by T. C. Clark
T.C. Clark
Dmitri: The Russian's Christmas Baby
First published by The Invisible Writer's Press in 2018
Copyright © T.C. Clark, 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
T.C. Clark asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
T.C. Clark has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
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First edition
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The Wallflowers Series
Nikos: The Greek’s Mistress September 2018
Luca: The Italian’s Secret October 2018
Dmitri: The Russian’s Christmas Baby November 2018
Julian: Taming The Fighter December 2018
There is a light at the end of the rainbow for all of us, we just have to look for it.
T.C. Clark
Contents
Don't test me...
Hope is hard to kill...
You're not gonna get me...
So this is love...
Please come back to me...
One
Don't test me...
Dimitri Pavlov entered his home with a frown on his face. He didn’t relax until he did his security checks. He knew that this routine was one that could save his life. He went through each room and checked for anything out of the ordinary. It was a tedious task but one that he found comforting.
It took him an hour to run his check. Once it was done he re-locked his doors and reset his alarm. He grabbed his laptop and opened the faulty file. A few weeks ago he’d received a gold card from another member of the Sanctuary and he had to honor the terms.
It had taken him two weeks to complete the assignment, but he’d done it. He needed to update the site so they could see the results. He worked his way through the file using secret servers. Once he’d unlocked the document he sent it to an agent called the Forecaster.
All members of the Sanctuary went by code names. While his was the Jackal he preferred Dmitri. Although it wasn’t his real name it was the one he had chosen for himself and honestly he didn’t want to be known as the Jackal anymore…that part of his life was firmly behind him.
He sat back and closed the case. He was now free to do whatever he wanted. Unless another card was redeemed, which he doubted would happen so quickly after this one. He changed into his workout gear and laid out his mat. Whenever he got back from a mission he needed some time to reset himself.
He moved through the tai chi poses easily, blanking his mind to the memories of his brutal past. Rule number one to starting over was to bury the past…remembering changed nothing. He focused on the calmness of his home and allowed the silence to overtake him. Once his mind cleared he went up to shower and change.
When he came back down he grabbed his laptop and headed to the kitchen. He pulled out a package that another agent code-named the Hunter asked him to look into. It took him a while but he hacked the complex drive. He did a cursory review of the information and cursed. Why did the Hunter need the schematics to Langley? She couldn’t really think it was a smart idea to mess with the CIA.
He took a deep breath and allowed the tension to drain from his shoulders. He’d done this as a favor for her. He would have no part of whatever she planned to do next. He didn’t have time to deal with an angry US government. He re-encrypted the drive and sent it to a drop box so she could retrieve it electronically. His job was done.
He watched the clock until it hit 700pm and logged into a secure website that hosted the Sanctuary’s personal forum to check for any messages from the other members. There he saw a post entitled...Does anyone need a Dishwasher? He opened it immediately.
Another member code-named the Librarian was trying to contact him…that couldn’t be good. She was another top assassin who excelled at her job. They had become friends years ago…or at least as friendly as two killers could get.
He reread the message and slammed the laptop closed. The Red House was actively looking for him. They’d started in New York where he’d been a few months ago. He knew eventually they would come for him. He’d killed a lot of people to get out.
He moved through his home quickly gathering his things. Thanks to his job he’d become a minimalist and all of his possessions could fit in one XL backpack.
He transferred his files from his laptop to a hard drive and then destroyed it. He would have to leave all electronics here. He looked at the map and focused. He needed to disappear into a big city. He didn’t kid himself; he didn’t want to face them head on until he knew more about the new people running it. He’d killed all of the older members. So he was unfamiliar with the routines of whoever was in charge now. He needed time to think.
The Red House was enraged that an animal they’d trained from birth could maul the face of the owner that fed him. He never allowed his emotion to show as he destroyed all of his things and wiped down the house, erasing any evidence he was here.
He’d learned long ago that emotion could induce fear and fear created chaos. He relied on the analytical side of his brain. Chicago was the closest metropolitan city. He would disappear there. He could use the many internet cafe and shops to hide behind.
He now knew the time for hiding was over. The Red House wasn’t going anywhere…so he would need to strike back, hard and fast. He walked over to the mirror. His blue eyes narrowed as his expression cleared.
He’d spent the last year forcing himself to let the Jackal rest. He thought that he’d taken out enough of the organization to ensure that they left him alone. He should have known better than that. He’d embarrassed them…exposed their weaknesses to the world.
