Deep Cover, page 21
"What?"
Kris sighed audibly. "They've got my mother."
Surprised at the revelation, Shelby commented, "You said she was dead."
"I thought she was. After they worked me over, they sent her in. I thought it was just a trick and didn't want to believe it was her." Kris turned tormented eyes to Shelby. "But it was. She's alive. She is their ace in the hole. I don't give them what they want, they kill her first." Kris lowered her head to her hands, suddenly overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation.
What a mess! Shelby thought over what Kris had said, instinctively knowing the operative was telling the truth. She had done nothing wrong except conceal her origins, but how would Kris ever convince the Company of that?
She reached across the table, laying her hand on top of Kris'. "Hey." When the agent looked up, she continued, "You must have a plan. How can I help?"
Kris couldn't believe her ears. "You'd help me? After everything I've told you? You don't hate me?"
Shelby smiled ruefully. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you. Don't you think I know the chance you are taking telling me this? I could turn you in, and I know you've thought of that. Yet, you told me anyway. Why?"
"I felt I could trust you and..." She paused, considering the danger to Shelby once again, but knowing she had passed the point of no return, "...and, I need your help. I was going to tell you last night, even before I found out they had my mother." Kris gazed into the emerald eyes clearly conveying the depth of her feelings. "I wanted there to be a chance for more for us, but I had to find a way out."
Shelby couldn't believe what she was hearing, and her heart skipped a beat even as she was struggling to come to grips with the past Kris had revealed. "You wanted more for us...?"
Kris reached across the table, taking hold of Shelby's hands as she gazed deeply into her eyes. "I love you. I'd give anything for the chance of a future with you."
Shelby found herself drawn into the intense blue eyes brimming with emotion. She'd known Kris cared about her, but to know that her own dreams were mirrored by the tall woman was more than she'd ever hoped for. "I love you, too." Her eyes moist with tears of joy, she pressed Kris' hands to her lips, softly kissing each one.
A wave of exhilaration swept through Kris, momentarily pushing aside her fears and concerns. She knew that Shelby could have just walked away, yet incredibly, she had opened her heart to her instead. She loves me! The three words caressed her mind chasing away the loneliness and despair. Whatever came next, she would bear it because of this woman's love. She knew that, together, they would find a way out. "Will you help me?"
"In any way I can. But Kris, I won't compromise my country to do it."
Kris nodded in understanding.
"What do they want?"
"Your password."
Her voice incredulous, the mood broken, Shelby exploded, "You've got to be kidding. No way in hell..."
"Shelby, I know that, and I'd never ask for it. But I've only got a week to find my mother. We've got to find the leak in this case. If we can, I should be able to find out where my mother's being held."
Calming down, Shelby agreed. "Makes sense. It would also give us something to give the Company."
"Yep. One of Russia's top spies is here under an alias. I'm going to serve him up on a silver platter, but I want to find the leak, too."
"Isn't that sort of doing the same thing you would have done if you'd doubled?"
"No. It's personal. Remember how you said you still hated your stepfather?" Shelby nodded, and Kris continued. "Well, I hate this guy. He punched my mother and left her lying on the ground when he took me to the institute. He took a personal interest in my progress there and wouldn't let me go home for visits, citing fabricated violations of the institute's rules. Then he told me she was dead. Now, he's threatening to kill her. Besides, he's doing damage to this country, and I have to stop that if I can. I'd turn him over in a heartbeat."
Shelby shuddered at the venom in Kris' voice. "What can I do to help?"
"You can help me find the leak. Someone close to the case is providing information and has been since day one. We've got to find out whom."
"Kris, I think we need to involve the Company now. What about talking to Earl?"
"We don't know where the leak is. What if he detains me? My mother would be as good as dead. I can't take that chance."
Shelby thought about the risks. "I could get burned for concealing information."
Kris sighed. "And I don't have the right to ask you to do that. Can't you give me just a few days to find my mother? Then if you feel you must turn me in, go ahead."
"You don't get it, do you? I am not going to turn you in. I'm trying to find a way to help you so there won't be any repercussions for either one of us. I just hate leaving the Company out of this."
"I hear you. But if I tell the wrong person or they don't believe me, I'll be taken to Langley under lock and key."
Shelby felt her heart tighten painfully, knowing what Kris said was true. "How high up do you think the leak is?"
"Hard to say, but it has to be someone who has total access and that's limited to Deputy Directors and above."
"Mostly. I have a lot of access and so do some of the other analysts and auditors."
"True. Are you up to it?"
"For you, yes."
Kris smiled warmly, her discomfort temporarily forgotten. "Thank you for trusting me. I won't let you down."
"I'm going to hold you to that. Have you told me everything?"
Kris remained silent, torn. She couldn't share the only missing piece of information, even with Shelby. Not yet. But she was unwilling to lie to her either.
Watching her, Shelby sighed. "I'm going to help you anyway. I don't know why, since you're still holding back, but I'm going to." She gazed deeply into the intense blue eyes regarding her gravely. "Please don't make me regret it."
Reaching across the table, and laying her hand on Shelby's cheek, Kris gently stroked it. "You won't. I promise."
