Trapped In Shadow (Shadow Walker Romance Series Book 4) (3 page)

Before stepping out of the car, he reached for her with his telepathy. A gift that went with Shadow Walking.
“Stacey, it’s me. I’m getting out of the vehicle now. Don’t shoot me, okay?”

“Dammit, Hugh. How the hell do you keep finding me?”

Hugh chuckled and stepped out of the car.
“I’ll always find you, sweetheart. We’re mates, remember?”

“So you say.”

“No, so Shadow says. The proof is that little heart tattoo on your lovely breast. Are you going to open the door?”

“It’s unlocked. Come on in.”

Hugh frowned and reached for the doorknob.
“You shouldn’t leave the door unlocked. It’s not safe.”
He walked inside.

The cold barrel of a gun pushed against his neck. “You shouldn’t walk into buildings with a known assassin inside.”

“I’m not here to hurt you. Hell, you know I’d never hurt you, Stacey. The general sent me to get you to safety. Your cover is blown.”

“Yeah, I figured it was something like that. I’ve been jumpy all morning, like someone targeted me in their crosshairs.” She lowered the gun.

Hugh turned to find her smiling at him. She stood slightly to his left behind the door. Her blond hair lay loose on her shoulders and she was dressed comfortably in jeans and a sweatshirt. His heart thumped wildly in his chest. He reached for her, pulling her tightly against him.

“I love you, Anastacia Holland.” He kissed her. His lips pressed gently to hers, his tongue seeking entry.

Stacey sighed. “You’ve been digging into my background, haven’t you?” She put her arms around his neck. “If you know my name, then you know the general is my father. I’m surprised he sent you up here.”

“We came to an understanding. I told him you were mine and he’d better get used to the idea.”

“Well then, who am I to argue with a general?”

That was all the incentive Hugh needed. His tongue speared deeply. He turned and pressed Stacey against the wall. His hands ran from her waist to her breasts. She was hot and sweet and he needed her.

“Great Spirit, I missed you! Don’t run from me again. I might go insane.”

He kissed her mouth and eyes and then the small place behind her ear. Stacey’s hands rubbed his neck and head, pulling him closer.

“Ah, isn’t that sweet. It’s good to know my little sister has someone to love, but right now, we need to get out of here before the mercs who are following me arrive,” a woman’s voice with a Russian accent said from the front door.

Stacey released Hugh and drew the weapon she stashed in the small of her back. She pointed the Walther PPK at the woman who could only be her half-sister.

“Nadezhda Konstantinov, I presume,” Stacey said.

Hugh moved to the side so Stacey had a clear shot. Not that she wanted to shoot her sister, but she didn’t know what side Nadezhda was on.

“Grab your things. We need to get out of here,” Nadezhda said.

A gunshot blast sounded from outside and Nadezhda was hit. The bullet continued across the room, hitting a glass on the kitchen counter. Nadezhda fell to the floor with a groan.

“Get down!” Stacey pushed Hugh to the floor and then quickly rolled off him.

She grabbed Nadezhda and pulled her from in front of the door before kicking it shut. Two more rounds went through the wood, hitting items in the room.

“We have to Shadow Walk,” Hugh said kneeling next to Nadezhda. “I’ll carry your sister. She’s bleeding pretty badly.”

“Nobody has to carry me. We need to go,” Nadezhda said, sitting up. She pulled a gun from behind her back and cocked it. More rounds poured into the building, each one leaving a circle of sunlight in its wake.

Hugh opened a portal into Shadow. He reached back for Stacey’s hand.

“We need to be in physical contact. Don’t let go!”

Stacey nodded and grabbed Nadezhda’s arm. “You won’t need the gun where we’re going,” Stacey said.

Hugh dragged them into Shadow, as a grenade was lobed through the window.

He closed the portal and pulled the women into a huddle around him.

“What is this place?” Nadezhda asked.

“Close your eyes!” Hugh yelled.

The blast engulfed the cabin in flames. Inside Shadow the dark misty landscape lit up with a strange orange glow.

“I have a medical emergency, gunshot wound, coming in,” Hugh said.

“Who’s he talking to?” Nadezhda asked. “Hey, my gun just disintegrated. Oww! Something is burning me.”

Stacey smiled. It seemed that Shadow thought Nadezhda would also be a good mate to one of the tribe. “The burn will only hurt for a little while, but it will leave a mark on your breast. It’s a good thing you’re wearing cotton clothing.”

“Yeah? Why?”

“Only all natural items can withstand the Shadow dimension.”

Hugh grabbed both women and there was a shift. Stacey blinked and saw the clinic at Isanti, Inc. He opened a door in Shadow and they walked into the waiting room in New Mexico. Raven Darkwood stood next to the doctor as well as a tall man Stacey hadn’t met before. Like the other tribesmen, he possessed dark hair and eyes.

