23. Raven

23

RAVEN

"Maybe I should go in with you," Nicholas said for the tenth time.

Rolling my eyes, I shoved my knife in the strap at my boot. "If you went in with me, it would defeat the purpose of the meet. It's supposed to look like I came alone, with only Ivan as my intermediary."

"I don't like the idea of you being alone."

"Nicholas, your entire team is going to have my back. That's why we agreed to meet at this location."

I started to walk away, but he grabbed me by the arm, swinging me back to face him. "This is serious. These are Russians. They could kill you as soon as you walk through the door, then bury your body where no one would ever find you."

"But you'll be there in the shadows and you won't let that happen," I said slowly. "Besides, there's no point in dragging anyone else into this. The plan is solid. It'll work."

"And if it doesn't?"

"It will," I said, placing my hand on his cheek to soothe him. I ran my fingertips over the scruff lining his jaw. His eyes slid closed, but the tension in his body was still strung tight.

"It fucking better work."

His lips met mine in a flurry of passion and need for just a moment. Then he turned on his heel and stormed away, slamming the door behind him.

I watched the door for a moment, still lost in the kiss. What would happen when this was over? Would we go our separate ways and never see each other again? Or would we find a way to make this work?

"He is in love with you."

I nearly gasped at the deep sound of Ivan's voice. I didn't know he'd walked into the room or that he had been listening. Turning, I pretended not to be affected at all by Nicholas or his kiss.

"He's worried about the job. That's it." I grabbed the bag and made sure the eggs were secured inside.

"He is worried about you." Ivan walked around the table, picking up a glass and the bottle of scotch. "Is good thing to have a man like him."

Ignoring him, I continued to get ready for the job. My outfit was all black, tight and concealing multiple weapons. With my hair down, I had a more innocent appearance, though I doubted it would fool them. And even though I hated carrying a gun, I slid one into the holster at the small of my back and pulled on my leather jacket to cover it.

"He will not stop, Raven."

"Won't stop what?" I asked, playing stupid.

"He will not stop running to you. A man like him, you could shoot him in the chest and he would still fight for you."

Somehow, his thick Russian accent made that sound so much more…heartwarming than if an American had said it. Maybe it was because of the perceived notion that Russians loved harder, but I actually believed it when he said it.

"I guess we'll find out when this is over." Turning to him, I put on my game face. "Are you ready?"

"I am always ready."

We drove to the meet, and even though I knew I had OPS at my back and even Ivan, I couldn't help the feeling of apprehension that washed over me. This could be it. I might never have another stolen kiss with Nicholas or feel his skin under my fingertips again. I tried so hard to keep him at a distance that I hadn't considered what would happen if he was taken away.

And yet, I couldn't regret how I got here.

I loved my work. I loved the thrill of figuring out how to pull the next job. Death had never been a part of it before, though I knew deep down that the consequences for getting caught could be deadly. Still, most of my concerns centered around silencing the alarms or breaking into a safe. And the really fun jobs were in more high-security areas like museums.

I knew that if we pulled this off, it would be damn hard to walk away from my life. And that's why I shoved everything aside to think about later. It didn't matter what would happen. I had to wait for the outcome, only then would it even be worth considering the multiple possibilities of my future. Until then, it was just idle speculation.

"They are early," Ivan said, his eyes slowly meeting mine.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"That depends if you trust the Russians."

"Do you?"

He chuckled lightly. "I never trust anyone, especially my own kinsman."

Well, that made me feel better. Getting out, I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked with confidence into the abandoned building. The broken out windows and dilapidated roof only added to the feel of ambivalence toward the situation.

"Why is it you guys always meet in abandoned buildings and warehouses?"

"I should think the answer is fairly clear," Ivan retorted.

It was. I just didn't like it. Easier to make a mess, easier to get away with murder…easier for no one to know you were ever there.

"You know, at least in my line of work there's an element of sophistication."

"Yes, I imagine when your partner tried to kill you, he was thinking that very thing."

