Bad Nerd Falling (17 page)

“
No wonder you were so
angry.”

Vlad shook his head. “The anger didn’t
come from the extra training.”

“
Then from what? That
alone was enough to cause surliness.”

“
It wasn’t. I just never
felt like I fit here. Your father provided me with an extensive
education that I enjoyed.”

“
Because you’re the family
warrior.” A family portrait popped into his head. “You’re like our
ancestor, Vladimir Wolfgang de Leos.”

“
Apparently.”

When it was evident Vlad didn’t plan
to expound on that subject, he asked another question. “What
exactly did your training entail?”

“
I think, perhaps, you
should first ask why.”

“
You already told me why.
Because you were born with our warrior gene. I’ve studied those men
and I should have seen it in you.”

“
I appreciate that you see
it now. Your father didn’t want that part of me to be used to
create a felon. I needed to learn to control that side of
myself.”

“
From what I can see, you
succeeded.”

“
Thank you.” Vlad cocked
his head, like he debated about what he should say. “Your father
had a purpose in making me into a soldier.”

At that particular word, he sat up
straighter. “You use the term soldier.”

“
Yes. Because your father
realized our military isn’t good enough.”

“
It’s not.”

“
No, and I’ve heard you’re
making changes. I applaud them all.”

“
I’m sensing a
but
…” he said
wryly.

“
Your father wanted me to
learn everything I could about combat. He sent me for training all
over the world in all military branches. Extensive training because
he feared Rurikstan’s wealth would be enticing to
terrorists.”

His spine stiffened again.

“
What’s wrong?” Vlad
didn’t sound concerned but his gaze was focused, like he missed
nothing.

“
Tia’s uncle was here and
he mentioned the exact same thing.”

“
That would be Admiral
Richard O’Riley of the United States Navy.”

“
How did you know
that?”

Vlad grimaced. “I’ve trained with some
of his SEAL teams and mentioned before I’ve trained with
him.”

Choking for sure this time, he managed
to wheeze, “You’ve taken part in some SEAL training?”

“
No, I’ve taken part
in
all
SEAL
training.”

“
You can fly the space
shuttle?”

“
I can pilot any vehicle
on this earth.” He didn’t boast. There was no need. Navy SEALs
learned those skills to save lives. Vlad probably looked on that
training as just another skill he needed.

“
You’ve been through SEAL
training.” He sorted through all of this information as he thought
how to best utilize Vlad and his impressive skills. “My father
asked this of you because…?”

Vlad took a deep breath before he
answered. “Because he knew our military wasn’t good enough to fight
terrorists. He wanted me to learn all I could to fight these
terrorists.”

“
By yourself?”

“
No, we’ve got
allies.”

That was a relief. “I still can’t
believe my father decided your future.” What else he didn’t know
about Vlad?

“
I didn’t want anything
else.”

They had never known the real Vladimir
Wolfgang Wellington. A mystery in their youth and now he was even
more so in their adult years. Who was he? What did he
want?

“
You came home
because?”

“
My training is complete.”
Vlad’s expression didn’t change. “And we have reason to believe
that Rurikstan might be targeted by certain terrorist factions
now.”

“
Why haven’t they targeted
us before this?”

“
Because in the age of
technology where the entire world is connected via the Internet
it’s much easier to discover small, wealthy countries like
ours.”

“
So my father decided you
needed to protect our entire nation?”

“
I couldn’t have done so
five years ago. I was still training and still
learning.”

“
But now?”

Vlad’s eyes turned cold and hard. “Now
I am capable.”

Staring at this man he had grown up
with, he learned a powerful lesson. Just because he was related to
someone obviously did not mean he knew him. Vlad’s entire focus,
his very life, had been to protect his country. His life from age
five on had been to learn all he could about war. Aleksi had lived
his childhood as a kid. Vlad was denied even that.

“
Maybe you should have
been my father’s son.”

Those dark, dangerous eyes warmed
minutely. “Prince Aleksandr never doubted your ability to run this
nation.” Even Vlad’s smile was a little scary.

“
There aren’t many men
like my father.”

“
No, there aren’t.” The
calm assurance in Vlad’s voice and demeanor was also reassuring.
Emerson was right in that Vlad seemed to have come into his own. He
knew who he was and what he was capable of. Now he seemed
comfortable in his own skin. In their youth there had been that
edgy restlessness that made him uncomfortable to be
around.

“
What did my father
specifically want from you?”

“
I have studied terrorists
from all over the world. And trained with countries who have been
fighting them for years; so we can then use that knowledge to
defeat them.”

That knowledge would certainly be
helpful. “Our size is going to be both a help and a
hindrance.”

“
Yes. We’re small, so we
might not have the resources much larger countries enjoy. Yet we’re
far more nimble than some of the behemoths out there.”

“
It’d help if we had
allies in those behemoths.” He tapped his fingers.

Vlad smiled again. This one wasn’t as
scary. Maybe it helped knowing this superman was on his side. “Who
says we don’t?”

Thoughts crowded and spiraled. “We do
have allies in some of these huge nations?”

“
You’re marrying an
American girl. You think her uncle, the U.S. Navy Admiral, is going
to allow a terrorist to attack the nation where she lives. Where
she’s the
princess
?”

He smiled. “Probably not.”

“
I’m not going to allow it
either,” a voice drawled from what appeared to be the
ceiling.

While it startled him, Vlad didn’t so
much as flinch. Instead, he seemed to be expecting that voice. “Ah,
nice of you to drop in, Commander Morrison.”