Yes, it was time to let the coldness back in. To forget his need to start over. Now that they had successfully located where he’d been he needed to prepare to play a little offense. He walked out of the house, pulling his cap low and turned down the dirt road.
His detonator would go off soon. He was thankful that he’d been trained to be so thorough. Clean off any evidence first and then destroy whatever is left. That was his former company’s motto; it could be used for people as well.
He walked into the night focusing on the tasks he would have to accomplish once he got to Chicago. He needed to secure a place to stay under his new name , setup a safe zone to work in using someone else’s servers, and figure out who was now running the Red House. For a lesser man these tasks would feel overwhelming.
He’d tried…God knows he did to let his past go…to become a simple man. But they wouldn’t leave him alone. Every time he relaxed he
got word that they were close. He was surprised they wanted another try at him. When he’d severed his contract…he’d severed some heads.
You would think that they would remember that. But no, they still kept coming. They wanted him to be afraid…to make a mistake. They should know him better than that. Fear was for the common man with a common life.
Joining the Sanctuary had been a risky move, but it was necessary. He had one gold card left. He needed to save it for when things got bad. He already knew the member he would use it on. There was only one other Russian member who’d been through the same things he had and was familiar with how places like The Red House operated.
He wouldn’t let them kill him. They’d already taken his soul. That was all he would allow them to get. He wished he could say he was a good man, but he’d done things…bad things.
The new people running it must have skimmed his dossier if they thought he would make it easy for them to take him in. Yes, he owed his soul to the devil. But he wouldn’t let them be the ones to deliver him to hell. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Not after everything they’d done to him.
When they’d given him the name Jackal they’d done so after watching his tapes. He had this drive to survive. The same drive that made him merciless and precise. He was a scavenger. He could endure any environment.
They must have forgotten… he always survived.
* * *
Eden Turner hit the snooze button for the third time. It was 3:30am and her body was just not feeling it today. She did not want to get up out of her warm bed to face the day.
Her house as always was ice cold. She snuggled under a heating blanket. Like every other early riser, she knew once she got out of the bed her day would begin. She wanted to go back to her dream for just a while longer.
She frowned when the second alarm went off and sat up in the bed. Those muffins and bagels weren’t going to make themselves, she thought with a grin.
She loved routine. Routine was safe. She jumped out of bed, her body automatically shivering from the cold and went to the bathroom. Step one deal with the hair. She removed the silk wrap and pulled out all of her tools. Whoever said natural hair was the easier route… was lying through their teeth.
It took her approximately 30 minutes to get ready. She looked at her watch and smirked…. she was getting faster. She smiled at the image she presented in the mirror.
She looked like a hippie with her loose animal printed dress and multiple scarves. She knew the dress did not even hint at the curvy figure below and that was how she liked it.
She grabbed her mace and locked the door to her ground level apartment. She didn’t bother with making breakfast. She could eat at the store. She walked cautiously the few blocks it took to get to Eden’s Treasures.
She always stayed alert during this time. Most of the road was filled with drunks or confused people doing the walk of shame. But she watched enough news to know she should always be careful.
She only relaxed when Eden’s Treasures came into view. She loved her business because it belonged to her. Being a business owner was something that she’d never thought she could do. But here she was unlocking the door to a place that she’d created on her own.
The small bakery was designed with Disney in mind. She wanted it to look like something out of a medieval fairy tale. Children absolutely loved it and she played it up when they came in by pretending to be a witch or a fairy. Most people thought it was a silly act…but she loved the light that came into their eyes when she did so.
The booths and tables were made from antique oak wood. Even the display windows had clear glass that looked like there was frost on the edges. She’d chosen amber tinted lights to add to the general feel of the bakery. To say she was proud of the effects was an understatement.
She always came in early to get all of the food started so the prep would go easier. Her employees wouldn’t arrive for another few hours. She wanted her customers to have the shortest wait time possible. Her attitude had ensured the small business was successful. She’d even been mentioned on a blog last week and her customers had tripled overnight.
She reset the alarm and headed to the kitchen. She desperately needed coffee. She set out all of her supplies and went to her office. She loved this time of day when people were still sleeping and all was calm. She checked her emails quickly before getting to work.
She played her music as she worked…kneading and baking. Once she’d gotten a small batch of bagels and muffins started, she moved on to the donuts. She only stopped when the phone rang. It was Shenelle one of her employees.