He shoved the door open and walked through, leading the charge as he approached his fellow countrymen. There were four of them, all as formidable as the next. Words flowed from his tongue in a language I had never bothered to learn. Aside from having no interest in ever visiting Russia, the language was extremely complicated.

I watched intently as he exchanged what I thought were pleasantries. The other men seemed to know him and like him, but still showed no signs of ease. It made me wonder what their demeanor would have been if I had shown up alone. I'd probably be laying on the ground with a bullet in the center of my forehead. Then again, that seemed almost too nice for men like this. Perhaps some torture would have been in the works first for killing some of their men.

"Raven, you have the pieces," Ivan said, motioning me forward.

I took a few hesitant steps when the man across from me moved his hand toward the gun at his hip. Dressed impeccably in black suits, you would never know they were killers if you met them on the streets.

Then one of them grinned at me, his smile promising pain if only he could get his hands on me. Okay, maybe anyone with a brain could see just how dangerous these men were.

I unzipped the bag and pulled out one of the eggs from the wrappings, holding it up for them to see.

"Hand it over," the man ordered.

"No."

"Raven—" Ivan started.

"What assurances do I have that when I hand these over, you'll let me walk away?"

"You'll just have to trust us," the man grinned.

"Not good enough."

His smile faded and Ivan shifted closer. "This is not part of the plan."

"Excuse me if I don't trust my life to you. I don't even know you."

"If you don't give us the eggs, we'll just shoot you and take them from you," the man offered. "It makes no difference to me."

A door to the side opened and everyone turned, drawing their guns as a man moved out of the shadows, followed by three other men. When he stepped into the light, I gasped.

Henry Allsebrook

"Yes, shoot her," he laughed.

"Who are you?" the Russian asked.

"I'm the owner of those artifacts, and I insist you return them."

"Thief!" the Russian yelled. "Those were gifts to the Imperial family of Russia. They do not belong to English scum like you!"

"I bought them, as did other men over the last hundred years."

"Yes, but these were stolen. These are three of the eight that were lost?—"

"Yes, when your own country turned on their leader and had him slaughtered," Henry smiled. "They didn't even have a proper burial. Thrown in some pit, only to be dug up fifty-some years later. I can see why you would hold these eggs in such high regard," he said sarcastically.

The Russians tensed and I knew things were about to get bad. I took a hesitant step forward, hoping to get them both to back down. "But technically, the English and the Russians are related."

"We are not," the Russian scoffed, spitting on the ground.

"Uh…yes, you are," I said quickly, hoping I was remembering my history as well as I thought. "Queen Victoria had children and grandchildren married off all across Europe. In fact, King George was cousins with the Emperor, wasn't he?"

"And where was King George when the Emperor needed his help?" the Russian spat. "He abandoned him! He is no family. No Englishman will ever be friend or family."

"He wouldn't have needed saving if he hadn't destroyed his own country!" Allsebrook shouted.

Well, it looked like pointing out the familial ties wasn't the way to go. If anything, I probably made it worse.

"Maybe you should keep your mouth shut," Ivan suggested quietly.

I nodded. "Good idea."

"Gentlemen," Ivan stepped forward. "It appears we have a bit of a situation on our hands." He turned to Allsebrook. "I can understand that you want the eggs. They are yours, after all."

The Russians yelled something at Ivan and the temperature in the room kicked up ten degrees.

Ivan held up his hand to silence them. "However, it would only be fair that whoever offers the best price will receive the eggs."

What? That was not part of the deal. It was supposed to be the eggs in exchange for my life. Now he was going to allow them to bid on the eggs? Where did that leave me? If Allsebrook outbid the Russians, there would be no way the price on my head would disappear. I would be as good as dead.

Suddenly, aligning myself with Ivan didn't look like it was going to pan out so well for me.

"We had a deal," the Russian spat.

"Ah, but that is life, my friend."

"I'll give you ten million," Allsebrook announced.

"You know they're worth more than that."

"Yes, I do. She stole them from me, after all."

I felt like the bidding was on my head as the Russians countered. Allsebrook didn't give in, tossing out escalating numbers every time the Russians raised the bid. I let my eyes roam over the room, even though I was supposed to be solely focused on the bidding. I couldn't help but wonder where OPS was, if they were listening, and if they had a way out of this for me.

