To Love and Protect (14 page)

“My father is a powerful man. He’ll take this right to the top.”

Her stomach lurched. “And who’s at the top?”

“The president.”

Liz paced in the hallway while David made calls. After polishing off cereal and a bottle, Natasha had dozed off. It was good that one of them could rest. Liz had the feeling that she would never be caught up on sleep again.

A thousand different images whirled through her mind. David helping her. Their mad car dash through the city. Her terror when bullets had crashed into the apartment. Who were the men after her baby and how were they to be stopped? And did David’s father really know the president of the United States?

Nearly an hour later David stepped out of the house’s small library and smiled. “It’s done.”

“Meaning?”

“The judge has agreed to move up the hearing to tomorrow. You don’t have to wait the full ten days.”

“That’s great,” she said with relief. “Will I be able to take her home with me after the hearing?”

“On the midnight flight. I’ll take you from the hearing to the embassy, and then you’re on your way.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Home. As in away from David. Funny how the ache in her heart was just as powerful as the fear had been.

Of course she wanted to be gone, but she wasn’t ready to leave David—not yet. There was so much she wanted to say to him. There were things she wanted to hear. Was he ready to move back to the States? Did she matter to him? Had their relationship been the result of the danger they faced, or was there something else? They’d both felt something five years ago, which to her mind was still alive and well, but did he agree with her?

“We would like to use the hearing as a setup to get the men after you,” he said.

She had to take a second to switch mental gears. “You want to capture them?”

“As many as we can.” He moved close. “You don’t have to do this, Liz. I won’t deny there’s an element of danger. But if you’re willing to help, I swear I’ll protect you with my life.”

His dark eyes glowed with conviction and something else. An emotion she wanted to name as love, but she wasn’t sure. How did he feel about her? How did she feel about him?

“I trust you,” she said.

He leaned forward and kissed her. “You won’t regret it.”

Any hopes Liz had for a quiet, romantic evening were quickly dashed when David’s “team” showed up to plan the sting. She made herself useful getting coffee and making sandwiches and sat in on their meeting for a while, but eventually she didn’t want to hear any more so she retreated upstairs.

After rolling Natasha’s crib into the main bedroom, she curled up on the mattress and watched the little girl sleep. Her own eyes felt gritty and swollen, but she couldn’t seem to relax enough to doze off.

Sometime after two in the morning, Ainsley knocked lightly on the door.

“I came to check on you,” the woman said. “I know this can be a bit overwhelming.”

Liz sat up. “I’m okay.”

The pretty blonde moved to the crib and smiled at the sleeping baby. “She’s amazing.”

“I know.”

“She’s not going to be in any danger.”

Liz had determined that much from what she’d heard. Still, she couldn’t help worrying. “What if they figure out what we’re doing?”

“They won’t.”

Good words, but they didn’t make her feel any better.

Ainsley moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed. “Don’t worry. David would never let anything happen to either of you.” Her smile turned rueful. “It’s nice to finally know the reason after all this time.”

“The reason for what?”

Ainsley sighed. “I’ve had a thing for my boss since the day he reported here five years ago, and he never looked at me twice. He dated some, but only casually. No one seemed to touch his heart. I couldn’t figure out why until you showed up.”

Liz felt her cheeks flushing. “I wasn’t the reason.”

“Weren’t you? I was at that party. The one you came to your first night here. I saw him waiting for you to arrive and I saw his face when he first spotted you. I would say the man has it bad.” She stood. “He’s one of the good guys. You’re very lucky. I keep telling myself there’s someone just as wonderful waiting for me. I just have to find him.”

“You will,” Liz promised, although she wasn’t sure what she was saying. Was Ainsley right? Was she the reason David had never gotten involved with anyone? Had their time together five years ago touched him as much as it had touched her?

The possibilities gave her hope and the determination to find out the truth. But first she had to get through the hearing the next day.

Liz woke up to more rain. Once again the gray skies and wet world suited her mood. Terror and apprehension made it impossible to eat, and when they left for the hearing, she couldn’t stop shaking.

David didn’t say much as they drove through Moscow. She knew about the cars tailing them, about the security agents already in place in the old building. She knew where Ainsley was and what she was doing, and still Liz couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

“How are you holding up?” David asked.