Nadezhda began to sway and the man jumped forward and caught her against his chest.

“Bring her in here, Dasan. I need to check that wound,” the doctor said, moving into an exam room.

Hugh put his arm around Stacey’s waist and pulled her close. “Damn, that was too close.”

Stacey put her hand on his chest, trying to comfort him. He trembled under her palm. “It’s okay, Hugh. We made it.”

“What exactly happened?” Raven asked, his face a mask of concern.

“We almost died,” Stacey answered. “And like the last time I was pinned down, Hugh saved me.”

§

“How’s Nadezhda, Doctor Rick?” Hugh asked, following Stacey into the exam room.

Dasan Fighting Eagle stood near the bed holding the woman’s hand. Nadezhda’s eyes were closed while the doctor worked on her side. Stacey bit her lip and Hugh realized she didn’t know what to say to her sister.

“She’s going to be sore for a while, the bullet just grazed her side and missed anything vital. I think she’ll make a full recovery. I’m going to run a few tests. Oh, this is interesting.” The doctor ran a small paddle over Nadezhda’s arm.

“What?” Stacey asked.

“This woman has a tracking chip in her like we found in Lindy Quiet Thunder.”

“What?” Nadezhda’s eyes flew opened. “Dammit, I led the mercs right to you. Get it out of me!”

“Calm down,
tehila
. The doctor will gladly remove the device,” Dasan said.

“I don’t know what that word means. Who the hell are you?” Nadezhda asked, looking at Dasan.

“Oh, I should have introduced you,” Hugh said. “Nadezhda this is Dasan Fighting Eagle. He’s security branch.” Dasan would have a challenge with this one. Hugh smiled.

“I’m also your mate. I knew it when you fell into my arms,” Dasan said.

“Yeah, thanks for catching me,” Nadezhda said. “You’ll have to put this place on lockdown. I’ve led Zenith right to you. I’m so sorry! How the hell did they put a chip in me?” Nadezhda moved her arm to get a better view.

“Hold still, please. This is going to sting.” The doctor cut into Nadezhda’s arm with a scalpel and then reached in with forceps and removed the small glass vial holding the chip. He dropped it onto a metal tray and reached for the needle and silk thread.

“Who or what is Zenith?” Stacey asked. Hugh wondered too.

“The bad guys, trust me. You need to destroy it!” Nadezhda insisted, watching the doctor.

“The building is shielded from electronic eavesdropping,” Hugh said, trying to calm her. “The signal from the chip won’t be picked up as long as it stays inside the building. It also can’t be read in the Shadow Dimension. So to the people looking for you, it will appear the device was destroyed in the fire and you along with it.”

“Well, that’s good news at least.” Nadezhda sighed. “I had no idea they’d gotten close enough to chip me. I’ll have to contact the rest of my team.”

The doctor raised the head of the bed so Nadezhda could sit comfortably and then took his equipment and a vial of blood from the room.

“Who exactly is your team?” Stacey asked.

Nadezhda smiled at Stacey. “You look so much like our mother.”

“I could say the same about you.” Stacey looked pointedly at her half-sister.

“I’m a member of an international unit fighting an organization called Zenith,” Nadezhda said. “Our code name is Star Fire. Zenith is a global terrorist group that wants to rule the world. Its members are highly placed businessmen and politicians who want to control the global markets and economies. They’re using gifted operatives as their own private task force. They have no problem killing hundreds of people to destabilize a region for financial gains. I found out about them a few years ago when I went searching for whomever killed Akilina Konstantinov, our mother.”

“Wait. Are you saying this organization, Zenith, killed our mother?” Stacey asked.

“It looks that way.” Nadezhda nodded. “I think they were actually going after controlling your father and forcing him to join Zenith.”

“What were you doing with that arms dealer?” Stacey asked.

“What arms dealer?” Hugh asked. Didn’t Charlie say something about an arms dealer?

Stacey held up her hand to silence him.

“I investigated him as a possible arms supplier for Zenith. He was, though it looked like he had shorted Zenith by several crates. Dumb move on his part. They would have killed him, if you hadn’t. I saw your face the night you made the hit. Don’t worry about the little girl. Her father left bruises on her body all the time. He had a nasty temper. He killed his wife before leaving South America. In all probability, he would have killed his daughter before too long. I made sure she went to a very good home. You did her a favor.”

“I’m not sure she would see it that way,” Stacey said, her shoulders slumping.

“The job you do as Stinger is a hard one. I’m sure you know that every bad guy you assassinate is a plus for your country. I’m surprised our paths didn’t cross sooner.”

