Chapter Thirty-Five

“Well then, if I’m your prisoner, I guess that means I get to set the rules,” Dimitri said in a low, sexy voice.

Ivy smiled as she took a step toward him. “That sounds fair.”

“You can touch me all you want.”

She placed her good hand over his heart, feeling the strong, even beat. “Good. Because I want.”

“And I get to touch you as much as you want.”

She took his hand and placed it on her breast. Then rose on her toes, locking her fingers behind his neck. Resting the hard cast on his collarbone, she paused with her lips a scant inch from his. “I want. I want. I want.”

He leaned down, closing the gap between their mouths and kissed her as his hand cupped her breast and his other arm circled her waist. His tongue slid into her mouth and she groaned as she gripped his shoulder with her right hand.

She was in love with a Russian spy and assassin. Crazy, wild love. And this might be all they’d ever have.

His mouth explored hers slowly. Russian words spilled from him in a low, sexy whisper as he kissed her. She could only guess at what he was saying, and loved that he was lost enough in the moment to slip into his other language.

She pulled his bottom lip between her teeth and sucked on it, then nibbled along his jaw, working her way to his ear. Once there she took the lobe into her mouth. “I love you, Dimitri,” she whispered.

The Russian words ceased. His lips pressed against her brow, then he lifted his head and gripped her shoulders with both hands, one thumb pulling down the spaghetti strap of her tank top as he stared into her eyes. “I was hoping I didn’t imagine that yesterday.”

“You didn’t.”

“I love you too.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then met her gaze. “Dammit—I want to live. I want a future. With you. I’m willing to cut a deal. I’ll tell the CIA and Justice Department everything I know about the GRU’s covert operations—which is a lot—if they can protect Sophia and Yulian.”

Her eyes teared. She’d given up hope that he’d choose to fight. “Curt is amenable.” She paused, afraid of how he’d react to what she was about to say. She might have given up hope, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t spoken to Curt to explore the possibility. And that had meant telling him everything. Even about Sophia and Yulian. “The first step—as a show of good faith—will be to hand over the AUUV.”

He gave a sharp nod. “There’s another way we can do it, to draw out my handlers and get Sophia and Yulian out of Russia and into protective custody. We can stage the handoff here, and I can demand Sophia and Yulian be present.”

She gripped his shoulder, weak with relief, dizzy with joy. “Ian and Luke have already agreed to be your backup.”

Emotion swamped Dimitri at Ivy’s words. “Luke… He believes I didn’t kill Ulai?”

She nodded. “Ulai—” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “He’s alive. Barely. He was airlifted to Guam so he could receive the best medical care. They’re probably going to have to send him to Okinawa once he’s more stable—there’s a Navy neurosurgeon there. But there’s hope he’ll pull through.”

The idea that Ulai might live nearly overwhelmed him. “I didn’t hurt him. I would never—”

“I know. Local authorities invited the FBI to consult. I spoke with Agent Palea this morning. He knows my suspicions about Rudy Fredrickson, but he’s going to need to interview you.”

Dimitri nodded. “Even if Curt won’t cut a deal with me, I’ll talk to the agent. I want the person who assaulted Ulai to pay.”

He pulled Ivy against his chest and simply held her. The coming days were uncertain. He would risk everyone he cared about and couldn’t decide if that was the ultimate in selfish, except that his goal was to free all of them—Luke, Ivy, Sophia, and Yulian—before they were in the same position as Ulai.

He never should have befriended the man. He should have realized that even being a casual acquaintance was a risk.

And Ivy. What had he done to Ivy?

He cupped her face. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes. You do. What you haven’t deserved is how you’ve been used your whole life. We’re going to change that. Together. You won’t be alone anymore.” Her smile warmed him as much as her words.

She kissed him, a deep, hungry kiss that did more than simply warm him.

He pulled back before the kiss got out of control. “What’s our plan? Do I call the FBI agent now?”

“We’ll rendezvous with Luke and Ian at dusk on Angaur,” she said, naming the southernmost of Palau’s two hundred and fifty-plus islands.

“You were that confident I’d change my mind?”

“No, but I suggested the rendezvous just in case. I need to call and tell them you’re in. You’ll need to call Curt too.”

“And if I hadn’t agreed?”

“Then I had no plan beyond going back to Koror without you.” She cupped his cheek with her right hand, the hard cast on her left arm pressed against his side—a painful reminder of how he’d failed her already. “We can do this, Dimitri. We can save your family and cut your ties with the GRU.”

He furrowed his brow. No more lies or omissions going forward. “I’ve killed for them, Ivy. I am—was—the Hammer. I had to be, but still, I did it.”

Her fingers stroked the stubble on his chin. “You killed Bratva. Child traffickers, arms dealers, and rapists. And I understand you had no choice.”

