by Taylor Lee
He paused for effect and then continued.
“While we can’t be sure, I don’t believe in coincidences. My sense from talking to Abdullah is that chances are excellent that ‘our’ kidnapped girls are about to be sold at a high level auction. To a group of very wealthy, very well-connected men.”
Grayson broke the troubled silence that followed Rafe’s chilling announcement.
“That would explain why we’ve heard so little from the kidnappers. They seem as though they don’t much care if they get the ransoms.”
Rafe agreed.
“Correct, Gray. It’s one of the elements of this case that’s been eating at me. To this point the scoundrels seem more interested in harassing the girls’ parents, than they are in raking in the ransoms. They haven’t even given us an ultimatum. Nothing that will help us get a stronger bead on them. They know that the parents won’t contact the FBI if they think there is still hope. Unfortunately hope became an even scarcer resource with Abdullah’s announcement.”
Caleb spoke for the group.
“Dammit, Rafe. Crashing a party and returning a bunch of good looking chicks to Mommy and Daddy seemed doable. Dealing with the assholes who protect Abdullah’s buddies? Hell, man, that’s a wee bit more of a challenge.”
Jeff guffawed. “Hell, Caleb, that may be the understatement of the century.”
Nicki stole a glance at Katya. Nicki knew it was challenging enough for Katya to work on the case. When Nicki had pressed, concerned about how it must hurt her, Katya assured her that this was one way that she could make up for what had happened to her. She prayed she could help save these girls, the way that Rafe and Vlad had saved her. But this! An auction? How could it help but be a crushing reminder of how Katya’s father had sold her and held out for an extra pig when he did it! When Katya met her gaze, the hurt in her eyes was painful for Nicki to see.
As concerned as she was about Katya, Nicki knew they had a bigger issue. Up to this point she’d avoided confronting Rafe on what was now the most critical component of the rescue effort. They’d agreed that they would replace Mindy with a decoy—an undercover agent. Mindy had never met the men who kidnapped Sophie and they didn’t know what she looked like. Fortunately she never remembered to send them the picture she’d promised. However, Sophie had reported that Mindy was beautiful, rich, and daring. And that she had dark hair, was twenty-one and was voluptuous.
When Nicki asked Rafe who he intended to send, he’d been curt and brushed aside her question, indicating that he had several contacts he was pursuing. According to Grayson, they both knew a couple of female FBI agents who might work, but as far as Grayson knew, Rafe hadn’t settled in on any one person.
Taking a deep breath, Nicki decided to hit the issue head on.
“This changes everything.”
When the men all turned to her, she waited until she was sure they were paying attention and then waded in.
“Clearly, we need to go to rethink our strategy for Mindy’s decoy.”
Ignoring Rafe, Nicki looked from person to person as she spoke, hoping to find at least one or two of the men who would support her proposal.
“First, the ‘decoy’s’ mission has changed. We assumed that she would simply be the bait leading us all to the party. We would follow her, swoop in, capture the bad guys, persuade them to talk, and voilà, go get the kidnapped girls.”
Rafe held up his hand.
“You are oversimplifying, Nicki, but I presume you have a larger point to make.”
“Yes, I am oversimplifying. We have always known that crashing the party was only the first step to finding ‘our’ girls. But the auction has changed everything.”
Rafe’s voice was icy cold. Nicki knew he could see where she was leading… and silently warning her to back off. The tangible tension in the room, confirmed that everyone else knew what she was about to suggest.
“And that larger point you want to make is….?”
Nicki continued, forcing herself to speak calmly, professionally.
“I am one of the best trained fighters on our team and I’m confident I’m more qualified than any woman among your contacts. Moreover, I know the milieu. Tell me a single FBI agent who knows the difference between a Jimmy Choo shoe and a Manolo Blahnik. The decoy needs to be as sophisticated as the girls who have been kidnapped. Especially if we can get the villains to kidnap our decoy so that she can lead the team to the auction. My proposal is simple and compelling: I need to be the decoy.”
Rafe’s voice was soft.
“That is not an option.”
Nicki tried to control her response.
“Why, because I am older than the other girls? You’d be surprised, Rafe, how old those girls make themselves out to be. Besides, I can do the reverse. Make myself look younger.”
“You know that is not what I am talking about, Nicki. Besides you don’t have dark hair.”
Nicki’s temper was rising but that she fought to control it knowing she’d lose the battle if she didn’t.
“I can dye my hair, Rafe.”
Everyone at the table had stepped back from the brewing argument. It was clear the discussion was solely between Rafe and Nicki. From the way they were studying the table or their notes, none of the men wanted to get between them as they squared off.
Katya broke the mold.
“I have dark hair. I will go.”
Nicki shook her head violently.
“No, Katya. Absolutely not. I can’t let you do that. I know this environment like the back of my hand. Besides I have years of training that qualify me for this very job. There is no question but that I should and will go.”
Katya frowned.
“What if we both go? There’s safety in numbers. We can have Jeff ask if ‘my sexy red-haired cousin’ can come with me. We would have each other’s backs and although I’m not the fighter you are, I know how to use the element of surprise.…”
Caleb joined the discussion. Like Nicki, he avoided looking at Rafe.
