Eagle's Heart (11 page)

The man started to splutter a denial but then shook his head. “You know, my girl told me not to work for you. She heard about all that crazy shit you’re into, but I told her you was cool. Women are always right in the end, aren’t they?”

Bardhyn thought of Linda, his most prized possession and most astute advisor. “I’ve found that’s often the case,” he said.

Eltjon sighed. “Damn. Can I at least get a cigarette?”

He asked this with an acceptance that was surprising. No denial or ugly scenes. Bardhyn felt a hint of fatherly pride as he took out a platinum cigarette holder from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and flipped it open with one hand.

Eltjon dropped the slim white cigarette on the first attempt. Alexi laughed in the backseat but quieted when Bardhyn shot him a quelling glare in the rearview mirror.

As Eltjon lit the cigarette with shaking fingers, Birdie rolled down the windows. The salty breeze blowing in from the Long Island Sound filled the car.

Briefly Bardhyn thought of a trip to the sea with his parents before they lost everything, back before he learned that a good life was only guaranteed to those who took opportunity by the throat and squeezed.

He let the moment play out for longer than it had to, absorbing the thrumming tension from the passenger seat like beams of sunlight. Keeping one hand lightly on the wheel, he pulled his gun from the holster that rested snug against his cigarette case and pointed it at Eltjon’s head.

“Open your mouth,” Bardhyn said.

“Birdie, I’m sorry—”

“Open it,” he ground out. Of course the fucker hadn’t learned to simply do as he was told. That was why he was in this situation in the first place.

When the man hesitated a moment too long, Alexi reached from behind him and turned his head, holding tightly until Eltjon parted his trembling lips. Enamel chattered against metal as Bardhyn thrust the gun in, and tears rolled from the man’s eyes as he whimpered around the muzzle.

“Have you learned your lesson?” Bardhyn asked, gaze flitting between the man and the road.

Eltjon nodded quickly.

“Have you realized that talking about those idiots in Detroit like they’re on the same level as me is disrespectful?”

Eltjon nodded again, hiccupping around the gun.

For a second, Bardhyn considered pulling the gun out and letting Eltjon off with a warning, but there was something within him that needed more, needed the man to pay for even
thinking
of disrespecting him. He thought of Julian, back from the dead and stirring up shit he had no business involving himself with. You couldn’t trust anyone, and anyone who betrayed his loyalty deserved whatever came their way.

He pulled the trigger.

“Fuck!” Alexi spat, rubbing at his lips. “My mouth was open! Why didn’t you say something first?”

“Keeping your mouth closed is a sign of higher evolution. I shouldn’t have to instruct you on that,” Bardhyn said as he pulled over onto sand and scrub grass.

“Dump the body here, and then we’ll take the car to Vinnie to chop,” Bardhyn instructed, pulling out a cigarette as he critically eyed the dark chunks splattered down the passenger side of the car. “And wipe the car down, too.”

There was silence as Alexi grunted at his task, and then Bardhyn remembered something Linda was always getting on his case about: showing employees appreciation. Supposedly it bred loyalty, although he thought not wanting to end up dead on Long Island was a better incentive.

“It was very smart of you to point out this betrayal to me, Alexi,” he said. “I appreciate it.”

Alexi was lugging Eltjon out from the car when he paused to look at Bardhyn, the corners of his flat blue eyes crinkling as he grinned.

“It’s the least I could do after you took care of that teacher for me,” he said, dragging Eltjon’s body to the high grass. “And the girl. Little bitch and her mom are both nothing but trouble.”

“The girl is a bonus for me. Zero investment, so anything I make off her will be a profit,” Bardhyn said, pausing to take a drag. “But let’s be clear: you didn’t do me a favor by telling me about Eltjon. You did your fucking job. Don’t go getting any ideas about who does what for whom around here.”

“Of course, boss!” Alexi said, gazing at Bardhyn with such a pained look that he almost regretted his sharp words. The man was too stupid to enjoy belittling. And he was devoted, which meant a lot at critical points likes this.

