To Love and Protect (6 page)

“Is that a problem?”

“Nope. Happens all the time.”

Liz squeezed Natasha’s hand. “I’ll never leave you,” she whispered. “No matter what.”

Maggie turned a corner toward the nursery. “Next up is the court hearing. While the judge has the option of making adoptive parents wait ten days to give the birth parents a last chance to claim their child, usually the waiting period is waived. Once that happens we head over to the American embassy for a short interview. Visas are then issued for the kids and we all fly home.”

It sounded simple enough, Liz thought. “When do the children become U.S. citizens? Is there a waiting period?”

“Not at all. As soon as the children legally arrive in the States, they’re considered citizens. Which makes things easy.”

Liz kissed Natasha’s cheeks. “We’ll have to get you a flag for your room,” she said.

“Good idea. Oh, we’re here.”

Maggie stepped into the nursery and held open the door for Liz.

“I’m off to put the medical certificates into your file,” she said. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Thanks for everything,” Liz told her.

“Just doing my job.”

Liz walked to the window of the nursery and looked out. It was a beautiful June afternoon. Sunny and warm.

“Want to play outside?” she asked the baby.

Several other children were already racing around on the lawn. A few volunteers sat with the smaller children and babies.

On her way to the yard, she paused by the main desk.

“Is Sophia here?” she asked the young woman sitting there.

“No. She did not come today.”

“Huh. She said she was going to see me today.”

“Plans change. With the young volunteers especially.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Liz stepped out into the sunlight and glanced around. When she spotted the Winstons, she headed toward them.

“How did it go?” Diana Winston asked. A plump baby boy sat on her lap. He had a teething ring in his mouth.

“Good. Natasha got a clean bill of health.”

“Little Jack did, too,” Diana said.

Her husband grinned at the baby. “I think he’s learning his new name. Hey, Jack, how’s my big boy?”

The baby gurgled.

Liz settled on the blanket and leaned Natasha up against her midsection. Funny how she’d never considered changing the baby’s name. Of course her grandmother was Russian, so that helped.

“Just a few more days,” Diana said with a sigh. “Everyone is being terrific, but I’m ready to go home.”

“Me, too,” Liz said.

Once she could take the baby with her, there was nothing to keep her in Moscow. Nothing except David.

Wishful thinking on her part, she thought. He was being kind, but that didn’t mean he was interested in anything but a very short-term relationship. They had chemistry, but that wasn’t enough to hold them together. Not that she wanted anything permanent, either. It was just seeing him again. She still couldn’t believe it had happened.

“We’re all going out to dinner tonight,” Diana said. “Maggie knows a place where we can take the kids. We’ll eat out, practice being parents and have fun. What do you say?”

“Sounds like fun,” Liz said, “but I’m going to pass. I didn’t sleep much last night and I’m not sure I could stay awake.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive, but thanks for asking.”

Liz wasn’t only exhausted, she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable in that particular setting. Not when all the other parents were part of a couple. Back home she knew plenty of single moms, but here people only seemed to go two-by-two.

She had a sudden thought that she could invite David, but she dismissed it as soon as it formed. He’d been more than kind, but there was no way she was going to impose on him any more.

Later that afternoon, armed with a heavy diaper bag and a sleeping baby, Liz stepped into the cab Maggie had called for her.

The trip back to the hotel was short, despite the growing traffic. When the cab stopped across the street from the hotel, Liz paid the man and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Natasha barely stirred.

“We’re doing great,” she whispered to her baby. “It’s been nearly twenty-four hours and so far I would say we’re bonding and avoiding crisis. I vote that we continue in this pattern. What do you say, sweetie?”

Natasha stirred slightly, yawned, then settled back to sleep.

Liz smiled at her and felt her whole body fill with love. Her baby, she thought happily as she checked the traffic so she could cross the street. Her very own baby. They would be—

“You are American, yes?”

Liz turned toward the speaker and found a man standing next to her. She hadn’t heard him walk up.

He was tall and thin, with dark eyes and stained yellow teeth. Instinctively she took a step back from him.

“What?”

“American.”

The man said something else, but she couldn’t understand him. She took another step back.

