Tasha looked back to Tag, her face so serious. “I will be going with you then.”
Tag looked as soft as a man that big could. “I’m glad. We’re going to take care of you. These are my little monsters. They speak better Russian than me so you can plot with them. Kenzie and Kala. If you can’t tell them apart, use a marker in their sleep. It’s what I do.”
“Dad!” they managed to say in one voice.
Then the girls were off, talking in a mix of Russian and English, and he understood why Tag had dragged his daughters halfway across the globe. Because he was kind and knew Tasha would be far more comfortable with other kids around. Tag stood back and watched the girls while Chelsea had a conversation with the woman who’d brought Tasha to the club.
“She’s telling Chelsea that all the paperwork is in order.” Kim bit her bottom lip as she listened. “She’s got a passport, and everything is done on her end for the adoption. Apparently someone named Dusan greased those wheels. Is she talking about Dusan Denisovitch? The head of the syndicate?”
“He’s Charlotte’s cousin.” A flutter went through him when he realized someone was at the door. A shadow had crossed the frosted glass of the windows. “Someone’s here. Switch to the outside camera.”
Her spine went stiff and she stared at the screen as Rene went to open the door.
“We don’t have to. He’ll be inside in a minute. This was all part of Tag’s plan.” Kim’s words were proven true as Levi stepped into the lobby.
“Taggart, I’m not surprised you’re here.” Levi was dressed in all black, a hat on his head. It was one of those hats worn by college dudes who only listened to vinyl and liked things in an ironic fashion.
He was joined by another man, one he hadn’t met before. He was younger, looked barely twenty, though he dressed down in black slacks and a collared shirt. He definitely didn’t look like the typical CIA employee. He had boy-band hair. “Who is that kid?”
Kim whistled as though she really hadn’t expected that. “Drake Radcliffe. He’s a wunderkind brought in by one of the big bosses. He’s a genius at finding patterns. I think he’s connected on the political side, but I haven’t figured it out yet. He’s only been on the scene for the last six months, and I’ve spent most of that time either in Colorado or Europe. I haven’t been in the office much. If he’s here then Levi’s pulled some strings.”
“He makes you nervous?”
Kim shrugged. “Like I said, he’s known for being able to see patterns, for his incredible deductive powers. Some people at Langley call him Sherlock.”
On the screen Taggart was watching as the girls headed up the stairs. “Don’t get comfortable. We leave for the airport in thirty minutes.” He turned back to Levi. “Well, I’m not so happy to see you. If you’ve come to try to stop me from taking Sasha’s daughter home with me, you better have brought the big guns.”
Levi actually seemed taken aback, and Ezra realized that was all part of Tag’s plan. “No. That was Sasha’s daughter? You found her?”
“I did, and I’m taking her back to Dallas with me. So if you’re not here to fuck with those plans, why are you here?” Tag asked.
Chelsea leaned against the reception desk. “He thinks you’re hiding Solo. He tried to arrest her yesterday and she got away.”
“Got away?” Levi zeroed in on Chelsea. “She didn’t get away. The London team freed her from a lawful arrest and nearly killed me in the process.”
“If it was a lawful arrest, she would have been taken in by the London metro police or Scotland Yard.” Chelsea didn’t back down at all. “She would have had a trial to determine whether her extradition was legal under British law. I don’t think you were taking her to the police station, right? You know the funny thing is I haven’t heard an outcry in the media.”
“You know we do things differently. It wasn’t so long ago you were one of us.” Levi was talking to Chelsea, who had worked as a data analyst and all-around walking computer for the Agency until she’d quit to start a company with Adam Miles.
“Yeah, and I thought you were all assholes then, too,” Chelsea shot back. “Now, why are you here in Paris if you’re not trying to fuck up a little girl’s adoption? She was in Siberia, you know. First they took her father and sold him to McDonald, and then they killed her mother and shipped Tasha to somewhere cold and quiet so they didn’t have to look at her. You here to send her back?”
Levi threw up his hands in obvious disgust. “Why would I care about some kid? Tag wants another one, good on him. I’m here because this is one of the spots I suspect you might hide Solo in.”
Tag proved he could have been an actor because the surprise on his face seemed totally real. “Why the hell would I hide Solo? I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I don’t hang out with a bunch of Agency fuckwits. I left a long time ago and I haven’t looked back. Solo’s been a pain in my ass for over a year and you’re welcome to her.”
He turned to Kim. “He doesn’t mean that.”
Kim rolled her eyes his way. “He can’t exactly proclaim his deep affection. He’s not going to be nice about you either if he’s smart.”
Levi turned his attention to Tag. “Okay, I’ll give you that my girl can be troublesome, but I know you’re loyal to Beck…Ezra Fain. He’s been working with you for over a year.”
“And he did
