Flames of Redemption

by Jamie A. Waters

  “Do not stop or I will kill you,” she swore.

  “Always so bloodthirsty,” he admonished with a grin. Gripping her hips, he began moving slowly at first and then built up speed until he was pounding into her. She clutched the bedding tightly, throwing her head back as the sensations overcame her.

  His mouth found hers again, swallowing her screams as she erupted in a wave of sensation. He didn't stop, but instead shifted his angle, deepening his penetration even more. She gripped his arms, her body once more building toward an exquisite release. It was too much. She couldn't do it.

  “Again, Valechka,” he ordered.

  Unable to resist his verbal demand or her body's response to his, Valentina complied and shattered into a thousand pieces. A moment later, he followed her over the edge of the precipice and exploded inside her.

  Her heart thudded in her chest, too spent to even lift her hand. He had utterly and unabashedly destroyed her. Gathering her into his arms, Sergei rolled over, taking her with him so she was sprawled on top of him. His breathing was as rapid as hers, his heart thundering in time with hers, and she wasn't sure she would ever be able to move again.

  They laid in each other's arms for several minutes, each of them relearning how to breathe. He reached down and leisurely began stroking her naked back. She made a small noise of contentment, her eyes beginning to drift shut as a long-elusive peace began to settle over her.

  “Are you falling asleep on me, Valechka?” Sergei whispered.

  “Mmhmm,” she agreed, nuzzling against his chest.

  He tightened his arm around her. “I have missed you, little dove. I will not leave you again.”

  She made another small noise of agreement and closed her eyes, almost immediately slipping into a deep slumber.

  Chapter Eleven

  Valentina woke up the next morning alone. If it weren't for the faint scent of Sergei on her blankets and the memory of his touch on her body, she would have sworn she'd imagined the whole thing. It was just as well that he'd disappeared during the night. Otherwise, she might linger in bed, and there would be countless questions she wasn't quite prepared to answer. She stretched and walked into the bathroom to shower.

  When she emerged, she still wasn't quite awake. With a yawn, she grabbed a pair of pants and pulled a tank top over her head before turning to the weapons Sergei had removed the night before. She hesitated and then grabbed a few more, attaching her arm and leg sheaths while an electrolaser gun went into the holster at her side. It wasn't her preferred weapon, but it gave her an advantage in some situations.

  Grabbing a hair band, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and headed out into the common area of Nikolai's suite. Yuri was leaning over the table looking down at a tablet and glanced up as she entered.

  “Good. You're awake,” he said, studying her thoughtfully. “You're wearing more weapons than usual.”

  Valentina glanced down at herself and frowned. He was right. She must be feeling more insecure than usual. Not wanting to examine the reasons too closely, she shrugged. “It makes sense given the attack.”

  He arched an eyebrow but didn't call her on it. Instead, he glanced toward Nikolai's closed door. “Is Nikolai still asleep?”

  “I don't know. He was still awake when I went to bed last night, but I haven't seen him this morning. I only got up a short time ago.”

  Yuri nodded and handed her the tablet he'd been studying. “I put a team on trying to trace the weapons used at the ambush. We have a few leads so far, but we will need to investigate further.”

  She looked at the tablet, reviewing the types of weapons they suspected of being used in the assault. Some of the ones listed were the same type that coincided with another active investigation in the area. It could be related, but she wasn't willing to jump to conclusions without any proof. “Perhaps we should go back out to the ambush site today. We may find something the others missed.”

  Yuri nodded. “I agree. We can put together a team at breakfast. Are you hungry?”

  She handed him the tablet and stretched. “I need caffeine more than anything. But I should probably eat something if we will be offsite today.”

  Yuri chuckled and put his hand on her back to lead her toward the door. “You and your tea addiction. You will most likely never be a morning person.”

  She grinned at him. “You know me too well.”

