To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series) (43 page)

“Enjoy,” Dmitriy gestured toward the tray.

Suddenly starved, Trevor quickly inhaled the roast beef sandwich, washing it down with long gulps of the carbonated drink.

“Wow…I told Tanka to make something quick and light. Had I known you had the appetite of a wolf, I would have brought more.” Dmitriy seemed impressed by the speed at which Trevor had scarfed down the sandwich.

“It was delicious. Please pass my compliments and thanks to Tatiana when you return the tray to her.”

“You’ll be able to do it yourself. She’s coming to pick it up soon.”

Trevor needed Dmitriy out of the room again. He settled back in his chair, inhaling and exhaling deeply to center himself as he studied his screen and filtered through his options. If he could get his hands on Dmitriy’s computer once more, he could install the data eraser and solve all his problems.

His checklist was becoming shorter. Trevor had copied the files Boris had requested—more like demanded in exchange for their incursion into the snake pit—to his computer. He also had the ability to embed the Trojan virus in the decrypter like a time bomb set to explode in their faces later. The only item left to check off was the complete and irreversible deletion of the mainframe and backup files Dmitriy had on site, ensuring the completion of the job as agreed with Mark Devlin. Making sure his ass was out of there before Mikhailov discovered the damage to the servers would definitely be an added bonus.

*****

It had been a long day wrapped around the computer searching for data on the mysterious woman. Armed with the name and every variation of its spelling, Cassandra had come up empty. Not even a picture on the internet. The lack of information returned on her queries only sparked her curiosity more. Whatever Nikol Petrovna’s story was, she was a ghost.

Exiting the bathroom, Cassandra checked the graphic equalizer on her laptop’s screen for any activity as she toweled dry her hair. The bars were still. An eerie feeling of being watched jerked her around and she stood silent as a statue, listening. The busy street outside her window was quieting, and life in the complex was settling for the night. Turning off the lamp next to the bed, Cassandra crossed to the window and, staying within the shadow of the curtains, checked the street below. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Jumpy much?
she chided herself.

Cassandra flicked her wrist and checked the time. Soon they would fall into their evening routine. Dinner and listening to his monologue. Not quite the date she would’ve liked, but it was better than nothing. She slipped into one of Trevor’s geeky tees and chuckled at the phrase across its chest—Geek Inside. “I wish,” Cassandra muttered as she smoothed it over her hips and sat in front of her laptop.

Seconds later, the bars on her screen bounced. Doors opening and closing, voices deep in conversation, and the clank of silverware came across the feed. Underneath it all, she caught Trevor in conversation with Dmitriy. Dinner was surreal; the audio so clear, Cassandra could almost close her eyes and envision the scene in the room. Almost as if she was sitting there right next to her husband.

Silence settled over the connection and Cassandra knew he was back in his makeshift cell. Trevor’s quiet voice came across the feed. “Great news. I got the files, Cassie.” Cassandra’s heart stalled for a split second in her chest before it revved into high gear.
Finally!
Her body hummed with excitement as she listened. “Everything we need for Boris. I was able to hack my way out. Check my laptop. Look for a zipped file named ‘Full Backup.’ I can’t stay late, love. They’re only giving me thirty minutes to catch a nap, then back in the hole. They have a hard-on for me to get this done.”

While he was still talking, she quickly checked his hard drive and decompressed the file. Clicking through the contents, she saw that it appeared to contain everything Boris had hoped to get his hands on. She was about to close it when a text file named “
a_bhean.txt
” caught her eye.

Cassandra was almost afraid to see what it held. Did he know something more? With a deep shaky breath, she opened it.
I am a part of you and you are part of me. I’ll hold you in my arms soon,
a bhean
.
Tears instantly rolled down her cheeks. It was a message that he knew she would understand. “Damn him.”

Hidden Delights

J
ESSICA ADMIRED CASSANDRA AND TREVOR’S office. They sure had a sweet set-up—top of the line computers, multiple monitors, full office paraphernalia. Their desks faced each other so that they could talk freely—and probably tease the hell out of each other during time spent managing their new business. She could picture Trevor orchestrating a full-on symphony of data crunching and code writing.

A smile curved her lips as she approached their desks. They clearly displayed their personalities. Cassandra’s, neatly organized, not a file in sight, clean surfaces everywhere, just like her old office back home. Then there was Trevor’s…papers scattered all over, printouts, notepads scrawled with chicken scratch. The man was a disaster in the making, albeit a bright one.

She noticed the basket holding mail on Cassandra’s desk and a wide grin spread across her face. Cassandra had anxiously shared her birthday dilemma on what to get Trevor earlier in the year. She remembered how nervous Cassandra had been about her gift.
“What do you get the geek who has freaking everything under the sun?”
she had asked over and over again. Jessica had told her to stop thinking so hard and then she would know. Oh, boy. Had she ever. Cassandra had mentioned that Jessica’s gift basket of edible body oils had been her inspiration. That, and a pair of service handcuffs. Jessica grimaced. The mental image created by that comment had no place being in her head. It must have been a success, because the basket now held a prominent position on Cassandra’s desk.

As it had been happening more and more lately, Jessica’s eyes welled with unshed tears at the thought of her friends. Thinking of them and the steady, crazy relationship they had brought Stephan and what she had lost to mind. After leaving him the day he dumped her, she had walked into the Bauer’s empty house and her body had begun to shake out of control. She never made it up that first flight of stairs. She had simply sat there, staring at the moonlight playing through the curtains and shifting along the floor as tears spilled in salty rivulets from her eyes. She had cried so much she had made herself sick. She hadn’t felt the same ever since.

