“No. Put down the gun. I won’t break his neck if he stops struggling.”
“Screw you,” Kelsov said.
“Stop it.” The back door of the car swung open. “All of you. Stop it. Joe, he’s not doing anything wrong. Let him go.”
“Kelly?”
The girl got out of the car. Her face was pale and she was shaking. But she was standing with hands clenched, her gaze on the other woman. “And you, you’re shaking so badly that you could blow his brains out by accident. Kelsov, tell her to put it down.”
“Some accidents are sent by God.”
“And how would she feel?”
He was silent. “Put it down, Natalie.”
She didn’t move.
“Joe,” Kelly said.
He reluctantly released Kelsov.
Natalie stepped back, but she didn’t lower the gun.
Kelsov sprang catlike to his feet and whirled on Joe.
Joe blocked the first karate chop and kicked Kelsov’s legs out from under him.
“No!” Catherine was standing in the doorway, an automatic weapon in her hand. “Freeze. Or I’ll shoot you both in the knees. It’s not something I want to do since I may need you, but I’ll do it.”
Natalie swung the gun in her direction.
“No, Natalie!” Kelsov dove forward between her and Catherine. He took the gun away from her. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay,” Catherine said. “What is happening here?” Then her gaze fell on Kelly standing beside the car. “Oh, for Pete’s sake.”
“Hello, Catherine,” Kelly said.
Catherine whirled on Kelsov. “What’s she doing here?”
Kelsov shrugged. “Venable called me tonight just after midnight and told me she was on her way and to pick her up at the airport.”
“Dammit, why didn’t you tell me?”
“He told me you wouldn’t like it.”
“But you did it anyway.”
“It’s a tough world. Venable is valuable to me, and he doesn’t like me helping you. I have to strike a balance. I do a few things he considers as favors, and he turns a blind eye to a few things that tend to annoy him. It didn’t seem much of a favor just doing a pickup and delivery.” He turned and glanced at Kelly. “But he didn’t tell me she was just a kid.”
“But, again, you would have done it anyway.”
He nodded. “It’s a tough world,” he repeated. His expression hardened as he looked at Joe. “What the hell do you think you were doing?”
“Taking down a threat. What was I supposed to do when a prick like you sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night? Catherine may trust you, but should I?”
Kelsov glared at him. “It doesn’t matter. It’s my-” He stopped. Then he slowly shook his head. “Not unless you’re a fool. Put away the gun, Catherine. I’m not going to kill him tonight.” He took Kelly’s wrist and pulled her forward. “Here’s your package from Venable. Delivered as promised.” He turned to Natalie. “Suppose you go in and make us coffee. The task is a little mundane and tame compared to bluffing Quinn with a threat to send him to meet his maker, but we could all use-”
“I was not bluffing,” she said simply as she turned toward the door. “I could not let you die.” She went past Catherine into the house.
“I’m sorry I caused all this trouble,” Kelly said. “Venable said it would be no problem getting me here.” She smiled unsteadily. “He said all the trouble would come later. I guess he was wrong.”
“I guess he was.” Catherine stepped aside. “Come in and tell us why the hell Venable dropped you in the middle of Russia like some kind of atomic bomb.”
“He said he had to do it. He didn’t want me to come, but he-”
“Not out here.” Catherine pulled her into the house. “Good heavens, Kelly, how could you do this? I thought when you left the lake cottage that you’d be safe.”
“I know you did.” She glanced at Joe. “I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. I didn’t know Mr. Kelsov wouldn’t tell anyone he was picking me up.”
“Then it was his fault, not yours.” He smiled. “And the night wasn’t all that bad. I enjoyed parts of it.”
“I bet you did,” Catherine murmured.
“But now I’ve got to go and wake Eve and tell her what-”
“Wake?” Eve said grimly. She was standing in the bedroom doorway. “I think you should have done that some time ago.” She glanced around the room. “I seem to be the only one who was sleeping.” She shook her head as she looked back at Kelly. “I can’t believe it.”
“You thought you got rid of me. I must be the bad penny.”
“Not bad,” Catherine said gruffly. “Just damn stubborn.” She looked at Eve. “Venable sent her.”
“Not again? Not here?”
“Don’t ask. I don’t know.” She took Kelly’s elbow and led her toward the table. “But we’ll find out. Sit down. I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”
“Thank you.” Kelly leaned back in the chair and gave a deep sigh. “I was scared. I was afraid that woman would shoot Joe.”
“Shoot Joe?” Eve sat down across from Kelly. “I believe I missed more than I thought. Talk.”
“Give her a moment,” Catherine said.
Eve nodded. “We’re standing around staring at her as if she’s a murder suspect, and we’re cops giving her the third degree.”
“More like a murder victim,” Catherine said as she put a cup of coffee down in front of Kelly. “If Rakovac comes knocking on our door. Why, Kelly?”
Kelly didn’t speak for an instant. “The same reason I’ve been giving you since I came to the lake cottage. I want to help you.”
“I’m not even going to discuss that,” Catherine said. “I’ve already told you my feelings. What I’m really asking is why Venable gave in to you and sent you here? I can see his reasoning when he sent you to the lake cottage, but he’s no reckless fool, and he does have a conscience. There’s no way he should have sent you into the line of fire no matter how much you begged and pleaded.”
“I didn’t beg or plead.” She sipped her coffee. “I didn’t get the chance. I called him right after I left the lake cottage. I was going to try to persuade him to talk to you, but every time I tried to get through to him, I got his voice mail. I thought he was trying to avoid me. Then later in the evening he phoned Agent Dufour at the motel where he’d taken me and told him that he needed to talk to me.”
“He called you?” Joe repeated. “Why?”
Kelly’s gaze never left Catherine. “Because he’s not like you. He believed that I could help you. He said to tell you that he had no choice. He said desperate situations require desperate measures.”
“And you’re the desperate measure? That’s bullshit. Even Venable wouldn’t send a kid into a situation like this.”
“He did, didn’t he?” Kelly cradled her cup in her two hands. “So that must mean you’re wrong. This hot coffee feels good. I’m a little chilly. Could I get my suitcase and find my sweater?”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Catherine took off her terry robe and draped it around Kelly’s shoulders. “Didn’t anyone tell you that Russia was colder than Atlanta? No, they just bundled you onto a plane and sent you off.”
“They were in a hurry. Venable said that he didn’t know how or in what direction you’d be traveling once you reached Moscow. He wanted to make sure that I’d be able to hook up with you. He said it would be safer for me.”
“How considerate,” Eve said dryly. “But he sent you anyway.”
