Read American Law (Law #2) Online
Authors: Camille Taylor
American Law (Law #2) (16 page)
Fighting for breath, she heard him say, “Always for you,
sladkaya
, always for you.”
Two Days Later…
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia, USA
Elena stood beside Lucas in SAC Fitzgibbon’s office. The man had just finished verifying the charges against her brother had been completely dropped, as promised. She felt an invisible weight lift from her chest, one she hadn’t even been aware of. The evening news had reported the untimely death of the National Security Advisor in a single motor vehicle accident and the country mourned for him. There was no mention of the DoD being hacked or the theft of project Sundown.
She wasn’t surprised. The last thing the government wanted was for the public to know how vulnerable they’d been just days ago nor that a well-respected man had initiated the incident. Sometimes it was best to keep some secrets from the light of day and it had all worked out in the end and that was all that mattered.
She wore jeans and a blouse, her pale hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. It was a rather impromptu meeting. Had she known she would be standing at Langley she would’ve dressed for the occasion. Lucas stood beside her similarly dressed and at ease. He’d taken a few days off to spend time with her. This was the first time they had gotten out of bed for anything besides food. She felt delightfully exhausted and knew she must be glowing from sheer happiness—and good sex.
Dmitry had moved out into a hotel while he toured D.C. She knew he wanted to give her and Lucas as much alone time together as possible and she loved her brother for it. Secretary Mann had been overjoyed to have Sundown back. Since no one actually got a look at the contents, he’d determined the protocol was still valid, and he ensured it was about as secure as it could get. He had even asked Dmitry for suggestions and had taken on one of his own security programs to keep it safe.
“Well, thank you very much, Jim, for all your help,” Elena said.
He smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling. She was more grateful to him than she could express. If it weren’t for him and Lucas, she didn’t want to think what might’ve happened. She owed a lot to them both.
“And you, Elena. It was a pleasure, I assure you,” Jim stated. “I’ve worked with your countrymen before. You’re a hard lot. Give it as good as you get, though. But you’re also loyal and I’m proud to be counted among your friends. I must say I’ve never seen Secretary Mann get put down so eloquently in my entire time here at the agency. You have quite the talent, which leads me to something I’d like to ask you.”
Elena raised her eyebrow and waited.
Lucas snorted. “Now that you’re sufficiently buttered up.”
“Can it, Gates.” Jim shot him a glare. “On behalf of the CIA, I would formally like to invite you into our little club. We could use a good liaison and I heard you were between jobs.”
Her heart raced. An opportunity to stay here with Lucas. She would be crazy not to grab hold of it with both hands. The last few days, she’d been feeling adrift, unsure of her future. While Lucas went out of his way to show her that she belonged here with him, she hated being idle and couldn’t stand the thought of being a kept woman. She wanted to contribute to her life with Lucas, to the country, and to the world.
Lucas scoffed and Jim shot him another look to be quiet. Like always, he didn’t heed the warning. “She’d make a fine commodity to the agency, what with all her contacts around the world.”
“We all have our strengths,” Jim agreed. “Elena is a fine agent and I heard she would be staying in Washington for some time.” He looked Lucas in the eye, waiting to see if he would deny it. He didn’t. “Dmitry has already accepted my offer of employment. It appears you aren’t the only one who plans to stay.”
Her eyes widened in shock. If there was one thing her brother always said, it was that no government would ever rule him. Incredulously, she asked, assuming she heard wrong, “Dmitry is going to be working for the CIA?”
Jim shrugged. “We thought it best to have him on our side, working with us rather than against. He got a good package too and is already filling out the employment forms and visa application.”
She let out a deep breath. “And just how did you manage that?”
Jim shrugged like it was no big deal, just an ordinary everyday occurrence. “Oh, you know, I promised him if he signed on I would drop the hacker charges and involuntary endangerment…the president left those off the original immunity document.”
