15. Getting Closer
GETTING CLOSER
HALSTON
Halston’s head was fuzzy, but she was doing her best to push through. If she thought about what could have happened, she’d lose it. So, she forced herself to focus on one small task at a time. When she’d gotten through that, she’d home in on the next.
She was seated at the kitchen table, Sydney by her side. The toast with jam helped settle her stomach, the eggs filled her up, the herbal tea soothed her angry, angry soul.
Gabriel sat across from her, he and Teddy laser-focused on Teddy’s laptop.
When finished, Halston got up to clear her plate. Gabriel was by her side in an instant, taking the dish from her.
“Do you want to sleep?” Sydney asked.
“I don’t want to impose,” Halston replied.
“You’re staying,” Teddy said. “G too.”
Relief flooded her. “That would be great. I’d love that.” She eyed Gabriel. “You’re not leaving me, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” he replied.
She glanced at the papers on the kitchen table. “Gabriel, are those what you took?”
“Yes.” He placed a comforting hand on her upper back and caressed it. “How are you feeling?”
“Less nauseous, but too keyed up to sleep. Can I see those?” She eased down at the table. He sat beside her, pulled the pile over.
Everything—even the map of the US—was in Russian, and she took her time with each of them. A hand-written receipt for van rentals, a map of the United States, and a schedule. On the top of the schedule was the date Yanvar' 15. It had been crossed out, replaced with Yanvar' 8.
“This is what Dmitri Petrov had mentioned to the ambassador,” she said as she skimmed the hand-written document. “The event on January 15th has been changed to the 8th.”
Teddy and Sydney joined her and Gabriel at the table.
“January 8th, pick up, 7:40 AM,” she read. “Twelve packages. Two vans needed. When delivery has been loaded, Pavel Donskoy will deliver to Ashburn.” She turned the paper over, but there was nothing.
“If they were counting on Donskoy, they’ll need a new driver,” Gabriel said.
“They won’t have any trouble finding someone,” Sydney replied.
Gabriel tapped the map of the US, all written in Russian. “What’s up with this?”
“Bulgrov invited me to a meeting with Dmitri Petrov and Natasha—the embassy’s social director,” Halston explained.
“They’d been looking at a map of the US, but Bulgrov shut his laptop when I joined them.
” Reality smacked away the drug-induced haze and she steeled her spine.
“He told me I’d proven myself and I would be helping them complete something on January 8th.
” She tapped the schedule with her fingernail.
“They’re taking this shipment to Ashburn. ”
“Who knows about this?” Gabriel asked.
“I told Evangeline, used my spy glasses to take a short video.” Halston drained her water glass.
Teddy refilled it, set it down in front of her.
“Thank you.” She took several gulps. “When I was in Russia, I’d watched Bulgrov type in the password to his laptop, so I was able to download documents.
He changed his password a lot, so it would take me weeks of watching him type in his new one.
Anyway, I lifted Bulgrov’s fingerprints, specifically his index.
I’ve got someone making me a rubber finger. ”
“Ooooh, that sounds fun,” Sydney said.
All eyes on Sydney, then everyone laughed… even Halston. Those few seconds of joy soothed her angry, vengeful soul.
“We need to continue this convo at a secure site,” Teddy said.
“I agree,” Halston said, “but I have to show up for work tomorrow like everything is normal. Bulgrov insisted I have drinks with that monster, so I have to tell him about Krov bar, but that I left after an hour.”
“Will he check?” Gabriel asked.
“He might.”
“We need to kill the cameras at Krov,” Teddy said, “and I need to remove any surveillance of you. How obvious was it that you’d been drugged?”
“I was nauseous and struggling to walk,” she replied. “I didn’t feel well, had trouble staying conscious. I know Donskoy drove me to the sex club. I have no memory of him bringing me inside or of anyone taking off my clothes.”
The room became eerily silent.
“I wasn’t sexually assaulted,” she said.
“I could be bleeding and I’d be sore.” After a second, she continued, “One of my college roommates was date raped. I was there when she got home. I saw the blood.” She closed her eyes to block the memory.
“I took her to the hospital.” A shudder had her hugging herself. “It was awful.”
Gabriel put a calming hand on her back. “Did you check yourself?”
She glanced at Sydney. “Okay, so Sydney gave me a mirror. I looked, I touched myself. I wasn’t sore.
I’m not injured. There’s no torn or bruised skin, no blood.
I’m okay.” She paused. “I wouldn’t hide this.
I wouldn’t feel shame or fear. I know he’s dead.
I know if he wasn’t, I’d kill him myself.