“You might be on to something, girls. I’d feel a hell of a lot better knowing that you two were holding off the bad guys than I would sending in a decoy we don’t know. And damn, let’s face it. You’re right, Nicki. I’ve never seen a woman fight like you do. And hell babe, I’ve told you before. You can have my back anytime as long as I get your knives first.”
A round of muffled laughter greeted Caleb’s remarks but was cut short by Rafe’s harsh interjection.
“That’s enough. Neither of you are going, and that is final.”
The silence in the room was deafening.
Nicki took three deep breaths and then stood up. She placed both her hands on the edge of the table for support and leaned in facing Rafe. She managed to keep her voice cool, controlled.
“Why is it final, Rafe? Because you said so?”
“Essentially.”
He shrugged and added, “Yes, because I said so.”
Nicki’s voice shook, betraying her rising anger.
“Even though you know that I am the single best person to do this job, Rafe? And that Katya is second only to me? You know how dangerous this mission is, Rafe.”
The lines on his face hardened. His glare was implacable.
“Yes, Nicki. I do know how dangerous this mission is. And that is why neither one of you is going in. This organization is about much more than one single operation—however important this particular operation may be. And I want you two on this team for a long time.”
Nicki leaned in closer. She was now close enough that she could feel the intense anger radiating off of him but she refused to back down.
“That’s not right, Rafe. And you know it. Those girls and their parents deserve ISA’s best. If men could do the job, there would be no question. You could send any one of your men. But this job requires women. Katya and I are the best you have. Far better than any women you can dredge up from your ‘contacts’.”
Rafe’s voice was quiet, controlled. He held
her gaze. She knew he had to be considering what she was saying. He had no rational answer. His response was purely a personal one. As if he was making her point, Rafe exclaimed.
“Look, Nicki, even if I agreed with you and I don’t, your father and Vlad would both kill me before the two of you got out the door.”
This time, Nicki held up her hand to stop him.
“That’s not fair, Rafe. You don’t ask Danny’s wife’s permission or Jeff’s or Sam’s wife, before you send them on a mission. The only requirement I have seen is that you chose the best man for the job. In this case, the best man is me and the second best is Katya. Together we are the best team you could possibly have.”
Nicki realized how angry she was when her legs began to shake from the adrenal rush. She knew if she didn’t sit down, she’d fall down. With as much dignity as she could find, she lowered herself back into her chair—never taking her gaze off Rafe. To her surprise, Grayson stepped in.
“Much as it pains me to say this, Rafe, Nicki is correct. She is the single best person we have—indeed that anyone has for this mission. I would not let Katya do this by herself, but together with Nicki they’re a tough team. It’s a hard decision, Bro. But you’ve never backed away from hard decisions in the past. Knowing that Nicki and Katya are inside, we have a 99 % chance of bringing those girls back alive.”
Rafe’s voice was caustic; to hear his best friend publicly challenge him was just too much. For the first time he let his anger flare, spewing it full force at Grayson.
“And that other one percent, Gray? Tell me, Bro. How you would like to live with that other one percent.”
Rafe stood. His expression was grim, beyond anger. His voice was contained, casual as if the fire burning in his eyes was an aberration. Nodding to the group in general, he turned to the door.
“Please excuse me. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Fifteen challenging minutes passed before he returned. No one had spoken; rather, each of them had found something to do that required them to go back to their computers or find some other way to avoid speaking to one another.
When Rafe returned, he sat down and the head of the table and looked over at Katya.
“Against his better judgment, Vlad agrees that you should go, Katya—as long as Nicki goes.”
At a weak attempt at humor he added, “Vlad says you are hard enough to live with when he does everything you tell him to. He can only imagine the hell his life would be if he tried to prevent you from doing what you want to do.”
Uneasy laughter circled the table.
Rafe continued, focusing a hard stare on Nicki.
“However, the issue is not Vlad. Your father is adamant, Nicki. He refuses to allow you to go. Without you, Katya cannot go. I’m sorry. But that is your father’s final decision.”
Nicki rose unsteadily to her feet. Her heart was pounding and it was difficult to catch her breath. She felt as though she’d run five miles at a seven-minute-mile pace. She rounded her chair so that she could brace herself against the back to keep from falling. She met Rafe’s gaze and held it.
“This is not my father’s decision, Rafe, and you know it. Just so you know, it isn’t yours either. Unless you can stand before this team and tell me that I am not the most qualified person for the job, I must go. It is my duty to those girls and to you and to the rest of the ISA team. If you told any man here that he was the best qualified person for the job, and that you wanted him to lead the mission, there isn’t a man on this team who would refuse. I can take care of my father, Rafe. That is a red herring and you know it. Everyone here knows it. This is your decision, Rafe.” She cleared her throat. “Yours and mine.”
Rafe took his time lighting a cigarette. He leaned back in his chair and considered her thoughtfully through the smoke. After a strained moment, he nodded.
“Very well. Jeff, Caleb, Grayson and Katya, please meet me in my office in fifteen minutes.”
He rose to his feet and motioned to the door.
“Nicki, please come with me now.”
