Chapter 2

"Hey gorgeous" Michael grinned at his love through the phone screen. It was like she sensed he needed her. Well, he did call earlier before heading out but she didn't pick up. He didn't worry too much about it. Nikita was going to call him back as soon as she had the chance. Who knew what she was up to that morning.

Alex's mother, Katya, had stayed in Greece and based herself there permanently. She had recently bought and renovated a house and was very excited for her daughter and her husband to go visit. Alex had another idea though. She had wanted a girls' trip for so long so she invited Nikita and Sonya to join her for a week in Greece. It was the perfect opportunity for them to spend some uninterrupted time together. Nikita and Sonya happily accepted the offer and in just a few short weeks the trip was organised. Nikita and Sonya flew to Greece three days ago.

Michael was very happy when she sent him photos of her having fun and relaxing. That smile filled him up and made a bad day so much better in seconds. She was having a great time and that was all he needed. He missed her terribly though. They hadn't been apart for more than a day since they got married.

"Hey, sorry, I couldn't talk earlier that's why I didn't answer" Nikita gave him a bright smile in return.

"Since when is 8 am not a good time to talk" Michael teased her for it. It was rare for her not to answer her phone, especially if it was him calling. He had no intention of telling Nikita about what had happened until he knew everything so he had to keep the conversation purely on her. He felt bad about it but it was for her own well-being.

"We were helping Katya run some errands and then we went for breakfast" Nikita quickly explained. Michael felt like there was something else but Nikita quickly shifted the conversation. "How is your morning going?"

He tried to stick to the truth as much as possible because she would be able to tell if something was going on."Had a bit of a crazy start to the day." That made her chuckle and wonder "Did Arch give you a hard time?"

As soon as the dog heard Nikita's voice calling him he ran and jumped on the table. "God…down Arch! Yes, it's mum I know. Sit and stay" Archie excitedly wiggled his tail and continued looking back and forth between his owners.

"Hi buddy, I miss you too" Nikita gushed over the german shepherd. He was the cutest when it came to her. Michael was barely able to calm him down after seeing Nikita.

"I should get inside before he sees the dogs out here and freaks out" Nikita joked and made her way back to the house. She was lounging in the backyard when she noticed the time and decided to call Michael back.

"So how are you feeling today?" Nikita had mentioned that she didn't feel well yesterday. "Oh, I'm fine. It was like a 24-hour thing. Probably from the plane" She quickly brushed off Michael's concerns.

"It's because she is with me that's why she instantly felt better" Alex took a seat at the dining table next to Nikita. Alex was so happy to have Nikita and Sonya over for a whole week without their men to distract them. It felt like old times. Of course, she had to rub it in. She knew how inseparable Nikita and Michael had become ever since getting married.

"Enjoy it while it lasts 'cause she's coming home to me in a few days" Michael wasn't holding back with the teasing. He was happy for them though. Alex was constantly travelling around and it was difficult for the girls to see each other. It made Nikita so unbelievably happy whenever they had an opportunity to get together. Another reason why Michael didn't want to say anything and ruin her mood.

Alex just glared and flashed him her middle finger. Her mother happened to be passing by at that moment and began scolding her in Russian. Nikita and Michael barely contained themselves from laughing out loud.

Alex's mom had gotten incredibly close to the team throughout these last 4 years since they all got their freedom. She was very supportive and caring of all of them. Alex was pleasantly surprised by that. Growing up her mother wasn't that openly loving with anyone outside of the family. She loved seeing the little sparkle in Nikita's eyes when she would feel that kind of maternal love from her mother. Her best friend had been hurt in that sense so much. She deserved to heal from it. That was also one of the main reasons for the trip. Her mother had been asking about her family so much. Alex had to do something.

They continued talking and laughing some more. Nikita and Alex started excitedly explaining to Michael all the adventures they had planned for the day until it was time for him to hang up and head to work.

"Alright. I love you and have a good day"

"I love you. Call me when you get back to the house and I want pictures" Michael reminded Nikita of her promise to constantly send him photos of what they were up to. Nikita chuckled, blew him a kiss and they said their goodbyes for one last time. Michael felt a lot better after talking to her. She was okay and safe and he should only focus on what he can do now.

When Michael finally reached the office building of the tech company he headed straight to Birkhoff's office. "What did you find?" Before he could even close the door behind him Michael asked.

"Jeez, not even a good morning today" The nerd quipped, however, he didn't like the lack of reaction from Michael. Something wasn't right "Just sit down I've got everything here"

Birkhoff pulled up everything he had on Brian Miller on the big TV in the room and started "He's clean. Nothing came up as a red flag to me. He's a private detective mostly working on kidnappings and people going missing. That seems to be the area he is best at and most contacted for. He is based here but also has an office in the states and reportedly spends half the year working on cases there. Why are we interested in him?"

Michael sighed. He was even more confused now. Kidnapings and missing people? What did that have to do with Nikita? He looked over at his best friend and told him what had happened a few hours ago.

