To Love and Protect (12 page)

Maggie’s hazel eyes darkened with compassion. “Of course. Do you think she’s hungry? Let me go get a sandwich and some soup. Should you call David and tell him?”

Liz considered the question, then shook her head. “I want to get her story first. I can let him know when he gets back.”

Half expecting Sophia to have bolted, she returned to the small room. The teenager still sat on the edge of the narrow bed. Her wary gaze followed Liz as she poured water into a metal bowl and set out clean cloths.

“What happened?” she asked as she took the girl’s arm and examined the scrape. “It looks as if you fell off a mountain.”

“I jumped out of a van.”

Liz pulled up a stool and settled on it. “I’m sure you had a good reason.”

She positioned Sophia’s arm over the bowl, then squeezed water over the scrape. The girl winced. Working carefully, Liz washed away dirt and grit. Most of the wound had already scabbed over. She washed the cut on Sophia’s face, then shivered at a circular burn on the girl’s other arm.

“What caused that?” she asked.

“A cigarette.”

Liz’s stomach knotted. She didn’t want to know any more. She didn’t want to be part of this ugly world. Life had been much easier back in Portland.

She washed the burn, then asked about other injuries.

“Just bruises,” Sophia said. “From when I hit the road.”

“Do you think you broke something?”

“No.”

“Come on.” Liz led her to the bathroom. There were fresh towels by the shower. “Go ahead and get cleaned up. Maggie is preparing you something to eat. I’ll find some clean clothes and then we can talk.”

The teenager stared at her. “Why you so nice?”

“Because I want to help. You were there for Natasha.”

Sophia’s shoulders drooped. “My daughter. What else would I do?”

“A lot of people would have just walked away. You stayed to keep her safe. I want to repay you for that.”

Sophia didn’t look impressed. Liz tried another tack.

“Who taught you English? You speak very well.”

Sophia shrugged. “An old woman who lived in my building. She was British. She never said how she came to live here. She did not walk good. I helped out. She taught me English. Then she died.”

“You helped her and she helped you back. That’s all I want to do. I owe you.”

Sophia didn’t look convinced but she stopped arguing. Liz left her alone in the bathroom, then hovered outside the door until she heard the sound of running water.

She found Maggie in the small infirmary room. The social worker had brought sandwiches and soup.

“She needs clothes,” Liz said. “Are there any big enough to fit her?”

Maggie smiled. “She’s so tiny, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. Let me go look at what we have.”

She disappeared down the hall in the direction of the supply closet. Minutes later she reappeared with clean underwear, a T-shirt and two pairs of jeans in different sizes.

“Thanks,” Liz said. “These should work until we get her things washed.”

“What are you going to do with her?” Maggie asked. “I don’t mean to be cruel, but she can’t stay here.”

“I know. I’ll talk to David when he arrives. I’m sure there’s a place she can go. If not, we’ll put her up at a hotel.”

Maggie looked as if she wanted to say something, but Liz grabbed the clothing and left before she could. The last thing she needed right now was the other woman explaining why it wasn’t possible to save Sophia. At this point, Liz didn’t care about what was possible; she wanted what was right.

Thirty minutes later Sophia had dressed, eaten and followed Liz into the nursery. The teenager approached the crib cautiously. Robert watched as she bent over Natasha’s crib and smiled.

Sophia spoke softly in Russian, then lifted the baby into her arms. If Liz’d had any doubts about the girl’s relationship to the child, they disappeared the second she saw her face.

Love and pain combined in an expression so fierce, Liz had to look away. Her heart clenched as she questioned her right to take Natasha away. Doubts crashed in and made her want to cry out. She forced herself to stay strong.

“We should go somewhere and talk,” she said, hoping she sounded remotely normal as she spoke. “Most of the kids are outside. We could go into the playroom.”

Sophia nodded and led the way. Liz followed with Robert at her side.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nothing. Sophia works here. She’s been gone for a while and hasn’t seen Natasha.”

