Accidentally Yours

by Rebecca Winters

  She nodded.

  “She’s really cool, you know? If you told her your address, she could find out about your mom.”

  Irina wiped the moisture from her face. “How?”

  “That’s her job as a volunteer. She does a lot of things to help. You can trust her.”

  “Too dangerous.”

  “Not for her. She’s an attorney and can get information without anyone knowing what she’s doing. Sometimes she wears disguises.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “She changes her hair, puts on costumes.”

  “Yes?”

  “Yeah. Nobody can tell who she is. She did that for me a couple of times to find out what was going on with my family.”

  “No police.”

  “No. She has to come here for a volunteers’ meeting in the morning. You can talk to her after she’s through. It will make you feel a lot better if she can find out about your mother.”

  “Maybe. Okay.”

  “Do you still want to talk?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me turn off the light first.” After she’d done that, Sandra got under the covers of her own bed.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Your baby?”

  “Do you like babies?”

  “Yes. Do you?”

  “Yes, but I’m going to give mine away to a couple who want a baby and will offer it a good life.”

  The tears gushed once more. “I wish my mother give me away.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “MRS. BILLS? Do you accept personal checks, or would you prefer a cashier’s check from my bank?”

  “A personal check will be fine. Anatoly tells me you are his attorney. That is a good enough reference.”

  It was clear the landlady liked Anatoly a lot. So did Gaby, but if she had any brains, she wouldn’t be jumping from the proverbial frying pan into the fire.

  Maybe something was wrong with her that she would obey a compulsion stronger than her good sense to take this drastic step. But if he was leading a double life, then this was about as close as she’d be able to get in order to keep an eye on him without actually living with him.

  During their comings and goings, surely he would make a slip at some point to prove his guilt. With tangible evidence, she would have to walk away from him.

  It would kill her to do that. She didn’t even want to think about it.

  Right now she was trying to remain positive. When he smiled at her as he was doing this very second, she pretty much felt immortal.

  The three of them were congregated in the lounge of the Victorian apartment house located in an older section of City Heights. The apartment she’d rented was a little bigger than the size of the apartment she’d been living in with Hallie.

  Dark moldings and cornices graced the ten-foot ceiling. There was a window seat with a tall window, the top portion of which was made of stained glass. The hardwood floors shone with a rich patina. The kitchen and bathroom were small, but obviously newer than the original house.

  The bedroom came furnished with a queen-size bed and an armoire with a floor-length mirror. Most people would kill to find a place this nice anywhere.

  So far she’d met three of the five occupants. Four if she included Anatoly. One guy with a beard worked for a graphic design studio. Another man, who’d gone prematurely bald, was finishing up his internship at Bay Shore Hospital. The Amazon upstairs ran her own weight-lifting club and had already told Gaby she could come in for a free visit.

  The whole time she talked to Gaby, Anatoly kept a poker face, but she knew he was laughing. Gaby was tempted to take the woman up on her offer, if only to rid herself of the excess energy built up by being around him for hours on end.

  She finished writing out the check. “Here you are, Mrs. Bills.” The older woman gave her a smile, obviously pleased to have the apartment rented again.

  “You can move in any time.”

  “Thank you. It probably won’t be until next week. Possibly Tuesday or Wednesday.”

  “That’s fine. Anatoly will show you the place around the side to park your car.”

  “Thank you. For the next few weeks I’ll be riding a bike. Where can I put it?”

  “There is a bike stall on the same side, which you can lock.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Good. Then all is settled.”

  “Thank you very much, Mrs. Bills.” She glanced at Anatoly. “I guess I’d better get back to Hallie.”

  Before she reached the front door in the large foyer, a strong pair of hands slid to her shoulders from behind. “You are in a great hurry to leave me?” he murmured against her hot cheek.

  “No. But I feel guilty leaving Hallie on her first night home. She needs to talk about the decision she’s made. Knowing I’m going to be moving here will be a relief to her.”

  “Have you considered my relief? At least now I can be magnanimous and let you have your time with her. But be warned. I will only stay patient a little longer before I get you all to myself without fear of interruption.

  “Come. I will whiz you home.” He kissed her hair.

  “Just so you know, I meant to say whiz.”

  AFTER DROPPING Gabriella off, Max returned Karin’s car to the back of the florist shop, then headed for the apartment house on foot. No one on the block seemed to be out at this time of night. Before he reached the main street, a motor home pulled around the corner.

  Max walked faster. The motor home drew alongside him, a door opened and he climbed inside, shutting the door behind him.

  Gideon greeted him with a clap on the shoulders. “Good to see you, bud.”

  “You, too.” He punched Gideon’s arm.

  “How about a beer?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  His friend moved to the mini fridge. He retrieved two cans of lager and gave Max one of them. They sat down on opposite benches facing each other.

  Max emptied half his can without taking a breath. Expelling a heavy sigh, he lounged back and extended his legs in front of him. By now the motor home was weaving through night traffic.

  Gideon grinned, transforming his craggy features. “Tell me what it felt like to walk into that apartment and discover Hallie was a nun.”

  “Let’s just say it was an experience I’ll never forget.”

