Maximus (Guardian Security Shadow World #15)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

E lena and Val huddled in the small shelter of sticks and branches woven together. She heard Val tell someone they were ready for pickup as Sokolov was searching for them. She looked up and peeked through the branches back toward the lodge. Sokolov was running through the parking lot but finally called to the others, and they got into a dark SUV and sped out of the parking lot and around the corner before driving past them as they huddled not more than ten feet from the roadway.

“Well, that’s the second step done. Let’s hope the rest of the plan goes as well,” Val said as she removed pins from her hair and groaned. “I hate updos.” She ran her hands through her hair and looked over at her. “You did well. You’re going to be fine.”

Just then, an explosion shook the ground they were sitting on. A ball of fire went into the air.

“Oh my God!” Elena cried.

“It’s happening. Watch,” Val said, pointing to the parking lot down the hill. A white van flew out of the parking lot and drove away from them. Abrasha’s Rolls was right after the white van but turned down the road that would bring it right past where they sat.

Val grabbed her hand. “Come on.”

Elena followed her to the road, and the Rolls slammed on its brakes. Val opened the back door and pulled her into the interior. Elena landed in a heap on the floorboard as Val reached back over her and shut the door. Whoever was driving slammed on the accelerator, and they flew down the hill.

Elena’s hair had tumbled out of its pins. She righted herself and pushed her hair out of her face. “No!” She backpedaled and pushed away from Abrasha.

Val held out her hand, and Abrasha helped her up. In English, Val said, “She’s afraid of you, darling.” She handed the man a large cloth, and he started wiping his face.

“I don’t know how women wear this stuff,” the man replied. “God, it itches when it doesn’t feel slimy.”

“Stop complaining, sweetheart. It isn’t becoming. All ladies suffer through wearing makeup, and we don’t bitch about it, do we?” she asked Elena.

Elena shook her head, watching as makeup started to cover the cloth. Val reached into the man’s suit coat and pulled out a small pack of wipes. “Here, this will help.”

The man took a wipe. He smiled at Elena. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “You’re … him …” She looked at Val. “But not.” Elena pushed herself up into the seat. “What’s going on?”

“This is my husband. He’s a dead ringer for Abrasha, so we used that as a decoy. We had to age him a bit, but with the explosion, confusion, and rush, he passed as the old man.” Val took a new wipe out of the pack and turned to her husband. “Let me. You’re missing everything.”

“Thank you.” The man looked at Val like she’d placed the moon and stars in the sky.

Val kissed him and continued to clean his face.

Elena closed her eyes and shivered. The entire scene was surreal. She asked, “Did you get Abrasha?”

“Of course,” Val said.

Elena stared out the window into the dark as they wound through the mountains. “Where are we going?”

“A safe house not too far from here. We’ll wait for Max there,” Val said. “Then we’ll all go our separate ways.”

“America,” Elena said and closed her eyes. She was going to go with Max to America. She was going to work with the paintings—a new life, away from a monster who’d used his money to buy the stolen works.

She glanced at the couple when they slowed and then turned down a gravel road. Val’s head rested on the man’s shoulder. He was staring at her. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“You did shock me a bit,” she said as the car hit a pothole and jolted them.

“Imagine how shocked we were when we found out he looked like that bastard,” Val said without opening her eyes.

“I couldn’t imagine. I saw some of the things he was responsible for.” She shivered and ran her hands up and down her arms. “Are you related to him?”

The man shrugged. “Only by DNA.”

Val opened her eyes and laughed. “His mom had an affair with Abrasha. His parents were troglodytes of the highest order. But he’s smart. He survived, and I found him. Life has a way of working out. This is my husband, Smithson, or Smith for short, by the way.”

Elena smiled at them. “It does, doesn’t it? I never expected I’d meet Max.”

Val smiled at her. “A pleasure. Are you going back to the States with him?”

“Yes, his people … I guess they’re your people, too … offered me a job detailing the provenance of the stolen canvases and researching the history to try to determine the proper owner. It could take a long time to investigate each painting. There is a repository where art stolen during World War II is listed, but there aren’t many pictures, so trying to match words to art is, to say the least, an inexact science.”

