No Law (Law #3)

by Camille Taylor

  “Lucas, in here,” Dmitry yelled as he sat up, bringing her with him. She shook her head to clear the ringing in her ears.

  Lucas entered, followed by five other agents, all wearing bulletproof vests with CIA printed on the back in white capital letters. His gaze surveyed the room and she doubted he missed anything. He opened the door to the inner office, his weapon leveled to shoot if necessary. He raised the barrel of the gun to the roof when he found the room full of hostages huddled in the corner.

  “It’s all right, it’s over. We’re the authorities,” he explained.

  Lucas directed his men to take statements and to calm the hostages down. His gaze fell on Mikhail laying on the ground behind the desk. He stepped over to him, bent down and felt for a pulse. The look on his face told her there wasn’t one.

  Her hands shook as she ran them over Dmitry’s strong, muscular body, determined to find any wound, knowing if he was hurt it was her fault. A cacophony of thoughts ran through her panicked mind but she couldn’t distinguish a single one. All she heard was the whizzing of the bullet as it soared through the air at Dmitry and her mind saw blood where there was none.

  Dmitry caught her wayward hands in his. “Slow down, malyshka. They’ll be plenty of time for caressing my body later. Just not in front of the guys, okay?” He smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat. Tears gathered in her eyes and she desperately tried to blink them away.

  She’d almost lost Dmitry, just as she had Alan. Another man had almost died protecting her. A sharp pain pierced her heart.

  Hitting Dmitry hard on the shoulder, she cursed at him. “Sraka.” Asshole.

  “What?” he asked and concern filled his face when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. He cupped her face in his big hands and stared into her misty eyes. She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. “What’s all this, malyshka?” he asked, tenderness in his voice. He leaned down and took possession of her mouth. His tongue swept inside and she tasted him as desire swelled within her. She was thoroughly addicted to him now and could barely think beyond joining her suddenly aching body with his.

  She hiccupped as he pulled away. “You almost died,” she accused.

  He nodded and she hit him again. He caught her hand and kissed it. “I did, and it was very scary but we’re alive and unscathed.”

  “For now. What about next time? I can’t do this.”

  And it was the truth, she couldn’t. Her heart and brain couldn’t take it should she lose him. She was only just barely holding on to her sanity now, the fear at losing Dmitry sending her into hysterics. She loved him, more than she’d thought possible. She’d spent years protecting herself and all it had taken was for Dmitry to walk into her life and she was left wanting again. Her heart was ready to take a leap into the unknown but her brain still feared letting go of her rigid control and for good reason. She had only just found him, discovered her feelings for him and then had almost lost him.

  She struggled to stand but Dmitry held onto her, his grip hard as his fingers dug into her waist. “Don’t do this, Carey. I’m all right. You’re all right. There may never be another time.”

  He tried to reason with her. She shook her head again and again. Her whole body contorted with pain and she fought against him, needing to escape the heartache she saw in her future. More tears spilled over her eyelashes. Fear gnawed in her stomach and chilled her more than a Russian winter.

  “I can’t do this. I won’t be the reason another man is dead.”

  Her heart squeezed painfully.

  “Carey, that’s what we men do when we love a woman. We protect her with our lives. Even kill the man threatening her life.”

  She’d completely forgotten about Mikhail. Dmitry had killed a man for her. To save her. The only reason he’d been put in that position was because of her. If she’d never gone to Elena, Dmitry wouldn’t have been involved. Yet another thing for her to feel guilty over. She felt sick, her stomach in knots.

  “I’m so sorry. You should never have had to take a life. I’ve done nothing but disrupt your life since we’ve met.”

  Dmitry shrugged. “It needed to be shook up. Besides, I would do it all again. Don’t be sorry. Not for me. I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I’m glad you walked into my life. I would do anything for you, Carey.”

  Which by his own tongue included dying for her. She couldn’t bear the thought. It would be bad enough for her to lose Dmitry but if it was because of her she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

  “I’ve already lost one man. I know I won’t survive losing you, Dmitry,” she confessed, her voice dropping an octave.

  She was scared and needed him to know that. If she let him go—allowed him to walk away from her and her bad luck—she wanted him to know why and understand her reason. Her hands continued to tremble. She couldn’t seem to stop them. Around them, photos were being taken between the constant chatter of the hostages giving statements. The whole room was chaotic, but slowly the background noise melted away and she felt as if she was alone with Dmitry. Her heart ached with the love she had for him. He had become her entire world.

  Dmitry sighed in frustration. “Alan’s death was unfortunate, Carey, but it wasn’t your fault. You have to let it go and forgive yourself. Do you really believe the mafiya would just let him go knowing so much? He was a dead man the first time they spoke with him.”

  She knew what he said was true but she couldn’t stop the fear blossoming inside her. He caught her head between his large hands.

  “Tell me you don’t love me,” he said. Her breath stuttered. “And don’t give me crap about it being too soon. Sometimes you just know. I love you, Carey. I’ve never met a woman who challenges me more, makes me laugh and is sexy and brilliant. Please don’t make me live my life without you. I won’t survive.”

