Talon: Combat Tracking Team (A Breed Apart) (56 page)

Cardinal came up. His mind registered Kalyna’s movement, reaching for something.
Threat
. Quickly, he realigned. Fired again. This time winging Kalyna’s firing arm.

The other man stopped, one hand clutching his chest, the other raised in surrender.

Cardinal pointed the gun at the man.
“Khod’by ot otelya.”
Would the guy walk away as Cardinal ordered? Would he make this as easy as it could be?

The man shook his head. Muttered something about not being willing to die but then stumbled away. Down the path.

“Don’t make any sudden moves,” Cardinal said in Russian.

Kalyna shot him a look, holding her arm. Blood dribbled down it. “You shot my arm.”

“I missed.” Cardinal gave a slight nod to the man, telling him to keep going. As the distance grew, he shifted most of his attention to Kalyna.

“He has the girl,” Kalyna said.

He would not, even though she was his sister, give her the benefit of seeing him squirm. “You delivered her to him.” Disappointment churned through his veins. “How could you do this? Work for him?”

“Why not?” Defiant, she jutted her chin and raised her head. “You left me. My mother abandoned me.”

“She gave you a life!” Cardinal growled. “Sacrificed
everything
for you.”

“Sacrificed? A life? I was poor and the adopted child of a missionary family. Tell me, dear brother, do you know how shunned I was—raised by Christians, abandoned by my family?” She looked every bit like their mother. “He came to me, has given me
everything.”

Fury smothered him. “You foolish girl!
He
is the reason our mother lays there.” Cardinal pointed to the grave.
“He killed her!”

“You lie!”

“To you, never.” His chest ached with the lies the colonel had fed her. Poisoned her with. And she’d bought right into them.

“I wanted nothing more than to know my family. You came to me, time and again. But never told me. Then—when I needed you most, you vanished. Never came back.”

“I had to! He discovered you existed—that’s why he killed Mama.”

“No, it’s not true. He’s a good man.”

“Only when compared to the devil!” He yanked up his shirt and bared his back to her. “Do these look like the marks a
good
man would give his son? To teach him to be
strong?”
He shoved down the shirt and looked back at her.

Fear quivered through her young, beautiful face. She could only be in her midtwenties. So impressionable. Had she really become what their father was? The spawn of the underworld? He could not believe it of her. She had always been sweet. Her nature gentle.

“She is my mother?” Kalyna looked to the grave marker.

“Yes.” He held out his hands then motioned to her arm and took a step closer. “Once she discovered she carried his child again, she had to hide from the colonel. He’d beaten her bloody once before over an unwanted baby.” He inched closer, slowly reaching for the lightweight jacket she wore.

She tensed, suspicious.

“Easy, just going to bind your arm.” When she didn’t object, he tore off a section of her jacket. Tore that into two strips. Tucked one in his pocket. Held the other as he lifted her arm. “She was so excited when you were born. I was so scared for her, for you. What I went through, I didn’t want anyone else to endure.” He wrapped, talking quietly, pleased with the way she hung on the words. Hungry, so very hungry for a connection. He understood. It was incredible to think this beautiful, vibrant girl was his
little
sister.

“She spent two months with you, making sure you grew strong and healthy before she could bring herself to release you to the Christians.” He nodded to the cathedral over the hill. “This is where they met, where she delivered you to their safekeeping. It was the only place we thought the colonel would not think to look for you.”

A sad smile shivered across her lips. “You were right.”

He saw it. The uncertainty. The fear. Perhaps even the confirmation that what he’d told her gave credence to something she suspected. Time was short. The colonel had Aspen. “Where is he keeping her?”

Kalyna’s expressive eyes came to his. “You care for this American?”

Cardinal felt his gaze start to dip but forced it to stay on her. “Very much.”

“Do you love her?”

His heart thudded. “Yes, I think I do.”

She gave him a weird look.

Feeling stupid, he shrugged. “It’s never happened before. And it’s happened fast this time. But yes…she means everything to me.”

The sadness slid away. Tears pooling in her eyes blinked away.
“Vy prikhodili k nyeiǐ, no ne dlya menya?”

