The Silver Fox and the Red-Hot Dove (21 page)

“I take your love.” He sank his mouth onto hers, tried to make it a kiss she’d never forget, and fought the ache in his throat.

“I’ll keep yours,” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “When you come back, we’ll share.”

“When I come back, I’ll tell you my full name. That promise is our good-luck charm, all right? What a silly promise, but then, so is all this melodrama. I’ve tackled much more dangerous situations than the one down in Mexico.”

She wiped her tears away and nodded brusquely. “Of course. We Russians are so morbid. It comes from reading
Doctor Zhivago
too many times when we’re children. Something like that.”

“Oh, I see.”

They kept up the light banter while he showered and dressed. She sat on the side of the bed wearing his oriental robe. While chatting calmly, she wound its black silk belt around her fingers. He unwrapped her fingers and knotted the belt around her waist with a flourish. “You were pulling at it so hard, your fingertips had turned white,” he said gently. “I was afraid your electromagnetic energy would back up and explode. How terrible. You might have a blowout in your elbow.”

“Oh, my. A flat elbow.”

Her face was drawn with restraint. She smiled, but a blue vein showed in the translucent skin near one corner of her mouth. He couldn’t talk to her any longer without admitting his misery, so he gritted his teeth and got ready to leave as quickly as he could. Drawing a long, lightweight white coat over his white trousers and open-necked white shirt, he paused for her inspection.

“I look like a fashionable Mexican businessman, I’d say. Either that, or I need a pair of goggles and a crank for my Model T.”

Her blank reaction said that the very American joke was lost on her, but her admiration was clear nonetheless. She came to him and took his hands. “You make such a dramatic figure that everyone will
be intimidated and do exactly as you say. You’ll be back home by tomorrow. With Kash.”

“No doubt at all.” He framed her face with his hands, kissed her lightly on the mouth, then twisted away and grabbed a small leather suitcase he’d packed days ago in case of this emergency. With wooden efficiency he strode into the front room. She hurried after him, and he was afraid she’d cry and make the good-bye even more torturous. I
will see her again. I will come back
. Or die trying. He opened one of the suite’s outer doors, winked at her, and stepped out quickly.

“Audubon, wait.”

He bit back a groan as she glided into the hall, as graceful as a butterfly in his brilliantly colored robe, her bare feet making no sound on the thick tapestry carpet. She ran to a table and selected a jonquil from a vase there. She brought the unopened flower to him, gave him a jaunty thumbs-up, and held the jonquil out. It bloomed as he watched.

“Dear man, this is love.” Smiling, she placed the flower in his outstretched hand then fled back into the suite, her cheerfulness crumbling. After he heard the doors shut, he exhaled a long, shaken breath. She was worth a lifetime.

Even though Audubon had been gone less than two days, the mansion felt deserted and lifeless, like a castle with no king. But what alarmed Elena was Clarice and Bernard’s somber mood. She watched them stare listlessly out the windows, their duties forgotten. Elena wandered from room to room, pretending to read a book in the library, talking to the chef about Russian recipes, trying to hide the fact that every nerve was tuned to a high pitch.

Her control evaporated when she walked into the great room and caught Clarice crying inside Bernard’s distraught embrace. They pulled apart quickly. “I shouldn’t watch soap operas,” Clarice said, dabbing at her eyes. “I haven’t cried this much since Nicki had an unknown fatal illness and tried to give Victor back to Ashley on
The Young and the Restless.”

“Tell me why you’re so upset about Audubon,” Elena begged, going to them with outstretched hands. “I’ll lose my mind imagining the truth, if you don’t. This couldn’t be how you react every time he goes away on a job.”

Bernard cleared his throat and looked at her kindly. “I assure you, we have no doubt that he and Kash will be fine. Audubon’s work has never been without risks. You mustn’t overreact. He’ll be dismayed when he learns you’re so frantic.”

“Then tell me why the two of you are upset.”

“Clarice and I are growing old. For us, worrying is a hobby. We prefer it to shuffleboard.”

“Bernie, we can’t do this to Elena,” Clarice said hoarsely. “It’s not fair.”

“But it’s what Audubon wants.”

“He loves Elena, and she loves him. Hiding the truth from her right now is an insult to their love.”

