Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

They'd laughed and talked and made love and then did it all again as the night eventually moved toward morning, and when Alisa woke up to the sunshine streaming through the blinds and an empty spot in the bed next to her, she felt deliciously exhausted, and her only regret was that Jason had gotten up before her. But it was almost nine o'clock on Saturday morning, and it was time to face the day, something Jason had already gotten up to do.

She took a quick shower and dressed in jeans and a sweater, throwing on a pair of comfortable shoes, and then made her way downstairs. Jason was in the den, and he was on the phone. She moved into the open doorway, not sure if she should eavesdrop, but he gave her a smile and waved her into the room.

"She'll be there soon," he promised.

"Are you talking about me? I'll be where soon?" she asked as soon as he put down the phone.

"The hospital. Your mother is fine," he added quickly. "I was just checking in. The nurse said your mom is hoping to see you this morning, and I assured her you'd be in shortly." He stepped forward and put his arms around her. "Get rid of that guilty look on your face. Everything is fine. Your mother is good. "

She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but honest sincerity. "You'll always tell me the truth, right, Jason? You won't pretend or try to make things sound better than they are."

"I have a difficult time doing that, so I will always tell you the truth," he said solemnly.

"Good. Because I'm living in a world where it's hard to trust anyone, but I do trust you."

"I trust you, too," he said.

Their gazes met for a long second, memories of the night they'd shared flowing between them. And then he leaned down and kissed her, setting off an explosion of feeling inside of her. This man had really gotten under her skin, and she lingered in his arms, in his kiss, hating to break the connection between them because this was where she felt the best, this was where she felt like herself.

It was strange to think a man she hadn't known a week ago had become so deeply entangled in her life, but it also felt right, like they were two halves of a whole that had suddenly found their way back together.

She didn't know if he felt the same way. He liked her, obviously. But she was probably more emotionally invested than he was. He'd certainly tried to warn her that he wasn't looking for a relationship, so she needed to keep things light.

The sound of the phone vibrating on the desk disrupted the moment.

Jason grabbed the phone and said, "It's Flynn. I need to take this."

"Okay, I'm going to grab some coffee."

As she walked out of the den, she heard him say, "Flynn, what's up?"

Whatever Flynn had to say was long because she didn't hear anything come out of Jason's mouth. Hopefully, it was nothing horrible, but she had a feeling her dream night was over.

Jason walked into the kitchen after getting off the phone with Flynn, more eager to see Alisa than he should be. He'd gotten out of bed early, thinking that was the best way to start off the day. Get his walls up and keep them up. But as soon as she'd walked into the den, he'd wanted to take her in his arms, and that's what he'd done. It was probably good Flynn had called, or they might have ended up back in the bedroom, and there was too much at stake to let that happen. Their momentary escape was over—at least for now.

Alisa was drinking coffee and buttering a waffle that had just popped out of the toaster. She gave him a wary and worried look. "Is there news about my dad?"

"They're still looking for him. And Henry Cavendish's condition is still critical but stable. He's hanging in there."

"That's good."

"My team also picked up Tatiana Guseva. She asked for a lawyer, but we're going to hold her as long as we can and put pressure on her to give up any information she has, if not on Novikov, perhaps others in his circle."

"It doesn't sound like anyone in Novikov's circle will ever speak against him. Why would they? They'll just end up dead, like Victor Kashin." She paused, giving him a thoughtful look. "Do you think Tatiana would speak to me, Jason? If she knew my father, maybe if she heard from me, she'd think of him as a human being again, maybe she'd care that it wasn't just the FBI looking for him but also his daughter, a daughter who loves him."

He could see how badly she wanted to help, but he knew it wouldn't work. "The fact she gave your father's location to Novikov doesn't suggest that she would care you're looking for him. Like Novikov, she probably thinks your father is a traitor and deserves whatever he gets."

"Well, I could still try."

"I'm not saying no, but I need to talk to her first, see where her head's at. If she's truly worried about dying of cancer, maybe she'll have a different perspective on the rest of her life. "

"Like maybe she doesn't want to spend it in jail," Alisa suggested.

