I Know You Love Him
Chapter 10: Epilogue - Odds and Ends
"You bastard, how did you get this number?"
"Hello, yes, it's nice to hear your voice again too. Katya, don't get me wrong, you're a perfectly lovely woman, but you really could stand to learn a thing or two about phone etiquette."
"Why the hell are you calling me!?"
"Well, it was so nice to hear from you the other day, I just thought I'd see how you are doing." I could feel him smirking on the other end of the line. There are very few people in this world that can really get under my skin; Arvin Sloane is one of them.
"I hope I haven't irritated you, my dear," he said, as if he were reading my thoughts. Damn it! "I'd hate to get another death threat ... but on the other hand, if that's your only excuse to contact me –"
"You really don't get it, do you Arvin?" I clenched my fists, just imaging him, standing there with that know-it-all smile on his face. "I have more than one way of getting to you. Make no mistake about that. You leave my sister alone, or you pay the price with your life."
"Ah, such devotion. I wonder if Irina knows how fortunate she is to have such a loving sister ... even if your protective instincts do sometimes lead you to rather paranoid extremes of behavior."
"You know, I am really beginning to regret letting you live!"
His laughter made me want to spit nails. "Katya, I must admit, ever since Irina introduced us, you have always intrigued me. I can't doubt your fierce loyalty to her, but I wonder ... surely your feelings, your motivations, extend beyond a single sisterly bond? I have never been able to determine exactly what it is that drives you, where you obtained that source of your indescribable spark."
I felt my mouth grow dry. "What? What did you say?" I whispered.
"That indescribable spark of you ... I want to know what it is that you want. Power? Or perhaps it is something less tangible, like love. Tell me Katya, do you ever regret not getting Irina's assignment? I mean, Jack could've been your husband. Sydney could've been your daughter."
I swallowed hard, gripping my phone so tightly I that I thought it might break in my hand. Arvin had always taken far too much pleasure in the vivisection of my soul. That was how I knew I had one. I had never given it much consideration, one way or the other, but if something weren't there, his words wouldn't affect me at all.
"Yes," I said, my voice low and deadly. "And you would be the bane of my existence. But then, that's the case now, isn't it? One out of three isn't bad."
He laughed again. "Katya, are you always so hostile, or do you only act this way towards men you're attracted to?"
I think I'm going to be sick. "Did you hear that?"
"Excuse me?"
"That was the sound of my skin crawling. Don't flatter yourself! You. Repulse. Me. Understand?"
"Ah. Pity. But tell me this: if you hate me so much, why am I still alive?"
"Good question. And you might just live to continue pondering it, if you back off Irina."
"Hmm. Well, perhaps I would consider leaving one Derevko sister alone ... if I could get closer to the other."
"Arvin, I'd lay down my life for Irina, but even I have to draw the line somewhere. Don't call me again."
I hung up the phone and shook my head, trying to clear it of all his words. I had more important things to do than succumb to the manipulations of Arvin Sloane. An informant had just given me a very alarming lead on a Covenant agent. But then, he was a Covenant agent himself. As a matter of fact, he was bankrolling the entire organization, whether he wanted to or not. And now he was trying to play both sides against the middle – and doing a damn good job of it, too. That son of mine. It almost made me wish he knew to whom he was truly leaking all these juicy tidbits of intel. Just so I could tell him I was proud. But then, why would he even care what I thought? Focus, Katya, I told myself. This is not a time for sentiment. This is a time to act. Soon enough, the information Julian had given me would be confirmed. My conversation with Sloane had left me full of rage, and I was almost pleased that this situation had presented itself; at least I had something over which I could vent my wrath.
"That little blonde bitch!"
My hands were shaking as I held the photo. I was all-but-certain about the true affiliations of Lauren Reed. If she thinks she can mess with the daughter of a Derevko, and actually live to tell the tale ...
No. No time to fume now. I have to think. What is the best course of action to take now that I have this information? I turned on my cell phone again. Ah yes, now I know. "Mr. Bristow, I have some information that might interest you."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "This really isn't a good time." When he spoke, he sounded awkward. Was someone there with him? Sydney, perhaps? Hmm. I wonder what he told her about me. That is, if he said anything at all.
"I know the identity of the mole in the CIA."
His tone changed abruptly. "Where should I meet you?"
I grinned. Remembering where you were hiding before we flew to Lisbon at the end of the week, I had just gotten the most wonderful idea. Ooh, this is going to be too much fun!
