Chapter Four

The girl from the night before sat four tables away, facing across him. She hadn't even noticed him; there was no reason to look his way, the street was in front of her and he wasn't. She looked completely different; her hair had gone from blonde to dark, she no longer looked an innocent 16 but more like a confident 20, and her limbs were fully covered without even a hint of flesh showing. Free of make-up and peerage-white, her skin was fresh and delicate with none of the sun-bronzed inviting glow of the night before. If it wasn't for those eyes he would never have recognised her, but those eyes had struck him on first seeing her and they struck him again now.

She sipped her juice, smiled slightly at an amusing story in the paper, completely oblivious to his gaze.

He rose smoothly to his feet and walked over to her table, pulled out a chair, sat down.

The woman looked up, eyebrow raised in a look that invited no strangers, and jumped as if electrocuted.

"I wouldn't go anywhere, if I were you" Yassen said softly, grabbing her hand which had been resting on the table. He leaned forwards as shesank back into her chair; he could feel how tense her muscles were, see it in her whole posture.

"Let us talk" Yassen said. "Since fate has brought us together"

"How did you…?" the woman began, trying uselessly to pull her hand away. Yassen kept his firmly on top of hers. It was a gesture which would seem like that of a friend or lover to anyone who looked.

"Chance" he said. "I came here for coffee" A cold smile graced his lips. The woman looked incredulous, but relaxed her arm and studied him warily.

"Carla" he said, seeing her wince at the name and knowing it wasn't her real one. "You have something of mine"

Kalina, heart pounding, keeping her expression schooled through only the highest of efforts, was both devastated and terrified by Gregorovich's appearance.

Not real not real not real…. She repeated in her head, knowing with every second that passed that her worst nightmare had come true. The tall Russian was sat right across from her, holding her hand. His fingers were cool and strong. So far however, he hadn't killed her and that, she decided, was something.

"It isn't yours" she said slowly. Yassen tightened his grip.

"Would you really like to dispute that?"

Thinking about it, No. Kalina decided. Yassen laughed softly when he saw as much in her face. He was studying her with calculating eyes, making her uncomfortable even as she studied him in return.

"Last night… you were clever" he said, leaning back slightly as if his study of her were complete. "You tricked us all. I admire that. But I must have the disc"

Slightly surprised by his non-threatening tone and the fact that she was still alive, Kalina decided to take the opportunity to talk to the man she'd heard so much about.

"I've heard of you" she said. "You're supposed to be the best"

Gregorovich shrugged. "I am very good. I have not heard of you"

Kalina shrugged too. "I try not to cause a scene"

Yassen was reminded of Patel, and looked about him. The street was still quiet. Two police officers came round the corner at one end, a long way away but coming leisurely towards the café and the table where they sat.

He turned back to the woman. "Enough small talk. Give me the disc and I won't kill you"

"You'd kill me in the street?" Kalina asked, raising an eyebrow in pointed disbelief. Inside she was still scared, but some proud part of her made her play the role of unconcerned innocent.

"If I have to" Yassen hissed. The policemen were coming closer. One of them looked their way, paused in his stride but kept walking, nudged his colleague and reached for his radio. The colleague looked over.

Yassen swore in Russian and stood up, dragging the woman with him. She stumbled around the table as he pulled her off the terrace, shouting a garbled question at him before he yanked her into a run down the cobbled street.

Kalina glanced back over her shoulder as her feet flew beneath her, to see two police officers chasing. She gasped a curse and looked at Gregorovich, who was running with a look of grim determination. Suddenly, he pulled her into a side-street, holding her hand like that of an infant, his grip so tight that if she'd stopped he'd probably have dragged her. A six foot wall blocked the end, and without slackening his pace the Russian scaled it in a leap. Kalina, several inches shorter, grabbed the top with her free hand, thankful when Gregorovich released her other one, surprised when he reached down and grabbed her round the waist, pulling her over the wall and dropping her on the other side.

She landed with an 'Oof!" but the Russian was beside her in an instant, reclaiming her hand and running once again, this time towards an open doorway in the side of a grim-looking building. The street was dark and full of rubbish, opening onto another narrow street not far ahead. Ducking inside the doorway and shutting it after them, Kalina was pulled into the shadows and heard a soft click as Gregorovich drew a weapon and waited.

Sucking in a breath through her nose in an effort to be quiet, Kalina struggled to get herself under control. Her heart was pounding once again; if her breathing didn't give them away it surely would. She crouched down to retrieve the pistol at her ankle and straightened slowly. Gregorovich was slightly behind her,

Probably so I'm a human shield Kalina thought.

After several seconds, which felt like hours, grunting sounds from the direction of the wall indicated the policemen were scaling it. Heavy boots landed in the dirty street, and low German could be heard.

"Can't see them"

"In the street!"

The boots pounded past the doorway and faded into silence. Gregorovich relaxed.

"Give me that weapon" he said. Kalina hadn't realised he'd noticed. She handed it over unquestioningly. She'd already come to the conclusion that she was his temporary prisoner. Trying to shoot him would only get her killed. He now loomed over her in the shadows, his physical presence more menacing than any words.

"We are being pursued" he said. "A man called Patel is looking for you"

"For me?" Kalina asked, then thought again. "The disc" she stated.

"Yes. He is very terrible, a murderer. I see now he has the police under his control. Probably CCTV too"

"Great" Kalina breathed. "What do we do?"

"You mean, what do you do" Yassen corrected. "You tell me where the disc is, and I let you go"

Kalina shook her head. "Then this Patel finds me and kills me. No"

Yassen idly brought his gun up and held it inches from her face. "I could make you talk" he said.

Looking into his eyes, in the dim light coming in from the broken door, Kalina shivered. They were the eyes of a killer, cold and calculating. There was, however, a flicker of curiosity deep inside them.

At me? she wondered.

"I would rather you didn't" she said quietly. "Isn't Patel looking for you too?" Something had suddenly occurred to her, and she was going to run with it. "In fact" she continued, "I don't think anyone would have recognised me after last night. I've never met Patel and I look completely different. Those policemen recognised you"

This last was said accusingly, and by the look on Gregorovich's face Kalina knew she was right.

The gun quivered in indecision, but Yassen eventually lowered it. "We both must get out of the city" he said.

"The disc isn't in the city" Kalina said. It was a lie, but in the shadows even someone trained to spot a liar would have trouble. Kalina knew the signs, she knew to avoid them. Gregorovich studied her once again, then looked above her head in contemplation. Finally he sighed.

"Patel knows who you are now, because I have led him to you. I will keep you alive until we are out of the city, and then you will tell me the location of the disc. I will not kill you, but once we are out, Patel is your problem"

"Deal" Kalina said, a hint of a smile on her lips. A relieved smile.

Yassen stepped to the doorway and peered out. There was no sign of activity. They had to move quickly, keep to the backstreets. It was a guess which cameras Patel could view the city from, and which officials he had bribed.

Assume all of them Yassen thought. He turned to look at the woman.

"What is your name?"

"Kalina. Kalina Moon"

"Stay close Kalina Moon"

Yassen opened the door and led the way out.

A/N: Together at last! Glad to see i have a few more readers... i changed the rating from M to T so the story comes up on the Alex Rider page. I thought i'd better make it an M because of the prostitute thing but nothing actually happens so i changed my mind. Anyway, please review. It's quite depressing when you have more chapters than reviews...