The Spy Wore Red (20 page)

“Let’s get going,” Casmir said.

Nadja’s thoughts turned to Mady, and she made a sudden decision. “Here—” She kissed Alzbet, then handed her daughter to Cass.

Casmir took the child, unaware of what Nadja intended. But when she saw her climb back through the window, she freaked. “What are you doing? This isn’t part of the plan. We’re supposed to get back to camp as quickly as possible.”

“The plan was Bjorn’s, not mine, Cass. My sister is still inside. What would you do?”

“Don’t ask me that.”

“Holic killed my grandfather. He kidnapped my daughter and…”

Nadja hadn’t meant to say the words, but there they were. She glanced at Alzbet and saw that her daughter’s blue eyes were huge.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I would have picked a different time and place to tell you, but Mommy screwed up. You okay?”

Alzbet nodded slowly.

“So you’re all right with it? Me being your mom.”

Another slow nod.

“We’ll talk about this later, okay? I love you.”

More nodding.

“Cass, get going. Head for the woods. The camp is straight south a hundred yards once you reach the trees.”

“You can be so damn stubborn, Nadja.”

“This coming from the mule. Go on. Go!”

Casmir sprinted through the snow for the dense tree-line while Nadja turned and assessed the bedroom, then walked quietly to the door. She listened, and when she heard running footsteps she had barely enough time to jump back before the door flew open. She was reaching for her Springfield when Holic rushed her and she lost her balance and fell backward.

Like a panther he struck fast, kicking her gun from her hand. It went flying and landed out of reach. Then Holic was there, a knife blade at her throat.

“Don’t be stupid, sweet Nadja. I will kill you now if you wish. Make your move and die, or rethink your position.”

She would rethink it; she had no wish to die. But that might be out of her hands now. She had made a careless mistake, and now it could cost her more than simply the mission. Mady’s life still hung in the balance.

Holic glanced around, saw that Alzbet was nowhere in sight, and said, “Where’s the brat?”

“She’s gone. I sent her out the window.”

“Mady! Get in here, now!”

A moment later Mady walked into the bedroom crying, her cheeks red and bruised. “I’m here, Holic.”

“Sit over there in that chair and shut up.”

Mady went quickly, trying to keep her crying muffled.

Nadja was careful not to react to the rage building inside her. Holic didn’t appear to be as composed as his profile suggested. He was considered the most efficient, intelligent assassin in the business. She suspected that today he was again high on something.

He still had his balance and his quickness, but his hand was swollen, and he was guarding it close to his body. No doubt he was using the drugs as an attempt to escape the incessant pain he’d been forced to live with for the past month. But the drugs hadn’t stolen his suffering completely. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t been sleeping.

She felt the knife slide down her neck to her left breast where her heart pounded. She looked up to see Holic grinning at her.

“Get up, Nadja. Off the floor.”

She slowly came to her feet.

“Now take off your sweater and pants.”

When she hesitated, he pressed the blade into her flesh.

“Do it. I want everything ready when Odell arrives. Even one-legged, and his arm broken, I imagine the bastard will find a way to ride to your rescue. After all, he’s the father of your child, right?”

He knew Alzbet was Bjorn’s child.

“Bjorn is like a bad toothache that keeps coming back. But this will be the last time. As for the brat, the weather is about to get nasty. There’s a storm moving in, and my guess is she’ll be dead by morning.”

He had no idea that she had traded places with Casmir, and that her daughter was safe. Or that Bjorn would be a hundred percent healthy coming through that door.

Feeling more confident, she pulled off her sweater, then stepped out of her pants. She felt Holic’s eyes on her, but she refused to let them bother her. She’d been in this position before and she wouldn’t let this man win, not on any level.

“Lie down on the bed, sweet, sexy Nadja. Hmm…you do make a man instantly hard just looking.”

Mady’s crying became audible.

“Shut up, my lying wife, or I will be forced to hurt you again,” Holic warned, never taking his eyes off Nadja’s breasts. “I see that my knife cut you. Take off your bra and let me see how bad it is.”

Pierce was in pain, and voicing it loudly in his Cajun accent. “I’m goin’ to kill that son of a bitch. I’m goin’ to put a hole—”

“I did it for you.”

Both Bjorn and Pierce looked up to see Casmir standing behind them. She had Alzbet on her hip and she was out of breath.

“That’s right,” she said, eyeing Pierce. “I knifed Holic’s muscle boy for you. I figured you’d thank me for it.”

She waited.

He said nothing, just nodded then closed his brown eyes and leaned his dark head against the tree.

“Is this what they call redneck mentality? Okay, hotshot, have it your way. I never liked Frenchmen anyway.”

