A Debt Owed

Chapter 14

I was already in the bathroom and peeking out through the door that I held ajar relaxing the instant I saw that it was Kirill returning, his arms filled with garment and shopping bags.

“Now how did I know that that would be your hiding place.” He teased dumping all the packages on the bed.

“I’m starting to think it is my second home.”

He half smiled at me. “Did you get the blueprints?”

I rummaged through the packages picking out mine, moving it all to the couch. “Yeah, I’m waiting for something to come through now. It shouldn’t take too long.”

I found myself watching him; I couldn’t help it, as he emptied the contents of the envelope he took out of his pocket on the table before shrugging out of his jacket then hung it over the back of the chair.

Geez woman you’re allowing yourself to get distracted by this man again. Keep your mind on the job. Still it has been a long time since I allowed a man to get under my skin. What the Hell was wrong with me.

My attention was forced back to the task at hand when the computer chimed announcing the arrival of the documents. Hearing it also Kirill walked over to peer over my shoulder, one hand resting on my chair, as I downloaded and opened the encrypted files.

The blueprints and security schematics of the building in question came up on the screen. I managed to get a good friend of mine to hack into the Department of Development and Infrastructure and retrieve the schematics for the apartment complex just so we could familiarise ourselves with the layout of the place. We were walking in the front door but after we get the package we may not be able to exit the same way, a second route would have to be figured out.

Kirill studied the screen then reached over to point out where the main office was in which the package would be and where the security guards were going to be located. “They will have guns.”

I slowly glanced up at him. Damn this was getting more impossible by the minute.

“Once we’re inside the room you have to hack into the computer to download what we need.” His eyes flashed down to mine. I responded to his compliment and his faith in my abilities with the faintest of smiles; well at least I thought he was giving me a compliment. His hand reached from the back of the chair to lightly squeeze my shoulder, “We can do this Madison.”

It took the best part of an hour to shift through all of the information and formulate a plan. It could work. It most probably would work. No better yet; it better the Hell work or the outcome was not going to be pretty.

“Well if I’m going to be awake and alert this evening I’m going to have to take a nap. You can finish reading things.” I stood and went over to the bed, I was feeling tired especially since last night took a lot out of me. As soon as my head hit the pillow my entire body seemed to sigh with relief. I continued to watch him at the computer until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and fell asleep.

“Madison … Madison?”

The calling of my name dragged me out of my dream state where I was bathed in the bright warm sun surrounded by sand and sea. My eyes opened to find Kirill sitting on the edge of the bed; one arm across me propping himself up, dressed in only a towel. Totally handsome. Totally devastating. His dark hair still damp from the shower he just had, I felt the heat rise from his freshly scrubbed skin urging me to inhale that now familiar scent of him. He showered more frequently than any other man I’ve known. He had to stop doing this to me; turning me around and scrambling my brain with emotions I didn’t want to feel. It wasn’t fair.

“Time to wake up, we have to leave soon.” In an unexpected moment of intimacy he brushed the few stray strands of hair away from my face. I responded by stroking his arm and he suddenly stopped; as if only just realising what he was doing withdrawing both emotionally and physically. The tender moment that sparked between us subsequently vanished.

I got up and gathered my clothes then retreated into the bathroom.

I paused in the open doorway of the hotel’s cocktail lounge as the muffled sounds of music, the clinking of glasses and far-off conversations floated out to greet me. It was almost full with people. Most had already congregated into their small groups; co-workers concluding their day with having drinks with their colleagues, couples embarking on their evening dates and a scattering of hotel guests unwinding from the adventures of touring the city. The décor was an extension of the theme in the rest of the hotel; prestigious yet masculine with its shades of browns and earth tones. The main bar was near the main entrance on the left hand side leaving the rest of the space to be taken up by small tables and comfortable arm chairs and couples couches, some in semi-secluded corners for added privacy. This was me accepting his invitation, which was dispensed by leaving a hand written note on the bed as he left before I finished in the bathroom, to meet him for pre-dinner drinks in the bar. What the Hell, was this a date?