“Guardian is an organization of integrity,” Val’s husband said. “Perhaps the last such bastion in the world.”

Val glanced at her man. “They are,” she agreed. Taking her hand in his, he smiled down at her.

“How long have you known each other?” They seemed so in love. “Did you meet because of Guardian?”

“Oh, that’s a long story.” Val chuckled. “I kidnapped him one night, and we flew to Europe. One thing led to another, and we ended up here in Russia on a train. I think that’s where we fell in love.”

Smith shook his head. “I was in love with you the moment I met you.”

Val smiled brilliantly at him. “You say the sweetest things!”

The car slowed to a crawl and then stopped. She looked outside but couldn’t see much. “This is a safe house?”

Smith smiled. “This is where we park the vehicle. If they find the vehicle, they won’t be able to find us or track where we’ve gone. It’s best to be invisible. We’ll wait for Max up the hill through the forest a bit.”

Elena glanced down at her stiletto heels. “I wish I’d known that when I picked out these shoes.”

Val chuckled. “I stashed our clothes yesterday. The guys will turn their backs, and we’ll change to make the climb.”

Elena let out a breath of air in relief. “Thank goodness. These are two-hour shoes.”

Val’s eyes widened. “You rate your shoes by the time you can wear them, too?”

“I do. I have all-day shoes, evening out shoes, and then for these events, how long I can last without wanting to tear them off and throw them away.”

Val clapped her hands. “You’re going to fit right in.”

“With who?” Elena asked as she followed Val out of the car.

“All of us. Max’s people.” She grabbed Elena’s hand. “Come with me. Boys, find something interesting that way to look at.” She pulled out a large black backpack and started handing Elena clothes. “I only met you once when you were hurt that night, but I guessed your size. I’m usually pretty good, but I erred on the side of larger for your hiking boots and brought two pairs of socks so if they were too big, you could manage until we got back to civilization.”

Elena was grateful for the denim and long-sleeved shirt. She looked in amazement as Val pulled two sports bras out of the backpack. Val waved her off. “Girl, I’ve never been in a gown where I’ve worn an actual bra. I figured you’d need one, too.”

She took the bra and laughed. “Thank you.”

“No worries. Here, unzip me, and then I’ll unzip you. Reaper and Smith won’t look.”

“Reaper?” she squeaked as she reached for Val’s zipper. “Is that a real name?”

Val chuckled. “No, his name is Roman. We call him all kinds of different names depending on his mood.”

“I heard that!” the man she assumed was Reaper shouted from the other side of the car.

“Stop eavesdropping!” Val yelled back. “Turn around.”

Elena did, and as soon as the zipper was down, she put on the sports bra. “Stand on your dress so your feet don’t get dirty. There's nothing like having a stone in your boots. It sucks, especially going uphill.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Elena asked as she shimmied into a pair of jeans that were tight but not uncomfortably so. She had only one pair of denim she rarely wore because they were a status symbol in Russia—as were western trainers … um … tennis shoes. Why Americans called them tennis shoes instead of trainers she had no idea. She put on her shirt and pulled her hair out from the collar. She sat on her dress, put on her socks, and then the boots Val had brought. She stood up and tested the fit. “Perfect.”

“Thank God. I was so worried I’d screwed it up. Smith would have had to carry you up, and I’d get jealous, but it would be my fault.”

“Do you know you ramble?” the man on the other side of the car asked.

“Dude, are you still listening to us? I thought I told you to stop that.” Val snorted and tightened the laces on her hiking boots.

“The crickets are boring. They don’t tell any secrets,” Reaper replied.

“Neither do I, asshat.” Val stood up and stomped her jeans down. “You ready?”

Elena nodded. “Yes, what’s an asshat?”

Val laughed. “Roman is an asshat. Grab your gown and shoes. We’ll stuff them in here.”

Elena winced at the way the material was shoved into the backpack. Her gown was expensive, but Val’s had to be priceless.

“Okay, guys, let’s go. I want a drink,” Val called to the men.

The man she assumed was Reaper walked up to her and extended his hand. “I’m Roman, I’m not an asshat, contrary to Val’s belief, and I told Max I’d make sure you got up the mountain safely.”

