Silent Thunder

'I'm not very hungry.'

'Neither am I. We're both emotionally strung-out, but we need to eat.' He leaned back in his chair. 'I'll hold off calling for another hour. And while we're waiting, we'll veer away and talk about pleasanter subjects.'

'For instance?'

'You tell me about your Titanic expedition. I've read about it, but I want to hear your own version. There are always stories that never come to light.'

'And what are you going to tell me?'

He thought about it. 'I'll tell you about my wicked doings at the naval academy. It's much more amusing than my training on board the sub. I was kept firmly under control there.'

'I can believe that. My impression of your captain is that he was strictly no-nonsense.'

He tilted his head. 'You say that almost with affection.'

'I liked what I read about him. I liked his taste in books and music.' Her smile faded. 'Conner said I had a father fixation on him.'

'Really? Actually, part of me was also drawn to that side of Sergai. Perhaps he was the man I wanted to be.' He shook his head. 'Though I would never have admitted it to him.'

'And now it's too late.'

'Yes.' He shrugged. 'Enough of this brooding. Talk to me about your expedition. Tell me about your submersible.'

'Some people would say the Titanic wasn't exactly the most cheerful subject.'

'I don't want to hear about a doomed ship. I want to hear about you. What you did, what you are. Tell me.'

And she wanted to hear about him, she suddenly realized. What he had told her about the events that had led him here had only revealed the tip of the iceberg. Kirov had lived a life that was foreign to her, and yet his love of the sea and his ship struck an answering note within her. She wanted to stay here under the stars in this quiet place and think of something besides Pavski and the horror he had brought.

She lifted the cup to her lips. 'When they contacted me and told me they needed me to design the submersible, I was over the moon. I'd been following the progress of the different expeditions, and I already had an idea about…'

How cozy you are.' Eugenia smiled as she came through the courtyard doorway. 'Forgive me for not ringing the bell. I wasn't going to wake you if you'd already gone to bed.' She plopped down in a chair. 'Pizza!' She took a piece and leaned back with a sigh. 'I forgot to eat dinner. You kept me too busy, Kirov.'

'Evidently not busy enough if you were going to let us sleep.'

'I put out feelers. No answers yet.' She nibbled at the pizza. 'I decided I needed a break and I wanted to be among friends for a while. It's a rare pleasure.'

'Bull. You have thousands of friends, Eugenia.'

She made a face. 'But very few who know and accept me for what I am.' She shrugged. 'And what I was. We're a pretty exclusive club, Kirov.' She turned to Hannah. 'And I think we could be friends. I've been reading up on you. You're a woman like me. We both take charge.'

'You're right there,' Kirov said.

'Hush,' Eugenia said. 'I'm talking to Hannah. In fact, this pizza is cold. Go heat it up for me.'

'You want to get rid of me?'

Eugenia smiled. 'You've got it, cha-cha.'

He looked at Hannah.

'We wouldn't want her to eat cold pizza,' Hannah said.

He took the plate. 'Ten minutes.'

'He'll be back in exactly ten minutes,' Eugenia said. 'It's that military mind-set.'

'You seem to know him very well.'

'Yes, as well as anyone can know him. When you've gone through what he has, it tends to make a person develop a shell.' She grinned. 'But I just light a fire under him and, poof, it goes up in flame.'

'Fire? Are you lovers?'

'No. Though I've thought about it occasionally. He's a very sexy man.'

'I didn't notice.'

Eugenia gave her a skeptical glance. 'You noticed. I'd judge that you're not one of those women who like pretty boys.'

'Well, he's definitely not pretty.'

'No, but he has a way of moving, a way of looking at you. Sometimes there's a stillness about him that's very erotic. Because you know there's so much more going on underneath. And watch his hands. They're a real turn- on.'

Hannah's brows lifted. 'Are you sure you're not lovers?'

Eugenia chuckled. 'As I said, I've been tempted to try to lure him into my web, but we're both too intense. We'd probably destroy each other. Besides, we both need friends we can trust. That's rare in our circle. Sex would get in the way. No, we're definitely not lovers.' Her eyes narrowed on Hannah's face. 'Are you?'

'You're not listening. I told you, we're just acquaintances.'

'That's what you told me. But when I came out here tonight, I thought I caught a glimpse of something more.'

'What?'

'You looked… close. As if you'd been together for years.'

Hannah felt a ripple of shock. 'I'm afraid you have a vivid imagination.'

'Maybe. But I'm very good at reading nuances. It was part of my job once.'

'Then you must be slipping.' She frowned. 'Is that why you wanted to speak to me alone?'

'Partly. I wanted to make sure that I'd warned you to treat my friend well. Kirov wouldn't have understood that protectiveness for him in me. But I think you do.'

'Warned? What would you do if I didn't treat your pet tiger with gentleness?'

Eugenia made a cutting motion across her throat. 'But only in an extreme case. I'd give you a chance to explain first.'

Hannah laughed. Eugenia was truly an original. 'Well, I'm safe. Kirov doesn't give a damn about me.'

'You're wrong. There's something there. I could see it.'

Yes, there was something between them, Hannah thought. In the last hours she'd been aware that the bond had strengthened. She had learned he had a wry sense of humor, and the outrageous stories he'd told her of his years at the academy had given her a new view of Kirov. He was intelligent and stimulating, and he listened. He watched her expressions, and she felt as if he was intently interested in every word she'd said.

For God's sake, but that didn't mean anything more than they'd spent a few pleasant hours together.

'Ah, you're thinking about it,' Eugenia said. 'That's good.'

'Why?'

'Because I don't want you to make a mistake.'

'Because you'd hate to cut my throat?'

Eugenia nodded. 'Absolutely.'

Hannah laughed. 'Did Kirov really save your life?'

'Oh, yes. And from a very unpleasant demise. I was dealing with an extremely nasty customer, and Kirov heard I was going to be chopped. He came in and saved the day.'

'One of Pavski's people?'

'No, Kirov was on another job. He doesn't rely on the CIA for funds. It would compromise his freedom of choice. He takes assignments from other sources, and he's very much in demand.'

'Doing what?'

'This and that.'

'And his boat wasn't cheap. This and that must be very profitable.'

'You're probing. Yes, Kirov doesn't always walk the straight and narrow. But he manages to stay out of the tar pits.' Eugenia shook her head. 'And that's all I'm going to say. I'm just grateful that he was there when I needed him. I'm more careful with whom I do business these days.'