  “That I do,” he agreed as they headed down the hall. “Did Nikolai tell you Sergei stopped by last night to meet with him?”

  “I know,” she murmured. “I saw him.”

  Yuri gave her a sharp look. “I see. I would be interested to know how he found the location of our camp.”

  She shrugged. “Sergei has always been resourceful. But with this new threat, we may want to find out. If he was able to locate us, others will too. We should consider moving Nikolai to one of our secondary locations.”

  Yuri opened the door to the noisy dining hall and led her inside. “I changed the parameters of our security assessment. We're running a new one now. Once it's finished, I'll explore alternate campsites. Unless there's an urgent need, I'd rather move to a completely new location. We can relocate either this afternoon or tomorrow.”

  “Good,” she agreed, halting as her eyes fell on Sergei who was sitting at a table with Lars. He was watching her, and his eyes warmed. He gave her a small nod in greeting, a smile playing upon his lips.

  “What the fuck is he doing here?” Yuri demanded, taking a step forward.

  She grabbed his arm. In a low voice, she warned, “Do not engage. If he's still here, it's with Nikolai's approval.”

  Yuri stiffened and whispered, “This is unacceptable, Valya. Nikolai goes too far.”

  “It's not our call to make,” she reminded him and smiled politely as a woman approached. “Regina, how are you this morning?”

  The brunette beamed a smile. “Wonderful. I take it you've seen our gorgeous guests?”

  Yuri scowled, and Valentina shot him another dark look before turning back to the woman. “Yes, but I don't think that's why you're talking to me before I've had a chance to have any caffeine.”

  Regina laughed. “No, but it's always fun to appreciate a fine specimen of a man.”

  Valentina murmured an agreement and said, “I will join you in a moment Yuri.”

  He nodded and headed over to collect his food while she followed Regina to the drink station. Valentina poured herself a large cup of tea, adding her preferred amount of sweetener while she waited for Regina to tell her what was going on. Something had the young woman on edge. There was a forced cheerfulness about her, but Valentina caught an undercurrent of worry below the surface.

  “We received the new weapon shipment yesterday,” Regina said, reaching over to fix her drink.

  Valentina stirred her steaming cup, noting that Regina's hands were slightly unsteady. “How does it look?”

  “Better than expected, but the numbers were off,” Regina admitted in a low voice.

  Valentina frowned. “How far off?”

  “We're missing at least a hundred. I'm trying to trace the disappearance, but this will be a problem if we cannot locate them soon.”

  “Send me the list of scheduled recipients,” Valentina ordered and started making a mental list of what needed to be done to get ahead of this possible disaster.

  Regina's nerves suddenly made sense if she was worried about being blamed for the disappearance. Valentina would need to talk to Yuri about checking their other weapon stores to see if they could cover the deficit. Dammit. Between this and Nikolai's agreement to extend the deadline for the tower construction, they couldn't afford any more problems.

  Focusing on Regina again, she added, “Pull off three senior officers from our acquisition team to help trace the shipment, but keep it quiet. I want the names of everyone who was involved from the manufacturing point up until we received the shipment. Cross-check everyone on the list with their facility alliances and send me the repo
rt right away. Has anything else gone missing?”

  Regina hesitated. “I'm not sure. I'll start looking into it immediately.”

  “Look at ammunition numbers first,” Valentina suggested, her intuition telling her this was linked to yesterday's ambush. It was too much of a coincidence otherwise. They were going to need to run a complete inventory of all their assets to find out if anything else was missing. “I'll speak with Yuri about the rest.”

  “Very well,” Regina agreed. “I'll let you know what I find out.”

  Valentina nodded and scanned the room for Yuri, who was now seated at the table with Sergei and Lars. She inwardly cursed and hurried over to collect a tray. The last thing she needed this morning was to play referee, especially given all these new headaches. She scooped up some food and headed over to the table.

