Her Russian Hero (International Romance Series) (29 page)

A comforting hand squeezed her
shoulder. Rob gave her a tissue. “Cecile, this feud started long before you
arrived in Minsk. You’re just a pawn in Roussov’s game. You couldn’t have
guessed his motives.”

“These people have a different
mentality and culture.” John expanded some more on the same subject. “For
years, they lived in fear and kept their thoughts to themselves. Don’t blame
yourself, please.”

Paul took his turn. “Don’t worry,
Cecile. Sergei will get out of it. Maybe with some ruffled feathers. But we
know our general. He’s not a man to sit idly by and accept his fate. Look at
the mess he made in this lobby. Five or six men out of commission because they
dared to bother him with their cameras.”

She couldn’t suppress a smile at
the image Paul described. Her friends’ soothing words calmed her. She needed
all her wits to draw up a plan to help Sergei.

Two men strutted in through the
glass door. One raised his voice in a tone of command. Immediate silence
hovered over the lobby. Everyone’s head turned toward the newcomers.

“The deputies from the Ministry
of Defense,” John assumed correctly.

The circle enlarged around
Sergei. With the colonel beside him, her proud lover, calm and cool, raised a
brow and stared at the two men.

Roussov and the man carrying the
newspaper-wrapped envelope joined them. More discussion took place. The
newspaper was removed, the envelope opened and the dollars displayed and
counted.

The whole audience, policemen,
reporters, National Security guards and even Nicolai, gasped collectively. One
of the deputies grabbed the general’s arm. She saw Sergei slowly turn his head
toward the hand clinging to his arm. Afraid, the man yanked his hand away,
stepped back and barked an order.

Four men surrounded the Major
General. He walked between them to the door, as straight and arrogant as when
he headed the Hall of Officers meeting. Nicolai and Roussov followed on his
heels.

At the glass door, Sergei stopped
and turned. He seemed to survey the hall, searching for something. His gaze
paused on her and he brought his hand to his forehead in a military salute.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She waved her hand. He stared at her—with love or
resentment, she couldn’t tell which—then gave her a half-smile and bowed.

Roussov chose that moment to
shout, “Thank you, Dr. Lornier, for helping to catch this traitor.”

Cecile screamed. “No, it’s not true.”
She propelled herself out of her friends’ hold to run toward her general. She
stopped in her tracks when she saw Sergei’s fist connect with Roussov’s jaw.

The Director of National Security
collapsed to the floor.

No one dared to interfere.

Sergei turned and exited the
hotel framed by the guards and policemen.

Chapter Twenty-three

 Cecile remained frozen in
place, unable to move, talk, or feel. Dazed, she stared at the glass door that
had swirled him out of the hotel. Sergei was gone, taken away. And it was her
fault.

“Cecile…Cecile, come.”

The words hardly reached her. She
didn’t know who had spoken. Her three friends surrounded her, enfolding her
with sympathetic gazes. Without protest, Cecile let them lead her away from the
lobby. They stopped in front of the elevator, waiting.

They saw two men helping Roussov
to a chair. A wave of rage, the like of which she’d never known before, washed
over her, befogged her mind and jolted her to the bitter reality. Hatred
flooding her heart and mind, she stared at the man responsible for her torment
and her lover’s disgrace and savagely swore. “I won’t leave Minsk until I deal
with him.”

“If he ever recovers from the
general’s punch.” Rob studied the Director of National Security with narrowed
eyes. “He looks in pretty bad shape right now.”

The elevator door opened and they
shuffled inside. John yawned. “It’s been a long night and we don’t know what
tomorrow may bring. I’m going straight to bed.”

Cecile sighed. “I won’t be able
to sleep.”

“Would you like to go to the
bar?” Rob asked. “You don’t have to drink. Just order a cup of coffee. I’ll
stay with you.”

Paul nodded. “I’m coming too. I
don’t think I’ll be able to sleep either.”

“Thank you, guys. I appreciate
your offer. But I’d rather be on my own, in the privacy of my room.” She needed
to be alone, to think about Sergei and cry.

* * * * *

In the morning, a hot shower did
wonders for her spirit. She knew she had to help Sergei. She was still the
Program Manager with all the entitled privileges and she would use every single
one to help Sergei.

