Stripped Page 20

  Shit!

  Natalya flattened her back against the hall wall and squeezed her eyes shut. She could have gone the rest of her life without that visual. Damn it. She’d spent a torturous morning huddled on her floor, while her partner romped in the sheets. If he’d bothered to charge his damn cell phone, she wouldn’t be standing here humiliated.

  She took a step toward the door, before abruptly stopping and squinting at the heavy wood. Then, because he had embarrassed her beyond all reason with his terrible habit of not charging his cell phone, she changed direction and marched through the door, into his bedroom. Maybe a little mutual mortification would teach him to plug the damn thing in.

  Cocking a hip against the dresser, she folded her arms over her chest. “I’m guessing there’s no booby-trap there.”

  Sergei reared off the girl and scrambled to throw the sheet over their nude bodies. He did a double take, before exploding, “Jesus fucking Christ, Natalya! What are you doing here?”

  With a surprised squeak, the girl made herself as small as possible. Her eyes peeked over the edge of the sheet.

  “Obviously not what you are. I came for my keys. I would’ve called, but gee, go figure, your phone’s dead.”

  Dragging in a breath that required a significant amount of effort, he lifted a murderous gaze. “I don’t have your keys.” He speared his fingers through his tousled hair and swore beneath his breath. His gaze dropped to the woman. “Could you give me a minute?”

  “That entirely depends on how long a minute you need. If you don’t have my keys, and you’re going to be a while, I need to get to Kate’s.” She stopped at the door, adding, “You should probably get yourself to Kate’s too.”

  With a smug smile, she closed his door. In the hall, however, she gave over to threatening giggles. He was going to kill her. But after the morning she’d had, she needed the humor. Dismayed she’d have to either fight for a cab or strike out on foot, Natalya left Sergei to his mid-morning workout and took the elevator down to the lobby.

  One look at the already crowded Vegas Strip, and she decided jogging would take her to Kate’s faster. If nothing else, the pounding of her feet would work out some of the tension in her body, and she could occupy her mind. Trapped in a slow-moving cab, she’d think herself into a panic.

  The blocks passed in a blissful blur. Brandon tried to creep his way into her thoughts, but each time he surfaced, she shoved him back down. She’d spoiled that. No use fantasizing about all the things that wouldn’t happen between them. She couldn’t take the risks.

  Twenty-two minutes later, she arrived at Kate’s doorstep, sweaty, but wide-awake and relaxed. Her head no longer felt like someone had crammed it full of angry bees. She suspected the fact she’d formulated a solid plan had more to do with her rejuvenation, but she couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility she’d been sorely in need of a good physical work out.

  Kate answered the doorbell so promptly, she must have been standing behind the door. She blinked, then stepped outside, closing the door behind her. “Good grief, what are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk. Can you send Derek to his room?”

  Backing into the house, Kate opened the door, inviting Natalya in. “I’ll send him outside. He’ll throw a fit if I try to confine him in his room.”

  Natalya sat on the edge of the couch as Kate corralled Derek into a lightweight jacket and shoes. He fought her every step of the way, anxious to be outdoors, evidently for the first time in several days.

  Since I’ve been here.

  She flinched, realizing how her out-of-the-blue appearance had up-ended her nephew’s sense of normalcy. Once more, she vowed when this ended, no matter the outcome, Derek would never worry again. He’d never have to spend another day indoors when the sun shone bright beyond. And Kate… Kate would smile again. Laugh like she used to. Natalya’s gaze drifted over her sister. Maybe she’d ditch the heavy makeup and take a little time to do something with herself when she wasn’t at the club, instead of wearing beat-up sweats all the time. Take pride in herself, like she used to when Erik had been alive.

  Her sister took the couch opposite and folded her hands in her lap. “What’s wrong?”

  She’d always been perceptive. A wry smile tugged at Natalya’s mouth. She held it in check, knowing Kate wouldn’t appreciate the humor that kept Natalya going when everything else looked bleak. No matter how she answered, her response would send Kate into fits, so she made the swift decision to spit it all out at once, no sugarcoating, no beating around the bush.

