C. Paradee - Deep Cover

Shelby stopped and turned around. "Can't you just wait until we leave?"

"No. The Russians aren't going to bother with me now. They don't need to. They're in the driver's seat and they know it. But, it wasn't them that shot at us. Someone else did. And it's been just a little too quiet lately."

Shelby asked incredulously, "You call last night quiet? I don't." The emotional roller coaster she'd been riding suddenly came to a screeching halt and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "I was so worried about you. You have no idea..."

Kris rose from her chair and crossed the room, determinedly ignoring the pain caused by the sudden movement. She wrapped her arms around Shelby, pulling the smaller woman close. Rubbing her hand soothingly on the analyst's back, she murmured, "I'm sorry I put you through that. I should've told you before now. I was afraid to."

Gently returning the hug, not wanting to hurt Kris, Shelby calmed a bit. "Sorry. There's just so much going on."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for." Kris drew her head back and looked deeply into Shelby's eyes. "I never thanked you for last night." She gently stroked her partner's face. "Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me last night and for giving me a chance."

Shelby relaxed, comforted by the gentle fingers caressing her face, and a warm glow enveloped her. "It's the only thing I could do. I love you."

Overcome with newly awakened feelings, Kris lowered her mouth, meeting Shelby's lips for a fleeting kiss and was unprepared for the intensity of her reaction to the brief contact. Her voice raw with emotion, she said, "I love you, so much." She released Shelby, focusing on controlling her libido, which - Kris wryly acknowledged - hadn't been slowed in the least the previous evening.

Shelby took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. Her face flushed, she reveled in the pleasant sensations washing over her body and managed to say, "Gotta take a shower," then turned, heading for the bathroom.

Kris watched until she was out of sight before she was finally able to rein in her own emotions. She picked up her gun, clipped on her cell phone and left the apartment.

The operative walked gingerly down the stairs, her slightly narrowed eyes the only outward sign of any discomfort. She carefully checked the parking lot before making her way around the building, returning to the apartment a short time later.

She was standing at the bathroom door when Shelby opened it. "I'm gonna take my shower, now."

Shelby grinned, trying hard not to laugh. "I thought you already took one."

Kris cheeks reddened. "Um, well, it's therapeutic."

Shelby broke out laughing. "Okaaay."

Kris grinned and shrugged. "What can I say?"

"Nothing. You just said everything." Shelby was still chuckling as she walked away, very happy her reaction to the fleeting kiss was not one sided.

When they arrived in the office, Kris pushed her chair next to Shelby's behind the desk. "Okay, first go to the Russian Embassy."

The analyst brought up the screen. "Okay, now what? Embassy personnel?"

"Yeah. See that guy, Gregor Koslov? He's the second in charge. Remember the night I told you I was outside talking to the guy following us?" When her partner nodded, Kris said, "It was him."

Shelby pointed to a picture. "That guy looks like the man from the grocery store."

"It is. He's officially a driver, but probably does some of their dirty work. He wasn't supposed to follow us into the store. Found that out when I questioned him."

"Then why did he?"

"Wanted some glory."

Kris pointed to Dimitri Pyetsky. "This is the guy I'm gonna bring down. His name is really Sergei Pavlovich Yanov. If the Company had any idea he was in the country, they'd probably grab him and charge him with spying. They'd be right, too."

"When did you find out he was here?"

"I checked this file last week. I wanted to see who was running the show. Never expected to see Sergei."

Shelby nodded and read the short biography on each of the Russians assigned to the embassy. "Now go to Sergei?

"Yeah. You need to understand just how ruthless this guy is. He's very bad news."

Shelby quickly located his file, opened it, and looked at his picture. "He dyed his hair and grew a beard. No wonder no one made the connection."

"He's a master at disguise. This isn't anything compared to what he can do."

She began reading along with Kris. Sergei had distanced himself from the KGB during their reorganization to allow himself more flexibility in accomplishing the goals of the new Russian Federation. He was an expert sniper, highly skilled with knives, and had a black belt in Karate.

He was known to be responsible for the deaths of three operatives and suspected of killing at least ten others. The Russian used any means at his disposal to extract information from captured agents, his favorite method being electrical shock, as evidenced by burns on the bodies of the few operatives that had been found. One agent had managed to survive the torture session, but had been mentally devastated.

It was suspected that he ran the Russian spies in America, but he'd never been spotted in the States. Sergei was also credited with the largest information coup in Russian history when he turned a high level CIA operative.

The full impact of what she'd read hit Shelby, and she realized just how dangerous their foe was. "You weren't kidding."

"No. I wanted you to understand what this guy is like and go into this with open eyes. I can't sit here and lie to you and say, 'Don't worry.' This is going to be really dangerous and if you want to change your mind about helping, I'll understand."

Shelby met Kris' eyes and held them. "I'm with you on this."

"There's one other thing I need to talk to you about." Kris looked away for a moment trying to figure out the best way to explain her own limitations. "Shelby, I will protect you in any way I can, and would give my life for yours in a minute. But...there is always the possibility that something I have no control over could happen...like the other night. If a trained assassin targets someone, and is persistent enough, eventually he or she could get lucky no matter how much protection you have. What I'm trying to say is..."

Shelby linked her fingers with the operative's. "Kris. It's okay. I know what you're saying. I would never hold you responsible if anything happened to me. I trust you to do your best. I know it's dangerous. So relax, okay?"

"Okay." Kris silently vowed to be extra vigilant in the coming days. There were too many unknown elements in the picture. "I'm gonna go see Earl. I'll bring us back some coffee."

"Sounds good. It's my turn to buy." Shelby pulled out a five and handed it to Kris. "I want the house blend."

Kris nodded and accepted the money. "I won't be gone long."

Shelby winked. "Good."

The operative walked out the door grinning, but the smile faded as she walked down the hallway. Inwardly sighing, Kris was careful not to take too deep a breath. The Aleve had taken the edge off the pain, but every time she stood up or moved suddenly, it hurt. She had tried to hide her discomfort from Shelby, but had seen the sympathy clearly reflected in her partner's eyes and knew the analyst wasn't fooled.

She smiled grimly. The beating had just been business as usual, but Sergei had made a huge mistake by turning it personal. Most operatives had a code of honor that wouldn't allow the targeting of innocents. The Russian had broken it and Blue intended to make him pay.

Earl glanced up when Kris walked in. "What's up?"

"Uncover the leak yet?"

"No. Not even a whisper. I've got ears everywhere and no one's heard a thing."

"That's what I figured. How many people know about the case?"