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“No… none. Nik’s only focus is on his brother, Dan, and getting him the medical help he needs. All his money he earns in the drug team, goes toward Dan’s welfare in Ukraine. Dan has a traumatic brain injury and he is in need of a very specialized TBI technique. It can only be performed here in the USA. Nik is determined to get his brother here, in order to receive the treatment. It has something to do with brain syncing of electrical impulses.”
“And that’s why he allowed the CIA to use him,” Daria said.
Alex sat up a little straighter. “Yes, that is true. But Nik and I were ready to leave the drug team because of the rapes, and the unprovoked beatings of the Indians. We could no longer stand it. I was lucky, I escaped. But Nik must bear up under this terrible situation, and he does it for Dan. No one else.”
Nik was a certified hero in Daria’s book. When she was invited over to Alex and Lauren’s home for a good, Ukrainian meal, Nik was always brought up in the conversation. “I see,” she murmured. Giving Jack a steady look of confidence, she said, “In some ways, Jack, I already feel like I know Nik via Alex and Lauren. If I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t take this mission, because the man would be a complete unknown to me.”
“I know that,” Jack said. “Given your last mission and the fact you’re still coming out of it, I felt this one was perfectly suited for you. You know Morozov in one sense. Alex has said that he’s reliable and trustworthy. I wanted a soft mission for you, to bring you back onboard. I’m not convinced your leg is all that sturdy yet. You are a mission specialist, with a pretty easy assignment if you keep your cover. I believe Morozov will respect you, Daria. I don’t think he’ll try anything on you that you don’t want.”
“Nik wouldNEVERpush himself on Daria,” Alex agreed strongly. “Never.He is a man of absolute integrity, honor, and with a compassionate heart. He is sensitive to others. He is a healer.” Alex gave her a steady look. “Nik is very protective of women and children, just as I am. He will respect you, Daria. You need not ever fear being in his presence.”
CHAPTER 2
“Do you thinkshe is ready?” Alex asked Jack after Daria left. His voice was heavy with doubt.
Jack shrugged. “Kate gave her approval.”
Lauren turned to Alex. “In this country, a shrink has the override.”
Shaking his head, Alex muttered, “Jack, she is NOT prepared for a mission yet. I do not care what anyone says. I love Kate. I think highly of her, but Daria is not ready. I see it in her eyes. I feel it around her. She is suffering greatly from that firefight where Melissa died.”
“Daria is not in good shape,” Lauren agreed, and she raised her hand in silent protest before Jack could speak. “I know, I know, I’m not a therapist. But dammit, Jack, she has PTSD. Anyone with a set of eyes in their head can see it. I think sending her out now is too soon.”
Jack looked closely at all the tests Kate had given Daria over the past three weeks. “Look, she’s passed all the mandatory tests. And who among us doesn’t have PTSD? We still can operate, regardless.”
Alex got to his feet, shoving the chair back. “Daria may have been born in Russia, but she is Ukrainian in her heart,” he snapped, striking his chest with his hand. “I have greater connection with her, Jack. I am telling you that she is a liability to herself, to Nik, and to this mission. You shouldNOTsend her out. She is still healing.”
“She has so much grief and guilt,” Lauren argued passionately, “over Melissa’s death. To this day, Daria has told us she feels that Melissa died because of her. That’s crazy. They were attacked by Taliban soldiers with knives. But Daria doesn’t see it that way, and that worries me, Jack.”
Jack eased back in his chair, studying his two contractors. Alex was breathing hard, his eyes flashing with anger and concern. Lauren looked upset, which wasn’t like her because she was a cool-headed sniper that never allowed emotions to enter into her duties. “Okay,” he said in a low tone, “what’s the workaround?”
“You’re still going to let her go down there?” Alex demanded hotly.
“Yes, and there’s no more discussion about that. What I need from you two is other ideas, outside the box, on how we can support Daria during this mission?”
“Keep her here,” Lauren muttered, angry at Jack. “She’s still too raw. Too emotionally unstable.”
“Prove that to me,” Jack challenged her in a quiet tone, holding her flashing gaze.
“I had a talk with Daria two days ago,” Lauren told him, getting a hold of her emotions. “Daria’s hands tremble. All the time. She doesn’t sleep at night. Wakes up screaming. Has flashes of Melissa bleeding out next to her while she was fighting for her own life. Never mind she’d been stabbed three times in the thigh already and was bleeding out herself. I asked Daria if she’d cried yet.” Lauren’s mouth tightened. “She said she hadn’t cried since it happened. Jack, that’s just pure craziness! I’ve been in firefights where my life was at stake before, too. And I can guarantee you that afterward, I cried my eyes out. I cried for days, weeks, and months more. Just ask Alex.”
“We’ve never seen you cry, Lauren.”
“That’s because I hid it. I did it where no one could see or hear me.”
“So,” Jack said in a reasonable tone, “why couldn’t Daria be doing the same thing?”
Alex paced the room, muttering curse words in Ukrainian. He jerked his gaze to Jack. “I believe she has not. She is a stubborn Ukraine woman.”
“What does that mean?” Jack asked.
“That we are very strong people emotionally. That we can take a beating and never cry out. Daria might be a woman, but she is as tough as a Ukrainian bear. She will not break down. She will not show her pain to anyone.”
Lauren gave her husband a softened look. “That’s true,” she told Jack. “I’m still learning the ins and outs of Alex. He hides his stuff and it’s damned hard to access it or get him to let it go. It’s VERY frustrating.”
“So, Daria is doing the same thing?” Jack demanded.
“Yes,” Alex growled.