“What? You’re Stinger?” Hugh looked at Stacey in horror. The woman he loved was an assassin of legendary proportions. He didn’t know her at all. How did she keep this a secret from him when they worked as a team for her father? When they found a moment of privacy, he would get answers from her.

“I was doing my job, Hugh. I’ve been deep undercover since I was a child. My father tried to protect me.”

“Your father is a pig,” Nadezhda said, disgust dripping in her tone. “He’s using you for his own ends. I’ve found evidence that Thomas Holland joined Zenith last year. He’s been targeting the Shadow Walkers, and now he’s trying to make you disappear, Anastacia.”

“No,” Stacey looked at Hugh. “I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it.”

He pulled her into his side. Could Nadezhda be right? Was General Holland trying to get rid of his own daughter?

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Rick said, walking into the room. “General Holland isn’t just Stacey’s father, he’s yours too, Nadezhda. I ran a gene screening and it shows you two are siblings from the same parents.”

“Nyet! That isn’t possible. My mother bore me before she was given the assignment from the KGB to seduce Thomas Holland. I was raised by my maternal grandparents.”

“Well, the gene screening proves that Holland met your mother before she came to America. I thought you should know,” Dr. Rick said.

“I’m sorry I reacted so strongly,” Nadezhda said frowning. “It looks like both our parents kept secrets from us.”

Hugh’s phone rang. He looked at the caller identification and saw Holland’s number. “It’s your father. Should I answer it?” He looked from Nadezhda to Stacey.

“No. Until we know what’s going on, I think we need to go dark for a while.” Stacey ran her fingers through her hair. “Can I use your computer, Hugh? I want to do some research. Nadezhda, I need to see what evidence you have against my father and what’s really going on.”

Hugh used his mental telepathy to contact Raven in his office.
“We have a situation. General Holland has been accused of targeting the Shadow Walkers. We need to keep him out of the loop until we can prove it one way or the other.”

“That’s a serious accusation. What evidence do you have?”

“I’m not sure yet, but we found a chip in Nadezhda, Stacey’s sister. She says a group called Zenith is behind it.”

“Keep me informed.”

“You got it, Chief.
Are you feeling well enough to get up, Nadezhda? My office is upstairs. We can move this party there and see where the evidence takes us.”

“Of course, some food would be nice. Can we have it delivered?”

“Absolutely. I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re coming with us, Dasan. Since Shadow marked Nadezhda as your mate, I expect you’ll want to stay close.”

Dasan nodded and helped Nadezhda sit up. Her top was ruined but she didn’t seem self-conscious in just a bra. Hugh smiled when Dasan took off his shirt and helped Nadezhda slip it on. She might not be self-conscious, but Dasan made sure nobody ogled his woman. Only as ripped as Dasan was, they would still be noticed.

Hugh looked at Stacey. She’d lied to him, kept things from him. He couldn’t trust her, but she was his mate. He took her hand and led the group to the elevators. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed the kitchen and ordered a meal delivered to the tech department.

§

“What was mother like, Anastacia?” Nadezhda asked. “I was so young when she left me, I don’t remember her well.” Nadezhda sat at a table next to Dasan. Papers littered the surface.

Stacey sat at a computer terminal, a cold piece of pizza forgotten on the desk. She’d gone into work mode, pouring over data for hours trying to track down any clues to what the general was doing. She blinked when Nadezhda spoke, trying to focus on the here and now.

“Mom?” Stacey smiled. “She loved us, fixed my brother and me special treats. That cabin where you found me, it was our vacation spot. We didn’t own it. We rented it every year in the summer. For two weeks my father put everything behind him and concentrated on us, his family. Mom always seemed happier during that time. She’d be all smiles, playful even. I have a hard time remembering her too. She died when I was six.” An ache settled in Stacey’s chest

“She sent me letters,” Nadezhda said. “Sometimes a photo of all of you. She promised to bring me to America. She never did.”

“I’m sorry, Nadezhda. You must have felt abandoned.”

“Yes and no, my grandparents loved me, but jealous of you, yes. My mother picked her family in America over me. Even my grandparents didn’t understand why mother wouldn’t send for me. I heard them argue about it.”

“Are they still alive? Our grandparents?” Stacey asked. Did she have family in Russia?

“Nyet,” Nadezhda answered quietly. “They passed very close to each other two years ago. I miss them every day, though I hadn’t lived with them since going away to university. That’s where I was recruited to join Star Fire.”

“Star Fire, how many agents do you have?” Hugh asked. “I’d heard of an elite international group, but never their name and mission.”

“I lead a team of five. Each member is gifted with a psychic talent. That’s one of the things they look for in a new recruit. General Holland does the same with his agents. We don’t have any Shadow Walkers though. That trick of moving through a different dimension would sure come in handy.” Nadezhda smiled and winked at Dasan.