Oceans of Fire (Drake Sisters 3)

"Damn it, Abbey. He shot himself. We question suspects all the time. They don't kill themselves."

"You can absolve yourself of all responsibility, Aleksandr, but I can't. And what you did to me afterward is inexcusable, and it isn't the actions of a man in love. You may want to sleep with me, but I'm not willing to settle for that."

"Far more was going on in that room than either of us knew." He pushed a hand through the dark waves of his hair. "I had risen through the ranks fast and solved cases and had come to the attention of my superiors quickly. I had a background in..." He hesitated. "I was a very successful operative before I was a police officer. I became a detective when others had worked many years to get there. I also had people in high places owing me favors. I knew how to get through red tape and move around power struggles. When that happens, you step on toes and make enemies you aren't always aware of."

Abigail struggled to breathe, to think beyond that traumatic moment when the young father had reached for the gun. She hadn't been able to stop time or slow it down or relive the minutes before he had pulled the trigger.

"That officer, the one who let him near his gun, was waiting for his opportunity. He worked for a man named Leonid Ignatev. My career had surpassed Ignatev's and he took advantage of every mistake I made and every vulnerability I had to sabotage my career. I knew he was dirty. I suppose we all are to some extent, we have to work deals all the time to get anywhere, but Ignatev was in bed with the mafia. He had his plant on my team and when things were chaotic, as they often are in an interrogation, his man allowed the suspect to take his gun. I should have known what was going on when he wasn't arrested immediately too, but I was focused on you. I was certain my name would keep you safe, but Ignatev had his men working on you."

Abigail took a deep breath and looked at him. "And then it stopped, very abruptly after two days, and the new men were very subdued and I could smell their fear. That was even more frightening. You did that, didn't you?" Her heart was pounding now, so hard her chest hurt. She didn't want the truth because she couldn't face that part of him. She knew he was ruthless, but she didn't know if she could look at how deep that trait ran in him. The men interrogating her had whispered among themselves, casting glances her way, obviously very frightened of even talking with her. She had been afraid, at first, that she was going to be shot "accidentally," but then she heard Aleksandr's name whispered and the things they said had terrified her.

"I did what I had to do to protect you and get you safely out of the country. In doing so, I made a bitter, relentless enemy and he retaliated by putting out a hit on me."

Abigail shook her head. She didn't want to know what he'd done to get her out of the country. She'd been glad to go and was grateful she had gotten out, but she was very much afraid it had cost lives and she already had enough blood on her hands.

"Aleksandr, how can you be so calm about it? How can you sit there calmly and tell me someone is going to try to kill you?"

"It's a way of life, Abbey. It's the only way I know."

"Well, it sucks."

"Quite possibly."

He was looking at her with his heart in his eyes. Not pleading. Aleksandr never pleaded, but all the same, he looked at her as if she belonged to him. She shook her head fiercely. "It isn't my world. I can't live like that and you can't take back everything that happened. You just can't."

"I'm not trying to take it back. There were mistakes, I'll admit that, but we have to find our way back to one another. I know you don't love Jonas Harrington. And I can't look at other women. What are we doing apart?"

Abigail shook her head, her hand going defensively to her heart. "There is no way back. I'm not willing to risk who and what I am again. I don't trust you enough to hand either my life or my magic over to you again."

"Damn it, Abbey. You had to have understood I couldn't be implicated in any way. In my country there is always a scapegoat. I was so close to catching the killer. If I were removed from the case, he would have had months, maybe years to continue. It took me so long to even get close to him."

"Whatever you did afterward to get me out of the country, I'm grateful for, but you gave me to them. You sacrificed me."

"There was no other choice. You would be detained and interrogated, but I knew with my contacts I could get you free and out of the country immediately. It never occurred to me that Ignatev would choose that opportunity to strike at me. It should have, but it didn't." Aleksandr could see the hurt on her face. It ran deep and he hated that he'd been the one to put it there. "I was so close, Abbey, to catching that child killer. I could reach out and touch him, I was that close. If I had come forward everything would have been lost and I would have been responsible for any children he killed after that. My every instinct was to protect you first, to protect you, my heart and soul, but it would have been selfish."