CHAPTER 14
"HOW ARE YOU feeling?" Shelby sat her coffee mug down on the dining room table. She knew time was of the essence, but she also thought it might be best if Kris called in sick to allow her some time to recover.
"Sore."
"I think we should stay home today."
"No. We have to go to work."
"Are you sure? I think you need a little time to recuperate."
"I have to move around. If I don't I'll stiffen up. The more I move, the quicker I heal." Kris ran a hand through her hair. "Besides, we've only got a week. I need to talk to Earl and find out who knows about this case. Dennis, Jeb and Earl are givens. The Director of Operations would know because he's Earl's boss. But who else? And I want to ask him if he knows why Michael is hanging around."
What Kris said made sense, but Shelby could still vividly visualize the discoloration of her partner's abdomen and she wondered how Kris expected to be able to move around without showing the effects of her injuries.
"Okay, but it's going to be a short day. We find out what we can, then we leave."
Kris nodded. "Fine. Because I want to stake out the emergency drop in Georgetown."
"You've got to be kidding!" Shelby wondered at the wisdom of them hanging around that location.
"Don't worry, no one will see us. It may be our only hope of finding out who's relaying information. I don't think Earl's gonna have any answers. He knows there's a leak and if he found out something, I think he would've told us."
"Any possibility Earl..."
"I don't think so. He trained me and I just don't see him working for the other side, but anything is possible. Do you have any idea of how many staff people have the access you do? Even a rough guess?"
"No, but everyone in my hallway has a high level clearance. I think mine might be a little higher than most, because the Marine usually stands outside my door."
Shelby abruptly changed the subject, asking something that had been bothering her. "Kris, didn't the Russians think I would be suspicious when they returned you to the door all beat up and soaked?"
Kris smiled grimly. "Sergei knew I would make up some story to cover. I'm just surprised I was out for so long. He took a real risk, not knowing if you'd call the Company or the police. That doesn't make sense to me."
"Be right back." Shelby quickly retrieved the note from her jacket in the bedroom and returned to the kitchen.
"This was pinned to your clothes."
Reading the note, Kris narrowed her eyes. That bastard. He had tried to cover all the bases. Not only had he used her mother against her, he had threatened Shelby. The operative directed her thoughts to the Russian spy. You're going down, you sonofabitch.
Shelby inwardly shuddered as the agent changed right before her eyes, and even though she'd witnessed the transformation several times, it still unnerved her. She laid her hand on Kris' arm. "Hey."
The analyst's touch had a calming effect and Kris could feel her tension begin to fade. She gazed into the concerned green eyes regarding her somberly. "I want him bad."
"I know you do and we're gonna make it happen."
Kris smiled at her partner's determination. Who could ask for more than that? "I hear you."
"If we're gonna get to work on time, I need to get in the shower."
Want any company? Kris grinned at the thought and nodded. "I'm going outside. I won't be gone long."
Shelby stopped and turned around. "Can't you just wait until we leave?"
"No. The Russians aren't going to bother with me now. They don't need to. They're in the driver's seat and they know it. But, it wasn't them that shot at us. Someone else did. And it's been just a little too quiet lately."
Shelby asked incredulously, "You call last night quiet? I don't." The emotional roller coaster she'd been riding suddenly came to a screeching halt and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "I was so worried about you. You have no idea..."
Kris rose from her chair and crossed the room, determinedly ignoring the pain caused by the sudden movement. She wrapped her arms around Shelby, pulling the smaller woman close. Rubbing her hand soothingly on the analyst's back, she murmured, "I'm sorry I put you through that. I should've told you before now. I was afraid to."
Gently returning the hug, not wanting to hurt Kris, Shelby calmed a bit. "Sorry. There's just so much going on."
"You've got nothing to be sorry for." Kris drew her head back and looked deeply into Shelby's eyes. "I never thanked you for last night." She gently stroked her partner's face. "Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me last night and for giving me a chance."
Shelby relaxed, comforted by the gentle fingers caressing her face, and a warm glow enveloped her. "It's the only thing I could do. I love you."
Overcome with newly awakened feelings, Kris lowered her mouth, meeting Shelby's lips for a fleeting kiss and was unprepared for the intensity of her reaction to the brief contact. Her voice raw with emotion, she said, "I love you, so much." She released Shelby, focusing on controlling her libido, which - Kris wryly acknowledged - hadn't been slowed in the least the previous evening.
Shelby took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. Her face flushed, she reveled in the pleasant sensations washing over her body and managed to say, "Gotta take a shower," then turned, heading for the bathroom.
Kris watched until she was out of sight before she was finally able to rein in her own emotions. She picked up her gun, clipped on her cell phone and left the apartment.
The operative walked gingerly down the stairs, her slightly narrowed eyes the only outward sign of any discomfort. She carefully checked the parking lot before making her way around the building, returning to the apartment a short time later.
She was standing at the bathroom door when Shelby opened it. "I'm gonna take my shower, now."
Shelby grinned, trying hard not to laugh. "I thought you already took one."
Kris cheeks reddened. "Um, well, it's therapeutic."