She was grateful that he accepted her explanation. She didn’t want to have to go into detail about who the teenager was. Liz would rather discuss that with David.

Light filled the large playroom, filtering in through massive windows. Scarred hardwood floors showed years of use. A stone fireplace stood in the corner.

Sophia collected several blankets from a stack by the door while Liz grabbed a few floor pillows. They moved into the room and arranged the blankets and pillows on the floor. Sophia set Natasha on her stomach and sat next to the baby. Liz perched on a pillow, while Robert pulled up a chair by the door.

“Who is that man?” Sophia asked, her back to Robert, her voice low.

“He works with David. He’s here to protect Natasha.”

Sophia looked at her. “The baby, not you?”

Liz managed a slight smile. “Yup. They could come get me and no one would even blink.”

“But you are not target.”

“Exactly. Why were you?”

Sophia held out her finger to the baby who grasped it tightly. “You were right. I am her mother.”

Liz nodded, not surprised to have the information confirmed. “You always worried about her so much, took care of her. I didn’t realize it at first, but after you disappeared and those men tried to take her from me, I began to wonder.”

Sophia sighed. “I did not mean for things to go wrong. The man after her, Kosanisky, he is a bad man. He has power and is not afraid to hurt people.”

Liz glanced at the burn on the girl’s arm. “Did he do that to you?”

“Yes. When I would not bring him Natasha.” Sophia looked at her. “I work for him, since I was fourteen. I am prostitute.”

Liz kept her expression as passive as possible.

When she didn’t speak, the teenager continued. “I have been pregnant before. I try not to be, but it is difficult. The men do not always wear condoms. With my last baby, Kosanisky told me to get rid of it. I did not want to but he beat me and then I lost the baby anyway.”

Liz swallowed hard against the bile rising in her throat. She wanted to yell out her protest that such a world existed. She wanted to pull Sophia into her arms and hold her close.

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Seventeen,” Sophia said flatly. “Soon I will be too old to work for him, but for now…I survive.”

That wasn’t survival, Liz thought. It was hell.

“With Natasha things were different,” Sophia said. “Kosanisky told me to keep the baby. That he find a home for her. At first I thought he meant here, in Russia. Then I learned the babies sent to America. Rich couples pay for them. I did not like that, but I knew Natasha would be safer there. I knew I could not keep her.”

Liz desperately wanted to ask if the girl had been tempted, then wondered if it were possible. How could she have a baby around if she worked as a prostitute? What other work could she find that paid anything? She doubted Sophia had gone to school. She’d been trapped by circumstances beyond her control.

“When Natasha was born, I was told to take care of her for six weeks. Then Kosanisky would come for her.” Sophia pulled a couple of pillows close and propped the baby up against them. Natasha giggled with delight.

“After a few days I knew I did not want her to be sold like dog in the market. I brought her here. Then I came myself. I wanted to see the family who would adopt her. If I did not like them, I told myself I would take her away.”

“Kosanisky didn’t know?” Liz asked.

“I did not tell him, but he knew. The first deal failed and I was glad. Now another couple come.” She glanced at Liz and smiled again. “You came. I watched you with Natasha. I could see in your face that you love her very much. That is good. But then while you were gone Kosanisky found another couple. They wanted special baby to look a certain way. He had me take pictures of Natasha. She was what they wanted. They paid extra. He agreed and then he wanted baby.”

“But you didn’t have her.”

“No. And I would not get her.” She waved the arm with the burn. “He tried to make me. He knew she was at orphanage. And he knew about you. I would not say your name and then I got away. But he will keep coming after her. He will not stop. Ever.”

L
iz returned to the playroom after calling David and telling him a bit about what had happened. He cautioned her not to say too much on the phone, so she was as vague as possible.

Sophia sat where she’d left her, holding Natasha and singing to her, which made Liz wonder if she’d overreacted in whispering to Robert that he was not to let the teenager out of the room. Maybe Sophia didn’t plan to bolt.