  He stroked away her tears with his thumbs as he waited for her answer. Her heart thumped in her chest. He was offering her everything she could possibly want. All she needed was the courage to reach out and take it. Could she live every day in fear of losing him? Would the reward far outweigh the risk? Her mind and heart battled. She stared at him for what seemed like forever before giving him a watery smile and sniffled.

  How could she deny him? She’d been lost from the beginning and was only punishing him and herself by keeping them apart. She had fears, sure, but she could easily lose Dmitry to disease or an accident. She would rather have only one day with him than none at all. He kissed her again, his mouth fused to her own. He appeared to have no intention of letting her go.

  She never wanted him to.

  ***

  Standing above Dmitry and Carey, Lucas felt uncomfortable. He and Elena only did those things in private, away from the watchful eyes of the Agency. Dmitry would be copping crap for the remainder of the year. He coughed once, then cleared his throat.

  “Can you two please stop making out long enough to tell me what the hell is going on?”

  They reluctantly separated, putting maybe an inch of space between them. He knew the moment those two were alone again, clothes would go flying. The sexual heat between them was palpable. Even he felt singed being so close. He couldn’t wait to tell Elena he’d been right.

  She had denied any relationship between the pair, stating they’d only just met. He hadn’t bothered to remind her that from the moment he’d met Elena, he had wanted to bone her and had done everything in his power to win her over. Instead, he had simply told her that if they weren’t doing it already, it wouldn’t take them long to start.

  Carey blushed then cleared her throat as she got to her feet.

  “It’s really quite simple.” She motioned to the now dead Russian. “He had a deal with my former boss, Brian Nichols, to export Imperial treasures out of Russia using the connections through the museum. We have some leniency with Customs where they tend to let our shipments through without the usual fine-tooth inspection.”

  She stepped over to where Mikhail’s body
lay. She bent down and picked up the box from the floor before returning to Dmitry and Lucas. His eyebrow rose as he took in the dining set box that he and Elena had bought Dmitry as a housewarming gift. Well, Elena had. He’d just signed the card she’d bought.

  “I’m sure the Russian Government would love to have this back,” Carey said showing him the contents of the box. His eyes widened.

  While he didn’t know a Picasso from a Monet, he was certain he knew what the brightly colored antiquity in the box was. He took a breath. “Is that a—”

  “Fabergé Egg, yes. And one of the eight missing Imperial eggs that Mikhail had a man murdered in Georgia to get his hands on it. Georgia, Europe…not Georgia, United States,” she clarified.

  “Do you have any idea how long this has been going on?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. I only figured it out the night before last and only because Brian was such a lazy bastard who was used to people doing his work for him.” At his confused look, she elaborated. “He accidentally tried to export the egg back to Russia but since it had the museum’s address on it, the box containing the egg got tied up in Customs.”

  “Right.”

  “If I took some time going through records, I could probably give you an estimate on how many shipments Brian helped get through Customs. What was in the boxes is anyone’s guess.”

  He nodded. “I’m sure that’s something for the government to decide.” He turned to face Dmitry. “Well, thanks for bringing us out for only three bad guys. Not a waste of resources at all. The bureaucrats are going to have a field day with this.”

  “Hey, how was I supposed to know? There could have been the entire Washington Chapter of the mafiya here.” Dmitry took the box from Carey and handed it to him. “Here, give the boys a bonus this year…on me.”

  He chuckled as Carey relieved him of the box and glared up at Dmitry who simply smiled down at her. “Technically, it was four bad guys if you count Milo,” Carey said.

  Dmitry wrapped an arm around her waist. “Right, Milo. You did find Milo?”

  “The man duct taped in the cleaning closet? Yeah, we found him. Use enough tape?”

  “We didn’t want him to get away,” Dmitry said.

  “And how does he fit into this?”

  “Milo Venucci was Mikhail’s lapdog. He was also the one to shut down the metal detectors each time he and his men entered with their guns,” Carey explained.

  A throat cleared in the doorway and the three of them turned toward the older man who stood just inside the room. She scrunched up her nose in distaste and shifted closer to Dmitry as if seeking his protection. He didn’t like that she felt like she wasn’t safe around him.

  “Who’s in charge here?” the man asked.

  Stepping forward, he flashed his credentials. “Lucas Gates, CIA.”

  The man stiffened at the mention of the letter agency. “I was not aware this case involved the CIA.”

  Carey shot him a look of panic. She was probably wondering how they were going to explain the CIA’s involvement since technically the CIA wasn’t permitted to work within the United States border.

  “And you are?” he asked calmly, his authority coming through in his tone.

  “Detective Robert Harrington,” the man said. “I was called here a few nights ago in regards to Brian Nichols’s murder. Ms. Madigan was a person of interest.”

  Dmitry’s hand tightened around Carey’s waist. She had explained all this to them the night before last so neither he nor Dmitry were surprised, just outraged on her behalf. Dmitry’s body tensed, as if getting ready to throw himself in front of her to stop a bullet. Carey patted his chest in a soothing way and waited for him to relax. He fought hard to contain his smile. It appeared his brother-in-law had finally fallen and fallen hard.