I was feeling nervous as it was, go figure. Must be what I was wearing, pricey dresses fills a woman’s mind with all kinds of fantasies. Well for this evening Kirill and I were pretending to be a couple at least. I stopped just a step inside the doorway now sucking in a deep breath to steady unusual nerves, skimming my hands over my stomach and thighs smoothing the material down those curves before absent-mindedly playing with my bracelet. It and a matching pair of earrings were left with the note, the final touch in this charade I guess. They looked like diamonds but where probably expensive cubic zirconia’s; I never tested them out but they looked real enough. I had to appear confident and financially well off, a corporate brat with plenty of spare money to burn, well time for me to jump into the deep end.

I finally located Kirill, he was occupying one of the leather armchairs and he wasn’t alone. I took a seat at the bar close to them not wanting to interrupt, but maybe I would get lucky and overhear some of what they were saying. All I could make out so far from my barely passable attempt at lip reading was that they weren’t speaking English. The people milling around the bar provided me with some cover as Kirill hadn’t noticed me yet. He continued to sit, smoking the long cigar, totally immersed in the deep conversation with the man opposite. He seemed very comfortable in the dark suit, tie and white dress shirt blending in superbly with the luxurious surrounds.

The visitor slid what looked like a gold cigarette case across the coffee table to Kirill, but I couldn’t be certain there were just two many people milling around me to get a clear view. He never bothered inspecting the item and simply slipped it into his jacket pocket. Then the crowd thinned out somewhat around me and that was when Kirill’s gaze locked on to me. He paused in mid-sentence as his eyes lingered for a moment before both men stood; the visitor shook his hand then promptly left. On his way out he made a point of checking me out; both front and back, head to toe, up and down. He was kinda cute that I noted and that he was packing a weapon, hand gun in a holster on his left side judging by the bulkiness of one side of his jacket.

Guess that was my cue to approach. I walked slowly towards him as he remained standing and watched me. The floor length sky blue evening dress clung to my every curve; the thigh high split on the left side allowed me some freedom of movement and flashed just enough skin to be of interest. Well he did say he wanted me to look the part; the lady friend of a wealthy potential campaign investor was what he asked me to be. It wasn’t as if he specified if he needed me to carry any concealed weapons to the party.

He didn’t sit back down until I had occupied the chair opposite him, allowing himself another long slow draw on the cigar as he continued to watch me smooth out the dress as I sat in the leather chair. I had to be careful because the split in the dress rode up my thigh a lot higher than I bargained on and if I wasn’t careful I could be flashing my underwear to the entire room. It didn’t bother me any if Kirill saw; not any more. In fact it kind of excited me to know he caught a glimpse, just a sneak peak of my panties. Cause I definitely wanted to see what he was wearing under that suit. Parts of my body tingled and moistened at the prospect of that happening. In a perfect world; if this was really a date there would be not doubt he’d be finding out later tonight exactly what I had on. Yet it wasn’t meant to be so.

We didn’t speak and I didn’t enquire about the man he was talking to. The young waiter who quietly approached diverted our attention from one another. I glanced up at his fresh awaiting face, “I’ll have whatever he’s drinking.”

The waiter turned to Kirill who took a long time to answer him. Slowly raising the cigar he ran his tongue along his lips wetting them before sliding it into his mouth, sucking it just a little to inhale its goodness. Damn he was turning me on. I stared on silently wishing he would simply lean across the table and do that to me, right there in the chair in front of everyone. I wouldn’t have cared what they thought. “Cognac,” was the only word he spoke to the waiter.

My cognac promptly arrived and I raised the glass in his direction before taking a sip of the warm liquid, praying that it would wash the obscene thoughts from my mind. Then I tried to relax back into the chair, pretty difficult with those eyes still on me. “Why the pre-party drinks?”

He took a long moment to answer. “No reason. I thought you might like to get away from the room.”

I half smiled still feeling somewhat flushed. Another witty comment, he was being a bona fide comedian tonight. “Yeah well staring at the wallpaper grows tiresome after a while. The owner of the room must really love the drab brown and greens of the décor.”

An hour of pleasant casual conversation, all of it in Russian guess he didn’t what to speak English anymore, passed as well as one more round of drinks before Kirill indicated it was time to go. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed between us; perhaps he needed some down time before tonight’s mission. Maybe this was part of his routine to go over the plan in his mind one more time. Then just maybe he wanted to simply enjoy a drink with me. Who knew for certain?

I stood making my way out; I was stopped by him subsequently draping his long coat over my shoulders. I left the room without even thinking about grabbing mine. His hand lingered on my shoulder then slid down my arm a little as he stepped closer. I could almost fell his body pressed against my back as he leaned to whisper quickly in my ear. “You look truly beautiful tonight.”

