Spirit Bound (26 page)

“You think he has the microchip.” Lev made it a statement.

“I tracked it to him. He had it in his possession right before the French arrested him. They got to him before I did. If he’d sold the information to the highest bidder, we would have known by now. Certainly some of the documents would have surfaced. And someone would have made a threat. There was very sensitive material on that microchip. Theodotus Solovyov was transporting the chip to a meeting. He is a brilliant man, and that chip contains the only copy of his latest work.”

Lev rubbed his jaw. “Is it possible it also contains documents regarding the training schools we attended? The reporter who printed the excerpt, who was he?”

“It was a publication out of France, and the man is a respected journalist. We’re certain he got his information from La Roux and since it was recent, La Roux must be planning a move on the microchip. He hasn’t trusted anyone to retrieve it and act for him, so he has to be planning to retrieve it himself.”

“He’s getting out of prison?”

“We’re helping him. The plan is to pick him up and interrogate him. That’s how I knew someone very powerful had put out hits on us. I was with La Roux for two months. I know him better than anyone and I could have broken him quickly and extracted the information we need, but instead, I was sent here on the off chance that he escapes our men. Judith was his girlfriend. So essentially I’m supposed to babysit her.”

Lev’s face lost all expression, but Stefan ignored his brother’s suspicions. He’d already told him the truth and he might as well finish what he’d started. “I knew they wouldn’t send me on a simple babysitting job and of course, everyone knows the yacht you were working undercover on went down off this coast and that you’re presumed dead. If I didn’t believe it, I figured Ivanov didn’t believe it either. I’ve been here a couple of weeks reconning, but Thomas Vincent officially came into town yesterday. Ivanov was watching me.”

“So you went after him.”

“I knew he was using me to find you. I think killing you is a sanctioned hit, but when I reported back to my handler, he acted as if Ivanov had gone rogue and gave me the green light to kill him. If he really went rogue and they lost control of him, they would have put the word out to everyone.”

“And because they sent you here as bait, you’re certain Ivanov is going to erase you as well,” Lev mused. “How bad did you hurt him?”

Stefan shrugged. “He was hurt enough that he ran when he could have had the advantage. I think broken ribs, he was having trouble breathing and I cut him some, but he’s a wounded bear now. And never forget, he was trained in the same school we were. He was in Siberia with me. He was a couple of years older and already he had a taste for killing. There was a blizzard, heavy ice and snow with howling winds. Kids were dropping all over the place, the cold killing them before we had a chance to construct any kind of shelter. Ivanov would bend over and watch them die. He liked to see the light go out of their eyes.”

He had never spoken of that particular hell, the biting, vicious cold, the stinging ice that tore one’s breath from the body and snatched lives from frostbitten, terrified children. He was certain Ivanov had covered the mouths and noses of several on the ground, killing them, rather than trying to save them as most of the others had done.

“He was brought into the school I was in briefly, when I was a teen,” Lev admitted. “He was a bastard then. A kid died hard one night and everyone knew he’d killed him. He was removed a week later, but it was obvious he was protected by someone high up. Even the trainers avoided a confrontation with him.”

“Don’t underestimate him, Levi. I’m going to hunt him because he’ll never stop, but when he’s dead, if I’m right about this and it was Sorbacov who sent him, he’ll send another because he’ll always consider us a threat to him.”

“I’ll deal with whatever comes at us. The local sheriff, Jonas Harrington, knows everyone in town. He’s a shrewd man with a few of his own gifts, so walk carefully around him. He knew me right away, but you take after our mother with your eyes and hair and I doubt he would recognize you. He met Ivanov and if I get word to him that the exterminator is back in town for some wet work, he’ll find him fast.”

“No local sheriff can handle a man like Ivanov and you know it, Levi.”

“No, but he has connections we don’t. Let him do the looking.”

“It’s risky,” Stefan said. “Let him know up front that Ivanov is a straight-up killer. I’ll keep hunting until I run him down. In the meantime, I can’t tell Judith who I am or what I’m doing here until La Roux is in Russian custody and we return the microchip safely to Theodotus Solovyov.”

“We might want to know what’s on it, Stefan.”