She scowled. “I hope he didn’t fall for that and give his countrymen all a bad name.”
“Hell no,” Jim grinned. “He told me to go get stuffed.”
She nodded. “That’s more like it. Well, then, boss…I accept.”
Lucas grinned. Jim shook his head at his obvious pleasure. She turned toward Lucas and kissed him soundly. “I know,” she told him. “Me too.”
He looked deep into her eyes and saw the love for her reflected in his gorgeous blue ones. He made her feel alive and cherished. That she was the only woman in the world for him. After Nikolai, she had thought she would never feel this way again and knew he would approve of Lucas. He would not want her to be sad and lonely and live a life full of regrets. She would never forget Nikolai. He was her first love and had been taken entirely too soon but he was a part of her past now and her future was right in front of her and looking more promising by the minute.
Everything seemed to be coming together. She and Lucas were finally on the path they were meant to be on and now Dmitry was remaining close. She had everything she could possibly want.
“One thing, though,” Lucas said, breaking into her thoughts. “It will be a cold day in hell before you’ll be decorating
our
home.”
Her eyes narrowed as she immediately took offense. She broke away from their embrace, her hands automatically going to her hips. How dare he insult her decorating skills. Sure, she wasn’t Martha Stewart, but who the hell was? Although she admitted to herself her home-making skills were less than desirable but
he
sure as hell shouldn’t be saying so.
“Surely I couldn’t do worse than you,” she threw back. “What do they call your decorating style, anyway? ‘Early American college boy’?”
“Beautiful and quick witted. I can’t go wrong,” Lucas said.
Jim cleared his throat. “One more thing before you leave. My wife, Maggie, would like to invite you both to dinner. She seems fascinated with you, Elena, and can’t wait to meet the woman who captured Lucas’s heart.”
She grinned and stared into Lucas’s eyes. “I did, didn’t I?”
“You sure did.”
***
Two Years Later…
Annandale, Virginia, USA
The message light blinked as though going into cardiac arrest. Elena bounded over to the answering machine, thinking maybe her husband had called to let her know when he’d be home. They had been married for almost two years and had a beautiful daughter. Life couldn’t be better. To think, she’d once been so worried that he’d lost interest in her. Lucas made sure she knew how much he loved her every day.
Smiling, she pressed the play button, her body stiffening when a woman’s voice came on the line, slightly breathless.
“Hi Elena. It’s Carey…Carey Madigan. I really need to talk to you. I know it’s been a while, but I need your help. I have nowhere else to turn, please call me as soon as you get this…
please
.” She emphasized and ended the call with her cell number.
Elena’s heart constricted. Carey sounded so anxious and tense, like she was barely holding on. What could’ve happened to cause her to reach out so desperately? Carey had always been so level-headed, but she didn’t sound like herself on the voice mail message. Whatever was troubling her, Elena vowed to help her through it. For Carey to be calling, it had to be bad. She would not fail her again.
“Oh my,” she murmured.
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Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Limitless Publishing and their wonderful staff who make the road to publishing fun and seamless. I appreciate all their assistance and support. To the many blogs who have helped spread the word about my books, thank you so much.
I’d also like to thank you, the reader. I hope you enjoyed
American Law
as much as I enjoyed writing it.
About the Author
Camille Taylor is an Australian author who resides in the Nation’s Capital with her small dog. She was the typical 90’s kid and was raised on Goosebumps, Roald Dahl and Paul Jennings. In her teens she began reading the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie and in later years found Christine Feehan, Janet Evanovich and Julie Garwood.
She started writing at sixteen and enjoys spending time with her family, doting on her nieces and nephews, writing the many stories floating about her head and working on her genealogy where she can trace her heritage to England, Scotland, Ireland and Russia.
Her other interests include, anything creative—such as scrapbooking and drawing and has travelled across Western Europe, New Zealand and the UAE, after spending a year living in London. She’s also dabbled in tae kwon do.
