by Beth Abbott
“Of course.” Micky returned his smile. “I just have something to do very quickly, and then I can return to answer all of your questions. I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“That would be great. Thanks.” Abram nodded, returning his attention to the food on his plate.
Kellen watched Micky steer the other woman out of the dining hall, and he glanced around the table.
“Was it my imagination, or was there a very definite flicker of recognition from Micky?” He murmured.
Abram pushed his plate to one side and stood up, obviously intending to get himself a dessert.
“Can you honestly believe that any woman could forget this once she’d seen it?” He indicated his body and smirked at his teammates.
“Are you saying you and she…?” Kellen frowned.
“I let her look… but not touch.” Abram grinned. “You think I give it away to every woman I meet?”
“I think I’d gift-wrap it and give it to that woman for my birthday!” Kellen murmured, only realising he’d spoken aloud when he heard his teammates chuckle.
“You could try.” Abram snorted a laugh. “I’m not sure how far it would get you, but far be it from me to put you off.”
“Somehow, I don’t see much point in trying.” Drago grinned. “You’ve got seventy-two hours on board this ship. There’s not going to be a lot of free time to wine and dine her.”
Kellen shrugged, and continued eating his dessert. He wasn’t actually considering pursuing the raven-haired beauty, but he couldn’t help but react strongly when he’d seen her. Maybe it was connected to that stupid dream he’d had, but there was something oddly familiar about her. Some kind of connection he’d felt the minute he’d laid eyes on her.
Even as the thought entered his consciousness, he almost rolled his eyes at how ridiculous it sounded.
It was just a coincidence that he should have a dream about a black-haired, blue-eyed beauty that looked just like Micky Koslova. It really could have been any tall woman with black hair, blue eyes and full pouty lips. It wasn’t as if the world had a shortage of them.
Of course, if she happened to have a cluster of freckles on her left breast, then he just might have to concede that there was such a thing as kismet, or fate. But seeing as he was probably the biggest cynic in the world, even then, he would probably just chalk it up to the existence of some parallel universe which had temporarily converged with ours for the single purpose of fucking up his peace of mind.
Kellen pictured Micky Koslova walking up to him and pulling her shirt to one side, flashing her left breast in order to demonstrate to him that she really was the woman of his dreams.
Kellen snorted a laugh, and then realised he’d been completely inside his own head, right up to the moment when he looked up to find his teammates staring at him as if he’d gone crazy.
“Something funny you’d like to share with us?” Zach frowned at him.
Share the fact that he’d been dreaming about the beautiful FSB agent? That would be a ‘Hell No!’
“Just thinking of little Roman, and the shit we got up to yesterday.” Kellen lied through his teeth. “That kid is so funny and cool.”
“Yeah, well do you think you could try and get your head back in the game?” Zach suggested. “Micky is on her way back in.”
He stared at the door as it was pulled open from the outside, and sure enough, Micky Koslova walked in, alone this time, and headed straight for their table.
“Gentlemen?” She smiled at them politely. “What questions did you have for me?”
“How about we start with a simple one?” Drago gave her his friendliest smile. “Is this dining hall bugged?”
Chapter 29 – Micky
Micky led the way outside to where the containers were stacked in the hold, and the men followed her out.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She turned to find the big Russian grinning at her.
“I don’t have any evidence that it is, but I wouldn’t like to stake my life on it.” She shrugged. “There’s far less chance that they’ve planted any surveillance equipment out here.”
As the men took up casual positions in the far corner of the hold, she realised they had deliberately sited themselves, so they could see anyone coming from any direction.
She glanced around until her eyes fell on Abram.
“What can I help you with?” She asked, still not sure what he was doing there.
Abram smiled at her, that lazy half-smile she remembered so well from the days when they served together.
“Your papa sends his best wishes, Micky.” He said quietly. “Along with a message for your ears only.”
Micky almost jumped out of her skin at the mention of her father. What did Abram know?
Her eyes darted between Abram and the rest of his team.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” He nodded towards his men. “We’re all clued in as to who you are and what you’re doing here.”
Micky felt the blood rush from her head. Had her father sent these guys in to rescue her?
“Who exactly is ‘we’?” She asked, not disguising that she was suspicious of who they were and what they were doing on the ship.
“These are my friends and teammates.” Abram shrugged. “Drago works for the same people that we do. Kellen, Zach and Kris are working for a company based in the UK, even though they’re all American or were based in America. I can provide you with more details when we have more time, but, for now, suffice it to say that we’re all on the same side.”
“Really?” She smiled, watching each of the men nod as he said their names. “And what, exactly, are you doing here?”
“Haven’t you heard?” Abram chuckled. “We’re here to fight.”
“And what else will you be doing while you’re here?” She persisted.
“There are quite a few items on our to-do list, actually.” The big blond, Zach, replied. “Primarily, we’re here to take down Lebedev, get you out, and rescue the women in the container.”
Micky’s heart definitely stuttered when she heard him say ‘get you out’.
“Wait, you said you were going to rescue the women?” She frowned. “How exactly do you propose to do that?”
