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  His hand crept on the seat towards her, but he didn’t touch her. “Let’s get you back home safe and then I will find out who has been following you.”

  “Should I be scared? Because I am. And angry,” she said.

  He didn’t comfort her, but his hand rested on her leg. She left it there because she wanted his touch, and it was already too late for restraint. “I know,” he finally said.

  They drove back to the airport, boarded the plane, which already contained Gram and Baldy, and soon she was flying back to Houston.

  Chapter 11

  Crap, crap, crap. She’d been trying to sort through all of her emotions through the flight. Not a single word had been spoken¸ but he’d left his hand on her leg the entire time.

  Gram had his phone to his ear and was pacing the front of the plane as the captain announced they were landing. He sat down as the plane touched down, but as soon as it had slowed he was at the back of the plane. His normally passive face was taut. “Sir, we have trouble.”

  Dmitri’s hand was off her leg. His body tensed and his eyes narrowed. He was a different man. A different man then the one in her bed. He was scary, hardened.

  “What is it?” Dmitri barked.

  Gram answered in rapid Russian, probably not realizing that Sophia could understand every word. “Federal agents are waiting at our hanger. They have a search warrant.”

  “Fuck!” Dmitri shouted. “How did this happen?”

  Sophia unbuckled her belt. “What? What is this about?” Her nerves were already frayed to the edge, and this pushed her completely over. Her pulse echoed in her head. Federal agents. She was in some deep, deep shit.

  He turned to face her, gently grabbing her shoulders. “Follow my lead. I will help you, but you have to trust me.”

  She wrenched her shoulder out of his grasp. “Trust you? I don’t know what hell is going on!”

  “That is right. You do not, and now you will see why.”

  She turned away and booted up her cell phone as the plane rolled to a stop. Would they take it away? Could she be in legal trouble? She had her career, her condo, everything to lose. She scrolled through her contacts. Did she know any attorneys? Would her parents know any? They were on a cruise in the Mediterranean, as far physically distant from her now as they were always emotionally. She was alone. She’d have to deal with this by herself.

  Shit. She’d never even been pulled over before for a speeding ticket. Never been in trouble. She was innocent and naïve, just like he’d said.

  She shoved the phone back in her clutch. She smoothed her dress, ran her fingers through her hair, and took deep cleansing breaths. She closed her eyes and waited for the calm to come, just like her therapist had taught her those many months ago.

  Panic won’t help.

  She closed her eyes, trying to find her center.

  When she found it, she opened her eyes. Dmitri was watching her, awe written on his face as he took in her new, cool demeanor.

  That’s right. I’m not helpless.

  She was calm when the plane door opened. Composed as a rush of blue-jacketed federal agents pulled Gram and Baldy roughly out of the plane amid a wave of yells and shouted commands. Silent while one of the blue-jacketed men rushed up to her as the other agents tore through the seats and drawers, searching and searching.

  “Please come with me,” said the imposing man with a shaved head and navy blue wind breaker. He looked to be about Dmitri’s age. She knew instinctively he was in charge and that he was very, very smart by the way his eyes darted around, taking in everything around him. She’d been around enough people with a high level of intelligence to recognize it right away.

  “May I see your identification?” she asked in her polite, HR tone.

  “Agent Crippin, Federal Joint Task Force.” He shoved a badge in her face. “And who are you?”

  “She is starting her secondment with EBCasp National on Monday,” Dmitri answered.

  Agent Crippin cocked his head to the side, a sneer on his face. “Girlfriend, Mr. Davydov? Can’t she talk?”

  “Coworker, and yes, she certainly can,” Dmitri said. “Where is your warrant?”

  Agent Crippin pulled it out of the inside pocket of his jacket. As he pulled his coat open, a black, thick vest flashed into view. Bulletproof, Sophia realized. What did they think they were going to find here?

  Dmitri calmly unfolded the warrant, and his eyes scanned the paper. He laughed as he tucked it into his pocket. “What clown signed this? You will find nothing like that with me.”