She was running behind and she wanted to let her know ahead of time. Eden knew that meant she would have to work as a cashier for the first thirty minutes. She picked up her pace as she readied the store.
Devonte was the first to arrive. He was a young kid who went to Northwestern University. He looked out of place in the bakery with his dark blue dreadlocks and his large septum piercing. But Eden had learned the hard way to always look beneath the surface.
He was a kind and intelligent young man trying to find his way. They had had several discussions about his degree in African American Studies and she was coming to the heady realization that he was much smarter than her. When she’d told him that he’d blushed…the sign of a person who did not get enough praise.
Shenelle and Devonte were her best employees. The other part timers were good, but clearly using this place as a pit stop in life. She didn’t begrudge them that…it was just a bakery. But those two treated the business like it was their own.
They were always coming in early to help out and making sure the customers were happy. She’d given out Christmas bonuses last year and she had thanked them with cold hard cash. She could still remember Shenelle tearing up.
They moved in unison. Once everything was ready for opening she relaxed. They had thirty minutes of freedom. Devonte pulled out his laptop at the counter and Eden headed back to her office to call Ada. She would have to move their meeting to tomorrow.
She would open the store early and meet with her then. She wouldn’t have time to stop and chat with her today. She would make her the biggest apple fritter…that was Ada’s favorite bakery item and she needed something to make her happy.
Ada was having issues with her boyfriend of two years, Nikos Stravanos. It was hard to see her friend struggling in this relationship. While Eden was quiet and reserved Ada was friendly and open.
Somehow Ada and Eden had become friends. Their friendship had been easy because Ada had pushed for it. She looked at a picture of them two on her desk and thanked the good lord that she had amazing people in her life.
She had drinks tonight with Mina at Maxim’s. It was their weekly meet up routine. She needed to make sure she washed her club dress. She knew she looked ridiculous wearing the same dress on Saturday nights, but to be honest, she wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
She sat down and removed her dirty apron. She would put on a clean one when the store opened. She downed the rest of the coffee and headed back to the front. When she saw Devonte he motioned to the line starting outside.
They had already prepared some coffee and the water for the tea was just starting to boil. Now it was time to let the day begin. She gave Devonte a look that said man your battle station and opened the door.
* * *
Dmitri opened the door to the small apartment cautiously. He’d had a contact set up a safe house for him. He knew the contact didn’t know his real name or who he was but he had to be sure it was safe.
He did his usual security sweep. He locked the door and set up his office. He needed to hack into the security cameras around here and create a warning system in case the Red House came to town. He had to be careful and make sure he didn’t leave a digital trail.
It took him an hour until he was satisfied with his traps. It was then that he relaxed. The adrenaline that had pushed him to work through the night was finally letting up. He took a s
hower and changed. The space was tiny, especially for a man of his size. But it would do.
At right at six and a half feet most areas felt small to him. His height, while intimidating, was something he despised. As an operative it made him stand out and made his job difficult. But he’d figured out how to get around that.
He frowned when his stomach growled loudly. He’d seen a few places as he walked through the quiet city. The earliest opening he’d seen was at Eden’s Treasures.
He wasn’t a man for sweets but he needed to eat. He was actually starting to get a headache. He always chose to frequent smaller shops when he was on the run. Their security cameras were typically on a private feed…places like Wal-Mart could be easily hacked and monitored.
Eden’s Treasures was the perfect place to set up shop. It was small enough to have its own security system which he could use to his advantage. He rechecked his encrypted email and sighed.
The Librarian still hadn’t checked in which meant there was nothing to report on the Red House’s movements. He didn’t like waiting. Once he’d decided to go on the offense he’d wanted to get started immediately.
He knew even if he wanted to rush her she would move at her own speed. He’d learned enough about that particular operative to understand she was a perfectionist and she wouldn’t send him anything that wasn’t 100% accurate.
As he setup a secondary smaller security system to guard his home he thought about the other members of the Sanctuary. When he’d defected from the Red House, he had been ready to die. No one left an organization like that and lived. Hell, he’d been dispatched to take out his own share of runners.
When he’d landed in the US, he’d waited patiently for any of the former members of the organization to show up. But two other people had arrived instead, the Librarian and the Forecaster. They’d helped him get to a safe place and offered him a seat at the Sanctuary’s table.