  “Your kidnapping’s been bumped up. We’ve got three nights.”

  “What?” Kate’s exclamation ended in a soprano shriek.

  Before Natalya could say another word, the front door clanged open, and Derek rushed inside. “Mom! Mom! There’s a guy in his car in our driveway!”

  The remaining color in Kate’s face, scant as it was, drained away. Natalya reached for her purse, her instinct to grab her gun. But as Kate’s tremulous eyes drifted to her son, Natalya’s fingers hovered over the clasp. She couldn’t pull a gun out in front of a four-year-old.

  Instead, she took her whole purse to the door and poked her head out, investigating the driveway.

  Sergei’s nondescript black sedan blocked the sidewalk.

  She rolled her eyes as she returned to the couch. “It’s Sergei.” Giving her nephew a pat on the back, she ushered him outside. When he took off for the large ornamental rocks in the front yard, she turned back to Kate. “I asked him to meet me here. I’ll warn you though, he’s probably not in the best mood.”

  Kate glanced at her, distracted. The questions she couldn’t ask in front of Derek glimmered behind her wide eyes. “Why?”

  “I walked in on him this morning.”

  “Oh.” The flat answer gave way to a startled blink as Kate made the connection between Natalya’s answer and the meaning. “Oh,” she repeated.

  The brief change in subject restored the faintest touch of color to Kate’s cheeks, and as Sergei walked inside, a dark cloud shadowing his face, she sat down on the couch.

  Natalya’s partner didn’t look at her as he took a seat at Kate’s side. She chewed on a smirk, covered it with a cough, and repeated what she’d just informed her twin. “Dmitri phoned me this morning. He’s moved everything up. Kate’s kidnapping is to take place two nights from tonight.”

  That drew Sergei’s attention on her. His amber eyes sparked with suspicion. “Did he say why?”

  “He’s moved the wedding up also.”

  The slow arch of his eyebrow said one word, one very reproachful word: booby-trapped. Natalya shifted position, the weight in her chest returning, along with a significant helping of guilt. She stuffed the uncomfortable emotion into an abandoned corner of her mind, refusing to dwell on Brandon and what she’d done. She focused on the only positives she possessed. “I have a plan.”

  “You’ve had a plan all along. It hasn’t worked.” Kate jumped to her feet again and began to pace in front of the counter that separated her kitchen from her living room. Her teeth worked furiously at her lower lip.

  “It hasn’t worked because Brandon’s thwarted me every step of the way.”

  “Brandon, who you want me to believe is part of this. God, what if he is? What if you’ve been right all along, and that’s why he’s been thwarting you?” Her voice rose again as her feet moved faster.

  “He’s not,” Natalya and Sergei answered in unison.

  Sergei gave her a surprised blink.

  She ignored him.

  “How do you know?” Kate cried. “Just yesterday, you were warning me not to trust, explaining things weren’t always what they seemed. How do you know your plan will work this time? What if it doesn’t, Natalya? What if two nights from tonight, you fail and this Iskatel´ person runs off with me? What happens—”

  “Kate,” Sergei’s smooth voice rose over her rapid-fire questions as he eased to his feet and went to her side. Looping one arm
around her shoulder, he guided her back to the couch where he sat, then pulled her down beside him. “I know this is difficult. But you’ve got to stay calm. Natalya has a plan, let’s hear her out.”

  “I can’t stay calm! The man you think is tied to this is spending the afternoon with my son! What if he takes Derek, and everything you think you know is false?”

  Brandon? Coming here? Natalya stiffened. He hadn’t said anything about Kate. Then again, they hadn’t exactly been focused on anything but how quickly they could get out of their clothes. Good-bye hadn’t involved pillow talk either.

  “He’s not going to hurt Derek,” Sergei soothed. “He’s not part of this.”

  Kate shoved out from under the weight of his arm and twisted beyond his reach. “You don’t know that! Unless you’ve figured out who Iskatel´ is. You wanted me to be concerned—fine, I am. You’re not going to fix this with that smooth, confident tone.”

  Sergei’s brows dove down his nose. He rubbed the back of one hand and rolled his shoulders. “Does it help if I tell you I know him? That I know him so well I’d swear on my life he’s not part of this?”

