Chapter Ten

Unlike the last time they'd ridden in a chopper together, when Gregorovich motioned Kalina into the one waiting for them outside Patel's mansion, he didn't get in beside her. This one was a transport helicopter with room for troops in the back, and Yassen made Kalina get into the troop's area before shutting the door on her and going back to the house. Kalina didn't know if it was because he didn't want to be near her, or just because the back of the chopper was the best place for her. She waited in silence with the pilot for several minutes, and then the door opened again and five men spilled inside, taking up seats around her without a second glance in her direction.

The pilot lifted off, and because of the noise of the blades which made speech impossible Kalina realised she couldn't even ask what was happening. Gregorovich wasn't in the helicopter with them. There were more soldiers outside Patel's house so he must be following, but where they were going or if she was even still under the Russian's control, she had no idea. He could just have handed her over to the men now sat around her, and they'd take her to his bosses and she'd never see him again.

Why do I want to see him again? she wondered. Is it because he's my guarantee of safety? He did save me after all… Or is it because I….

She didn't finish the thought. Whatever she felt towards Yassen Gregorovich, Kalina was sure she should steer clear of it.

I've known him what? Two days?

And one of them was as an enemy.

Kalina didn't have much experience with relationships. Her world was a male-dominated one; female agents were few and normally not used in the most dangerous situations. Women were good at winning trust, fluttering eyelashes and getting things from stupid men too distracted to notice what was happening. It was a specialist occupation for a woman. That meant that the only men Kalina came across were the ones she was stealing from or other agents who thought they could do her job better.

She felt a kind of pity for the first category; for their pathetic weaknesses. When a man could be fooled so easily it made her wonder how the human race had managed to survive as long as it had. Of the agents she came into contact with, most didn't let slip anything about themselves. They were professional, distant just like she was to them.

In her free time, Kalina flirted and dated occasionally, but how can you explain to someone that you can't see them next week because you'll be in Honduras committing theft and might not come back alive? She had told men she was a nurse, a lawyer, a rock-climbing instructor, a writer… all of which were lies but they served the purpose of making her look normal.

Gregorovich knew what she did for a living. He knew where she'd come from. And she knew about him. Last night in the kitchen he'd told her his past. Not much, but where he'd grown up and how he'd got into the assassin trade. Kalina got the impression it wasn't something he told many people…obviously, it wasn't. Information is dangerous and Gregorovich had shown a lot of trust by telling her.

But should I trust him? Kalina asked herself. She felt she was at a crossroads; there was a choice to be made. Trust Gregorovich and to hell with the consequences, or nip whatever was going on between them in the bud and leave the Russian behind.

As the helicopter began to descend, Kalina wondered if she even had the power to choose. For all she knew the choice had already been made. Her thoughts now turned to the people she was being taken to meet. Scorpia.

Kalina passed through the same ordinary corridor that Yassen had passed through the night before. The lighting was quite bright and harsh, and she felt distinctly the fatigue of being awake for almost 30 hours, since she left the motel the morning before. It was now nearing noon and she'd have felt hungry but for the sick nervousness in the pit of her stomach. One of the soldiers from the helicopter escorted her to the same meeting room Yassen had discussed her in almost 12 hours ago, and she found the same man waiting for her, although to Kalina he was a stranger.

He didn't seem at all curious about her. The man from Scorpia was small and grey and nondescript, in a grey suit, of indeterminate age although Kalina would have put him above 40; he had an experienced look about him. His gaze was calm as it flicked over her, and he motioned her to sit.

"I am Lightfoot" he said simply, his voice as unremarkable as the rest of him. He took a seat around the table from her so they were facing across a corner. "I am glad to see you alive"

"Thank you" Kalina said, eyeing him curiously. "Where is Gregorovich?"

Lightfoot's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Attending to business, I presume. Did you want to see him?"

"No..." Kalina shook her head. "No, I just wondered. I haven't seen him since the house…"

"Well, you may see him again before all this is done. It depends…"

Lightfoot spoke in English, which suggested he knew it was Kalina's first language. However, he had a hint of an unplaceable accent. His origins were as unfathomable as his motives.

"Depends on what?" she prompted. Lightfoot smiled slightly. He had none of the physical presence of Gregorovich but he still seemed to wield power. He wasn't at all threatening though, he came across as more of a concerned uncle.

"I have followed your activities with interest these past two days, since I heard of what you did to Peter Klunt" Lightfoot raised his eyebrows. "Not many people string Yassen along for that long either, in case you didn't know…"

Kalina grimaced. "Unfortunately I did know"

This elicited another smile. "And yet you are still alive my dear. Our favourite assassin radioed in a little while ago to say you had given him the disc. It was on your person all along?"

Kalina frowned. Why had Yassen waited until Patel's house to tell Scorpia he had the disc? There was no time to think it through, Lightfoot was waiting.

"Yes…" she said cautiously.

Lightfoot nodded. "Most ingenious. I am glad for your sake you kept the bargain. I would hate to have you killed for crossing us"

Kalina winced. "I didn't though" she said.

"Which is why I would like to offer you a job" Lightfoot said. "Might as well get to the point. I like what I see in you, and I think Scorpia could make use of you"

Kalina smiled half-deprecatingly, half-nervously, trying to still her suddenly fast-beating heart. A job offer? "Oh…well…I've never really worked for anyone before. I mean, not permanently"

"Yes" Lightfoot smiled pleasantly. "I know you've always done contracts. But Scorpia could offer you some... stability. A steady wage"

Kalina looked thoughtful. She certainly hadn't expected this turn of events, but it made sense when you thought about it. Scorpia probably poached lots of agents.