  “You know what all the buzz around the department’s about…”

  His eyes closed. “I can imagine.”

  “No. I don’t think you can. With everything bugged, you’ve had about as much privacy as two elephants in the middle of Times Square. I have to tell you. Your con is the greatest thing going since the invention of pizza. Karl’s thinking of getting the tapes printed into a manual to help teach rookies what real undercover work is all about.”

  “Oh, hell.”

  “Seriously. He can’t figure out how you keep coming up with the stuff you do. The guys think they should do a remake of The Great Valentino, world’s greatest lover. Only they’re calling it The Great Anatoly. With you and the sexy Gabriella starring in the film, you’d pull in millions.

  “You want to know how famous you are? Get this. The guys are starting to use some of your best lines for codes. Their favorite is, ‘Come on over here so I can unlock your hair.’ That’s supposed to mean, I’ll spell you off now.”

  Max finished the rest of his beer in one gulp.

  “That’s not all,” Gideon said. “Bets are flying fast and heavy that you’ll end up marrying the woman, if it turns out she’s on the level. At this point Karl’s about ninety-nine percent sure she’s a person who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Is that what you think? Even with those notes I found on her legal pad? The Russian dictionaries?” Max sat forward, dangling the empty can between his legs. “I’d go on your gut instinct over anyone else’s facts.”

  The mirth left his friend’s eyes. “I can’t explain the notes. That’s the only part that bothers
me. As for the dictionaries, she deals with Russian immigrants, so I don’t find that evidence suspect.”

  “Hell, Gideon. If it’s all a con, she’s a master at it.”

  His friend studied him in a way that pierced through to his soul. “After all these years, how come you had to go and fall in love with this one?”

  Max jumped to his feet. “You think I’m happy about it?” He tossed the empty can in the wastebasket.

  “A part of you is. I’ve listened to those tapes.” He inhaled sharply. “That’s your heart I heard talking. It scares the hell out of me because it means you’ve lost your edge. I knew it the second you spirited her off to your apartment house across town.”

  Max rubbed the back of his neck. “I can keep a better eye on her there.”

  “You don’t need a better eye on her. We’ve got her under day-and-night surveillance.”

  “Not completely,” Max countered. “Now that she’s going to be living under my roof, so to speak, we’ve got all the bases covered. When I get back to the apartment house, I’ll plant enough bugs that there aren’t any parts of her place that won’t pick up conversation. And tomorrow I’ll put one on her cell phone when I take her shopping. If she’s mafia, she’ll eventually trip up. Then we’ve got her.”

  Gideon nodded slowly. “Let’s talk about Svetlana. What did you find out?”

  “After hearing Sandra’s account, my gut instinct tells me the girl is Irina. Do me a favor and get into the Girls’ Village files. They keep photo ID on every girl. All I need is to see a picture. If it’s Galena’s daughter, we’ll come up with a plan to free Galena. Once they turn state’s evidence, we’ll put them both in the witness protection program.”

  “I’ll get on that first thing in the morning. Still no phone call from Nikolai?”

  “No.”

  “Not even through Oleg or Alexey?”

  He shook his head. “The bastard doesn’t want me anywhere around, not even to help find Irina. That’s how much he hates my guts. But Oleg and I will pay him a visit, anyway, on the pretext that all our lives are on the line if Irina’s not found.”

  As Gideon nodded, the driver honked the horn. “We’re coming up on your corner.”

  “Yup. Got to go. Thanks for being there.”

  “That’s what I was going to say. Max…I hope to hell she’s clean. The chemistry between the two of you is burning up the wires.”

  Haunted by the sheer strength of his emotions, Max turned to his best friend. “Then maybe you can imagine what it’s like being up close and personal with her.” He patted Gideon’s shoulder. “Thanks for everything.”

  GABY SPOTTED Juanita and Sandra the moment she left the volunteers’ meeting in the west wing of Girls’ Village.

  “Good morning, you two! I’m glad you were waiting for me. It saves me the trouble of coming to find you. I’ve got a little present.”

  She opened her purse and handed each of them three pictures. “You guys look like real pros out there playing croquet.”

  “Next to Anatoly I resemble a big fat blob.”

  “Sandra!”

  “Well, I do.”

  “I don’t look much better and I’m not even showing yet,” Juanita grumbled.

  “I guess there isn’t a woman alive who’s satisfied with her picture,” Gaby sighed. “Maybe these photos weren’t such a good idea.”

  “Yes, they were. I’m sorry we complained. Thanks, Gaby,” Sandra murmured.

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  “Hey, Gaby?”

  She darted Sandra a glance. “Yes?”

  “Will you come to my room? Svetlana wants to talk to you.”

  Gaby eyed the clock. “I can give her five minutes before I have to leave.”

  “Is Anatoly coming for you?”

  “No. I rode here on my bike. My roommate’s expecting me. She’s moving today and wants to take me to lunch before she goes.”

  “Is she the nun?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where’s she going?”

  “To live at the convent in Los Angeles.”

  “You mean, like, she’ll have to wear those robes and never talk to anybody again?”