She donned a business suit,
pulled her hair in a tight knot at the nape and was back in her professional
skin. Even though deep inside, pain gnawed at her heart.

When she entered the dining room
of the hotel, John, immersed in his newspaper, raised his head to greet her.
“Sleep well?” He flinched under the sharp look she threw him. “I mean, did you
sleep at all?”

“Nope. What’s in the newspaper?”
She was becoming leery of newspapers and reporters.

“A report of yesterday’s
inauguration. This is the Minsk gazette in English. My dear, you’re the heroine
of the day. Listen to this, ‘Dr. Lornier’s generous dedication to our cause
went beyond the call of duty…’ Hmm.”

His mouth twisted in a grimace.
“Only two lines about the American Contract Director.” He folded the newspaper
with an exaggerated sigh. “How can I compete with our pretty Program Manager?”

“For heaven’s sake, John, who
cares about the inauguration’s report right now? Anything about last night’s
fight?” She fidgeted with the strap of her purse, her mind riveted on one
subject.

“Nothing in the English version.
Maybe they haven’t had time to print it yet. We’ll check the Russian newspapers
and the evening release.”

Cecile tapped the table with her
fingers. John eyed her and scowled. “Will you please, relax? One can get tired
just looking at you.”

She was about to tell him to bug
off when she noticed Nicolai entering the restaurant. He came straight toward
their table and hugged her.

“I have to tell you. While
leaving the lobby last night, Sergei specifically ordered me to protect you.”

She clapped a hand to her mouth
and melted into tears. Dear Sergei, he thought of her, even when the guards
were taking him away. If she ever needed proof he loved her, he unselfishly
gave it last night.

John shook his head. “Please,
Cecile. I can’t stand weeping females. You’re the PM of my biggest contract.”

She sniffed and nodded. “You’re
right, John. I promise you I won’t lose my control anymore.”

“Don’t feel bad. Cecile, it’s
normal for a woman to cry when she suffers.” Nicolai took her hand. He
stiffened as he looked at her fingers. “Sergei gave you his mother’s ring?” His
eyes widened in disbelief as he rubbed the large amber stone.

“He asked me to marry him and I
agreed to stay here.”

The colonel smiled, then sighed.
“I hope this engagement will not interfere with his mission.”

John slammed the table. “Oh my
God. When did this happen? What do you mean, stay here? I’m counting on you for
more proposals and contracts, now that you’re a big shot in Belarus.”

Cecile shrugged and focused on
Nicolai. “You haven’t told us yet. Where did they take Sergei?”

He shrugged. “Nowhere special.
He’s in his office at the Ministry of Defense. You can’t lock up the
Major
Generalle
of Belarus without presidential permission.”

She noticed his assessing gaze.
“What else? Shoot, I can take it.”

“I was told that Roussov went to
the Minister of Defense first thing this morning. He wanted to show him the bruises
he received from Sergei and give his account of the story as soon as possible.”

Nicolai studied the table for a
while. Cecile didn’t dare interrupt his thoughts.

“I saw Sergei before coming here.
He tried to meet with his boss, our Minister of Defense but the minister
refused to receive him. He shouted on the phone that Sergei Fedorin has
embarrassed the whole Ministry with his ill-tempered behavior.”

Cecile bit her lips. It was even
worse than anticipated.

Nicolai continued to explain his
view. “The minister can prevent the newspapers from publishing the new
pictures. But then, there is the foreign currency found on Sergei. Roussov is
doing his best to make Sergei look guilty.”

John’s eyebrows gathered into a
deep scowl. “This is terrible. Are they going to prosecute him?”

“They may. It’s up to our
minister. Justice here is often twisted and at the mercy of the wolf who howls
louder than the rest of the pack.”

Cecile banged the table with both
hands. “Fine. The she-wolf who protects her loved ones is usually the most
dangerous. And you haven’t heard her, yet,” she threatened through clenched
teeth.

The colonel’s lips stretched into
a sad smile. “It’s very generous of you to try to help my
Generalle
. But
there is nothing you can do if the President gives his approval for a trial.”

“The president hasn’t heard both
sides,” she claimed with stubborn determination.

Nicolai sniffled. “He’s the most
chauvinistic man in Belarus and he will never deal with a woman.”

