Page 52 of Smoke and Shadows

“I’m surprised you’re not part of the circus,” he replied, still staring straight ahead.

“You wound me, Mr. Baran,” Beth Turner said. Turner was a reporter for the local tabloid, but Viktor knew she was a tenacious investigative journalist writing under a pseudonym. She was also Dr. Sophie Lockwood’s best friend, so Viktorknew better than to antagonize Ms. Turner. “Besides, I know what really happened in Paris.”

Viktor stopped walking and loomed over Beth. “And I appreciate you keeping a lid on this. Is this going to be a problem?”

Though Sophie’s friend stared up at him defiantly, there was a trace of wariness in her eyes. “You should know by now that I care about Maia and wouldn’t do anything to compromise her.”

“Good. Make sure it stays that way.”

“Are you all certain this is Al-Qaeda?” Beth asked without missing a beat.

Viktor turned away from her and dodged the crowd that was hounding Jack, Derek, the FBI director, and Senator Robinson. The senator from Virginia headed the Committee on Intelligence.

“They accepted responsibility, didn’t they?” He pushed through the revolving doors and fell in step at the security line. The Guardians had the necessary clearance to keep their weapons in the building. He spotted Yeager already on the opposite side of security. He needed to lose the reporter. He spoke in a low whisper. “Listen, Ms. Turner, the press need to stay out of this. Stick to the Al-Qaeda story.”

“Damn it, Baran. The people have the right to know.”

“No. The people need to stay out of our way, and that definitely includes the press.”

“Does Syria have anything to do with this?”

With extreme exasperation, Viktor said, “Honestly? I have no idea. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do.”

Viktor nodded to Nathan to step out of the line and head to a corner entrance marked “Restricted,” leaving a sputtering journalist in his wake. Two Kevlar-suited guards toting assault rifles paused to check their IDs and waved them through.

“Anything else you have for me, Baran?” Yeager walked upto him as they crossed the wide expanse of the marble rotunda leading to the meeting room.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Where’s Marissa?” Viktor hadn’t been able to reach her since last night when a tinted vehicle picked her up at the underground parking of Jack’s apartment. For all he knew, she may be on a military C-130 heading out of the country into Afghanistan. The idea screwed with his head all morning, and if Yeager wouldn’t give him a straight answer right now, he’d probably be thrown into jail for assaulting the director of black ops.

“Goddamn it, Baran. Now is not the time—”

“Where—is—Marissa?” Viktor spat out. He knew CIA huddles could mean hours and even days of communication black out. But he had no patience where his woman was concerned.

Yeager sighed. “We had to use her and her team to prepare our Al-Qaeda personnel for deployment.”

“So, POTUS authorized a response.”

The director nodded. “If it appeases you, Cole is on her way to AGS.” At Viktor’s raised brow, he added, “Her analyst is still working on the Al-Qaeda angle, but we need to start looking for a Syrian link. I figured you wouldn’t mind her working with your analyst if it meant she was under your protection.”

Viktor felt a measure of relief, yet a spike of anger shot through his veins.

“I do not appreciate being manipulated, Yeager.” His voice was icy. “My relationship with Cole—”

“Your relationship with Cole is useful,” Yeager cut him off. “But once it becomes a liability, she will have to choose. Your arrogance is getting tiresome, Baran. Don’t force my hand.”

“You son of a bitch—”

“Director Yeager.” Someone interrupted their rapidly deteriorating exchange. Senator Robinson. “We need to getthe meeting underway. The President is expecting an update this morning.”

Yeager nodded for the senator to precede him into the room. He looked at Viktor, pressed his lips thinly, and crossed the meeting hall to sit in an inconspicuous corner at the front row.Viktor was inwardly seething. He knew it was only a matter of time before his relationship with Marissa would be used against them. If he had any self-preservation, he wouldn’t have involved himself with her again, but he was in too deep, and he would challenge anyone who would try to break them up. Let them try, and he would give them the fight of their life.

“That’s some scowl on your face, Viktor,” Derek said, coming up beside him. “What the hell did Yeager say to you?”

Damn it. He couldn’t even keep his emotions in check any longer. He caught Stark shaking his head, warning Derek. Pathetic. He had become pathetic. Marissa had become his weakness. Surprisingly, he didn’t give a fuck. And he had suspicions that Yeager knew this. The man wasn’t a fool, he was bluffing. The black ops director wouldn’t sacrifice the alliance between AGS and CIA, not over his relationship with Marissa. It was simply a power play.

Viktor schooled his features and motioned for Stark to take the seats in the back row.

“Joining us, Derek?” Viktor deflected his friend’s question. “Why is a military contractor in this meeting?”

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