Chapter Six

N ever in a million years did Mia think participating in the bar’s Sip when they’d been poor, they had worked together on various cons; and when they’d been horny, they had had sex.

Emotions never played a factor, and they used each other to get whatever was needed at the time. Like now, Saint needed a safehouse and some equipment. And, of course, Nadia would need something in return. He didn’t know what yet, but he knew she’d demand a favor. It was inevitable.

For the rest of the flight, Saint dozed on and off, the steady rumble of the plane’s engines lulling him into a light sleep filled with memories of Russia and his time there. They say you can never go home again, but in his case, the old adage didn’t hold true. He held no fond nostalgic memories of his childhood and certainly none when he’d been in the Bratva, prison and the FSS. His life in Russia had been hard and brutal in so many ways. The moment he’d been able to leave, he did so without looking back. But, he found out fast that even though he left the country, he’d never escape the pain of his past.

When Hunter announced they were on their final approach and told them to buckle up, Saint drew in a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. He didn’t return to Russia often, but whenever he did, he knew there was always the chance he wouldn’t leave. That his lifeless body would end up in a snow mound somewhere.

He’d told Braxton he had informants and friends—which was accurate, if incomplete, information. Because he also had enemies who’d sworn to kill him. Knowing who to trust was never easy, and if things went south with his contact, he had to make sure Mia got out safely. He pulled his emergency burner out and offered it to her.

“Take this.”

She accepted it and frowned. “Why’re you giving me your phone?”

“It’s a burner and there’s only one number on it. If something happens to me, call it and you’ll be connected to Pharaoh. There’s a tracking device that will show him your exact location. Keep it close to you.”

“Why would something happen to you?” she asked warily.

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t.”

◆◆◆

Mia looked out the ice-covered window as the jet landed smoothly despite the snow. It was everywhere out there, a winter wonderland, and looked beyond freezing cold. They’d both changed into warmer clothes earlier and a wave of anxiety filled her.

Once the plane taxied to a stop, the flight door opened and Hunter “Pyro” McGrath appeared. Her russet-colored hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she turned sharp brown eyes on Saint.

“I’d rather not hang out here too long,” Hunter said. “It’s colder than penguin snot and my Russian is rusty. Any idea how long this little trip will take?”

Saint shrugged a shoulder. “Hang tight. I’ll be in touch.”

“Not exactly the answer I wanted,” Hunter grumbled.

“Sorry, Pyro. I’ll do my best.” Nik turned his attention to Mia. “Zip your jacket up and put your gloves on. You’re not used to the kind of cold Mother Russia is capable of.”

“It’s negative fifteen out there,” Hunter informed them.

Mia pulled her hood up as Nik grinned. “That’s practically balmy,” he said and unlocked the cabin door.

An icy wind hit Mia’s face as she stepped onto the rolling stairs supplied by an airport crew member. “Oh, my God,” she whispered, shocked by the temperature. As a native Californian, she’d never experienced anything like it. The cold stung, piercing her exposed skin like icy needles and the bitter wind viciously sought to penetrate her clothes.

Stepping down onto the frozen tarmac, she glanced over to see Nik close his eyes and breathe in deeply. The man was home and seemed to practically revel in the polar vortex. Mia, on the other hand, started shaking. Her feet already felt frozen to the ground as she watched Nik talk in rapid-fire Russian to an airport employee. After he handed Nik a set of keys, Nik reached for her hand and tugged.

“C’mon, let’s get in the car before you freeze,” he said.

The engine was already running and when Nik opened the passenger side door, blessed heat poured out. Mia jumped in and he shut the door and circled around to the driver’s side. As he got in, Mia leaned closer to the vent, soaking up the warmth.

“Now I know what a popsicle feels like,” she chattered, and Nik threw his head back and laughed. It was the most genuine emotion she’d seen since they’d met at the bar. And she liked it.

“ Dobro pozhalovat' v Rossiyu, ” he said. “Welcome to Russia.”