“Here comes Paul. Let’s order
coffee and breakfast and brainstorm.” She laid her notepad on the table.

Paul dragged his heavy bulk and
slumped into the nearest chair. He patted her shoulder. “Doing better, boss?”
He pointed to the pad. “You’re scheming and planning. Good sign.”

“Drink your coffee, Paul. I need
your full attention. You’ll sleep later, when we clear the general’s good
name.”

Paul groaned then chuckled. “I
can see you’re back to your old self. At your service, boss. I’m listening.”

“Nicolai, you said Roussov has
the president’s ear through a friend of his. Who else can influence the
president?” she asked while drawing a table on her sheet.

The colonel shrugged. “No one,
unfortunately no one but the Vice-President.”

Cecile bit her lip. “He listens to
the Vice-President? Maybe we can reach the VP.”

But Nicolai shook his head,
“Forget it, Cecile. The Vice-President is a very reclusive man who doesn’t like
company and doesn’t receive anyone. One wonders how he managed to fall in love
with such a bubbling beauty as his second wife.”

“Second wife? How old is she?”
Paul asked with nonchalant curiosity.

“Early thirties. He was a widower
with grown up children. She was his secretary. He fell madly in love and
married her two years ago.”

John threw in his two cents’
worth of philosophy. “It happens everywhere, my friend.”

“
Da, da, moy drouk
but she
is so different from him. An empty brain always shopping in our exclusive
boutiques.”

Cecile snapped to attention. “I
think Tania knows her. She’d mentioned to me she’s often driven ‘elegant women,
foreign ones, rich ones and even the Vice-President’s wife’?”

“Pff, it doesn’t surprise me. The
lady relies on chauffeured cars. Tania would be the ideal driver to visit
boutiques.” Nicolai’s mouth stretched into an ironic grimace.

Cecile scribbled furiously on her
notepad. “Great, we already have one connection to explore. I’ll talk to Tania
and maybe I’ll go shopping with the Second Lady of Belarus. Next. John, I’m
going with you to the embassy today. We’ll pay a visit to our ambassador. We
need him to pull some ropes here.”

“Good idea, Cecile. As soon as we
finish breakfast.”

“Item three, Nicolai. I want you
to talk to the Minister of Environment.”

The colonel shook his head.
“Maybe you should ask Dr. Kadelov to visit him. He admires the minister and has
often done work for him. But what do you need from the Minister of Environment?
I don’t follow your plan,” he admitted with a naïve expression.

“I’m trying to collect names of
important people. Anyone who can intercede with the Vice-President and the
Minister of Defense.”

“Cecile, this one will never
receive you. He blames you for Sergei’s folly.”

Cecile swallowed hard. “I know
Sergei acted crazy because of me. If someone can take me to the Minister of
Defense, I’ll explain the whole situation, take part of the blame and throw the
rest on Roussov.”

John shifted in his chair
uncomfortably. “Hey, don’t put too much blame on your pretty shoulders. You’re
part of the American delegation. It’ll reflect on us.”

“Oh bug off, John.”

“Okay, okay. But be careful. We
need to stay clean for the rest of the project and the next one.”

The colonel interjected. “Cecile,
you’d better contact these people as soon as possible and ask them to intercede
on behalf of Sergei. We need to stop the printing of the pictures in tonight’s
press. The scandal would forever damage the public image of our
Major
Generalle
.”

Cecile glanced at her watch. “We
have eight hours to reach our contacts and prevent the release of the pictures
in tonight’s newspapers.”

Nicolai pushed his chair and
stood to leave. “I will get more information about the proceedings at the
Ministry of Defense.”

“Paul, call Rob at the lab. Tell
him to send me Tania and Kadelov with the van, immediately. John, finish your
coffee. Come on, let’s move.”

The Contract Director held her
back and leaned close to her ear. “Where’s your famous bribe tape?”

“It’s safe and sound and will
come in handy.”

John scratched his head. He
squinted at her from beneath shaggy eyebrows. “Hmm. Cecile, keep it tucked
away. I don’t want you besmirched by this scandal.”

At this point, she was beyond
intimidation. She straightened up and raised a fist. “The tape will be my trump
card.” And the hell with anyone who stood in her way.