"Enough!" the Russian shouted, drawing a second gun and pointing it right at Ivan. "I will shoot you right now and take what is mine!"

"That would not be wise," Ivan said, all traces of humor gone from his expression.

"And why not?"

I gasped when I saw the dot on the Russian's chest. That wasn't part of the plan either. There weren't supposed to be any snipers in any part of this scenario. Yes, OPS was there for the grand finale, but we never discussed having an all-out war!

The Russian looked down and brushed at the red dot on his chest. His eyes scanned the building, finally settling on the northwest corner. I followed his line of sight, surprised when someone stepped out of the shadows from the second floor landing. I had no idea who he was, but Ivan laughed as if the whole thing was hilarious.

"Who are you?" the Russian asked.

The man slowly walked down the wooden stairs, his eyes never leaving the Russians. "I am Peter….the direct descendant of Peter Carl Fabergé. These eggs…they belong to me."

Talk about mind blown. I wasn't sure what I was more surprised about—that this man had somehow found us, or that he was French.

"They do not belong to you, French Swine!" the Russian shouted.

"Man, these guys really don't like each other," I muttered to Ivan.

He chuckled, rocking back on his heels. "Yes, I thought this might be good touch."

I shook my head in confusion. "You thought what would be a good touch?"

"My dear, I orchestrated this whole…thing. I call Allsebrook and the Frenchman."

Now, I was really fucking confused. "Why would you call all of them? You're going to start a war!"

"It is point," he shrugged. "Watch and learn."

"Ivan—" I hissed, but he was already walking into the fray.

"Gentleman, there are three eggs. I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement."

"Yes, you hand them over as promised," the Russian hissed.

"They belong to me!" Allsebrook shouted.

"My family created the eggs. They should be returned to us!"

They all converged on each other, yelling and screaming as they waved their weapons in the air. I backed up a step, only to feel something hard pressed into my back. Slowly, I turned and saw Allesbrook's men nudging me forward. There was nowhere for me to go. I had no way out, and this was all Ivan's doing. Some sick game that he liked to play because he hadn't had enough fun lately. What had he said? It had been two weeks since he killed anyone. And now he planned on getting us all shot.

"I'll take that," one of the men said, reaching for the bag.

I jerked it out of his grasp, only to have another hand grab the strap. I found myself being torn between the three interested parties, all of them clawing to get their hands on the bag. And the whole time, Ivan laughed as he watched chaos unfold.

"Ivan!" I shouted. But it didn't matter what the plan was. That had gone out the window a long time ago. I only had one course of action, and that was to set the real plan in motion. I slid my hand into my pocket and fumbled for the receiver as I swung the bag and clocked one of the men in the jaw.

I hit the button and ducked just as an explosion rocked the building. The men around me scattered, all of them taking cover as shrapnel flew through the air and the building started to crumble just twenty yards from me. That was perhaps a little too close, but there was no other way. I took the bag and ran, only to be tackled from behind. I hit the ground hard, my chin snapping against the floor painfully. I felt blood ooze from my chin, but fought off the wave of nausea and rolled over, kicking the man in the chest who was trying to pry the bag from my fingers.

He fell backward just as another man approached. I was quickly running out of time and space to fight this battle. I pulled a knife from my boot and flung it at the next man who approached, hitting him in the shoulder as I hoped. I rolled and grabbed my weapon from my holster, but never got a chance to fire. A bullet pierced my shoulder just as I spun. The force of the bullet knocked me back a step and I lost my grip on my gun. It clattered to the ground, right at the feet of the Russian who was about to attack me.

I took a deep breath, hoping this all went off without a hitch. I pulled my left arm back and swung the bag with all my might. The man snatched the bag before I could release it, and then kicked me in the chest, sending me spiraling backward. The force of the blow knocked the wind from my lungs, leaving me gasping for air.

I rolled to the side just in time to watch the man open the bag and release the second egg. The world exploded again, only this time, I never saw the aftermath.