Bjorn glanced behind her, expecting to see Nadja. When he didn’t, he came quickly to his feet.

“She’s not coming,” Casmir said, as if she knew what he was about to ask. She set Alzbet on her feet beside her. “Nadja said she couldn’t leave her sister behind. She’s stubborn—maybe you already know that. When she sets her mind to something, I know better than to try to change it.”

Bjorn was livid—Nadja had deliberately changed his strategic plan.

When Casmir finished telling him what had transpired at the back window of the cabin, he glanced at his daughter. She was staring at him. He crouched down and said, “You okay, Ally?”

She nodded, then said, “My auntie Nad is my mom.”

Casmir cleared her throat and Bjorn looked up. “About that, uh… Nadja kind of slipped up back there. I’m sure she intended to tell her in a different way and in good time, but it just came out.”

Alzbet tapped Bjorn’s arm. “Can you go get my mom and Aunt Mady? Can you?”

He looked down at her little hand where it rested on his arm. It was small and very red. He took it in his hands and rubbed her icy cold fingers. She wore no hat and her coat wasn’t all that warm. He scooped her up and her little arms went around his neck. Her breath touched his cheek.

He stood and went to where his pack sat in the snow. The survival blanket was coarse, but he wrapped it around her anyway. Then he whispered, “Stay with Casmir. I’ll be back with Mommy.”

She squeezed his neck and hugged him, then her cold lips kissed his cheek.

Chapter 21

N
adja tried to slip into her out-of-body-out-of-mind mode. It’s where she went when she became Q. But it wasn’t working, and she realized Bjorn was right, she was too close to this one—the mission was too personal.

She tried to shut out Mady’s crying, to block Holic’s hand on her body, but she couldn’t do it.

Holic had the knife, and she wouldn’t be so foolish as to make a move with it still in his hand. He would kill her. She knew that’s what he intended before the day was over. He just wanted to play his sick game first.

He ran the knife blade between her breasts, then down her belly. Teased her navel. The tattoo distracted him for a minute. He touched it, looked up at her and smiled as if he knew why it was there.

He bent his head and kissed her stomach.

“There is something very beautiful about a woman’s stomach,” he said. “Yours, Nadja, is exceptional, even after having a child.” He turned his head as if he’d heard a noise. “I wonder where Bjorn could be? Maybe he’s having trouble hobbling to your rescue.”

“He’ll come,” Nadja said. “Maybe not for me, but for the kill-file.”

“Ah, the file. Yes, I suppose that has been of some concern to the intelligence world, as it should be.”

The conversation had distracted him from touching her. She decided to keep him talking. “You killed Kovar.”

“I had him killed, yes.”

“Why?”

“He wouldn’t answer my question.”

“And what was your question?”

“Why he had put your daughter in his will as sole beneficiary.”

His answer surprised Nadja. And in truth, she also wondered why her grandfather would do such a thing. But she would never know. Kovar was gone.

“You killed him for that?”

“Not really.” He smiled as if he’d been caught in a lie. “That’s how it began, but I hadn’t seen a man die in at least two weeks and I was feeling anxious.”

His answer made Nadja sick to her stomach, and she vowed she would have revenge for Kovar’s senseless death. She had thought about killing her grandfather a hundred times, but she knew she never would have been able to do it.

“Where is the kill-file?”

“Tucked away in a place you will never think to look.”

“It’s on his computer.” Mady stood, her voice suddenly stronger. “And if he’s deleted it, there’s an extra copy in the safe back at Groffen.”

Holic came off the bed and angled his head to study his wife. “Have I ignored you for too long, my love? Do you crave my touch again?” He walked toward her, backing her against the wall.

The knife was still in his hand and Nadja was afraid he would use it on Mady. She scrambled for something to say. Anything. She came up with “In the file does it tell you how good I am? How many men have been blown away by me?”

Her choice of words, the innuendo, made Holic turn around. He was again smiling—amused by her, was Nadja’s guess.

He tossed his head, his raven hair moving gracefully around his shoulders, then sent the blade of his knife over his crotch, stroking himself until his erection strained his jeans.

Now that she had his attention, she upped the stakes. “Did you know that no man has survived me. That I’ve killed them all. Afterward, that is. No, there were a few I killed before they…you know. Except for Bjorn Odell, that is. He’s the only man who knows what it’s like to be…there. The only man still breathing years later.”

She knew she had just awakened the dragon with the words she’d chosen. Holic’s eyes lit up like firecrackers. Mady forgotten, he strolled back to the bed. He set the knife down on the nightstand and, in that moment, Nadja knew she had him. Another few minutes and he would be hers.

