The unexpected attack carried Markov into the display shelves and any hope of regaining his balance was lost when he felt his legs swept from beneath him. Biting off a curse, he landed on his stomach in the middle of the aisle, surrounded by rolling cans.
Shelby was momentarily stunned and stood there unmoving until Kris grabbed her arm, pulling her down the aisle. She heard several customers talking loudly and watched store employees run past them to the scene of the accident. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally exited the grocery store.
Blue escorted Shelby to the passenger seat, then jogged around the car, quickly settling herself into the driver's side. She knew the store would try to detain him until they were sure he was uninjured or he had signed a waiver releasing the store from any liability.
In the meantime she intended to search for a parked blue Taurus. Innocent civilians didn't carry guns and she'd caught a glimpse of one when he fell. A feral grin flickered across Blue's face. The hunter had just become the hunted.
Markov assured the manager for the third time that he was fine as he silently cursed the tall woman. He could not allow knowledge of his disobedience to reach his superiors. If the police or medical personnel were called, he would have to leave the store by force before they arrived, something he didn't want to do. His job entailed keeping a low profile, and he was already humiliated beyond belief.
Finally, after signing an alias to a form releasing the store from culpability, he departed, carefully scanning the parking lot to make sure the red car was gone. He continually surveyed his surroundings as he crossed first the parking lot and then the street to get to where his car was parked behind the service station.
He opened his car door, and froze. The unmistakable sound of a round being chambered reached his ears as he simultaneously felt a hard object pressed firmly against his back.
Shelby was pressed against the entrance to the women's restroom, her eyes wide. She had known what Kris was going to do, but was still surprised when the operative had appeared behind the man. She watched Kris search the man, pocket the gun and wallet she found, then order him to get in the passenger side of the car, before climbing into the backseat behind him, her aim never wavering.
"Who are you?"
Markov maintained a stony silence. He would tell this woman nothing.
Blue softened her voice, and purred into the Russian's ear. "It's simple, really. You tell me what I want to know, you live. You don't, you die. So what'll it be?"
Markov was chilled and tantalized by the voice in his ear, but instinctively knew this woman would do as she said. "I was paid to follow you..." Intense pain filled his head as blue steel impacted with the back of his skull. His eyes watered and Russian curses filled the air.
Blue growled, "I'm losing my patience."
"I am Markov. I was sent by the Bear."
"Why?"
"He did not say." Blue knew that was probably true, but decided to make sure. She pressed her gun into the base of Markov's neck. "I don't believe you."
"It is true! He ordered me to return when you went into the store."
"Why didn't you?"
Markov hesitated and felt the pressure at the base of his neck increase. "I wanted to give him a description of your partner."
Blue felt her stomach tighten. "Why?"
"He was interested in her. I wanted to impress him."
Blue handed the man his wallet. "Hold that up where I can see. Now take out your ID." She looked at the diplomatic ID card issued by the State Department to all embassy personnel and learned his full name was Boris Ivanovich Markov. The other information on the ID didn't interest her. "What else you got in there, Boris?"
Markov began removing each item from his wallet and held it up until she ordered, "Next."
Blue was looking for phone numbers or code names, and smiled when he tried to hide a small folded piece of paper from her sight. It never ceased to amaze her how stupid some operatives were.
She shoved the barrel of the gun against his head. "Hand me that piece of paper you're trying to hide. Try anything funny and you die and I get it anyway."
Markov tensed. That paper had Dimitri's personal phone number on it. He could not allow this woman to have it. He slowly moved the folded piece of paper from behind his international license and then suddenly thrust it to his mouth.
Blue had anticipated the move and slammed her left fist into the side of his head. Ignoring Markov's grunt of pain, she growled, "You don't get it yet, do you?"
She pressed her weapon against Markov's head. "Now pick it up."
Markov shook his head to clear it, and slowly reached down to retrieve the piece of paper from his lap. Any thought of defying her again deserted him when he heard her chuckle softly in his ear. "You try that again and your brain is gonna be splattered all over the inside of this car."
Blue took it from him and slid it in her pocket. "That's a good boy. Now listen carefully. If I ever see you again, you're a dead man. That goes for annoying my partner, too. You got that?"
Markov nodded. "Yes."
"Good. I'm glad we understand each other." She got out of the car, keeping her gun hidden from view, not wanting to attract any curious eyes. "Get out of here."
Blue watched him drive away before turning her attention back to her companion. She would have to wait to see what Markov risked his life to keep her from getting.
Shelby's face was pale. She had flinched when Kris belted the man with her gun, and again when she clobbered him on the side of his head. She hadn't been able to hear the conversation, but his curses had carried beyond the confines of the car. She wasn't positive, but the guttural tone had sounded like Russian. What was going on?
"Let's get out of here."
Nodding, Shelby stepped from the doorway and walked in front of Kris to the car. Once they were back on the road, Shelby asked, "Who was he?"
"Just someone following orders."
"That's all he told you? Is that why you hit him?"
Kris glanced at Shelby and suddenly realized how upset she was. "I hit him because he was lying. In this business, force is all some people understand." She purposely made no mention of why she hit him the second time.
"Do you know who sent him?"
"Yes." Kris briefly made eye contact with the other woman. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle it."
Yeah, right. Not much chance of her not worrying after what she'd just witnessed. She hoped Kris did take care of it and that her life returned to some semblance of normal.
They arrived home a short time later. After thoroughly inspecting the apartment, Kris returned to the kitchen where Shelby had just fed the kitten. "Does she always gobble down her food like that?" Her question was intended to divert Shelby's attention from the recent events more than actual curiosity.
"Yeah. I think she might stop doing it once she feels secure here and knows she'll always have food. Poor thing. How terrible for her to be abandoned like that."
Kris nodded in agreement and decided to change out of her work clothes. She would've preferred changing right in the living room, but decided that since it wasn't her apartment, the bathroom would be more appropriate. "I'm gonna change."
Shelby watched Kris walk to the bathroom, fully appreciating the natural grace with which the tall woman moved until she became aware of what she was doing and blushed furiously.
Locking the bathroom door, Kris pulled out the small tattered piece of paper. It was blank except for a local telephone number she readily identified as embassy from the prefix. She folded it and put it in the pocket of the jeans she had donned. Tomorrow, she would find out who was at the other end of that phone. It would be interesting to see if the voice matched her contact's.