Absolution
Chapter
2
Kat crept along the side of the wall getting closer to the entranceway of the dining room. In contrast to the rest of the house, it was bright and she stood unmoving in the corner of the entranceway. In addition to Julian, there were two more men and three women surrounding a long dining table. Julian had his back to her and no one noticed her. They were too involved in their computers, files, and paperwork. She studied each one, though not able to see any of their faces. She recognized Julian, and the back of the woman who'd shot Eric, but the others were a mystery to her.
"Well, well, well, sleeping beauty finally decided to wake up."
The voice seemed full of hatred toward her and as Kat faced the occupants of the room, her blood ran cold. Her eyes immediately locked with the speakers. She was a young woman, several years older than Kat with fiery red hair and jade green eyes. The rest of the occupants of the table turned toward her and strangely Kat felt rather self-conscious, which was unlike her. Kat took a few steps back into the shadows and Julian stood and walked to her.
"It's alright," he said softly to her ears only and guided her into the room.
She stood directly in front of the woman who'd shot Eric. The woman turned in her chair slightly and removed her reading glasses. "Come here child."
Kat took a few steps toward her and stopped.
"Closer."
Kat eyed Julian carefully before stepping forward once more until she was only inches from the woman. The woman looked her up and down several times, her gaze never changing.
"You're quite a good deal smaller than I thought you'd be." The woman suddenly roared with laughter and gently tugged the jeans Kat wore. They were double rolled at the cuffs and waist and they barely hung onto her slender hips.
Kat glanced at the others who also laughed and she even saw Julian smirk. She turned her attention back to the woman. "You're a great deal older than I thought you'd be."
The woman stopped laughing. "And quite the mouth on you. Didn't your mother ever--"
"My mother is dead."
"That is news to me."
"Katya," Sark broke in. "Leave her alone."
"I don't need you to defend me, Julian." Kat crossed her arms over her chest angrily.
"Yes Julian," and the red head smiled mockingly.
"Shut up, Talia." One of the men shook his head and smiled slightly at Kat.
Katya reached her hand up and tilted Kat's chin examining the bruises over her eyes. "You should put some ice on those."
Sark quickly put his hands on Kat's shoulders and pulled her back. He could see the anger simmering in her eyes and knew only too well what she was like when she erupted. He directed her toward the chair beside his and as she sat down, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Call me Sark."
It was plainly obvious to her that Julian was off limits.
Talia, the redheaded girl glared at her. Her nose was slightly crooked and she reminded Kat of a rather nasty girl by the name of Rachel that she'd known in the second grade. Rachel was the most popular girl in the class with long red hair always pulled back into a braid. She had constantly teased, berated, and bullied Kat for being an orphan and wearing hand-me-down clothes with holes from church charity boxes.
On the last day of school, Rachel had teased Kat about wearing a long sleeved shirt that was tearing at the seams, when it was so hot out. A good strong pull and the sleeve had ripped right off giving half her second grade class a good view of the bruises dotting her arm courtesy of her latest foster mother. A few laughed, but most didn't say anything at all including the wretched Rachel because they were afraid of her; she hadn't cried. Kat wasn't unhappy about the change in foster homes and school districts, which occurred a week later and guaranteed she would never see Rachel again.
The man, who sat next to Talia, was obviously her older brother around Sark's age. They both shared the same red hair and freckles. Beside him, directly across from Kat, was the third woman. She was blond and blue eyed and was seated far back enough from the table that Kat could easily see she was at least seven or eight months pregnant. The third man seated beside Sark, the one who'd smiled at her, was tall with dark hair and dark eyes. As she looked at him, he smiled again and she forced herself to look away. She looked over at Katya, studying her.
"Why have you brought me here?"
Katya raised an eyebrow at Sark. "She really isn't at all what I expected her to be." Ignoring Kat's question, she stood and began the introductions. The redheaded girl was first then her brother. "My daughter Natalya, her brother Aleksei and his wife Anna. And this is Ilya."
