A/N: Yassen…. Surprised? I would love to see that too. Read on…!

Chapter Six

Back in the city, the ganglord Patel was annoyed. He'd received a report from a policeman about Yassen Gregorovich being spotted with a woman, and then the man's subsequent escape from the authorities. After sifting through reams of CCTV footage Gregorovich was pointed out to him, and the woman he was with. At first he thought she wasn't the same one as last night, but then, why would Gregorovich be with her? Why would they have run?

One of Patels' experts examined the pictures, confirmed that she was the same woman. They were the same height, had the same facial structure. Too many points matched for it to be anyone else.

As Gregorovich was leaving the city, Patel was mobilising his forces to intercept him in the streets. He knew enough about the man to know that he'd probably leave by helicopter; Gregorovich's helicopter was infamous, and when an official called in about a chopper taking off from the Outlook Patel had it tracked. He was furious he'd been too slow. Gregorovich must have expected people looking for him otherwise he would never have reacted to the policemen by running.

The chopper headed for the mountains. After pulling several strings and making half a dozen promises, Patel managed to pinpoint its destination to within a few miles. There were only two houses in the vicinity. He began to organise forces to visit both, but getting enough men would take time.

The sun was sinking behind the mountains in the west, and Kalina was lying on her back on the bed in semi-darkness, hands behind her head and knees pulled up. She'd thought about turning on the light, but interacting with her prison might be a sign of weakness. Really, she'd just lost the appetite to touch anything in Gregorovich's house.It had taken a long time for her nerves to stop thrumming after his outburst.Now she gazed at the ceiling, feet towards the door, wondering how much longer she was going to be there. She was thirsty, and hungry, and bored.

No noises had come from the other part of the house. She thought she would have heard if Yassen had left, although with the reinforced glass in the window she wasn't even sure of that. It was possible that her room was even soundproofed; the assassin had a steel door, it wasn't a great leap of the imagination to premise a soundproof bedroom.

Suddenly the lock clicked and the door swung open. The pilot stood in the doorway and squinted into the room.

"You can come out now" he said, looking Kalina up and down with interest. She stood up and suppressed a groan as her joints creaked.

Should have moved around more she decided. She had to push past the pilot to leave the room, and knew it was deliberate on his part. He didn't move to let her past, just stood there with a smirk on his face. Kalina scowled at him and padded down the corridor.

"Kitchen" the pilot said when she reached the end, and put a hand on her shoulder to turn her. He kept it there until she was in the room, where the smell of cooking invaded her nostrils. On the island in the middle of the kitchen was a bowl and a fork, and the pilot pushed her down onto a stool in front of it and said, "Your dinner…" before sitting down opposite her and placing his elbows on the table, chin in hands.

Kalina's stomach rumbled and she eagerly picked up the fork. In the bowl was some sort of Chinese food and it smelled delicious.

"Did you make this?" she couldn't resist asking. The pilot shook his head.

"I can't cook"

Kalina began to eat, half-wondering if the food was poisoned, then berating herself for being paranoid. Then the thought of truth-serums came to her and she forced that away too. Gregorovich was a good cook. He obviously hadn't wanted to eat with her, but had realised the necessity of feeding her. The pilot sat and stared, and after a while Kalina paused.

"Are you going to watch me eat the whole thing?" she asked. The man smiled.

"Yes"

"Why?"

He shrugged. Kalina sighed and finished the food. He made her uncomfortable. For some reason, people watching makes eating difficult. Unless they're eating too. It's unsettling, and Kalina could see no reason for the pilot being there other than to unsettle her. When she had put down her fork she asked for a drink, and the pilot poured her a glass of water before returning to his watching posture. She emptied it and put her elbows on the table, chin in hands, and stared right back at him.

A few minutes later Gregorovich walked in and was so surprised by what he saw that he paused in the doorway.

The atmosphere in the kitchen could be cut with a knife. On the island was an empty bowl to one side, with a fork inside and an empty glass next to it. Parker the pilot and Kalina Moon were like mirror images, barely two feet apart and having some sort of staring contest. Yassen recognised a dominating glare in his pilot's eyes and wondered if Kalina looked that way too. With her back to him he couldn't tell, only the set of her shoulders said she was relaxed and determined. He stepped into the room and cleared his throat. Parker looked up at Yassen and Kalina smiled without taking her eyes off his face.

Yassen motioned that Parker should leave, and with a mocking and malicious glance at Kalina he did, mumbling something about women as he went. Yassen sat on the stool he had vacated.