You would come for her but not for me?
Dimples bounced in and out of her chin. Her accusation slashed his heart.

“No. It’s not—”

“Tikho
, Nikol!” She touched a finger to her lips, reinforcing her “quiet” command.

Not too far away, tires screeched.

She half smiled. “See? He always knows, yes?”

“Kalyna, come with me. Please. I could not find you.”

“But you found her. When you love someone, you never give up.”

“I did not give up!”

More squalling. This time closer.

“Kalyna, listen to me,
sestra
…”

“Sister.” She nodded but fought tears and a grieved smile. “It is too late.”

“Kalyna—I do love you. For your protection, I stopped coming. Sent money.”

“Money?” Eyes blazed in outrage. “I wanted family! But you did not want me.” She reached around to her back, her expression going hard. Her actions practiced. She produced another handgun. “If you want to live, you should run. Now.”

“Kalyna, please!” His gaze darted to the black car barreling down the street. “Take me to her. Help me save her.”

“If you got to her, he would kill her.” Cold, hard eyes held his—no, that’s what she wanted him to believe. Something in her expression betrayed her and filtered into her words. “Run, Nikol. Keep her alive until you can die trying to be heroic.”

“I’m not running anymore.”

“Sometimes…running does not have to be bad.” A strange smile played over her lips. “Do svidaniya, Nikol.” She aimed a gun at him.

Cardinal backpedaled. Saw the car screaming to a stop. “Please, Kalyna!”

She fired.

    Forty-Three    

Y
ou’re sure?” Lance stepped from the van and glanced at the old church. It sure fit Cardinal’s MO, but the place sat eerily quiet. It’d been entirely too many hours in the plane. “Watters, Hastings, Hogan, VanAllen—check inside. Scrip, Smith, Rocket—check the cemetery. Courtland, you’re with me.”

“You mean, you don’t trust me.”

“There is that.”

“I’m not your enemy here.”

“Perhaps, but you’re also not my ally. You broke protocol because you felt something was important enough to do that. Your sister is involved, and I’d wager my career you’d sacrifice every one of us if you thought it’d save her.”

“So wouldn’t you want that type of determination behind this hunt? It is my sister’s life. And the man she loves.” Austin pounded the back of the front seat. “This is stupid! Let me help!”

“Calm down. You’re not winning points with that behavior. Decision’s been made.” Lance squinted toward the cathedral. “What’s taking them so long?”

“It’s a cathedral.” Austin raised his eyebrows. “It’s big.”

This mission was so insane. So hopeless. If they couldn’t find them in time…Being here, in Cardinal’s homeland, his territory, added a level of uncertainty Lance had never experienced before. There was a reason he’d taken the DIA job—and staying put in Virginia was one of them. He was out of practice with field work. Like pitting an admin against an athlete. And with the lives of an innocent woman and a spy—a man he’d admired and respected since their first meeting. Right here.

“Mother of God…” Why hadn’t he recognized it before?

“Yeah, pretty sure you’d find
her
in there.” Austin smirked then stopped. Frowned as he leaned out of the van.

“Keep your jokes to yourself, Courtland.”

Austin stepped from the van.

“What are you doing? Don’t go any farther.”

Courtland held out a hand. “Shh.” He scanned the trees that hemmed the perimeter of the churchyard. He stilled, cocked his head. “You hear that?”

“Your mouth running is all I hear.”

“Shh!” He tilted his head the other way. “Listen!” He pivoted. “Talon!” Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted the name once more.

Lance’s pulse sped. Was the dog really here?

A commotion near the doors caught his attention. Watters emerged, holding the door as laughter filtered out with Candyman…who carried Hogan on his back. Hastings rolled her eyes. “Nothing,” she called.

Austin bolted toward the trees.

“Stop him!”

He knew that bark! Austin sprinted, knowing he had seconds at best to find Talon before the others pummeled him into oblivion. Even now he heard them closing in from behind.

“Courtland!” one shouted.

He plunged into the trees. “Talon!” He skidded to a stop so he could hear. Breathing hard and his heart hammering, he couldn’t hear. “Talon!”

Leaves crunched. Shouts.

He dove to the right and kept moving. “Talon, heel!”