Katya's hand stopped on the back of the last chair and once again the tall dark haired man smiled at her. Kat ignored his kindness. "Why have you brought me here?" she repeated.
"Patience," Katya replied coolly and as she resumed her seat she finished the introductions. "This is your cousin, Irina's second daughter, Katarina." She slipped her glasses back on and shared a seemingly amused look with Aleksei.
Kat glanced at the others quickly wondering as to their position in her kidnapping. She only remembered Katya and Julian from the actual event, but Ilya seemed familiar. "You haven't answered my question."
"Defiant as ever," Katya laughed slightly then nodded to Sark indicating he should provide the explanation.
Kat turned to face him and he saw the immediate distrust in her eyes. Not that he blamed her of course; he had brought her to the family she despised. "I have a mole inside The Covenant," he began. "The mole informed me that The Covenant has a mole inside the CIA and that The Covenant was planning your extraction during your transfer to Camp Harris. We got to you first."
Kat listened silently to his explanation and analyzed every word he spoke. Was he telling the truth? On the other hand, was it just a lie to ensure her trust? However, Julian wouldn't lie to her, right? The entire situation was making her head ache.
"But why am I here?"
Sark was not surprised at her words. "For your safety." He gestured to the others who listened to the explanation and to the files of information littering the long table. "We need to discover who the CIA mole is, take care of them, and clear your name or you won't be safe. As it stands, the CIA believes you were extracted by The Covenant and they are searching for your whereabouts."
"My mother?"
"What about her?" Sark asked, his tone changing slightly at the mention of Irina.
"I thought she was Covenant."
"No," Sark interrupted. "She is not. It was her instruction that I go to Katya for assistance."
"Where is she?"
"Your mother is out of the country." Kat's eyes darkened at Katya's intrusion into the conversation. "She has been informed of your well being. I expect she'll call to speak with you later this evening."
"I don't expect I'll be so inclined to speak with her."
"Katia," Sark said sharply and Kat bit her lip to keep from saying more. He passed her a file folder. "We've been examining the records of anyone who could have had access to the information that was leaked to the Covenant. Start with the bank records and look for any similarities, inconsistencies, or patterns with the dates or amounts that were deposited into the false accounts set up in your name. We'll need your help to determine who set you up."
Kat opened the file and her eyes widened. "Jonathan Jude Cruz?" she said aloud in surprise. "What is this joke? JJ would never do anything to hurt me!"
"We need to examine all the possibilities," Sark reminded her and Kat could feel the heat of embarrassment coming over her cheeks. Sark showed her the name on the file he was analyzing. William D. Tippin. "We need to look at everyone, even those least suspected. You cannot return home until we find and expose the mole. It is not safe."
"What if we don't?" The prospect of never going back to LA, back to Sydney and her father, her friends, Eric, scared her.
"We will," Ilya smiled reassuringly and for the first time Kat allowed herself to smile back.
It was early morning when Jack took a sip of his scotch and swirled the amber liquid in his glass. Every contact he had spoken with had no knowledge of any Covenant activity following his daughter's abduction, which was leading him to believe that The Covenant was not at all responsible for her disappearance. His contacts also had no knowledge of the whereabouts of Julian Sark or Irina Derevko and it seemed likely that one or the other, if not both, were responsible for Katarina's abduction and Jack wasn't sure if that reassured him or concerned him more.
The CIA's investigation of Katarina as the mole garnered more evidence and Jack's private investigation to prove otherwise failed to find any new information to further its cause. The only evidence they had was Marshall's video tape, which wasn't enough. Whoever had implicated his daughter had covered their tracks well.
Jack dipped his finger in the glass and lifted it to his lips, reminding him of the habit his daughter had never broken.