"Exactly. The other piece of news was that there was a break-in at Henry's lab last night. A janitor reported it to hospital security early this morning. Someone from my team went to the lab, and there are several canisters of hazardous materials missing."

Her jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. And Lauren Silenski is not at home. Her phone is also dead."

Alisa gave him a confused look. "I don't understand what part she has played in any of this. I never liked her, but what did she actually do?"

"I don't know, but maybe Tatiana or one of her friends saw potential in the lab when Tatiana was looking into clinical trials. They could have tried to buy someone off to get their hands on hazardous materials."

"Someone like Lauren?"

"Possibly. She also could have just disappeared after what happened to Henry. She might have been afraid they'd come after her."

"Maybe you can leverage the clinical trial to get Tatiana to talk," Alisa suggested. "If she doesn't tell you what she knows, she's out of the trial."

"That's pretty ruthless for a nurse."

"Well, we're dealing with ruthless people," she said without apology. "And if she's the one who outed my dad and put him in danger, I don't care what happens to her."

"I understand. I'll talk to her about everything, but I'm also concerned about what's missing from the lab. Whatever was taken is probably in Novikov's hands."

"And my father's," she said with a sigh.

"You should eat that waffle before it gets cold," he said, seeing her entire demeanor shift into the exhausted, terrified, overwhelmed woman he'd brought back from the motel last night. Their escape from reality was over. "Is there another waffle?"

"Yes, take this one. I'll pop another one in," she said, handing him the plate as she reached for the box of frozen waffles.

"Thanks." He was happy to put something in his stomach before they started what was probably going to be a grueling day.

"You're welcome." She gave him a wary look as she waited for the toaster to heat her waffle. "I know we agreed on no morning-after conversations."

"We should stick to that," he said quickly.

"I was just going to say it was really good." She gave a helpless shrug. "But I feel a little guilty that I spent the night enjoying myself and you and not…"

"Not what? There was nothing you could do last night to find your father or anything else. You know that, Alisa."

"It just feels a little wrong, but you were wonderful, and I don't regret it."

"Good, because I don't regret it either." How could he feel bad about what happened? The passion between them was off the charts, but it was also the conversation they'd shared, the laughs, and the feeling of being completely in sync that had been more than he'd expected. The only thing he was sorry about was that the night was over. "You didn't betray your love for your dad by sleeping with me or laughing at a silly movie. I know how much you love him and how worried you are about him. There was nothing you could do last night to affect anything."

"I don't know what I can do today. I feel helpless, Jason. And I'm really scared about what's coming next."

"I'm worried, too. But all we can do is keep moving on. Today is a new day. We start again."

"You always tell me what I need to hear, thank you."

Her words gave him another reason to be wary of the connection developing between them because he had never really thought that much about wanting to make someone feel better. But he always felt that way with her .

However, he couldn't let his feelings for Alisa distract him from finding the man who had killed his father and would kill hers, too, if he didn't stop him. It was time to get back to work.

Jason dropped her off at her mother's room around ten, and while she waited for her mother to wake up, Alisa re-read the letter her father had left behind in the motel room. She needed to share it, along with everything else she'd learned, and she hoped her mom would be well-rested for the conversation because she was going to need some strength to get through it.

Her mother opened her eyes and stretched, giving her a happy smile. "It's good to see your face. You look better today, Alisa. You must have gotten a good night's sleep."

She really hadn't slept more than an hour or two, but she wasn't going to tell her mom about that. "How are you feeling today?" she asked as she got to her feet and walked over to the bed, leaving the letter on the chair. She wasn't quite ready to get into that.

"Much better. I woke up around six, and the nurse took more blood from me. But I was able to stay awake for two hours. I had breakfast, and I watched a movie on the television. I was going to look at my phone, but I don't seem to have it."

"It's with the nurse so she can bring it to you when we need to talk to you."

"Oh, well, I'll have to get that back at some point. Have you heard from your father?"

"In a way."

Her mother's brows narrowed with worry. "What does that mean? Please tell me he's all right, Alisa."

