Elaine didn’t dare speak all the way home. She was scared, so scared and she hated it. She hated it even more that she had no idea what was waiting for her at home. Someone had sent her a letter and they’d used the CIA to do it. That meant three things: that person thank goodness had no idea where she lived, they were tight enough with the CIA to use them as a courier service and they were very dangerous.
She turned to look at Derek in the driver seat. His hands clenched and unclenched on the steering wheel, his jaw was tightly locked and his brows were furrowed deep. He was thinking about something and it was intense. Was he preparing himself for whatever that letter held? Or was he regretting being in her life? Elaine wouldn’t blame him. She’d warned him not to bring danger to their doorstep and here she had someone go through the trouble of using the CIA to track her down. Dale must be mad at her. This was the second time she’d brought crap like this to his doorstep. He was probably contemplating moving again. But they couldn’t afford that. She would help, whatever they needed, she would give them.
Derek pulled up in front of Dale’s house and she quickly jumped out and ran for the door. It opened just as she got to it and Dale was there to greet her. She opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her.
“Just find out what it is about first before you apologize,” he stepped out of her way and she ran in.
In the living room, Alonzo and Damien were there with two other men. One was Derek’s boss, she recognized him from her investigation, and the other looked like a lab squint. He had all these tools out as he inspected the letter with gloved hands. Alonzo looked up at her and gave her a slight smile, but his eyes didn’t fool her. She smiled back even though she felt like she could barely breathe. This was serious. Very serious.
“Where is Katya?”
“In your house with the others. The security system there is more advanced than the other house. You should hook the rest up,” Alonzo made conversation like nothing was amiss.
“Dad, John Smith. I didn’t know the company had a delivery service?” Derek spoke from behind her, making her jump. She hadn’t noticed him there.
“We don’t, but one of those holes in the system forced the issue. We’ll need help with that.” He looked pointedly at her, then Derek.
If she was in the state of mind to respond, she would have something to say. At the moment, joining words to make a constructive sentence wasn’t at the top of her priorities. The squint was taking too long to finish his exam. Either way if it was a mini bomb or a bio-hazard, it would already have released on its way to delivery. What if John Smith, aka Gabriel Howard, hadn’t opened it already and all this was some stalling tactic for a bigger agenda? She reached past the squint and grabbed the letter despite all the protests from everyone else. She ripped it open and in bold Russian words the day of reckoning had come.
Derek took the letter from her shaking hands and cursed, crushing it into a ball in his own hand. “Have you read this?” he asked his boss.
“I was under strict instructions not to do so.”
“I’m supposed to believe that stopped you?” he grabbed her by her arms and turned her to face him, “You do nothing. You stay home with our daughter and you let me handle it. Is that clear?”
She stared at him, saw the determination on his face, the concern in his eyes and she fell in love with him all over again. He would protect her, no matter what, even if it meant his own life. She kissed him then, with all the love inside her, memorizing the feel and taste of his lips. Then she hugged him tight, committing every inch of his body pressed against hers into memory.
“I love you. Be careful.” She whispered to him tearfully.
He relaxed a little then his body tightened and he pulled away from her. The other side of Derek Silva, the dangerous one greeted her. “Go home to our daughter.”
She nodded once, turned and walked out of the house and probably out of Derek’s life. She’d lied. She had no intention of staying home while he faced her past. It was time that she did and finally put it to bed before it harmed Katya.
She went into her house and rushed straight for Katya, ignoring everyone else in the house. She kissed and held her daughter, tickling her so that she could hear her laugh for what may be the last time. Then she handed her to Amelia and headed for her basement. She punched in the security code and the door swung open, immediately closing and locking behind her. The room was lit in crystal blue light, kept at room temperature, conducive enough to keep their weapons secure. Derek would be coming down here soon to prepare for his mission, so she had to grab what she needed and go. She picked her boots and her leather jacket, both lined with enough blades to kill a small army. And she was sure he was coming with a small army. She didn’t pick a gun. What would be the use if they were going to strip her of it the second she arrived? And the knives were personal. This was personal.
Once armed to the nines and ready, Elaine took a minute to transform, to push Katarina to the forefront and Elaine to the back. She needed to become the cold killer that she’d been for the better part of her life. That was who she wanted to introduce to Volkov Zolnerowich. She wanted to see what he’d turned her into before she killed him.
She was up the stairs and out the door into her garage in a minute. She didn’t stop to say goodbye or look at her daughter one last time or she would lose her resolve. She couldn’t weaken before her meeting with the devil. She drove to the designated warehouse mentioned in the letter and walked in, one sure step at a time. There he was, standing in the middle of the room with his lackeys flanking him. Dimitri stood the closest. The other five were spread out around him.
“Katarina,” his lips wobbled as tears spilled out of his eyes, “You look just like your mother.”