers hadn't been planned, Brant had offered to make arrangements to have some clothing brought to her. She was still wearing her uniform, complete with blood stains. Judging by a few of the shocked and horrified looks from other tower residents, they were more than a little sheltered. Besides, she intended to learn as much about these people as possible while she was here, so blending in with the natives would only help to expedite her investigation.
Lars placed his palm on a panel by a large ornate door, which enabled it to slide open. “I'll arrange to have your biometrics added to my quarters so you can come and go as needed.”
Valentina nodded. That would make things a bit easier, but it wouldn't have stopped her even if he hadn't offered. She'd already reviewed some of the security schematics from their original infiltration of the towers. She’d have to familiarize herself with them again once she received her new commlink.
She stepped inside, immediately taking note of the strange and elaborate furnishings. These Omnis didn't know how to utilize functionality over aesthetics. There were dozens of places to hide and more potential weapons than she had imagined. Any of these items—vases, glass, metal rods—could all be used to inflict serious damage.
Lars led her down a hallway past several other empty rooms and opened the door to one of them. “You can use this room while you're here. I'm a bit farther down the hall, so you'll have plenty of privacy.”
The bedroom was much larger than the suite of rooms she shared with Nikolai. Once again, the furnishings were elaborate, with a large wooden bed that could easily sleep four people, a dresser, and a desk complete with wall monitors. But it was the ceiling that immediately caught Valentina’s attention and held her interest. It was a simulated design depicting the sky outside the towers. Right now, it was darkened with a scattering of stars against the night sky.
“You can turn it off if it disturbs you,” he explained, directing her to the controls and showing how they were touch and audio enabled.
She pressed one of the buttons and cycled through the images, enabling the display on the ceiling and walls. With one touch, a wall shifted and became a lush forest. A rich canopy of leaves and branches spread overhead with a smattering of sunlight trickling through. She pressed it again, and the image changed to a beach scene, complete with accompanying audio of crashing waves. She pushed another control and it shifted yet again to a remote, snowy mountaintop. The panel made several recommendations on temperature adjustments and wind speed to maximize the realism of the simulation.
“How many are there?” she asked in wonder, pressing it yet again to see a desert scene. She could easily spend hours staring at the different images without growing bored.
“I'm not sure,” Lars admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully while he studied the latest image. “At least several dozen. I had a few favorites when I was younger, but it was mainly set to the sky. These are installed in most of the bedrooms in this part of the towers.”
Valentina pressed the button to reset it to its default and turned around to find Sergei watching her intently with an amused smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him, wanting to wipe the look from his face. Part of her was tempted to throw her blade at him to see if he could still move as fast as he used to. His smile deepened as though guessing her thoughts.
She turned away, prowling around the room, and inspected the rest of the furnishings. “You live alone?”
“Yes,” Lars replied. “You won't be disturbed if you wish to explore.”
She nodded. It helped that Lars had lived with them for some time. Certain boundaries would be respected without causing offense.
“I'll warn you against exploring the rest of the towers though,” Lars informed her, clasping his hands behind his back. “We can set up a profile with our security officers to allow you to move freely throughout the public areas of both towers, but the Inner Sanctum is much more heavily monitored. You should have an escort so you can avoid any unnecessary questions once you leave my quarters.”
Pretending to study a small painting on the wall, she glanced at Sergei out of the corner of her eye. He inclined his head a fraction, enough to let her know he'd already discovered a workaround. Good. That would make things easier.
“You have a beautiful home, Lars.” She ran her finger over the frame of the forest painting. “It's kind of you to allow me to stay with you.”
“It's my pleasure. I owe Sergei and your people a great deal,” Lars replied, walking over to open the adjacent bathroom door. “This bedroom is fairly private, but it’s close to the common room. I can let you know when Brant arrives. In the meantime, feel free to help yourself to whatever you find. There's food in the kitchen area, and my private rooms are down the hall. I'll let
you get some rest or explore, whichever you prefer. Please let me know if you need anything.”
When she nodded, Lars turned and started to leave the room. Stopping in the doorway, he looked expectantly at Sergei, who was still leaning against the wall watching her.
Sergei waved him away. “I'll be with you in a moment, Lars.”