He sat down on the bed, put a hand on her breast, and leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed him back, teased him into wanting more—needing more. She knew this game well, and suddenly she wanted to play. Wanted to finish what Holic had started.

At that moment the door flew open and Bjorn joined the party.

About time, Nadja thought as the noise jolted Holic off the bed. He spun around and suddenly pulled a gun from his pocket. A short-barreled .32 Seecamp.

When he saw Bjorn in the doorway standing on two good legs with his .38 gripped in his gun hand he looked momentarily stunned. It gave Nadja time to scramble off the bed and retrieve her own .38 where it lay on the floor near the window.

Suddenly Mady turned hysterical and rushed at Holic, screaming, “You killed Kovar. You’ve sent Prisca away. You plan to kill my sister. What else, Holic? What else are you going to take from me?”

For an answer he grabbed her and spun her around using his injured hand. It was obvious that it hurt him, but he went with the pain as he used his wife as a human shield.

“No!” Bjorn yelled, as if he knew what was coming next. Nadja watched as Holic propelled Mady away from him and into Bjorn, saying, “What more, Mady? Your life, my love. Your worthless life.” Then he fired.

Mady’s knees buckled and she dropped to the floor, and in that moment Nadja and Bjorn fired on Holic. Their shots hitting him at the same time.

A week later Bjorn entered Merrick’s office without knocking. Polax was seated in front of his boss’s desk. They were waiting for him and Nadja. But Nadja wasn’t coming. Bjorn had had Polax’s orders for her to fly to Washington intercepted.

“Where’s Q?” Polax asked.

“She’s sitting this one out,” Bjorn offered. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ve got what you need.”

“Then you finally found the kill-list?”

“I have it.”

Polax grinned. “That’s wonderful. And Holic? Is he talking yet?”

“No. But he’s pulled through his surgery. Too bad it didn’t go too well. It looks like he’s got a matching pair of useless hands. I’d say the assassin has retired.”

“And Q’s sister,” Merrick asked, “what’s happening there?”

“The bulletproof vest Mady was wearing saved her life. She’s cooperating with us, and we’ve gotten some good information we didn’t have earlier. We’ll be releasing her in a few days.”

“And Pierce?”

“Back at work in Hungary.”

Bjorn eyed his boss. It was the first time he’d seen Merrick since his surgery. He said, “You look like shit, sir.”

“Paul tells me once my hair grows back you won’t see the scar. I guess I’ll have to buy a hat.”

They shared a smile.

Bjorn leaned against the wall and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “So this is the deal. I’ll hand over the kill-file, and you—” he directed the next thing out of his mouth to Polax “—agree to retire Nadja from Quest.”

“What? Retire her? Impossible.”

“Make it possible. She’s done enough for Quest. Now it’s time you gave back. You’ve got ten days to get it done.”

Polax screwed up his face, then looked at Merrick. “Is he serious? What kind of an agency is this, Merrick? Who’s the boss?”

Bjorn held up his hand before Merrick could say anything. “That’s not all you’re going to do,” he continued as if Polax’s remarks were never made. “You’re going to relocate her and her daughter. Send them someplace warm. A place where you can see a sunrise and a sunset every day. A two-story beach house. Expensive, but not too big.”

Polax shook his head and again looked to Merrick. “Adolf, reign your boy in. He’s way out of line.”

“She did come through for us, Lev. And she was telling the truth about her double-agent status. She never compromised Quest.”

To his commander, Bjorn said, “And from you, Merrick, I want Onyxx to start looking for Prisca Reznik. Mady’s daughter is still missing. And I need a six-month vacation.”

“Six months?”

“Back vacation. I’ve never taken a day off since I came to Onyxx. Check the records.” Bjorn shoved away from the wall and headed for the door. Before he left, he asked, “Did we ever find out who Kimball was working for?”

“Not yet, but we’re looking into it. I’ll let you know what we find out.”

Bjorn nodded. “In ten days, then.”

“Wait!” Polax jumped up. “Adolf, stop him. Where’s Q, Odell? What does she have to say about all of this? I want to hear her tell me she wants out.”

“I’ll have her give you a call.” Then Bjorn left. He was whistling as he headed for the elevator.

Ten days later Bjorn delivered the kill-file to Merrick’s office. Lev Polax was there to witness the delivery. Everything had been attended to, and to prove it he handed Bjorn a picture of a beautiful two-story beach house in the Azores.

“Satisfied?”

“If it’s the one she picked, then I’m satisfied.”

“It is. I gave her three choices. I don’t like agreeing with you, Odell. You really do have a way of irritating the hell out of me, but after talking to Q I’m convinced that this is the best for all concerned. This mission has changed her, and I don’t feel it would benefit Quest to retain her services any longer.”

