To Love and Protect (8 page)

Liz was grateful for her efficiency. “This is making me crazy,” she admitted. “I want to relax. I do for a second, then I start to think. If someone took Natasha’s paperwork, then someone tried to steal her from me, the two events could be linked. Maybe yesterday wasn’t just a random attack.”

Maggie shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t know that.”

Liz figured she didn’t know a lot of things, but it didn’t take a genius to put the pieces together. No wonder David hadn’t wanted her walking the streets of Moscow by herself.

“Why
my
baby?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Maggie admitted. “Are you all right? Do you want me to take you back there?”

“I’d rather stay here,” Liz told her. “David’s coming by to pick me up at five. He’ll take me to the hotel.”

Maggie relaxed. “I don’t blame you. Given the choice between being escorted by me and being escorted by him, he would win hands down any day.”

Liz managed a smile. “He’s very nice.”

“You left out sexy.”

“Okay, that, too.”

Maggie raised her eyebrows. “Anything between the two of you?”

Liz didn’t know how to answer that question. “I met him five years ago, just before he took the assignment in Moscow.”

“Ah, so you have a history.”

“Nothing that exciting. We were…friends.”

Did that describe their afternoon and evening together? How would she describe what they had now? It was all confusing.

“He seems to care a lot about you,” Maggie said.

“Some of that is his job.”

“But not all of it?”

Liz didn’t have an answer for that. She decided to change the subject. “Have you seen Sophia?”

“No. She hasn’t been around much the past couple of days.”

“I know and that worries me. She was here every day on my last visit. She really cares about the babies. I can’t believe she’d leave them for so long.”

Maggie didn’t seem concerned. “The girls who volunteer aren’t big on commitments. They show up for a while and then they get distracted.”

“Maybe,” Liz said, although it didn’t sound right to her.

Liz waited until David walked her to her hotel room before mentioning Sophia to him.

“I can’t help thinking that something’s wrong,” she told him. “Okay, maybe I don’t really know her, but this doesn’t seem right.”

“Do you have a last name?” he asked as he set the car seat on the chair.

“No.”

“I’m sure I can get it from the orphanage. Maybe send someone over to check out her apartment.”

Liz stared at him. “You’d really do that?”

“Sure. We don’t know what’s going on with any of this. If someone from the orphanage is missing, I want to know.”

She considered what she’d learned from Maggie. “Speaking of which, you didn’t tell me that Natasha’s paperwork was gone.”

His mouth twisted. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Which makes sense, but we’re talking about my child. I need to know what to look for,” she told him. “If there are hidden dangers, I want to stay alert.”

He nodded. “I wish I knew more. Right now I’m fighting shadows and it’s damn frustrating. I haven’t learned anything new. None of my contacts knows anything.”

“You have contacts?”

He managed a smile. “I’m a very useful guy.”

“Yes, you are.”

They stared at each other. Suddenly tension crackled and Liz was intensely aware of the bed in the room. She wanted to move close to him and have him pull her into his arms. She wanted him to kiss her and touch her and take her to a place where nothing mattered but the two of them.

Natasha gurgled, as if reminding her there were three people in the room.

He cupped Liz’s face. “Are you going to be all right tonight?”

“Sure. There’s a burly guard down the hall, right?”

“Uh-huh. He’ll stay on duty until I get back. I’ll be late.”

His fingers felt warm and smooth against her skin. She wanted to turn her head and kiss his palm. Instead she sighed.

“That’s right. The hot date you’re pretending is a big, important meeting.”

“It
is
a meeting.”

“So you say.”

His dark eyes brightened with amusement. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“I’m saying you keep things from me.”

“Only about work. Not about women.” His expression turned serious. “Do you believe me?”

He was closer than he had been. She could feel the heat of him, and her body responded by melting. His free hand settled on her waist and her arms wrapped around his neck.

“I believe you,” she whispered just before his mouth settled on hers.

Their kiss was everything she remembered. Deep, erotic, passionate. Her lips parted instantly, and when he swept inside her mouth, she moaned with need and pleasure.

At the first stroke of his tongue, she felt her breasts swell. At the second, her thighs began to tremble. By the third, she was close to begging.

He dropped his hands to her hips, then around to her fanny, where he cupped the curves as he pulled her hard against him. She felt his arousal. He was hard; she was wet. There seemed only one solution. Except…

He straightened. “I have a meeting,” he murmured.

“I know.” He had a meeting, she had a life and they shouldn’t consider making love again. Not when everything was so uncertain.