"I'm staying at The Summit hotel. Room 847." I paused for effect, letting the silence stretch out. "Is something wrong?"
"No ...I uh ... just didn't think that you were still in the country."
"I am always where I need to be, Mr. Bristow. I'll meet you in the lobby in half an hour." I hung up and strolled back into the hotel. It was so hard to keep a straight face while I told we were going to meet one of my contacts, and then check out a little earlier than you had planned. Uh- oh, now I'm in real trouble.
Hee hee.
"If I had realized we were meeting another one of your contacts, I would've –"
"There is no need to worry. At least, not for you. If she tries to hurt anyone, it's going to be me."
He looked at me for a moment, puzzled, and then his eyes widened as he began, too late, to guess what happening. I opened the door to hear you grumbling: "Katya, it's a good thing we got a adjoining suites, your room is an absolute mess, I do not understand how you can live like such a –"
At the sight of your husband, you froze in your tracks. Looking between the two of you, with your mouths and eyes opened so wide, I said the only thing I could think of, just to keep myself from bursting out in laughter.
"Just call me the cupid from Hell."
"This is by far the stupidest thing you have ever done, Katya, and that is saying something!" You began to curse me out in Russian, and I got miffed.
"Humph. So this is the thanks I get for trying to make my big sister happy." I turned to Jack, who seemed to have just remembered how to blink. "She's been impossible to live with lately, just so grumpy. Surely, you can think of a way to cheer her up?"
Your face turned red. "Katya!"
"Keep your voice down, Rina, or the whole hotel will know my name."
"What about the Covenant mole in the CIA?" Jack seemed to have found his voice, though he still did not take his eyes off you.
Suddenly, your anger turned to concern. Whew. "There's a mole inside the CIA?" Then your concern switched to anger again as you looked at me. Damn. "When were you going to tell me this?!"
"Well ... now." I decided that I was starting to get annoyed with you. "And since you're being such a brat, I'm not going to give you any more information until tomorrow. I need to get the final confirmation, anyway. Just to be absolutely certain."
You and Jack stopped looking at each other for a moment to stare at me. "And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" He snapped, seeming quite irritated himself. Honestly, what a pair of ingrates you two are!
"Surely you can think of things to ... discuss ... that are of mutual interest to you both." I smiled, seeing your expression of utter embarrassment out of the corner of my eye. "As Irina said, I have in the adjoining room, so just, you know, just don't be to loud or anything – I meant with the talking!" I yelped, as you launched your self across the room and started hitting me. "Talking, Irina! Really, get your mind out of the gutter!"
I twisted your arms behind your back and pushed you away from me. "Come on now, that's just not fair, I haven't even recovered from our last fight yet. I'm two years younger, you know, and she still beats up on me." I batted my lashes at Jack, who seemed to be having a great deal of difficulty taking all this in.
"Out, Katya." You growled.
"Oh Rina, not the growling again, it's so unbecoming. Jack, I've been meaning to ask you, do you mind it when she –"
You made a move towards me. "Out!"
"Okay, okay, okay!" So I turned tail and fled. Just not as far as you thought.
Something in me had to see if you and Jack would actually remember how to speak after I left the room. Really, I had hoped you would at least be glad to see each other. It wasn't my intention to play a cruel practical joke on you. All right, so it was, but it wasn't my only intention. Okay?
"I really must apologize," you said in a soft voice. "For Katya." I scowled. "She's a little ..."
"Yes. I noticed."
Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw you attempt to smile as you spoke again. "You know, for a long time Jack, I didn't think ... that I'd see you alive again ... ever ..."
And that was when he finally kissed you, wrapping his arms around you with a passion and tenderness I had never seen, never elicited from anyone. And as you rested your head on his shoulder, whispering, "I missed you so much," I saw in his expression (though he wouldn't dare to say it out loud) how very much he had missed you.
"So," you said unsteadily, after what seemed like a decade had passed and you finally released each other, "How is Sydney?"
He sat down with you on the bed, content for now just to hold your hands in his. "She's as well as can be expected ..."
I sighed. All right Katya, I told myself, enough of this voyeurism. It was time for a hot shower and a good night's sleep.
A little while later, after I had put on my decidedly un-sexy but comfortable cotton sleepwear, I toweled my short locks dry as I finished getting ready for bed. The bed. It seemed too large for just me. Surely, they must have a male escort service in this city. No, no, I'm not that desperate. After all my sisterly, loving efforts to improve your mood, I sincerely hoped you and your husband were doing more than just talking.