Her mother's anxiety was suddenly very, very real, and she had to stop it from escalating. "I think he's all right for now," she said carefully. "Jason and I found the motel where he was staying, and he had started a letter to you and me. I have it." She turned around and picked up the letter.

"Let me see it," her mom said, pushing herself into a sitting position.

She didn't immediately hand over the letter. "Before you read this, I have to tell you I know Dad's secret. I know who he used to be, and I need to tell you about that because then the letter will make more sense."

"Then tell me."

"Dad grew up in Eastern Europe, maybe the Soviet Union, I'm not entirely sure, but I do know he wasn't a teacher. He was a chemist. At some point, a terrorist tried to use him to advance a chemical weapons attack. Dad was able to stop it, and in doing so, the US gave him asylum. He was given a new identity and was told he could never work as a chemist again, so he became a teacher. From that point on, he lived a normal life with us as Dan Hunt."

Her mother stared at her in shock. "That sounds crazy, Alisa. Your father isn't Russian."

"I think he is, Mom. The terrorist he worked for, and the people he used to know, they're all Russian. But when he told you he was changing his life for the better, he wasn't lying. He was telling the truth."

"I always knew that. Where is he now?"

"I don't know. But during the last year, Dad confided in Henry. Henry was having trouble with his therapies, and Dad wanted to help him. He wanted to use his brilliant mind to further the cure for cancer, so he told Henry who he was, and he started helping him on the weekends."

"They weren't playing golf or going fishing? He was working in Henry's lab?"

"Yes. Which probably would have been fine except that, by some random coincidence, someone from Dad's past saw him there and told the people he ran away from where he was. Now, Dad is on the run from the same terrorist he was forced to work with in Russia, and the FBI thinks there's an attack in the making. They're working hard to find Dad and to stop whatever is being planned."

Her mother's face had now lost all of its color. "Is your father all right?"

"The FBI is convinced he's alive."

"Because this terrorist needs him?"

"Yes."

"I want to read the letter." Her mother put out her hand. "Give it to me."

She handed her mom the letter and sat back in her chair, giving her mother time and space to absorb her father's words, the last words he might ever say to them.

Jason sat down across the table from Tatiana Guseva, a very thin, frail-looking woman whose brown hair had turned white and whose weary, dark eyes were unreadable. She was in her fifties, but she appeared much older than she had three years ago when he'd interviewed her after the courthouse bombing.

"Hello, Tatiana, we meet again."

"I'm not surprised. You swore you would get revenge for your father's death, even though that had nothing to do with me, just as whatever is happening now has nothing to do with me."

"Except that it does. You told your boyfriend that his former associate, Alexei Bruno, was in LA working under another name."

"I don’t know who you're talking about."

"Sure, you do. You met Arseni Novikov when you were sixteen years old and started dating him seriously in your twenties. You were a ballerina. He was in the KGB. But then he went into the Bratva, and you moved to Paris. Some say you were the only woman he ever loved, if such a man is capable of love. Alexei Bruno was working for Novikov during the years you were together. You knew him, whether or not you care to admit it."

Tatiana stared back at him without saying a word. She'd spent enough time in Novikov's world to understand how important it was to keep her mouth shut.

"Did you know that the lab where you want to do your clinical trial was broken into last night? That the man who might be able to save your life was beaten up and shot and is in critical condition?"

Her gaze flickered slightly at his words.

"Did you realize that telling Novikov that Alexei Bruno was in LA might backfire on you? That the drug treatment you desperately need might no longer be available if the doctor is dead? If the canisters from the lab that are now missing might be vital to the clinical trial?" He let his words sink in, then said, "You need to help us find Novikov. It's time to decide how badly you want to live, Tatiana."

"I haven't spoken to Arseni in years," she said.

"But you've talked to Dominic Ilyin, and he's in LA, too. Did you tell Dominic you saw Alexei?"

"I asked for my lawyer several hours ago. It doesn't take that long to get here. Where is he?"