Stefan scowled at his younger brother. “That’s treason.”

“It’s self-preservation,” Lev protested. “If Solovyov had requested the list of known agents out of those schools for a reason, wanting to use us as bodyguards, or for something else, Sorbacov would have provided him with the information. Theodotus Solovyov has the highest security classification possible and Sorbacov would have had no choice. We both know how politics are played out.”

“And it all ends up in the hands of La Roux who figures he can blackmail Sorbacov. La Roux has connections enough in Russia to plan and carry out an attack against Solovyov, he would have no problems trying to blackmail Sorbacov,” Stefan added. “Sorbacov tries to have him killed, probably thinks that he can take him out in the prison and has him arrested on a gun running charge, but La Roux has too much clout.”

“So you think La Roux released an excerpt, some small thing he had managed to read before he was arrested to tell Sorbacov to back off.”

Stefan nodded. “That’s exactly what I think. That’s why Sorbacov tried so hard to get to La Roux. He tried to get him moved to Russia, but France wouldn’t let him go. He was afraid to kill La Roux outright because he didn’t know where that microchip was or if it would come to light later. So he sent me in to see if I could buddy up to him and find out where it was or who might be holding it for La Roux.”

“No way is Judith doing that.” Lev shook his head. “I’m telling you, Stefan, I know this woman. I’ve only been here a few weeks, but these women are tight, they share a bond as strong as a blood bond. Judith would never be involved in gun running or selling secrets of countries.”

“I agree. But Jean-Claude La Roux is very, very obsessed with her.”

“It appears that you are as well,” Lev said dryly, a hint of humor in his eyes.

Stefan turned cool aqua eyes on him. “Never think for one minute that what I feel has anything to do with what that bastard feels for her.”

Lev’s eyebrow shot up. “You really are serious about her.”

“I told you I was. I’m going to hunt Ivanov, and you’re going to secure this farm. If I can remove the threat to you, it will give us time to prepare for the next one.”

“You know I can’t let you do that, Stefan. We’ll hunt him together.”

“And your wife? What do you plan on telling her?”

“I tell Rikki the truth, always. I don’t remember everything about my past, but when it comes back to me in bits and pieces, I tell her. That’s the deal we have and, even over this, I won’t lie to her. She’s dealt with Ivanov before and she did fine.”

Stefan hesitated. “I can’t tell Judith I’m your brother until the business with the microchip is done, which means I have to walk a thin line of lying. When I’m with her, I give her whatever is real about me, but she knows me as Thomas Vincent, an American. I don’t want to put you in the position of lying to your woman or to Judith, but I can’t do anything until I know those defense plans can’t possibly fall into the wrong hands.”

He didn’t know if he was asking or demanding, but he knew he was placing Lev in an untenable position. If Judith fully belonged to him, he wouldn’t want to lie to her about his past or about the danger surrounding them. There had to be trust, a bond between a man and a woman that was sacred, or what was the use?

Lev shook his head. “I can’t lie to Rikki. I can tell her that something from my past has come up and would she mind waiting a few days before I discussed it with her. I do want to tell her Ivanov is in town. He might confront her again and I want her prepared.”

The protective note in his brother’s voice convinced Stefan once and for all that Lev loved his wife and marrying her wasn’t part of an elaborate cover. No one could be that good of an actor. The fact that Lev would risk asking her to wait to hear information pertinent to their lives spoke volumes. Stefan wished for that kind of open relationship with Judith. He’d never shared any aspect of his life with anyone since his parents had been murdered. His disclosures to Lev were the closest thing he’d managed to date. What would that feel like—to trust someone enough to place your life in their hands?

Stefan sighed. “You do what you have to do, Lev, but I have no choice until I know the microchip is secure. And don’t go after Ivanov without me. You have no idea how dangerous he is. You may have had a brief encounter with him once, but I grew up in the same school with him. He didn’t like anyone getting the better of him. Everyone learned very quickly to allow him to be number one in all things, or you didn’t wake up in the morning. He killed at least five children I know of and the instructors knew it as well. They had cameras on us twenty-four hours a day.”

“He definitely murdered the boy in our school. We all knew it. And it was no training exercise. The boy was in his bed.”