She tried to smile, but her face was still numb. Maybe coming here wouldn’t be so bad, she told herself. Especially if he kept smiling at her like that. “Is it always this insanely cold?” she asked.

“No, it gets up into the seventies here in the summer. It’s just the winters that are a bitch.” He turned the car toward the road and hit the gas, maneuvering the vehicle through the snow with ease and experience.

“Where exactly are we?” The landscape was a frozen tundra that looked magical and inhospitable at the same time.

“Perm. Eastern Europe.” He pointed to a massive ridge of mountains in the distance. “Those are the Urals.”

“They’re ginormous.”

“You think it’s cold here, it’s probably negative thirty up there.”

Mia shivered at the mere thought of that kind of ungodly cold. As she turned to look back out the side window, she was startled when five black SUVs appeared and surrounded them. Her head whipped back to look at Nik, and she saw and felt him tense as he slowed down.

“What’s going on?” Mia leaned forward but couldn’t see a thing through the other cars’ blacked-out windows.

“Looks like our escort has arrived.”

“Nadia?”

He nodded. “You got the burner?”

“Yes.” She placed her hand over the lump in her pocket.

“Okay, good. This could go one of two ways—she’ll help us or try to kill us. Be prepared.”

Mia’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?” Wonderful. Just what she wanted. To die and have her body be tossed into a Russian snowbank.

As Nik allowed their SUV to be forcibly escorted along the road, Mia studied him closely, hoping to find reassurance. But even with his gloves on, she could tell he was gripping the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white, and his stubbled jaw was clenched. He’s not sure what’s going to happen, she realized.

After a ten-minute drive, they entered a small town and stopped outside what looked like a hole-in-the-wall bar or restaurant.

“Where are we?” Mia asked.

“C’mon, let’s find out.”

His words weren’t very reassuring, but she got out of the car and stuck close to Nik as a group of large, scary-looking Russians guided them inside. It was a dimly-lit tavern with scarred tables, wooden chairs, a bar and a roaring fire to chase away the chill. Even though the heat warmed her, Mia trembled.

A slim, very beautiful woman with sharp cheekbones, ebony hair and bright red lips strode out of a back room. Her feline-like green eyes zeroed in on Nik and she grinned a Cheshire-cat smile. “Welcome home, Nikolai,” she practically purred.

Mia glanced up at Nik whose expression remained unreadable.

“Hello, Nadia,” he said coolly.

The other woman began speaking a flurry of Russian then cast a curious, slightly amused look in Mia’s direction. Shifting uncomfortably, Mia wished she could speak the language.

“This is Mia,” Nik responded in English. “Mia, this is Nadia, an old…friend.”

Nadia’s perceptive gaze swept over Mia and she said something to Nik in Russian. Again, Nik answered in English, and Mia was incredibly grateful he purposely tried to keep her in the conversation.

“We’re looking for her father, Chadwick Carlisle. He was last seen here in Perm and I was hoping you might be able to help.”

“Perhaps.” Nadia motioned for them to sit, and the moment they were situated in the hardback chairs, one of the men set glasses in front of them and filled each one with vodka.

Ugh. Normally when Mia drank vodka it was flavored or in a mixed drink. This stuff was the real deal, though, and would probably make her grow hair on her chest. Thankfully, nobody touched the glasses, so she didn’t either.

“We need a place to stay, too,” Nik said carefully, eyeing the scattered men around the room. There were twelve of them, and he was keeping a close watch. Mia knew he had a gun, a really big one, but she was pretty sure they all did. A gun could only hold so many bullets and Nik could only fire it so fast.

Nadia leaned forward, dipping her shoulder slightly. “You help us, we help you,” she said in a low voice that sounded far too seductive to Mia’s ears.

“What do you want?” he asked carefully.

“Petrov has one of my men locked up in his cells. I want him broken out.”

“I’m not here to deal with Petrov,” Nik stated.

