C. Paradee - Deep Cover

Blue stared in disbelief. This elderly woman could be her mother's twin, albeit aged. Her hazel eyes reflected kindness, and her face mirrored the character and strength she remembered seeing as a child. She shut her eyes, refusing to be taken in by this cruel ruse. This had to be some kind of trick. A look alike actress hired to fool her.

Masha let her fingertips rest against the injured woman's cheek and spoke hesitantly in Russian. "They told me you were my daughter. I didn't believe them. Now, I'm not so sure. You have her eyes. Let me help you sit up."

Kris shook her head, wracked with excruciating pain. "No." She needed more time to divert her mind away from the damage that had been inflicted and the agony she was experiencing. Trying to concentrate on the woman at her side, Kris chose the one thing that only her mother would know about because she had never mentioned it to anyone at the school. "How's Sasha?"

Masha's mouth dropped open and her hand clutched at her chest. "It can't be!" She softly stroked Kris' cheek. "You really are alive! All these years I have mourned you, and you are alive." Tears rolled down the older woman's face. "Sasha lived for fifteen years after you left. Every time I petted her, I remembered how happy you were when you got her."

A myriad of emotions flickered through the operative's mind, but she was still not totally convinced. "Is Leonard still around?"

Masha looked puzzled. "Maybe I was wrong. My daughter would know that he died when she was five." Disappointment flooded the older woman's features, and she sighed heavily. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Mother?" Kris' voice was barely audible, as she tried to come to terms with the fact that this was most probably her mother. It was an odd feeling. She'd buried her in her mind so long ago.

"You were testing me," the older woman stated knowingly.

Kris smiled weakly. "Yeah."

"I should've guessed. You always were suspicious. Oh, what have they done to you? What's going on?"

Trying to ignore the red hot waves of pain, Kris concentrated on the conversation, and spoke quietly. "There's no time for that. Do you have any idea where we are?"

"No. When we left the airport, we drove around the city for a long time. I tried to see the address, but they ushered me in the back way. I think this street is Georgia. That's all I saw."

"Are they treating you okay?"

"Yes. They just left me in a room with a bed and bathroom all day. They brought me food a few hours ago. How can I help you?"

"You can't. Do what they say. I need to get you out of here..."

Kris clamped her mouth shut when she heard footsteps outside the doorway. She watched in silence as her mother obeyed an order to accompany one of the guards and departed.

Sergei walked into the room and smiled. "Have a nice visit?"

"I don't believe that is my mother."

"Oh, I think you do. We killed her because you did nothing but count down days until you could go home. You didn't care about the program. We needed your full attention, so she died." Sergei smiled coldly. "Isn't it ironic that you now hold her fate in your hands. She was dead to you once. Are you going to be responsible for her real death? If I do not have that password within a week, you will watch her die a slow and painful death, followed closely by your own."

"Boris!" When his subordinate arrived, Sergei ordered, "Get her prepared for the return trip." He walked out of the room, ignoring the eyes that tracked him.

After a weak struggle, Kris was subdued and given a sedative. The dose was large enough to ensure she remain unconsciousness for at least a couple of hours.

Sergei intended to be absolutely certain that Natasha had no recollection of the whereabouts of the safe house. He glanced at his watch, satisfied. Her total absence would not exceed the hour and a half he'd allowed for. He dictated a short note to one of the guards and pinned it to her T-shirt. It wouldn't do for her partner to get excited when she was returned unconscious and notify the Company. He handed her unloaded weapon to one of the guards and sent for Gregor.

"Deliver her to the door of her apartment and ring the doorbell. Make sure you are not seen." Sergei walked over to Gregor and stopped, his face only inches from his subordinates. "She will remain unrestrained and you will make sure that she is handled carefully. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Comrade."

"Return her, now!"

Gregor bowed his head slightly, turned to the guards and began issuing orders.

Shelby was growing frantic. She knew Kris wouldn't unnecessarily worry her again, and looked at the phone, but dismissed it, trying to decide on a course of action.

Walking to her bedroom, Shelby donned a light jacket. She wasn't waiting any longer. It had been almost an hour since the operative had left. What if Kris was lying hurt out on the grounds? If the woman wanted to be mad later, fine, but she wasn't willing to ignore her instincts any longer. She picked up a can of pepper spray and put it in her pocket. Didn't hurt to be prepared.

She went to the door, unlocked it, and carefully looked out. She waved to her neighbors who were just arriving home, locked the door behind her and began the descent to the first floor. Listening and looking for anything unusual, Shelby reached the ground level and began walking toward the parking lot.

She knew Kris always looked it over and decided to check there first, just to rule out the easiest places. Walking around the backs of the buildings would be a bit scarier. It was totally dark back there, with clusters of trees on the property and a lightly wooded area just beyond.

Two pairs of eyes watched her every move, one through the windshield of a car parked on the side street bordering the parking lot, and the other from a cluster of trees just beyond the apartment property. Neither man made any move to intercept her, not wanting to reveal their presence unless she tried to leave the grounds or was endangered in some way.

After traversing the entire parking lot, Shelby headed for the large grassy area behind the buildings. A couple of times, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, but when she looked around, she didn't see anyone. She decided to start behind her own building and work her way to the perimeter. Slowly walking along, her eyes flickered over the area, looking for anything that might provide a clue as to Kris' whereabouts.

Deep down, she already knew the operative wasn't around unless she was lying injured somewhere, because Kris would've already intercepted her – upset that she'd left the apartment. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and turned on the small flashlight on the key pad that doubled as a panic alarm. She aimed it at the ground and suddenly stopped.

Just to her left, the longish grass was flattened, a sharp contrast against the undisturbed growth. She approached the area, blocking the dim light with her body as she followed the trail until it suddenly ended. Frustrated, she walked a little further hoping to pick up the path again, but the rest of the grass was undisturbed.

Just as she was about to turn away, her light touched on a dark object. She redirected the narrow beam, and her heart momentarily stopped when she recognized it. Shelby bent down and picked up Kris' cellular phone. Her fear for Kris intensifying, she quickly but thoroughly searched the remainder of the yard, and finding nothing else, she ran back to her apartment.

After locking the door, she sank down into the couch studying the phone. Shelby didn't know Earl's number, but remembered Kris had pushed only one of the buttons to summon him the night they were shot at. Hesitating only momentarily, she pressed the number one and waited for it to be answered.