“Do you think you can wait a while to get the answers to all of those questions spinning in your head?” Micky turned slightly to see another giant of a man smiling at her as he spoke, this one black-haired, with striking steel grey eyes. “As much as I’d love to stay out here all day chewing the fat, something tells me it’s probably going to give rise to a whole bunch of questions if one of Lebedev’s men sees us out here.”
“He’s right, Micky.” Abram nodded. “We could do with finishing this conversation out of sight. Can we go to your cabin for a quiet word?”
Micky bit her lip.
“That won’t work.” She shook her head. “Until he gets settled, Sergei could come to my cabin at any time. He doesn’t think I’m entitled to down time or peace and quiet. It would probably be safer if I come to you. Which cabin do they have you in?”
“The team is in number twelve.” Abram confirmed.
“Ok, you guys go back to your cabin now, and I’ll meet you there in about twenty minutes.” Micky nodded. “I have one more job to do before I can have some free time.”
“Ok.” Abram and his men stood straighter, ready to go. “Take my key-card and you can let yourself in.”
Micky pocketed the key-card he handed her and turned to go back towards the dining room.
“Abs, I don’t suppose there’s any chance you know what happened to Andre?” She paused, without looking back. “He was my partner, but he disappeared a few months ago.”
There was a delay before he said the words, which told her everything she needed to know.
“I’m sorry Micky.” Abram said quietly. “He didn’t make it.”
Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she steeled herself to remain calm.
“I figured as much.” She said qu
ietly. “I guess I just hoped…”
“We don’t think they knew who he was.” Drago reassured her. “It looked like he got caught up in a gunfight between a bunch of Lebedev’s guys and a rival gang. Wrong place, wrong time.”
Micky nodded but didn’t look back.
“I’ll see you in twenty.” She confirmed as she re-entered the building and closed the door behind her.
Even though she knew that Abram was there to help her, Micky’s heart broke at the thought that Andre was dead.
For months they’d been talking about how great it would be to get the mission over with, so they could get back to their real lives.
Now she knew Andre would never get out, it made the realisation that she might actually get away from Lebedev so very bittersweet.
Maybe if she could help these guys get the trafficked women to safety, she’d feel a little less guilty at being alive.
Chapter 30 – Zach
“You guys go on back to the cabin.” Zach pulled out his phone. “I’m gonna take a walk up the outside stairs and call Sacha from up on deck. I’ll be back before Micky gets there.”
Zach didn’t wait for a response, he just turned and headed for the staircase that would take him up to the deck.
He called up Sacha’s number and hit dial, waiting patiently for the call to connect.
Zach had tried Sacha’s number a few times since they’d got to the ship, but for the last ninety minutes she’d been unreachable.
He’d tried not to panic.
There were any number of reasons why the calls might not be going through properly, starting with poor coverage at one of their locations, and running to the plain fact the she might simply have switched off her phone.
“Zach?” Sacha sounded breathless. “Hold on, sweetheart. I’m trying to get somewhere quiet.”
Zach smiled at the noises he could hear in the background. Sacha was speaking to another woman who sounded very much like Vicky, then there was the sound of a door opening, some footsteps running, and then another door.
“Zach? Are you still there?” Sacha panted.
“Of course, I’m still here.” He chuckled. “Did you think I was gonna hang up on you?”
“No, not if you knew what was good for you.” Sacha snorted. “But I didn’t know how good the line was going to be. We could’ve lost connection within ten seconds.”
“Well, we haven’t, so I’m pleased to confirm that we’ve arrived with little fuss, and we’re already settled in to our cabin.” Zach confirmed. “We’ve even had lunch in the dining hall, and if I do say so, the food was pretty damn good.”
“Was there enough to eat?” Sacha sounded worried. “They’ve hopefully figured out that you all have very large appetites.”
“Honey, if you saw what Abram and Kellen put away, you’d think I ate like a sparrow!” Zach grinned. “I swear Kellen ate three times as much as I did, and still managed to put away two desserts. It’s incredible where he even puts it all.”
“Umm, honey, Kellen is built like a mountain.” She chuckled. “He’s almost as big as you.”
Zach smiled at the observation.
“Well he’s got three times my appetite.” He reassured her. “Anyway, I didn’t call you just to talk about other men. I wanted to find out what you’ve been doing today.”
“Well, Vicky and I have been at the hospital for a few hours, seeing the gynaecologist she recommended.” Sacha explained. “Actually, that’s where we still are. I just ran into the ladies’ toilet to get someplace quiet to speak to you.”
“That explains why your phone was on silent.” Zach murmured. “So, have you seen the doc yet? What did he say?”
“He was actually a she, and she was amazing.” Sacha sounded really energised for the first time in months. “She gave me a thorough examination and did a couple of ultrasound scans. One of them was internal, with this gadget that looked a bit like a wand. I would’ve been happy to get through life without ever having to experience that, but there you go. What can ya do?”
“I’m guessing it wasn’t the most pleasant experience.” Zach could only imagine how uncomfortable that might be. “But regardless of how much you hated it, did it actually do any good?”