"How was it selfish to tell the truth? You saved your career and you obviously got a promotion. You're working with Interpol so you're still in good standing. You weren't the one being slapped and kicked in that interrogation room. You weren't the one with that poor man's blood all over your clothes. They didn't even let me change. It doesn't really matter that you thought I'd be all right. You let them take me. It was a betrayal whether you want to see that or not. You let them take me."

"Damn it, Abbey." Aleksandr rubbed his face hard to rid himself of the image of her, crying, covered in bloodstains, two men towering over her to intimidate her, shouting at her, accusing her. "If it hadn't been for those children, don't you think I would have stepped forward right away?"

"I don't know, Aleksandr. How could I know? I lived through hell and I couldn't even come home and get comfort from my sisters. How could I tell them what I'd done, what I'd been responsible for? A man died because of me. I used my gifts for something I should never have been involved with because of you. Because I loved you and I would have done anything for you. Because I believed in you. You took everything away from me. Even this." She spread her arms wide to encompass her home. "You left me nothing."

He touched her because he had to, even though he knew she would flinch away from him. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, you did. You destroyed me. I don't know why you're here, Aleksandr, the real reason, and I'm not going to ask you. I don't use that part of me ever. For any reason. My gift is flawed, or perhaps it's me, but it's more harmful than good." Abbey leapt up before he could stop her and paced across the room again. "I don't understand how the house let you in."

"The door was wide open. I'm telling you, Abbey, it's dangerous. You have to have tight security around here until we figure out what Prakenskii is doing here."

"The house would never allow an enemy in. We were careless once and nearly were killed. Even Aunt Carol helped us tonight and she's very powerful." She was talking more to herself than to him.

"I am not your enemy. Even your damned house knows that, Abbey. Will you pay attention to what's important? Put aside your anger toward me for long enough to understand that you're in danger. Your sisters could be in danger. Prakenskii wouldn't be here scouting out your home if someone weren't interested in you, even if it is because of your relationship to me. And his friends are not nice."

"I don't suppose they are. I'll be careful, Aleksandr." She had to remember to call him by his more formal name rather than the more intimate Russian form. She could so easily be swept away by him. He was a strong man, tough and hard inside and out, even lethal, yet with her he had always been so loving and gentle and protective. He said things to her that sounded like sheer poetry...until she needed him. And then, when it mattered the most, he had denied everything between them and left her alone to be terrified and humiliated. "Now please go. Whatever you really came here for, I want no part of it."

Aleksandr sighed. Her soft mouth was set in a stubborn line and no matter what he said, she wouldn't hear him. She wouldn't let herself hear him. "I'll go, Abbey, but this isn't over between us."/>   He put his shoes on again, taking his time while she watched him in silence. "I'm not going to just quietly go away. This isn't over between us." He stood up, towering over her. "Take some precautions. All of you. Make the others understand these people play for keeps."

"I said I would. Go out the door. I'll walk you down." The thought of him climbing down the side of the house was frightening.

"I'll go out the same way I came in." He walked right up to her. Abbey didn't back up, but then he knew she wouldn't. Abbey was a strong woman and she didn't let too many things threaten her. "Stay away from Harrington until we work this out."

Abigail could hardly breathe with him so close to her. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

He bent his head toward her upturned face until their lips were a breath apart. "You know me better than any person alive. You know the truth about who and what I am. I gave you the truth when you asked for it. I said I loved you with everything in me. I don't love easily, but I love completely. I want you back, Abbey, and I'm going to do whatever it takes."

For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. She could see it in his eyes. The need. The longing. But he turned and left her bedroom.

4

"JOLEY, come on. Wake up!" Abbey shook her sister.

Joley groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "Are you crazy? It's still dark. I never get up this early. It isn't sane."

"Get up. You have to come with me."

"Abbey, you're freakin' crazy. Go back to bed. I'm definitely not getting up before the sun is up. Noon. Wake me at noon."

