Saviours

by Beth Abbott

  “I wish I could come with you.” Zach sighed. “But you’ll let me know everything they say, right? If they do any tests or shit like that?”

  Sacha smiled at him.

  “Of course, I’ll tell you everything as soon as I’ve seen the doctor.” She promised. “If you can, will you call me later from the ship to let me know you arrived safely, and again, after your fight? I need to know you’re Ok.”

  “I promise, I’ll call you as soon as I can and as often as I can.” He assured her. “It might be very late over there by the time the fights are over, but with the couple of hours’ time difference, it shouldn’t be later than midnight here when I call you tonight.”

  Sacha nodded, her throat choked with the sob that she was trying to hold in.

  Zach wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close and burying his face in her chest, almost as though he was trying to memorize her scent.

  Sacha leaned down and kissed the top of his head, before laying her cheek on the silky short hair.

  “This time next week, I’m going to be laughing at how silly I was to worry about you.” She said shakily. “You’re going to kick ass and bring yourself home to me with barely a scratch. Drago will have gotten Hannah the bank account details she needs, and she’ll have cleared out Lebedev’s money, leaving him in custody somewhere in Russia, singing like the proverbial canary about all his criminal contacts.”

  Zach snorted a laugh as he leaned his head back.

  “You forgot that we’ll have rescued Micky Kozlova and set all the trafficked women free.” He smiled. “As well as having returned a ton of military hardware back to the Russian army.”

  “Well, obviously, I meant those as well.” Sacha shrugged.

  “Obviously.” Zach chuckled.

  The beeping of Zach’s phone made them both jump.

  “It’s just the alarm.” Zach let go of her to lean over and shut it off before it could disturb anyone else.

  “Do you want to get some breakfast?” Sacha asked. “The car will be here to pick you up in thirty minutes or so.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Zach nodded. “Just…”

  “Just… what?” Sacha prompted him.

  Zach took hold of both of her hands.

  “I know I’d be wasting my breath if I told you not to worry.” Zach looked up into her eyes, his own cloudy with concern. “Just promise me you won’t let yourself worry too much. I don’t want you to let this get on top of you, just when we’ve barely had a chance to put everything else in perspective. I know the timing is shitty, but I don’t want this to undo the good work we did this week, talking to Drew and Vicky.”

  Sacha tugged at his hands, and Zach allowed himself to be pulled up to stand in front of her.

  “You’re right about me worrying.” She nodded. “Nothing will stop me from fretting about you this weekend. But I have also found some perspective this week, and that’s going to help me separate the two issues. I’m seeing the doctor today to take a step forward on the one issue, and by Monday afternoon, the other issue should have resolved itself when you come home safely to me. I can deal with both of them, but only if I keep treating them as two different problems, and not one big overwhelming one.”

  “Sacha, you’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.” Zach smiled at her. “Look how you kept trying to make me see sense, even when I was being so pig-headed I couldn’t see the possibility of the most wonderful relationship I could ever have imagined. You were so strong and had so much belief. Just keep remembering how that worked out. You had faith in us, and here we are.”

  “Here we are.” Sacha leaned in and kissed him softly. “I’ll always have faith in us.”

  Zach was just leaning down for another kiss when there was a soft tap on the door.

  “The car will be here in twenty.” Danny’s voice came through the door. “There’s coffee and breakfast in the kitchen.”

  Sacha smiled at Zach’s smirk.

  “Thanks, Danny.” He called quietly over his shoulder. “Be right there.”

  They listened to Danny’s footsteps move away, and Zach turned back to her.

  “Now, where were we?” He asked with a grin.

  “You were about to kiss me like a man about to go on a round-the-world journey, who wanted to convince his wife not to run away with the gardener while he was gone.” She replied seriously.

  “I thought I’d successfully done that last night.” Zach protested.

  “It never hurts to be doubly sure.” Sacha shrugged. “Of course, if you don’t think I’m worth persuading…”

  Zach’s lips crashed down on hers before Sacha could finish the sentence. His arms wrapped her up tightly, and he lifted her off her feet.