” She pushed up. “I have to sleep this drug off. I’m available tomorrow after work for your secure meeting. ”
Halston was both exhausted and fired up. The drug had made her physically sick and mentally incapacitated. But the fury had adrenaline pumping through her at a frenetic rate.
Gabriel rose. “Thanks for letting us crash here.”
“You’re welcome to stay for as long as you need,” Sydney said. “I love Hotel Dillinger, but you need a safe place to live… and you need to watch each other’s backs.”
“Thank you for everything,” Halston said. When she regarded Gabriel, the concern in his eyes had her rubbing his back.
Sydney brought them into the guest room with the en suite bathroom. It was perfect. A queen bed with a white comforter, black throw pillows and soft black sheets.
“There’s new toothbrushes in the bathroom. Also toothpaste, a soap in the shower, my favorite facial cleanser and moisturizer. With the sweetest smile, Sydney said, “You’re our first house guests. Let me know if you need anything, even a shower cap for Gabriel.”
They laughed.
“That I would love to see,” Halston said.
“I’m so angry about what happened to you Halston, but I’m happy Teddy and I can help.” Sydney hugged Halston
“Love you, sorellina,” Gabriel said. Love you, little sis.
“Love you too.” Sydney shut the door behind her.
Relief and gratitude had Halston wrapping her arms around Gabriel and pulling him close. “If I live to be one hundred, I will never be able to repay you for what you did. You saved me from that monster. Gabriel, I love you. I am so grateful for you.”
He held her tight, stroked her back.
“I love you too, Halston. Those rings were the riskiest gift I’ve ever given anyone, but they were the smartest.”
She held up her right hand. “I will never, ever take this off.”
“Same,” he replied, “but not for the same reason.”
Despite the ordeal, her heart overflowed with love and gratitude. In a comfortable silence, they brushed their teeth, left the room.
In the bedroom, she said, “I can’t sleep in all these clothes.”
Gabriel found one of Teddy’s T-shirts in the guest closet. He helped her out of Sydney’s clothes. She pulled on the oversized cotton shirt. He stripped down naked.
Together, they got under the covers, he folded her into his arms. She breathed him in. Her thoughts of the evening were clear until they became jumbled. Now wasn’t the time to relive the horror, so she snuggled closer.
“I’m right here,” he said, “and I’m not going anywhere. If you can’t sleep, wake me.” He kissed the top of her head.
She leaned up, kissed him. “You risked so much for me.”
“I meant it when I said I will keep you safe.”
“You’re a man of your word, Gabriel.”
“Yes, I am. My word is my bond, and you will always be safe with me, Halston… always.”
GAbrIEL
Gabriel lay awake for a long time thinking about what Halston had been through. He had no idea if she’d have nightmares or experience PTSD. He didn’t know what might come of her ordeal, but he would give her his support and his love.
One step at a time.
He didn’t give a fuck about the ambassador or this Dmitri Petrov, and he sure as hell didn’t care about the Russians he took out at the club. He felt relief eliminating his long-time enemy—Pavel Donskoy.
His primary concern was Halston. His secondary problem?
If Teddy couldn’t delete the videos of him, the target on his back would become much, much larger.
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, the kitchen was a flurry of activity. Coffee, cereal, yogurt, granola, and so many varieties of berries.
After a quick bowl of cereal, Halston thanked their hosts again.
“If you decide to stay tonight, we’d love it,” Sydney said.
“G,” Teddy began, “I can’t do anything about deleting the traffic cam videos after the fact—”
Gabriel chuffed out a laugh. “After the fact. What are you, eighty?”
Teddy laughed. “It’s a saying. It means—”
“I got it.” Gabriel finished his coffee, put his mug in the dishwasher.
“But I was able to hack into the Russian sex club,” Teddy said. “No cameras in or out, but someone could have recorded you on their phone.”
“I looked like SWAT, my face was covered in a ski mask. What about the convenience store?”
“I hacked in and was able to delete last night’s footage.” Teddy got busy on his laptop, then turned the computer around. “Here’s Halston at Krov bar.” Teddy turned the laptop toward him. More typing. “Here’s the bartender adding something to her water.” He showed them.
“I hacked into the cloud and removed the video altogether,” Teddy explained. “These are clips I downloaded before I deleted everything. I also got one of that monster escorting you out. You were completely out of it.”
Halston hardly recognized herself. She was slumped over, Donskoy was half carrying, half dragging her.
“Cameras outside Krov?” Gabriel asked.
“No,” Teddy replied.
“Teddy, you’re a tech genius,” Gabriel said. “Why don’t you and Sydney take the jet and spend the weekend at my villa?”
Sydney grinned. “I’m so there.”
Halston loaded her bowl into the dishwasher, sidled close to Gabriel.