Valentina didn't bother to hide her irritation. As soon as the door closed behind Lars, she tensed, wanting to draw the blade at her back but not willing to make the first move until she was sure of Sergei's intent. Knowing him, it could go either way.
Sergei pushed away from the wall. “Is Nikolai sending over a commlink?”
“Yes. It will probably be delivered tomorrow,” she said, relaxing a fraction. He wanted to talk business. “How is security?”
“Better than our initial reports,” he admitted, crossing the length of the room toward her. “You can move throughout this area, but you'll require a cloned keycard. I'll upload copies of the floorplans to you once you receive the commlink. Certain areas are completely restricted, and I'm still working on circumventing their security.”
She tilted her head to study him. He'd never been one to overly dramatize the situation. If he said it was good, it was probably better than that. “You have a list of areas which can be used for diversionary tactics?”
“Yes. I'll send it to you and include the key areas to avoid. Do you have any weapons on you?”
She smirked at him. “Come now, Seryozha. You cannot expect me to answer that.”
A slow smile spread across his face as his gaze perused her body, making it obvious he was taking the opportunity to not only assess her for hidden weapons but also to appreciate her softer attributes. “Only the blade I gave you?”
Valentina shrugged and leaned against the wall. They both knew she'd never answer, but that was part of the fun in the game. They'd confiscated her weapons when she entered the towers, but that wouldn't stop her for long. Sergei could believe whatever he wanted. She could be just as lethal without a weapon handy.
He leaned in close. “I will enjoy knowing your hands will be wrapped around my blade, Valechka. When you thrust my knife into your target, the pleasure you receive will be mine.”
She lifted her hand, trailing it down his chest, noting how he unwittingly tensed at her gesture. Pleased he was still affected by her, she lifted her head, mirroring his movements, and leaned in closer. “Would you like me to return it to you now? One strong thrust and we can see how much pleasure you'll receive.”
Sergei threw back his head and laughed, moving away from her. “Tempting, but I shall decline. Until next time, Valechka.”
Valentina couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she watched him leave the room. She'd missed their sparring more than she wanted to admit.
Sergei chuckled to himself as he headed out of Valentina's room and into Lars's common area, where the former exile was mixing a drink at the bar. Valentina was still as formidable and captivating as ever. It was that edge of unpredictable danger that had always drawn him to her, but she was more than a little distracting. That could prove to be deadly in his line of business.
Lars glanced over at Sergei. “Would you like a real drink instead of that swill you favor?”
“I don't believe your people understand the concept of a real drink.” Sergei moved toward the bar as Lars chuckled and poured a glass for him.
“So that's the mysterious Valentina,” Lars mused, taking a sip of his drink. “I've heard about her ties to Nikolai Berkutov. Is there anything I should know about her?”
“Yes, two things,” Sergei replied, sniffing the amber-colored liquor in the glass. “One, she can kill you as easily as she breathes, so I would recommend taking care not to offend her.”
Lars frowned. “And the second?”
“And I'll be the one to kill you if you fuck her.”
Lars froze and then lowered his glass to the bar area. “Well, that wasn't what I was expecting. I'm afraid that leaves me with more questions than answers, not to mention a lot of sleepless nights in my future.”
Sergei smirked and tossed back the liquid. It wasn't bad, but it wasn’t his preferred choice. “Your people have much to learn about liquor.”
“I'm guessing you're not going to expand upon your comments?”
“No,” Sergei replied, investigating the other bottles on Lars's bar.
Lars was quiet for several long minutes while he finished off his drink. “What exactly is her relationship to Nikolai? I've heard rumors but nothing concrete.”
Sergei frowned. Nikolai was an unwanted complication, but he wasn't about to admit that aloud, especially not anywhere near Valentina's sensitive hearing. If he had to guess, she was probably already prowling around Lars's quarters and investigating. By the time he visited her next, she'd have a small arsenal stashed in her room. He grinned. It would make their next encounter even more interesting.
“You would have to ask them,” he replied, opening a different bottle and splashing it into a glass. “But I would not recommend it.”
“I see,” Lars said, continuing to study Sergei. “You're being even less forthcoming than usual.”
