“Sam, I don’t know what to say.” Tessa’s voice softened as a show of victory toyed at the corners of her mouth.
Sam turned on her heels. “Don’t get all gooey on me. It’s not like we’re going to be girlfriends.”
“And just like that, the moment is gone.”
She swung the door open. “You coming?”
Tessa slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder and followed like an obedient puppy. Sam had already strolled halfway down the hall by the time Tessa turned off the light and locked up. Several men peeked out their office doors to watch Sam. Knowing the woman reserved the right to do her harm at a later date gave her an almost giddy feeling.
“So we could do lunch though, right?” The words tumbled out like those of a nervous sixteen-year-old who became acquainted with the prom queen.
“Don’t push your luck, Betty Crocker.” Sam pushed the elevator button then peered down her sculptured nose at Tessa. “You buying?”
Chapter 32
T essa’s desk at Enigma resided in a building blending old and new architecture with that of other university halls of learning. It shared space with the teaching hospital that concentrated on infectious diseases. She learned after signing on, other research went on there that would have DARPA drooling with envy. Some of the country’s brightest men and women enrolled in the University of Science and Technology Sacramento. Little did they know Enigma based their operations in universities across the country in hopes of future recruitment.
Like shooting fish in a barrel, Tessa had thought when she learned of the procedure. Most of the faculty had no idea what went on in Dragonwells Hall. The idea the seven-story building had several more floors beneath the ground would shock the board of trustees and university president. Enigma’s talent remained stellar at living in the shadows, pretending to be something other than the truth.
“Hi, Mrs. Scott.” Vernon, the redheaded heartthrob of nerds everywhere waved to her. “When are you going to bring us more cookies?” He walked beside her toward her desk located near the back of an expansive room bare of ornamentation other than maps. Some were dotted with colored pins, others were on flat screens updated every few seconds. Tessa used to stop and watch them, wondering what the colors signified.
“I put some in the fridge, Vern. Stop calling me Mrs. Scott.” She told him this at least once a week.
“Sure. Sure. Sorry.” He touched her elbow. “Come on. The boss moved you.”
Tessa stopped. “Why?”
Vernon shrugged. “You’ve got a bigger cube now, closer to the big guy.”
“Director Clark? Have I done something wrong?” She let Vernon lead her to her office.
This was more than a cube. Granted, it could be her large walk-in closet at home, but it had a glass wall dividing it from the main room and a window looking out onto the campus mall. Not having to share oxygen with people who memorized the periodic table as if it were bestowed upon mankind by Obi Wan Kenobi was a definite plus. Most of the time, Vernon’s geeky computer gurus stole innocent glances at her, unless Sam dropped by for a meeting. Then she became invisible until someone slipped in their drool or ran into a door staring at the Goddess of Condescension.
“Thank you, Vern. I see there’s already a pile of folders next to the computer.”
“Your new PC is ready to go. I built it myself. I’ll do a tutorial with you next week.”
“Let’s do it now. No classes today.” Tessa ran her hand over the glass top of the desk. Considering there was never anything as clear as glass at Enigma gave her a new appreciation for irony.
“Big guy says no.” He stole a glance over his shoulder with his usual nervous anticipation. “Be careful, Tessa.”
Before she could question him further, he turned and yelled at one of his technical protégés. Vernon was the king of conspiracy theories. Never ask him to go into detail about a wacky tabloid you saw at the checkout line in the grocery store unless you wanted to spend the afternoon listening to his thoughts on the matter. She grabbed a cup of coffee and returned to her office to get a feel for things.
Most Fridays were spent at home catching up on laundry for her family. Sam hadn’t been far off in her description of her life since returning home. The window drove her to distraction and beckoned her to gaze at life outside. She set her coffee down to cool.
Clouds had moved in and rain wouldn’t be far behind. Shifting her weight to one hip, Tessa crossed her arms across her chest after kicking off her heels. She’d tied her hair up in a ponytail earlier, but the coolness of the office chilled her neck. Reaching up, she removed the hair tie, letting her hair fall over the shoulder of her red sweater.
“I love watching you do that.” The male voice sounded deep, edged with a slight accent.
She whirled around and fell back against the windowsill as her hand went to her throat. “Darya!”
He stepped inside her office and closed the door.
“Darya,” she choked, relief washing through her like a tsunami. “Darya.”
“Is that any way to greet your husband?” His warm expression disarmed her so quickly she stumbled toward him with outstretched hands until his arms went around her waist. He lifted her up off the floor so only her toes touched the carpet. Sitting her back down, he turned around to display the new Darya. “What do you think?”
She laughed. “Hmm. Blue jeans, denim shirt, and cowboy boots. And your hair.” She reached up and tousled his cropped dark-brown hair. “If I had known you’d clean up so well, I would never have left you with all those nurses in Afghanistan.”
He reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. “And you.” He twirled her around then pulled her close. “I’m not sure I like you being the eye candy for all those young men outside your office. Are your students in love with you?”
Lighthearted laughter spilled into the room.
“They hate me. They think my tests are too hard and unreasonable. I even had one of their parents contact me to give their son a second chance on a late assignment.”
