Unfaded Glory. Sara Arden

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      Castallegna. She had to do this for Castallegna. If she was caught... She couldn’t finish the thought. They’d blame her for Grisha’s death. They’d punish her for it, and she knew from what her bodyguards had told her that Abele’s head torturer had nothing on the Russians.

      She remembered again from when she was little—the wind would carry her safely. Like it had then, like it had on the bike...and it was Hawkins. He’d kept her safe before. If he said he’d catch her, he’d catch her.

      She jumped. Time stopped, and for Damara, it was as if she’d flung herself out into nothingness rather than over the side of a boat down to waiting arms on the deck of the small yacht. Terror froze her limbs, but he caught her easily and deposited her on the deck. She didn’t want to let go of him; her arms stayed around his neck even as Byron started the boat. Soon, Circe’s Storm grew smaller in the distance behind them, as did the smoke billowing up from her. So far, no one was in pursuit, but the captain knew where they were headed and a radio or a satphone would be much faster than a boat.

      “You know we’ll still have to be on our guard. It’ll be best if we choose another port. Maybe Barcelona. It’s closer. If the fuel doesn’t hold, the wind will.”

      She leaned against his shoulder, knowing she should release him but unwilling to just yet. “Thank you for everything that you’ve done.”

      “You’re not safe yet.”

      “Safer than I was.”

      “You did good in there, Princess. You’re going to be okay.” He pulled her closer for a minute. When he released her, she finally let him go.

      Again, his praise shouldn’t have been so warm, like basking in the sun, but it was. She’d never been good for anything but getting her brother what he wanted. Pride swelled at the notion that a man like him thought she could handle herself.

      But she remembered the look of surprise on Grisha’s face. The sound of the gun as the bullet exploded out of the barrel and into the man. She knew it had to be done, but that didn’t make it any less horrific.

      Damara shivered.

      “Are you cold?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her again.

      How quickly this physicality came to be normal between them, this touching. She leaned into his warmth and let him shelter her there for just a moment. Perhaps it was the stress of the situation, but she liked how easily he touched her, how he allowed her to touch him. This sort of intimacy was unheard of for her.

      But as much as she enjoyed it, guilt swarmed her. “A man died. Because of me.”

      “Are you sorry he’s dead?” He didn’t look at her, but out at the water as he guided the craft.

      “Of course. He was a living being. I don’t want anyone to die because of me, but he was going to hurt me. And if he had the chance, he’d hurt Castallegna. He told me he was Bratva.”

      Byron nodded. “Russian mob. They have a heavy presence in the Mediterranean. With the state of geopolitics, it makes sense.”

      “I can’t believe my brother would align himself with these kinds of people.” No, she supposed that wasn’t true. She could believe it, but she didn’t want to. Abele had loved her once, when she was very young. Before he’d gone power mad when their father had died.

      Before the Council of Lords had tried to have him declared illegitimate.

      She tightened her arms around Hawkins’s waist and just buried her face in his chest. It was safe there. The outside world didn’t exist, only his warmth and strength.

      Why couldn’t a man like him want her?

      He was fierce and strong as all good leaders must be, but he was noble, too, self-sacrificing.

      “Castallegna is small. This seems like much trouble to go to simply to have a base and consulate on Castallegnian soil.” She sighed.

      “It would be good to have a government that was receptive to our operatives. Safe houses, if you will. Priceless, really. The Russians are trafficking in people, arms, munitions, and a lot of it is filtering through Greece, Cyprus and Italy.”

      “Won’t that make Barcelona too dangerous because of the proximity to the Mediterranean?”

      “No, I have contacts in Barcelona. We may have to lie low for a few days, but we’ll get you on U.S. soil soon.”

      “I don’t mean to look a gift horse, Hawkins, but wasn’t Miklos a contact?”

      “He was an associate.” Hawkins laughed. “Contacts. U.S. government. They’ll get us stateside safely. I promise you.”

      “Then what will happen to me?”

      “I’ll turn you over to Renner, the guy you spoke with. Then he’ll take it from there.”

      “What will you do?” She didn’t want to be handed over to anyone else. But she had to remember that to him, she was just a job. A package that had to be delivered. Something he hadn’t wanted to take to start with.

      “I’ll have to go back to Italy. I’m still on assignment there.”

      “I hope I didn’t blow your cover.”

      “No, it’ll be fine. Miklos doesn’t run with the same people. We’ve never had any transactions anywhere that was well lit, and I have a different name. Different social circles. They think I’m in finance. It’s not a bad gig, really.”

      “So if I asked you how the yen was doing in comparison to the dollar, you’d be able to tell me?”

      “Yes. Do you want to hear it?”

      “Not really.” She laughed. “I’ve acquired many skills, but finance and global trends all turn to gibberish when I try to make sense of them. I understand spending money, and I understand budgets and taxes. But crude investments versus pork bellies because of the rise in gold? Nothing.” She’d always felt as if she should know more about international finance, but her brain just didn’t work that way.

      “Whenever anything else was going wrong in my life, numbers always made sense. They’re irrefutable. Math is a universal language. Even though people say money is cold, hard and unfeeling, it’s not. It’s a tool. The stock market is attuned to feelings. When people don’t feel safe, the numbers drop. When they do, they rise.” He shrugged.

      She liked that view of things. It made sense to her.

      “I wish you could come with me after we’re stateside. I don’t know Renner. I know you.” It was the closest she could come to asking him without actually saying she wanted him.

      “You don’t. Not really. I’m not a good guy, Princess. It’s nice that you see me that way now. But it’s like I said, I’m not really good at this protection gig. Killing is more my speed.”

      “Then why do I feel so safe?” She was still tucked against his body, shielded by his heat and his strength.

      “Because you haven’t learned any better.” СКАЧАТЬ