Covert Vengeance

by Kaylea Cross

  It felt foreign to wander around the store to peruse various items. And kind of decadent. This was a luxury, and completely alien because she didn’t feel the need to constantly watch over her shoulder for threats. But it was impossible to shut off her innate need for vigilance.

  Aware of everyone in the shop and where they were positioned, she picked out a few long tunic-style tops that would be comfortable for Kiyomi and not be tight around her healing ribs and back. She found a raspberry-colored sweater that looked pretty nice, a set of peacock-blue pajamas in a silky material that would be soft against the skin, and a cuddly red robe.

  Megan walked over with an armful of items, glanced at what Amber had chosen, and nodded her approval. “Perfect. I got her some leggings, so those longer tops will be great. Ready?”

  “Yeah.” She didn’t even check the prices or ask who was paying for it all, ready to pay for it no matter what it cost, but when the lady behind the counter added everything up, Megan pulled out cash from her wallet and handed it over.

  “Have you got any slippers, by chance?” Megan asked the saleslady. She seemed totally at ease here, far more well-adjusted to the civilian atmosphere than Amber.

  Would it ever be like that for her if she got out of the game and entered this world? Amber didn’t know if she could ever fit into the outside world.

  “Over there on the shelf,” the woman said. “Cotswold sheepskin, so cozy and warm.”

  “Nice.” Megan grabbed some and added them to the pile, then paid for everything and took the bag the woman handed her.

  Outside on the sidewalk, the town was bustling with people going in and out of the shops and other buildings. And there were dogs. Lots of dogs, everywhere. “Wow, people love their dogs around here.” They were even taking them into the shops and restaurants.

  “Big time.”

  “Does Marcus bring Karas into town when he comes?”

  “Nooooo.” Megan’s eyes widened. “I know you wouldn’t realize it looking at her, but she turns into a vicious killer when she sees another dog. Like, psycho. Even a teacup poodle will set her off, then she’ll be all hackles and fangs. It’s so scary.”

  Amber blinked. “Wow. Then she doesn’t leave the property much, I’m guessing?”

  “He’ll take her in the Rover. She loves being in the truck. But mostly she loves being with her dad and wants to go wherever he does. She’s a one-man dog.”

  “Maybe it’s because he rescued her.” She slanted Megan a telling look. “I’m told that kind of thing inspires a pretty powerful loyalty.”

  Megan’s lips quirked at the profound meaning in the words. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

  Amber glanced around as they crossed the square. Behind the square, an old stone church steeple poked out above the other buildings. “Teashops are popular here too, huh?”

  “Oh, big time. Ever been to one?”

  Amber snorted. “Do I look like the tea party type?”

  Megan gasped and gave Amber a scandalized look. “In all your stops in England, you’ve never been for tea?”

  “No. I drink coffee. Black coffee.”

  Megan shook her head and grabbed Amber’s elbow. “Come on. Couple more stops before we head back.”

  “Where are we going now?” She hadn’t received any alerts to her phone, but she still wanted to get back and see if Ada had found anything more on the various searches Amber had programmed into her.

  “Huffkins. You can’t come here and not go to Huffkins. It’s a rule.”

  Ten minutes later Amber had her very first tea experience. The tea was an acquired taste she was pretty sure she would never love, but the scones were crazy awesome.

  “What is this stuff?” she asked on a groan, smearing double the creamy substance on her remaining half.

  Megan’s eyes twinkled. “Clotted cream, and it’s the bomb.”

  It was somewhere between the consistency of whipped cream and butter, but sweeter. “Oh my God, seriously, where has this been all my life?” she muttered around a mouthful of crumbly scone and cool, thick cream, the strawberry jam on top giving it just the right amount of brightness and sweetness.

  “I know, right? It’s totally addictive. Marcus turned me onto it when I first got here.”

  Yum. “We need to take some back for the others.”

  “Yeah, we do,” she agreed, shoving a bite into her mouth.