He ignored her question. "You're in serious trouble, Tatiana. We couldn't link you to the courthouse bombing, but we can connect you to the lab, to Cavendish, to the missing canister, to Dominic Ilyin. Is Novikov's life worth more than yours? How can you want to protect a man you haven't seen or spoken to a decade? You've built your life here in Los Angeles. You teach little girls how to dance ballet. They could all be dead in a matter of days. How can you live with yourself?"

"I don't know anything," she said, her lips tight, but he could see the crack in her walls, and he pressed harder.

"You know something. Do you really want to let the treatment that could save your life be destroyed by your ex-boyfriend's terrorist attack? "

She swallowed hard. "I don't know what's going to happen."

"What do you know?"

"If I talk to you, I want immunity. And I want to be in that clinical trial. Otherwise, there's no point in me speaking."

"Done," he said.

"I want it in writing."

"Not until I decide if your information is worth making a deal for. If it is, you'll get your immunity and the clinical trial, if it can still go on."

"I didn't tell Arseni about Alexei. I didn't tell anyone."

"We already know that you saw him."

"I saw him when I was in the lab talking to one of the lab technicians about the trial. He was walking down the hall, and he went into Henry's office. I wasn't completely sure it was him. I only met him a few times, many years ago."

"If you didn't tell Novikov about Alexei, who did?"

"Dominic had driven me to the lab. He occasionally visited me when he came to Los Angeles. Dominic and I were childhood friends. He's the one who introduced me to Arseni. I never imagined what the two of them would eventually become. But when I realized their activities were beyond anything I could handle, I left Moscow. I moved to Paris, and I haven't seen Arseni in at least fifteen years."

"But you have seen Dominic. Did he also see Alexei in the lab?"

"He didn't come to the lab with me. He was waiting for me in the downstairs lobby. He was going to give me a ride home. He saw Alexei come into the building, but Alexei didn't see him. When I eventually went down to the lobby, Dominic was agitated and already on the phone. He paused long enough to ask me if I'd seen Alexei upstairs. I lied and said I hadn't. I expressed disbelief that Alexei could be in LA. But Dominic was sure, and he told me he had a friend in the lab. He was going to get her to confirm that Alexei was working there."

"Who was the friend? "

"Lauren Silenski. She's the reason I went there. Dominic got me an appointment months ahead of when I was unable to get in on my own. He said he'd worked with Lauren's brother at some point."

"Where is Dominic now?"

She hesitated.

He leaned forward, holding her gaze. "You need to tell us, Tatiana. That's the deal. You know that if Dominic and Alexei are working for Novikov, something terrible is going to happen."

She gave him a long look, then said, "Dominic is staying at a condo in a high-rise that's under construction. He knows the contractor, and they gave him access to the model unit that was already completed. It's called the Elliott Tower. It's in Century City. I don't know the address."

"Is Arseni staying with Dominic?"

"I didn't ask, and he didn't say. But if either of them learns I betrayed them, they'll kill me. And it won't be fast, it will be slow and painful because I pledged them my silence years ago. I don't want to die. I want that clinical trial. I want to survive this. I am not part of their lives. I don't want to hurt people."

She might not want to hurt people now that her life was also on the line, but she'd been happy to look the other way for a very long time. "What's Dominic's number? How do you communicate with him?"

"He calls or texts from different numbers. We don't communicate that often. I hadn't heard from him in a long time until a few months ago. He reached out to me, and I had a weak moment when I told him I was sick. I thought back to a time when we were kids, when we were friends. He wanted to help me, and I wanted him to help me." She shrugged. "I didn't know Dominic was coming to LA until he showed up a few weeks ago. He doesn't tell me about his plans, and I don't ask. If I knew what was going on, I would tell you." She paused. "Now, I want that deal in writing. "

He got to his feet. "We'll check out the Elliott Tower, and then we'll get you the paperwork."

After leaving the interrogation room, he stepped into the room next door where Flynn and Savannah had been watching his interview.

"Hell of a job," Flynn said, with approval in his eyes. "I didn't think she'd crack."

"You pushed the right buttons," Savannah said.

"We'll see. We need to check out the Elliott Tower."

"Already assembling a team," Flynn said. "We'll leave in ten minutes."

He hoped that wasn't ten minutes too long.