“Well, actually, yes, I think it did.” Sacha admitted. “The scan showed up that I have fibroids inside my womb. They were very possibly the cause of the miscarriages, as it would have been almost impossible for the placenta to attach itself properly to the womb lining.”
Zach felt tears prick the back of his eyes. He hadn’t been sure they would ever find a reason for the two lost babies.
“So, there was absolutely nothing you did to cause it, any more than there was anything you could have done to prevent it.” He pointed out. “It was just one of those things.”
“Thanks for the reminder, Zach, but I’d already reached that conclusion by myself.” Sacha sniffed. “But that’s just part of the news. Fiona, that’s my doctor, she explained that there’s a surgical procedure they can do under general anaesthetic to remove the fibroids, which will go a long way towards fixing the problem. A friend of hers is qualified to do it.”
“Surgery?” Zach didn’t like the sound of that.
“Yeah, except they don’t have to make an incision.” Sacha explained. “They go in, well, it’s umm…”
“It’s umm… what, Sacha?” Zach prompted. “Laser-beamed?”
Sacha chuckled.
“That might be preferable.” She admitted. “They do the procedure vaginally. They go in through the cervix.”
“What?” Zach liked the sound of that even less. “So, some guy gets to stick his hands…”
“The doctor uses his medical instruments inside me to remove the fibroids.” Sacha talked over the top of Zach, effectively silencing him. “Which will hopefully result in me having a successful pregnancy next time.”
Zach understood what she was saying, but that didn’t make him like it any better.
Call him an old fool, but he hated the thought of another man seeing any part of Sacha that he considered his own private domain. A man touching Sacha, even if in a professional capacity, left him grinding his teeth together so hard, a visit to the dentist was possibly going to be required in the near future.
“When are you going to see this other doctor?” He tried to keep a lid on his anxiety.
“I probably won’t see him until after the operation.” Sacha explained. “Fiona told us that he was supposed to have been away at a conference this weekend, and not back until Monday afternoon, but it’s been cancelled for some reason, so he’s free all weekend. They’re trying to figure out when he can fit me in.”
“This weekend?” Zach repeated. He would probably still be in Russia then.
“Hopefully, yes.” Sacha sounded scared and excited at the same time. “Fiona’s staff are checking to make sure there is an operating theatre available at the hospital, and an anaesthetist. As long as they have all the personnel they need and a theatre, it could all be over and done by Sunday evening.”
“Honey, I won’t be back in time to go with you.” Zach warned. “We have a provisional booking for a return flight on Monday.”
“Vicky has promised to stay with me at the hospital, and Drew has even offered to drive us in and stay until I’m released.” Sacha reassured him. “He’s promised to talk me down off the ledge if I get the jitters or anything.”
Zach swore under his breath.
“I know Drew and Vicky will look after you, but I hate the thought that you’ll be going through all that and I won’t be there.” He growled in frustration.
“Zach, I’ll be in hospital less than a day.” Sacha promised. “By the time you’re off the ship, I’ll be back at Hannah’s place, tucked up in bed reading one of my romance novels.”
“Yeah, well you’d better make it one of the Amish books again.” Zach snorted a laugh. “I’m guessing our proper reunion is going to have to wait until we’re back in Philly, so there�
��s no point in reading one of those sexy books that are gonna get you revved up ready for me. You said the steamiest scene in the Amish book was when they held hands after they got married. That’ll be perfect.”
“I may have downloaded it by mistake, but the Amish story was very sweet, I’ll have you know!” Sacha huffed. “And you’re right. I might just have to download quite a few of those books if we’re not going to be getting a proper reunion anytime soon.”
“Don’t go thinking for one minute that just because I can’t make love to you, that you’re going to have plenty of free time to read your books, Sacha.” Zach smiled to himself. “I promise you I can keep you suitably occupied for the duration.”
“Oh?” He could almost imagine Sacha blushing at his words. “What did you have in mind?”
“Oh, sweetheart…” Zach crooned. “If I told you that, I’d have to go back to the meeting with the Russian woman with my cock as stiff as a flagpole. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“You’re damn straight I wouldn’t!” Sacha hissed. “Is Micky as pretty as Hannah and Danny said?”
“No idea.” Zach shrugged. “I only see one woman clearly. The rest are just light and shade.”
Zach heard Sacha sigh.
“Anyway, speaking of a meeting, I really should get back to our cabin to wait for the General’s daughter.” Zach admitted reluctantly. “We’ve only just barely introduced ourselves, so we’re hoping to share some intel with her, and see what she can tell us.”
“I should get back to Vicky, too.” Sacha whispered. “She’s been waiting to take me back to Hannah’s place.”
“If I end up fighting tonight, try not to watch, Ok?” Zach urged her.
Sacha snorted a laugh.
“It’s hard enough to see through your fingers, let alone watch from behind the sofa.” She admitted. “I might listen to Hannah’s commentary, on condition that she never mentions when you’ve been hit.”
“Sounds fair to me.” Zach conceded. “Kiss Rocco for me and tell him I’m missing him something fierce.”
“I will.” Sacha sniffed.
“I love you to the moon, baby.” He said softly, hoping she could feel that every word was true.