"How steady?" she asked. Lightfoot fluttered the slender fingers of one hand.

"Oh, whatever you got paid for your last job? Add 25 percent for your basic wage and we'll talk about risk payments per job later. What do you think?"

Kalina couldn't help but whistle. "I think that's rather a good deal" she admitted.

But working for Scorpia?

Money had always been her motto. Anything for money. Idealism for her didn't matter, to a point. She wouldn't like to go around blowing up children or stealing from charities but apart from that…

"We also have a very competitive pension plan" Lightfoot said. Kalina chuckled.

"I can imagine that" she said, thinking of 90-year-old ex-assassins on a Spanish beach resort owned by Scorpia. "I don't want to get involved in your idealistic campaigns though" she stipulated. "I mean, a job is a job. I don't want to take it home with me"

"Of course, I completely understand" Lightfoot said. "We have militant activists for that kind of thing. I can tell you now that your role would be one you are accustomed to. Thievery, subterfuge, spying… that kind of thing. You would not be expected to share our aims, although if you were to betray us in any way, shape or form, rest assured you will be dealt with ever so firmly." The man's tone was light but the message was clear.

"In that case…" Kalina said slowly, a host of options suddenly opening up before her. "I accept your offer. That is, if all terms of my contract are agreeable"

Lightfoot smiled genially, his grey face taking on some colour. "Excellent" he said. "I can draw up some sort of contract if you wish. Normally we just start paying our people and kill them if they go AWOL…"

"Well, whichever you think best…" Kalina's heart was still pounding. This was all so polite and British, yet she'd just signed her life away to one of the world's most infamous terrorist organisations.

Lightfoot stood and Kalina followed suit. They shook hands.

"Now, you must be exhausted. I am afraid I haven't had time to arrange lodgings for you, but there is another house you can use for a few days. Yassen will be joining you there, I imagine. His house, after all, is beyond repair…"

Kalina's heart skipped. "Gregorovich?" she said. Lightfoot opened the door.

"Yes…ah, here he is now. Yassen…"

Gregorovich stood in the corridor. He held out his hand, and Lightfoot took the disc from him.

"Thank you. I've just been recruiting Miss. Moon here"

Yassen looked at her curiously. "Oh?"

"Yes. Take her to Redwood will you? You are going there?"

"…Yes…" Gregorovich was still staring at Kalina, his expression unfathomable.

"I'll call you in a few days. I suspect you both need some downtime." Lightfoot clasped his hands and looked at them both. "Right, well, off you go"

After a moment's pause, Gregorovich turned and walked off down the corridor. Kalina glanced at Lightfoot, then hurried after him. It amazed her they'd been thrown together again so soon, and made her chest tighten uncomfortably. What on earth could she possibly say to him?

Yassen could not believe the girl was coming with him. Had a right to go with him, in fact, since she apparently now worked for Scorpia. Inwardly, he fumed.

He had no idea what had passed between them at Patel's house. He had felt something, yes, but he didn't like to identify it. All that effort to get her back and for what? She had pushed him away.

Yassen! his inner voice hissed. You tried something you knew wouldn't work and felt upset when it didn't. Ha. Ha.

Had he really felt upset? No…there had been a rebuttal, and he had backed down.

Did she rebuke me? She pulled away but I should not have touched her…

Why try and ruin something before it had even begun? They were barely even friends.

I have no friends…

But he'd wanted to save her.

What is she to me?

What could she become to him?

I have no need for such things…

But Yassen knew that men needed women. It was a fact of life as cold and hard as his own handgun. Was it so terrible to think that he could want a woman too?

I have wanted women before…

But not like this.

We connect, yes… but that means nothing.

Unless you want it to…

I do not want it to…

"Look, Gregorovich…" Kalina's voice made him glance down at her in annoyance. He vaguely noticed that she had called him by his first name for a brief few hours. "I'm sorry about…well, everything" the girl was saying. "I…I mean…I think we may have got off on the wrong foot"

"What do you mean?" Yassen snapped. He hoped to god she wasn't going to mention what had happened to them in her cell.

"Well, we were enemies. And then we didn't know where we stood. But now I work for Scorpia, I suppose…"

"Suppose? You either work for them or you don't." Yassen kept his voice strict and saw the girl scowl.

"Yes but…look, Gregorovich" she stopped, and he stopped too with an air of impatience. "Thank you, for saving me"

He almost rolled his eyes. Kalina blushed and looked at the carpet.

"I think we should start again, if that's possible"

Yassen scoffed. "Is it? Is it possible when you strung me along, got yourself captured and…and…"

Kalina raised an eyebrow and he trailed off.

And made me think you wanted me to kiss you?

"What is done is done" he said simply. "Now are you coming or not?"

He turned his back on her and stalked off up the stairs to the roof and a waiting helicopter. Kalina sighed deeply and followed. So much for clearing the air. She couldn't even mention what had happened and all of Gregorovich's shutters had come down. He was like a closed book to her now. One written in Greek. Kalina felt ashamed, guilty, and angry, all at the same time.

This is why I never bother with men she fumed as she hurried across the helipad.

But then, Gregorovich was hardly an ordinary man.