Despite living with Sydney or himself for as long as Katarina had and establishing trust; whenever she was served a beverage that either she hadn't poured herself or she hadn't opened from a sealed can or bottle, she always dipped her finger for a taste test. The habit had been left over from her days as a foster child living with numerous alcoholic parents. Although Jack had hoped the habit would have been broken now he was painfully aware that he, or rather his drinking, was most likely the reason for its continuance. He set the glass down on the table determined not to finish it. He had made a valid attempt at his daughter's request to stop drinking and he was determined to continue it.
Jack's eyes were drawn over to the chessboard, which had been left in mid-game. It was his turn. He studied the board for several moments before making his move.
"Your turn, sweetheart," he whispered softly before turning off the light and heading to bed.
Kat sighed and closed the file she had been examining. It was Mr. McShadows, or rather Alex McDonald, the security agent who'd been assigned to monitor her activities prior to joining the CIA.
"Everything alright?" Sark asked leaning towards her.
"Yes," she responded, but he could tell she was lying.
"Why don't you take a break," Sark suggested. "Go for a walk."
Kat nodded eager for a chance to learn her boundaries and plan a quick escape if one would be required. She stood and left the room without a second glance at the rest. This had to be some kind of nightmare that she would wake up from eventually.
After joining the CIA, Kat had begun investigating her mother's history. She'd known of the existence of her mother's elder sister Ekaterina or Katya as she was called, the one Kat was possibly named for, and she knew her mother had a much younger sister named Yelena, but she hadn't known there would be more of them. Cousins, she shuddered.
Alexsei was all right and his wife Anna was sweet, but seemed entirely out of place in the family. Natalya seemed to hate her for some reason. However, Ilya intrigued her. With his lack of resemblance to the others, she could only assume that he was not related to the Derevkos.
Kat walked in the opposite direction from where she'd come all the while making mental notes of the exits and what rooms were designed for what purpose. The house was massive. There were two separate libraries on the first floor alone and the furnishings were richly decorated and expensive. If it was Katya who owned the house, she must be incredibly wealthy and curiously, Kat couldn't help but wonder where that money had come from…no doubt from illegal activities.
Kat ventured down a hallway off the main one and down a small set of stairs to find herself in a kitchen. Walking around a small island in the center, she plucked an apple from the fruit bowl and tossed it between her hands.
"Hello."
Startled Kat dropped the apple and whipped her head in the direction of the voice.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The woman had emerged from a large pantry Kat hadn't seen upon entering the room. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," she admitted watching curiously, as the woman stepped forward.
"Well you certainly do……never mind," she shook her head.
"Certainly do what?" Kat asked suspiciously.
"I'd rather not say."
"What?" Kat demanded.
"You look like your mother." She smiled gently and set a box of tea on the counter. "I'm…"
"Yelena, I know."
"Well it's nice to meet you," Yelena said warmly. "You can just call me Lena, if you'd like."
Kat nodded and studied the other woman. She looked quite a bit younger than Kat had expected, although Yelena was older than Sydney was, by about ten years. Kat forced herself to stand still as the woman came toward her, her hand outstretched.
Yelena touched her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're still warm," she said. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
"I'm fine."
Yelena nodded, accepting her answer and backed away. "I know things must seem quite confusing for you right now--"
"I just want to go home," Kat interrupted. "But I have accepted that won't be happening any time soon." She watched as Yelena added tea bags to a teapot of boiled water. "Can I help you with something?"
"Sure," Yelena surveyed the tray she had set out. "Could you get the rose tea cups for me please?" she instructed. Kat nodded and went to the cupboard. Yelena added a small container of sugar and cream to the tray and then turned to her niece. "Katy, the cups are in the third cup…" She stopped seeing Kat holding one of the teacups.
"Was that a test?" Kat asked bluntly. She had known exactly in which cupboard the teacups were located.
"I suppose it was."
"I've been here before," Kat stated glancing around the kitchen in search of familiar surroundings.