"Not noon...now! I think one of my dolphins is hurt. I want to go take a look at him."

Joley pulled down the cover so she could glare at her sister. "You think he's hurt? It's freezing cold in the ocean. And there are sharks. It isn't happening. Haven't you heard? I'm an honest-to-God celebrity. I don't do mornings."

"Get your butt out of bed." Abbey ripped off the blanket and hit Joley over the head with a pillow. "You aren't the star of anything in this house. I need someone with me and you're elected."

"Why me?" Joley wailed, sitting up.

"Because, aside from Hannah, you have the skills I need. And if something goes wrong, Hannah's not a strong swimmer."

"Great, that sounds ominous. Well the least you could have done was get me a cup of tea. And you could tell me about your mysterious visitor last night. Sheesh, it was hell trying to get to sleep wondering."

"I don't want to talk about him. Not now. Maybe never."

"Great. That's great, Abbey, wake me up and don't even give me any good gossip. I don't do mornings."

"I hear the dolphins calling me, Joley," Abbey said. "Something's wrong."

"Oh, all right. But you owe me big-time. And so do the dolphins. You can tell them you're going to bring me swimming with you when you go out next and they have to be nice and accept me." Joley trudged across the floor to the bathroom. "Do I need a wet suit?"

"No, but you might want to bring a gun."

Joley stuck her head around the door, her toothbrush in her mouth. "A gun?" Her face brightened considerably. "Why do I need a gun? Who do I get to shoot?"

"You don't get to shoot anyone, you nut. It's only just in case. That, and you're a good shot."

"Better than Hannah," Joley acknowledged. "She closes her eyes when she squeezes the trigger. It drives Jonas up the wall."

"That's probably why she does it, although she can hit a target dead center nine times out of ten. You just happen to hit dead center every time. And Hannah wouldn't actually kill anyone and you would."

"It might be you if you ever drag me out of bed this early again," Joley warned. "But I would forgive you if you'd give me gossip about your midnight caller...." She looked hopeful. When Abbey shook her head and frowned at her, Joley sighed and capitulated. "Where are we going? I thought your boat was floating out at sea somewhere, or did Jonas have it towed in?"

"Of course Jonas had the boat towed; he always takes care of every little detail. But the dolphins are in Sea Lion Cove so you won't have to go out in a boat if we're lucky."

"That's good. Do I really need a gun?"

"Yes. And you might have to use it. Some hotshot hit man was skulking around last night."

"Good God, Abbey, we need to call Jonas." Joley dragged on a pair of sweatpants and a heavy shirt. "What in the world have you gotten yourself involved with? I'm the one usually in trouble. You're the good girl."

Abbey studied her sister. "How do you manage to look like you do first thing in the morning? No makeup, you haven't even combed your hair, and you're in sweats, yet you manage to look like a million bucks. I swear, you and Hannah did something right in another life. I wouldn't mind waking up and looking like you."

Joley blew her a kiss. "That's a nice thing to say, especially after you didn't have the decency to bring me a cup of tea. If you aren't taking out a boat, how are we going to get down to the cove? Are we climbing down the cliffs? My rock-climbing skills leave something to be desired."

"I thought we'd use the old smugglers' route. I have a key to the old mill. Kate's renovating it with Matt's help, although they're so busy with their wedding plans they haven't done much work on it yet. There's an old stairway leading through the tunnel to the cove. Kate told me it was an old smugglers' route a hundred years ago or something like that. I didn't want to take the time to drive to the harbor, so the stairs will be the quickest way."

"Why is it I feel like we're about to get into big trouble?" Joley asked as she pulled a gun from her top drawer, loaded it, and slipped it into her purse.

"Why do you have your own gun?" Abbey asked. "I thought we'd use the one Jonas left here for protection, or maybe one of Sarah's."

"Because I get weird letters from crazed fans that scare the hell out of me sometimes," Joley answered. "I told you, now confess everything." She tiptoed down the stairs, following close on Abigail's heels. "Start with the hot Russian you may or may not be engaged to. From there, go to the hotshot hit man."

