Page 22 of Smoke and Shadows

Viktor glanced surreptitiouslyat the woman beside him. They were on their way to see Maia, riding in the elevator that would take them to the wing of private rooms where Jack had Maia ensconced.

He chewed on his lower lip to prevent the grin of triumph from breaking through. Although it stung that Marissa had castigated him for his less than stellar behavior in handling Jack, she at least agreed that having them watch each other’s back was a prudent suggestion, particularly given that Harry Matthews had a questionable demise. Marissa wasn’t the idealistic black ops agent of eight years ago. There was a confidence and stubbornness that wasn’t in her before, and her uncanny ability to push his buttons grated on him. It also excited him.

The elevator doors slid open. The VIP wing at New Park Medical was expensively appointed in a sleek contemporary style. The nurses’ station was a sweeping half circle of cold efficiency punctuated with state-of-the-art technology.

Viktor nodded to the head nurse who was eyeing him suspiciously. Marissa tried to walk ahead of him, but he grabbed her hand, pulling her beside him. She raised a brow, but there was a smile playing on her lips. Yeah, he was turning into a sap, but he liked holding her hand, and he didn’t give a damn who looked at him strangely—forexample—Kane Taylor, who stood outside room 602—Maia’s room.

Kane Taylor was a contractor who frequently worked bodyguard duty for the McCord family. Obviously, Jack wasn’t taking any chances when it came to his wife. Viktor would have offered some of their agents, but he and Jack were barely civil to each other.

“Taylor.”

“Baran.” The other man glanced curiously at Marissa.

Marissa pulled her hand out of Viktor’s grasp—much to his irritation—and extended it to Taylor.

“I’m Marissa Cole.”

“Kane Taylor, ma’am.”

Viktor pointedly grabbed her hand back and rapped on the door. Jack’s voice invited them in.

He tried hard not to react to Jack and Maia’s shocked faces when their gazes fell upon their intertwined fingers.

Maia spoke first. “Have we jumped the time-space continuum and pigs started flying?”

Marissa blushed beet red.

Viktor ignored Maia’s smart-ass remark and bent down to kiss her. “How are you feeling, Katerina?”

“Better,” Maia said. “I certainly can’t wait to get back into the action.”

“Babe—” Jack started with a scowl.

“Jack, you honestly believe I’d let someone do this to you and get away with it?” Maia said, her eyes flashing angrily.

“You’ll be back in the thick of things in no time,” Viktor said.

“Damn it, Viktor,” Jack snapped. “Don’t make me throw you out.”

Marissa squeezed Viktor’s hand.

“All right,” Viktor said. “Truce.”

Jack was struck speechless. Maia’s overprotective husband was all prepared to spar words with him and was blindsidedby his unnatural acquiescence. Viktor paused and wondered why he was reining in his acerbic tongue. Was he trying to prove something to Marissa? And if he was, why in the fuck was he?Shit. That was troubling.

Maia was grinning as she looked at Marissa. “I think I like you in Viktor’s life.”

“Ah . . . I think you’re getting the wrong idea,” Marissa said awkwardly, trying to pull her hand away from Viktor again, and this time he let her.

Maia stared at her dubiously. “Uh-huh.” She shifted her gaze to Viktor. “So fill me in. How in the hell did I get out of there alive?”

Jack moved closer to his wife’s bed, intent to listen to what Viktor had to say.

“The CIA had reason to believe that someone is hell-bent on revenge against the Guardians.”

“Yes, Jack filled me in on the cache of information found in Syria. But what is Grave Digger?”

“Grave Digger is a team of operatives that are tasked with extracting any injured agents targeted for assassination and getting them immediate medical care while leaving the impression that they died. Fortunately, France has an active team at the Paris CIA station.”

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