The sidewalks were crowded and someone bumped into her. She turned and the man stepped closer.

“What do you want?” Liz demanded, not liking his long hair or the unwashed smell of his body. Then she realized she didn’t care about what he wanted. She glanced both ways and set out across the street.

“Wait,” the man said as he hurried next to her. He kept talking, but between the traffic and his accent she had no idea what he was saying.

“Leave me alone,” she told him.

He said something else, but the only words she understood were “must take baby.”

Fear exploded inside of her. She clutched Natasha to her chest. “What did you say?”

Instead of answering in words, he reached toward her. Toward Natasha.

Liz screamed, which set off Natasha. The baby began to cry. Even so the man made a grab for her.

Liz spun away and ran for the entrance to the hotel. She ducked around two tourists, past an old woman, and raced inside. She headed straight for the reception desk and yelled to the man standing there.

“Someone is trying to steal my baby. Help me!”

D
avid typed the last few sentences on his computer. The quarterly report on his operative inside the Moscow police had to be deliberately vague so as not to compromise the man’s position or his safety. In the past three years he’d provided invaluable information to David and the State Department.

His phone buzzed.

“Yes,” David said after pushing the speaker button.

“There’s a call for you. A Liz Duncan. She said it’s important.”

David picked up the receiver and pushed the blinking light. “Liz?”

“Oh, thank God you’re at the office.”

She sounded breathless and panicked. He straightened in his seat.

“What’s going on? Are you all right?”

“I don’t know. I guess. But someone tried to take Natasha and—” A sob caught her in throat, muffling the rest of her sentence.

Take the baby? “Liz, what are you talking about? What happened?”

“There was a man. He was talking to me, but I couldn’t understand him and then he grabbed Natasha.” She started to cry. “David, he tried to
take
her from me. From my arms. I don’t understand. You have to get me out of here. It’s not safe.”

He wasn’t sure if she meant the hotel or the country. “Where are you right now?”

“In my hotel room.”

“Stay there. I’ll call down to the reception desk and make sure they watch who comes in and out. Give me ten minutes to clear things up here, then I’ll be right over. Will you be all right until then?”

“I think so.”

“Good. I know you’re scared, but try to relax. Everything will be fine.”

He doubted she believed him, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

“Thanks, David. I appreciate this. I couldn’t get hold of Maggie and didn’t know who else to call.”

“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“’Bye.”

He waited until she’d hung up before releasing the line. After speaking to the clerk on duty at the hotel, he quickly finished his report and sent it, then scanned the files on his desk. There wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until morning. The last thing he did was to make a call to Ainsley, one of his agents.

“I want to confirm a couple of things about the black market baby ring,” he said when she answered her phone. “They never target babies who are being adopted, right?”

“No way,” Ainsley told him. “I’m guessing they don’t want the trouble. Usually the babies they take are too young to have started the process. Why?”

“Someone I know is adopting an infant. I think the baby’s about four months old. My friend says that someone tried to grab the kid from her arms.”

“I’ve never heard of that happening. Was it a mugging and your friend misunderstood?”

“I’m going to find out. Thanks for the information.”

“No problem.”

David made his way to the hotel. If Liz hadn’t been attacked by someone in the black market baby business, then who had frightened her so much and why?

He checked with the clerk who claimed to not have seen anyone suspicious-looking all day, then took the stairs two at a time until he reached Liz’s floor. She opened on the first knock.

“You came,” she said, flinging herself at him and hanging on as if her life depended on his arrival. “I was afraid you’d decide I was crazy or overly sensitive or just a nervous traveler.”

He hugged her close, enjoying the feel of her body pressing against his. Then he reminded himself this wasn’t a pleasure visit and stepped back.

“What I thought is someone attacked you and now you’re scared,” he said as he moved into the room and shut and locked the door. “How are you doing?”

Her long auburn hair hung down her back in loose curls. It was mussed, as if she’d been pulling frantic hands through it. Her eyes were wide and frightened, her mouth trembled. She looked as if she’d been shaken up pretty badly.

Natasha lay on the bed. Several pillows boxed her in so she couldn’t roll off the mattress. She giggled when she saw him and held out her pudgy arms.