“Nicely put, Polax, but you sucked her dry and you know it. You expected too much, too often. And she gave it over and over again. You owe her more than a damn beach house.”

“Don’t push it, Odell.”

Merrick cleared his throat. “There’s one more thing, Bjorn.”

He looked at his commander. “And that is?”

“We did get information on Kimball and it’s not good. In fact it’s damn upsetting. We believe Mace Kimball was working for the Chameleon at the time you shot him at After Shock.”

“You mean working for his organization? The Chameleon’s dead.”

Polax said, “I learned that both Kimball and Moor were planted at Quest. Since Moor is still alive we were able to convince him to talk. He’s claiming that the Chameleon is alive and well.”

“That’s impossible. He’s in the lab morgue.”

“I’ll remind you that we don’t have a confirmation on that body yet,” Merrick said. “I’ll keep you posted. Polax, do you have anything else you would like to discuss before we wrap this meeting up?”

Polax was fiddling with his watch. Bjorn suspected it was some new invention he was trying out. The Quest commander cleared his throat. “Actually, there is. When I talked to Nadja I forgot to ask about the phone. Do you know if she still has it?”

“The phone?”

“Yes, I gave her a special phone. A state-of-the-art invention of mine. I would like it returned. It was a prototype.”

“Oh, that phone.” Bjorn grinned. “Those explosives were ingenious, Polax. Remember in my report I said we blew up the helicopter?”

“Yes.”

“That’s how we did it, with the phone. Nadja set the timer, and tossed the phone to Holic’s pilot.”

“You mean the phone is…”

“History.”

Polax looked sick. “A million dollars up in smoke,” he muttered.

“But for a good cause, Polax. We recovered the kill-file.”

Merrick said, “I’ve seen to your request for six months off. I know you plan to go out to Montana and see Jacy. Any plans after that?”

Bjorn shrugged. “Not anything concrete.”

Merrick grinned. “Washington’s chilly this time of year. I know how much you hate cold weather. Maybe you should find a friendly beach and warm up those old bones of yours.”

Nadja was afraid that Alzbet was going to miss Austria’s snow-capped mountains, but her daughter had never seen the ocean before, or a white sandy beach. Needless to say, when she saw both, she fell in love.

It was too good to be true, Nadja thought, and daily she had to pinch herself. She was free and sharing her daughter’s life. Polax had truly become her white knight. His idea to retire her had been the perfect answer, although she worried about the KGB calling or sending someone to her door.

But she wasn’t going to think about that now. She’d gotten a clean bill of health from Velich on her leg and she was good for another year.

They had moved into the beach house a month ago, and had settled in quickly. Being a mother to Alzbet was wonderful, and she cherished every day. Maybe it was because she’d been so afraid she would never have any days at all that she valued every minute.

The house was large and airy, with windows facing the ocean. There was a balcony off one of the bedrooms upstairs and she’d taken it for herself. She’d viewed a number of sunrises from the intimate place.

Had cried privately there. But she wouldn’t let anyone see how her heart was breaking. There were so many blessings to be thankful for. Mady was beginning to smile again after weeks of tears, even though she knew that Prisca was never far from her sister’s mind. As yet there had been no word on Prisca.

Nadja stood when she saw him and walked to the railing on the veranda. She wore a simple blue skirt, white tank top and slip-on sandals. When he was close enough to see her, she waved and he waved back.

Ruger was now working at a small church on the island and he came by almost every day. He often shared dinner with them, and he had been such a help to Mady.

He’d told her that it was Bjorn who was responsible for his rescue from the Italian prison. He hadn’t talked about it much, but she knew he would in time.

She would have liked to have thanked Bjorn for finding her brother, but he hadn’t come near her since the rescue of Alzbet and the capture of Holic that day in the cabin on Glass Mountain. Once they had located the kill-file in Groffen’s safe, they had gone their separate ways.

“How was your day?” Ruger asked as he came up the steps.

He looked well, his blue eyes bright and his blond hair freshly cut. He wore white pants and a white shirt. He was thin, but his appetite was good. She was determined to put ten pounds on him.

“It was productive. I taught Alzbet to float and breathe underwater today. You know I want her to learn to swim as soon as possible.”

“And what did she teach you today?”

“Patience,” Nadja admitted, smiling. “This business of motherhood is hard work.”

Ruger laughed as he sat in the swing, and patted the empty space beside him. “Where’s Mady?”

“Taking a nap with my daughter. I just wanted to tell you again how grateful—”

“You are that I kept Alzbet,” Ruger said. “Yes, I know. You’ve told me every day since I arrived. Let’s put it to rest now. We’re all here and everything is perfect, isn’t it?”