As Liz approached, her heart constricted again. There was such love in Sophia’s expression, such longing. As much as Liz loved the baby, she knew her feelings couldn’t compare. She’d only known Natasha several weeks while Sophia had loved her since before her birth.

“David is on his way,” she said when Sophia looked up at her. “He’s good at this sort of thing. He’ll know what to do.”

“What is there to be done?” Sophia asked, sounding resigned. “Kosanisky wants my baby and he will not stop until he has her.” She looked at Liz. “I had hoped you would get away. Once you are out of Russia, he has no power over you.”

Liz didn’t answer; she couldn’t. Two simple words had her emotions in a death grip and wouldn’t let go.
My baby.

Of course. That was who Natasha was. Sophia’s child. When Liz had thought of the girl as the baby’s mother, it was a more disconnected relationship. But the two were bonded by more than biology.

“Do you want to keep her?” Liz asked, barely able to speak the words, but sure she had to.

Sophia raised her head and stared at her wide-eyed. “What?”

“Natasha. You love her. I can see that. If you want to…” She had to swallow hard before she could speak again. “I would understand if you—”

“No!”

Sophia thrust the child at her. Natasha cried out a complaint at the rough handling. Liz took her and murmured softly. Sophia scooted back a few inches.

“No,” she repeated, more softly this time. “I cannot. She is better with you.”

“But you love her.”

The teenager shrugged. “Love will not feed her or keep her safe. You can do both.”

Liz wasn’t sure what to say. Sophia might be more than a decade younger, but the tired wisdom in her eyes spoke of all she’d seen, all she’d endured.

“I could help,” Liz said because she had to.

Sophia picked up the terry-cloth giraffe and handed it to the baby. Natasha grasped it, then tossed it away. Sophia picked it up and gave it back to her and the baby giggled.

“I have a cousin,” Sophia said, looking only at the giraffe. “She lives far away. Not in a city. She is older than me, married with three children. We write sometimes. There is a man who lives near her. A farmer. He is kind and honest and he looks for a wife. My cousin gave him my picture.”

Sophia looked at Liz. “He thinks I am a good girl who has lived in an orphanage all these years. Of all he knows of me, it is the only lie. So he wants to marry me. My cousin says the work is hard, but easy when compared to what I have lived. I know she is right. What is it to milk cows or tend a garden?”

“Are you going to marry him?” Liz asked.

“Yes. When I know you and Natasha are away, I will go to my cousin and meet this man. I was a good girl once. I think I remember what to do.”

Her young face hardened with determination. “My cousin says he will not beat me, that he wants someone to help him and give him children. I can do that.” Her mouth curved in a sad smile. “I know many ways to please him in bed.”

Liz shook her head. “It doesn’t have to be like that. I can help. I want to help. Why would you marry a stranger? Sophia, there are other opportunities.”

The teenager looked at her with pity. “You do not understand what it is like for someone like me. I
want
to go to the country. I want to be what I once was. Clean. Good. If I take Natasha, he will suspect and then all will be different between us. Better that I go alone. That I pretend until I become that other girl.” She looked out the window. “I have to save myself.”

Liz didn’t want to understand. She didn’t want this to be Sophia’s world. But the words made sense and she knew that for the teenager, this was a chance to start over without a past.

“I will love her with all my heart,” Liz said quietly. “She will want for nothing. I promise you.”

Sophia continued to stare out the window. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Yes. It is right. As she grows, you will talk of me. I would like you to be kind in what you say.”

Liz nodded. She couldn’t speak through her own tears.

David took the stairs to the playroom two at a time. When he stepped through the door, his agent walked over.

“The girl showed up a couple of hours ago,” Robert said in a low voice. “They’ve been in here about ninety minutes. Talking. I didn’t listen.”

David nodded. Robert’s instructions had been to keep Natasha in sight at all time, not eavesdrop on Liz and Sophia.