“How’s my best baby girl?” he asked as he picked her up and raised her high above his head. “Did you have a busy trip home?”

She giggled again as he swooped her down, then back up. Finally he set her back on the bed and handed her a yellow terry-cloth duck.

He looked at Liz. “Start at the beginning and tell me what happened. I want to know everything you remember.”

She paced as she talked, folding and unfolding her arms across her chest.

“He was tall. In his thirties, maybe. Not clean. Long hair, dark eyes. He hadn’t showered in ages.”

She detailed the encounter, telling him what the man had said. David took her through it a second time, then a third. He made notes on the pad he always carried with him, then reviewed them with her. When she was finished, he had her sit in the room’s only chair. He crouched in front of her and took her hand in his.

“First, take a deep breath,” he said. “You and the baby are fine now.”

She nodded. “I’m starting to feel a little better.”

“That’s a start. I did some checking before I came here. While there is a black market baby ring in Moscow, they target younger infants—those only a few weeks old—and they’ve never taken a child who was in the process of being adopted.”

Liz’s green eyes darkened with fear. “So what did he want with her? Was he her father?”

“Unlikely. She’s been at the orphanage since she was a couple of days old. If her father wanted to claim her, all he had to do was go there and get her back. I’m guessing the guy was a small-time crook who thought he could kidnap Natasha and then hold her for ransom. You said the first thing he asked was if you were an American. Most people assume Americans who travel are rich.”

Liz pressed her lips together. “Maybe.”

He didn’t blame her for being reluctant to believe him. He had a feeling in his gut that something was going on, but he couldn’t say what. There were thousands of abandoned babies in Moscow—why this child?

He checked his watch. “I’m going to head over to the orphanage and talk to the people there.”

“Maggie stays until five,” Liz volunteered. “She was in a meeting before, so she’s still there.”

“Good. I’ll speak with her, as well. Maybe there’s some information in Natasha’s file. Will you be all right while I’m gone?”

She nodded. “I’m okay.”

She didn’t look anything but scared. “I’ll come back when I’m done.”

“No.” She released his hand. “If you find something earth-shattering, I want to know, but otherwise, I’ll deal with it.” She managed a shaky smile. “There’s a chance I really overreacted to what happened, right? I think your rich-American angle makes a lot of sense. The other parents went out for an early dinner, but they won’t be gone long. We’re all on the same floor, so I feel perfectly safe here.”

He stood and looked down at her. “Are you sure? I don’t mind coming back.”

“Natasha is the only one of us who needs a baby-sitter.” She rose to her feet. “You’ve already done so much for me, David. I don’t want you to think I’m completely inept.”

“You’re not.”

“Then let me prove it.” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you for coming over and for following up with the orphanage.”

He stared into her eyes, trying to reassure himself that she would be all right by herself.

She gave him a little push toward the door. “Go. Do your spy thing. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Call me if you start to worry. You have my apartment number.”

“In my purse.”

He nodded, then turned to leave. “I’ll be in touch.”

Sophia paused on the stoop of her apartment building’s rear exit. It was nearly five in the afternoon and even the alley was filled with people and cars. At this time of year there were still several hours until sunset, and residents took advantage of the light to run errands and visit with friends.

Sophia didn’t want to leave her apartment, but she had no choice. She’d run out of food the previous day. While she’d held out as long as she could, eventually hunger had driven her outside.

He would be looking for her. She knew that and didn’t know how to stay safe. There was nowhere to go. No one to turn to.

She’d received the first message nearly a week before, telling her it was time. The rich American couple had come through with the money and now they wanted the child they’d chosen. Vladimir Kosanisky had told her to deliver Natasha to him two days ago and she hadn’t.

Kosanisky didn’t know she’d left Natasha at the orphanage five days after her birth. Sophia hadn’t wanted to let go of her baby, but she hadn’t known how else to keep her safe. When Kosanisky had insisted on pictures of the infant, Sophia had obliged. Her hope had been that little Natasha would be adopted and out of the country before her employer claimed her. But that hadn’t happened.

Sophia had been shocked to find out that black market babies were taken at a younger age than those adopted through legal channels. Fortunately, the first couple interested in Natasha hadn’t been able to pay Kosanisky’s price. He’d gone looking for another client, leaving Natasha in the care of her mother, or so he thought.

