Bad Nerd Falling (40 page)

“
I know it’s only for a
week.” Helena shrugged and he stared, because there was no other
option.

“
You’re beautiful.”
Because he couldn’t help himself he leaned forward to capture her
lips with his. She tasted as delicious as he remembered.

“
Where did that come
from?”

“
What?”

“
That comment.”

He stared into the face he intended to
see for the rest of his life. “Because you are definitely the most
beautiful woman on earth.”

“
Thank you, but go look at
Karis.”

After firing up the engine he headed
out of the parking lot. “No, thank you.”

“
She’s the most beautiful
woman on earth.”

His lips curled up at the adamant tone
in her voice. “She’s beautiful, yes. But you’re more
so.”

Her lips curled up then. “You’re
biased.”

“
Maybe.” He knew what he
knew and this woman was it for him. Ever since that momentous
occasion when he looked at her and saw not Helena Dubrinsky,
but
Helena Dubrinsky
. That day he had tasted fate and knew she was
his.

Since she appeared a bit uncomfortable
with the conversation, he changed the subject.

“
What’s up with that woman, the one across the
bench from you?”

Chapter 30

“
Which woman?” Helena
blinked at Vlad’s abrupt conversational change. “You mean
Anna?”

“
The woman who sits across
from you.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t understand
what you’re asking.”

“
The entire time I was
there, I watched her
acting
busy, but she didn’t do any work.”

Hmm, now that was an interesting
observation. “I didn’t notice that about her.”

“
What did you
notice?”

“
I just wonder if she is
who she pretends to be.”

Vlad pulled over under a shade tree
and turned fierce eyes on her. “Can you explain that?”

“
She acts like she’s shy
and gauche, but I don’t believe she is.” She watched the cars
passing by. “It’s like she’s wearing a mask.”

Beside her, Vlad stiffened. “I need
more, Helena.”

She sensed she had his undivided
attention. “Do you want me to drive?”

“
No. I need you to answer
my question.”

“
I looked up while we were
working and talking today and noticed she was staring at me. She
was smiling, but her eyes were…” She struggled to come up with a
better word than cold, but failed.

“
Were what?”

“
They were like yours when
you use your war face.”

He exclaimed something she didn’t
catch. “What else?”

“
She reminds me of the
women who were in the lab before. Two-faced, but in a much more
menacing way.”

“
More menacing
how?”

She bit off a nasty rejoinder and
instead grappled with how to best explain. “Like if the place was
on fire, I could see her locking people inside the burning room,
not helping them run to safety. Or if there’s a car coming, I could
almost see her shoving someone in front of it.”

Vlad watched passersby on the
sidewalk. When he turned to look at her, she was a little scared by
what she saw in his eyes. Not for herself, but for the unlucky Anna
if she ever crossed his path.

“
Like she’s mentally
unbalanced or like she’s a sociopath?”

“
I’d veer toward option B,
but I don’t think we can discount option A, either.”

“
So a little of
both.”

Her nod was slow in coming. “Yes,
although I can’t say in what quantities either of those
are.”

He yanked his phone out and hit a few
buttons before holding it to his ear. “I’ve been talking to Helena
and been in the lab again. Definitely do an in-depth, complete
background on Barstow. Yeah. No, Helena and I are both getting the
same vibe that something isn’t right there.

“
The picture I sent, use
that first to identify her, because her name might not be Anna
Barstow. Right. Okay. I’m driving Helena to her place now.” Vlad
ended the call.

She watched him take in everything
around them, completely aware of their surroundings. Even, she
guessed, what was happening on the neighboring roofs. It would be a
scary life to have to know all this information.

Not that as a female she didn’t
usually take note of dangers, but what Vlad did went well beyond
that. He was checking things, running data in that brain of his,
and working out logistics she had no idea about. After their
surroundings apparently met with his approval he merged with
traffic again.

“
Tell me about
Charlene.”

She blinked because that was a strange
request. “Why?”

“
I’m interested in your
opinion.”

“
Charlene seems genuine.”
Thinking about that lady, she flipped back through her first
impressions. “She seems to know what she’s doing in the
lab.”

“
What about
Barstow?”

Her eyebrows bounced as she thought
about that. “I didn’t take notice.”

Vlad didn’t answer as he coasted to a
stop at a traffic light. “Can you remember anything Barstow did
today that looked like actual work?”

“
I don’t know. I was
busy.”

“
Tomorrow, can you watch
her, unobtrusively?”

“
Yes. I might anyway
because she bothers me.”

“
Your instincts are
good.”

She glanced at him but he was watching
traffic. “Thank you.”

When the light changed he turned right
and then found a parking spot immediately. They hadn’t taken the
usual route back. This was a totally different way from the day
before.

Vlad strode around the car and helped
her out before following her into the building and up the
stairs.

“
You don’t take the
elevator?”

“
No, I figure taking the
stairs is great exercise.”

He nodded.

When they reached the top she unlocked
her door, aware of the huge man behind her acting like a human
shield. Is this what celebrities endured? She took a moment to feel
sorry for them if so.

Once inside, she tucked her keys into
her bag then stored it away. Vlad was busy performing a search of
the flat. She meandered into the kitchen to check the
fridge.

The casserole she had stuffed inside
last evening looked like it was thawed. She preheated the
oven.

Vlad seated himself at the
bar.