After a long moment in which Elena met Bernard’s gaze with pleading silence, he sighed and nodded. “Yes.”

Elena took his hands. “Tell me.”

“Miguel de Valdivia is holding Kash at his ranch. Audubon has gone to trade himself for Kash.”

“But that man hates Audubon! He might even kill—” She stepped back, ice-cold hands rising to her mouth in horror. “
Kill
him.”

“Yes,” Clarice said, her voice breaking. “If the others can’t find a way to get him out, he’ll probably … die.”

“The others?”

“The best people Audubon has working for him. Plus several of the old group—Jeopard and Kyle Surprise, Drake Lancaster. Also Douglas Kincaid is pulling some very powerful political strings to get help from the military. But Miguel de Valdivia is an important man in his country.” Clarice sneered, as if she wished to spit something vile from her mouth. “The damned diplomats don’t want an international incident.”

Elena heard herself make an inhuman sound, a wail of grief merging with sheer rage. “I’m sick of diplomats and political maneuvers! I won’t give Audubon to their insanity! I won’t let them destroy him!”

She scarcely heard the chime of the manor’s alarm system. Clarice grabbed her by the arm as Bernard ran to an intercom on one cherry-paneled wall. “What is it, Stephen?”

“Unusual visitors just crashed the party. When the Chief’s away, the mice will play. Take cover.”

“Another visit from the FBI,” Clarice muttered. “Come on, Elena.”

They ran to Audubon’s study. Elena’s white leather flats slipped on the carpet and she slammed one knee into a door facing. The pain made her head swim, but she ignored it. She had never been able to heal herself, but no pain could compete with her anguish over Audubon.

On their way to the inner office and its hidden door, Elena grabbed a small paperweight from his desk, desperate to have something that Audubon had touched. Her fingers vibrated against the smooth brown wood of a whimsically carved turtle. It was such an ordinary item that it must mean a great deal to him, she thought.
Audubon, feel me loving you. Feel me protecting you
. She shoved the funny little turtle into the pocket of her white shirtwaist dress.

A few seconds later she and Clarice were safely hidden in the underground rooms. The phone console beeped on Clarice’s desk. She punched a button.

“They may stay here for hours,” Bernard said in a low voice. “I won’t be able to call you again.”

Elena bent over the intercom. “Is Kriloff with them?”

“No.”

Clarice was all business and fight. “I’ll get on the private horn. See if I can jerk some tails and get these mice out of our hair.” Her face softened for an instant. “You give ’em hell, Bernie.”

“I’ll freeze them to death with my good manners.”

Elena paced the floor outside Audubon’s office while Clarice phoned people whom she obviously knew well. She called them by their first names and, when they weren’t forthcoming with help, by less polite names. Suddenly one of the fax machines began whirring. As Elena headed toward it, Clarice blocked her way. “The agents use those to send messages.”

“About Audubon.”

“About a lot of things. Let me decide if there’s
anything you ought to know. Please, honey. I’m trying to take care of you.”

“If Audubon is dead, I have to know.” She pushed past Clarice and ran to the machine. It birthed a sheet of paper with maddening slowness, and she felt as if her muscles were being stretched on a rack.

Finally a dark, scrawled message emerged.
Cash and Carry. The Chief is on deposit. Going back for seconds when we get the contract
. It was signed.
The Iceman
.

A cry of frustration tore from Elena. “Speak English!”

Clarice put an arm around her shoulders. “Kash has been released,” she translated. “Audubon has taken his place.”

“Oh, dear God”

“But Jeopard Surprise and the others will try to help him. They’re deciding the best way to go about it.”

“But maybe there’s no time.”

“No, Miguel de Valdivia won’t act immediately. He savors his revenge. We know that. We’ve studied him for years.”

Elena wouldn’t let herself think about the ways a cruel man would
savor
revenge. Instead she looked at the ceiling, thinking of the important government people searching for her upstairs, determined to find her. She wasn’t afraid of them or Kriloff anymore. She was only afraid that Audubon would die.

The fax machine hummed again. Elena and Clarice hunched over it. Elena’s eyes burned from staring at the paper creeping out. “Ah, Traynor,” Clarice said with a thoughtful tone, as
Bird Dog
appeared in fluid, scrolled script. “He’s in charge. He’s our top person.”

