To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series)

by Aubrey, Cecilia; Almeida, Chris

  “I’m a go.” He stood by the door, pushing his arms into his Under Armor jacket, as Cassandra approached him with one of the two-ways and a black knit cap. A frown marred her beautiful face and her eyes were somber.

  “I don’t like that you are going in naked. No fire power,” she said softly, her eyes narrowing as she handed him the radio first, watching as he connected the microphone cable to the unit, turned it on, and slid it in the side leg pocket of his pants.

  “It’ll be fine, Cassie. I’m just setting cameras, not heading to a gun fight.”

  Cassandra moved closer, and, as she set the knit cap over his head, he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tight against his body. He claimed her mouth in a hungry kiss, thrusting his tongue deep in her mouth, nipping her lower lip. “Something to keep in mind while I’m gone.” He released her and opened the door. “Keep your eyes on the screen and open the channel as soon as I leave so we’re in contact at all times.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.” Her heart raced and she found it hard to breath in the wake of that searing kiss. Her eyes followed his every movement as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Big Dogs

  “TEST. TEST.”

  “Crystal,” he responded in a soft voice.

  “Copy. Oh, by the way. Payback. Just saying.”

  His laughter flowed through the signal. She nudged the bantering aside and switched back to business. “Let me know when you get close and which cameras you’re setting as you go so I can check each signal.”

  “Roger,” Trevor replied, keeping his senses fully attuned to his surroundings as he crossed the street, heading toward the bridge across from their apartment. At a fast clip, he continued southbound, crossing paths with couples walking hand in hand and with a few pedestrians making their way in the opposite direction. The early spring nights in Russia were brisk, and warm puffs formed into the cold air with each breath he took as he walked the dimly lit streets. “Almost there. ETA, five minutes,” he advised Cassandra as he turned onto Zagorodny Prospekt, only a block away from Mikhailov’s mansion.

  “Report.” He heard Cassandra’s request loud and clear through the earpiece.

  “Chill. It’s only been what? A nanosecond since the last? Still no activity. All clear. Will report again once there.”

  Hunched over the laptop, Cassandra’s fingers drummed a staccato rhythm on the desk. She was anxious to get that over with. She knew Trevor would get the job done smoothly and quickly. It was the outside factors that concerned her most. Yes, they had some preliminary data regarding the activity around the mansion, but people changed routines and they really didn’t have an up-close and personal on the security measures around the place.

  Based on what they knew, that night at the mansion should be unusually slow, with minimal activity, which was the reason Trevor was on his way there—but you just never knew. Cassandra rubbed at the scar on her hip and whispered into the two-way, “You have the transport tickets on you, right?”

  “Yes, Cassandra. I have both sets of tickets,” he answered indulgently.

  A smile tipped her lips at his use of her full name. “Copy. Too anal, I know. Just had to check.”

  Turning onto Mikhailov’s street, Trevor’s adrenaline spiked and, with a casual gait, he continued his journey until he reached the area in front of the magnificent mansion. Its façade was traditional Russian and regal. Intricately carved wooden trim crowned big windows, which were illuminated by soft light. A creepy sensation slithered along his spine as he stood in the shadows, observing Mikhailov’s nest. The imposing property, protected by high walls and iron gates, rose in the darkness and held a stately air, in complete opposition to the nefarious activities taking place inside.

  Across the street from the mansion was a small public park, a perfect hiding spot for the transmitter. “I’m in position. Keep an eye on the receiver,” he spoke quietly into the microphone.

  “Copy. Ready when you are.”

  Trevor took one last look around to be sure he wasn’t being watched, and slipped into the wooded area. Within minutes, he found the ideal place for the transmitter—a metal lamppost positioned in the middle of the small garden, surrounded by thigh-high bushes. The best hiding spots are the ones in plain sight—one of the several lessons he’d learned geocaching, a high-tech treasure hunt game he and Cassandra enjoyed regularly back in Ireland.