“
So you’re my bodyguard
until Beau gets home?”

He slid off the stool and stalked
toward her. She wasn’t in the least bit afraid of this man. Instead
she stared up at him, wondering if the heat in her eyes matched
that in his.

A key in the door broke up the
potential kiss and she sighed in frustration. Vlad echoed her
sigh.

“
There’s enough casserole
for you and your friends if you’d like to invite them to dinner
tonight.”

He brushed a curl off her cheek.
“They’d like that.”

She smiled and really wanted to kiss
him. “So would I.”

Beau paced into the kitchen. He
greeted Vlad with a nod. “I can’t stay for dinner.”

“
You have plans?” She had
expected this.

“
I’m taking Molly
out.”

Vlad turned away to call his friends.
“He’s calling his friends. I should have invited them before
now.”

Beau shrugged. “They wouldn’t think
anything of it.”

That made her feel marginally better.
Vlad joined them by then. “They can actually come. It’s been so
busy they haven’t had time before.”

The last of her misgivings evaporated.
She tugged out some bread and made a salad then popped the
casserole into the heated oven. She also dug through her freezer
and came up with a Rurikstani cake that she left to thaw on the
countertop.

Beau hovered and she nearly ran him
over when she turned. “What’s wrong?”

“
Do you have suggestions
as to where I should take Molly tonight?” They discussed the
possibilities while Vlad retrieved something from the
car.

She didn’t get the sense that he was
unsure of himself. He wasn’t. This was Beau. Staring at him, she
decided that he just wanted this to be right.

When Vlad returned, Beau said goodbye
and after a conference with Vlad, left. She hoped his evening with
Molly was nice. She planned to quiz him on it tomorrow.

As soon as Beau left, Vlad backed her
against the wall for a kiss that was definitely a private one.
Since they weren’t in a public place, she twined her arms around
his neck and returned it full fold. In the back of her mind though,
she worried. It was great to kiss. Wonderful, even.

Before she could worry further on that
topic, someone knocked on the door. It was loud in the stillness of
her flat. Vlad released her with reluctance.

It didn’t take him long to reach the
door and open it. He greeted the three men standing
there.

One of them made a comment and he
swiped at his lips, slanting her a look that made her grin. When
she rubbed her lips, it was obvious she didn’t have much lip gloss
left. Vlad must be wearing it now.

She greeted each man by name. “I’m
sorry I haven’t invited you before this.”

Ben smiled. “Now is the perfect
time.”

She returned his smile but saw the
look he darted at Vlad. They carried on an entire conversation in
that one look. When she glanced at the other two men she was aware
that she was the only one who remained unaware of the topics in
that silent discussion.

Since there was nothing she could do
about it, she smiled at the four large men in her sitting room and
escaped to the kitchen to check the casserole. It wasn’t quite
bubbling yet, but close. She set the table, placed the fresh bread
in a basket, and added lemon to the iced tea. Since three of these
men were Americans she thought they would appreciate the
beverage.

She invited them to sit down and soon
placed the food on the table. The casserole bubbled nicely and the
salad looked crisp. There was no doubt that all three Americans
were looking forward to the meal. When she glanced at Vlad, she
caught him watching her. A little smile teased his lips.

There wasn’t time to question him as
they sat down and gave thanks for the meal. All four men dug into
the food with an eagerness that made her a little sad for
them.

The food disappeared rather quickly.
It was quite a validation of her cooking skills. When they talked,
which wasn’t much, because all four men seemed happy to be eating
her home-cooked meal, the talk was desultory.

She stood to clear the plates, and all
four helped her. Dessert didn’t take long for her to assemble. She
added pudding, fruit, and whipped cream to the thawed European cake
to create a traditional Rurikstani dessert.

Vlad noticed the confection
immediately. He asked right away and looked pleased when she
verified. “I have been hungry for this.”

“
Then you’re in
luck.”

“
What is it?” Ben eyed the
creation with interest.

“
I don’t care what it is,
I just want a large helping,” Derek said.

She sent him a laughing look. “You may
have as much as you like.” She arranged five plates, hers the
smallest, the other four large. The plates didn’t remain in front
of her for long.

She explained to Ben what it was, and
was rewarded by both Vlad and Derek’s moan. “It’s amazing,” Derek
decided.

“
This is even better than
I remember.” Vlad scooped up another bite.

Thinking of Beau, she set some aside
for him and placed the remainder on the table. It was wonderful to
see all of it disappear.

The men insisted on doing the dishes
and made her sit in the living room. She didn’t argue. They
appeared capable and Vlad had helped before. It didn’t take them
long before they joined her.

“
We’re looking into this
Barstow woman,” Ben said.

Since no one glanced furtively at her
and then looked away, she must be welcome to take part in this
discussion. It made her feel like a part of the team.

Derek leaned forward. “You have
reservations about her?”

She nodded before she told them what
she had mentioned to Vlad.

He added a few additional
details.

Beaumont tugged a small computer out
of a bag. She gave him the password to get online and soon he was
scrolling through screens so fast she gave up trying to
watch.

“
There is something
suspicious here.” Beaumont flipped through the screens
again.

He scrolled through some pictures,
selected Anna’s, and then sent it through a program she had never
seen. The program acted like a scanner as lines swept over the
woman’s face. “I tried to do this earlier but the program needed
some updates.”