Page 71 of Poison Evidence

“I followed instructions and received orders to find the AUUV.”

“But the job—following orders—isn’t that simple anymore,” Ivy said.

“No. Not simple at all. They don’t trust me to deliver, and I’m useless as an embed now. The only thing I’m good for is—” He stopped short, took another breath, then continued. “The only thing I’m good for is one last mission. I have no incentive if they’re just going to repeat the cycle of threats and harm to keep me in line. Knowing Sophia and Yulian face ongoing torture is worse than giving up. So we struck a deal. I’ll deliver the AUUV, and Sophia and Yulian will be freed.”

“Where will they go?”

“I’ve set aside money for them, and a place to hide. Enough that they can start over with new identities.” He glanced around the cave, his gaze landing on the stockpile of supplies. “When you spend your entire adult life biding your time looking for an escape, you have time to plan.”

“But you won’t join them.”

“No. They agreed to give up their leverage against me if I surrender myself for trial. And by trial, I mean immediate execution. No way would the people I’m dealing with waste time with legal proceedings. These men aren’t part of the visible—official—GRU. They’re in the shadows of the shadows. I honestly don’t know who’s pulling my strings at this point.”

“What about Yulian’s biological father? Is he involved?”

“No. He’s dead.” His flat tone didn’t invite follow up questions. “So there you have it. That’s why I abducted you. When Ulai told me two months ago that you were coming to Palau to map Peleliu, I knew you were my only hope.

“I’m going to accomplish one thing before I die. I will get my sister away from the bastards who’ve been running us since we were kids. To do that, I need CAM, which means I needed you.”

He took a step toward her. “I know you intend to steal the AUUV away from me once we find it.”

Another step planted him firmly in front of her. All the emotions he’d shared were now cloaked. His eyes were cold in a way she’d never glimpsed before. Here was the hardened spy he’d kept hidden from her. “Don’t forget, I havenothingleft to live for, so simply threatening me with a gun won’t work. I can’t let you have the AUUV, not when Sophia and Yulian’s freedom hangs in the balance. So if you plan to take it, you’d better be prepared to shoot me. My unequivocal death is the only thing that will save them at this point.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

The nose of the kayak ran up on the sand, and Ivy climbed out onto the narrow strip of beach. The early evening sun baked the sand. Heat emanated in waves. This was the hottest day she’d experienced in Palau so far, the temperature over ninety degrees and the humidity at ninety-five percent. She wanted to go back to their cave and swim in the cool waters of their hidden pool.

But she had data to field-check, and after an afternoon full of revelations, she needed to focus on work as she processed her reaction. The readings on this island had been promising. There might be another cave here. That was what mattered right this moment.

Dimitri tucked the kayak in the trees, then together they used branches to erase their trail. It wouldn’t pass close inspection but would do for the cursory glance of a passing kayaker. Thank goodness they could count on the evening rain as they moved closer to Palau’s rainy season.

They slipped into the canopy of the small mushroom-shaped island. Conversation had been strained since Dimitri explained his situation.

He planned to surrender, and she could see no way out for him.

She wanted to build an emotional wall that would make the inevitable somehow acceptable. If only she were a computer, she could build that firewall with code. She knew exactly which commands she’d use. Once it was written, she’d type the final command: RUN. And her heart and mind would be safe.

But no such code existed, because Patrick was a dickhead and she was all too human.

And now here she was, helping Dimitri march toward his death, and she wasn’t entirely sure why. She could take the boat now and head to Koror, and he wouldn’t stop her. She knew that right down to her soul.

Which meant she was committing treason in helping him.

No. The US attorney general ordered me to help him.

Yeah, but helping didn’t include sex. She’d crossed the line when they’d had sex after she knew exactly what he was.

No turning back. The problem was, she didn’t have a map for the road forward either.

Everything was a vicious dead end.

“Thinking about it doesn’t help,” Dimitri said quietly.

She hated the way he seemed to read her mind. “Maybe Raptor could send a team into Russia and extract your sister and nephew?”

He grunted. “You think I haven’t thought of that?”

She sighed. “I suppose you’ve considered everything.”

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