  “We’ll see.” Agent Crippin sneered. “Please come with me.”

  They followed him.

  “What’s happening?” Sophia hissed.

  “A federal search warrant is being executed on my plane,” Dmitri said.

  “I gathered that.”

  “Keep quiet,” he whispered in Russian. “I am trying to protect you. They must not know that you are valuable to me.”

  She pushed the profoundness of that statement to the side. She’d think about it later.

  He kept a polite distance as they made their way down the stairs and into the dark, hot night Houston had laid out for them. They were back in front of the same hanger, but it was crowded with unmarked, large black vans and SUVs. Heavily armed men in uniforms swarmed about, some with FBI on the back of their vests, others with ATF. She even saw a few ICE agents.

  What in the hell?

  “Come with me,” Agent Crippin said.

  “Sure,” Sophia muttered. He walked into the hanger over to a low black car with a stack of papers on the trunk.

  He leaned against the car, flipping through the papers. After a few moments, he put them down. “Okay, I have no idea who you are. Do you have an ID, young lady?”

  “It’s Ms. Latrude,” Sophia said. “Sophia Latrude.” She pulled open her clutch and pulled out her driver’s license. “Am I in some sort of trouble?” She managed to keep the tremble out of her voice.

  Agent Crippin met her eyes, his deep brown eyes boring into hers. “I don’t know, Ms. Latrude, are you?”

  Sophia pushed her lips together. Agent Crippin called another man over and handed her ID to him. “Make sure she is who she says she is.” The man nodded, then left.

  “What are you doing on this plane? You’re not on the manifest.”

  “My mistake,” Dmitri said. “I took her to dinner to discuss business. She is starting a secondment with—”

  “So you said earlier. Can you not speak?”

  “I can. Yes, I’m here for dinner, and no, I don’t have any control over the plane manifest. Sorry,” Sophia said. It was unwise to allow the bite in her tone, but she slipped it in anyway.

  “A business dinner?” Agent Crippin asked.

  “Yes,” Sophia answered.

  And there it is. She’d just lied to a federal agent. It wasn’t a business dinner, not by a long shot. She kept her face a composed neutral mask as her insides churned, threatening to betray her.

  “And what did you discuss?” Agent Crippin asked.

  “Confidential matters. Do I need an attorney? Am I under arrest? If not, I’d like to go.”

  Mr. Crippin opened his mouth to answer when a series of excited yells emanated from the plane.

  A short woman wearing a black vest approached with a stack of papers. “Sir, this might be interesting.”

  Agent Crippin shot a triumphant hard look at Dmitri before shuffling through the papers.

  Anger flashed through Sophia at his haughty look, which was followed by an overwhelming sense of shame. These were federal agents, men and women who sacrificed so much to protect her country. How dare she feel anger? They were doing their jobs. She was the one in the wrong. They were good, honest people.

  Dmitri crossed his arms over his chest. He never once even glanced at Sophia. She felt his distance and knew he was pulling away in every sense.

  “EUC’s for light weapons,” Agent Crippin said. “Quite the collection
.”

  “Yes, they are. And they are all legal,” Dmitri said.

  “Uh huh, sure,” Agent Crippin said. He raised his voice. “We’ve got enough here. Take him into custody.”

  Sophia covered her mouth with her hand, not bothering to hide her shock as Dmitri was handcuffed.

  “Do not worry,” he said in Russian to her as they pinned his big arms behind his back. “They have a saying in my country: Little thieves are hanged, big ones escape.”

  “English!” Agent Crippin shouted. “What did he say? Do we have a translator?” he shouted to the agents around them. Several of them shook their heads.

  He didn’t even think to ask Sophia if she understood. She was used to being underestimated. How she must look to him—a curvy blond in a tight dress with a dangerous man at night. He probably thought she was some cheap slut.