“My orders were always men I could dispose of without guilt—except at the end, when I had orders to kill Luke.” He gripped Ivy tighter against him. “Days ago, I was told if I didn’t kill Luke, you would die.”

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t pull back. That she didn’t fear him with that admission meant everything to him.

“You didn’t kill Luke, and you’d never hurt me.”

“Never. For either of you.”

“It sounds like the GRU knew your limits and chose not to push you too far lest you’d balk. Until now.”

He thought of the one time he’d balked, and the results—when he’d beaten the hell out of his handler with the same hockey stick used to beat Sophia, and later, how he’d exacted his revenge after the man raped his sister a second time. Yeah, the GRU knew not to test his limits. He’d made it clear he could be pushed only so far.

He pressed his lips to Ivy’s forehead. “So. We call the others, then we have hours before the rendezvous?”

“It’s middle of the night in DC. You can probably wait a few hours to call Curt.”

“And Luke?”

Ivy picked up a satellite phone, which rested on the helm. She dialed a number and a moment later said, “Luke? Dimitri’s in. See you at dusk.” Then she hit the End button and dropped the phone on the padded captain’s chair.

She smiled at Dimitri and pushed him toward the open hatch with both hands, unimpeded by the cast. “And now,” she said, “I have plans for you.”

He crossed his arms, blocking her path. “You expect me to make love to you inside when we have the whole ocean to ourselves?” He took a step toward her, nudging her back toward the padded bench seat. “Since that first morning when you sunbathed topless in front of me, I’ve fantasized about making love to you in the sun.”

She bit her bottom lip and smiled. “I had the same fantasy—and felt so guilty for wanting you.”

“So we’re going to live that fantasy—guilt free.” He slipped an arm around her waist and backed her toward the bench. “You’ve given me hope and a reason to live, Ivy. Starting now, I’m never going to let you go again.”

Ian watched Rudy Fredrickson’s face as the DIA analyst spoke with ASAC Palea on the other side of the conference room they’d taken over as their base of operations in the new hotel where all the trouble had begun.

Yesterday, Fredrickson had roused and recovered quickly after the blow to his temple. Ivy, thankfully, had used a light touch that got the job done with no apparent lasting damage, which would go a long way toward saving all their asses if it turned out Fredrickson was innocent.

Ian’s vote was still out on that; however, an eyewitness on the dock had seen a kayak glide into Ulai’s hanger—likely Dimitri—before Fredrickson entered Ulai’s attached apartment, followed a minute later by Ivy, who entered the hangar directly from the dock. It didn’t look good for the Russian spy.

Ivy had been adamant that Dimitri wouldn’t have harmed Ulai Umetaro, and Luke, surprisingly, had backed her up.

Ian didn’t know what to think.

Palea made no effort to lower his voice as he questioned Fredrickson, which gave a hint as to how the FBI agent leaned. “I’m just saying I find it hard to understand why you didn’t tip off Curt about your trip, or check in with me upon arrival, knowing I’m heading this investigation thanks to the DIA’s screwup.”

“I didn’t tip off Dominick for the same reason I went straight from the airport to the marina. Because I wanted to question Umetaro before Veselov—or one of you—stopped him from talking to me.”

The DIA agent glanced at Luke then Ian. “I have reason to believe the private contractors here are in league with the assassin. In fact, I believe they let him escape along with Ms. MacLeod.” He touched the bruise on his temple. “Which brings us to MacLeod. Everything the woman has said is suspect. She was in league with the assassin before she ever arrived in Palau. Phone records prove it.”

Mara had adequately rebutted that argument, which Palea knew. The fact that he didn’t answer the charge and merely nodded to Fredrickson said a lot about the Fed’s take on the DIA analyst.

The DIA had sent Fredrickson to Palau to aid in the hunt for Veselov, meaning the FBI agent couldn’t shut him out of the investigation—not without tipping off the DIA that they might have a mole in their midst. Such a warning would only make it harder to flush out the guilty party. For that reason, Palea, Luke, and Ian had to keep Fredrickson in the loop. But he was a suspect, not an ally. 

Back in DC, Curt had FBI agents digging into the DIA analyst’s background, looking for clues to his loyalties. But Ian knew those kinds of investigations took months, while the handoff would happen in just a few days. It would make the exchange that much trickier, given that they’d have to keep an eye on the analyst, another on the Russians, all while protecting Sophia and Yulian Veselov—if mother and son were actually delivered for the handoff.

In two short hours, they would rendezvous—Luke, Palea, Ivy, Dimitri, and Ian—and formulate a plan. Then Dimitri would make his demands to his handlers.

It would take at least a day for Sophia and Yulian Veselov to travel to Palau. This would be all over in two days—three maximum—and he could go home to Cressida.

The one loose end was Zack Barrow. Ian didn’t know if he could leave while Zack remained free.