“It’s all right, Alexi,” Bardhyn finally said. “But you were right about the girl’s mother being nothing but trouble. Make sure you get rid of this Kaslinko broad soon.”

Bardhyn expected at least a little resistance, but Alexi nodded obediently as if he’d been asked to dispose of garbage and not the woman he was dating.

Bardhyn smiled.

Chapter Nine

Julian awoke well after the sun had risen, startled into consciousness by the presence of a soft, warm body curved against his.

He looked down at Salomeh snuggled up to him, her long fingers splayed across his stomach and her face nestled into his chest. He gingerly ran his hand over her dark curls, a smile touching his lips as he thought about how completely she had opened to him a scant few hours ago.

It didn’t make sense. She of all people should have been wary, should have been able to see through his veneer. But in retrospect, apart from not telling her he worked for the FBI and knew who she was and that he wanted information from her, he hadn’t hidden
that
much from her. He had been more open with her than he had with virtually anyone. Usually when he spoke to people, he put on his Agent Tamali mask and charmed the hell out of them. He had put on the works for Salomeh, he couldn’t dispute that, but he had been himself. In fact the more he had spoken to her, the more like himself he had felt.

Over the years he’d had coworkers and acquaintances and lovers. Many had tried to scale his walls, to chip away at his hard exterior to find his soft underbelly—not with malicious intent, but because curiosity was an intrinsic human trait. He’d rebuffed them all, subtly but firmly. It was different this time with this woman who seemed to want nothing from him but gave him something he hadn’t known was missing from his life.

Salomeh stirred, turning onto her back to expose the curve of her neck, the lovely features of her face.

Julian stared. This might be his last chance to be with her like this, and he wanted to commit it to memory.

No point in getting attached, he thought grimly after gazing at her for a long moment. Where was he supposed to go from here?
Oh, mind telling me about the child abuse details and your involvement with a man named Bardhyn? In detail? Sorry I didn’t mention this before I carted you off to bed.

Salomeh moved again, and Julian gently rolled her onto her side as he eased himself out of the bed. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the drawer of a small dresser near the door, slipped them on, and padded out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen.

As he pulled down a pan and some bowls from the cabinet, he thought of how she had looked when he first approached her. She had seemed so comfortless and alone he thought there would be no way to reach her. But when her eyes met his, deep brown and flashing with annoyance, he had felt an instant connection. He knew he would be able to break through her barriers and, worse, that he very badly wanted to. And not for the reasons he should.

Again Julian forced himself back to reality instead of delving into the treacherous feelings trying to take root in his brain.

Romance isn’t in the cards, buddy, he thought, so stick to breakfast.

He rooted around in the fridge, pulling out the ingredients he’d need for breakfast. It was the most he could offer her right now.

Before getting into the work of chopping and scrambling and frying, he retrieved his phone from the coffee table to punch out a text message.
I talked to Jones. She doesn’t appear to have any intel, but I’ll try to find out more. Text me when you wake up.

How was he going to explain what had happened last night? And the fact that he wanted to use their classified information to help a woman he had slept with? Yates was going to have a field day with this.

He tried to shut down his mind, focusing only on the mechanics of cooking. Overthinking the situation wasn’t going to change a thing.

When he was done, he carefully piled the herb-scrambled eggs and bacon onto a large plate and carried it into the bedroom along with two cups of coffee.

He could see her waking up as he approached, the sunlight filtering through the standard-issue blinds and highlighting her in a golden grid as she stretched luxuriously. She let out an incredulous laugh and shook her head.

“What’s so funny?” Julian said as he placed the food and coffee onto the dresser and approached the bed. The food would stay warm for a moment. He needed to touch her. He lowered himself over her, resting his weight on his elbows so as not to crush her.

For a second, she looked up at him with that same startled skittishness that had marked his first encounter with her. He traced his finger lightly down her cheek, hoping to ease her anxiety, and she turned her head and placed a quick peck on his palm, sighing against his hand.

“How is it you managed to be so loud in the kitchen, but then creep in here without a sound?” she asked, smiling at him, her apprehension gone for the moment.

