“I need to know why you did it,” he tossed into the silence between them.
“What?” It was the same question he’d just asked her but she thought she knew what he was getting at.
“Defended a home that wasn’t yours,” he answered.
“Because my sisters were there. The babies were there. And I was desperate.”
“I don’t understand,” he voiced his confusion.
“Joseph gave me many things, Dmitry, but the best gift was desperation.” She drew in a rough breath. “There were times when Ninka failed in her tasks and I would rush to her, afraid that I would not make it in time to take her punishments. Desperation made me complete my own tasks faster, better. Desperation made me a better killer.” She paused for a long moment, letting the past catch her by the throat. “When the first RPG hit the house and I saw Arrow unmoving on the floor, I became desperate. Nobody takes what’s mine, Dmitry. It’s why I didn’t tell you about your mother and why I could have never told you about your father.”
He didn’t respond and she wondered if he’d even heard her. She was growing tired again but wanted to hear the deep, clear baritone of his voice. She loved Asinimov’s voice.
“I told you in Russia my father could have been a good man, but he was not. All the ‘could haves’ in the world cannot change the fact that he did horrible things to all manner of people. I used his death as a mantle to cover me from a truth I still can’t face—I failed my sisters.”
Bone thought about sitting up and rejected the idea but she rubbed the area over her heart because his words hurt her. “You did not fail them. Your bitch of a mother failed them.”
“I could not have killed her. When I realized who she was, whose life you held in your hand, I knew I could not kill her. Then she threatened you and I thought perhaps I could. So when you speak of desperation, moye, I understand the concept well. Now sleep, we have had enough talk for now. I will get things ready for us to travel and by tomorrow night we will be somewhere safe.”
She didn’t want to tell him that nowhere was ever, truly safe.
He rose and walked away and Bone thought they’d crossed a hurdle. Perhaps something had changed between them. Best she not read too much into it. She would not survive him looking at her as if she’d ripped his soul from his body again.
So she knew another kind of desperation—one that demanded she stay far away from Asinimov and all the feelings he could force her to feel. It would be better that way.
Sleep took over again and before she could think on it any more, her eyes closed and she fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Blue Mountains had welcomed Trident Corporation and three members of First Team with a bounty of gorgeous scenery. The property was nestled in a valley with two enormous mountains rising on either side. It was too far off the beaten path for anyone to randomly wander in, and the lush vegetation and greenery kept them hidden from the air. To the west was Jamison Valley and further from there was the tourist draw of The Three Sisters sandstone rock formation. The dense eucalyptus trees in these mountains gave a characteristic blue haze that was dramatic to witness during sunset.
And there were koalas and other wildlife that never failed to make him wonder how a God that created such beauty could also create Joseph Bombardier. The main house renovations were moving along well. A panic room had been forged from a former cellar and the babies, as First Team called them, now inhabited the remainder of that lower level. The property had tunnels running amuck from the main house, giving credence to the fact that it had once been a silver mining operation.
He knew a certain peace, though the back of his neck never stopped itching and his shoulders never lost their tension. This was somewhat like running and Dmitry didn’t run well. He’d much rather have stayed and fought. Rand and Adam assured him the U.S. government would have annihilated them so retreat was the better part of valor. And it had allowed their women time to recover just as Rand suggested.
But the clock was ticking and Dmitry felt it moving toward something he could not control. It made him wary.
His gaze found her at the edge of the in-ground pool. He inhaled deeply as he watched her stretch, admiring the flex of her ass and the curve of her hips. She had lost a lot of weight but after two weeks of nothing but rest Dmitry had been unable to keep her from exercise. She didn’t move fast but she moved with purpose.
He should not be surprised. After the things he’d seen her do, nothing should ever surprise him.
She avoided him when she could, and he had allowed it but all that was going to end soon. He’d given her his worst. It was time to visit his best on her.