  Kneeling by the post, he eased the backpack from his shoulder, retrieved the transmitter, and mounted it to the base of the post using the magnetic strips. To any passerby, the transmitter would appear to be a part of the electric component of the post, making it virtually invisible.

  He pressed the switch. “Transmitter in place. Active. On to plant the eyes.”

  Cassandra checked the meters on the laptop and watched the signal from the transmitter flood the bar. “Check. Transmitter online.”

  Before Trevor exited the garden, he scanned the gates for any cameras that Mikhailov might have. Bingo. “Copy. Setting camera one now.”

  As each camera was set and turned on, their images began displaying on the screen and the feeds were automatically saved to their external hard drive. They were also motion activated, transmitting data only when activity was detected. That meant they could run the surveillance for hours on end without running out of disk space.

  Cassandra became lost in the flow of activity and jumped slightly when she heard Trevor’s devious chuckle ripple through the connection. “Damn it, Trevor. I know that laugh. What the hell are you up to?!”

  “What?! Can’t a guy have a little bit of fun on the job?” His voice held a rasp of excitement.

  “Why is it that when you say ‘fun’ I hear ‘trouble’?”

  His voice held a hurtful tone. “No faith, whatsoever, in my skills.”

  She guffawed. “Yeah, yeah.”

  “Okay. About to set last camera.”

  Trevor checked to be sure that the coast was clear before he left the cover of the trees and sprinted for the sidewalk across from the park. He hugged the wall as he pulled the last camera from his pack. Staying out of view of the security camera he’d spied earlier atop the gate’s side pillar, he used the intricate design of the wrought iron gate as a ladder to reach the camera. Its location was ideal to record the faces and license plates of cars arriving at the gates, and its angle prevented any peripheral activity from being recorded. Eejits made it too easy.

  At the top, he swung a leg over the rounded edge of the gate, balancing himself to keep from falling on his face as he reached from behind for the encased camera with both hands. He carefully attached their micro-camera and battery pack to the top front edge of the casing.

  His voice was hushed and cartoonish: “Oh, grandmother, what big eyes you have! The better to see you with….”

  Cassandra’s snort of laughter traveled over the audio link.

  “Oh, you liked that, didn’t you?”

  “Just because I laugh at your jokes, doesn’t mean they’re good, you know.” Her voice oozed disdain and he could picture her rolling her eyes.

  He kept tabs on the surrounding area as he adjusted the position of the micro-camera. He switched it on and gave Cassandra the last signal. “Let me know if this one has a good angle.”

  After a few moments, her voice exploded over the link. “What the hell?! That is from pretty high up. Really good view, but really high up! How the hell did you accomplish that one, Trevor? Hold on a second. Where are you right now?!”

  “Setting the cameras?” He feigned innocence.

  “Get your ass out of there on the double!” Anxiety bled through her words.

  Her fear beat at him. He sobered immediately. “I’m on my way down; I’ll be out of here in no time, Cassie.”

  Trevor swung his leg back over the gate. Suddenly a deep growl blasted his ears and a heavy weight slammed against the fence, knocking him from his perch. “Umpf!” he exclaimed as he
hit the sidewalk. Pain seared through his entire body. His vision dimmed and ears grew muffled as he exhaled in shallow breaths to ease the radiating agony. The low menacing growls and barks from at least two dogs penetrated his haze. Move your arse, man! he grimaced to himself, rolling instinctively up against the wall into the cover of shadows. Sucking in a deep shaky breath, he held his position and tried to regroup.

  “Trevor! Report!” Cassie’s frantic voice demanded in his ear.

  Winded, he couldn’t squeeze out the words to comfort her. A commotion inside the gate forced him to press tighter against the wall, hoping his dark clothing would help as additional camouflage.

  “Trevor! Report. Now!”

  “Here!” he gasped out with a groan.

  A voice behind the wall yelled. Trevor smirked. The guard blamed the dogs’ barking on a stray cat.

  Someone else cursed at the dogs to shut up.

