Broken Together (17 page)

I
shook my head. “Jase said he was taking care of dinner tonight.” I doubted I’d
even eat. I was planning to crawl straight into bed.

Rafael
chuckled. “So you’ll be eating burgers from Five Guys.”

I
laughed. “That sounds about right.”

He
held me tight. “I’ll try to be here when Maxim arrives. Hopefully, he won’t
stay for more than a day or two. Please, don’t agree to anything without
speaking to me first.”

I
nodded my consent.

“Hey,”
Rafael whispered. He lifted my chin toward his. “You’re in good hands with
Brady and Jase. We’ll Skype every night, and I’ll come back just as soon as I
can.”

Another
tear stole down my cheek. I was trying to be strong so it would be easier for him
to leave. “I love you,” I whispered hoarsely.

Rafael
brushed a kiss on each cheek before slanting his lips over mine. He demanded
nothing. Instead, he poured every emotion imaginable from his heart into mine.
We clung to each other for the longest time. Grudgingly, he released me. “You
should head to work. Brady and Jase are waiting downstairs.”

We
tromped downstairs to the garage. Rafael opened the passenger side door to my
Jeep and popped his head inside. “Don’t worry about retrieving the SUV from the
airport. Ethan and Chance are going to swing by and pick it up this afternoon.”

Jase
nodded. Once. “Travel safe.”

“Take
good care of my girl.” Rafael pulled me in for one last hug. “You, behave.” He fastened
my seatbelt.

I
made a big show of rolling my eyes. “Like I don’t behave.”

Brady
barked out a laugh. He was sitting in the back seat. “You weren’t behaving in
Ukraine.”

“She
wasn’t behaving when she tried sneaking into Mexico behind Kadyn’s back either.”
Jase frowned. “If you so much as look mischievous, I’ll chip you in your sleep.”

Rafael
chuckled. “Now why didn’t I think of that?” He nipped my bottom lip and kissed
me one last time. With a gentle shove, the door closed between us.

Rafael’s
eyes held mine while Jase backed out of the garage. He followed us out of the
garage, then waved as Jase pulled away.

I
burst into tears when Rafael disappeared from sight.

Brady
handed me a box of tissues.

Jase
continued driving. “Where’d you get the tissue?”

“From
the townhouse,” Brady answered. “Come on. You had to know she’d cry.”

“Do
you need me to pull over or anything?” Jase offered uncertainly.

“No.
I’ll be okay. Just… drive.”

Brady
shoved a white paper cup at me. “Grande skim toffee nut latte, extra shot, extra
hot.”

Jase
spun toward the back seat. “You went to Starbucks?”

He
laughed. “You’ve been her bodyguard for how many months? Seriously, Jase. How
could you not know that she’d need coffee on a day like this?”

Jase
scowled at the road. “I was planning to stop at the coffee shop next to her
office.”

A
grateful smile tugged at my lips while I dabbed at my eyes. “Thanks, guys. For
everything.”

Jase
merged onto I-395. “How are you going to explain Brady’s presence at the
office? Shae’s going to know something is up when you walk in with two
bodyguards.”

I
took a sip of coffee. “I’m going to tell Shae that Rafael insisted on having
two bodyguards at the office since Chance isn’t there protecting her anymore.”

He
glanced at me admiringly. “That sounds believable enough.”

“Because
it’s the truth,” Brady chimed in. “Rafael would have insisted on having two men
assigned to her office regardless. She’s more vulnerable at the office than
anyplace else since the SVR knows where she works.”

I
turned around in my seat. “It’s been six months since we fled Ukraine. If the
SVR was going to pursue me, wouldn’t they have shown up by now?”

He
shook his head. “That’s not how SVR operatives work. They watch and wait until
the moment is ripe so they can maximize their gains.”

“That’s
why we call them ‘sleeper agents,’” Jase explained. “They’ll spend months
building a cover, establishing their position, blending in, and building trust.
If anyone new applies for a job at your office or tries to strike up a
friendship with you, he’ll be our first suspect.”

My
heart sank. I’d mistakenly presumed I’d be safe once a decent amount of time
had passed.

“If
the SVR suspects that Maxim still cares for you, then they’ll be monitoring
you. They won’t hesitate to use you in order to manipulate him, and he’s just
powerful enough for them to want to do so,” Brady added.

Jase
turned onto Constitution Avenue. “Maxim killed the operative who shot Michael
and the ones who tortured you and Shae. Those acts won’t go unpunished.”

I
shivered as those memories reared their ugly heads. “Why hasn’t Rafael
mentioned this?”

“He
didn’t want you feeling any more frightened than you already were,” Jase admitted
softly. “This is why he doesn’t want Maxim near you. It’s not the threat posed
by Maxim that concerns him. It’s the SVR.”

“What
about Oni?” I inquired hesitantly.

“Rafael
doesn’t trust Oni, and neither should you,” Brady stated matter-of-factly.
“Even though you facilitated her admission into your degree program, and she’s
moving to the United States, she still has family in Ukraine. The SVR can and
will manipulate her to get to you.”

My
gaze shifted to the window. Maxim was delivering Oni next Tuesday, precisely one
week from today. She’d be living with me until the dorms opened. I really liked
Oni, and I wanted to trust her, but I couldn’t argue Brady’s point. If someone
threatened to kill my family, I’d do just about anything to ensure their
safety.

Jase
parked the Jeep. “I know you consider Maxim and Oni friends, but the sooner you
distance yourself from those two, the better.”

I
unfastened my seatbelt with a harsh sigh. I felt even more miserable now than
when I climbed inside the Jeep. I hadn’t a clue how I was going to survive the
next two weeks.

Brady
and Jase escorted me into the building.