I turned to reply finding that he hadn’t rushed to move away as he had so often done before. My cheek grazed his unshaven chin sending tremors racing through me throwing me off guard as he placed a soft fleeting kiss there before stepping back. There was no time to react or say anything as he ushered me outside into the waiting car and driver; who was the man Kirill was talking to inside, as the heavens opened and the cool rain began to fall. We hardly spoke hardly spoke during the half hour journey; it was my turn to go over the plan in my mind. The job seemed simple enough but then again things in this business rarely are simple just that.

The apartment building wasn’t a modern structure. Art Nuevo in its exterior design and didn’t look out of place in this part of town. Once inside the main lobby was far more prestigious than the photos or the plans initially shown, meticulous care was taken in the restoration and the authenticity of the era it was originally constructed in. There were a lot of neutral tones with many of the antique furnishings were gold plated as well as there being a crystal chandelier suspended from the centre of the ceiling. The penthouse loft was at the very top of the ten story building.

As we waited for the lift to return I casually glanced around taking note of the set up; there was no real security down here except for the doorman and only one main entrance. A fire exit was off to the side and a stairwell leading to the undercover car park below.

Another couple entered with us and I politely returned the older woman’s smile as she noted Kirill slide his hand around my waist letting it rest on my hip, he was still staring ahead anticipating the doors opening. The woman inspected us as a couple and then winked her approval of him. I tried not to blush. We struck up a conversation as we all exited the lift making our way towards the plain clothes security guards at the entrance hall inspecting all invitations and names on the guest list. As she talked I did the same as before, casually noted the layout of the apartment and surroundings, seeing it they matched the blueprints. Both bodyguards even though dressed in suits were carrying guns, probably two; one at their side under the jackets and a backup strapped to their ankles. No doubt both were ex-police or military which mean they were predictable in their routines. Odds were in my favour that they played the rules.

Our newly found friends weren’t in any particular hurry to leave and happily gave us the rundown on exactly who our gracious host was. It seems he was a Mathematics Professor who majored in the computer sciences and whose part-time hobbies just happened to include politics and computer programming; an extremely dangerous combination in the wrong hands. The apartment was ostentatiously modern with its gadgets, state of the art home theatre system with giant wall mounted plasma TV and suede furniture. Even with all its modernness the place still wreaked of old money. Various artworks painted by artists long dead adorned almost every wall which stated he was either a connoisseur or just a show pony. There was also an assortment of antique porcelain vases and ornaments, he could have very well been a collector or odds were it was inherited. The Income seemed to support his flamboyant lifestyle quite well.

We mingled with the other guests, blending in introducing ourselves as keen campaign backers and Kirill carried the farce further adding that he was an investment banker and I was a computer analyst. Yeah I could easily wing that persona, fingers crossed. We talked to more guests, nibbled on more snacks, sipped more champagne and delved further into the life of our host, the child prodigy.

They were the city’s elite; mostly young upwardly mobile professionals with more money than time on their hands. They seemed to adore and praise our illustrious host as if he was their new intellectual messiah. A few others were people I vaguely recognised as having questionable pasts, even more dubious business dealings and affiliates. Dear God I hoped I didn’t run into any of my clients or anyone who knew my line of work in return.

We’d finally got a chance to meet our host Professor Heinz Ruger; although he was a lot younger than I pictured, aged in his mid-twenties, along with the candidate he was endorsing. They seemed pleasant enough and to me appeared to be more than just friends. Their body language was subtle but both men knew each other intimately, I’d say they acted more like a couple than mere business partners.

The haunting melody floated from the piano and violin in the corner, they were more noticeable now that most of the preliminary “meet & greet” was over and done with, as couples started breaking away moving to the dance floor. Kirill’s discretely inspected the room with hawk-like precision, careful to note the human traffic on the stairwell and the second level. He turned to face me and I, totally caught up in the party atmosphere thought he was going to ask me to dance. I clearly deflated when he didn’t.

“I’ll be right back; I’m going to look around.” Handing me his glass he softly and haphazardly kissed my cheek maintaining the charade that we were a couple, twirling my long ear-ring around his finger as he did so. Then he left me there all alone.

