Everything had gone exactly to her meticulous plan. Yuri had hired the best and they had all completed their tasks brilliantly. The timetable had been perfect, causing enough panic and disruption to the system that allowed her to make the journey back unmolested by Regent personnel.
America was always a trip fraught with memories that set her on edge. The confusion of escaping her bronze prison. The madness of all consuming rage. The attempt to return to the things she once thought she loved.
And the one thing her black heart still did.
But they said you always hurt the ones you love and she was here to do exactly that.
She knew that with both Kosan and Lattimer gone, the Regents would be in a tailspin. None of their current lineup had served for long enough to fully understand the mysteries of the Warehouse.
Claudia would be in Egypt helping them sort through the process of selecting a new head Regent.
They would also need to select a new chief of security and a good portion of their force. The Dutchman's ruse had been extraordinary. She was a bit jealous.
It had taken some time, but she had tracked down the perfect artifact that was just deadly enough not to be ignored and sent it to Cape Town. Steve and the new girl would be gone for weeks on the hunt.
That left only Myka.
Leena's hadn't changed much over the years. The same warm, cozy feeling swept over her as she quietly closed the door. It was early, just after sunrise. She had been observing Myka for weeks, learning her routine. HG knew the other woman would be up soon to make a quick breakfast of fruit and coffee before heading to the Warehouse.
She'd been debating since the contractors agreed to her terms on how to deal with the Myka Bering situation. The smart choice would be to follow her standard plan and make the kill from a distance. She'd had plenty of opportunity but couldn't pull the trigger.
That damn sentimental streak.
Breaking her own rules, she found herself sitting at the breakfast table, cup of tea in her hand. Waiting.
She heard the floor boards creak above her. It was time.
"Where will she?"
"It is best that you do not know. This is not something that will sit well with our community. It does not sit well with me."
"But you agreed to do it anyway."
"There are some requests that cannot be refused. This is not the first friendship to end in this manner. It will not be the last."
Yuri sighed, watching the body bag being loaded into his van.
"And we are concluded then? A ceasefire."
Yuri nodded, looking over at his clever foe. He would make sure that her death for what she'd arranged would be a painful one.
No charge.
"You are a good enemy, Myka Bering. Worthy of this game."
Fate, the ever cruel practical joker, had made sure the package arrived two weeks after Helena was gone. Normally these missives from the one time Agent would contain artifacts and a note or two on their origin. From time to time a first edition would be included. One that she knew Myka would like.
She'd been silently hyperventilating/sobbing for over an hour after reading the first of dozens, no hundreds of letters written by Helena, to her, from over the years. Stacked in order she read the most recent letter first, dated the day before the Victorian had left for Univille.
Dearest Myka,
I find myself somewhere in London, missing you terribly…