Bad Nerd Falling (29 page)

“
It took until I went to
America.” The quiet, expressionless way Vlad said that was almost
harder to take than
what
he said.

“
Why?” Maks
asked.

“
Because here were men who
were finally just like me.” Vlad took another sip of coffee. “I had
searched all over Rurikstan, but there wasn’t anyone else like me
here.”

How awful would that have been? To
live somewhere, be a part of a family and no one there understood
you? He couldn’t comprehend it.

“
How were these other men
like you?” Maks rotated Vlad’s cup of coffee.

“
They were warriors
focused on a career that ninety-nine percent of the population
can’t fathom.” Vlad retrieved his beverage.

A piece clicked into place in his
mind. “The SEALs who are helping you, they’re the ones you felt at
home with?”

“
I’m at home with any
Special Forces and Special Operations men from around the world.
They’re like me.”

“
The thing is, Vlad,
you’re absolutely different than the rest of us.” A few meetings
with Vlad had proven that. “And I’m utterly grateful for that,
because none of us can do what you do.”

“
That’s what your father
explained. He recognized we were heading toward
conflict.”

“
On that USB drive he told
me it was best that we have a highly trained military man on our
side. He said you were probably the very best of the very best of
that number.”

Vlad’s cheeks turned a dull red and he
was amazed, yet he was heartened to see Vlad was actually human.
That had been questionable since their youth.

“
He made certain I had the
very best possible training,” Vlad finally mumbled.

Maks shook his head. “I think what
Aleksi is trying to say is that you need the raw material to work
with, or it won’t matter how well it’s shaped or
trained.”

“
None of us could be what
you are. We’re impressed.” Coming from Emerson that meant
something.

“
Prince Aleksandr told me
that I would one day have an important place to fill. I never quite
understood what he meant by that.”

“
He meant that you would
need to keep this nation safe. When Tia’s Uncle Rich mentioned
terrorists I didn’t want to believe that we have to be concerned by
them.”

“
We do,” Vlad said firmly.
His jaw was tight, like it used to get when he was certain of his
facts but also certain others would be too stupid to take his
advice.

“
That’s what my father
said. That we need to prepare for attacks.”

“
Yes.” A muscle in Vlad’s
jaw jumped. “If we manage to smash the first terrorist faction who
comes after us, that will send a strong message to any
others.”

“
Smash?” Emerson
echoed.

“
If we crush their attempt
to take us over, we’ll be in a good place to defend our territory.”
Again, the warrior entrenched in Vlad erupted through the room.
There was no question that he was scary. And a little
daunting.

“
How are we going to crush
them?” Maks stared at Vlad as though he had never seen him before.
He probably hadn’t seen the real man before this moment.

The grin Vlad sent them could only be
described as wolfish. It was that of a top-of-the-line predator who
knew he had the advantage. And intended to use it.

Emerson closed his eyes. “You don’t
have a plan?”

“
No, we have three.” Vlad
stared at the ceiling. “At least.”

He was once again relieved they were
on Vlad’s side. He made a mental note not to meet up with his
cousin in a dark alley. He didn’t want to be labeled
prey.

Taking a moment to thank his father
for shaping Vlad’s future and therefore Rurikstan’s, he was also
grateful Vlad agreed. His father’s shoes grew bigger with each
passing day. Yet they were still fairly comfortable. Maybe he
wasn’t his father, but at least he had something his father
hadn’t.

Glancing around the room, he didn’t
have one ace up his sleeve. He had three. And that’s only if you
didn’t include the three silent SEALs who had come to assist Vlad.
That made six. Rurikstan still didn’t know quite what they faced,
but he was willing for whatever came because they held the winning
hand.

It couldn’t be anything else, because there were
too many lives at stake.

Chapter 22

“
Tia,” Emerson called from
out in the hall.

Helena turned to see Tia stalk from
her office. “What?” she sounded belligerent. That meant she’d been
interrupted from something important.

“
I have a surprise for
you.” Emerson entered the lab with all the dignity associated with
his station.

“
Beware of geeks bearing
gifts,” she warned.

“
Right. That’s the best
advice I’ve heard all day.” Tia turned those blue-green eyes on him
that cut like lasers. They bounced off Emerson.

He grabbed Helena and attempted to
give her a noogie. She escaped with ease, and hissed at him. “I
will stab you.” She held her microbiological loop like a sword.
Since it wasn’t quite ten inches long, plastic, and blue, it
probably didn’t look all that impressive.

“
What is that?” Emerson’s
voice was more than tinged with amusement.

“
It’s not
what
it is that you
should be concerned with, but what’s
on
it.” Tia backed her
up.

Now he eyed her weapon with a little
more hesitation. “What’s on it?”

“
We don’t know.” She hated
to divulge that.

Emerson laughed, sounding
triumphant.

“
I wouldn’t laugh if I
were you.” Tia looked over the progress she had made. “Her
boyfriend is a lot scarier than you.”

“
That’s true. So is my
landlord.” She finished streaking the next plate.

Emerson frowned. “Have I met your
landlord yet?”

“
You don’t know Beau?” How
had he not met Beau?

“
I don’t think I have.
Remember we were supposed to come to supper and then Nadia started
a fever?”

“
Oh that’s right. Karis
decided you all better stay home in case Nadia got us
sick.”

“
I wanted to come to
supper, but Karis wears the pants in our family.” Emerson tried to
snowball them, but she and Tia both started laughing. He stopped
the utter fib because even he struggled to keep a straight
face.