  Sacha gripped his face and kissed Zach for all she was worth, their tongues dancing in a familiar way, her breasts heaving as she felt her inner muscles tightening.

  It was rare that they kissed with this much desperation, and she wished they had just a little more time, so they could take it to the next level again.

  Last night had been wonderful, but it had been fuelled by emotion and a longing for that feeling of togetherness.

  This kiss should have been leading to something far more explosive, but their time had run out.

  Eventually they had to come up for air, and Zach lifted his head, his face full of regret.

  “Now I know how Danny feels, always having to go to work with a cock as stiff as a flagpole.” He groaned.

  “If it’s any consolation, I’m feeling exactly the same way, although for obvious reasons, I’m aware you can’t see the evidence.” She smiled. “But have no doubt, I fully intend to finish what we started, just as soon as you get back.”

  “Deal.” Zach released her to pick up his pack.

  Sacha pulled on her robe and slippers and followed him downstairs to the kitchen.

  Zach dropped his pack and jacket near the front door and they made their way to where Hannah and Danny were plating up some breakfast.

  “There you go.” Hannah smiled, pushing one plate towards Zach. “You can’t beat a full English breakfast, as Danny keeps reminding me.”

  Sacha looked down at the bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, toast and beans.

  “I hate that the guys can eat stodge like that every day, and still not put on an ounce.” She grumbled, turning away to grab some coffee mugs. “I only have to look at a granola bar and I have to spend twenty minutes on the cross-trainer.”

  “And when will you women realise that very few men are attracted to the emaciated, super-thin cat-walk models that the fashion industry tries to tell women they should aspire to look like?” Danny growled. “Women should look like women, curves and all. Why do you think Marylin Monroe is still considered one of the sexiest women that ever lived? She was full-figured and proud of it.”

  Sacha stared at Danny, shocked at his little outburst.

  “He’s absolutely right, sweetheart.” Zach confirmed, chewing a chunk of sausage. “Did you think your dad was lying when he said he thought your mom was the sexiest women on the planet? He loves her curves.”

  Sacha sighed, then quickly snagged a piece of bacon from Zach’s plate.

  “If you say so.” She grinned, rolling her eyes in ecstasy as she nibbled the meat. “Oh, that’s so good!”

  “So, you’ve often said before, sweetheart. But I didn’t think you were talking about bacon!” Zach teased, causing Sacha to blush.

  Before she could scold him, Zach pulled her close and kissed her thoroughly, leaving Sacha staring up at him in shock.

  “Shit, don’t start doing that in front of Danny.” Hannah chuckled. “He’s always horny enough in the mornings without watching you two getting it on.”

  Sacha gazed up at Zach and loved the way his handsome face broke into a grin.

  “Are you complaining, wife?” Danny huffed, and he and Hannah started on a griping contest that Sacha was happy to blank out.

  “I love you to the moon and b
ack.” Zach whispered in her ear.

  “I love you to the stars and beyond.” She murmured back, wrapping her arms around him.

  The quick toot of a car horn had them jumping apart.

  “Time to go.” Danny headed to the front door to let the driver know they were on their way.

  “Stay safe.” Hannah instructed before giving Zach a quick hug. “And that’s an order, not a request, in case you couldn’t tell.”

  “Yes, boss.” Zach grinned, taking Sacha’s hand and leading her to the door.

  Sacha watched Kellen climb out of the back of the car and take Zach’s pack from Danny, stowing it in the trunk.

  “Don’t worry, sugar.” He grinned at Sacha. “I’ll make sure he brushes his teeth and says his prayers at bedtime.”

  Sacha smiled even though it killed her.

  “Make sure you both come home safely.” She nodded. “Even if you haven’t brushed your teeth.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Kellen strolled over to Hannah and gave her a hug.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come to the airport with you?” Sacha whispered up at Zach, desperate to gain more time with him.