  “I would like that, too, thank you very much!” Trevor mumbled to himself as he completed an internal assessment. The pain was fading and, although nothing seemed to be broken, he had landed on his back and on the small toolkit box in his backpack. That’s going to smart in the morning. Confident he hadn’t blown his cover since he wasn’t kissing shoes or facing gun muzzles, he finally responded to Cassie’s frantic requests.

  “I’m okay. Just sore. All cameras placed. I’m heading back.”

  “If you think you can just scare the crap out of me and walk home like nothing happened you are very wrong, mister.” Cassie’s voice, although steady, was now seething with anger. “What the hell happened out there, Trevor!?”

  Trevor checked his surroundings, crawled closer to the gate, and popped his head around the corner of the wall to check the house. Again, loud growls echoed in his ears and the gate shook under the weight of a body butting up against it. The dogs were right in his face, doing what they were trained to do—guard the property.

  “Dogs, Cassie…big dogs happened.” He pushed to his feet and leaned back against the wall. Concern worried at his heart and, to avoid leading a possible tail directly to Cassandra, he decided to take the longest route back.

  He headed in the opposite direction from which he had arrived. “ETA, seventeen minutes.”

  Cassandra immediately picked up on the change of plans. “Why seventeen? Why not the twelve it took on the original route?”

  She was like one of the freaking dogs behind the gate chasing him for answers. He sighed. “It’s all okay, Cassie. Just taking a different route back. I will explain when I get there.”

  Cassandra continued to badger him. “Oh, damn straight you will! What the hell were you thinking, climbing the fence to plant the camera up there?” She interjected, “Mind you, it was truly brilliant, but that’s not the point! You can’t let yourself get carried away and lose perspective of the goal here, Trevor!” Her implication left an ache in his chest.

  “It was just the perfect location to get the shots we need of both the people and license plates of cars arriving at the mansion,” he commented quietly as he briskly walked around the block and to the street that would lead him to the bridge and back to Cassandra. The risk had been great, but Trevor didn’t regret a minute of it. It was a necessary one to get what they needed. Still smarting from the fall, he limped, listening to the concern and anxiety coloring Cassandra’s voice as she ranted about how reckless he had been and how she was going to kick his ass when he got there.

  The connection had gone quiet as he approached the building and he wondered what it would take to get back on her good side and out of the doghouse. Entering the code, he limped up the stairs and entered the apartment. Cassandra stood right at the door, her flushed cheeks a clear sign of her anger toward him at the moment.

  “What the fuck, Trevor?”

  As those words hung in the air, his thoughts narrowed to her, her flushed face, the anxiety in her tone, and the pulse beating out of control at the base of her throat. Without a word, he kicked the door shut, dropped the pack to the floor, and roughly hauled her into his arms, seizing her mouth in a hot, searing kiss.

  Cassandra’s stomach churned. Her throat was so tight she could barely breathe, let alone speak. Her anger was directed both at Trevor for taking risks and at herself for knowing the risks—handling the risks—and still dying inside each time he did. How had she ever let him have so much control over her heart? It was as if he’d chipped away the ice and nursed the flames that now engulfed it.

  A part of her wanted to grab him and hold on tight, happy he was back in one piece. But the part of her ruled by anger twisted in his arms, trying to push him away, unwilling to set aside the emotions that ate at her. Her efforts were thwarted by his tight hold, the press of his body against hers, and his relentless kiss determined to conquer her anger.

  Under his assault, her struggles subsided and she sagged with a sigh of relief at having him back safe in her arms. Soon, it was washed away in a flood of desperation fed by the last couple of hours filled with pent-up worry and an overwhelming need to feel every inch of Trevor’s body against hers.

  Cassandra returned his demanding kiss with one of her own, pulling at his jacket and searching for the zipper until her groping fingers landed on metal. She quickly unzipped it and pushed it open, desperate to touch him. She groaned at the feel of his heat beneath her hands before sliding them up and pushing the jacket off his shoulders. Trevor held the kiss, sucking at her lips and tongue while shrugging the jacket off.