  He didn’t know she’d finished high school at sixteen, had an undergraduate degree at nineteen, and a master’s at twenty-one. He didn’t know she was trilingual. He didn’t know she was head of HR for one of the largest oil companies in the world.

  But with all that, she was a fool. Why else would she be at a private airport being questioned by federal agents while her date was handcuffed?

  She watched them take Dmitri, pushing him down to fit into the back seat of the car. She was left alone with the agent.

  She focused her eyes on Agent Crippin. He’d been conversing with the guy who had her ID. Agent Crippin handed her driver’s license back to her. “This checked out, and so did you.”

  “Thank you.” She took the ID and tucked it back into her clutch.

  His face softened. “Do you have someone you can call to come get you? You’re free to go.”

  She nodded as she pulled out her phone.

  He handed her his card. “I may have questions for your later, and you’ll need to answer them. This is an ongoing federal investigation.”

  “I understand, and I will cooperate.” She took the card. “But I really don’t know how I could possibly help.”

  He stared at her, tilting his head to the side. “I believe you,” he finally said. He stepped closer, glancing at the tinted-windows of the car that contained Dmitri. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Look, you seem like a nice girl, squeaky clean background and all that. My guy just looked you up on the internet. He says you’re super well educated. Stay the fuck away from this guy. Quit your job if you need to. I’m serious.”

  She shifted her weight and stared at her shoes. She was ashamed. Ashamed that someone would have to tell her that.

  “This is your chance. Walk away, never look back, and stay away. You’ll live a safe and happy life if you do. Dmitri is very dangerous.”

  She nodded. “I didn’t realize...I didn’t know…” She stopped her excuses, because they were all lies.

  He put the palm of his hand on the side of his head, running it down his face. His voice came out so low, she had to stain to hear him over the bustle of activity around them. “He’s so dangerous that my family is being guarded while I work this case, okay? My children aren’t safe because I got assigned to this task force. You feel me? Run.”

  She snapped up to meet his face, finding nothing but genuine concern. She bit her lip, fighting back her tears.

  He walked away, leaving her alone to face herself.

  Holy shit. She’d been so stupid. So blind. So dumb.

  And she was afraid. Really fucking scared, as she should be. He’d already held a gun on her that very first day she met him. Within a few short days, she’d given him her body. She came onto him. She arranged the meeting. She pursued him, and she fucked him.

  She put her hand to her mouth.

  Oh, God. I need help.

  Something is wrong with me.

  She pulled out her phone, desperately searching for a lifeline.

  Andrea.

  Chapter 12

  Andrea agreed to come, of course. Sophia meandered around the car where they were holding Dmitri. She couldn’t see anything through the blacked out window, but she knew he was there. She wondered if he was watching her, even now.

  But she couldn’t think like that anymore. Starting now. She walked away without another glance. I am strong. I’ve been through worse. I’ve had the worst. I’ve lost my family.

  She had her gaze down at her feet as she made her way away from the hangar, so she didn’t see Gram and Baldy leaning against a large SUV, in handcuffs.

  “Suka,” Baldy said as she walked by. “I told him you’d be nothing but trouble.” He spat, missing her by inches.

  She paused, mid-step. Suka meant bitch, and he knew that she knew that. Anger overwhelmed her and pushed back her damn of fear. She turned to him and then stepped closer until she was inches away from his face. “Go fuck yourself, asshole. I hope you enjoy prison. I’m sure you’ll be very, very popular.”

  He lunged towards her. She screamed and jumped back, nearly losing her balance on her heels. She remained upright, but he fell hard, face first into the gravel. She smiled as a nearby agent pounced on top of him, restraining him as he struggled violently.

  “You fucking cunt! I’ll fucking kill you myself!” he screamed.

  “Oh, shut up,” the agent said. He pulled Baldy roughly to his feet and slammed him against the SUV.

  Her blood ran cold. She stumbled backwards, moving away from him. She mentally reached for Dmitri, almost instinctively wanting him to protect her. But Dmitri wasn’t shelter from the storm, he was the storm.