"What the hell? This guy is a private investigator which means he has to know everything about Nikki if he's looking for her. So he decides to send his nephew to spy on a former spy?" It didn't make sense to both of them but it was too strange to brush off. They had to do their own investigation.

"So what are we going to do? If we get to his computer I can get the case file he is working on or.." Birkhoff was quick to jump into action right away.

"No, no I don't want it to get messy if he finds out. Didn't you mention something about an office in the city?" Michael didn't want to immediately go that route. They weren't the invisible people that they were a few years ago. They had normal lives now that they needed to protect. He was sure of Birkhoff's skills. There was no way he would get caught but the investigator might suspect something. They had to go with a more normal approach.

"Yeah, he works in some kind of firm with a few other private investigators. They even have a website. Here it is." Birkhoff pulled it up on the big screen.

"They have a schedule thing over here…looks like they are closed today though. And we can only get in with an appointment or else there is no guarantee there will be an investigator available." The hacker read the information out loud. He sensed Michael wasn't happy about having to wait. He understood. The whole thing was weird and they wanted answers.

"I can try and get us in for tomorrow. Give me a sec" Michael was hoping they would at least be able to meet with the man tomorrow. He didn't want Nikita to deal with this but it would be hard to hide it from her once she returned from Greece.

"10 am tomorrow. I am picking you up" There was no way Birkhof would let Michael go alone. They could figure it all out together. Michael appreciated it but also thought of something his best friend could help with.

"When we are in his office can you copy everything from his computer without touching it?" Michael had to have a plan B just in case they don't get information from Brian Miller.

Birkhoff smirked proudly. He knew Michael so well and when it came to Nikita no rules applied. If it came to that, he would break into that guy's office just to get what he needed.

"I got it. Do you want me to update your security system for them just in case" Birkhoff had designed and made his own security system for the team. Even though no one was chasing them anymore it was good to have. The team had gone through too much to just go and live a normal life knowing all the dangers this world hid.

The design of the security system was pretty standard - cameras, sensors, special locks, and bulletproof glass in all of their houses. The unique thing about it was the software built into the cameras. Among other cool things, you can also enter all the people you don't want around your house into your system. So if someone does show up from that list the security system will instantly flag it even if they are not trespassing. The outdoor cameras would catch anything.

"No yet although I doubt this guy Allen would show up again. But if he or his uncle does and it gets flagged Nikita would get the warning as well." That would have been really bad. On that list which Birkhoff had named The Black List was everyone they could think of that could have the motive to hurt them for some reason. If they got that warning it meant serious danger. Nikita was nearly 2000 miles away and she would have freaked out.

That made sense but something bothered the hacker and he insisted on looking through footage from the past couple of days to see if there was anything weird that Michael overlooked.

"I haven't seen anything strange before this morning and you know I catch those things. Allen said that was his first day-" Michael didn't have the chance to finish his thought. Birkhoff had a different feeling about the matter.

"Yes, but the kid was sent to pinpoint which house from the street was Nikki's. How did his uncle know your street in the first place? That's not public record and I have made sure of that" It was fairly easy to find someone's address on the internet if you knew where to look. With their past in mind, that thought was unsettling so the hacker again made sure they were all safe and protected.

Michael hadn't thought about that. It really shouldn't have been easy to find them. "It couldn't have been from someone we know. Why give the man the street but not the number of the house." Nikita and Michael had a few people outside of their family that they were somewhat close to. No one would have given their address to a stranger but again the investigator did not have the exact address.

"Any police officer can give him our address, right?"

"Yes and no. In our cases, only law enforcement can have any of our personal information. It's a part of the protection policy we are under. And you would have to have a viable reason to go digging for that. " The government had made them assassins and the pardons had a lot more depth to them than just excusing their crimes. The team would never truly be normal citizens even if they were on paper.

"Okay so if he asked a police officer for our records -"

"He wouldn't get anything or at least he shouldn't." Birkhoff finished Michael's thought. They definitely had to find out how he got that information.

"I can ask Sonya to help and see if she can find his contacts in the police she'll-"

"No no, don't. Leave the girls to relax. Also if Nikita sees her glued to her computer she would suspect something" He and Birkhoff could deal with this on their own for now. They shouldn't worry the others.

The two proceeded with the rest of their day as normal and worked on whatever they had for their to-do lists for that day. Michael's head was too wrapped up in the contract he was working on that he almost didn't notice his phone ringing.

"5:30 that's a new one for you" Luckily he picked up on time and was very happy to have some break from this day again to see and talk to his love. He had expected her to call a lot earlier though. Their adventures must have taken up the whole day.

"Love how you already know what time it is here without looking" Nikita teased him for his sweet and soft side. She was messing with him of course. It was only a two-hour difference but he adjusted pretty quickly and he also somehow always knew what the weather was like where they were.

"Not for long though"

"That reminds me before I forget, we booked our flights home today." Nikita's mind jumped from one thing to another easily.