  It was Natalya’s turn to blink. She gaped at her partner. He knew Brandon? Why hadn’t he told her? Damn it, they couldn’t keep secrets from each other with this hanging over their heads. She had a right to know, particularly when her life was at stake, not just Kate’s.

  He didn’t give her the opportunity to vent her anger. Reaching across the couch to grab Kate’s hand and hold it tight, he continued to blow holes in all Natalya thought she understood about her partner. “I grew up with him. I know some of the shit he dealt with as a kid. It wasn’t pretty. Take my word for it, he’d choose the grave over Dmitri.”

  Grew. Up. Together. And he was just now sharing this news? Wait. Why hadn’t that tidbit shown up in his file? Nothing in the report she’d pulled from the agency matched a single tidbit about what she knew about Sergei’s past. Sergei had spent his entire life in Chicago. Brandon, on the other hand, had been born in Kansas City, then moved to Texas under the witness protection program. Last time she’d checked, Chicago and Texas weren’t neighbors.

  She squinted at Sergei. Someone was lying. Someone’s agency report was lying. And she didn’t have to look any farther than the man sitting across from her, the man she knew so well she considered him a brother, to guess whose.

  When they left here, Sergei Khitrovo owed her one hell of an explanation.

  Kate had calmed down, however. Evidently Sergei’s little bomb had worked. Her cheeks filled with healthy color, and she turned a frown on Natalya. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I’m getting on that stage tonight.” Sergei would rebel at what came next, but desperation called for a little risk. She took a deep breath and held his gaze. “You’re going to distract Brandon long enough for me to accomplish it. Find something, anything, to keep him out of the back of the house from nine thirty until after I leave the stage.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but she rushed on before he could utter a sound. “Kate, I need you to find a couple things for me, starting with a bikini that doesn’t fit like dental floss, and ending with orange and yellow lighting.”

  Her sister cocked her head, and Natalya read the turning wheels inside her mind. Something clicked into place, and Kate left the couch, retreating into her bedroom. Five minutes later, she returned with a relatively simple, beaded bra-style bikini top and bottoms that fit like shrunken boy shorts. She held both up, iridescent beads glittering in the bright morning light. “I have heels to match.”

  “Have you worn it?”

  “Nope. I bought it for my first night. Didn’t try it on. Got home and discovered Derek made things fit a little different than they used to.”

  “It’s perfect.”

  “I’ll get the shoes.”

  As Kate disappeared down the hall once more, Natalya avoided Sergei’s searching gaze. He could suffer. He’d temporarily lost the privilege of being the first to know what was on her mind. She’d been apart from Kate for three years, but that insignificant span of time couldn’t sever bonds of sisterhood, let alone the special understanding twins shared. It was time to depend on Kate, as much as Kate depended on her. And when Brandon discovered she’d gone behind his back and pulled Becca off the stage, she’d need every bit of Kate’s familiarity with Brandon to navigate that impending tornado.

  He’d understand. Someday. When she was far from here, and he was safe. Alive.

  The front door flew open and thirty-six inches of exuberant boy raced down the hall to his mother’s bedroom. “Mom! Brandon’s here! We’re going!”

  “Easy there, little guy. Slow down, I need to talk to your mom a minute. We have to ask about—”

  Natalya looked up, and Brandon abruptly stopped. Eyes widened by surprise quickly narrowed to rake down the length of her body, then slowly up to her face. Appreciation gleamed beneath coal black eyelashes.

  Like lighted pyrotechnics, the temperature in the room spiked.

  Twenty-two

  I

  ’ll be right out, Brandon,” Kate called from the back room. He murmured a muffled response, but his eyes never left Natalya’s. Cleanly shaven, dress clothes exchanged for a dark gray T-shirt and faded blue jeans, he commanded every minuscule particle of Natalya’s attention. She marveled at the way his shirt pulled tight across his broad shoulders, its loose fit managing to hug just enough skin her imagination could fill in all the blanks. Sharply defined pectorals, corded washboard abs… her gaze dipped to the black belt at his waist. Lower. Broad masculine hips, and though the denim was by no means tight, it couldn’t hide the distinct bulge behind his fly.