  Zach wrapped her up in his arms, obviously sensing her pain.

  “It’s a three hour round trip, just to prolong the agony of saying goodbye.” He shook his head. “Nah, I’d much rather think of you going back to bed for a few hours’ sleep. Kiss Rocco for me when he wakes up, and tell him I love him, and I’ll see him in a few days.”

  “I will.” Sacha nodded.

  “I’ll be fine.” Zach repeated, trying to be reassuring.

  “I know you will.” Sacha half-smiled. “You’re Gigantor. One look at you and the rest of the fighters will run a mile.”

  “Let’s hope.” Zach chuckled.

  He reached down and gave her a bear-hug and a final kiss, before he whispered ‘I love you’ one last time.

  Sacha stepped back and smiled, allowing him the freedom to walk to the car.

  As he climbed in beside Kellen, Sacha felt such a sharp pain in her chest she almost fell over.

  She kept smiling.

  As the car pulled away, she saw Zach turn and wave, and she gave him a small wave back.

  Still smiling.

  When the car finally turned out of the driveway and out of sight, Sacha finally let go, and she burst into tears.

  If it hadn’t been for Danny and Hannah standing behind her, she would have slumped to the floor, but she felt a pair of strong arms lift her up and carry her back inside the house.

  “Good girl.” Danny whispered into her hair as she sobbed into his shirt. “Zach can go off and do what he needs to do, without worrying that you’re at home breaking your heart.”

  “He obviously knows you’re at home breaking your heart, but his last image of you waving will be a positive one.” Hannah agreed.

  Danny carried her to the kitchen and sat her on one of the breakfast stools as Hannah pushed a box of tissues into her hand.

  “You know Zach’s well capable of handling this, don’t you?” Danny leaned on the breakfast counter opposite Sacha, so she had to look at him.

  “I know.” She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the tissue. “I’m fully aware of my husband’s strengths, as well as having confidence in his ability to think his way out of a problem. He’s not just an asset inside the ring.”

  “Exactly.” Hannah agreed. “And we really need him on this mission. There’s a lot at stake, and you know Tuck would never have suggested him if he thought any harm would come to Zach, don’t you?”

  “I know.” Sacha nodded. “Will you be able to see the fights when they happen?”

  “Drago has all the equipment needed to stream it live to us, but there are a lot of question marks as to whether he’ll be able to set it up.” Hannah shrugged. “Like whether he can set up the cameras without being spotted. And whether he can boost the wi-fi signal to get it down inside the hold. It may be good enough to send an email, but to stream a live-feed needs a hell of a lot more juice than that.”

  “Can I watch it with you, if Drago’s able to set it up?” Sacha asked. “I mean, I might only be able to watch it through the cracks in my fingers, but at least I’ll be able to see for myself that Zach is Ok, rather than have to wait and wonder.”

  “If we get it set up, then by all means you can watch it.” Hannah nodded. “On the strict understanding that you sit behind Abbey and don’t disturb her.”

  “Why would you worry that I’ll disturb Abbey?” Sacha frowned.

  “Abbey will be watching it to look at the faces of all Lebedev’s associates.” Hannah explained. “She only needs to see them once, and she should be able to identify them from the files the Russians have sent us. They want to know who Lebedev is doing business with, and the live-feed pictures may turn out to be too grainy when we play them back.”

  “Ok, well, that’s not going to be a problem.” Sacha shrugged. “I’ll probably use Abbey as a pillar I can duck behind, so I don’t actually have to watch Zach being punched.”

  She climbed down from the stool.

  “Thank you both for the pep-talk.” She smiled. “I’m going to try and catch another couple hours’ sleep.”

  “Good idea.” Danny nodded. “Seeing as I’m wide awake, I’m going to go for a run. Care to join me, wife?”

  Hannah snorted a laugh.

  “I don’t think so, baby.” She pointed at Sacha. “I think the ladies are united on the idea of going back to bed. Take your keys with you, so you can let yourself back in.”