  Their tongues continued to dance as her hands pulled the turtleneck from Trevor’s waistband and slid underneath it, brushing up along his chest, loving the feel of his skin hard and quivering under her touch.

  Trevor’s chest heaved as he tried to suck in lungfuls of air; brushing her hands away, he yanked the sweater over his head and tossed it to the floor. Cassandra’s impatient hands dropped to his pants and made quick work of his button and zipper, releasing his hot pulsing cock into her grasp. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. “Damn it!”

  He quickly toed off his shoes, kicked free of his pants, and jerked Cassandra’s sweater up over her head, forcing her to release him.

  “Shite, Cassie!” he breathed out throatily at the sight of her breasts, already bare to his gaze. “All day? No bra? Fuck me!” he exclaimed, resting his forehead against hers.

  A sensual grin broke along her lips as she reached down once again for his cock, taking it firmly in her hand, squeezing it gently as her other hand moved to rest at his waist, urging him closer. A deep groan reverberated in his chest and his hips thrust into her grip.

  Their heat mingled, skin melting against each other when they finally touched chest to chest. A shiver shimmied up her spine as their lips sought and found each other. Cassandra’s heart thrummed against her chest and her emotions got the better of her. She pulled back, giving his cock a little jerk. “Damn it, Trevor! You drive me crazy with the chances you take!” she whispered harshly against his mouth, giving his cock another gentle tug to make her point.

  His hand covered hers since she had him hostage and he quietly whispered, “Shush, a ghrá,” before taking her lips roughly in another wet kiss, sending quivers of heat to pulse at her clit.

  Drawing in a ragged breath, Cassandra dove deeper into the kiss, never wanting it to end, exploring his mouth as if for the first time, loving and savoring the taste of him, so unique and stimulating to her senses. She tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through her as Trevor ravished her mouth and moved them toward the bed. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her soft curves molded to the contours of his lean body. Only the fabric of her jeans separated her skin from his heat. “Trevor my jea—” Before she could finish her sentence, she was thrown onto the bed.

  As she gasped for air, Trevor quickly grabbed her jeans and panties, roughly jerking them from her. He joined her on the bed, covering her body with his and capturing her hands above her head. They both stilled. His eyes, gleaming brightly with love and desire, gazed
down along her body before returning to meet hers, which mirrored the same need.

  Someone had told her once that in a couple’s relationship there is always one that loved more than the other. Cassandra contemplated that statement as she took in his tight muscular body, the lines of his abs, and his rigid cock pressed against her belly. Her mouth went dry. Snaring her eyes again, Trevor leaned closer until all she could see was the seriousness that had crept into his stormy blue eyes. “Know this Cassie. I’ll always come home to you. Always find you, no matter what.”

  It was then she knew the statement was false. They loved each other just as deeply and equally. A miracle really, considering neither had been seeking love when they’d found each other.

  She swallowed deeply, searching for words to convey her thoughts. “I know. But this is me, the consummate worrywart. I just found you. I don’t think I could stand losing you.” She turned her head, breaking their gaze as she sucked back her emotions. Who knew he would have such a daredevil streak? It wasn’t the first time—and she was positive it wouldn’t be the last—he’d put himself out there.

  Trevor released one of her hands, gripped her chin, and turned her face to him. “I know, a ghrá. That’s what I love about you. So hard and efficient when you need to be, and yet so soft and yielding to me.” His voice turned to a whisper as his lips pressed against hers. “Two sides of a coin. Both such a delight,” he continued as he trailed kisses across her eyes before returning to softly tease and coax her mouth.

  Trevor kissed Cassandra, hoping to ease the worries and the tension of the last couple of hours. He nipped at her lower lip and continued to taunt her until they engaged in a deep, open kiss. She moaned as he ground his hips against hers. The full extent of his desire pressed between them, rubbing her mound.