Even our tour-guides had retreated to the dance floor enjoying the music and one another. They were oblivious to all around them, having eyes for each other as they whispered in low tones using that secret language that only lovers knew. I watched them a little longer that I intended, to some extent envious of the romantic moment encompassing the two. Sometimes I wished my life to be normal and to simply have someone there to share it with.

Funny, it seems I have discovered far more regrets in my life since Kirill stumbled into it. It was as if he was shining a light, illuminating everything that was missing from it.

“It would be a shame to let such beautiful music go to waste.”

Startled I turned towards the origin of the softly spoken male voice; finding it’s owners steady gaze squarely one me. Serene ocean blue eyes, neatly trimmed short dusty blond hair and a pleasant handsome face greeted me. He was taller than average with no outstanding features and an athletic physique as far as I could tell from the expertly tailored dark suit. I took my time in answering.

The stranger patiently awaited my reply, glancing from time to time to the dance floor then back to me. This time he took the champagne glasses placing them on the nearby table before holding out his hand to me. “May I have this dance?”

I hesitated for a moment then decided ‘what the Hell’, Kirill was off doing whatever he was doing and I was left to occupy my time somehow. I accepted the offer for a dance. He smiled in return gently twirling me onto the dance floor and into this embrace. We froze anticipated the slow tune to gradually start.

He never told me his name and I didn’t offer mine. He didn’t even ask me many questions we just mainly exchanged small talk about the party and city in general. His German was perfectly spoken but there was a slight hint that it was not his native language. His hand slid lower down my back resting a fraction above my arse prompting me to step closer to him, if not only to hear him more clearly as he spoke in deliberate low tones. With every sentence he leaned closer swaying us in time to the music. Yeah we were flirting, big time.

When his hand grazed my bare skin at my back I shivered with the excitement and surprise of the contact. His fingers caressed my spine; their tips were more softer and less calloused than Kirill’s. Yet my sensitive skin still picked up the hardened bumps on his thumb and fingers particularly his trigger finger. This man handled guns regularly, nothing out of the ordinary there though. He could simply be in police or military but my intuition shouted something much darker and menacing.

My body stiffened at the realisation and my defences slammed into place. I stopped dancing and stared up at him desperate to come up with an escape route. A frown came across his pleasant features as his arms loosened around me. Lucky for me the music had ended allowing me the opportunity for a graceful and speedy exit.

“Thanks for the dance.” I stepped back from him and his arm slid from around my waist altogether.

Suddenly I glanced up towards the second floor as if an invisible force had pressed me to, finding Kirill glaring down at me; at us. He was standing bracing himself against the banister; his knuckles turning white as he strangled the wood in his bare hands. His eyes had turned ice cold and as dark as Hell itself, his jaw clenched so tight the vein at his temple was about ready to explode.

Judging by Kirill’s reaction I instantly knew my suspicious about this stranger were right. The short blond hair, clam blue eyes, unassuming face that could easily blend into any crowd; it could have only been one man that fit that description and pushed Kirill’s buttons like that. Everyone in the underground had heard the stories of their confrontation but I thought he was long gone from Berlin.

Kirill rushed down the stairs pushing his way through the crowd of people, I could see his hand disappear under his jacket going for the gun that now wasn’t there. Habit.

I backed away from the man. People around us weren’t paying any attention to what was going on and continued about their business. By the time I turned to seize one more good look at him to verify his identity he was gone, vanishing as quickly as he appeared. I searched the room for him wondering if he saw and recognised Kirill. Stupid me I should have been on my guard and realised who he was sooner.

“Do you know each other?”

I felt the heat of Kirill’s question and the sting of his grasp as he squeezed both my arms pulling me towards him. I slammed to his immoveable body and fury. “No, I had no idea. He just was there and asked me to dance.”

I had never witnessed Kirill this angry before, usually he displayed a resolve and unreadable calm. His nostrils flared and I could feel his pulse race with adrenaline as he scanned the room for the mystery man.

“It was him wasn’t it?” I softly spoke fearing that any sudden burst of sound would set him off; still at the same time I had to know the answer.

Kirill snapped his wild eyes to me, a few seconds passed before he answered. A small number of swear words passed his lips first. “Da, it was Bourne.”

“Oh shit Jason Bourne.” Now I was swearing, “Do you think he recognised you?”

His grip tightened on my arm as he dragged me away and out towards the deserted balcony. “I’m not taking that chance. We have to get this thing done now.”