  Yuri was sitting directly across from Sergei, both of them glaring at each other over the table. She forced a smile and slid into the seat across from Lars, placing her tray and tea on the table in front of her.

  “Good morning,” she said, making an effort to keep her voice light and friendly.

  “Good morning, Valechka,” Sergei murmured, eyeing her appreciatively.

  Lars also said good morning, but she didn't reply to either of them right away. After all, she had priorities. She lifted her cup, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply before taking a sip of the artificial beverage. It wasn't nearly as good as the tea in the towers, but it was caffeine. She had a feeling she was going to need more than one cup to get through today.

  “So, Sergei,” Yuri began, taking a bite of his food, “how did you manage to locate our camp?”

  Valentina opened her eyes to find Sergei's gaze still on her. The intensity made her stomach do a neat little somersault, and she took another sip, willing the caffeine to work faster.

  “Not easily,” Sergei admitted. “I traced Valentina for part of the way, but she cut off the transponder sooner than I would have thought. We circled around for a few hours until we picked up another trail. One of your other recruits didn't clear his path, so I was able to determine the approximate location of your camp.”

  Valentina frowned. Some careless recruit would be having an unpleasant morning once Yuri was finished with them.

  “Why are you still here?” Yuri asked, using a bit more force than necessary to stab his food.

  She took another sip. Yep. The recruit was in for a very bad morning.

  “A few reasons,” Sergei said, still focusing on her.

  Valentina's eyes narrowed over the rim of her cup. She'd enjoyed last night and would always treasure the memory, but that's all it was. He needed to accept she wouldn't fall back into old patterns with him. They might enjoy each other here and there, but what was once between them was over. It had to be.

  Apparently, Yuri felt the same way. He leaned forward and said, “You need to be careful about those reasons, Sergei. If I suspect they are for any reason other than business, you may stop breathing sooner than you expect.”

  “It would be a shame for you to die,” Sergei said as casually as if he were commenting on the weather. “Nikolai and Valentina both think highly of you.”

  She took another sip, hiding her smile behind her cup. Only Sergei could get away with threatening Yuri and still walk away. As though sensing her appreciation, Sergei grinned at her, his eyes lighting up with mischief.

  Sergei was far too appealing for his own good and too dangerous to keep around. Valentina lowered her cup and took a bite of her breakfast, the bland flavor not doing much to help with her appetite. “How long are you staying, Sergei?”

  He paused for a long moment. “I offered to help Nikolai find whoever was responsible for the attack yesterday. I will stay as long as you wish.”

  She lifted her gaze to meet his, the promise in his words clear.

  “Then you should leave after breakfast,” Yuri suggested. “You can help far more by keeping your distance.”

  “Yuri,” Valentina warned, pushing away her barely touched tray. They were beginning to attract curious looks. And with them, gossip and rumors would follow. It wasn't just her heart at risk.

  Yuri sighed but relented. “Very well. How do you intend to help?”

  “I have a few thoughts but would like to review your progress first. OmniLab is conducting their own analysis, and Lars has agreed to offer his assistance.”

  She smiled at Lars. “Thank you. That's very generous.”

  “It's my pleasure,” Lars replied. “The meeting between Alec and Nikolai seemed to be going well until the interruption. I know Alec would like to resume discussions once the situation is resolved. He's extended the invitation to meet in the towers, if Nikolai is open to it.”

  “We will mention it to Nikolai,” she offered, but Valentina had no intention of allowing him to step foot inside the towers until they learned more about their people.

  Sergei eyed her abandoned tray with a frown. “That's all you're going to eat, Valechka?”

  She took another sip of her tea. “I'm not hungry.”

  Yuri pulled her tray over to him and started working on her food. “She never eats in the morning.”

  Valentina shrugged, but her mouth curved in a smile. They both knew she only kept up the pretense of filling her tray because he would eat it. She didn't even like whatever that grayish jelly thing was. Nothing edible should ever look like that.