“I knew you were tough.” His hand went down her back, sending a chill up her spine. “You are beautiful, Tessa. I didn’t know until this very second how much I missed you.”
Time stood still as they stared into each other’s eyes, remembering days gone by when they were free to roam the Wakhan Valley with nothing but the wind to follow them. She grabbed both his hands and squeezed.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. No one would tell me anything.” Taking a deep breath, Tessa wrinkled her nose. “I can’t smell you.”
Darya laughed again. “Probably a good thing. Yak dung smoke would not be so popular in your fancy building.”
The memory of him lying half-naked under yak robes with her cradled in the crook of his arm made her heart skip a beat. An embarrassed march of heat crept up her neck then face at her carnal thoughts. “My goodness. I’m blushing like a school girl.” She put her hands on her cheeks.
Darya took her hands in his once again. “We have unfinished business.” The warmth in his voice did nothing to cool her skin.
“What business would that be, Mr. Petrov?” Director Clark walked into the office, filling up the doorway. Neither had heard him open the door. “And how the hell did you lose your escort?”
Darya dropped Tessa’s hands with reluctance as he shifted his now-icy attention to the director. “You mean your guard.”
Panic pounded in Tessa’s senses. “Guard?” Her voice snapped. “Is Darya under arrest?”
Director Clark peered down his eagle-like nose at her then Darya. “No. He has been cleared of any and all charges, even the one of his involvement in Ambassador Jarvis’s death. It seems the ambassador got some extra-strength heroin.”
Tessa had learned of the ambassador’s death and the missing hours Darya couldn’t account for after he’d broken out of his jail before she’d left Afghanistan.
Her sigh of relief drew Darya’s full attention back t
o her. “Not to worry. I will explain everything to you.” Without diverting his attention from her, he directed his next question to the director. “Right, Ben?”
No one called the director by his first name, except maybe Chase. Startled at the familiarity, she watched darkness fill the director’s face. “Is he free to go?” She lifted her face hopefully at Darya.
Darya narrowed his glare at the director. “As free as one can be when you make a deal with the devil. Am I right, Ben?”
“It’s Director Clark,” he growled.
Darya smirked and spoke with flippant disregard. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ve arranged a meeting for us in the conference room.”
Darya turned his grin from the director to Tessa. “I’d rather go someplace more private.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you’d prefer, Mr. Petrov. You’ll do what I say. When I say jump your response is ‘how high’? Are we clear?”
“I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how to take orders…Director.”
“Then you’d better let Mrs. Scott inform you of my degree of patience before you think about running.”
Tessa could feel the level of intimidation between the two men peaking as Vernon appeared in the door. “Ready, sir.”
The three followed Vernon to the elevator and rode down to the first floor. When the doors opened to the sterile foyer leading to their end destination, Tessa still didn’t understand why they couldn’t continue whatever was so important upstairs. The director’s secretary stood waiting with her usual pleasant attitude, at the door with Dr. Wu who made eye contact with Tessa but ignored Darya.
“What is going on, Director Clark? Why are we here?” Tessa watched Glenda open the door and wink at her boss. “Is there an emergency?”
The director stood aside, motioning for them to enter. A large sheet cake in the middle of the conference table with plates, and a punch bowl with icy red liquid sat ready for some sort of a party.
“I don’t understand.” Small voices giggled and her little orphans popped up from behind the table, clapping and laughing, surprising her. When they saw Darya, their squeals of delight exploded as they scampered around the table to mob him.
He fell to his knees, letting them touch his hair, face, and clothes. They reached for Tessa, toying with her skirt and sweater then switched to trying to win the attention of Darya who laughed, scolded them playfully, and hugged each of them before standing up. Even Shirin stepped forward to give him a hug.
Pulling the young teen aside, Darya twirled her around. Shirin stood in her blue jeans, ankle boots, and long-sleeve sweater waiting for his approval at her American transformation. He touched the head covering that remembered her past. “You look like an American, Shirin.” She dropped her chin to reveal her shyness remained the same. He lifted her head up with one finger. “I had better not hear of American boys coming to win your favor. I will throw them beneath the hooves of my yaks!”
Shirin covered her mouth as a giggle threatened to escape. “You do not have yaks, Darya. You sold them for Miss Melanie.”
Tessa hugged the girl. “She’s right.”
Darya frowned. “Humph! So I did. Then I will have to buy more! How much do you think I can get for Miss Melanie?”
“A million dollars,” one of the little ones chirped.
“A million!” Darya gasped. He rubbed his chin as she twirled around to show her value. “I think you’re right. But I think I will keep her. Shirin, if boys start to come around for you, I will break them into pieces with my bare hands!” He pretended to break something over his knee.
Shirin couldn’t stop giggling at his claims. “I have missed you, Father.” Her words were in Pashto.
“And I you, Daughter.” Darya leaned in and kissed her cheek then patted the back of her head.
“Director, thank you.” Tessa felt overcome with joy seeing the little faces that’d changed her life. They were thriving. Their host parents meandered around the room, talking to one another while the girls teased each other and hugged. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Thank, Dr. Wu. It was his idea.” He extended a hand toward the doctor who stood apart observing the mayhem. “He claims your therapy needed a little reward for your hard work.”