“Hey, that’s my job,” Val said. “I told him I’d take care of her.”

“You have, but it’s all our responsibility to watch out for Max’s lady,” Val’s husband said. “Ladies, shall we?”

“Thank you,” Elena said.

Roman chuckled. “Elena, follow me. Grab my belt loops to help you get up the incline if needed. It’s straight up in some places. Max said you were a tough lady, so we’re going a route no one can track us.”

Elena looked way up at the guy. His beard and the moonlight made him look a bit like a bear. She nodded. “I’m not too proud to accept help.”

“Good girl,” Roman said. “Let’s go. Stay on my six.”

“What?” Elena asked.

“Stay right behind him,” Val translated.

“Is that an American saying?” Elena asked as they all started walking into the forest.

“Kind of. Military,” Roman said from in front of her.

“Were you in the military?” she asked him.

“We’ve all been trained in military tactics,” Val answered beside her. “We all have different backgrounds and circumstances that bring us to Guardian. They don’t recruit based on your past. They recruit based on your ability and what you bring to the team.”

“Like Max brings his ability to be anything.” She nodded, now understanding why he was with Guardian.

“His what?” Val said, slipping on a rock. “Shit.”

“Give me your hand,” Smith said to Val.

Elena grabbed her other hand and helped pull her up. “You know his ability to study anything and become it. He’s looking forward to getting back to his computer systems.”

“I bet he is,” Roman said, reaching back for her. “Give me your hand.”

She extended it, and he pulled her up about four feet to a small ledge. “Stay there until I get my next grip.”

Elena looked down, and the moon's light showed her just how sharp the ledge was they had just scaled. “You weren’t kidding when you said straight up.”

Roman reached back for her. “It gets better.”

She grabbed his hand with both of hers, using her legs to help lift her as he hauled her up. She wasn’t sure how long they scaled the face of the mountain, but when Roman pulled her up onto a plateau, all four fell onto the ground and panted.

Val groaned. “I’m going to need to hit the gym a bit more.”

Roman laughed. “I’m in the gym three hours a day, and that climb wiped my ass.”

“Because you had to pull me up the mountain,” Elena panted. “I’m sorry.”

Roman lifted his head and looked over at her. “Something you’ll learn, we’ll do whatever it takes for one of ours.”

“For as long as it takes,” both Val and Smith said.

Elena stared up at the multitude of stars in the sky. “Do you think Max is okay?”

There was a pause before Val answered, “He’s one of the best at what he does. Don’t worry about him. He’ll be here by tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow? Why not sooner?” Elena asked, sitting up.

“He has some loose ends to tie up,” Roman said as he stood up. “A drink, food, and a soft bed are about a mile away. Shall we?”

Val’s husband stood up and helped her up. Roman offered her a hand up, and she took it. They walked across a small field before she saw the farmhouse. Roman knocked on the door, and an elderly woman answered it. She smiled toothlessly. “Come, come in. Dinner is ready.”

Reaper answered the woman in Russian. “Thank you, Grandmother. Your help is appreciated.”

“My Ivan, he worked with Guardian before he died. I will always be here for you.” The woman nodded and shuffled toward the kitchen. “It is only the dogs and me now. Guardian makes sure I am well cared for. I have food and money. They visit and check on me when they are in the country, as you do. Guardian cares. Russia does not.”

Elena followed the elderly woman. “Grandmother, may I help you?”

The woman looked up at her. “You are Russian?”

“My father is; my mother is British.”

“You leave Russia. Don’t look back. Russia is dying. I have seen it with my eyes. Decay is a slow rot. Soon, the country will crumble.” The woman nodded to an old fire-fed stove. “You can take the stew. Vodka is on the shelf.” She shuffled to the cupboard to gather bowls.

Elena did as she was told and thought about the woman's words. She wasn’t wrong. Sadness filled her. The country had such a history, but political corruption had caused a definite deterioration. She wished her father would leave the country, but he wouldn’t. She listened to the laughter and fun of the people in the home. All spoke Russian perfectly. Guardian, it seemed, had resources and integrity. It helped an old woman who would have been alone and without resources. She counted her blessings and wondered where Max was at that moment.