"You can't. Do what they say. I need to get you out of here..."
Kris clamped her mouth shut when she heard footsteps outside the doorway. She watched in silence as her mother obeyed an order to accompany one of the guards and departed.
Sergei walked into the room and smiled. "Have a nice visit?"
"I don't believe that is my mother."
"Oh, I think you do. We killed her because you did nothing but count down days until you could go home. You didn't care about the program. We needed your full attention, so she died." Sergei smiled coldly. "Isn't it ironic that you now hold her fate in your hands. She was dead to you once. Are you going to be responsible for her real death? If I do not have that password within a week, you will watch her die a slow and painful death, followed closely by your own."
"Boris!" When his subordinate arrived, Sergei ordered, "Get her prepared for the return trip." He walked out of the room, ignoring the eyes that tracked him.
After a weak struggle, Kris was subdued and given a sedative. The dose was large enough to ensure she remain unconsciousness for at least a couple of hours.
Sergei intended to be absolutely certain that Natasha had no recollection of the whereabouts of the safe house. He glanced at his watch, satisfied. Her total absence would not exceed the hour and a half he'd allowed for. He dictated a short note to one of the guards and pinned it to her T-shirt. It wouldn't do for her partner to get excited when she was returned unconscious and notify the Company. He handed her unloaded weapon to one of the guards and sent for Gregor.
"Deliver her to the door of her apartment and ring the doorbell. Make sure you are not seen." Sergei walked over to Gregor and stopped, his face only inches from his subordinates. "She will remain unrestrained and you will make sure that she is handled carefully. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Comrade."
"Return her, now!"
Gregor bowed his head slightly, turned to the guards and began issuing orders.
Shelby was growing frantic. She knew Kris wouldn't unnecessarily worry her again, and looked at the phone, but dismissed it, trying to decide on a course of action.
Walking to her bedroom, Shelby donned a light jacket. She wasn't waiting any longer. It had been almost an hour since the operative had left. What if Kris was lying hurt out on the grounds? If the woman wanted to be mad later, fine, but she wasn't willing to ignore her instincts any longer. She picked up a can of pepper spray and put it in her pocket. Didn't hurt to be prepared.
She went to the door, unlocked it, and carefully looked out. She waved to her neighbors who were just arriving home, locked the door behind her and began the descent to the first floor. Listening and looking for anything unusual, Shelby reached the ground level and began walking toward the parking lot.
She knew Kris always looked it over and decided to check there first, just to rule out the easiest places. Walking around the backs of the buildings would be a bit scarier. It was totally dark back there, with clusters of trees on the property and a lightly wooded area just beyond.
Two pairs of eyes watched her every move, one through the windshield of a car parked on the side street bordering the parking lot, and the other from a cluster of trees just beyond the apartment property. Neither man made any move to intercept her, not wanting to reveal their presence unless she tried to leave the grounds or was endangered in some way.
After traversing the entire parking lot, Shelby headed for the large grassy area behind the buildings. A couple of times, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, but when she looked around, she didn't see anyone. She decided to start behind her own building and work her way to the perimeter. Slowly walking along, her eyes flickered over the area, looking for anything that might provide a clue as to Kris' whereabouts.
Deep down, she already knew the operative wasn't around unless she was lying injured somewhere, because Kris would've already intercepted her – upset that she'd left the apartment. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and turned on the small flashlight on the key pad that doubled as a panic alarm. She aimed it at the ground and suddenly stopped.
Just to her left, the longish grass was flattened, a sharp contrast against the undisturbed growth. She approached the area, blocking the dim light with her body as she followed the trail until it suddenly ended. Frustrated, she walked a little further hoping to pick up the path again, but the rest of the grass was undisturbed.
Just as she was about to turn away, her light touched on a dark object. She redirected the narrow beam, and her heart momentarily stopped when she recognized it. Shelby bent down and picked up Kris' cellular phone. Her fear for Kris intensifying, she quickly but thoroughly searched the remainder of the yard, and finding nothing else, she ran back to her apartment.
After locking the door, she sank down into the couch studying the phone. Shelby didn't know Earl's number, but remembered Kris had pushed only one of the buttons to summon him the night they were shot at. Hesitating only momentarily, she pressed the number one and waited for it to be answered.
CHAPTER 13
STARTLED WHEN THE doorbell chimed, Shelby looked up and automatically pressed the off button on the cellular phone before quickly making her way to the door. She'd heard quiet footfalls in the stairwell, but had disregarded them because Kris never made a sound when she climbed the steps.
With her eye at the peephole Shelby gazed out, seeing...nothing. She carefully searched the area again. Directing her gaze downward, her heart began pounding in fear. The angle of the peephole and the scant light limited visibility, but Shelby could make out a long, jean clad leg and an arm, the bicep covered by a light blue sleeve.
Oh my God. That's what Kris was wearing! She was barely cognizant of the thought, or of the potential danger, as she unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open until the chain stopped it. The fear she'd managed to hold at bay escalated at the sight of Kris lying, unmoving, on the ground outside her door. Driven by fear for the tall woman, she fumbled with releasing the chain, uttering an uncharacteristic curse at her awkwardness.
Pulling the door wide open, Shelby knelt down, immediately noticing the dried blood on Kris' mouth and then registering that her clothes and hair were wet. She laid two fingers gently against the operative's neck, searching for a pulse, and sighed in relief at the steady, regular rhythm. Her eyes cut to a folded piece of paper pinned to Kris' collar, then to the operative's gun lying on the ground between her body and the door. Slightly tearing the paper in her haste to remove it, Shelby opened the note, resting her hand on Kris' arm as she read the neat script.
She is just sleeping off a sedative and should awaken within two hours. Do not call anyone. To do so would greatly endanger both of your lives.
Quickly pocketing the note, Shelby swallowed her fear, unwilling to devote any time to deciphering the cryptic, threatening message. Right now, her first priority was to get Kris inside, but that wasn't going to be easy - the tall woman outweighed her by at least thirty pounds. She picked up the gun and put it in her jacket pocket. All I need is for someone to see that.
Positioning herself at Kris' head, she placed her hands under the operative's shoulders, but quickly realized she was not going to be able to drag her partner inside by herself. Shelby gently squeezed Kris' arm, reluctant to break contact. "Don't worry. I'll be right back."
Barely aware of having spoken aloud, Shelby stood up and began to step over Kris. Her movement caused the gun to bump against her hip, and she realized the weapon was protruding from her pocket. Backing into the apartment, she laid it on the floor in the foyer closet, and shooed Stormy away from the front door before pulling it closed and stepping carefully over Kris. She hurriedly walked the several paces to her closest neighbor and knocked, beginning her entreaty when Bill answered the door.