Chapter 32
Without speaking, Rafe trod down the hallway to his private office. With a curt nod, he’d indicated that Nicki was to follow him. His commanding strides made quick work of the distance. Nicki had to take three steps to equal each one of his. It was maddening. Talk about an intentional metaphor. His powerful gait underscored that she was too small, too fragile to keep up with the big boys. She sniffed as she hurried to match his pace. God, he was exasperating. When they reached his office, he closed the door behind them and strode to his desk. He put his cell phone in the middle of the desk and tapped two keys. In seconds her father answered.
Rafe’s voice was cool, distant.
“Yuri, both Nicki and I are here. You asked to speak to her and as you requested I will be a party to the conversation. I have put you on speaker. However, I have nothing more to say. While I deeply disagree with Nicki’s insistence on leading this team, I cannot disagree with her reasoning. It pains me, but she is correct. She is the best person for the job. That is all I have to say for the moment.”
Rafe walked over to the wall of windows and stood with his back to her, staring at the grounds below.
After several minutes of listening to her father’s adamant refusal to consider that she go, Nicki laid down a marker.
“Papa, you know this is what I have trained for all of my life. This is why you made me a warrior. You told me that I could help fight the evil in the world if I was willing to train hard and live a disciplined life. I believed you then and I still do.”
“Yes, of course, my dear. And I am pleased that you have chosen to follow this honorable path. No one could be more proud of his daughter than I am of you, Nikita. You are as strong and determined as you are lovely. But that is why you must listen to me, my dear, and understand what I am saying.”
Nicki interrupted. She would not allow herself to be put off by flattery or by his attempt at conciliation. This was too important. She could not let her father control her even at the expense of being rude.
“No, Papa, it is you who must understand. Unless I misunderstood your stated intentions, this is why you sent me to ISA, to work with Rafe. You said you wanted me to be a warrior, a fighter, a highly trained agent. Now when a mission comes along that requires all the skills you taught me, you want me to pull back? Because it is too dangerous? What are you saying, Papa? That my life has been a charade? That you taught me to fight with weapons and my bare hands so I could be… what? An anomaly? A sideshow? A feisty woman to amuse the men around her? A wannabe fighter who looks cute in camouflage? Is that what you trained me to be?”
Yuri’s voice was pained.
“Nikita, you know that is not true. And yes, I did train you to be a fighter. I wanted you to be able to protect yourself. Please hear me out. I am deeply troubled by this mission you and Rafe are involved in. I…I do not like the Russian aspect of it. It frightens me.”
“Are you saying that you know who Volkov is?”
“God, no. But it concerns me. Just as you are in tune with your instincts, like all expert martial artists, I am as well. You were born near the Volkov, Nikita. I lived and worked for twenty-five years in a town the Volkov runs though. Like all men surrounded by potential enemies, I do not like coincidences. You are not naïve, Nikita; you know my past is unsavory, dangerous. I have done my best to protect you from those hideous times. Just as I do not go back to Russia, I do not want you to be involved in anything Russian.”
His voice dropped to an agonized plea.
“Nikita, I do not want you to put yourself in excessive danger. Surely, my beloved daughter, you can understand that.”
Nicki brushed aside his appeal with an impatient wave of her hand.
“Yes, yes, Papa, of course I understand that. But for God’s sake, I am a member of a
team of security agents. You knew when you sent me to Rafe that I would be an agent. Or did you and Rafe plan to make me a secretary or perhap
s you thought all the men would enjoy having a pretty distraction. That they could snap their fingers and I would come running eager to satisfy their every whim. Is that what you had in mind, Papa?”
Yuri’s voice shook with emotion.
“Nikita, please. You do me a disservice and yourself a disservice when you speak like that.”
At this point Rafe turned and glared at her. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, his eyes narrowed at her offensive remark.
She tilted her chin a notch and shrugged. She knew she was being outrageous, but she had to distract her father. Get him to stop thinking about the danger of the enterprise. She thought with a disdainful sniff, it wouldn’t hurt to tweak Rafe as well.
“Or perhaps instead of fighting the way you taught me, I should do what one of the men here suggested. I should ‘use my hot little ass to distract my opponent’.”
She smirked when Rafe pinned her with a scowl, his brows pulled together in a stern line. Nicki tossed her head, glad the arrow struck home.
“Nikita, I am shocked to hear you talk like that. I presume that Caleb made that disparaging remark….”
“It doesn’t matter who it was. But that is the choice I face. I can be taken seriously or I can be treated like a decoration.”
“Nikita, you are being foolish.”
“No, I am not. Papa, this is the critical question. When you asked Rafe to take me on, did you do that because you knew I would be a valuable addition to his high level team of agents? Or did you ask him to take care of me because you didn’t think I could take care of myself?”
“Nikita, Nikita, my darling. Please…it is not that simple.”
“Yes, Papa, it is. It is a simple straightforward question. I will answer it for you. I am here because I deserve to be. I told Rafe that if he could say to his team that I am not qualified or up to the job, then I would back off, not do it. But both you and Rafe know that I am supremely qualified. Because, Papa dear, you are the one who made me that way.”