“Welcome
back, Kri,” Alyssa greeted cheerily. She was standing next to the reception
desk. She raised a single eyebrow in Brady’s direction.

“This
is Brady. He’s assisting Jase since Chance is no longer assigned to Shae,” I
explained. “Alyssa is our administrative specialist. She’s the glue that holds
our office together. She also manages the office calendar.”

“Are
you expecting any visitors today?” Brady asked.

“No.
It should be quiet around here today.” Her eyes slid toward me. “You have a
team meeting on Rwanda in thirty minutes. Paul has blocked off the entire
morning for that meeting, so you might want to grab some coffee before you go
in there.”

“Thanks,
Alyssa.” Jase followed me to my office. Brady hung back in the lobby. “Feel
free to use my desk and the computer.” I stashed my purse inside the file
drawer. “I’ll be in the conference room the rest of the morning.”

“Unless
Paul objects, I’d prefer to sit in on that meeting. I want to know what your
plans are for Rwanda so I can plan the security detail.” He walked me to the
break room.

I
pulled three mugs from the cupboard. “Hey, Sammi. How’s the coffee?”

She
eased away from the coffee pot. “Not bad. I was just debating whether I should
brew another pot.”

“We’ll
probably finish this off, so I’ll start another pot.” I poured a cup for Brady
and Jase, replaced the coffee grounds, and brewed another pot while Jase
delivered Brady’s coffee. I sent a text message to Rafael, poured my own cup of
coffee, and joined the rest of the staff in the conference room.

Shae
stood and gave me a hug. “That was one awesome party, Kri.” She tugged me into
the seat next to her.

“Thanks.”
Frankly, I was relieved that Chance and Konstantin hadn’t caused a scene.

Paul
shuffled his paperwork. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“I
hope your wife is feeling better,” I offered with a hopeful smile.

“Turns
out she wasn’t sick.” He blushed.

Cory,
Sammi, and I exchanged glances.

“She’s
pregnant,” Paul announced with a sheepish smile.

Everyone
jumped up at once. “Congratulations!” I rushed forward to give him a hug.

“I’m
so happy for you!” Shae followed with her own hug.

Cory
shook Paul’s hand.

“Do
you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” Sammi kissed his cheek.

“No.
It’s still a little early for that. Vanessa’s only ten weeks pregnant.”

Jase
pushed off from the wall so he could shake Paul’s hand. “Congratulations.”

Paul’s
expression warmed even more. “Thanks, Jase. Why don’t you join us at the
table?”

Jase
claimed the chair next to me.

“So,
Rwanda…” Sammi began eagerly.

“Yes.
Rwanda.” Paul sounded as if he’d swallowed something bitter.

I
looked up from my padfolio. “What’s wrong?”

He
handed each of us a copy of a United Nations OHCHR report. “There have been some
disturbing developments since President Kagame’s reelection last August. I
thought the human rights violations and the increase in government violence
would die down after the elections, but the situation has deteriorated even
more.”

Cory
eyed Paul intently. “President Kagame’s former army chief was shot in the
stomach for disagreeing with him, the acting editor of the Umuvugizi newspaper
was murdered for reporting the incident, and the Vice President of the
Democratic Green Party was stabbed and nearly beheaded days before the
election. How much worse could it be?”

Frustration
shone in Paul’s eyes. “A number of senior government and military officials who
have spoken out against President Kagame have disappeared. Others have fled the
country and are now living in exile. They’re being tried in absentia by a
military court.”

Sammi
shoved the report aside. “For what crimes?”

Paul
studied her over the top of his coffee. “For publically criticizing President
Kagame and the Rwandan government.”

“That’s
insane.” I tossed my pen on the notepad.

“President
Kagame is using their laws against genocide to punish anyone who speaks out
against the government,” Paul elaborated.

“That’s
not what those laws were intended for,” Shae objected. Her frustration was
evident.

“Regardless,
the law is being used to silence and incarcerate critics. Reporters and
government officials aren’t the only ones being punished for criticizing state
policies. They just arrested a priest for speaking out against the government’s
new family planning restrictions during his Christmas Eve sermon. He’s been
charged with endangering state security and inciting civil disobedience.” Paul leaned
back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“The
UN has noted a spike in extrajudicial killings, torture, disappearances,
violence against children, human trafficking, gender based violence, and unlawful
detention,” Jase read from the report.

I
winced at the mention of torture.

“So
it’s safe to assume that anyone criticizing President Kagame or the Rwandan
government will be incarcerated or killed regardless of their prominence,” Cory
concluded.

“But
we can’t teach university students how to resolve conflict if they can’t even
discuss the problems plaguing their country.” I huffed out a breath.

“You’re
not going,” Jase gritted.

I
spun around to look at him.

His
muscles were coiled tight. Clearly, he wanted to fight.

Paul
sighed. “Jase is right. Not only would we be endangering your lives, but we’d
be risking the life of every student participating in the training. It’s too
dangerous. We have to shelve this trip.”

“So
what are we going to do? Are we going to schedule a different training?” Shae prodded
impatiently.

He
opened his laptop. “That’s why I blocked off the entire morning. We’re going to
spend the next few hours choosing a new location.”

My
eyes widened. “I need a refill on my coffee.”

Shae
stood. “I’m going to get my laptop.”

Paul
smiled as the mood lifted. “Sky’s the limit here, folks. I’d like each of you
to choose a different country. You have one hour to assess the need and the
risks surrounding your location. We’ll debate the merits of each selection. We
should be ready to hit the ground running with the new training assignment before
we break for lunch. We’re going to have to work hard and fast to get this
training organized before April.”

I
rose from my chair. My brain was already spinning with the possibilities.

*
* * * *

“What
did you guys finally decide?” Rafael asked. I’d already summarized the day’s
events while trudging up the stairs.