Page 21 of Exacting Vengeance

“I should be there.” The words were out before she could stop them.

Kyle’s brows snapped together. “Be where?”

“With Aly, at the trial.” It was a risk, but it was the professional and human thing to do.

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “No.”

“Yes.” She smacked her hand on the table, surprising herself at how adamant she was on the subject.

He leaned in. “You’re not thinking this through.”

“I have thought it through. The FBI is paying for my consultation, but she’s still my client, and I take my professional obligations very seriously. Unlike some people, I won’t abandon her.” She knew that barb would dig deep. Sure enough, the muscle in his jaw ticked faster.

“I think it’s an excellent idea.” Greg nodded his approval, as did Morrison.

Kyle glared across the table at his boss. The deep breath he took stretched his suit jacket over his broad chest.

“I think we’re all in agreement, then,” Morrison said. “We’ll see you at the trial on Monday. Agent Gates will make arrangements with you.”

Adrenaline raced through her veins. Kelly – 1. Special Agent Gates – 0. She resisted pumping her fist in the air.

Then reality settled in like the plague.

She’d just made things worse. Horribly worse.

What she ought to do was put as much space between her and Kyle and her former life as possible. Instead, she’d accomplished the polar opposite.

A wave of dizziness hit her, and her hands began to shake. Everything important in her new life was now in serious jeopardy. Her job, her friendships with Brad and Tracee, even her very identity. She’d worked so hard to get where she was now, and one man could end it all with the snap of his fingers. Worse, if he ever discovered the secret she’d been keeping all these years…

She had to get out of there. As far away from Kyle Gates as she could possibly get.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have other appointments this afternoon.” A lie, but whatever. “Please call my office with instructions about Monday.” Without looking at Kyle, she gathered her things and headed for the door. With every step, she felt his piercing gaze burning into her back.

Once in the hallway, she searched for the ladies’ room and slipped in just as another woman was leaving. She rushed into the closest stall and locked the door. After setting her briefcase on a ledge, she leaned over the toilet and threw up.

Chapter Ten

Kyle ran the meaty part of his index finger along the blue paper square, making another valley fold, the first of what would be many in his origami dragon. Over the years, he’d advanced from simple cranes to more elaborate shapes, like elephants, lions, and even an F-18 Hornet jet fighter.

Funny, how something that had started out as a little craft project during the best time of his life had become his therapy during the worst of times. Now he did it when he needed to clear the cobwebs—or anything else—from his brain.

He shook his head, still having a difficult time believing it was really Viktoria Petrova. For about three seconds, he hadn’t recognized her. Then he’d seen the shock and fear in her eyes. She probably hadn’t known until today he was an FBI agent. Finding out this way must have been a slap to the face. Watching her during the meeting and not being able to explain had been difficult as hell.

He smoothed another fold in the dragon, realizing he’d been as shocked as she’d been. So many things about her were different now; so many things the same. Like when their hands touched, heat had seared him from the outside in. No one else in his life ever had that powerful effect on him.

She’d changed her last name and her hair color. Both smart ideas. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been unnaturally thin. Today, the purple skirt-and-jacket suit she’d worn emphasized her beautiful curves. Her once thick, blond hair was now a rich coppery brown with shiny highlights. Some things, however, could never be changed. Her eyes were still a vivid cornflower-blue, and she still had that same ethereal elegance few women ever achieved. She’d always been pretty but usually hid her face behind dark glasses and a mile-high wall of shyness. Today, he’d been dumbstruck by her beauty and something else. This woman was different.

This woman was…empowered.

Ten years ago, he’d feared for her life. Today, she’d been totally kick-ass, full of fire, and protecting her client like a lioness protecting her cub. Now, aside from the emotional jolt of seeing him again she seemed capable of taking on the world. That woman wouldn’t want anyone to know about her past, despite having come so far.

He always knew she could be so much more, but he never had the chance to stick around and find out. Something he’d always regretted. There’d been no other choice. For so many reasons he’d lost count, he couldn’t have stayed. The first reason on that list was Yuri Petrov, Victoria’s ex-husband. Victoria with a C—the way she’d spelled it on the background check documents he’d reviewed.

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep inhale, letting the air whoosh slowly from his mouth as he put another fold in his origami. He’d never expected to see her again.

Yuri Petrov was the only reason he’d come into her life at all. Like her, Yuri hadn’t known he’d been a federal agent. After being arrested, he’d found out through his attorney and legal discovery. Due to the ironclad evidence he’d compiled, Yuri’s attorney convinced him to plead guilty to avoid risking exposure to the maximum sentence a federal judge could impose. For Victoria’s sake, he’d wanted Yuri put away for life. If he’d managed to dig up evidence of Yuri and Nikolai Lebedev kidnapping and killing those missing Russians, he could have. As it was, he’d nailed Semyon Novikov with the lengthiest sentence, followed by Yuri with ten years and Lebedev four. That was another thing that pissed him off.

He knew damn well Lebedev ordered the murder that Boris Kolbayev—Lebedev’s first line brigadier—had carried out. Like Yuri, Kolbayev hadn’t squealed on the boss and was about to take the full brunt of the federal legal system. Somehow, Yuri and Lebedev kept skating free of the one charge that would land them in prison for life. Murder.