"You have," Yelena confirmed. "When you were a child your mother brought you here, before going to America. You helped me make tea every day you were here."
"I don't remember you."
Yelena laughed bringing a slight smile to Kat's face. "I wouldn't expect you to Katarina; you were only four years old."
"Was it when we were running from Khasinau?"
Yelena turned and retrieved the spoons from the drawer. "Thirteen years last month," she said quietly.
Kat noticed the change in her, the sadness in her voice and was about to say something, but Sark interrupted. He greeted Yelena, nodding to her and surprised Kat by standing behind her, placing both hands on her shoulders.
His touch unnerved her. It was protective. She shuddered.
Sark took notice and asked if she was all right. She said she was and changed the subject. "I want to talk to my dad or Sydney at least," she requested.
"That's not possible," he refused. "All their communication lines will be tapped."
Kat pulled away and turned around, glaring at him, her hands on her hips. "This isn't my first day on the job Sark; just give me a damn untraceable phone."
He handed her his cell phone. He could see her hands shake as she dialed and he wondered if it was from nerves.
Kat walked away from Sark and Yelena, but kept them in sight. The phone rang twice before a cheery hello was heard.
"Marshall, don't react to my voice," she instructed. "Just pretend it's your sister."
"Okay," he said uncertainly. "How are you Alicia? How's school?"
"I'm okay," she smiled letting out a sigh of relief at finally being able to hear a familiar voice. "Are you alone?"
"No," he responded glancing around the busy rotunda.
"I called you, because I figured all the other lines would be tapped. Is my dad or Sydney there?"
"No," Marshall answered quietly. He was concerned at how calm Kat sounded. He'd heard how she was like steel when she wanted to be, but this was ridiculous. "Vaughn is."
"Let me talk to him; just don't let him know it's me."
"Sure Alicia, I think Mr. Vaughn can help you." Marshall approached Vaughn and tapped his shoulder.
The instant Vaughn turned in his chair to face Marshall, he knew something was up. The gadget man was sweating more profusely than normal and his face had gone ashen white.
"It's my sister Alicia," he explained holding out the phone. "She needs help with her French homework and I'm a little rusty."
"Okay," Vaughn said cautiously knowing immediately that something was up. "Can I use your office? I don't have a dictionary."
"Sure," he nodded. "I'm going to meet Carrie for lunch."
Vaughn waited until he was inside Marshall's tech office before putting the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Kit Kat?" Vaughn sank down in the chair, running a hand through his hair.
"Hi Mike."
Her voice was soft and he had to listen carefully to hear her. "Kat, where are you? What happened?"
"Mike, relax, I'm fine, I'm safe," she promised and walked away from Sark and Yelena. Once she was a safe distance away, she leaned against the wall and sank to the plush carpet.
"Where are you?"
"I can't say."
"Kat--"
"Vaughn, I can't. Just tell my dad and Sydney that I'm fine."
"Tell me where you are and I can come get you."
"Vaughn no, I can't," she protested, her voice wavering slightly. "Don't you understand? I can't come back. Not until I find who was trying to frame me."
"But Kat?"
"No, I won't tell you." She took a deep breath and stretched her legs out drawing them over the burgundy carpet runner. "Mike," she asked softly, "how's Eric? He was shot and I don't know--"
"He's fine," Vaughn interrupted. "He just had a concussion, and his hands were cut up, otherwise, he's fine."
"Thank God, I couldn't live with myself if…" her voice trailed off leaving them both to imagine the possibilities. .
"Did you know it was happening? Were you expecting it?"
"No, I had no idea, I swear. Mike, there is a mole in the CIA, but it's not me."
"What?"
"The people who took me have confirmation that there is a mole placed in the CIA, in our task force. I can't go back until I find out who it is. If I go back now, I'm as good as dead."
"And the people you're with?"
"I'm safe; they'll protect me, at least for now, until we can figure out who it is."