Status on Dove requested
, the message read. I
say use her. Why the change in plans?

Elena staggered a little and stepped back. Clarice followed quickly and grabbed her arms. “Let me explain.”

“I’m the dove. I was supposed to be used as … as what?”

“A trade. A bargaining chip. Audubon could have turned you over to the State Department in exchange for help in getting Kash out of Mexico.”

Elena shut her eyes, feeling numb. She’d known all along there was a hidden motive to his kindness, but it hurt to hear it confirmed. She looked at Clarice again. “But he didn’t turn me over.”

“No. He went to Mexico and traded
himself
. I’ll tell you something else. He left arrangements for you to have all the money you’ll need to settle in America and make a good life.” Clarice was crying now. “He loves you so much. Please understand he would never have hurt you. Even if he’d gone through with his plan, he’d have made certain you weren’t sent back to Russia. He loves you so much that he’s giving up his life!”

“Will you bring me a glass of water, please? I feel faint.”

“Sit down, honey. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Clarice disappeared down a hallway to a small kitchen, Elena turned and ran for the stairs. At the top she pushed a button, and the panel slid back. Calmly, smoothing her hands over her hair and dress, she walked out of Audubon’s study into the main hall. A startled FBI agent dropped his walkie-talkie.

“I am Elena Petrovic,” she told him.

In less than two minutes a dozen men surrounded her.
I must be very valuable, indeed. Good
. The agent in charge gave her the coolest of scrutiny. “For a secretary, you’ve certainly caused the State Department a lot of money, time, and embarrassment.”

“I’ll end all the trouble and go back to Kriloff.” She glanced over the man’s shoulder. In the background Clarice and Bernard watched with shattered expressions. “On one condition: Your government must bring T. S. Audubon back from Mexico alive.”

“You don’t have much to bargain with, Ms. Petrovic.”

“Oh? Several important people know my story—the poor young woman, trying to defect, only to find that your government is more interested in making
a famous Russian scientist happy by returning his secretary to him, even though she begs for freedom.”

The agent scowled, but she could tell he was willing to negotiate. She smiled sadly at Clarice.
I also will give up my life
.

To Audubon’s dazed vision the stars seemed to have been smeared across the night sky. His focus was coming back slowly. He knew that he was in pain, that the ground where he lay was sandy but not soft enough for his bruised body, that a small cactus was sticking him in the arm. The sticking sensation ended. Amused but gentle voices were discussing him.

“Let the pain medication get into his bloodstream, and five minutes from now he’ll be giving us a lecture on tactical negotiations.”

“Or asking for a bottle of cognac and a violin.”

“He won’t be playing the violin for a while.”

“You know my father better than that. He’ll be playing Mozart by tomorrow.”

Audubon opened his eyes and met Kash’s gaze. With his darkly exotic looks the young man belonged in a desert, but not this one. He should be dressed like a sheikh, Audubon thought groggily, not wearing a dusty khaki shirt and trousers. A sheikh for a son. He loved the idea. He loved Kash.

“Father,” Kash said gently, pressing a hand into his shoulder, “it’s all over. Everything is all right.”

“Dead?” They both knew who he meant.

“No, he got away from us. We were lucky to surprise his people when we did. If we hadn’t had help … well, never mind.”

“Help?”

“The cavalry arrived just in time,” the other voice said. Jeopard Surprise was kneeling beside him, also, he realized.

Audubon licked his sunburned lips. “Cavalry?”

Kash patted his shoulder. “We’ll explain after you’ve been patched up, Father.”

“Father. You never called me that before.”

“Well, you never tried so hard to get yourself killed before. I’d better say all the things I’ve wanted to say for years, because you seem to be getting reckless … I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Traynor says you didn’t have to risk your life for me.”

“Traynor is a cynic.”

“I heard that,” Traynor said from somewhere. “My feelings are hurt.”

“You have no feelings. That’s why I hired you.”

“Birds of a feather, Chief, birds of a feather.”

“Not me. Not anymore.” Audubon drew his first deep breath without pain stabbing his ribs.
Elena
. From the moment he’d regained consciousness, she’d been dancing at the edges of his mind, a promise that had been fulfilled beyond his best hopes. Not only had he saved his son, he was alive and going home to Elena.