“Long time no see, Katarina. How have you being?” the man asked in a calm and easy tone. His English heavily accented.
“I won’t ask you again Dimitri,” Elaine repeated in Russian.
Derek concealed his shock as he stared at the third attacker. If it wasn’t for his silhouette catching some of the moonlight, it would have made it more difficult for Derek to find him. He was tall and big that he could tell, but what made Derek uneasy was how relaxed he was. One of his men was on the floor moaning and in pain after having both his knees shot out, the other was in a fistfight with Daniel and it sounded like he was losing and he just stood there, shooting the breeze like he wouldn’t be dead in the next minute or so if Derek felt inclined.
He barked the order and Elaine repeated it in English for Daniel’s sake. The two brawling men parted, Daniel immediately jumped on the bed, took Luciana by the arm and dragged her off from the side facing Derek and Elaine. Once on their feet, the third guy, Dimitri stepped into their path, blocking them. Derek’s finger twitched on the trigger.
“Dimitri, let them through,” Elaine demanded.
She stepped closer to the wall, flicked a switch and the room was flooded with light. It irked Derek that she knew where the light switch was, that she’d been in this room, on that bed tangled with Daniel. He was tempted to shoot him as well.
Derek looked down at the man on the ground, he was groaning, streams of blood passing between his fingers covering his knees to pool on the brown carpet. Then Derek shifted, gun held up and steady to get a clear view of the guy by the window, behind Daniel, who had practically wrapped himself around Luciana. The man was bleeding hard and it looked like Danny boy had gotten a few licks judging by how bloody his face was. Derek’s teeth ground hard against each other when he noticed the dangling belt buckle, the unsnapped and half zipped black jeans. They were really going to rape Luciana and make Daniel watch.
That was fucked up. Elaine better have a plan because Derek was itching to start shooting.
“What are you doing here Dimitri?”
The man looked well past his fifties, his hair white and aging lines on his face. He shrugged and smiled, “My job,” he shook his head and his smile turned tender, his eyes as well, “Little Katarina, I never thought I would see you again.”
“I hoped I never would,” Elaine—no Katarina responded, because the woman who stood beside him speaking in a chilling voice was most definitely Katarina. Sweet hesitant Elaine had taken a back seat. Who was this guy to her? How did they know each other?
“I thought you weren’t an assassin anymore.”
“I’m not. This is personal and you know I’m much more vicious when it’s personal.”
“Da, anyone who’s anyone knows.” His eyes narrowed, “I walk away and you owe me a favor.”
“Or, we just kill you all, I send your head back as a message and end it.” Katarina countered sweetly. It was eerie.
“That’s where you’re wrong. He’s looking for you, has been ever since Vladimir was murdered. He’s got questions.”
Whoa, what? Vladimir, the asshole who’d used Ellsa as a lab rat and tried to convince her that Ellie purposefully stole the men she loved and deserved to die, only Ellsa had ended up killing all of Ellie’s past flames, that Vladimir? The fucker who’s obsession with Ellsa had almost ruined her life and that of Dale’s and his family? They would have never found DJ and Damien would still be lost. What did he have to do with anything?
“Okay, I’ll answer that for you right now and you can pass it along. A deranged psychiatrist killed his precious Vladimir. He’s dead now so blood debt paid.”
He shook his head, “That’s not how this works.”
In two long strides, Katarina was nose to nose with Dimitri, her high heeled boots giving her the height she needed. “Unless he wants his head on a stick, it is how it works and ends.” She whispered icily, it sent a shiver of trepidation down Derek’s back.
Dimitri lifted his hands in a sign of surrender and took a step back. Katarina grabbed the front of his shirt, “Wrong direction,” she pushed him to the side and out of the way, “Daniel, take her downstairs and wait for us there.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Holding Luciana tightly to his side, Daniel ran past Derek and he then moved to completely block the door with his body, ensuring the three threats stayed in the room unless they wanted to be dead, fast.
“Katarina, you used be the sweetest little girl. Your smile would light up the entire house, made the harshest of Volkov’s men—how do the Americans say it? Ah yes, into marshmallows by just batting your pretty little eyes. But since that day, you became—”
“What I needed to be to survive,” Katarina interrupted. “Your man will be dead by morning if he already isn’t. Whatever secrets you wanted protected in exchange for this hit, he will take to his grave. Now go back to where you came from and don’t come back.”
