And here is next chapter!

Soon I'm going on holiday so I don't know If I will manage to update before that…. But if you will keep your awesome reviews I will do my best to write one more ;)

Hugs for my editor Bellamodel1 :*

Chapter 5

In a second Michael had rushed him and pushed him against the wall.

-Did you tell Percy? Is that why he called me?

-"Easy man! What do you think? If I did that there wouldn't be any call. You would be dissolving in some freaking acid as we speak."

Michael had to admit that Birkoff was right. Percy wouldn't have played it cool if he found out about Michael's would have sent a strike team to cancel him immediately.

- "So what is the emergency?"- he asked.

-"It's about one of your recruits -Michelle. Apparently she can't survive one day without picking a fight and Amanda wants to cancel her. Percy needs your evaluation. Can you let me go now?"

Michael loosened his grip and moved few steps back with hands raised in the gesture of peace. Birkoff had shaken invisible fleck of dust off his sleeve and continued:

–"I didn't tell Percy. I should have, but I didn't trust him. I decided to trust you. And you see how it works out? You tell me right now what the hell is going on!"

- "This is not a good time or place for that."–Michael answered with his voice lowered.

-"No more secrets, man. You tell me the whole truth or I go straight to Percy and tell him about the very-much-alive-Nikita."

-"Listen Birkoff. It's more complicated than you think. I'll tell you everything but you have to promise me… swear that it will stay between us and you will never mention around here. I have my reasons for lying. I'll tell you everything, but first you have to swear."

- "Buddy, whatever she said to you is a lie. I know she can be pretty convincing but-"

-"No Birkoff."-Michael interrupted him.- "That's the point. She didn't lie. But everyone else did. So? How is it going to be?"

- "I don't know if…."

-"Birkoff!" –Michael started to lose his temper.- "My patience is limited on this subject. I'm not going to hesitate from doing whatever it takes to protect her. Got it?"

-'Are you… threatening me?'

-'No…. I'm just asking you for some vote of confidence."

Birkoff looked at him with hesitation. He seemed honest. Whatever. The truth was he wouldn't go to Percy with this.

He deleted the footage immediately and removed every trace of the Shadow Track from the hardware. He knew what Percy would do to Michael and Nikita if he found out and he liked them both too much to have their lives on his conscience.

-"Ok. I guess I can do that. But I hope you had a really good reason Mikey."

Nikita was walking on the beach enjoying the sun. This was the biggest activity she could afford due to her pregnancy. But today nothing could spoil her mood. She couldn't stop smiling.

The past few months had been full of trouble and worries and today she finally saw the light in the darkness.

She closed her eyes trying to remember every second of the last 10 wonderful hours. Their paradise hadn't lasted long but she was finally certain Michael loved her. Happiness slipped into her heart and put down roots.

She looked around the beach admiring the beauty of the day and noticed a woman pushing a pram.

-"Soon it will be us pumpkin." - Nikita touched her belly talking to her daughter.

The woman she was looking at was around 30, short brown hair and green dress with beige floral pattern. She was talking on the phone. Nikita recognized her.

It was Tasha or Tara, one of her neighbors. Nikita had seen her and her husband often in a local store. They seemed quite nice. They were one of those couples that were always happy and living life with big smiles on their faces no matter how difficult it gets.

The woman was so occupied with the phone she didn't notice when the child dropped something into the sand. Nikita rushed there and lifted the lost thing. It was a bunch of keys with a giraffe key ring.

-"Excuse me. You lost something." –She caught up with woman and gave her the keys back.

-"Oh my God. Thank you. Jasper must have dropped it. Kids are lovely but you can't let them out your sight even for a moment." –She looked at her big belly and smiled – "I guess you will learn that soon. –Is that your first one?"

-"Yes it is. I don't know if I'm more excited or worried."

-"Don't worry it is wonderful most of the time. I don't believe we've officially met yet. –she continued- I'm Tasha Elphrenson. We're neighbors. You moved here recently, right? How do you like Bradenton?"

Tasha was smiling constantly showing a line of perfectly regular, white teeth. It made Nikita feel uncomfortable. There was something creepy about this woman. "Doesn't her jaw get sore?" She thought to herself and said out loud politely:

-"I'm Nikita. It's a lovely place really. It's almost paradise. "

-"Yes it is; especially coming from a big city. Jeff and I moved here five years ago from New York. It is like another universe. No rush, no stress, just amazing!

Nikita anxiously noticed that she was smiling even wider.

-Where are you from?-her neighbor asked.

-Oh, nowhere actually. I lived in many cities, was moving constantly looking for my place on earth. – Nikita answered vaguely.

-I saw you and your husband this morning. You looked so in love… It is nice to see such a happy couple. Although I must say I haven't seen him here often."

-"He's not my….."- Nikita hesitated. "Oh, what the hell."- "Yeah he's a…. sales representative and travels a lot."

-"Aww that's sad. Especially when the baby is about to born. You must miss him."

-"Well…I do but I understand him. His work is very….absorbing. "

-"My husband is a writer and he stays at home all the time. Can't say it's perfect either"-she laughed. –"Sometimes I need some time on my own. I know it sounds cruel but if I spent 24 hours a day with him we would definitely be divorced right now. Before Jasper was born I had my work. I'm a doctor, Dermatologist to be specific. But now I am on maternity leave and every time I think I can't take it anymore I go for a walk and..."

Nikita was nodding politely, pretending to be interested in what the woman was saying. But she already knew all about her.

The first thing she did after moving here was gather thorough Intel about all her new neighbors. She knew that Tasha was allergic to gluten, takes yoga classes every Friday at 6.00 p.m. and her husband uses her absence to watch soccer games.

Nikita marked them as "an ordinary family with no potential threats" Of course, beside the fact that Tasha can talk you to death.

-"…what do you say?"

Nikita was suddenly roused from her reflection with the realization that Tasha had ended the monologue and asked her a question.

-"I'm sorry what was the question?"

- "Would you like to go get coffee sometime?" –She didn't seem to be offended by the fact that Nikita wasn't listening to her. –"I know a really lovely place nearby. I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about."

-"I would love to but I have this thing I have to go to so…."

-"Maybe next time"- Tasha didn't give up. She seemed really nice but Nikita couldn't afford making closer contacts.

Nothing that could endanger her cover here.

-"Why don't you give me a call whenever you need some maternity advice or if you just want to talk."- she gave her a card with that undying smile of hers.

It was cream with silver letters: Tasha Elphrenson and her cell number below.

Nikita hid it in the back pocket of her jeans and smiled.

-"Thanks, I definitely will. It was nice meeting you Tasha. And Jasper of course."-She smiled to the 6-month-old baby.

-"You too Nikita. Take care of yourself."

Tasha followed Nikita with her eyes." Nice woman." –she thought.- Little bit weird but nice. She looks like she could use some friends. No one should be alone for such a long time. Her meditation was interrupted by the child's cry. She peeked into the baby carriage:

-"Ohh...It's ok Jasper. We're going home sweetheart."

You are probably wondering if Tasha plays some important role in the next chapters and the answer is : Yes she will!

But to find out what that role will be you need to wait a little bit cause like I mentioned before I am going on holiday!

Although summer is ending, I am finally going somewhere far far away from my home and I'm pretty excited ;)

Till the next time !

P.S I rewrote the Chapter 1. I recently read it and it was horrible (I think I improved my English a little bit since then so I decided to rewrite it ;) It is a little bit longer now. I hope you will like it!