“Where’s Arzo?” Darya turned around for the littlest of the orphans.
The director leaned his ear to Vernon then straightened. “She’s coming in now.”
Tessa and Darya hurried into the foyer to see Arzo skipping between her new parents. She wore a pink dress and ballet slippers. Her sandy-colored hair was done up in purple ribbons. Surveying the area with the curiosity of a child introduced to Disneyland for the first time, she wiggled with excitement. The Afghan couple who held her hands had lived in America for ten years. They were in the process of adopting her. Their joyful faces spoke of love as they stopped and bent down to say something to Arzo. She jerked her head around to see the tribesman and his wife.
Dropping the couple’s hands, she ran as fast as her little legs would carry her with outstretched arms. Tessa couldn’t hold back the tears as Darya ran to the child and scooped her up in his arms. Swinging her around until she squealed for him to stop, he laughed out loud. Burying her face in his cheek, she hugged his neck before the onslaught of kisses.
“Father, I’m going to be adopted!” Arzo reached over and hugged Tessa. She’d seen the little girl at least once a week since the couple worked at the university and had promised to let Tessa remain a part of Arzo’s life. Her own daughter, Heather, had even taken the role of big sister to the three-year-old.
“That is wonderful news, Arzo.” Darya took the extended hand of the new father and offered congratulations. “You must be as good a daughter for this man as you were for me.”
Arzo crossed her heart like an American child, but it looked more like a tic-tac-toe chart. “Promise and zap my heart,” she said in English.
Darya kissed her forehead. “I think we need some cake, Tessa. Will there be enough for Arzo?”
Tessa tickled the child and moved back inside the conference room where the others had already begun to take a portion of the chocolate crème delight. “Maybe she should have carrots instead.”
In protest, Arzo shook her head and wiggled free to join the others at the table.
“Director, I, too, am grateful to see the children.” Darya came alongside him while watching the children enjoy their treat.
“Some of their host families drove several hours to get here. As you can see, they are all thriving. One or both of the host parents is Afghani. All of the girls have been given extended visas. If all goes well, the children will be adopted then granted political asylum in the US. We are aware Americans cannot adopt Afghan children, so we wanted to make sure after the sacrifice of our soldiers, State Department, and our own agency, they be given the opportunities promised.”
Darya became still as he watched them. “Knowing they would have been enslaved or killed because they are girls not so long ago…” Tessa heard the catch in his voice. “It was worth it.”
“Tessa, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Samantha Cordova entered the room like a queen. Her warm gaze devoured Darya then cast a fleeting smirk Tessa’s way. Without waiting for the introduction, she extended her hand toward Darya and stepped closer. “Dr. Cordova. Call me Sam.” His hand surrounded hers as she gave her usual killer smile that could melt a glacier in short order. “You must be Roman Darya Petrov. I’ve read up on you. Tessa hasn’t even mentioned you, so I took it upon myself to do a little digging. Now I see why she kept you such a secret.” Her hazel-green eyes covered him from head to toe.
Tessa reached in and removed Darya’s hand. “Better wash that. Sam has some kind of mysterious rash the doctors haven’t been able to identify.” She clicked her tongue before batting her eyes at the competition. “Still running a fever?”
Sam pulled back her shoulders. “Such a kidder. She keeps thinking this is clown school
. We so love her little jokes.”
Both women forced a laugh then sobered at the same time.
“I’d be happy to show you around while you’re here,” Sam continued.
Darya slipped his arm around Tessa. “I already have plans.”
Chapter 33
W hen the party broke up, darkness had already fallen. Much to Tessa’s disappointment, Director Clark and Vernon whisked Darya away, said there were some details of his release needing attention. She spent the night in her apartment after being told she needed not to concern herself with his plans for the evening. If she returned in the morning, she could participate in a briefing with the director. She didn’t return to Grass Valley since Robert traveled for business and the children were engaged in other activities. Staying at her apartment, not far from the university, continued to be yet another secret she’d managed to keep from her husband.
Although Robert knew she sometimes spent the night in Sacramento, he believed she took a room at the university or a hotel out by the airport, depending on whether the State Department requested an appearance in D.C. As long as he didn’t foot the bill for her stays in the city, they didn’t raise any suspicions. If he knew Enigma insisted she take an apartment, he might be a little more concerned about her activities.
Chase had screened several places for her to live but, in the end, she’d gone over his objections to purchase an apartment on the second floor of a charming old house once belonging to a wealthy doctor. The opportunity to buy a piece of prime downtown real estate within walking distance of her day job and Old Town Sacramento sealed the deal. The house held four apartments, two on each floor. Her thousand square feet of bliss was the only apartment with a terrace and French doors.
Coming in the front door, you could see the entire apartment, except for the bathroom and walk-in closet. Tessa filled it with flea market finds and online bargains. It felt warm and safe. She purchased things her husband would not appreciate since his style leaned toward modern and clutter free. She had no one to answer to here.
The Enigma Series Boxed Set Page 99