"I want to believe you Kit Kat," he said quietly. "I really do, but right now I have no idea if you're telling me the truth. I have no idea if you're ever telling me the truth. The CIA is looking for you and Branden is not going to stop until he finds you."
He was expecting to hear the sting of betrayal in her voice, but what he got was far from it.
"I know," Kat swallowed hard and took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "I've lied to you a lot, especially in the last few days, and I am sorry but I just didn't know what else to do. I promise you that I never betrayed you, or Sydney, my father, Eric, no one. My promises may be worthless to you, but I know that it's the truth. It's all I can give you until I have proof and--"
"Stop," Vaughn interrupted. "Kat, I know you're not the mole; that's not what I was talking about. If anything happens to you, it will destroy your sister. I don't want to see that happen; you can't do this by yourself."
"I'm not," she responded. "Vaughn, I don't exactly trust these people, but they want to help me and I'm safer here than in LA."
"Are you with your mother?"
"I have to go." She ignored his last question and stood, stretching her legs as she did so. "Just tell Sydney that I'm okay?" she requested. "I'll call back if I can."
"Kat wait--"
"Bye, Mike." She hung up the phone and leaned back against the mahogany paneled hallway, her eyes closed tightly.
"And how is Agent Wrinkles?"
"That's not nice Julian… Sark, whatever your name is," she sighed and held out the phone for him.
"I speak the truth," he shrugged.
"Vaughn's a good person; he loves my sister." Kat stood upright, but a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and she slid back against the wall, her eyes remaining closed. "They're still looking for me. Branden's not giving up on this."
"He's the one who hit you?" Sark asked softly gently brushing his thumb over her swollen cheek.
"Yes," She opened her eyes and was immediately struck at the gentleness of his touch. It seemed so unlike the first time she had seen him when he'd brought her back to Viktor Melnikov. "I never thanked you for telling Irina where I was. Thank you," she smiled slightly.
"I must admit, when I saw you, I had no idea who you were. I never knew Irina had another daughter."
"It could have turned out a lot differently if you hadn't been there." Kat blinked trying to clear her line of vision but it was useless and she just resigned to closing her eyes again.
"But it didn't. Katia, are you alright?"
"Katarina?" Yelena had heard Sark's question and approached the two, drying her hands on a dishtowel. She felt Kat's forehead and flushed cheeks. "You have a fever again, are you alright?"
"Yes…" she nodded and opened her eyes attempting to focus on Sark's face but she couldn't. "…no." She took a step forward, but lost her footing and Sark caught her slowly lowering her to the ground.
"What is it?"
"I'm sick," she struggled to stand but Sark firmly pushed her back down. "I need insulin."
"Why didn't you just say something," Yelena scolded her. "Sark, take her upstairs, I'll be up in a minute."
Sark knelt beside her and easily lifted her into his arms. "I can walk," Kat protested.
"Why are you so stubborn?"
"Why are you such a pain in the ass?" she retorted.
"Katia," he sighed irritated as he began his trek up the grand staircase.
"Why do you call me that?" she asked as he gently deposited her on the bed.
"What does it matter?"
"I don't know…" her voice trailed off thoughtfully. "I just want to know why I know you, how I know you. Why can't you tell me?"
"Katia--"
Their conversation was interrupted by Yelena who entered the room quietly and handed Kat an insulin kit. Yelena waited until Kat had administered the proper dosage of insulin with practiced ease before handing her a glass of orange juice, which she quickly drank. "You should get some rest," she advised. "I'll get some proper clothes for you and wake you for dinner in a few hours."
Kat nodded silently feeling the exhaustion quickly catching up with her. Sark was about to close the door when she realized he hadn't answered her question. "Julian?"
"Go to sleep Katia," he said quietly and turned off the light, pulling the door shut as he went.
Sighing, Kat carefully rolled onto her side, mindful of the bruises on her shoulders and face. She closed her eyes, resigned to ask Sark the question again the moment she saw him next.