  Yuri picked it up and waved it at her, knowing she hated it. “You sure you don't want a taste?”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. He chuckled and shoved it into his mouth.

  While Yuri was eating, Valentina picked up his tablet and began scrolling through the data. She needed to review her notes from her other investigation to confirm, but it was clear someone was stockpiling weapons. The only question was whether the attack yesterday was a result of her investigation or if they were trying to target Nikolai through her.

  Sergei leaned forward. “You've discovered something?”

  Valentina glanced over at him, mildly disconcerted with how easily Sergei could read her.

  “A possible connection,” she admitted, focusing again on the tablet. “We're going back to the meeting site after Yuri is finished stuffing his face. I want to check a few things out.”

  “Lars and I will join you,” Sergei announced, pushing away his tray.

  Yuri scowled. “No.”

  “I was not asking you,” Sergei retorted, his shoulders tense and unyielding.

  Yuri stood and leaned over the table. “Nikolai may have allowed you to stay, but you are not part of this investigation except by my leave. I will not bring a potential liability along with us.”

  “I will not allow Valentina to go back there without sufficient protection,” Sergei argued, standing to meet Yuri's threat.

  “Enough.” Valentina pressed her hands on the table and pushed herself up. “Sergei, you do not have any rights here beyond those which Nikolai has extended to you. If he has ordered you to accompany us, so be it, but this is Yuri's investigation. You will follow his orders. Otherwise, you know where to find the exit.”

  Sergei's jaw clenched, and she knew he was inwardly battling the urge to argue Yuri’s competency. Sergei and Yuri had always been in competition with each other, and she was relying upon that now. Even if part of her wanted Sergei to remain, he needed to leave. There was no way he'd agree to remain and fall under Yuri's command.

  He held her gaze. “If that is your wish, I will do my best to follow Yuri's orders.”

  Valentina stared at him, completely stunned. Her mouth opened, but she immediately closed it, unsure of how to respond. Surely, what happened between them last night wasn't the reason for his agreement. What in the world had Nikolai said to him?

  Eyeing him warily, she snatched up her cup. “I need a refill.”

  Without waiting for a response, she escaped from the table and Sergei's all-too-perceptive gaze.

  Sergei watched Valentina hastily retreat to
the drink station. He'd surprised her, but then again, he'd expected that. If her intent was to drive him away, she was in for a lot more surprises. Holding her in his arms last night had only reinforced his decision. No matter what happened, he wasn't going to walk away from her again. Last night had been the first few moments of happiness he'd had in three years. He had to believe she felt it, too, or she never would have fallen asleep in his arms. Part of her must still trust him. He just needed to find a way to get her to admit it, and for that, he needed time.

  Sergei had no intention of following Yuri's orders if they countermanded his primary objective, but he'd go along with it for now. He was going to have to do something about Yuri though. His former friend had gotten a little too close to Valentina over the past several years. Just watching their brief interaction at breakfast had shown him that much, even without Nikolai's comments.

  “Stay away from her, Sergei,” Yuri warned in a low voice. “If you play this game with her, I will end you.”

  “I am not leaving,” Sergei replied, determined to make his position clear. “Nikolai told me the truth last night.”

  “Truth is only a matter of perspective,” Yuri snapped, pushing away from the table. “You don't know any of us anymore.”

  Sergei watched Yuri walk over to Valentina and press his hand against her back in an obvious gesture of affection. He leaned in close and whispered something in her ear. She nodded, and they headed out of the room together.

  Lars blew out a breath. “Well, that went well. Looks like you pissed off both of them.”

  “Only Yuri,” Sergei replied.

  Valentina had been too confused by his presence to really get angry. She was always so pliant when she was sleepy. Her reaction last night was proof of that. He'd most likely need to rely on as many devious tricks as possible if he was going to win her back. Valentina still cared for him; she just didn't want to. The game between them was about to shift dramatically, and her reactions were always so stimulating.