  She ran away. Away from the swarm of agents. Away from the cluster of cars. Away from a still screaming Baldy. Away from Dmitri.

  She stopped at the edge of the driveway, far away from the hanger. She started walking down the road, waiting for Andrea.

  She almost cried with relief when she saw Andrea’s silver car speeding toward her.

  Andrea slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car, leaving her door open and the engine running. Her car’s insistent dinging filled the air. “Sophia? What happened?”

  She got closer. Sophia tried to wipe the tears off her face, but it was too late. Andrea had already seen it all. Andrea hugged her, then stepped back, leaving their hands entwined.

  Her long black hair was held back with a scarf, her long lashes dark against her pale cheeks. She’d traded her daytime trendy business attire for yoga pants and a form-fitting tank top. “What the hell is all this?” She gestured towards the SUVs and agents milling about. “Are those FBI agents?” She squinted at the letters on the back of the windbreaker of the nearest agent.

  “Some of them are, I think. It’s a long story. Can you take me home?” Sophia said.

  “Of course!” Andrea squeezed her hand and then walked back to the car. They both got in.

  Andrea carefully backed away from the mess of cars and then left the airport. “You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” Her gaze was fixed out the windshield. “I knew something was up. You’ve been a little…distant lately.”

  Sophia took a deep breath, pushing the tears back. “You’re going to be mad at me.”

  Andrea pushed her lips together. “Probably, but I’m still going to love you.” She adjusted the AC in the car, glancing at Sophia while she did.

  Sophia was silent; her shame was strong. She wanted to lie to Andrea, and maybe she should, to protect her.

  But Andrea was her best friend; she was like a sister to her. She’d always been there for her. She’d held her on the long night after Josh and Landon died. She’d fed her cat when Sophia was too depressed to get out of bed and then found him a loving home when she realized Sophia wouldn’t be able to care for him anymore. She’d driven her to the therapist’s office. She’d taken care of Sophia until she could function again.

  Andrea spoke again. “What’s happening here, Soph? Explain why you’ve called me at 11:30 at night from this swanky executive airport that’s swarming with law enforcement officers.” She turned her head to look at Sophia. “And you’re wearing
a fuck-me dress. Who was it for?”

  “I had dinner, in New Orleans.”

  Andrea nodded. “Okay. That’s a good start. With whom?”

  “Dmitri.”

  “And who is Dmitri?” Andrea flipped on her turn signal. She rotated in her seat to check her blind spot and then froze. Sophia watched her face grow pale. She could almost hear the wheels turning in her bright little head.

  Andrea pulled over. She stared at her steering wheel for several seconds before she spoke. “Oh my fucking God,” she whispered. “Dmitri Davydov?”

  Sophia jerked her head to the side. “How did you know his full name?”

  “Oh, God. I can’t believe this.” Andrea exhaled loudly, her breath shaky. The level of her emotion was a surprise to Sophia. “Because I researched EBCasp National and him when you told me about your secondment. Because I was worried. Because I’d heard things.” She folded her hands over her steering wheel. “Shit, Sophia. Why were you going out to dinner with him? Were you alone with him? Did he threaten you or something?”

  Sophia stared at her lap. “No. He wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “What!?” Andrea shouted. “What do you mean he wouldn’t hurt you? That makes it sound like you know him pretty well.” She twisted in her seat. “How well do you know him? Was this not the first time you’ve seen him?”

  Sophia rested her elbow on the door, massaging her forehead. She searched for the right words to explain what she’d done, but she couldn’t find them.

  “Soph?” Andrea said, her voice coming out as a squeak. “Please tell me that you’re not romantically involved with him. Please.”

  Sophia dropped her hand from her face. “I am. I was,” she whispered.

  Andrea’s mouth dropped open, and she pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh, my God. This keeps getting worse and worse.” She stared for several seconds and then turned her attention to the front of the car. She mechanically turned off the emergency blinkers, checked traffic and then merged onto the road.