“
That’s like saying I’m
planning to wear a pink wedding dress.” Tia shuddered.

“
Ugh.” She wrinkled her
nose.

“
Yes, that’s my same
thought.” Tia shook her head. “Not my thing.”

“
So what’s this
surprise?”

“
Yes, I have a surprise
for Tia.” Emerson swelled as though he brought portendous
news.

“
You already said that.”
Tia cut him off before he started. This woman obviously had
brothers because she handled Emerson with an aplomb that was
enviable.

“
Your surprise hasn’t
arrived yet. But should be here soon.” Emerson announced this with
the air of a man imparting a great favor on one.

Tia appreciated it so much she rolled
her eyes. “I might sic Vlad on you.”

Her mouth curled up. “That’s not
nice.”

“
Neither is he.” Tia used
her head to indicate Emerson.

“
Are you picking fights
Tia?” An unfamiliar masculine voice asked from the doorway. It was
a very nice voice, and she turned in time to see a tall, attractive
man enter the lab. He was followed by the SEAL leader,
Ben.

“
Mark
.” Tia leaped into his arms. He laughed and caught her,
hugging the stuffing out of her, which she didn’t seem to mind. She
bubbled over at an intense pace, chattering away, and the man who
held her listened with easy affection.

She wound down, after Ben said with
the same affection, “Tia, take a breath.”

After taking that breath, she turned
to them. “Helena, Emerson, this is my cousin Mark de
Vosse.”

This man shared Tia’s eye color. It
was evident they shared the same genes. But when she looked, the
man behind them, with his dark skin and lighter brown eyes also
looked like them.

“
Mark, this is Helena
Dubrinsky and Emerson who you’ve already met.”

Mark held out a hand to her and she
shook it. His hand was huge so it engulfed hers. She liked the way
his blue-green eyes, exactly like Tia’s, crinkled at the corners.
His hair was dark brown and he was tall but also wide like
Vlad.

“
It’s nice to meet you,
Helena.” He turned to the SEAL. “She’s definitely beautiful like
you said.”

Emerson ruffled her hair but then
winked before he left.

“
Yeah, but she’s also
dating Welly, so don’t poach.”

“
Welly being that scary
guy you were harassing?”

“
He’s not scary,” she and
Ben said together. They shared a laugh and she realized she liked
him.

“
Are you in the military
too?” she asked Mark.

He laughed. “No, I have better sense
than Ben.” He clapped the SEAL on the back.

“
He has such good sense,
he became a neurosurgeon.” Ben clapped him back with easy
affection. It was obvious these three enjoyed a close friendship.
This offered a little inkling at what Tia was giving up by marrying
Aleksi.

She enjoyed their pleasure at being
together. “So you three are cousins?” She stared between the two
men and Tia.

“
We are. First cousins,
right?” Tia asked.

Both men nodded. “Yes, we’re all
Morrison family first cousins.”

“
So your fathers,” she
pointed to Ben and Tia, “are brothers and your mother,” she
indicated Mark, “is their sister?”

“
Tia’s dad and my mom and
Mark’s mom,” Ben answered. “My dad is also ironically a Morrison
but of no relation to my mother’s family.”

“
There are also a lot more
cousins, aunts, and uncles.” Tia readjusted her
ponytail.

“
So this is like a
Morrison Family reunion?”

All three of them laughed. “No. The
reunions get huge really fast.” Tia shook her head. “I think
they’ve been banned.”

Both Mark and Ben nodded. “We all like
each other and we all get into trouble, so it’s better not to do
anything formal.”

She moved on to grouping the other
person she had met from the Morrison Family. “So Emma is your aunt?
She’s a sister to your father and mothers?”

“
No.” Tia’s ponytail
bounced. “She’s actually the youngest sister of our mutual
grandfather. So she’s a great aunt, but she is our parents’
age.”

“
She’s your
grandfather
’
s
sister?”
She paused in streaking her last plate.

“
Yes, the youngest. Our
grandfather’s oldest brother already had children by the time Emma
came along.”

“
That’s right. So Emma’s
got two nephews who are older than her and a niece who is the same
age.” Mark’s voice was deep and quite nice.

“
That’s crazy.” Big
families were a bit unfathomable.

“
It’s not so unusual for
that day and age.” Tia shrugged, apparently very comfortable with
her place in her big family.

Mark turned to Tia. “I hear you’re
flying home with me?”

“
Yes, Aleksi wants me
to.”

“
Leo is sure you’re going
to fall apart.” Mark offered a faint smile.

Ben whispered that Leo was Mark’s
younger brother. She appreciated the information.

“
I will not.” Tia’s
protest was weak.

“
She’s dealing with it by
not thinking about it.” Ben sent her a knowing look.

“
Tia has been really
busy,” she inserted. “You know, locking lips with Aleksi,
exchanging tongues, exploring each other’s tonsils, important
stuff.”

She managed to dart out of Tia’s swat
zone. “Like you have any room to talk.”

“
True. Although we have a
long way to go to reach your level of competency.”

“
Vlad is good at
everything he does.” Ben remained a loyal friend.

“
Yes, but I’m still a part
of that equation. I’m not good at everything I do, and I don’t have
much experience.”

“
Welly doesn’t
either.”

“
See, that’s good news for
him,” she joked but was thankful for this reassurance from someone
who knew him. Her samples were finished.

“
Trust me, the man focused
solely on his training and job.”

She couldn’t be mad at him
even if he had dated other women. They hadn’t made a
formal
commitment to
each other when he left.