Chapter 20

Raisa

Raisa was glad to be home, and that’s how she thought of the lake house now. Home. This was where she and Kris had solidified their relationship. Where he’d told her he wanted to marry her. It was where she dreamed of raising a family with him. This was home. She’d brushed her teeth and used an entire bottle of mouth wash before she got into the shower. After he showered and showered again, trying to wash the feel of Gregori’s hands off her body, and she still didn’t feel clean.

She knew it would take some time in Kris’s arms to drive the memory of that fat toad’s touch and tongue out of her mind. Raisa was looking forward to Kris helping her with that. She’d just dressed in one of her new sexy sleeping gowns when she heard his feet pounding up the stairs. He came up into the room and stopped when he saw her in the pink silk baby doll negligee. A smile took over his face, and he headed straight for her. Raisa raised her hand and held it up in the universal symbol for stop. “Don’t you come one step closer, Mister Lawson. I’ve gotten clean and put on this brand new nightgown. You are not about to get gunpowder, glass, and who knows what else on me. You get yourself clean before you come to our bed.”

His smile widened. “Our bed, is it?”

She glared at him. “You know it is, and it better remain that way if you know what’s good for you. I know people now. People with special skills. They’ll help me kill you and hide the body if you think you can pull anything over on me, mister.”

He started dropping gear and his tactical suit on the floor. “You’ll be putting all that where it goes when we’re done, mister. I’m your lover, not your maid. Let’s get that clear right from the start.”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am, as long as it can wait until after we’re done.”

She smiled a sexy smile at him and cocked her hip. “Sweetheart, ain’t nothing happening until we’re done tonight, you got that?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Just then, Friday spoke to them. “I’m sorry Thorn, but Mac is on the line with a priority alpha emergency call.”

“Patch him through, Friday. Mac, what’s wrong?”

“Gregori just killed his FBI escort and is headed your way. The agent had the location of the lake house. He’s armed and considered dangerous.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

Just then Friday piped back up, “Security alert. The house has been breached.”

Kris grabbed up his HK MP7A1 and ran over to the control panel beside the bed. He hit the back of the nightstand and a drawer popped open, showing a strange-looking headpiece with a single lens on it like for a camera. He put his palm on the reader and the bed slid to the side. “Raisa, get in the safe room.”

“Kris.”

“Now honey, I need to know you’re safe before I handle this.”

She bit her lip to keep from telling him she needed him to be safe too because this was who her man was, a hero through and through. She quickly went down, knowing he was going to close her in. As the bed slid back in place, she heard him say, “Kill the lights except in the safe room, Friday.”

Then the bed clicked into place, and she was alone.

*****

As soon as the bed covered the safe room, Kris flipped down the monocle for the night vision goggles and grabbed up his tactical suit. He pulled the earpiece out of the helmet and tossed the suit in the corner that you could see coming up the stairs, and then he moved to just by the wall. He pushed a button on the window and the shades closed, blocking out all the moonlight.

Then he waited. A few minutes later, he saw Volkov coming up the stairs, a Glock nine-millimeter used by the local FBI agents in his hands. Kris keyed the mic. “Drop it, Gregori.”

His voice came from the corner where the suit lay and Volkov opened fire on the corner, emptying his magazine into it. Kris waited until he reached for a second magazine and tapped the trigger of his MP7, still set for a three-round burst, and watched as all three rounds punched into the man’s heart. Gregori tumbled down the stairs and lay still. Kris waited a full five minutes, looking for any movement from the body. When he was convinced that Volkov was dead, he flipped up the night vision goggles and spoke to Friday. “Turn the lights back on and call Mac.”

He grabbed the top sheet off the bed and quickly covered the corpse as Friday dialed Mac. “Control.”

“Mac, it’s Thorn. Gregori is dead. Can you call the FBI and send a clean-up crew?”