She had to swallow before speaking. “Okay, I guess.”

He chuckled. “You’re still not a very good liar.”

There was so much she needed to say to him, but this wasn’t the time. Not with so much on the line.

She shifted in her seat. She was both hot and cold and the bulletproof vest she wore made her uncomfortable. Nothing felt real or right and all she wanted was to be home right now. Home with her baby and safe.

They arrived more quickly than she would have thought. There were people on the sidewalk and in front of the building. Regular citizens? she wondered. Or the enemy?

David helped her with the baby then wrapped his arm around her as he hurried her toward the front entrance. There seemed to be a thousand people watching them, waiting for the right moment. When would they attack?

By the time they reached the hearing room, Liz was barely breathing. Her heart pounded so hard, she felt sure it must be bruised. The trembling made it difficult to walk, and the baby in her arms seemed to weigh a hundred pounds.

There were people everywhere. She tried to remember if there were more than when she’d had her first hearing, but she couldn’t recall.

She wanted to tell David she couldn’t do this. That she wasn’t strong or capable. She wanted to crumple into a ball on the floor and surrender. Instead she moved toward the table at the far end of the room.

Their footsteps were loud in the silence, which meant the sudden cocking of a gun echoed like thunder.

“You will stop right there,” a man said in a thick accent.

Liz froze. David stayed at her side as they both turned to find a tall, thin man pointing a gun at them.

“You will give me the baby.”

Liz nodded and held out her arms. The man reached toward the bundle. Then she stepped back and somehow the baby was falling and falling until it hit the floor. The man stared down in horror.

Doors burst open from all sides of the room.

“Don’t move,” someone called loudly, then said something in Russian. Liz assumed it was the same command.

Agents poured into the hearing room, and the would-be kidnapper dropped his gun.

While David grabbed his weapon, agents arrested everyone in the room. Liz dropped to her knees and pushed the blankets away from the doll she’d been holding. At the same time she reached in her jacket pocket for the cell phone David had given her and punched in the number she’d memorized.

“It’s done,” she said.

“Good,” Ainsley told her. “Natasha and I are waiting with the judge whenever you’re ready.”

L
iz had never been so happy to see an American flag in her life. She nearly wept when the marine guarding the American embassy opened her car door, and it was all she could do not to hug him.

“She’s here?” she asked David for the thousandth time. “In the embassy? The judge said—”

“It’s okay,” he promised, taking her hand and walking her inside. “We had a talk with the judge and while he’s not willing to give us any names, he came here to grant you full custody of Natasha.”

They walked through high-ceilinged rooms and down corridors until they came into a large open area. Liz saw the judge and Ainsley, but she wasn’t prepared for who held Natasha.

“You are well?” Sophia asked.

Liz nodded. “How about you?”

“I am healing.”

Liz stared at the baby in her mother’s arms. She could see the resemblance between them and her heart began to break.

“Sophia,” she said, but the teenager cut her off.

“No. This is right. From here I go to the train. Mr. Logan has arranged it.”

“Dmitri will take her,” David said.

Liz took in the girl’s steady gaze. Her bruises were fading, her scrapes healing, but there was still pain in her eyes.

“I could sponsor you,” Liz said. “You could come with me to Oregon. Portland is very beautiful. Once you settled in, you could go to college, be anything you want.”

The teenager kissed her daughter’s cheek, then passed her to Liz.

“No. This is where I belong. I am Russian.”

The judge stepped forward and said something in Russian. Maggie Sullivan, the social worker, burst into the room.

“Sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I got caught in traffic.”

She handed the judge the paperwork and he carefully looked it over. Then he signed the documents and nodded.

“She yours now,” he said in broken English.

“Thank you,” Liz said.

Ainsley patted her back. “We’re already working on Natasha’s visa. You’ll be on the midnight flight.”

Liz couldn’t believe it. Was this really happening, after all she’d been through? Was it possible?

She looked at all the people who had helped her. Dmitri, Maggie, Ainsley, Sophia and David. Tears filled her eyes.

She held out her free arm to Sophia, who moved close and hugged her. Maggie and Ainsley stepped in. Then Liz felt David’s warm embrace.

“You’re going home,” he said into her ear. “You’re going to be where you belong.”

Vladimir Kosanisky paced the length of his office. He stared at the phone, willing it to ring, and when it did, he didn’t want to answer it.