“I don’t usually do this,” she told him. “Get involved so quickly. We’re not even dating.”

He smiled. “Do you want me to ask you out?”

Liz realized she did. She wanted to see David more, and not just because her life was in danger. She wanted them to spend time together, to laugh and get to know each other. But his world was here and she was leaving in two days.

“I’m not sure we’re going to have time,” she admitted.

“Too bad.” He kissed her lightly. “I want to come back here after my meeting and check on you. It’ll probably be around midnight. Is that too late?”

Check on her, huh? She wanted to read more into the statement, but had a feeling he meant exactly what he said. Business only.

“Don’t worry about waking me up,” she told him. “I doubt I’ll sleep.”

“I know. That’s why I’m coming back.”

He glanced at the bed, as if realizing what could happen later.

“I’ll be here in an official capacity,” he said.

“Is that your way of telling me not to expect you to seduce me?”

He groaned softly. “You tempt me, Liz, you have to know that. But this is about keeping you safe.”

She wanted it to be about both. Wishful thinking. “You’re very sweet to worry. I won’t do anything I shouldn’t.”

“Good.” He headed for the door. “Because where you’re concerned, my self-control is about zero.”

She laughed as he walked out the door. When she was alone with Natasha, the good feelings faded and suddenly she wanted to cry.

“I’m fine,” she told herself. “We’re both fine.”

If only she could believe it.

Vladimir Kosanisky swore as he dialed the phone. It was picked up on the second ring.

“We still haven’t found the girl,” he told the American, his voice tight with frustration. “We’ve wasted a whole day. I say we forget about her and go after the baby.”

“And if the girl talks?” the Stork asked.

Kosanisky considered the problem. Sophia had always been difficult. Too bad he’d had a soft spot for her for so long. His feelings had clouded his judgment. “We eliminate her.”

“All right. When will you get the baby?”

“Tonight,” Kosanisky said. “My men will break into the woman’s hotel room and take it.”

“Will you make it look like a robbery?”

“There’s no need.” He lit a cigarette. “My question is about the American woman. Elizabeth Duncan. Do you want me to kill her or not?”

L
iz had always enjoyed the long summer days, but no more so than this evening as she paced back and forth in her hotel room. Logically she knew she should be safe where she was, but she didn’t
feel
safe. Still, while the sky remained light, she sensed no one would come for Natasha. When darkness fell, that was another matter.

“It’s all right,” she told herself over and over. She would be fine. David had promised to come back and stay with her, and she trusted him completely. He would keep his word. The only question was when he would arrive.

She checked on the baby. Natasha slept soundly in her small crib. Apparently the tensions didn’t affect her. Liz lingered over her, admiring the curve of her cheek and the perfect rosebud shape of her mouth.

“Pretty baby,” she murmured. “Soon we’ll be heading home.”

Back to Portland, she thought. To her house on the river and a normal world. She’d been excited about coming to Moscow, but now she only wanted to leave.

Time crawled by and with each passing second, the sun slipped lower, toward the horizon. By nine-thirty, there was darkness in the streets and lights in the windows.

Liz stared out, her heart pounding harder and faster every time she took a breath. Her nerves were on edge, her body alert. They were going to come for her—she could feel it down to her bones. What if they came before David arrived?

“You’re being ridiculous,” she told herself. “There’s a guard just down the hall.”

David had promised her a burly protector to watch her door. Of course he could decide to take a break.

Fear swirled up inside of her, coiling low in her belly and chilling her blood. She stepped back from the window and carefully closed the blinds, then she glanced around the room, as if looking for a place for them to hide.

“We can’t stay here,” she murmured into the silence. Yes, David was going to come for her, but what if he didn’t arrive in time? What if they got here first?

She opened her door and looked down the long hallway. Her body stiffened when she didn’t see anyone. She checked both directions. Nothing.

Acting quickly before she could change her mind, Liz grabbed her room key and went next door. Diana Winston answered right away.

“Liz! What’s going on?”

“I need to go downstairs and talk to the desk clerk,” she said, trying to sound upbeat and casual. “Natasha’s asleep, but I wondered if you’d mind staying with her for a second until I get back.”

Diana smiled. “Not a problem.” She retreated into the room, where she spoke to her husband, then followed Liz into the hall.

Liz left her with Natasha, then hurried down the stairs. She took the last flight quietly, hugging the far railing, staying out of sight as long as possible. Her athletic shoes were silent on the worn carpeting.

As she rounded the curve in the stairs, she saw the desk clerk sitting and reading a newspaper. A quick scan of the lobby showed her that there wasn’t anyone else to be seen. What had happened to the burly guard? Had he left on a break? Had David lied about leaving someone to protect her?

