Page 71 of Fire and Ice

"Her real name is Katerina Luski. Did you know that?"

"No. How did you get this?"

"I called in some favors at the CIA. Most of them are under black marker. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Viktor's Special Forces team was going to extract the Luskis but something went terribly wrong."

Derek filtered through some photographs, appalled at what he was seeing.

"They slashed her, Derek. She was twelve years old. They were going to rape her, turn her into a prostitute," Jack said fiercely. "Viktor and his team saved her. Then for saving a young girl and defying directive they got discharged from the military. Fucking CIA."

Derek shut the folder and thoughtfully assessed the rabbit hole Jack was digging himself into. Pulling in a favor from the CIA to find out more about the woman he was sleeping with seemed overkill.

"This somehow tells me that Maia is more than just a passing relationship. Are you in love with her, Jack? Is this what you felt for Claire?"

Jack started shaking his head as he took the file back from Derek. "I don't know, man. Claire was simple, I loved her. What I'm feeling right now, 'love' is too tame a word. It's almost an obsession. I wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than outright possession. And it's unsettling."

"Uh, Jack, slavery ended in the 1800s."

Jack's lips curled in a half-grin. "She's like a drug, an addiction. The more I taste her, the more I can't get enough."

"Maybe the answer is not spending more time with her. Maybe you need to distance yourself from her right now," Derek said helpfully.

"I've thought about that. Not happening."

Just then the elevator dinged. Maia was back from the control room. The two men started shuffling through some files pretending to be talking about MDI business.

When the bookcases slid shut behind her, Maia walked up to the big office desk. Her eyes darted between the men, who were pointedly ignoring her and talking about MD-Bandit drones and advance carbine weapons.

"You guys can stop pretending. You were talking about me." Looking at Jack, she asked,"Are you done being mad at me?"

"I could be over it. How are you going to make it up to me?"

"Do I need to be here for this discussion?" Derek asked and made a move to leave the study.

"Stay. I need to make a call to Richard Grayson anyway," Maia said.

"So, he's officially Grayson now?" Jack asked.

"Yes, he's making the transition tomorrow. I was thinking of just catching a ride with him."

"No."

"Jack ..."

"I said no. When do you need to get to Baltimore?"

"Friday. Look, you're not the boss of me. If I want to leave, I will. You get me?" Maia retorted forcefully.

Derek really didn't want to be around for this conversation.Irresistable force meet immovable object.

"You can try to leave." Jack's voice was dangerously soft.

"You think you can restrain me? Tranq me again?"

"If I have to."

Maia threw up her hands. "There's no reasoning with you. You always want it your way. I don't know how I even got entangled with you in the first place. I'm leaving tomorrow and moving my things out of your room right now."

She stormed out of the study.

---