  They bought enough scones, cream and jam for everyone, then stopped for wine and chocolates too before heading back to the vehicle. Amber couldn’t stop smiling as they drove back to the manor. Everything about this little excursion was the opposite of what her life had been. “I always heard retail therapy was good for you. I just never believed it before.”

  Megan reached over to pat her knee. “It’s a brand new world for us now.”

  Was it? Or was this just a tiny interlude to show her everything she could never have?

  The almost giddy sensation faded, replaced by her usual, cautious seriousness. “I don’t think you should pose as my double for this sting when it happens.”

  Megan shot her an annoyed look. “Too bad, because I’m doing it.”

  “No, Megan…” She sighed, tried to find the right words. Their new relationship was still fragile. They were still getting to know one another again and she didn’t want to risk alienating her only family member. “Look at the life you have here. Look what you have with Ty. You don’t need to operate anymore. You don’t need to take risks like that anymore, you can just—”

  “Stay here and sit on my ass while you risk your life for the rest of us? Yeah, no. That’s not how I’m wired.” Her tone was curt, her expression tight.

  Shit, Amber had offended her. “I know you’re not. Just like I know how you think, and all the things you’re trained to do. I’m just saying that you have a choice now. And that it wouldn’t be selfish for you to choose happiness for once, instead of more danger.”

  “Yes, it would.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re my sister,” she snapped, and turned her attention back to the road.

  Amber didn’t respond. Couldn’t even if she’d wanted to, because it felt like someone had just sucker-punched her in the sternum. Her heart felt bruised and her throat was suddenly tight.

  She had always been leery of others. She didn’t make friends easily—for obvious reasons—and the last time she’d thought she had real ones, they’d duped her and abandoned her to die. To have her own kind turn on her like that had planted a bitter seed inside of her.

  This time was different.

  Even though she was operating in a kind of probationary period with the others. Even though Rycroft and his team back Stateside remained suspicious of her and her trustworthiness—and they had every right to be after the things she’d done. She was determined to prove herself to all of them.

  This time she had her sister beside her, and everyone back at the manor house was united in a joint effort to protect all the remaining Valkyries out there, which Lady Ada was currently working her magic on, along with a few other key tasks. A mission they could resume full force once Stanislav was neutralized.

  They drove back in silence, a subtle tension between them. Megan pulled through the mechanized wrought-iron gate and parked near the main house at the top of the circular part of the driveway.

  Amber followed her inside, still shaken by the unwavering devotion and loyalty her sister had shown her. After everything she’d done, Amber wasn’t sure she deserved it.

  “We’re back,” Megan called out once they hit the foyer, “and we come bearing gifts.”

  Amber followed her to find Kiyomi and the others, aware that the greatest gift she’d ever been given was right in front of her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  On a scale of one to ten, Kiyomi’s pain was at a solid eight-point-seven. Her cracked ribs never gave her a moment’s reprieve, and the rest of her was battered and bruised. Exhaustion and fear dogged her every single
moment. Even still, she liked her surroundings and present company too much to make the tortuous trek back upstairs to the sumptuous bedroom the mysterious lord of the manor had put her in.

  “Hey, who took the last chocolate?” Trinity complained, setting down the empty silver dish on the coffee table. She was an “intimate assassin”, the same as Kiyomi. They were the rarest kind, and perhaps the deadliest too, trained to seduce their targets to extract intelligence—and kill them up close and personal.

  “I did.” Amber leaned back into the tufted velvet sofa she shared with Megan as she chewed the bit of chocolate. “You snooze, you lose.”

  Trinity narrowed her eyes playfully at Amber. “I’ll remember that.”

  It was surreal to be with Amber again after so many years. Kiyomi had missed her when she’d been sent from the training facility to start working ops, and had wondered what had become of her friend.