“If one took him down in a combat situation, or stayed under water longer, learned faster, anything could set him off.”

“Did you let him win?”

“My barracks consisted of a very tough bunch of kids. We set watch and constructed warning systems. Even then my talents were strong and I always knew if he was close by. I’ll confess, I taunted him, tried to get him to come after me to give me an excuse to kill him, but he’s cunning and he never took the bait.”

“But he hates you.”

“With every breath in his body. I have no doubt that he pulled strings to use me to draw you out. That would be his idea of revenge. Make me the instrument of my brother’s death. He would make certain I knew you were dead before he killed me,” Stefan said.

“Is it possible he really has gone rogue, that his need to kill you has finally eaten him up until he’s made the break with Sorbacov?”

“He’s always been Sorbacov’s pet.” Stefan rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. “Unfortunately, I think we have no choice but to proceed believing Sorbacov is purging the ranks and has sanctioned the hit.”

“Sorbacov knows us. Wouldn’t he send a team?”

Stefan shrugged. “Maybe he has and no one else has surfaced yet, but it’s doubtful. He’d want to do this as quietly asas possible without anyone knowing or raising an alarm. Ivanov is completely loyal to Sorbacov, not to Russia, not to anyone else in the government. I think Sorbacov is his only contact with reality. He wouldn’t break it. No, Sorbacov sent him to kill us and doesn’t want it to get out. Hell, every agent he has would turn against him if it came out.”

“So by giving you the green light to hunt Ivanov,” Lev mused, “Sorbacov is betting on his pet assassin to do his job before you do yours.”

“That’s my belief. I’m waiting word on La Roux’s prison escape. They should be getting him out any day and once the microchip is safe, my duty to them is done and I’ll tell Judith the truth and hope she understands.”

“Stefan, I’m not your little brother anymore,” Lev said. “Don’t try to protect me.”

Stefan let his gaze drift over Lev. He had grown into a strong man, very reminiscent of their father. He carried the natural muscle of the Prakenskii family and the same eyes Stefan remembered his father had. Lev had the inevitable scars of their profession and training, but to Stefan, he would forever be his younger brother, one he loved and yes, one he protected.

He stepped forward and for the first time allowed himself to be in a position of vulnerability. He caught Lev by the shoulders, providing a huge target to his younger brother if Lev was inclined to kill him. They both knew this was the moment of truth. Lev could get rid of the threat to his new family and no one would ever be the wiser, or he could step into the embrace and accept Stefan back into his life.

Lev hesitated for just a moment, searching Stefan’s face, and then he gripped Stefan’s shoulder, showing the same vulnerability. A small smile lit his eyes. “It’s good to see you.”

“Have you seen Ilya yet?” Stefan couldn’t keep the eagerness out of his voice.

Ilya had been the youngest and probably didn’t remember any of them. Their mother had tried to protect him, fighting to keep him when the men broke in and tore her youngest son from her arms. They’d all tried to protect the boy, but he’d been wrenched from them. Stefan always felt he’d let down his parents, not recovering his youngest brother.

Lev shook his head. “He was married a few weeks ago to one of Blythe’s cousins, Joley Drake. Joley’s a huge name in the music industry and apparently they didn’t return from their honeymoon yet because she’s doing a series of benefits for Japan and then more for the tornado victims here in the States.”

“And he’s friends with the sheriff?”

Lev nodded. “Close, I’m told.”

Stefan pulled him close in a brief bear hug and then let him go. “Married life suits you.”

“Rikki suits me,” Lev corrected. “She saved me when I was drowning and I don’t mean in the ocean, although that too.”

Stefan understood what his brother was trying to express to him. Drowning in blood, in shadows, in the cold, was every bit as real as drowning in an ocean. He hadn’t even known he was so far gone until Judith threw him a safety line.

“I have something else to do tonight before I leave, so do me a favor and call off your sentries,” Stefan said. “I don’t want one of your owls to slash up my face. Thomas Vincent would have a very difficult time explaining to Judith what happened to his eyes if your owl plucked them out.”

“I don’t have dogs yet,” Lev pointed out. “I have to keep the women safe, especially now that Ivanov is back.”