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I wasn’t certain if Cobra appreciated the word being used given he was a loner. I wasn’t certain what they were discussing, but given the news report, I had to assume the mysterious stranger Cobra had met with was a Russian assassin. A part of me wanted to be excited about what they were telling me, but I knew better than to assume anything but the worst.
Jeremy looked from Cobra back to me a second time. “So, I took a little time looking up the professor you mentioned.”
“What are you doing?” I confronted Cobra.
“Every avenue needs to be looked at, princess.”
God, there were times when I hated the term. This was definitely one of them. “My professor did nothing but encourage me to follow my dreams.”
Jeremy snorted, drawing my attention. “I’m sorry, Isabella, but his name wasn’t Leonard Vaskin. It was Leonardo Vasilikin. His father emigrated from Russia when Leonardo was a boy, but it wasn’t for political reasons or fear of his family’s life. His wife developed cancer, which was cured at a Massachusetts hospital. The patriarch changed the family name soon after arrival.”
“Meaning what?” I demanded.
“Meaning Leonardo maintained his father’s old connections. He didn’t try and hide it either.” Jeremy stopped there, searching Cobra’s eyes as if he was tiptoeing on unwanted territory.
Cobra huffed then rose to his feet, shoving his iPad into my hands. “Look.”
I glared at him, furious that he’d take something personal I’d told him and turn it into some crazy concept that my goddamn professor from years ago had anything to do with the horror I’d been driven into.
“Look at it, Isabella,” Cobra commanded, his tone stern and unforgiving.
As soon as I dropped my gaze, I was forced to suck in my breath. The picture was damning, my professor standing with the Russian president at least five years before, shaking hands as he accepted some award. I couldn’t stomach another second, shoving it back into Cobra’s hands. “So he’s Russian. That doesn’t mean he sold me out years ago.”
“So are his loyalties, at least according to what I’ve been able to find,” Jeremy said, quick to offer the condemnation. “I don’t know much about your discovery, but what I do know is that when seeds are planted by the Russians, they hold onto them like a dog with a bone.”
“You’re trying to tell me that my professor encouraged his student to continue researching the means necessary to create the ultimate weapon of mass destruction? Do you understand how many years ago I was in that man’s class?”
The two of them looked at each other in a knowing way.
Jeremy shrugged. “Both Cobra and I have had plenty of experiences with the Russian methodology, so it is entirely possible they kept an eye on you and when the time was right, they initiated the final phase.”
I jerked away, taking several deep breaths. “I’m curious, Cobra. How much did you tell your friend about my work?” I knew my tone was harsh, more than it should be, but it seemed as if every person I’d trusted was a suspect. I couldn’t stand the thought.
The second look shared between the two answered my question, but I wasn’t satisfied.
“Tell me,” I insisted.
Cobra sighed. “I know this is tough on you, Isabella, but you’ve told me you want the truth, no matter how brutal it is.”
I looked away, debating his statement. “Yes, I did, but if in doing that you destroy the wrong lives, what good is that going to do?”
“That’s not what I will allow to happen. That much I promise you.”
There was sincerity in Cobra’s voice, but my mind couldn’t shove aside the anxiety.
“It’s no secret what you’ve been working on, Isabella. Cobra didn’t need to tell me much of anything. I put the pieces together. We were both in covert operations, remember.”
How could I forget?
“Fine. Then you need to understand this is still very difficult,” I said quietly, uncertain I could stomach any further discovery. My mind was in a distant fog, my nerves on edge. They were toying with aspects of my life that had been the only solid ground I’d been able to fall back to. “I’m going outside. I need air. Is that alright or do I need a bodyguard?” After throwing Cobra a quick look, I headed for the door, not surprised when he wrapped his hand around my arm.
“We need to search every avenue,” Cobra said quietly. “You know that.”
I lifted my head in order to stare him in the eyes. “At what price? Destroying the rest of my world? I’m not certain I can take that.”
He had no retort, which was fine. I wasn’t certain I’d care what he had to say. After shaking his head, he acted as if he wanted to get closer. I pressed my hand against his chest. His reaction was just like the beginning of this sick adventure. He stiffened, pulling away.
“As I said, I need air. It’s positively stagnant in here.”