  She was also curious about Trinity. About her background, and the diamond ring on her finger. Due to the nature of their job, their kind had a notoriously short life expectancy. A few years older than Kiyomi, Trinity had survived against all odds and apparently found love, impossible as that seemed. Kiyomi hoped they got the chance to spend time together when she was feeling better.

  Everyone here had been so nice to her. Though she’d just arrived and wasn’t able to contribute much, the women had immediately considered her one of them and included her in their plans. For the past hour they’d been going over intel and formulating an initial op plan to pass onto Alex Rycroft for approval while the guys were out touring the property with Marcus. Amber’s coveted laptop took pride of place in the center of the coffee table, along with three other computer monitors she had set up for this gathering.

  One showed a detailed satellite image of central London. The second displayed the intricate and complex network of CCTVs in that part of the city, along with the power grid and various security locations in the area. On the third, everything they had on Stanislav.

  Trinity and Georgia were in lounge chairs on the other side of the table, and Kiyomi was resting on a nest of pillows they’d put on the floor for her next to them. Not only was all the chocolate gone, so were both bottles of red wine they’d picked up in town. Unfortunately due to her meds, Kiyomi hadn’t been able to have any.

  “So we’re all in agreement, then?” Trinity said to everyone. “This is where we set up the meet with Stanislav?” She tapped the screen in an industrial area on the banks of the Thames displayed on the satellite image. The others had decided to push him more by dictating the time and place of the meeting. Since he was desperate, odds were good he’d agree to it.

  “It’s our best shot at doing this without any outside interference,” Amber said. “The trick’s setting this up so Stanislav can’t call the shots. But the window’s going to be narrow, so we’ll have to be fast. Get in, get him, get out.”

  “Getting in and out fast’s my specialty,” Megan said with a grin.

  Amber shot her sister a smile so full of pride it made Kiyomi smile a little too. Being up and out of bed was awesome in its own right, but there was something to be said for girl bonding time as a group. She’d come so close to death, every little pleasure was something to be savored now.

  “You look like you’re about to fall asleep over there,” Megan said to Kiyomi.

  She shifted gingerly into a semi-reclining position, wearing the raspberry-knit sweater and a pair of black tights Amber and Megan had picked up for her. She’d tried to pay Megan back, but her fellow Valkyrie had refused the money.

  “Want me to help you back upstairs?” Amber offered.

  “No, I’m enjoying the company too much.” Kiyomi’s mouth pulled tight as she shifted and sat up higher, and fixed her gaze on Amber. “So does all this mean you’re in the clear as far as the government and legalities are concerned?”

  “Not exactly. I’ve uh…done a lot of things that weren’t exactly above board, and the money I funneled away has made me even more of a target by the government.” She shrugged. “Basically, Rycroft and I worked out a deal we could both live with. Trinity’s acting as my handler during this ‘probation’ period.”

  “And she loves it,” Trinity added with a grin.

  “I can live with it because you treat me with respect, plus you covered for me when Megan helped me escape from London that night.”

  “That sounds like quite the story,” Kiyomi said, intrigued. If she wasn’t in so damn much pain, she would be enjoying the hell out of this. She hadn’t felt like she belonged anywhere except with Julia, and… And it still sent a red-hot knife through her heart to think about her best friend.

  Amber let out a low laugh, pulling Kiyomi from her thoughts. “Well, before that, I turned over the files I had on the Valkyrie Program, along with evidence I have on various persons of interest, and agreed to show Rycroft where I’ve buried all the money once Stanislav is taken care of.” A little smirk curved her mouth. “Well, almost all of it.”

  “Including the money from the joint op you were screwed on?” Megan asked.

  Kiyomi’s gaze jerked back to Amber, her insides stilling.

  Amber’s face froze, the smirk fading. “Yes, and the three mil we just got from Stanislav. It’s all being pooled to go toward our WITSEC program.”

  “You’re just giving up all that money you’ve put away?” Georgia asked in surprise.

  “It’s the right thing to do, and that’s the deal. It was never mine in the first place, and now it can do us all some good for a change.”

