Undercover (17 page)

“Yes, pumpkin. Mommy and Daddy had some important business to tend to.”

She would never see her office with the same eyes again.

Lindsay stamped her foot. “
What?
”

The memory made Jenny giggle. “Cleaning Mommy’s desk at work. It was filled with stupid papers.”

Now, all those papers lay in a pile on her chair instead. They made a rudimentary attempt to clean up, but the room was still a mess. Lindsay bit her lip. “I like papers.”

She did. No one doubted she’d grow up to be either an artist, a writer, or the owner of a Staples store. Jenny nodded. “I like papers too. But not stupid papers. Come on, Daddy’s waiting in the car.”

That held more allure than a whole chain of office supply stores could have, and the girl shouted, “
Daddy!
” and ran for the door. Jenny waved to the daycare teachers, admiring their patience. She got tired from dealing with
one
kid, and they had a dozen.

*****

Alex cooked for them that evening, and put their daughter to bed while Jenny got a fire going in the TV-room. It was nearly summer, but evenings could still be chilly, and she thought the fire was cozy.

He came back downstairs after just a few minutes. “She’s sleeping.”

“Good. She’s developed quite a voice.”

He grinned. “I know where that comes from. Her mommy has quite a voice too.”

She blinked a couple of times, taken aback. She didn’t think of herself as someone shouting a lot. There were times when she yelled at him, and she always thought he deserved it, but she couldn’t recall ever sounding like Lindsay. “I have?”

“I’ve only heard you use it once. Remember the time when you stood outside yelling at your ex-husband? I hoped I would never give you reason to use that voice on me.”

Her face cleared with the memory. “Ooooh, yeah, him… I forgot all about him.” Shrugging it off, she crept up on his lap and changed the subject. “Am I heavy?”

“No. This is nice.”

They avoided discussing the threat hanging over their heads all day, but there were no more excuses. “So, you want to go to Italy?”

He shook his head ever so little, “No, I really don’t. But we might have to.”

She rested her head against his and thought of his words. “Do you want a glass of wine?”

Alex’s hand found a lock of her hair and tugged playfully. “Sure. Just don’t offer me vodka. I hate vodka.”

“I know.”

He tried to look serious, but his eyes were glittering. “It’s a cursed drink, only good for getting drunk.”

She fought to stay serious too, but wasn’t as good at it. “If I go get a nice glass of wine, vodka free, can I still sit in your lap when I get back?”

Her kissed the tip of her nose. “Of course, my love.”

When she headed towards the kitchen, he called after her, “Lover dearest, wine with vodka sounds really disgusting.”

Jenny went into the kitchen where she had a bag in box standing on a top shelf, safely out of reach from prying little hands. She took out two glasses from the cupboard, turned around, and dropped both of them.

The Russian general, or whatever he might be, wore civilian clothes and looked quite different from when she last saw him, years earlier, but his was a face she would never forget. She stared into the old man’s eyes and demanded, with an attitude that was completely superficial, “What are you doing in my house?”

He looked smug. “Oh, my dear, I’m just paying a little visit to my old friends. I wanted to make sure you remember me.”

There were two doors leading to the kitchen, and Alex came in through the second. She had never been so relieved to see anyone in her life. The intruder might be old, but he made her feel like a mouse staring into the eyes of a hungry snake.

Alex held a large revolver, tilted his head a little to the side, and said, “Step away from my wife. Sweetie, come over here.”

She backed along the counter, afraid to turn her eyes away from the both men for even a second, until she reached the corner with the big old wood stove. It had been fully functional for years now. Alex fixed the chimney with an ease that made her feel a little silly. It was a good place to stand, filled with heavy objects to hurl through the air, and at this time of year, it held a small but useful hidden pistol.

The general smiled. “Alexei, you disappoint me. Do you really think I would harm your lovely western woman?”

Alex didn’t show any emotion at all. “I think you would. If it suited your purpose.”

The old man’s laughter sent shivers down Jenny’s spine. “You look well. Both of you. Not at all like last time we met.”