The resounding door chime interrupted them, and Sergei glanced over at the monitor on the wall to see Brant had finally arrived. Lars headed for the door and opened it for the dark-haired security officer.
Brant held up a nearly overflowing bag. “Alec arranged to have some things sent over.”
Sergei walked over in a handful of steps and snatched the bag from Brant's hand. Brant's eyes narrowed, but Sergei ignored him and began digging through the bag. His mouth curved upward in devilish appreciation.
Oh, she will hate this.
They'd manage to accumulate a rather extensive array of flowing dresses and dainty shoes. The silken undergarments were more than a little intriguing, but it wouldn't do much good to sit there and fantasize about Valentina wearing them while Lars and Brant were watching him search her bag.
“You're either a perverse bastard or you don't trust us either,” Brant muttered, grabbing the bag away from him and resealing it. “Valentina wouldn't eat or drink anything in the medical center until I ate and drank first. Now you're searching her bag? Just what do you think we're going to do to her?”
Lars grinned. “She wouldn't eat or drink?”
“Valentina is cautious,” Sergei agreed. “I was simply curious.”
“A perverse bastard then,” Brant acknowledged. “Where is she so I can hand these over?”
“I will take them to her,” Sergei declared, hesitant to allow Brant anywhere near her. If Valentina wasn't listening in on their conversation, she was probably getting into trouble that couldn't easily be explained to the suspicious security officer. Besides, Valentina had been a little too friendly with Brant earlier. Granted, it was most likely because he was the equivalent of a soldier for their once-acknowledged enemy and not from any real personal interest.
She'd view Brant as a possible source of intel, but Sergei wasn't willing to take the chance he was wrong. She was a little too curious and far craftier than most people gave her credit for.
“I don't think so,” Brant argued, holding tightly to the bag. “Lars? Where is her room?”
Valentina stepped into the room, feigning surprise at the sight of Brant, and gave the security officer a warm smile. Sergei’d been right. She'd been listening. At least one of his concerns was unfounded.
“I heard a strange chime and wondered what it was,” she said and gestured to the bag. “Is that for me?”
Brant held the bag up. “Yes. It's a bit heavy though. Would you like me to take it into your room?”
Sergei's eyes narrowed on the security officer. He'd most likely have to give him the same warning he'd given to Lars, especially given the security officer's entranced expression as Valentina tilted her head and blinked her eyes at him. A few wisps of her chestnut hair had escaped from her ponytail and framed the delicat
e features of her face. She was stunning, and even worse, she knew it. Every gesture, expression, and movement was carefully calculated to disarm. It was no wonder Nikolai relied so heavily upon her.
She beamed a smile at him and gestured down the hall. “Oh, that's very kind of you. I’ll show you to my room.”
Sergei hesitated. Part of him was tempted to follow them, but he knew it would be a mistake to give in to his urges. Not only would Valentina probably make good on her threat to plant her newly acquired blade in his gut, but it would give her an even greater advantage over him. Instead, he sprawled out on the sofa and gave her a sardonic smirk.
Temper flared in her eyes for only a second before she schooled her expression. His grin deepened. The only outward sign of her lingering irritation was the slightest hint of rigidity in her shoulders. As soon as Valentina and Brant disappeared down the hall, Lars rescued his drink and sat on the couch. “I keep having the feeling I'm missing something when you two are in the same room.”
Busy counting the minutes, Sergei shrugged but didn't reply. If Brant didn't reemerge soon, he'd abandon all pretense and go in after them.
Lars took a sip, his gaze gravitating toward the hallway. “She's very attractive.”
Sergei arched an eyebrow. “Have you already forgotten my warning?”
Lars grinned. “I'm curious as to why you haven't warned away Brant.”
Sergei drummed his fingers on the back of the couch. “I would be disappointed to have to kill you. Him? Not so much.”
Lars laughed. Sergei's mouth curved upward, but his smile faded as Brant reappeared in the common room. The security officer looked a little too self-assured to have simply dropped off a bag in Valentina's room. She was definitely up to something.
Brant nodded at them in farewell. “I'll see you tomorrow, Lars. Have a good evening.”
Lars frowned. “Tomorrow? Do we have a meeting I don't know about?”
Flames of Redemption Page 2