  “How much have we got?” Megan asked, setting down her wineglass.

  “About ninety mil. Give or take.”

  Kiyomi and the others gaped at her in astonishment, eyes wide. Ninety million…

  She lifted a shoulder. “I put some in savings along the way, and the rest I invested here and there. I lost on some of them, but most of the time I did pretty well.”

  “Okay, now you’re just being modest. You also hid it all so well that no one’s been able to find it or trace it back to you,” Trinity said. “Yet.”

  “And they won’t.” Amber sounded totally confident of that.

  Megan laughed at her sister. “You’re an evil genius. I might want you to manage my portion when this is all over.”

  Amber’s answering smile told Kiyomi that Megan’s trust was worth way more than any payout Amber would ever receive.

  But Kiyomi couldn’t stay silent about this any longer. She would have told Amber sooner, but she’d been too out of it. Initially she’d wanted to wait to do this in private, but the others deserved to know everything too. “About the op you did with Hannah and the others,” she began, drawing Amber’s gaze.

  “What about it?”

  “What happened?” Kiyomi wanted to hear it from her point of view before adding anything else. “Did you ever tell anyone?”

  A heavy silence blanketed the room as all eyes turned to Amber. “Only the barest details to Trinity and Rycroft while they were holding me in London. I told them only what they’d absolutely needed to know, and handed over some electronic files as evidence.”

  The rest, she’d kept to herself for protection and possible leverage later on. Kiyomi fully understood that. “Who recruited you in the first place? For the op in Rome?”

  Tucking her feet beneath her, Amber settled back into the corner of the sofa and seemed to force her body to relax. “Hannah and Zoya. They needed a hacker to help them take down a dirty arms dealer connected to the Russian mob. But it was more than that.”

  Kiyomi watched her intently, her heart beating faster. How much did Amber actually know? Kiyomi was betting not all of it. “What do you mean?”

  “Initially it was a sanctioned op to take out a dirty CIA asset and his network of arms dealer buddies. Then the Valkyrie Program blew up in the media and officials scrambled to shut it down, bury all traces. I’m still unclear on the timing whether or not the Rome op was officially sanctioned or not
, but in the end it didn’t matter. We were still operational, and everything was going forward as planned with or without government monitoring. Only it turned out that was because Zoya’s boyfriend had a serious grudge against that same target.”

  “Stanislav was her boyfriend,” Megan murmured, watching her.

  Amber nodded. “The team got the target, then I took his money and buried it. But when I followed our exfil plan and went to our rendezvous point to meet the others, I walked right into a trap.”

  A low-grade nausea churned in Kiyomi’s stomach as she waited for Amber to continue. She now knew how that felt. What it was like to have the blood drain from your face as a wave of terror slammed into you. What it was like to be taken prisoner and be forced to endure everything your captors did to you.

  “Instead of finding my team waiting, there were five Bratva members there for me instead. I took out three of them and escaped initially. The other two hunted me for the next nine days until one finally caught up and ran me off the road. He caught me as I was crawling out of the wreck.”

  Kiyomi’s skin chilled as memories of her own capture and captivity beat against the steel door she’d trapped them behind in her mind. “And then?” she forced out.

  Amber took a slow, deep breath and continued. “He knocked me out. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in a windowless room, and there was a table next to me with an assortment of torture instruments.”

  Nausea swirled in her belly. She knew exactly how it felt to be that helpless. To know what was coming and be unable to stop it. “But you got away,” Kiyomi said quietly, willing her heart to slow down. You’re safe now. Still alive. Though she mostly felt half-dead.

  Amber inclined her head. “Yes. I killed him, took his phone and traced it all back to Zoya and Stanislav.”

  “The Valkyries who betrayed you. They’re all dead now?” Georgia asked, her voice taut with anger.

  “Yes,” Amber confirmed. “Including Zoya—which is why Stanislav wants me dead—and Hannah.”