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Nik turned. Alex nodded to him as he entered, and was showered, shaven, wearing a dark-green polo shirt, dark brown chinos and his now scrubbed-clean combat boots. He nodded and made a gesture that they go out in the hall to speak to one another so as not to disturb Lauren.
Alex nodded and opened the door wider, stepping out.
Nik looked at his watch. He’d fallen asleep for a good hour. “You look better, Alex.” He made sure the door closed without a sound.
“I am. Tired, but okay. How is Lauren?”
Nik told him about the small drip increase of morphine for her pain. Instantly, he saw his friend’s eyes grow dark with concern. “She’s okay. She went back into a deep sleep,” he reassured Alex. “Her stats are stable and her oxcimeter reading is eighty-two. It is going the right direction.”
Alex rubbed the back of his neck. “That is good. Sleep is always healing. It will take some of the shock out of her system, too.”
Nik nodded. He sat down on a chair near the door. “You need sleep.”
“Later,” he growled. “I just talked with Sergeant Killmer. Providing Lauren is stable, the CIA is flying in a C-130 transport two days from now into Lima. They are taking all of us, including you, to San Diego, California. There’s a Naval hospital there and that is where our boss, Gage Hunter, wants her to go.”
“Me?” Nik wondered. “I’ve already been in contact with my CIA and DOD handler. At some point, I’ll have to fly back to Washington, D.C. and talk with him, and fill out a lot of paperwork.”
“I am sure the paperwork will be in volumes,” Alex agreed. “Petrov is going to be on that same flight with us, but the Military Police will be coming on board the transport to take him off in chains. The CIA wants to talk to him for a long time.”
Nik frowned. “I’m hoping my DOD sponsor will allow me to stay in the U.S.”
Alex grinned a little. “I told the owner of Shield, my boss, Jack Driscoll, what you did for all of us. How you saved Lauren’s life. He is working with the DOD, CIA and the State Department, to get you a temporary visa. The CIA wants to talk to you as well, but it will not be an interrogation. They want your intel, is all. Names, places, faces. You know the drill. And then, our boss, Jack Driscoll is interested in offering you a job with Shield Security when this is all over. That is who Lauren and I work for as a private civilian contractor.”
Scowling, Nik said. “I’m glad my family lives deep in our country where Russia cannot harm them.”
Alex held up his hand. “They are safe in Ukraine. But the US is granting this to you and your brother, Dan. There is a representative in San Diego who will meet you at North Island Naval Air Station, where we will be landing. She will be your escort, the person who will help you get your papers in order to remain in the US before the Russian mafia in New York City even knows what you have done.”
Rubbing his jaw, Nik muttered, “Then, it must happen quickly.”
“Listen, my friend, this same woman who helped me get Kira out of Ukraine, will get your and Dan’s papers in order for both of you to remain in America. The CIA considers you a valuable asset in the war against the Russian mafia down in Peru. My boss, Jack Driscoll, is very interested in you if you want a job. Shield pays their employees very well.”
Nik shrugged. “Much is happening quickly, isn’t it?”
“Sometimes too fast,” Alex agreed. “But I am here. Once we land on Coronado Island, near San Diego, I will make sure you get a burner cell phone, and then, once we separate, we can remain in touch. I will be there for you. You do not have to go through this process alone,” and he clapped his hand on his friend’s broad shoulder. “I hope you will take up Jack’s offer to come and work for Shield. It would be a good thing, Nik. We have always been brothers, so why not work together again?”
Nik shared a nod with him. “It sounds good to me. I didn’t like working for the CIA.” He brightened and grinned. “You know, your woman in there isn’t going to be happy being bed-bound for at least three or four weeks? Every time she moves or walks, she is going to be in deep pain.” He saw Alex quirk his mouth.
“I know. I am going to have to be creative to keep her from becoming bored and then restless. She is not the type to sit around at all.” He saw Nik give him a wry grin.
“Good luck on that one.”
For the first time in ages, Alex laughed. It felt good, joy spooling up through him because Lauren was going to make a recovery. He loved her. And he looked forward to quiet time with her. Alone. Just with her. And equally important, his best friend, Nik, was going to be safe. “I think we will use the time well, brother.”
Alex dozed offand on into the early evening. Lauren slept soundly. Shock was the reason. The pink of the sunset in Lima was casting a pale shade throughout the small, private room. He was just awakening when he heard Lauren’s movement. Raising his head, he saw her lift her right hand with the moveable cast on it.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, slowly getting up, feeling stiff and sore. The efforts they had put out during the last twenty-four hours had been brutal on everyone’s bodies. He saw Lauren looked more awake. Alert maybe. She was resting her elbow on the bed, staring at her hand.
“Better,” she said, her voice rusty. “How did this happen?” She raised her hand, looking at it in its cast.
He shrugged. “None of us know. Your five fingers are fractured. You have a hematoma in your palm. Do you remember anything?” He slid fingers across her temple, easing strands of hair behind her ear. Alex could see she was having difficulty.
“N-no.”
“Shock plays hell on our memory. I am sure it will come back to you in a few days. Are you in pain, Lauren?” because Alex was studying the monitors. Her blood pressure was up and so was her pulse; usually a sign of aggravating pain. He thanked God he knew these things because he knew Lauren wasn’t one to show pain nor complain about it. He saw her lips quirk.
“A little.”
“How long have you been awake?” He stood and adjusted the morphine drip.