She couldn’t remember how long she had sat there with misery as her companion. The room had eventually lightened, drawing her from her tribulation and forcing her to bed. As she lay there alone, tears had once again forced their way from her eyes. She missed the cradle of his arms, his harsh groans as they made love, the beating of his heart under her ear soothing her to sleep. She missed all of him deeply; it was as if a part of her had been ripped away, leaving an empty chasm, an open wound behind.

It had been a few days since and, desperate to escape her thoughts even for a little bit, Jessica fretted over what to do or where to go. The only people she had ever socialized with in Ireland were Cassandra, Trevor and…Stephan. She had not met anyone else yet, had no sphere of friends in her new world. Picking up the stack of papers from the basket on Cassandra’s desk, she rifled through them until a postcard caught her eye. Lillie’s Bordello—touted as being Dublin’s most renowned and prestigious nightclub.
Possibilities. Just on Grafton Street. Not that far. Going.
Tossing the stack back in the basket, Jessica jogged up the short flight of stairs and zipped to the guest bathroom.

An hour later, she stood outside the front door waiting impatiently for the cab she’d called. She wanted to get going before she changed her mind. She had slicked and pinned her hair in a classic style, displaying the long gentle curve of her neck, and had slipped into an unadorned little black dress set off by hot red platform heels that showcased her shapely legs. Jessica’s heart was pounding with nervousness and her body was buzzing with energy.

Jumping in the cab the minute it stopped out front, Jessica sat back and stared out the window during the short ride to the nightclub. This would be her first evening out on her own in Dublin. Her heart wasn’t really into it, but her head was ruling this outing and she was damned if she was going to mope some more around the house. Evenings were the hardest. That’s when images of moments spent with Stephan bombarded her at every toss and turn. She hoped to be rid of those images for at least one night. One night in which she would return home and fall into bed for a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

Lillie’s swanky lounge with its burgundy walls and cream seating was just the kind of place Jessica would have hung out at back home. For the last many months, nightclubs had slowly lost their appeal. She hoped that night would get her back into the swing of things.

Squaring her shoulders, Jessica moved deeper into the club and found a table in a dark corner. The hostess stopped by and took her drink order, a dirty martini. Why the hell not? She wasn’t interested in a pint, the usual drink she had with Stephan. Lost in thought, she missed the hostess setting her drink in front of her until the music called to her. Sipping her drink, she watched the action, couples dancing, their bodies moving in time with the music, the heat of the dance floor contagious and tantalizing.

Jessica ignored several men who passed by her table in hopes of catching her eye. She wasn’t interested in what they had to offer. She had taken the first step in an attempt to heal her aching heart by going out, but her stomach churned in knots and her hand tightened around her glass each time her thoughts strayed.

It would take more than a night out to close that wound and she was sure a scar would be left behind when it did. Was he working? Was he out with another woman? Doing the same things
they
shared? Holding the woman tight against him the same way he had held her? Jealousy reared its ugly green head and a bitter taste filled her mouth.

Jessica’s anguish choked her and she downed the martini in two quick swallows. Setting her glass on the table, Jessica realized she should have never come. The evening out on her own was making her feel worse, not better. She was scooting out of the booth when a familiar voice reached her ears amidst the commotion in the nightclub.

“Sweet Mary, thank you for bringing the woman of my dreams into my life.”

Jessica whipped her head in the direction of the same Irish drawl she had heard at the airport on the day of her arrival. A smile spread across her face as she tipped her head back and looked straight into Sean’s mossy green eyes.

“Damn. Does that line ever work?”

A grin quirked the corner of his mouth. “There’s always a first.”

“Yeah, Yeah.” Her laugh bubbled up and spilled over. “Where have I heard that line before?”

His grin widened as he slid into the booth next to her and kissed her cheek. “Jessica. How are you?”

“You remember!”

“Of course I do, lass. My heart’s been pining away for the American girl who never used my card. I bet you tossed it as soon as you reached your friend and the guy she was with.”

“That guy happens to be her husband, and no, look—” Jessica reached into her purse and pulled the small slightly worn card from her wallet, “—here is it. Not tossed.”

“Good to know I left an impression on you.” Sean waved at the hostess, and shortly after another martini and a pint were left on the table.

“Wow, now that’s what I call service.”

Sean chuckled. “Nah. They know me. I work here.”

“Ah…perks. So, where were you arriving from that day at the airport?”

“Australia. Had spent the winter there. Who wants to freeze in Ireland when they can burn in Australia?”

“True.” She laughed at his enthusiasm.

They talked for hours. She learned about Sean’s love for adventure. His time in Australia and other warm, tropical countries, which explained the golden tone of his skin. His wild streak had taken him to amazing places—Egypt, South Africa, Thailand, Brazil—all on a shoestring budget, living on temporary jobs and loving each second of it. He was a cool guy. If only she hadn’t lost her heart long before she’d laid eyes on him. But his enthusiasm and youthful attitude would never be able to warm her blood the way Stephan’s secure, strict, and even domineering one did. Stephan didn’t just warm her blood, he set it aflame.

She released a deep breath and Sean cocked his head. “Am I boring you already?”

“No. Not at all. It’s been a trying week. I just need a good night’s sleep to restore my energy.” Jessica had been so stressed over the sudden way Stephan kicked her out of his life that she could barely sleep at night. She tossed and turned, searching for a comfortable position that could never exist without his arms around her. As a consequence, she found herself dozing at the worst times during the day. Good thing she wasn’t working for Cassandra’s father anymore, or she would have found herself repeating Cassandra’s snore-and-drool routine at team meetings.