When I awoke, I didn't open my eyes. Not at first. But I still knew that there was a gun pointed at my head.
"Don't move." Apparently, my assailant wasn't fooled by my continued pretense of sleep. The voice sounded strangely familiar, but I couldn't place it. I did as I was told, thinking sullenly that perhaps you had been right about this being the stupidest thing that I had ever done.
Whoever it was turned on the lamp by the bed, and I blinked rapidly as light flooded the room, trying to adjust my vision as fast as possible so that I could get a clear view of the intruder. A woman with a heart- shaped face and dark blonde hair stood over my bed, dressed in black and facing me with a look of stone. Like her voice, her appearance had that same strange familiarity.
"The SVR has been looking for you."
The SVR? I actually had to repress a snort of laughter. The SVR is a bunch of pseudo-spy sissies who wish they could still call themselves the KGB. Carefully maintaining a straight face as I looked at her, I asked, "And what does the SVR want with me?"
"We need information on the Covenant. You are going to giving to us."
Like hell I am, you stupid little girl. "Or what?"
"Or I'll take you and lay you out on the front lawn, like you did to me. Only, instead of a sleeping pill, I'll give you some cyanide."
I felt my bones grow cold. Oh my God. My heart exploded in my throat and my vision started to blur with the shock of her statement. As if from somewhere very distant, I heard myself whisper, "I thought you were dead."
She sneered. "Sorry to disappoint you. Katta." She had been so young. She hadn't even been able to say "Katya," let alone "Ekaterina." The affection attached to my childhood nickname contrasted chillingly with the pure raw hatred I heard in her voice. I looked into her eyes, hoping to see a glimpse of someone I knew, but all I could see was myself, very small.
"Yelena," I gasped, as I stared into the face of my little sister. "I never wanted –" Then I felt something heavy hit the back of my head, and just before I passed out, I heard myself scream for you, almost as I had done when we were children. I still don't know which words I actually got out, and which stayed spinning inside my head. Irina! Rina, I had a nightmare, please wake up and tell me it's not real!
THE END (?)
There will be a sequel, but only if I get enough feedback and reviews for
this story, so here's hoping!
Chapter 10: Epilogue - Odds and Ends
"You bastard, how did you get this number?"
"Hello, yes, it's nice to hear your voice again too. Katya, don't get me wrong, you're a perfectly lovely woman, but you really could stand to learn a thing or two about phone etiquette."
"Why the hell are you calling me!?"
"Well, it was so nice to hear from you the other day, I just thought I'd see how you are doing." I could feel him smirking on the other end of the line. There are very few people in this world that can really get under my skin; Arvin Sloane is one of them.
"I hope I haven't irritated you, my dear," he said, as if he were reading my thoughts. Damn it! "I'd hate to get another death threat ... but on the other hand, if that's your only excuse to contact me –"
"You really don't get it, do you Arvin?" I clenched my fists, just imaging him, standing there with that know-it-all smile on his face. "I have more than one way of getting to you. Make no mistake about that. You leave my sister alone, or you pay the price with your life."
"Ah, such devotion. I wonder if Irina knows how fortunate she is to have such a loving sister ... even if your protective instincts do sometimes lead you to rather paranoid extremes of behavior."
"You know, I am really beginning to regret letting you live!"
His laughter made me want to spit nails. "Katya, I must admit, ever since Irina introduced us, you have always intrigued me. I can't doubt your fierce loyalty to her, but I wonder ... surely your feelings, your motivations, extend beyond a single sisterly bond? I have never been able to determine exactly what it is that drives you, where you obtained that source of your indescribable spark."
I felt my mouth grow dry. "What? What did you say?" I whispered.
"That indescribable spark of you ... I want to know what it is that you want. Power? Or perhaps it is something less tangible, like love. Tell me Katya, do you ever regret not getting Irina's assignment? I mean, Jack could've been your husband. Sydney could've been your daughter."
I swallowed hard, gripping my phone so tightly I that I thought it might break in my hand. Arvin had always taken far too much pleasure in the vivisection of my soul. That was how I knew I had one. I had never given it much consideration, one way or the other, but if something weren't there, his words wouldn't affect me at all.
"Yes," I said, my voice low and deadly. "And you would be the bane of my existence. But then, that's the case now, isn't it? One out of three isn't bad."