Shelby broke out laughing. "Okaaay."
Kris grinned and shrugged. "What can I say?"
"Nothing. You just said everything." Shelby was still chuckling as she walked away, very happy her reaction to the fleeting kiss was not one sided.
* * *
When they arrived in the office, Kris pushed her chair next to Shelby's behind the desk. "Okay, first go to the Russian Embassy."
The analyst brought up the screen. "Okay, now what? Embassy personnel?"
"Yeah. See that guy, Gregor Koslov? He's the second in charge. Remember the night I told you I was outside talking to the guy following us?" When her partner nodded, Kris said, "It was him."
Shelby pointed to a picture. "That guy looks like the man from the grocery store."
"It is. He's officially a driver, but probably does some of their dirty work. He wasn't supposed to follow us into the store. Found that out when I questioned him."
"Then why did he?"
"Wanted some glory."
Kris pointed to Dimitri Pyetsky. "This is the guy I'm gonna bring down. His name is really Sergei Pavlovich Yanov. If the Company had any idea he was in the country, they'd probably grab him and charge him with spying. They'd be right, too."
"When did you find out he was here?"
"I checked this file last week. I wanted to see who was running the show. Never expected to see Sergei."
Shelby nodded and read the short biography on each of the Russians assigned to the embassy. "Now go to Sergei?
"Yeah. You need to understand just how ruthless this guy is. He's very bad news."
Shelby quickly located his file, opened it, and looked at his picture. "He dyed his hair and grew a beard. No wonder no one made the connection."
"He's a master at disguise. This isn't anything compared to what he can do."
She began reading along with Kris. Sergei had distanced himself from the KGB during their reorganization to allow himself more flexibility in accomplishing the goals of the new Russian Federation. He was an expert sniper, highly skilled with knives, and had a black belt in Karate.
He was known to be responsible for the deaths of three operatives and suspected of killing at least ten others. The Russian used any means at his disposal to extract information from captured agents, his favorite method being electrical shock, as evidenced by burns on the bodies of the few operatives that had been found. One agent had managed to survive the torture session, but had been mentally devastated.
It was suspected that he ran the Russian spies in America, but he'd never been spotted in the States. Sergei was also credited with the largest information coup in Russian history when he turned a high level CIA operative.
The full impact of what she'd read hit Shelby, and she realized just how dangerous their foe was. "You weren't kidding."
"No. I wanted you to understand what this guy is like and go into this with open eyes. I can't sit here and lie to you and say, 'Don't worry.' This is going to be really dangerous and if you want to change your mind about helping, I'll understand."
Shelby met Kris' eyes and held them. "I'm with you on this."
"There's one other thing I need to talk to you about." Kris looked away for a moment trying to figure out the best way to explain her own limitations. "Shelby, I will protect you in any way I can, and would give my life for yours in a minute. But...there is always the possibility that something I have no control over could happen...like the other night. If a trained assassin targets someone, and is persistent enough, eventually he or she could get lucky no matter how much protection you have. What I'm trying to say is..."
Shelby linked her fingers with the operative's. "Kris. It's okay. I know what you're saying. I would never hold you responsible if anything happened to me. I trust you to do your best. I know it's dangerous. So relax, okay?"
"Okay." Kris silently vowed to be extra vigilant in the coming days. There were too many unknown elements in the picture. "I'm gonna go see Earl. I'll bring us back some coffee."
"Sounds good. It's my turn to buy." Shelby pulled out a five and handed it to Kris. "I want the house blend."
Kris nodded and accepted the money. "I won't be gone long."
Shelby winked. "Good."
The operative walked out the door grinning, but the smile faded as she walked down the hallway. Inwardly sighing, Kris was careful not to take too deep a breath. The Aleve had taken the edge off the pain, but every time she stood up or moved suddenly, it hurt. She had tried to hide her discomfort from Shelby, but had seen the sympathy clearly reflected in her partner's eyes and knew the analyst wasn't fooled.
She smiled grimly. The beating had just been business as usual, but Sergei had made a huge mistake by turning it personal. Most operatives had a code of honor that wouldn't allow the targeting of innocents. The Russian had broken it and Blue intended to make him pay.
Earl glanced up when Kris walked in. "What's up?"
"Uncover the leak yet?"
"No. Not even a whisper. I've got ears everywhere and no one's heard a thing."
"That's what I figured. How many people know about the case?"
"Hell, I don't know, offhand. You two, me, Jeb, Dennis, Director of Ops, his boss." Earl paused, thinking. "That should be it."
"And secretaries?"
"Not the details, but they know you're here working on a case."
Earl leaned back in his chair. "Have a seat. I was going to call you later, anyway."
"I'd rather stand. I get enough sitting time on this case."
Grinning, Earl said, "Hey, how do you think I feel? We got the ballistics report back this morning. The bullet was too damaged to determine much except that it was fired from a rifle."
Kris raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
"Care to tell me why?"
"You have to be good to fire a rifle from a moving car unless you have a driver. That bullet just missed. The silver Cavalier might've been coincidental. I could be wrong, but I got the impression there was only one person in the front seat."