“Da,”
he said when he finally picked it up. “Kosanisky.”

“I heard what happened,” a familiar American voice said. “You failed.”

“There were too many of them. The baby was not with them. They had already taken her to the embassy.”

“How many of your men did they capture?”

“Five. My men will not talk. The Americans let the judge go, but he is of no use to us now.” Kosanisky swallowed when he’d finished. He knew the price of failing.

There were several seconds of silence. They spun longer and longer, all the while Kosanisky imagined various ways the Stork would have him killed.

“I’ll contact our clients,” the American said at last. “Tell them that there’s a problem with this child. We will find another for them.”

Sweet relief filled Kosanisky’s chest and made it easier to breathe. So he wasn’t going to have to hunt down Sophia’s bastard. Good. Let the American woman have her.

“Yes,” he agreed. “Another child would be better. I will start the search immediately.”

“See that you don’t make another mistake,” the Stork told him. “Next time I won’t be so understanding.”

There was a click as the line was disconnected. Kosanisky replaced the receiver and tried to ignore the cold chill on the back of his neck. The one that told him this was his last chance to get it right.

David brought Liz’s suitcases to her. He’d sent one of his men to his apartment to collect her things.

She sat with Natasha in a large chair by the window. It was after six. Mother and child would be leaving for the airport in a few hours. The ticking clock reminded him of another evening when one of them was going away. Five years ago he hadn’t been willing to take a chance. What about now?

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he crossed to the chair next to hers.

“Numb,” she admitted. “I can’t believe it’s over.”

“It is. She’s yours. As soon as you pass through immigration in the States, Natasha becomes an American citizen.”

Liz smiled at the little girl. “We’re hanging up a flag in front of the house as soon as we get home.”

He took her free hand in his. “Tell me about your house.”

“It’s two stories. On the Willamette River. The people who had the house built were relocated to the east coast before construction was finished, so I got to pick things like floor covering and appliances.” She smiled. “I can’t really afford it, but I love it so much, I don’t mind. There’s a huge open room over the garage. I had big windows installed on the south wall, so I get the best light. That’s where I work when I’m not at the office.”

He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. Her skin was smooth and warm. Desire coiled through him, but there was also something else. Something powerful and permanent. He hadn’t recognized it five years ago, but he knew it now.

“I’m coming home,” he said quietly. “I’ve done what I came to do.” He looked into her eyes. “You’re not the reason I’m leaving, although you’ve helped me see what I want and what’s important.”

Her mouth parted slightly but she’d didn’t speak. Hope filled her eyes, which warmed his heart.

“I carry my past with me,” he continued. “I can’t escape what I was.”

“You shouldn’t want to. It’s made you who you are. An amazing man.”

He smiled. “You always see the best in me.”

“I see what’s there.”

“Then do you see the empty place, Liz? Do you see the loneliness? Do you see how much I love you? Because I do. More than anything.”

Liz squeezed his fingers as pure joy bubbled through her. “I love you, too,” she whispered. “Oh, David, I desperately wanted to leave, but I didn’t want to be apart from you. Our time together has only confirmed what I suspected when we met five years ago.”

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, then leaned forward and kissed her mouth.

“Five years ago you wanted to come with me,” he said. “Now it’s my turn to say, ‘let me accompany you on your journey. Let me share your adventure.’ Marry me, Liz. Marry me and let me be your husband and Natasha’s father.”

She felt tears on her cheeks. “Yes! Yes, please. I want us to be together. To be a family. To have children together.”

“Do you think Natasha would like some brothers and sisters?”

“Absolutely.”

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. Natasha woke with a cry of protest and he leaned back with a laugh.

“Sorry, kid,” he said as he collected the baby.

Liz watched his easy movements, how comfortably he held the little girl, and knew everything about this moment was right.

He stood and motioned to the door. “Come and help me pack,” he said. “I have a plane to catch.”

She moved close to him. “I hope there’s an empty seat on the midnight flight.”

He pulled a ticket out of his pocket. “Funny you should mention that.”

She laughed. He wrapped his free arm around her and she leaned into him. They both held Natasha. Maybe it had taken that time apart for them to see what was really important. Maybe they both had to risk everything to find their way home. They’d found it now and Liz knew that was all that mattered.