Broken Together (25 page)

His
arm tightened when I turned around. The entire length of his body pressed me
back against the condiments bar. “No.”

I
glanced at Jase. His back had been turned for all of two seconds while the
barista brewed his latte. Now, two men restrained Jase so he couldn’t intervene.
His face was red, his eyes beyond livid. I forced an exasperated breath. “He’s
just doing this to make you mad.”

“Not
true,” Maxim purred. “I’m doing this because I love the feel of your body
pressed against mine.” He shifted ever so slightly.

The
room spun when I felt how aroused he was. “Maxim,” I pleaded. “Let me go.”

His
breath tickled my neck. “Never.” He sought the sweet spot behind my ear. His
arms loosened, but he didn’t step back. He chuckled when I slid out from
beneath him.

I
glared at the men restraining Jase. “Release him.”

Their
lips curved into half smiles. Still, they awaited Maxim’s order.

Maxim
shrugged. “You should aspire to stay on her good side. She will soon be the
First Lady of Ukraine.”

I
stood in front of Jase when they released him. “I’m fine. He’s just trying to provoke
you.”

“Why
are you here?” Jase demanded angrily.

“I’m
here to speak with Kristine.” Maxim swiped Jase’s coffee from the bar and
motioned toward a table in the far corner. “Shall we?” Amusement danced in his
eyes while he awaited my response.

“I
have to leave for USAID in fifteen minutes.” I fished the bottle of nutmeg from
my coffee, wiped it down with a napkin, and handed it to the barista. “I’m
sorry. You might want to refill that.” I tossed the cappuccino in the trash
before staring at Maxim.

He
steered me toward the table, pulled a chair out for me, and claimed the one
against the wall. He set Jase’s coffee directly in front of me, as if it were
some sort of peace offering. “You look beautiful.”

I
glanced down at my clothes. I was wearing a heather gray sheath dress and the
pearls Rafael had given me. This conservative ensemble was framed by a black
ankle length coat that puddled against the floor on either side of me. I turned
briefly. Jase was glowering a few feet away. My eyes widened when I noticed the
contingent of men standing guard outside the coffee shop. Thankfully, there
were no guns drawn. Still, their postures were just menacing enough to dissuade
others from entering the shop. I handed Jase his coffee while ignoring the compliment.
“Do you want me to cancel the meeting?”

Maxim
relaxed into his seat. “No, but I would like to join you.”

My
eyebrows shot up. “You want to attend the meeting with USAID?”

His
smile widened. “If you don’t mind.”

I
searched his eyes. “What happened yesterday?”

He
leaned forward conspiratorially. “The European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development offered to loan us five hundred million dollars to extend the
pipeline into Poland.”

“Maxim,
that’s awesome.” I was so happy for him.

 He
beamed, obviously pleased. “Maybe this will help persuade USAID to loan us the
remaining two hundred and eighty million dollars.”

“They
don’t issue loans. They issue grants, so you wouldn’t have to pay that portion
back.”

He
smiled. “Even better.”

One
of the men from his security detail handed me a cup of coffee. “Cappuccino with
nutmeg.”

“So
the mafia still makes the occasional coffee run,” I teased.

“They
do,” Maxim conceded.

I
studied the contingent of men while pondering whether those ties were truly
severed. “We need to leave, or we’ll be late for the meeting.”

Maxim
stood. “Will you ride with me?”

“We’ll
meet you there,” Jase gritted.

I
grasped Maxim’s hand as I rose from my chair. “I’ll meet you in the main
lobby.” I rolled onto my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “You might want
to lose the gun before you walk through security.”

His
jaw clenched.

I
tucked my hand beneath Jase’s arm as we walked away. “Thanks.”

“For
what?” he demanded irritably.

I
waited until we left the coffee shop. “For resisting the urge to punch him
out.”

A
frigid gust of wind tugged at my coat when Jase swung the door to the main
building open. “Why are you friends with that man?”

I
sighed, knowing full well he’d never understand. “Aside from the fact that he
saved my life?”

Brady
had retrieved my Jeep while Jase and I ordered coffee. He was now idling
curbside in front of my office building. Jase opened the rear passenger door. “I
don’t trust him.”

I
climbed into the back seat. “Maxim behaves outrageously to assert his
dominance, to throw people off, and to gain the upper hand. Just ignore him.
He’s not interested in a relationship with me. Well, he might be on some level,
but he knows I’d be miserable in Ukraine, and he’s not the type of man to force
me there. He’s way too proud for that.”

Jase
snorted his disbelief. He joined Brady in the front seat. “Thirteen-hundred
Pennsylvania Avenue.”

Brady
eased into traffic. “What’s going on?”

I
leaned back in my seat. “Maxim’s joining us at USAID.”

His
eyes shot toward Jase. “Maxim’s in DC?”

“He
mauled Kristine when we stopped for coffee.” Jase looked pointedly at me.

My
eyes narrowed. “He wasn’t mauling me. He was trying to make you mad by acting a
little too friendly.
Acting
would be the operative word in that sentence,
in case you were wondering.”

“Why’s
he here?” Brady resumed driving after idling at a red light.

“He
obtained a partial loan for the pipeline and wants to secure the rest of the
funding.” I swiped a thin layer of gloss over my lips while peering into the jeweled
mirror Kimme sent me for Christmas.

“We
should let Kadyn and Rafael know he’s here.” Jase reached for his cell phone.

“Why
should that matter when I’m leaving?” They were driving me to the airport after
the meeting. My suitcase was sitting in the back of the jeep.

“I’m
letting them know, regardless.” His thumbs flew over the phone.

I
couldn’t resist the groan or the eye roll. I turned my cell phone off so the
onslaught of texts that were likely to ensue wouldn’t disrupt the meeting.

