So I've decided I'll give a sequel a shot. I don't even have a title yet, but here's a preview from an event way down the line. The actual first chapter should be posted sometime before Christmas. Happy early Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! Also, if I know I have a few Russian readers out there- if any of you are interested in helping me out with this one (names, culture, etc), please send me a PM. Internet research only gets me so far, and I do like these things to be accurate.
Quick background- it's been about a year since B&R's last chapter. Lisa and Jackson are living in New York, and Lisa is pregnant. All very cute and domestic, but things have gone a little wrong in their plans to take down Priliv- Jackson is in Russia attempting negotiate with the FSB to free Ben from Black Dolphin. Nikita is there as well as his translator and Caleb has been there with the remnants of Jackson's old team plus a few new associates, including Jon, using Ben's information to slowly take down the Chechens. Lisa and Sasha get an unwelcome visitor. Enjoy!
Lisa stared at the wounded, bound, and gagged Russian in her bathtub, watching the running water of the shower dilute his blood, leaving pale streams trickling down his sides and pooling on the rug under him. Her eyes met his, and she clenched down hard at the absolute hatred burning into her. She didn't pity him- he had chosen to break into her home.
She gripped the marble countertop, pulling herself from the tiled floor with effort and made her way over to the closed bathroom door. She pressed against the wood surface, trying to hear what Sasha was telling whomever it was at the front door before resigning herself to reluctantly trust that the young girl could explain away the gunshot that the person must have heard.
She had to trust that Sasha had it under control, because she had more important things to worry about- she had to warn Jackson. She had no idea what he would do- would he bail and leave Ben stuck in the hands of the Russians, or would he continue on with negotiating his friend's release, possibly risking his own life more than he was?- but she had to at least give him a heads up.
But she didn't have her phone with her. She wasn't prone to either carrying it in her pajamas or leaving it in the bathroom. No, it was in their bedroom, and she had to get to it.
Without a second thought, Lisa leaned her head under the running water of the shower, letting her hair soak before stripping down to nothing. She grabbed a towel and vigorously rubbed at her wet hair, wrapping the damp fabric around her body and securing it tightly before turning off the shower, opening the door and stepping out into the living room. She couldn't wait for the person to leave- every second was precious.
Lisa let out a small cry of faux surprise at the security guard standing in her doorway, clutching her towel tighter around her body as both he and Sasha turned to look at her. The man quickly apologized, explaining that he was investigating a neighbor's concern at the loud crash coming from their unit.
"She's a little clumsy," Lisa replied with a sheepish smile, knowing that Sasha had planned to tell the guard that she had dropped a stock pot while attempting to make breakfast. "But thank you for your concern, Paul." She didn't want to take the time to say anything, but it would look entirely suspicious if she merely ran to her room.
But she also didn't have to stick around, and wouldn't be expected to considering the fact that she was wearing only a towel, and so she took the moment to continue on her way, wishing the guard a good day, of course. She made it into the bedroom and closed the door behind her, now hurrying toward the nightstand and grabbing her cell phone, quickly dialing Jackson's number.
Please pick up… Lisa counted two rings before she heard his voice, and let out a sigh of relief, dropping down onto the bed. "Shouldn't you be getting violated by Divinski?" he asked in confusion, referring to her ob/gyn appointment.
"Canceled," she replied quickly, choosing her next words carefully. She had to tell him what was happening, but if she went about it the wrong way, he was going to get hung up on her safety instead of his own. She also had to get it out quickly- she had no idea when he was supposed to meet with the FSB to negotiate Ben's release. "We're handling it," she began placing her free hand on her large stomach, "but there's a half-dead Russian in our shower- he broke in."
"We haven't gotten to question him yet," Lisa continued without pausing for a reaction, "so I don't know who he is or what he came for- I just know he's Russian because he spoke the language. But...I don't think it's a coincidence."
"That he happened to come when you were supposed to be gone?" Jackson finally replied, confirming her theory with a tight voice. "Not fucking likely. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, we're okay," Lisa replied, her voice calm. She did have the situation under control, and had no intention of adding to his stress more than was necessary. "I just didn't know when you were supposed to meet with Yermakov, so-"
"No, you're right," Jackson assured her, and Lisa could tell he was thinking a mile a minute, trying to process every implication and possibility. "Do you...think you can get info from him?"
Lisa sighed, knowing exactly what he was asking. Could they interrogate the man? More specifically, could they do whatever was necessary to get answers from him? A non-Russian speaking, very pregnant woman and a semi-fluent teenage girl with zero experience interrogating a man who could be anyone, ranging from a common criminal, or a terrorist, to some kind of Russian police.
"I think so," she replied, trying to keep her voice firm. She couldn't promise anything, but damn it, they were going to try. Jackson, Caleb, and Ben's lives probably depended on it. And hell, more could come from wherever this guy came from, so Lisa and Sasha's lives likely depended on it, too.
"Get what you can," Jackson instructed her, and Lisa could hear just how conflicted he was. She knew he was hating that he couldn't be there, but there was nothing they could do about it now. She had to do her part and get any information to him. "Then-" He paused, his voice softening again. "Would you feel better if you left?"
"No," she replied quickly. "If more are coming, don't we want to catch them? And I really don't want to move all of our equipment…" She wasn't feeling all that up to fleeing, either- she was exhausted, nauseous, and was pretty sure she could go into fucking labor at any point- but she didn't want to bring it up and have Jackson worrying about her even more.
"I'll have someone come over then," Jackson explained, respecting Lisa's decision and trying to offer her some kind of protection. She considered the possibilities of whom Jackson could call, awkwardly pulling on fresh clothes.
"Spencer?" she asked cautiously. She knew he wouldn't particularly like the idea- at all- but she just wanted someone she knew, to give her some peace of mind. To be quite honest, she was pretty sure she could get away with a little more at the moment and the woman was highly intelligent and used to be an assassin herself, so Lisa felt confident she could keep them safe.
Jackson sighed heavily. "Alright," he conceded. Lisa sat down on the bed again, frowning. All she wanted to do was keep talking to him- hearing his voice made it seem as though he wasn't an ocean and a continent away, making the situation feel so much more bearable. She was also well aware that as soon as she hung up, he was just going to wait for another call, the seconds becoming an agonizing forever, but time was a luxury they didn't have at the moment.
She was about to end the call, when another horrible implication hit her. "Can we trust her?" she asked softly. There were only a handful of people who knew where she and Jackson lived- Caleb, Nikita, Sasha, Jon, Trudi, and anyone who knew Jackson's new alias, which meant a few CIA agents, Spencer included. Not even Ben knew- the poor man had been in prison for almost ten months now, since before Jackson and Lisa moved. And there were even fewer people who knew about Lisa's appointment- Sasha, whomever Jackson had told- Caleb, probably, and maybe Nikita- and anyone with access to hospital records who knew Lisa's alias- again, a few CIA agents, Spencer included.
There were only so many people who could have sold them out- Ben's daughter, Ben's ex-girlfriend, Jackson's brother, Jackson's mother, and maybe three or four others. Sasha wouldn't know where to start, and Nikita probably wouldn't, either. Caleb might, but would never. Would Spencer? Regardless, even if it wasn't those four, it was someone whom it should never have been. Someone whom Lisa and Jackson were supposed to be able to trust, who had sent a Russian into their home. Lisa was going to find out, and when she did, even dental records wouldn't help identify the traitor.