He laughed again. "Katya, are you always so hostile, or do you only act this way towards men you're attracted to?"
I think I'm going to be sick. "Did you hear that?"
"Excuse me?"
"That was the sound of my skin crawling. Don't flatter yourself! You. Repulse. Me. Understand?"
"Ah. Pity. But tell me this: if you hate me so much, why am I still alive?"
"Good question. And you might just live to continue pondering it, if you back off Irina."
"Hmm. Well, perhaps I would consider leaving one Derevko sister alone ... if I could get closer to the other."
"Arvin, I'd lay down my life for Irina, but even I have to draw the line somewhere. Don't call me again."
I hung up the phone and shook my head, trying to clear it of all his words. I had more important things to do than succumb to the manipulations of Arvin Sloane. An informant had just given me a very alarming lead on a Covenant agent. But then, he was a Covenant agent himself. As a matter of fact, he was bankrolling the entire organization, whether he wanted to or not. And now he was trying to play both sides against the middle – and doing a damn good job of it, too. That son of mine. It almost made me wish he knew to whom he was truly leaking all these juicy tidbits of intel. Just so I could tell him I was proud. But then, why would he even care what I thought? Focus, Katya, I told myself. This is not a time for sentiment. This is a time to act. Soon enough, the information Julian had given me would be confirmed. My conversation with Sloane had left me full of rage, and I was almost pleased that this situation had presented itself; at least I had something over which I could vent my wrath.
"That little blonde bitch!"
My hands were shaking as I held the photo. I was all-but-certain about the true affiliations of Lauren Reed. If she thinks she can mess with the daughter of a Derevko, and actually live to tell the tale ...
No. No time to fume now. I have to think. What is the best course of action to take now that I have this information? I turned on my cell phone again. Ah yes, now I know. "Mr. Bristow, I have some information that might interest you."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "This really isn't a good time." When he spoke, he sounded awkward. Was someone there with him? Sydney, perhaps? Hmm. I wonder what he told her about me. That is, if he said anything at all.
"I know the identity of the mole in the CIA."
His tone changed abruptly. "Where should I meet you?"
I grinned. Remembering where you were hiding before we flew to Lisbon at the end of the week, I had just gotten the most wonderful idea. Ooh, this is going to be too much fun!
"I'm staying at The Summit hotel. Room 847." I paused for effect, letting the silence stretch out. "Is something wrong?"
"No ...I uh ... just didn't think that you were still in the country."
"I am always where I need to be, Mr. Bristow. I'll meet you in the lobby in half an hour." I hung up and strolled back into the hotel. It was so hard to keep a straight face while I told we were going to meet one of my contacts, and then check out a little earlier than you had planned. Uh- oh, now I'm in real trouble.
Hee hee.
"If I had realized we were meeting another one of your contacts, I would've –"
"There is no need to worry. At least, not for you. If she tries to hurt anyone, it's going to be me."
He looked at me for a moment, puzzled, and then his eyes widened as he began, too late, to guess what happening. I opened the door to hear you grumbling: "Katya, it's a good thing we got a adjoining suites, your room is an absolute mess, I do not understand how you can live like such a –"
At the sight of your husband, you froze in your tracks. Looking between the two of you, with your mouths and eyes opened so wide, I said the only thing I could think of, just to keep myself from bursting out in laughter.
"Just call me the cupid from Hell."
"This is by far the stupidest thing you have ever done, Katya, and that is saying something!" You began to curse me out in Russian, and I got miffed.
"Humph. So this is the thanks I get for trying to make my big sister happy." I turned to Jack, who seemed to have just remembered how to blink. "She's been impossible to live with lately, just so grumpy. Surely, you can think of a way to cheer her up?"
Your face turned red. "Katya!"
"Keep your voice down, Rina, or the whole hotel will know my name."
"What about the Covenant mole in the CIA?" Jack seemed to have found his voice, though he still did not take his eyes off you.
Suddenly, your anger turned to concern. Whew. "There's a mole inside the CIA?" Then your concern switched to anger again as you looked at me. Damn. "When were you going to tell me this?!"
"Well ... now." I decided that I was starting to get annoyed with you. "And since you're being such a brat, I'm not going to give you any more information until tomorrow. I need to get the final confirmation, anyway. Just to be absolutely certain."
You and Jack stopped looking at each other for a moment to stare at me. "And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" He snapped, seeming quite irritated himself. Honestly, what a pair of ingrates you two are!