Brady
pulled alongside the curb outside USAID. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

Jase
shoved the phone inside his pocket, stepped outside, and opened my door.

“Thanks
for driving, Brady.” I eyed the sidewalk cautiously. I hadn’t bothered with
snow boots. I was wearing three inch heels, and there was a thin dusting of
snow on the ground.

Jase
was still scowling when he offered me his arm. “I can’t believe Maxim snuck
into that coffee shop. What was I thinking, turning my back on that door?”

“Jase,
it’s fine. Maxim’s not a threat. He’d never hurt me, and he’s not going to force
me into something against my will. The SVR? Now that’s a different story.” I paused
in front of the door.

Jase
tugged forcefully on the clear glass door. “You don’t get it.”

“Get
what?” I hated the way he was beating himself up.

“Maxim
wanted to be caught. He could have dragged you out that door without making a
sound. If Maxim could pull that off, imagine what the SVR could have accomplished
in that same amount of time. That was a rookie move, turning my back to that
door. I’m pissed. My stupidity could have cost you your life. I need to find a
refresher course and get my head square while you’re away.” He scanned the
security guards, the metal detector, and the lobby before allowing me to
proceed.

“I’m
sorry, Jase. I’ll ask Maxim to give me a heads up next time he’s planning to be
in town.” I set my briefcase on the conveyor belt.

He
followed me through the metal detector. “Maxim won’t comply. He thrives on the
element of surprise.”

We
signed in at the reception desk and retrieved our visitors’ badges while
waiting for Brady.

Maxim
arrived a few minutes later. “Miss me?”

Jase
folded his arms over his chest. “Where’s the rest of your security detail?” He
was only accompanied by two other men.

“They’re
around.” Maxim signed for his visitor’s badge. “Shall we?”

All
six of us squeezed onto the elevator with a handful of other people. “Do you
mind leaving your security detail in the reception area with Brady and Jase?” I
whispered. “I don’t want to intimidate this woman by dragging all these men
into her office.”

Maxim
nodded. Once.

We
stepped off the elevator, crossed the hallway, and entered the suite of offices
that managed USAID’s Global Development Lab.

The
receptionist’s eyes widened. She half-sat, then stood while gaping at us.
“H-how may I help you?”

“Hi.
I’m Kristine Stone, and this is Maxim Markov, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs. We’re meeting with Ms. Dickson.” I smiled encouragingly.

She
eyed the glowering towers of testosterone standing behind me. “Are they joining
you?”

I
leaned forward and whispered, “I was kinda hoping they could hang out here with
you.”

“Oh.”
The air rushed from her chair as she sank back onto the faux leather seat. “I’ll
let Ms. Dickson know you’re here.”

Maxim
reached for my arm. We strategized in hushed tones.

“Kristine
Stone?” Ms. Dickson looked up from her notes.

“Please,
call me Kristine.” I shook her hand. “This is Maxim Markov, the Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs for Ukraine. He’s in town unexpectedly, but I thought you
might like to meet him. He can answer far more questions about the pipeline
than I can.”

Maxim
clasped her hand in his. He bowed slightly, as if tempted to kiss her hand. “It’s
a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Dickson.”

Her
mouth fell open just a little. A faint blush crept over her skin.

I
bit back a smile. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only woman affected by Maxim’s
presence. Or was it his accent?

“Mr.
Markov.” She glanced at the remaining men.

“Our
security detail,” I admitted apologetically.

She
nodded politely. “Kate, please offer these gentleman a drink.”

The
receptionist rose from her chair. “Yes, Ms. Dickson.”

“This
way, please.” Ms. Dickson turned and walked down the hallway. She paused in
front of their breakroom. “What would you like to drink?”

“Water,
please.” I unbuttoned my coat.

“Water,”
Maxim agreed. He coaxed me from my coat, removed his coat, and folded both over
his arm.

Ms.
Dickson returned with the bottled water. We entered an office on the other side
of the hallway. She waved toward the chairs opposite her desk. “Ms. Stone, I’ve
reviewed your letter of inquiry and the issue brief you submitted in support.”
She dropped into the chair behind her desk. “This development project has some
interesting implications.”

“Yes.”
I eased into the chair Maxim was holding out for me. “The influx of fuel from
Ukraine will decrease the price of oil for European consumers, which should
increase the standard of living and reduce poverty in a number of European
countries. More importantly, this pipeline will reduce the economic and
political damage that results when Putin cuts off their oil supply. As I’m sure
you’re aware, he cuts their fuel supply so he can force them into siding with
him in international politics, which adversely impacts the United States. But
that isn’t the only benefit for the United States.”

Her
eyebrows rose. “What other benefits do you see for the United States?”

I
glanced at Maxim.

He
nodded encouragingly.

I
took a deep breath and continued. “This oil pipeline will strengthen Ukraine’s
economy… substantially. This will allow them to reduce their dependence on
Russia for trade, and it will limit Putin’s ability to meddle in their domestic
and economic policies. This will enable them to improve governance, strengthen
democracy, and grow their military. Ukraine must improve in all three of these
areas in order to meet NATO membership requirements, which has long been a goal
of the United States and Ukraine.”

She
jotted a few sentences in her padfolio before shifting her attention to Maxim.
“Will Russia retaliate?”

“I
am certain Russia will retaliate,” Maxim answered honestly. “Putin is preparing
to invade my country, even as we speak. He is determined to squash the
pro-democracy movement in Ukraine. He does not want his own people aspiring to
such things. He stands to lose valuable assets in Ukraine, such as the naval
base in Sevastopol which houses their Black Sea Fleet. The economic impact
would be devastating. Russia would no longer be the sole source of fuel for European
countries, this pipeline would no longer transport Russian fuel to
Mediterranean countries, and Russia would see a reduction in trade with
Ukraine.”