“I’m used to sneaking up on unsuspecting women,” he said before returning her kiss. “But I’m glad that you’re awake. I have a surprise.”

“It’s too early for surprises,” she said, pulling him close as she snuggled deeper into the mattress. Her stomach growled loudly, and they both laughed.

“I believe you’ve been overruled,” he said, reluctantly rolling out of her embrace to retrieve their food and coffee. She sat up in bed, tucking the sheet under her arms protectively as she followed him with her eyes.

“You made me breakfast?” she asked softly, and he thought he heard the slightest tremor in her voice.

“Well, you have to share with me, unless you want this whole pile for yourself. That would be rather greedy of you, though,” he said as he settled the plate between them and handed her a mug of coffee. She took a sip and placed the mug beside the bed, and then grabbed a fork and dug in to her food.

She tilted her head back and closed her eyes after taking her first bite, emitting soft murmurs of appreciation as she ate. She savored each forkful, her tongue darting out to lick her lips, which glistened from the greasy goodness of the bacon. Her reaction to the simple meal had his dick hard faster than he had thought humanly possible.

“This is delicious, Julian, thank you,” she said finally. “What did you put into these eggs? Mine never taste this good.”

“Just some fresh herbs,” he said, thankful for the little mixed herb plant he had gotten from the supermarket to add some greenery to the apartment

She took another bite, looking completely content.

“I’m thinking I should give you some alone time with this food,” he said.

“Take it as a compliment to your excellent cooking skills,” she said and then caught herself midsigh. “Sorry, I know I’m being ridiculous, but when you’ve been living off of ramen and misery for a few weeks, you really do appreciate the small things in life.”

“What do you mean? That sounds like a delicious combination,” he said, glancing at her. “I prefer schadenfreude with my ramen, but to each her own.”

The corners of Salomeh’s lips tilted up, but it wasn’t the full, wide smile that had hooked him last night. It was small and tinged with sadness, and he found himself asking her a question he already knew the answer to. He needed to know if she knew anything about Bardhyn. And maybe, just maybe, there was some way he could spin this so she didn’t end up hating him.

“What happened to you, Salomeh? What is it that makes you so sad?”

He saw her stiffen, the way her chewing became mechanical as she tried to think of something to tell him other than the truth.

“I won’t judge you,” he said quietly. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”

“I didn’t
do
anything,” she said testily. “I tried to help someone, and it bit me in the ass, big-time.”

Julian didn’t press her, just let her words hang in the air as he grabbed a slice of bacon and chewed thoughtfully.

“Have you ever felt what it’s like to be betrayed?” she asked, and Julian held in the dark laugh that rose in his throat.

He held his arm out between them, turning it slightly so that the scars stood out in pale relief against his olive skin.

“Viscerally,” he deadpanned and then shrugged at her. “But the scars that can’t be seen are much worse and don’t heal nearly as quickly. I imagine it’s the same for you.”

“I…” She paused and leaned back on the pillows, arms crossed against her chest protectively. Julian moved the plate from between them, placing it on the floor beside the bed so there were no barriers between them. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to his chest. She allowed it, but she was rigid in his embrace.

“I can’t tell you,” she said eventually. “I know I’m naked in your bed, eating your food, but to say I have some trust issues right now is an understatement.”

Julian was surprised that her words actually stung. Not because he needed any information she had, but because he wanted her to trust him enough to confide in him. He knew it was the definition of hypocrisy given their situation, but something intangible drove the words out of his mouth.

“Did I tell you my parents were teachers too?” he asked, shocking himself. This wasn’t something he talked about with anyone, but he felt he owed it to her in a way, even if she didn’t tell him about Bardhyn.

“No,” she said, shifting in his arms to look up at him apprehensively.

“My parents were in love with languages,” he began. “It’s how they met, how they fell for each other.”

A memory came back to him: the morning he had finally been able to translate what his father always whispered to his mother in French.
“Sans toi je ne suis rien. Without you, I am nothing.”

“Even though I hated doing any kind of schoolwork, and the schools were falling apart then, they made sure I learned. Arabic, Latin, English, Russian, French, Spanish… I owe my current situation in life to them.”