“
Morrison?” Tia’s last
name was Morrison.

“
Meet Tia’s cousin, Ben
Morrison. Ben, meet Tia’s fiancé, Prince Aleksi.”

“
Nice to meet you, Prince
Aleksi.”

“
Likewise, Ben Morrison.
Does Tia know you’re here?” It was weird talking to the ceiling.
Even weirder when the ceiling responded in an American
accent.

“
Not yet. I plan to
squeeze her tomorrow morning. Does that work, Welly?”

“
Welly?” He echoed,
stunned.

Vlad actually rolled his eyes. “Meet
three of U.S. Navy SEAL Team Eight. Ben commands them. They’re lazy
Americans so they all call me Welly instead of
Wellington.”

“
Wellington is such a
mouthful,” a completely different voice drawled in a laid back
California vibe.

“
Right, Tigger. This is
Derek Shively. He’s not allowed to squeeze Tia.” The voice that was
Ben agreed with Vlad’s dictate.

“
Hey, she has a right to
hug whoever she wants.”

“
No, she doesn’t.” He
wasn’t certain which of them spoke loudest, but he was certain
Vlad, himself, and Ben all answered in the negative.

“
Wait until you meet
Aleksi.” Vlad sounded definite.

“
Does he look like
you?”

“
Yes, he is my
cousin.”

“
Now wait, if he’s a
prince does that mean you are too?” Shively sounded
horrified.

He laughed. “Vlad carries royal blood,
but Rurikstan has only one prince. Unfortunately, I am
he.”

“
As you can see, none of
us particularly want to be prince,” Vlad added. “If something
happened to Aleksi, my brother is next in line. And he has a son,
so I’m a lot further down, thankfully.”

“
If something happened to
me, your father is next in line.”

Vlad’s eyes widened before he smiled.
“Right, it would go to Dad first.”

“
When are we going to meet
all of your family?” Another male voice inserted.

“
Meet Rex Beaumont,” Vlad
introduced. “Come into Aleksi’s office. We know the equipment works
now.”

He wasn’t certain what to expect but
when the three men entered his office, but he was somehow surprised
when they came so quickly, silently, and with the same commanding
power and grace he attributed to Vlad.

The lean African American man was the
first to stop in front of him. He held out his hand. “I’m Ben
Morrison, Tia’s cousin.”

He shook the man’s hand, and now that
he knew which one was Tia’s cousin, he saw the family resemblance.
“It is an honor to meet you,” he replied formally.

“
Yep, this guy is
definitely related to Welly,” the man who had to be Shively
quipped. His sun bleached hair and bright eyes made it obvious he
was likely the California man. The other man was quiet, with the
most intelligent eyes he had ever seen. There was something
trustworthy about Rex Beaumont. He was as tall as Ben, both of whom
were taller than Shively.

Beaumont was respectful and shook his
hand with the sure grip of a man who was also comfortable with
himself and his skills. Shively was definitely the clown in the
group, but he was probably the one most underestimated. The man
hadn’t achieved Navy SEAL status without hard work, determination,
intellect, and perseverance.

“
There is no doubt you and
Welly are related.” Beaumont spoke softly and with a faint southern
drawl.

He nodded. Vlad was standing beside
him, so he imagined there was a family resemblance. “Vlad was born
the warrior in the family.”

“
Thought I saw a picture
of some old guy who looks just like him.” Shively used his head to
indicate Vlad.

Vlad’s lips turned up. “That was an
ancestor of ours. He’s why I’m apparently a warrior.”

“
And has studied to be one
since he was five.” He still couldn’t believe that.

The other men all turned
respectful looks on him. “Since you were
five
?” Ben asked.

Vlad nodded. “That’s what my prince
asked of me.”

“
I thought joining the
Navy before college was bad.” Shively thumped Vlad on the
back.

“
You do what you’re asked.” Vlad shrugged. Like
it was no big deal. Then turned to address him. “These men report
to Admiral O’Riley. So the good news is, we don’t have to do this
alone.”

Chapter 14

Helena stepped into the lab the next
morning and glanced around. It appeared she was the first to
arrive. Then she heard noise in the office and strode there. Poking
her head around the door frame she noticed Tia frowning at her
computer screen.

“
Bad news?”

Tia turned toward her and smiled. “No,
just another meeting.” She pushed some wisps of hair off her
cheek.

“
Ah, not the fun kind of
meetings?”

“
No.” Tia returned to
frowning at the screen. Then she perked up. “Hey, my cousin says he
thinks he’ll be able to pop over and see me.” She tapped the bezel
of the laptop. “Mark says he has a conference close by so he wants
to come see me afterward.”

“
When? You’re leaving
soon, right?”

“
Oh yeah, I forgot about
that.” Tia swung back to her computer and tapped out a quick
message. “I better let him know when I’ll be gone.”

“
Maybe you could inform
your pals in the lab when you’re going as well.”

Tia swung around so quickly she
clipped the edge of the desk with her knee but didn’t seem to
notice. “I told you when I was leaving.”

She shook her head as Maria joined her
in the doorway. That good lady also shook her head. “Oh no,” Tia
cried. She looked baffled for a moment before rifling through some
papers on her desk.

“
What’s going on?” Jorge
crowded them in the doorway.

“
Tia’s about to tell us
when she’s leaving,” Maria answered.

“
Two weeks from today.”
Jorge apparently lost interest because he wandered away.

“
That’s right, I told
Jorge.” Tia stopped her frantic search through the paperwork and
settled back into her chair looking relieved. “See, I did tell
someone.”