“We’ll be heading out in a while,” David said. “I’ll need you to follow and look for a tail.”

“Sure, boss.”

David left him by the door and walked over to the two women. They both stood when they saw him. Liz looked pleased, but Sophia took a couple of steps back.

“You came,” Liz said, sounding relieved.

He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed Natasha’s forehead. “Did you doubt me?”

“Not at all. It’s just with everything going on…” She sighed. “The stress is getting to me.” She turned to the teenager. “Sophia, you remember David Logan. He works at the embassy.” She looked back to him. “I’m not exactly clear on what you do.”

“It’s better that way.” He looked at Sophia. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

He studied the scrapes and bruises, then moved closer to inspect a round burn on the girl’s arm. He recognized the shape and swore silently.

“Who did this to you?” he asked.

“Vladimir Kosanisky. I work for him.”

She spoke almost angrily, her shoulders squared, her head back. The combination of wariness and defiance in her expression explained much about her relationship with Kosanisky.

“Then we’ll have to get the bastard, won’t we?”

Sophia relaxed a little. “Are you sure you can? He is powerful. He knows people. He pays money—not just bribes. He controls a world you know nothing about.”

David motioned to the pillows and blankets on the floor. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

When they were seated, Liz brought him up to speed on everything. Sophia filled in a few details. He made notes and listened, careful not to show any emotion, even when she admitted to being Natasha’s birth mother.

Kosanisky’s name was familiar. If he was in the black market baby business, Ainsley would know more. David jotted down a reminder to get in touch with her that evening. Sophia mentioned bribes and payments. That would explain the judge insisting on the ten-day waiting period.

“What do you know about Kosanisky?” he asked. “Can you give me some other names?”

“A few. Some locations. If he knows I’m talking to you, all will change.”

If he knew Sophia was talking to him, David thought, she would soon be dead.

“You can’t stay in town,” he said.

“She’s planning to move to the country,” Liz told him.

“Good.” He stared at Sophia. “You can go tonight.”

The teenager shook her head. “I will stay until I know that Natasha is out of the country. I want her safe.”

“What good is that information if Kosanisky catches you?”

She barely flinched. “I can take care of myself. He has not caught me yet.”

“It’s just a matter of time and we both know it.” David considered his options. Could he hide her for the next nine days?

“When is the hearing?” Sophia asked. “It should be soon, yes?”

David glanced at Liz who shook her head. “I didn’t get around to telling her that.” She quickly explained how the judge had forced her and Natasha to wait out the ten days.

Sophia paled. “He bought the judge. He will come after you.”

“He already has,” David said flatly, and told her about the attack when they entered the orphanage. “The good news is once we leave, we don’t have to come back. We found another judge who agreed that it wasn’t necessary to check in at the orphanage before the next hearing.”

Liz picked up the giraffe Natasha had tossed on the floor. “Will he let me take her to the embassy?”

“No. Natasha still isn’t allowed to leave the country until the final hearing.”

She nodded. He saw her blink several times as if trying not to cry.

“At least we can find a safe place and lay low,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “That’s something.”

But was it enough? David wasn’t sure. First he’d had to worry about Natasha and Liz. Now there was Sophia. If he could get the girl to leave town… No point in arguing that. He recognized a stubborn female when he saw one.

“I can put you up at a hotel outside of town,” David told Sophia. “Provide protection. You’d still be close to Natasha and be able to know exactly when she and Liz leave the country.”

The wariness returned. “Why would you help me? I am not American.”

“That’s not always a requirement.”

Sophia studied him. “You do this for me?”

He nodded. “I would rather you left Moscow, but if you won’t, this is the next best plan. I’ll assign an agent to protect you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

He grabbed her arm and turned it so the burn caught the light. “Do you know what Kosanisky will do if he finds you? A couple of days ago a body was pulled from the river. A young woman about your age.”

Sophia paled, but didn’t back away. “I know,” she said as she pulled her arm free. “If Kosanisky finds me, he will torture me, then he will kill me.”