Abbey paused on the stairs. "What do you mean you get weird letters from crazed fans? You said something at Christmas about that. What's going on?"

Joley shrugged. "It comes with the territory. Hannah's a well-known model and she gets them. Kate writes books and she's had a few. I sell a few million albums and get out on a stage and sing to forty or fifty thousand people at a time and I receive them as well. It isn't a big deal, but sometimes it gets to me."

"Good grief. I had no idea. Have you told Sarah? She has tons of experience. She worked in security forever. And what about Jonas? He'd have an idea or two."

Joley laughed. "He'd make us all quit and hide in a closet. The point is, we're in the public eye where disturbed people can fixate on us and then threaten us for who knows what reason. A perceived slight maybe. But you work out in the ocean with dolphins. Hotshot hit men shouldn't be interested in you."

"No, they shouldn't. Maybe it was one of you he was interested in." Abigail frowned. "I didn't think of that because the man who was killed yesterday was Russian and the men who killed him were obviously Russian. Aleksandr is Russian and works for Interpol and something big is obviously happening around here. I was going to call Jonas, but have to see if I can help the dolphins first. They saved my life. And if Gene lives, they saved his life too."

Joley followed Abbey out of the house. "Why would the Russians even be remotely interested in you--or me, for that matter? I can't imagine our little Hannah or Kate getting them riled up. And how in the world did you meet that incredibly good-looking Aleksandr?"

"Remember when I was diving in Patagonia, studying dusky dolphins?" Abigail replied. She opened the front door with stealth, not wanting to wake her other sisters. "Joley, do you think the binding spells we use on the house work? Remember the time Sarah was guarding Damon, before they were engaged, and those men broke in and were going to shoot us?"

"We certainly got off the subject quick," Joley grouse

d. "Every time I want an answer to something you just slide right onto another subject. What does that have to do with the hot Russian?"

"Don't call him hot. I don't want to think about him being hot or cold or anything else. I wish he'd go back to Russia." Abigail toed one of the two bags she had packed and had waiting on the steps. "Here, you take this one. It's not that heavy."

Joley picked it up and glared at her sister. "Are you out of your mind? This thing weighs a ton. And it doesn't exactly leave my gun hand free. If we get shot dead, don't you go blaming me. And for your information, Patagonia is not part of Russia." She carried the bag to the car, muttering every inch of the way.

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what?" Joley stuffed the bag in the backseat and frowned at Abigail.

"Whine, whine, whine."

"Yes. At three o'clock in the morning with no tea or coffee, yes absolutely I whine. Humans aren't meant to wake up before noon and if you want me to be pleasant, come talk to me then." Joley slid into the passenger seat and crossed her arms.

"You are such a baby. Put your seat belt on. And for your information, it isn't three in the morning, it happens to be six-thirty."

Joley shrugged. "Same difference. And if you want cooperation, get back to the hot Russian. It's the only subject worth discussing."

"Believe me, he isn't worth discussing. Don't go falling for him, either."

Joley snorted. "I don't fall for men. I run as fast and as far as I can. I am not about to get all gooey-eyed like Kate and Sarah." She shuddered. "The idea is downright scary." The teasing glint faded from her eyes. "Why are you worried about the house?"

"It let him in. Last night. All of us lit the candles and performed the ritual to bind the house, but he was able to get in. Even Aunt Carol helped and she's very powerful. Elle and you and Hannah all can cast and yet the house let him in."

Joley glanced sideways at Abigail and then away. She cleared her throat. "Him? The Russian?" Joley kept her tone casual.

"Yes, of course the Russian." Abbey bit the admission out through clenched teeth. The fog had drifted in as it often did in the early morning and lay heavy over the twisting highway. She drove slowly, not taking any chances, when she felt like racing to get away from the implications of her home's acceptance of the Interpol agent. "The house allowed him entry after all of us linked together to put a binding spell on it. Our magic isn't working."