  “Yes and no. Come on. I’ll tell you about it on the way upstairs.”

  It was closer to twenty minutes before Gaby said goodbye to the girls. When she left the building, her heartache was almost too great to bear.

  On the ride back to the apartment, she tried to put herself in the Russian girl’s place. Her name wasn’t Svetlana. It was Irina Pedrova. Her mother’s name was Galena, and she was being held hostage.

  The only thing that would bring Irina any relief was knowing if her mother was still alive, and please God, safe. At least for the moment, anyway.

  There was no doubt in her mind Irina’s mother had become a victim of the Russian mafia. Probably her father had gotten involved with it when they’d immigrated to the States. It was a life-and-death situation. Irina had every reason to be terrified of the man named Nikolai.

  Armed with a description of him and Irina’s mother, Gaby pedaled faster while she thought of a plan to check up on the mother.

  Anatoly would be by to take her shopping after her lunch with Hallie. But much as she longed to confide in him, even ask him to help her, she didn’t dare.

  Because somewhere deep down you’re afraid he might know those criminals, men who should be put behind bars for the next millennium.

  Dear God. If she were ever to find out that Anatoly had anything to do with monsters like them…

  Just the thought of it sent a pain through her heart so acute she had to struggle to stay in control of her bike.

  When she walked in the apartment a half hour later, Hallie took one look at her and stopped drying her hair with the towel.

  “What’s wrong, Gaby? You look like death.”

  “I feel like it.”

  “Tell me.”

  Thankful to be able to unload on someone she could trust with her life, she related Irina’s tragic story.

  “The thing is, I wasted my time looking up the fake name she gave me on the immigration database. But at least now I have the address of her mom’s apartment. The girl’s barely hanging on. I’ve got to go over to that place right now and find out what I can. Forgive me if we don’t have lunch together?”

  “Forget food. How can I help?”

  “This isn’t your problem, Hallie.”

  “You hurt me when you say that. What do you need?”

  “A plan, and a disguise.”

  Hallie draped the towel across the top of her head. She held the ends down close to her cheeks.

  “What do you see?”

  “A ghost?”

  “No. Look with a little more imagination.”

  It took her a minute before comprehension dawned. “Hallie!”

  The other woman grinned. “Who would question two nuns visiting the neighborhood, welcoming any and all to the local parish, passing out pamphlets with solutions to world hunger?”

  “But is that legal? You know what I mean.”

  “If we’re on a mercy mission, can anyone say that it isn’t? Besides, you’re the lawyer.”

  “That’s right. I forgot. I think maybe there was a case back in Pennsylvania. As I recall, the man impersonating a nun at a convent went to prison. The thing is, it wouldn’t bother me to go to jail, but I don’t want you to get in trouble on the very day you’re due to report.”

  “An opportunity has presented itself to do an act of service. I see it as the greatest kind of omen for what lies ahead of me. I’m ready to go, except for my hair.”

  Gaby followed her to the bathroom.

  “After I finish brushing this mop dry, we’ll drop by Our Lady of Mercy Parochial School in my rental car. Sister Paulina will help us.”

  “Now we’re going to get someone else in trouble.”

  “She’s a soft touch, just like you. Bring me the cell phone and I’ll let her know we’re on our way over.�
��

  “I don’t remember where I put it,” Gaby said.

  “Try the refrigerator.”

  “Very funny.”

  “I recall finding it in there once.”

  “Yes, well, I had other things on my mind.”

  The phone turned up on the dresser in the bedroom. Gaby hurried back to the bathroom and handed it to her. Hallie made short work of reaching the nun Gaby knew had been her friend’s mentor for the past year.

  “There. Everything’s set.” She handed the telephone back to Gaby, who went in search of her purse. After putting the phone inside her bag so she wouldn’t forget it, she returned to the bathroom.

  Casting her friend a fond regard, she said, “How come you couldn’t have been an attorney I met at one of my meetings? We could have gone into practice together.”

  Hallie smiled. “I was just thinking how great it would be if you entered the convent with me. But that would be cruel. Did I ever tell you about the recluse who lived next door to my parents in Bel Air?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, she kept this huge, gorgeous white cockatoo in her house. But every afternoon around four, she brought it outside and put it on a branch of a tree overhanging her back patio. She would leave it there for about half an hour.

  “It couldn’t fly away because she’d clipped its wings. I used to stand at the bedroom window and cry while I watched that poor thing try to escape. All it did was kind of flop from one branch to another. It would cock its head while it watched the other birds flying around. You could feel it struggle to break free.”

  Gaby’s eyes smarted. “If you told me that story to discourage me from entering the convent with you, then you’ve accomplished your objective.”

  “No. Besides, you know I won’t be living there forever. One day I’ll be sent to South America to teach. That’s what I’m looking forward to. Gaby, I was only trying to paint a picture of you the way I see you. Dr. Karsh was right to encourage you to try your wings after Paul died.”

  When Hallie spoke, Gaby always listened.

  “No one has to tell me how great the Peris family is. I’ve been a witness to and recipient of all their love. Your dad’s a sweetheart, and your mom lives to make him and your siblings happy.