  Sacha made her way back up to her bedroom and closed the door quietly. She had just flicked the light off when she noticed that her phone was flashing to let her know a message had come through.

  She flipped the light back on and grabbed her phone, seeing the message was from Zach.

  “Check your purse.”

  Well, that wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped for.

  Sacha leaned over and grabbed her purse, noticing there was something gift-wrapped nestled on top.

  Sacha’s hands shook as she ripped open the packaging to find a square box and a note.

  “This was supposed to be for our anniversary, but I wanted you to have it this morning to make you think happy thoughts every time you look at it. It comes with memories of the happiest day of my life. I love you. Z.”

  Sacha opened the box to see a beautiful necklace sitting on a bed of velvet.

  Hanging from the chain was a heart, and within the heart was an S and a Z intertwined, surrounded by diamonds. Sacha’s breath caught in her chest when she turned it over to find their marriage date engraved onto the back.

  Sacha picked up her phone and tapped out her reply.

  “It’s so beautiful. Thank you for being the most perfect husband. I love you.”

  She placed the phone back on the table and after kissing the pendant, slid the box beneath her pillow.

  When she’d turned the light back off, she settled back down, ready to sleep for a few more hours.

  As much as she hated the reason Zach was going to be away, she could at least distract herself with the doctor’s appointment later.

  Maybe she’d finally get some answers as to what had gone wrong before, and she’d know whether there was something that could be fixed.

  Sacha closed her eyes.

  She would focus on the positive and push the negative out of her mind.

  If only that wasn’t easier said than done!

  Chapter 24 – Hannah

  Hannah was staring at her phone, willing it to ring.

  The flight carrying Zach, Kris, and Kellen would be landing in Russia at any minute, and they’d had no word from Drago that he was even at the airport yet.

  “I just had a message from Zach to say they’ve touched down and are waiting to disembark.” Tuck walked into her office. “Any word from Drago yet?”

  Before Hannah could answer, her phone rang, and she picked up the call before it could ring twice.
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  “Drago? Where the hell are you?” She demanded, her patience stretched as thin as it was going to get without snapping altogether.

  “Hey, Hannah.” Drago’s voice was little more than a whisper. “Chill out, will you? We’re at the airport, and the flight your men are on just landed.”

  Hannah breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Sorry, but you said you’d call when you were on your way to the airport.” She explained. “I expected a call from you hours ago.”

  “I know, and you would’ve had one, but my contact, Orlov, decided he wanted to come along for the ride.” Drago explained. “I pointed out that he couldn’t tag along with my team, because we already have the maximum number required, but he claims to have a Polish friend on the ship he’s going to hook up with. Orlov seems to think Lebedev will be fine with it.”

  “Lebedev doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’ll just allow someone to bust in without an invitation.” Hannah warned. “Make sure he doesn’t think Orlov is there at your suggestion, or you could end up on Lebedev’s shit-list as well.”

  “Don’t worry about it. As soon as we reach the ship, Orlov is on his own, and can talk his way on board without an invitation if he wants to.” Drago confirmed. “He can get his Polish friend to vouch for him, because I’m going nowhere near Lebedev’s shit-list, at least, not before Sunday night I hope.”

  “Is everything going as planned, apart from Orlov, I mean.” Hannah asked.

  “Yeah, as far as we can tell.” Drago said quietly. “I met with the General last night, and he verified that our alternative escape route has been confirmed. He’s provided me with two radio transmitters to activate right before we want to be evacuated.”

  “Won’t they be picked up by a scanner if you’re checked boarding the ship?” Hannah worried.

  “No, don’t worry. Apart from the fact that they emit no signal unless they’re actually switched on, they just look like a couple of pairs of ear buds that you’d plug into your phone. The only difference is that if you turn the volume switch right up on these little gizmos, it activates the signals.” Drago chuckled. “Not bad, huh?”

  Hannah smiled.