“Volkov will want you—”
“Volkov won’t know we crossed paths, for the sake of your family Dimitri, you won’t breathe a word about me to him.”
Was it wrong that Derek was very turned on at that moment? This, the calm way she delivered a promise of death, how she stared down men twice her size and Derek could bet she had that sinister smile on her face that said ‘don’t let my appearance fool you, I can kill you with my pinky’. He’d always been attracted to dangerous women, but Katarina had a cord attached to his cock. He also had to admit to himself that Elaine was securing tight hooks to his heart. Spending time with her, their daughter and the rest of his family he had moments when he stared at her radiant face and dazzling smiles that weren’t so rare anymore, listened to her melodic laugh and caught those secret looks as her eyes travelled his body with appreciation, he was glad he left the CIA for her and their child.
Dimitri nodded and walked past Katarina, coming to a stop in front of Derek.
“Don’t even look at them when you leave the house,” Derek delivered his own threat.
Dimitri smirked, waited until Derek stepped out of the way and moved past him and out of sight. Derek turned just in time to catch Katarina stalking the man who’d tried to abuse Luciana. Not a chance in hell that was happening. Derek got a clear view and put two bullets in his heart and one in his head. Katarina turned to him with a snarl and glower.
“We are not doing the one step forward and a hundred steps back. I don’t care how mad you are, you are going to stick to your own rules.” He spoke, his voice hard and decisive.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breath. When she opened them, Derek could see Katarina being pushed back into the shadows. She slid her blades back into her boots and quickly rushed past him and muttered, “I’ll call for clean up,” then she was gone.
Derek walked to the man on the floor with his knees shot out and put him out of his misery before he joined the rest downstairs. Elaine was pacing, speaking rapidly into the phone in Mandarin and Derek chuckled at his quiet, dry cleaners joke. Then he turned to the couch where Daniel had Luciana cradled on his lap rocking her side to side kissing her temple and whispering reassuringly to her. She, on the other hand, had a rosary in her hand and her low muttering in Spanish sounded like she was praying. Good, she could pray for all their souls while she was at it and also pray that Dimitri didn’t betray Elaine and reveal her whereabouts to Volkov.
Volkov. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. It still bugged him that Vladimir was back to haunt them from the dead. There was so much going on here, Derek wouldn’t be at ease until he found out. He knew for sure Elaine wouldn’t be volunteering any information so he would have to find out some other way.
He let out a heavy breath, rubbing his face with his free hand, the other still held his gun, just in case. He was tired. He needed sleep. The housewarming party and now this, he was dead on his feet and it was, he looked at his wristwatch, two in the morning. He used to be able to function on little sleep, but since he quit his job he’d been teaching his body to relax and sleep longer. He’d spoiled himself and he wasn’t looking forward to going back to being on constant alert. But until he knew more about Volkov and Vladimir he was going back to sleeping for five hours a day, but during the day. At night, he would be keeping guard of his family.
“Daniel, it’s time to move.”
With a self-deprecating smile Daniel said, “I have an appointment with the real estate manager, booked us at a hotel starting tomorrow. Shouldn’t have been in the house tonight.”
The poor guy, the guilt must be eating him up, especially at how close his girl had come to being violated and him being unable to do anything but watch. That fear he had after being repeatedly stabbed in the chest would be nothing compared to what was ahead of him. He wasn’t going to be sleeping for a long time. And after what just happened, Derek had a hankering to go home and hold his baby girl.
“Elaine, how much longer?” he asked when she got off the phone.
“They’ll be here in twenty minutes. Until then,” she approached the couple with a soft smile on her lips and a reassuring look on her face, “why don’t you grab your coats, Daniel if they are down here? By morning every physical trace of what happened here will be long gone, your stuff will be packed for you and sent to wherever you want until you settle on a place.”
“I’m tempted to move next door to you,” Daniel murmured.
Derek waved his approval, “The more, the merrier. As a test run, you guys can stay with us until you find a house.”
Elaine gave him a questioning look and Derek just shrugged. He didn’t buy the house but he lived there and he had wired her his half of the cost of the house, she just didn’t know it yet. Besides, Daniel and Luciana will be jumping at shadows for days to come, why not help them feel safe and help them move on from the trauma? Staying with Derek and Elaine opposite two FBI agents, not excluding Alonzo, they would feel and be safe and sound.