"Thank you for dinner" Kalina said peremptorily. "It was good"

Yassen glanced at the empty bowl. He hadn't expected a compliment.

"You're welcome" he said. "Have you had a chance to think?"

Kalina nodded. "Yes. I have decided to cooperate"

"Good" Yassen smiled, with what could have been a hint of warmth. "Now, you will stay here until I have recovered the disc. I think two days will suffice for Patel to be neutralised, but if it is done before then you will, of course, be able to leave earlier."

Kalina blanched. She should have known Gregorovich wanted her as insurance until he had the disc, but hearing out loud that she had to stay at his house for days made her insides feel funny. She wondered if she'd get locked in the bedroom again.

"Where will I stay?" she said.

"You did not like your room?" Yassen asked, and Kalina was shocked to see mirth in his eyes. She smiled despite herself.

"It was cosy" she said. Gregorovich smiled.

"Good. Now, tell me the location of the disc"

This was the moment Kalina had been dreading. If she lied, Gregorovich wouldn't find out until Patel had been dealt with and it was safe to 'retrieve' the disc. However, when that happened she was as good as dead. It was very strange, but whilst she was in his power she knew she could trust him. She didn't want to break that trust.

Nor did she want to admit that she'd had the disc all along.

Yassen saw the indecision on her face. All that afternoon he'd been thinking about her, locked up in his spare room. She'd made an impression on him, stood against him as so few did and lived. He admired her for it, but there was so much he didn't know. Who she was, where she'd come from, where she was going. It was none of his concern, he knew. She affected him for a few days only and then she'd be gone. She was studying his face, searching. She looked nervous.

"What is wrong?" he said, an edge to his voice. He had the horrible feeling she was going to tell him she had no idea where the disc was, perhaps had lost it or already made a drop to her employers, and a tight anger raised its ugly head in Yassen's chest. "You do know where it is, don't you?" he prompted. Kalina nodded quickly.

"It's not that…" she said.

Yassen made his voice gentle. "Is there something else you want to tell me?" Perhaps she'd got herself into trouble of some kind. If it meant fulfilling his mission he would help her, although it would be an annoying complication.

"I…" Kalina searched for the right words, decided there were none. Her hands had rested on the table, now she lowered them to where Yassen couldn't see them. His gaze sharpened as he watched her.

She looked down to undo the button on her pocket. Fumbled for the disc, retrieved it, placed it on the table. Gregorovich's eyes, following her hands, widened in surprise. He raised them to her face.

Kalina had an expression of mixed apprehension, guilt, and sheepishness. She looked ready to bolt.

"All along?" Yassen said, voice cracking slightly. The woman nodded.

So she'd played him along, or used him, ever since he accosted her at the café. She knew that he wouldn't let her go, and that he was her ticket away from Patel. She had done everything to preserve herself and the disc, even making that one last effort to reach her employers earlier in the day. And now she handed the disc over, when she had few other choices. Yassen knew she could have continued the game, played him along even more with false directions and tried to escape. Based on her past performance she may even have succeeded. But she'd had the disc in her pocket all along, right under his nose. He'd never even contemplated searching her. Perhaps because it was too obvious, or perhaps because she was an attractive woman he'd seen as a whore the day before and who'd fascinated him since.

He burst out laughing.

Kalina jumped, then her eyes widened in amazement at the deadly assassin thumping the table in mirth across from her.

Gradually Yassen got himself under control and wiped his eyes. He glanced at the woman and her expression made him smile again.

"I am sorry" he said. "You…" he sighed and fixed his gaze on her pointedly. "I admire you"

"You do?" Kalina still looked ready to run.

"Yes" Yassen reached across the table and picked up the disc. "You cut this from Peter Klunt's flesh, carried it with you ever since and I never suspected. Now you give it to me freely. You could have done it before but that wouldn't have got you out of the city. You are a very clever girl"

Kalina studied him intently. Was that a compliment?

"Thank you" she said quietly.

"You are welcome"

He gazed at her, and she met his look steadily. There was respect in his eyes, and a glint of mirth still. Finally, Kalina didn't feel threatened by him. She felt that something had shifted between them. She was no longer his prisoner, the woman he'd dragged through the city and locked in a room. She'd climbed a step or two towards where he stood and she knew she'd earned his trust. It seemed they understood each other. She nodded slowly, and smiled.

Yassen smiled back.

A/N: Please review!