"Surely you can think of things to ... discuss ... that are of mutual interest to you both." I smiled, seeing your expression of utter embarrassment out of the corner of my eye. "As Irina said, I have in the adjoining room, so just, you know, just don't be to loud or anything – I meant with the talking!" I yelped, as you launched your self across the room and started hitting me. "Talking, Irina! Really, get your mind out of the gutter!"
I twisted your arms behind your back and pushed you away from me. "Come on now, that's just not fair, I haven't even recovered from our last fight yet. I'm two years younger, you know, and she still beats up on me." I batted my lashes at Jack, who seemed to be having a great deal of difficulty taking all this in.
"Out, Katya." You growled.
"Oh Rina, not the growling again, it's so unbecoming. Jack, I've been meaning to ask you, do you mind it when she –"
You made a move towards me. "Out!"
"Okay, okay, okay!" So I turned tail and fled. Just not as far as you thought.
Something in me had to see if you and Jack would actually remember how to speak after I left the room. Really, I had hoped you would at least be glad to see each other. It wasn't my intention to play a cruel practical joke on you. All right, so it was, but it wasn't my only intention. Okay?
"I really must apologize," you said in a soft voice. "For Katya." I scowled. "She's a little ..."
"Yes. I noticed."
Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw you attempt to smile as you spoke again. "You know, for a long time Jack, I didn't think ... that I'd see you alive again ... ever ..."
And that was when he finally kissed you, wrapping his arms around you with a passion and tenderness I had never seen, never elicited from anyone. And as you rested your head on his shoulder, whispering, "I missed you so much," I saw in his expression (though he wouldn't dare to say it out loud) how very much he had missed you.
"So," you said unsteadily, after what seemed like a decade had passed and you finally released each other, "How is Sydney?"
He sat down with you on the bed, content for now just to hold your hands in his. "She's as well as can be expected ..."
I sighed. All right Katya, I told myself, enough of this voyeurism. It was time for a hot shower and a good night's sleep.
A little while later, after I had put on my decidedly un-sexy but comfortable cotton sleepwear, I toweled my short locks dry as I finished getting ready for bed. The bed. It seemed too large for just me. Surely, they must have a male escort service in this city. No, no, I'm not that desperate. After all my sisterly, loving efforts to improve your mood, I sincerely hoped you and your husband were doing more than just talking.
When I awoke, I didn't open my eyes. Not at first. But I still knew that there was a gun pointed at my head.
"Don't move." Apparently, my assailant wasn't fooled by my continued pretense of sleep. The voice sounded strangely familiar, but I couldn't place it. I did as I was told, thinking sullenly that perhaps you had been right about this being the stupidest thing that I had ever done.
Whoever it was turned on the lamp by the bed, and I blinked rapidly as light flooded the room, trying to adjust my vision as fast as possible so that I could get a clear view of the intruder. A woman with a heart- shaped face and dark blonde hair stood over my bed, dressed in black and facing me with a look of stone. Like her voice, her appearance had that same strange familiarity.
"The SVR has been looking for you."
The SVR? I actually had to repress a snort of laughter. The SVR is a bunch of pseudo-spy sissies who wish they could still call themselves the KGB. Carefully maintaining a straight face as I looked at her, I asked, "And what does the SVR want with me?"
"We need information on the Covenant. You are going to giving to us."
Like hell I am, you stupid little girl. "Or what?"
"Or I'll take you and lay you out on the front lawn, like you did to me. Only, instead of a sleeping pill, I'll give you some cyanide."
I felt my bones grow cold. Oh my God. My heart exploded in my throat and my vision started to blur with the shock of her statement. As if from somewhere very distant, I heard myself whisper, "I thought you were dead."
She sneered. "Sorry to disappoint you. Katta." She had been so young. She hadn't even been able to say "Katya," let alone "Ekaterina." The affection attached to my childhood nickname contrasted chillingly with the pure raw hatred I heard in her voice. I looked into her eyes, hoping to see a glimpse of someone I knew, but all I could see was myself, very small.
"Yelena," I gasped, as I stared into the face of my little sister. "I never wanted –" Then I felt something heavy hit the back of my head, and just before I passed out, I heard myself scream for you, almost as I had done when we were children. I still don't know which words I actually got out, and which stayed spinning inside my head. Irina! Rina, I had a nightmare, please wake up and tell me it's not real!
THE END (?)
There will be a sequel, but only if I get enough feedback and reviews for
this story, so here's hoping!