Sophia had visited her daughter every day, caring for her, loving her, aching to be with her always. But that wasn’t possible. She wanted a better life for her baby than she’d had. A chance. In America, Natasha would be cared for and educated. She would have food and shelter and no one would expect her to make her own way in the world when she was barely twelve.

Sophia glanced around at the busy alley. When she was sure she wasn’t being watched, she headed for the street and the market two blocks away.

She’d done the right thing, she told herself. Kosanisky didn’t know Natasha was at the orphanage, which meant the baby was safe. The rich Americans he’d found who were so willing to buy a child would have to settle for someone else’s baby. Natasha was going home with Liz Duncan. The pretty American lady would be good to her. Sophia had seen them together, had seen the love in Liz’s eyes. Yes, giving up her child would tear her heart from her body, but it was the right thing to—

“There!”

She heard the single word and instantly went on alert. Even as she turned to look toward the voice, she started to run.

There were two of them. Both large and determined-looking, and running after her.

Sophia reached the street and turned right. The sidewalk was crowded, forcing her to weave between shoppers and people heading home after work.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she ran as fast as she could. Which way was best? To the next street, then into the church? Would the market provide protection? Were there only two men after her?

The last question was answered when a white van pulled up just in front of her. She had only a split second of warning before the side doors opened and three men stepped out, including Vladimir Kosanisky.

Sophia quickly changed direction, but she was no match for them. They grabbed her and dragged her into the van. She screamed for help, but no one stopped. Only a few people even turned to look. No one wanted to get involved.

The door slid shut behind her and the van slipped into traffic.

Sophia lay where they’d tossed her. She was shaken and scared. What could she tell them that was enough truth to keep them from killing her?

One man moved into the passenger seat. Another sat by the rear door. Kosanisky settled across from her on the bare floor of the van and pulled out a cigarette.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?” he asked after he’d lit it and inhaled deeply. “About the orphanage?”

Sophia swallowed. She
had
thought he wouldn’t figure it out. “You never said anything.”

He shrugged. “What do I care where you keep your brat as long as she’s ready when I say? But she isn’t, is she? You’ve given her to an American.”

Sophia panicked. They knew about Liz? How was that possible?

Kosanisky laughed. “You underestimated me, Sophia. Very dangerous. How many times do I have to tell you that I know everything? This is my city. I own it as much as I own you.”

Panic bled into fear. He
did
own her. He had for years. She did his bidding because the alternative was to find a home at the bottom of the river.

“Natasha is going to be adopted,” she said defiantly, not sure where the courage came from. “I won’t have her sold. Not my child.”

His dark gaze dismissed her statement. “You’re a whore, Sophia. No one cares about a whore.”

She didn’t flinch. She’d heard worse. Besides, there was truth in what he said. She made her living on her back. What else was there for her to do?

He motioned for the man in the rear of the van to move forward. The big man grabbed Sophia by the arms. She began to squirm even as Kosanisky moved nearer. He dragged on his cigarette, then held the burning end close to her arm.

“You will get the baby and bring her to me,” he said, his voice low and determined.

“No.”

He pressed the cigarette into her arm. She screamed and tried to twist away, but the man holding her tightened his grip.

Sophia fought to stay aware, to not give in to the pain. As Kosanisky moved the cigarette toward her cheek, she pulled back her leg, then kicked him in the groin as hard as she could. He yelped and fell over.

Startled, the man holding her let go of her arms and shifted toward his boss. Sophia scrambled for the rear door of the van. When it unlatched, she shoved it open and dove toward the street.

She landed hard on the road and was nearly hit by a taxi. Horns honked, her body felt broken and battered. Still, she forced herself to her feet. The pain from her fall and the burn drove her on. Even as the van swerved and looked for a place to pull over, Sophia glanced around to figure out where she was. The gleaming domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral beckoned her, as did the large tourist crowd. It was the perfect place to get lost.

She limped toward a large tour group and hoped she wasn’t bleeding too badly.

David walked into the main office of the orphanage and found Maggie talking with the director.