Liz’s breath caught audibly, but David continued to stare at the teenager.

“Is that what you want?” he asked.

“I will stay until Natasha leaves the country. You cannot make me do anything else.”

“Then you’ll stay where I tell you and you’ll have an agent to protect you. Is that clear?”

She slowly nodded.

It wasn’t much of a victory, but it was the best he could expect right now.

He stood and held out his hand to Liz.

“Get Natasha’s things together,” he said as he pulled her to her feet. “We’ll be leaving shortly. I’ll speak with Maggie and explain that we don’t have to check in here anymore. I’ll give her a number where she can get in touch with us at any time.”

Liz nodded without speaking. Her eyes were wide and she looked shell-shocked. No doubt this was as far from her regular world as she had ever been. He took a second and put his arm around her.

“You and the baby will be fine,” he promised, then hoped he wasn’t lying. “I’m right here.”

“It’s okay. I just…” She swallowed and looked at him. “I didn’t know it could be like this for anyone. It’s not right.”

He agreed, but there wasn’t much they could about it. “Sophia will be protected.”

“Thank you for taking care of that.”

“No problem.” He kissed her lightly, then went off in search of Dmitri.

Ten minutes later, he had everything arranged. He returned to the playroom with Dmitri in tow.

He introduced the agent to Sophia. “He’s your shadow,” he told her. “Dmitri goes everywhere with you. Understood.”

The teenager eyed the burly man with distaste. “I don’t need to be watched.”

“He’s going to protect you, not watch you.”

Dmitri spoke in Russian. “You can trust me. I won’t hurt you.”

Sophia’s gaze narrowed as she answered in the same language. “I trust no man.”

Dmitri shook his head. “I have a sister your age. You’re still a little girl.”

David had the feeling Sophia hadn’t been a little girl in a long time.

Dmitri grinned. “Besides, I’m too handsome. I have many women to please me. I don’t need any more.”

Sophia surprised David by smiling. “You have a big head. I’m sure you’ll annoy me.”

“As long as I keep you alive, does that matter?”

Liz moved next to him. “What are they saying?”

David relaxed. “They’re getting to know each other. I think they’re going to be fine together.”

“Good. She’s earned a break.”

David finalized the arrangements with Dmitri. They would check into a modest hotel run by someone David trusted.

“You’re going to have to lay low,” he told the teenager. “No going out to meet your friends. We’re talking about nine days in a hotel room. Can you handle that?”

“I don’t want Kosanisky to find me. I will be very happy to stay inside.” She tilted her head toward Dmitri. “He will go out for food?”

“Sure. Let him know if you want any books or magazines.”

She fingered her oversize T-shirt. “I’ll need some clothes.”

“We’ll get you some. You know you can’t go back to your apartment. He’ll have it watched.”

Her expression tightened. “I have nothing there I need.”

“Good. Now you two stay here until I get Liz and Natasha out of here.”

Ten minutes later he urged Liz toward the door. He had Natasha in his arms, while Robert carried the car seat. When the car had been loaded, he started the engine but didn’t shift gears.

Liz glanced at him. “What’s the delay?”

He smiled. “You’ll see.”

Robert pulled out of his parking space and drove to the corner where he waited. A large garbage truck rumbled down from the other end of the street. David stayed in place until the truck was almost upon him, then he pulled out and headed for the corner. The garbage truck stayed on his bumper.

Liz looked over his shoulder, then back at him. “I’m guessing you arranged that?”

“It seemed like a good idea. Anyone lurking will have to get past the truck or go around. Either will offer a delay, which is what we want. Robert’s going to hang back and see if we pick up a tail. We should be back at the apartment in about an hour.”

David was true to his word. Sixty-five minutes later, Liz walked into the top-floor apartment and sighed in relief. Funny how this place had become so comfortable so quickly, she thought as she set down the diaper bag.

Natasha fussed as David carried her into the living room.