“Then forget it.”

“Nadia—”

“You know his compound better than anyone since you were just there,” she said, and he arched a scarred brow. “I know all about that little visit with your American friend.”

“Then you also know we barely made it out,” Nik said through gritted teeth. “Besides, it’s outside of Moscow which is over ten hours away.”

“You have a plane.”

“No,” he growled, and Mia laid her hand over the burner phone in her pocket. Things weren’t going well and the tension was escalating in the room faster than she liked. Despite the chill, her palms grew sweaty.

“You’ll be heading that way, anyway,” Nadia confidently predicted.

“Why do you say that?” Suspicion filled Nik’s deep voice and Mia shifted on the hard chair, looking from one to the other. They reminded her of two masters playing a game of chess.

“Because Petrov also has a certain Russian chemist currently in his custody. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Zaitsev?”

“Fuck,” Nik hissed. “The Bratva must want to get their hands on Novichok.”

Novichok? Mia had no idea what he was talking about, but Nadia seemed to understand because she slowly nodded.

“And that wouldn’t be good,” Nadia said.

“No.” Nik scowled, and Mia could see his gears turning.

“What’s Novichok?” she asked.

“A deadly neurotoxin,” he responded, “that has gotten into the wrong hands.”

He seemed like he wanted to say more, but he held back, probably because he didn’t trust her. However, Mia began putting the puzzle pieces together. Is that why her father was there? Did he have something to do with this? She had a sinking feeling he was connected.

“Carlisle must be looking for Zaitsev.” Nik sighed. “I’ll need a safehouse outside of town. Also, more gear and a set of wheels.”

“Done,” Nadia said, a slow smile curving her red lips. Her slim hand reached for the glass in front of her and she lifted it. “ Za Vstrechu. ”

“To our meeting,” Nik translated, looking pointedly over at Mia who quickly picked up her glass.

They seemed to be waiting for her to say something, so she repeated Nik’s words. “To our meeting.”

They clinked their glasses against hers and tossed the vodka back. Not wanting to look out of place or ungrateful, Mia did the same. Oh, hell, it was strong. Smooth, yet fiery as it streamed down the back of her throat. She plunked the glass back down on the table a little harder than she’d intended and saw Nik’s mouth edge up in approval.

“Dimitri and Lev will take you to the safehouse and make sure you have what you need,” Nadia said, and they all stood up. Then she circled the table, walked straight up to Nik and planted her lips directly on his, giving him a full-on smacker of a kiss. Hell, she was practically making out with him.

Mia narrowed her eyes at the completely unnecessary gesture. When Nik stepped back, swiping a hand over his mouth, Nadia frowned slightly then glanced over at Mia. Understanding flashed through her intelligent, cat-like eyes.

“Nikolai can’t give you forever, but he can give you a night you’ll never forget. Take advantage of”—her gaze dipped down his body suggestively—“all that. You won’t be disappointed.”

She wiped her smudged lipstick, and Mia felt a hot streak of jealousy mixed with embarrassment. Letting out a breath, she didn’t comment. But, she had a very good feeling Nadia was correct. Nik Valentine was the kind of man who could rock her world, but he’d never hand over his heart. If he even had one.

They walked to the door and Nik opened it, letting in a strong gust of wind.

“The weather is starting to look bad,” he said.

“A snowstorm is coming,” Nadia said. “Lev, take your truck and give Nikolai the snowmobile in the back.”

Lev inclined his head.

“Thanks,” Nik said. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Be careful,” Nadia murmured.

Nik gave a nod and placed a hand on Mia’s back, guiding her out into the frozen evening. It was already getting darker and colder. And they were right—the sky above was churning and looked ready to dump a lot of freaking snow.

The vodka had warmed her up a bit more, but Mia hoped wherever they were headed had a fireplace. She planned to plant her butt in front of it and not move all night. She also had a lot of questions, and she planned to hound Nikolai for answers.