Her heart pounded even harder than before, and her throat tightened. What was going on?

Every instinct told her she had to protect Natasha. So she gathered her courage, walked up to the desk and smiled at the young man.

“Do you speak English?” she asked.

“English?
Da!
Good speak.” He grinned.

Liz sighed silently. This was going to take longer than she wanted. She carefully explained that she would like to change her room. Was there an empty room in the hotel?

The clerk didn’t understand. She had a room now. It was a good room, at least she thought that was what he said. With his accent and broken English, it was difficult to tell. Of course her Russian was fifty times worse, so she wasn’t going to be critical.

She passed him two five-hundred ruble notes, which was somewhere between thirty and thirty-five dollars, if she was doing the math right. The young man instantly reached for the registration book.

“More room.
Da.
Near.” He turned his back on her and poked through the half wall of small cubbyholes containing messages and keys.

He plucked out a key and handed it to her. “By hall,” he said proudly.

“Thank you. Please don’t tell anyone I moved.”

He frowned. “Tell?”

“If someone asks about me…” She wondered how to make it clear that she didn’t want her new room number given out. “Secret? No talk?”

“Ah.” He nodded vigorously. “No say new room.”

“Yes. That’s right. No say new room. Thank you.”

She glanced around the lobby, but there was still no sign of the guard. What had happened?

She shook off the question. There was no time to worry about that. She took the key, thanked the desk clerk again and made her way up the stairs.

She was panting by the time she knocked on her door and Diana let her in.

“All taken care of?”

“Yes. Thanks.” Liz watched Diana return to her own room and shut the door.

When the coast was clear, Liz walked across the hallway and went two doors down to her new room and tried the key. It turned easily and she slipped inside. The bedroom was identical to hers, done in blues instead of greens and facing the side street instead of the main road. It would suit her purposes perfectly.

She walked back to her old room and collected the few things she would need to get through the night. She didn’t want to make a lot of noise by dragging too much across the hallway.

She filled the diaper bag with formula, diapers and a change of clothing for Natasha, a book, a couple of energy bars and a bottle of water for herself. She grabbed her purse and some pillows so she could secure Natasha on the large bed they would be sharing. There was no way Liz could move the crib without waking up everyone on the floor.

When all her supplies were in place, she carefully picked up the sleeping baby and carried her the few feet to the new room. Natasha never stirred.

Once everything was in place, Liz debated calling David to tell him what she’d done, but she wasn’t comfortable using the phone.

“I’ve watched too many spy movies,” she told herself, trying to find humor in the situation. “Do I really think they’re monitoring my calls?”

Apparently the answer was yes because she couldn’t seem to make herself pick up the receiver. Not a problem, she told herself. She would look out the peephole and when David showed up, she would let him into her new room.

She dragged the single chair in the room close to the door so she could hear footsteps, then positioned a lamp nearby to provide light. She tried losing herself in her book, but mostly she sat and listened to the sounds of the night, bracing herself for some kind of attack that she knew logically wasn’t going to come.

Shortly after midnight, she heard a faint creaking of the floorboards. Expecting to see David, she stood and peered out of the peephole. Instead two men stood in front of her old door. One bent over the ancient lock.

A scream built up inside Liz’s chest. She pressed her hand over her mouth to hold it inside. The fear returned, as cold and liquid as it had been before.

This isn’t happening, she told herself even as she watched them open the door and enter the hotel room.

Panic swept through her. What to do? They would see right away that she wasn’t there. Would they start breaking in doors to find her?

She glanced frantically around the room, looking for another way to escape, but there wasn’t one. Just the window, and she was too high up to get to the street. Could she make a rope or something? Was there a—

She forced her racing mind to halt and consciously stilled her breathing. It was going to be all right, she told herself. The men had come in quietly. They weren’t looking to make trouble, or be discovered. Yes, they were searching her room, but they had no idea where she’d gone. For all they knew, she’d left the hotel.

She continued to monitor the hallway. After a couple of minutes they stepped out of her room and glanced around as if looking for clues. She ducked back before realizing they couldn’t see her watching them.

One of them said something to the other. She didn’t hear any words, not even the rumble of their voices. Apparently they didn’t want the other guests to know they were here. Finally they closed the door and walked away, toward the elevator and stairs.

Liz waited until they were completely gone before sinking to the floor and pulling her knees to her chest. Her body shook and she had trouble catching her breath. What would have happened if she hadn’t changed rooms? Would those men have Natasha now?