"Oh, and when is that?" Michael tried to hide his nervousness as best as he could. When the girls left they weren't sure about a date for their flight back so they decided to leave it for later. The trip was planned for around a week so obviously, Michel knew roughly when she'll be coming back. He hoped it wasn't in two days or something like that though.

"Wednesday. My flight is at 3 pm" Nikita was too busy tidying up her room to notice Michael's behaviour so she just continued.

"Okay you can send me the details later" Michael was relieved. It was Friday now so he had plenty of time to get this thing with the private investigator out of the way. "Wait, your flight?" Nikita wasn't supposed to be the only one catching that flight back.

"Yeah, Sonya wants to go to Dublin to surprise her parents and use up the rest of her time off there. Nerd is going too. She talked to him today before we finalised. So she is going to be flying to Ireland and I'm flying back alone." Nikita was excited for her friend. She and Alex had encouraged her to take the trip seeing how much Sonya missed her parents and constantly tried to keep in touch with them.

"That's nice. I'm sure they'll be thrilled. What about Alex?"

"Alex is going back to New York. She also convinced Katya to fly with her and stay with them for a bit" Alex had the help of her friends there reassuring Katya that she would really enjoy the trip especially when Alex wasn't going to be doing anything work-related when she got back.

"So everyone's plans changed basically" Michael chuckled. It was typical for their family.

"Pretty much. Now back to what I wanted to say. Are you up for a date night at home when I get back" Nikita pouted her lips and softened her voice. Michael was never able to say no to her when she did that. And why on Earth would he say no to a date night with her.

"You don't even need to ask." He smiled at her sweetly. Of course, he would give her all his attention. After a week away from her he was going to be glued to her for a while making up for it. "When do you want to do it?"

"The night I get back"

"Are you sure? We can plan something for the next day" Michael wanted her to relax after her flight and after spending an undoubtedly busy and eventful week with the girls in Greece.

"Yes I want a date night with my husband as soon as I get back" She gave him an endearing smile that left no room for arguing. "Okay, then."

"Good now tell me what's up. I felt you kind of stressed this morning." Nikita had wanted to bring it up more when they talked earlier but she couldn't with the others around her.

"I just can't wait for you to be home" Her husband sighed tiredly and deflected her question. It wasn't a lie. He missed her so much. A part of him wished she was here so they could figure everything out together. That's what they were best at. Partners in everything.

"Michael…" Nikita didn't buy it. After so many years together they knew what every gesture, tone and look meant.

"I'm okay. Just things and people to deal with that's all. I'll tell you all about it when you come home" Michael tried to stick to the truth as much as possible. He really was planning on telling her about everything. He simply preferred for that to be in person, not over the phone.

"Okay, then tell me something else. I feel like I'm the only one talking about something and I'm out of breath already" On every call she spent at least half the time telling him about everything they did, saw or tried. It was time for him to do the talking. Nikita settled against the pillows and made herself comfortable. Her feet hurt so bad from walking all day. At least she could relax and rest now.

"Well, you're the one on vacation. My stories are boring" He didn't do much besides work. The couple's daily routines were so connected that he almost felt like he wasn't home as well. They always liked to do things together.

"But I love them so go on" It didn't matter what it was. She wanted to hear all about it. Michael chuckled but complied with her wish. He talked about different things from Archie doing silly things to what he was currently working on. The couple talked for like two hours until Michael forced Nikita to go get ready for dinner. He could hear her stomach growling even through the phone. She needed to eat. "Come on, we'll talk later. I love you"

"I love you too"

After they hung up Michael realized how much time had passed. It was time for him to go home and he was nowhere near finished. He could stay longer, but Archie had to be taken care of so he would take advantage of Nikita not being there and bring work home. That was the only time he would get away with something like that.

10:30 pm

He pretty quickly decided that it would be the last time he brings work home. He couldn't focus and it just made him more irritated. It was around 10:30 pm when he decided to call an end to this torture and try to relax before heading to bed. Michael had a quick call with Nikita to say good night and gathered the files he had brought with him, deciding it was best to leave them in his car now. If he didn't do it he was for sure going to forget them in the morning.

Michael had left his car in the driveway so it was just a simple walk around the house (he had been working in the backyard). Archie followed him, excited about where they could be possibly going. Michael let him be since it was the last few minutes of them being outside.

While he unlocked his car and put the folder inside, Archie suddenly started acting very weird around the front gate of the house. He circled it around sniffling intensely and then started barking at the gate. Michael looked around but couldn't see anything. Whatever was bothering Archie was on the other side. The gate was made out of wood so you couldn't see through it. The house was also surrounded by a tall brick wall, giving Nikita and Michael so much privacy, so Michael wasn't able to see what on the street was so irritating to Archie. Michael tried calling him over but was completely ignored. It was unlike Archie to act this way but Michael was too tired to think too much about it.

He got frustrated and went over to calm Archie down. It was then that he heard faint voices, a door from a car being slammed shut, followed by a car speeding a few seconds later.

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!

Thank you so much for reading! I can't even begin to describe how much I appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter xx