Page 127 of Fire and Ice

"Can't the Russian government do something about it?"

Erik emitted a brief laugh. "Who knows who to trust in the Russian government nowadays? They let the gang wars resolve themselves. Most of the leaders of the bratvas are ex-KGB."

True that, Maia thought.

"So do we have a date yet? When do you need me?" Maia said.

"It's going to happen fast. You get the call, be ready to leave in three hours."

Shit.

The cries were muffled at first, then became progressively louder as sheer terror took over. Jack awoke to Maia thrashing and crying in her sleep. Her nightmares again. She hadn't had them in weeks.

"Babe, wake up," he urged, shaking her firmly. Jack reached over to her night table and switched on the lamp.

Maia's eyes blinked open. "Wha? Why are the lights on?"

"You were having a nightmare," Jack said shortly.

"I was?" Maia squinted her eyes as if trying to remember. "Well, I don't remember. Can we go back to sleep now?"

"No, Maia, we can't. We're going to talk," Jack said as he sat up in bed.

When she gave him a baffled look, he continued. "You've been having them for a while. Every time I wake you up you don't remember. You seem to re-enact your parent's death over and over."

Maia looked at him in horror. "I do? But why?" Her eyes started to fill with tears which surprised Jack because he had never seen her crying before. He reached out to her and pulled her into his arms.

"I know you are Katerina Luski," Jack admitted and waited for her to blow up at him for digging into her past.

"Viktor suspected you knew," Maia mumbled into his chest hoarsely. "Said you pulled some CIA file on me."

"How the fuck did he know that?" Jack asked, dumbfounded. That man knew everything and appeared to have a finger in every Federal and International agency.

She shrugged. "It's Viktor."

"Babe, I have a suspicion that your work brings on these nightmares. You haven't had them since you got out of the hospital. I think you need to talk to someone about them."

"Like a shrink? I went to one when I was thirteen, fourteen."

"There may be unresolved issues if they manifest themselves in your nightmares."

"I don't have issues."

Jack took a deep breath and exhaled. "The risks you take, you think you're having survivor's guilt?"

"Jack, I don't have survivor's guilt," Maia replied instantly. "I want vengeance, but the trail has gone cold so I'm doing the best I can to make things better."

"Babe, will you promise at least to think about seeing someone about your nightmares?" Jack said softly. "It breaks my heart to see you crying out like that in your sleep."

"OK, Jack."

***

The weeks passed in a blur of work, getting back into shape, spending time with Jack and an endless parade of holiday parties. Apparently her man was an A-list guest in the New Park and DC social scenes. She was able to accompany him to most of the functions but sometimes she was simply too tired to go after a bout of sparring. She must have been seen with Jack enough times to have landed a photo of them together inThe Post.

Viktor was giving her a hard time of it one day when he read what was written in the paper.

"Is DC's most eligible bachelor off the market? It would seem so. Marketing executive Maia Pierce had been seen on more than one occasion on the arms of billionaire-playboy Jack McCord. Rumor has it that the two are serious about each other."

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