She found her footing, soothed by her husband’s calm management of the situation. “You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing in our house, and what do you want?”

The intruder ignored her. “You have a lovely daughter.”

Her eyes popped wide open, and her heart skipped a beat with a fear she could never have imagined. She tugged the little gun out of its hiding place and left the kitchen. Alex called after her, “Be very careful.”

“I will. You too.”

Chapter Twenty-One

It was difficult to even
pretend
to be a dangerous secret agent. Jenny’s hands were unsteady, and she couldn’t hear anything except her own blood rushing through her body and her ears. This wasn’t a good time to panic, her family depended on her, and she forced herself to breathe slowly and take things one step at a time.

She went back through the living room and peeked into the office at the other end for good measure. It was empty.

The hallway might be a problem. It was shaped like a T leading in several directions. The house was huge, and it would be easy for someone to sneak past her. Still, Alex might not be able to see the hall, and she wanted to secure it before going upstairs. The weapon in her hands normally seemed more like a toy than a conveyor of death, but this evening her hands found it enormous and clumsy. She promised herself if anyone laid even a finger on her daughter, she would not fumble or hesitate. She would kill them.

The hallway appeared empty enough, unless someone was hiding in the closet, but she thought it would be too crammed to offer a good hiding place. The door to the bathroom was propped open to benefit the cat, and no one hid in the tub.

She saw the staircase with new eyes. It had always been a means of getting from one level to another, but now it turned into a potential death trap. Why would anyone build a stair around a corner so you couldn’t see the other side? The architect probably didn’t count on crazed Russian military running around in the building.

She hesitated before going around the corner, but she would have to do it sooner or later. Sooner would be better. She expected to be hit by a bullet, and anticipated the pain so much she almost felt it, even though nothing happened.

The upper hall was also empty, and she glanced into the library. It was deserted, and unless someone transformed themselves into a book and jumped into a shelf, it offered no places to hide.

She went through the upstairs TV-room and found that empty as well. No words could describe her relief when she saw Lindsay sleeping soundly, unharmed. Was it only an empty threat? Maybe he just wanted to remind them how easily the life they built could be lost.

It seemed a little silly, but she peeked under the bed. The windows were safely locked, and she lingered by Lindsay’s side. She didn’t want to check the rest of the house. The girl looked so small, so precious, and so fragile. She wondered if this was how Alex saw both of them. No wonder he appeared worried at times.

Tip-toeing out of Lindsay’s room, she once again went across the big hall, but hesitated when she reached the rooms on the other side. It was tempting to slam the door shut, lock it, and have Alex deal with it later. It would also seem like cowardice, and she didn’t want to be a coward.

Both rooms were empty, and no one hid in the closet. Her heart thumped hard again when she remembered the bathroom. She would have to open the door and actually go into it to see properly. She wasn’t cut out for things like this. It was more of a mystery than ever how Alex could always appear so calm.

She took a deep breath and pulled the door open. The bathroom was empty, and no one hid in the large tub.

A new fear made itself heard. Maybe the old Russian wanted her out of the way to do something to Alex. Maybe they would both be gone when she came back, or maybe he was conveying details about some new horror her husband might not survive.

She still didn’t return to the kitchen at once. She yearned to be back in the relative safety by her husband’s side, or even better, behind his back, but paused to lock the door to the basement. Not locking seemed an unforgivable negligence, and she worried someone might have come up during the few minutes she was away.

In the kitchen, Alex still held the old man at gunpoint, and she wanted to sob with relief when she saw him safe and sound. The general said, “See, I could have told you I was alone, but you wouldn’t have listened. Young people never listen. Do not worry, Alexei, no harm will come to your daughter or your wife. Yet.”

If that was supposed to sound reassuring, it didn’t work. She was surprised at the chill in her own voice when she said, “If you ever hurt anyone in my family, I will hunt you to the ends of the world. You won’t get rid of me even if you kill me, I promise.”