Liz’s eyes burned. She blinked back the tears. The danger had faded for the moment, but what was going to happen next time?

Realizing she had to act, that she couldn’t just wait for the next attack, she forced herself to her feet and cautiously opened her door. The hallway was still empty. Quietly she collected her sleeping baby, walked down three doors and knocked on Maggie’s door.

David found parking just past the hotel. He would have been pleased with his luck if there hadn’t been two police cars stationed directly in front of the building. The second he saw them, he got a bad feeling in his gut.

As he climbed out of his car, he glanced at his watch and swore. It was nearly two. His meeting had gone much later than he’d expected. Had Liz simply panicked from the waiting or had something happened?

He hurried into the lobby and found Liz sitting on a bench and holding Natasha. Maggie stood with several police officers. Her frustrated expression told him that she wasn’t pleased with the way things were going.

He crossed to Liz. “What happened?” he asked.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, rose and stared at him. He read the fear in her green eyes, and the wariness.

“Two men broke into my hotel room,” she told him. “They didn’t know that I’d changed rooms about an hour before. When I came downstairs to do that, there wasn’t any guard in the hallway.”

“What?”

She glared at him. “Are you playing a game with me, David? Was this all a joke to you? Did you lie to me, telling me someone was on duty so I’d feel better?”

He wanted to grab her and shake her. “Of course not. I left an agent stationed here. I checked in with him myself around nine.”

She didn’t looked convinced. “He’s not here now.”

David swore under his breath. “I’ll be right back.”

He crossed to where Maggie stood with the police. After showing his identification, he asked what had happened.

In a matter of seconds he understood Maggie’s frustration. The officers believed the break-in was a simple robbery. That Liz’s room had been a random target. They weren’t interested in possible baby theft. “Americans are so paranoid,” they said to each other.

He listened without offering a comment of his own. Rather than argue, he asked for details. A report would be filed, but as nothing had been stolen… They shrugged, indicating there was little they could do.

“Or want to do,” David muttered in English.

Maggie nodded. “I’ll admit I didn’t take the first attack very seriously. Having Natasha’s records missing was a little odd, but when combined with what happened tonight, there’s too much evidence to ignore. Something is going on.”

David agreed, but what? And where the hell was the man on duty?

He left Maggie with the police and walked out into the night. There were streets on three sides of the hotel, an alley on the fourth. He stepped into the narrow alley and began searching. He came across the guard halfway down. The man had been tied up and left behind a large trash can.

David swore as he bent over him. Even as he felt for a pulse, he reached for his cell phone and hit Auto-dial.

“It’s Logan,” he said when the phone was answered on the first ring. “We have a problem.” He gave the address of the hotel and the placement of the guard in the alley.

“It’s Green,” he said. “I assigned him to watch the hallway. He’s been attacked.”

The guard stirred.

“He’s coming around. I think they knocked him out. There’s no blood. All right. Five minutes.”

He dropped the phone into his suit jacket pocket and went to work on the ropes around Green’s ankles. The man groaned.

“Logan?”

“It’s me.”

“Hell, they jumped me from behind. I heard a noise on the stairs and I went to see what it was.” He moaned quietly. “Classic mistake.”

“It happens.”

“Yeah, and now I’ve got a hell of headache to remind me. Did they get the kid?”

“No. Liz and the baby are safe.”

Green sat up and rubbed his wrists. “I’m sorry I screwed up.”

“Don’t sweat it. No harm done.”

Except that Liz hadn’t believed him about the guard.

He helped Green to his feet and they walked back to the main street. A few minutes later a plain black car pulled up in front of the hotel. David helped Green into the back seat, then straightened. When he turned, he saw Liz watching him from the entrance to the lobby.

The police left about twenty minutes later. They promised to look into the attempted robbery, but David doubted they would take any action. He escorted Liz and Maggie back to their rooms, seeing the social worker inside first, then returning to Liz.

She let him in, but didn’t offer him a seat. He watched as she placed a sleeping Natasha on the bed and made sure she was secured by a fortress of pillows. When she’d finished, she straightened and looked at him.

Shadows darkened the skin under her eyes. She looked bone-weary and shell-shocked. He wanted to go to her and hold her tight, but her earlier accusations kept him in place.

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” he said.

She nodded and sank onto the edge of the bed. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just when I went outside and there wasn’t a guard, I didn’t know what to think.”

He could see the situation from her point of view. They didn’t know each other that well, so why should she trust him? Yet, he hated that she’d been afraid and hadn’t believed him.