  Her cheeks flooded with heat, and she looked away, hoping he hadn’t caught her staring. Knowing he had.

  “Natalya.”

  Though he said nothing more than her name, his voice vibrated through her, setting off a wild flutter in her belly. With it came the ache of longing. The knowing she could never have more of this incredible man, but wanting him more than she’d ever wanted anyone. Anything.

  He moved into the room, easing the door shut behind him. Her skin prickled. She knew, even before he approached the couch, that he’d sit down beside her, and her heart clamored violently. Electrified energy arced through her as he came closer, urging—no begging—her to lean sideways and soothe the tightness of her skin by sliding into his exposed side.

  “I didn’t expect you two to be here.” The cushion shifted as Brandon dropped into the seat at her right.

  Why didn’t he look mad? He should be furious with her after last night. Sitting as far away as possible, not close enough to drive her crazy but still too far away that touching became impossible unless she moved. She wasn’t going to move. Not unless someone held a gun to her head, and even then, if it meant keeping him at a distance that ensured his safety, she’d be hard pressed to scoot closer.

  She managed to get her stumbling tongue to behave long enough to murmur, “I came for my keys.”

  “How are you, Sergei? Great job on those numbers last night, by the way. Meant to tell you that.”

  “No problem. Glad they worked for you.”

  “Brandon!” Derek came flying around the corner, carrying a police car the size of a loaf of bread. “Look what Mom got me yesterday.”

  Natalya watched in fascination as her nephew bounded onto the couch between Brandon’s right elbow and the stuffed arm, then crawled onto his lap. As Brandon’s muscular arm bent around the boy’s sinewy back, Derek hit a button on the car’s trunk. Sirens wailed. The light bar flashed. Her nephew turned a cherubic smile up at Brandon, who rumpled his hair.

  Damned adorable. Brandon clearly had it wrong—he was absolutely father material. His whole expression softened as a chuckle rumbled in his chest. And his eyes crinkled with so much unspoken affection that Natalya’s heart swelled.

  He glanced her way, and his grin faltered for a heartbeat, replaced by a staggering flash of some
thing she couldn’t define. Whatever it was, it nearly knocked her backward before Kate’s emergence from the hall drew his attention.

  “Hey, Kate.”

  “Morning, Bran.” Heels in hand, she plucked her glasses from the countertop, slipped them on, and rested a hip on the arm of the opposite couch. “You want something to eat before you guys head out?”

  “Nah.” Brandon patted Derek’s shoulder. “I’ll grab him a donut on the way. But we were talking outside.”

  Derek looked up, his grin full of impishness. His giggle conveyed a secret not yet shared.

  “Would you object if I dropped him off with my neighbor’s kids for the night? I’ll make sure he eats. The girls next door caught me on my way out and asked when he was coming back over. Sue said she didn’t mind watching him.”

  “Please, Mom! Please! I wanna play with Opie!”

  “Well…” Kate’s hands twined together in her lap. She slid Natalya a questioning look, glanced at Sergei, then sought answers from Natalya once more.

  Natalya subtly dipped her head. Let the boy have some fun. He wasn’t in danger, and Kate wasn’t really either, not for another couple of nights.

  “I suppose that would be okay.” Sliding to her feet, she set the heels on the bar and dusted her hands on her long pajama pants. “I’ll go pack a bag real quick. Do you have time to wait?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “I’ll help!” Derek scrambled off Brandon’s lap and made a beeline down the hall.

  “So what are you two up to today?” Brandon asked as Kate disappeared, leaving the three of them to stumble over awkward conversation.

  Leaning back against the couch, Sergei stretched his arms across the back. “Not sure. I had plans. But they were changed for me.” His gaze fell meaningfully on Natalya.

  She’d admit she deserved a scolding. But given the same set of circumstances, she’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. He really needed to learn to keep his cell phone charged. If she really wanted to be honest with herself, she’d admit a certain degree of envy drove her to spoil his morning as well. Honesty, however, wasn’t in today’s line-up. At least not when it came to internal confessions.