  “Your services are no longer required, Detective. I’ll be certain to forward a copy of my report to you. Ms. Madigan was never a person of interest to us. She helped stop the illegal importation of stolen goods belonging to the Russian Federation. Both them and the United States are in her debt.”

  Detective Harrington’s gaze flicked from Carey back to him.

  “Was that what this was all about?” he asked, incredulous. His enquiries obviously hadn’t led him down that path.

  “Yes,” Carey said, stepping forward, breaking off contact with Dmitry who frowned. “And that gentleman over there is Mikhail. The man who murdered Brian, which I do believe I mentioned to you, Detective.”

  Both he and Dmitry barely managed to cover their smiles, knowing this woman had no compunctions whatsoever in telling him where he’d gone wrong. Elena had often brought them both to their knees in the same fashion. He groaned. Not another strong-willed female.

  Detective Harrington had the grace to look sheepish. “You did, Ms. Madigan, and I pursued the lead. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out until now.”

  “I’m sure you did your best, Detective,” she said. “And I’m not one to hold a grudge. So are we free to go? I’m rather tired.”

  Raising an eyebrow, he glanced over at Dmitry who was trying hard not to grin. He failed miserably. It was the kind of grin that Lucas could imagine was what had made her so tired. He also doubted they’d get any rest at home.

  Detective Harrington turned to Lucas for direction. He shrugged. “I’ve got all the information I need. I know where to find them if I need to follow up.”

  “Very well, I’ll work from Special Agent Gates’s report,” Harrington conceded.

  “Thank you, Detective.”

  Carey’s gaze flicked to the nearby desk. “Detective, one more thing. May I have the museum’s records back, please—if you’re done with them?”

  “I’ll have them packed and shipped for you, Ms. Madigan.”

  Her hand tightened on the box protecting the egg. He doubted anyone would’ve been able to pry it from her hands.

  “It’ll be quite difficult to explain to the Russians exactly how we came in contact with the egg. It doesn’t make our border control look very good, does it?” she asked Dmitry. “Hopefully they will see the upside and not terminate any future dealings with us.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be happy to make a deal with you,” Dmitry said. “Besides, you hold all the cards.”

  “Really? There was a time not so long ago when you thought I didn’t even have a full deck. Now I’m holding them all?” she teased.

  Dmitry pulled her close and kissed the side of her head. “What was I thinking?”

  Lucas rolled his eyes. “I’m going to go home to my wife and let her know you’re both in one piece. You know how Elena worries.”

  Carey and Dmitry nodded in agreement. “Thank you for coming, Lucas,” Carey said.

  He rocked back on his heels. “Are you kidding? Elena would have killed me if I hadn’t. That or she would have come down here herself, Yvonne in tow. Besides I’m rather fond of Dmitry. I hope you stick around long enough for me to get fond of you too,” he added.

  Dmitry pulled Carey closer in a silent answer. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said.

  He nodded, happy everything worked out fine. They headed downstairs and out into the garden. He said his goodbyes, got into his car and watched as Carey and Dmitry kissed again before his brother-in-law opened the passenger side door of his Taurus for her. He smiled as he picked up his cell phone and hit a speed dial. Elena answered on the first ring.

  “Elena,” he said before she could get a word in. “You will not believe what I’m about to tell you. Are you sitting down?”

  Chapter 30

  Three Months Later

  Hamilton Museum

  Washington D.C., U.S.A.

  Carey Ivanova sat at the desk in her office. The board of directors had finally appointed her curator of the museum. For a while she’d believed they were purposely teasing her with their indecision. She had even entertained the thought of threatening them with her notice, taking her Russian contacts with her, but in the
end all her worry had been for nothing. It had been a unanimous vote.

  She flicked through her emails at the new acquisitions they had gotten. The Ministry of Culture had been remarkably grateful for the missing Fabergé egg being found and in such good condition that she had made a deal with her friends to return the egg to where it belonged in exchange for some other antiquities. Apparently, Boris Milyukov’s collection was comprehensive and included a Romanov tea set and a Fabergé music box used by the Grand Duchesses. Both of which were currently on their way from Russia to join Hamilton’s Imperial Russia Collection.

  Barely a few months on the job and she had already secured an amazing exhibit. A knock at her office door had her looking up into the eyes of her husband. She and Dmitry had married a few weeks back. She’d been a bit concerned at the time, worrying about what the future might bring, but Elena had assured her those feelings were quite natural. They had commiserated together, Elena having gone through the exact same emotions when she’d been thinking about starting a new life with Lucas. It had been the deciding factor for Carey and she’d immediately organized the wedding. Now he was here to take her to lunch.

  “Hi,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He leaned down and gave her a devastating kiss that curled her toes and set her body humming.

  “You ready?”

  Was she ever, but he wasn’t referring to that. She nodded and moved back to her desk. After retrieving her purse from the drawer, she smiled at him as he opened the door for her to precede him. They moved into the outer office where her new assistant curator, an eager to learn grad, was sitting at her desk.

  After telling her she was off to lunch, she settled into his car, pulling the safety belt across her chest and securing it as he climbed in beside her.