He burst out laughing. “I actually believe you. However, being haunted by a ghost so beautiful might be a pleasure. Still, you two are the ones pointing guns at an old man.”

She envied Alex’s relaxed voice, “Well, you
are
intruding in our home.”

The old man shrugged and made a gesture with his hands. “You two should start locking the front door if you don’t want visitors. You’ve grown incredibly slack, Alexei. It’s a big and unfriendly world out there.” He sounded almost merry when he continued, “Anyway, if I really wanted to get your little girl, it would be so much easier to take her from daycare than from the two of you. I think they would let her go with her old uncle, especially when they hear about a tragedy in the family. It’s so sad, such a small child without parents.”

Jenny fought the rage rising in her. He was just taunting them. “What do you want?”

Her brusqueness seemed to amuse him. “Not much. I just want to make sure the two of you take that little vacation trip. It’s a long journey, but you’ll find it worth the trouble. Also, you have to bring this.”

He moved his hand towards a pocket, and Alex exclaimed, “Easy.”

The general winked at Jenny, and pulled out a little parcel and a note with an address. “All you have to do is take this to that address at the time written on the note. It won’t take more than an hour, and you’ll get a nice week in Milan for the trouble. You have booking codes for the flights and hotel on the note too, and I can’t really see why you are so suspicious. Through doing me this small favor, everyone will win.”

It was strange how the same accent that seemed so immensely sexy on her husband appeared repulsive on the other man.

The old man smiled, “You should leave your ‘pumpkin’ at home. It would be a shame if something would happen to her, in case the two of you manage to, say, screw this easy little job up.”

Jenny wondered why he seemed so interested in Lindsay’s well-being. “If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself?”

This time, his smile seemed sincere. “My dear girl, that is the first intelligent question either of you have come up with today. You see, my face is quite well known. And actually, the face of your dear husband isn’t exactly unknown either, is it, Alexei? You, my sweet, are an… unwritten card. A surprise. We can work with that, and in return, your daughter will be safe.”

He took a deep breath through his nose, making a snorting sound, and Jenny wondered if he was trying to stifle a laugh. “In fact, just to stress how important this is to me. If you do me this… favor… I will let your husband off the hook. No more missions and no more killing. This is a good incitement, no?”

It didn’t make her feel any better at all, and she thought he was probably lying, so she pressed on, “What is it?”

Next to her, Alex stared at the old man, clearly longing for an excuse to squeeze the trigger. If Lindsay hadn’t been sleeping upstairs, he might have done it even without provocation. He said coldly, “You will keep my wife out of this. She has no obligations to you, and you have no right to ask her to do anything.”

The general acted as if Alex wasn’t even there. “It’s nothing you need to worry your pretty mind with. Now, I should be leaving.”

She muttered, more to himself than to them, “I should just shoot you and get it over with.”

Her words made him laugh heartily. “You, my dear, are still a virgin in the killing field. I don’t think you would do that, unless you were utterly provoked. Your husband, on the other hand, he knows how to kill. Don’t you, Alexei?”

He was still laughing as he made his way past them. Alex narrowed his eyes and followed. “I will make sure he really leaves. I’ll be right back.”

Jenny exhaled when the men left the kitchen. She tried to force some fresh, soothing air down her lungs, but it didn’t calm her at all. She needed something to do and crouched to clean up the glass, wrapped all the shards in an old newspaper, and tucked it away deep in the trashcan where probing little fingers couldn’t get to it. Then, she sat on the floor and fought an almost hysterical urge to cry.

She more sensed than heard Alex come into the room, and when she glanced up, he stood looking down at her. He put his gun on the counter and pulled her up. “I am so proud of you.”

Her tears would no longer be contained, and she buried her face against his chest. She wanted to become a little girl, wanted to demand he take care of her. She never wanted to make a decision or do anything dangerous again. She was a pathetic excuse for an adult. Still, their world hadn’t been stable at the best of times, and now it seemed more fragile than ever, about to break. Alex was the only solid and real thing she knew, he was all the safety she had in the world, and she clung to him.