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Chapter 20
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The Darkest Hour Chapter 21
Pale morning light roused Kenzie from one of the deepest sleeps she'd ever had. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly as she took in the elegant and lavish room around her.This isn't home. This isShe was bewildered for a long moment, wondering how she'd gotten here, in Russia with her professor and in his bed. Memories from last night hit her, and she winced as she shifted. Her inner legs were sore, and between her thighs hurt too. She bit her lip to hide a smile.Dr. Devereaux sure knew how to make love, as they had stared into each other's eyes and he'd gone slow, it had rocked her to her very core. She hadn't been a virgin before, but that last time was what every girl dreamed her first time would be like.She sat up in bed, still tender all over, and it felt good. She tucked her knees up to her chin and realized she was smiling. She couldn't seem to stop. That was when she heard it, the sound of the shower running and the voice of a man singing in deep tones. Normally, a man s
The Darkest Hour Chapter 22
Vadym Andreikiv sat in his leather chair in his office, glaring at Jov Tomenko."You said they were in Moscow, but you lost track of them at the airport."Jov was a burly brute born in Siberia. He was a man of few words, and he kept secrets well, but if he didn't start talking, then Vadym would replace himpermanently."They hired a private car service. Our hacker team checked all the major databases and the taxicabs. Electronic receipts are easy to track these days, but we couldn't get a lock on their location."Vadym pulled a cigar cutter from his desk and stared at Jov as he sliced off the tip of the cigar with a menacing sound."Think carefully about your next words, Jov. You don't want to displease me."Jov audibly swallowed."I'll find them. Or""Or?""Well, you could lure him to you, couldn't you? Put the word out where you can be found. Make Devereaux come to us. Then I can deal with him." Jov clenched his hands together, his knuckles cracking.Vadym considered the ide
The Darkest Hour Chapter 23
Royce faced Moscow State University's vast central building located on Sparrow Hills in the southwest part of the city. The building had been designed by Lev Vladimirovich Rudnev and was the tallest of Moscow's Seven Sisters, the high-rises built by Stalin's labor force. It was both grim and beautiful at the same time."Holy cow." Kenzie tilted her head back to look up at the center spire that reached toward the cloudless winter sky."One of the tallest buildings in the world, aside from the Sears Tower, until 1990," Hans said as he joined them. Royce and Kenzie both turned to stare at him."What?" He shrugged. "You guys didn't grab a brochure from the hotel lobby before we left?" He waved a small pamphlet.Royce sighed and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He needed another hit of coffee. "This isn't a vacation, Hans.""You say super-secret mission to stop a Russian mobster, I say vacation. To-ma-to, to-mah-toe." Kenzie giggled as Hans waggled his eyebrows teasingly.
The Darkest Hour Chapter 24
Kenzie held her breath as she snapped the expensive black bra around her torso. The silky set was given to her by Royce earlier in the day, and they were definitely on the slightly too-tight side, making her feel restless and uncomfortable, even though the fabric was smooth and light against her skin.As she adjusted the lingerie and looked herself over in the mirror, her thoughts turned from the elastic biting into her ass cheeks toward the things Royce would want to do to her once he saw her in the lingerie. She squeezed her thighs tight and slipped a shimmering knee-length gold sheath dress over the lingerie, then slipped on the black heels and finally a black coat with a fur collar.She stepped out of the bathroom unnoticed by either Royce or Hans, who were caught up discussing their strategy for the night. Royce wore a black suit and a blue-gray shirt with a steel-gray tie. His wild, wavy dark hair had been tamed back a little, and he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed a
The Darkest Hour Chapter 25
Kenzie was led into a room at the front of the hall. There was a massive bed with expensive furnishings. The restraints and the wall of toys were like the room Royce had taken her into in the Gilded Cuff, albeit a bit darker and less elegant. Dimitri was already there waiting, his coat off, his shirtsleeves rolled up. He walked along the wall of toys, examining each one. Kenzie halted a few feet inside the door when she saw him pick up a flogger."Oh God," she said. This two-man fantasy was fast becoming a realitymaybe too fast."No floggers. Not yet," Royce said as he closed and locked the door.When she gulped and stared at him, he chuckled."It's to keep the bad men out, not you in.""Right. Of course." She shrugged out of her coat and Royce took it, hanging it on a hook. Then he removed his own coat and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Both he and Dimitri were watching her, their eyes fixed on her every move."Not much training with this one?" Dimitri asked.Royce shook his head
The Darkest Hour Chapter 26
Royce felt the weight of the vial of ricin in his trousers.It seemed to be burning through his pocket. Soon he would be slipping it into a drink and giving it to Vadym. Never in his life had he imagined he would be a man who would take a life like this. He'd always believed in being a hero, someone who would kill a bad guy in a glorious shootout, not this shady, spy-versus-spy, fucked-up shitstorm he was currently trapped in. Soon this nightmare would be over. He led Kenzie outside of the room and buried all thoughts of what they had just shared deep inside. He couldn't let his feelings get in the way of what had to be done.He'd prefer to simply shoot the man in the midst of a fight. That would be fair, sure, but that was too dangerous. Innocents could get hurt in the process. They needed to be cold and calculated because they were putting more than just their own lives at risk.While he had some qualms about using these means to kill someone, he certainly had none about the targe
The Darkest Hour Chapter 27
Hans could barely breathe. Hands dug into his arms, keeping him still as Royce and Kenzie were hauled away through the back door of the club.I can't let that boy down. His eyes burned and his vision blurred with tears. Am I fucking crying?"Brummer, everything will be fine. We'll go after them," Dimitri promised in a low tone only Hans and Tatiana could hear. The room was still full of armed men who were watching every move around them for signs that Royce and Kenzie had allies."He's right," said Tatiana, leaning into him by the bar. "If you tried to fight now, Vadym would only kill you. For now, Devereaux is safe and well, and if he's smart he can protect the girl."But all Hans could picture was a tiny child, one who sat quietly beside another boy with bruises and cuts everywhere. Royce had been only eight years old when Emery had been rescued.Hans hadn't been able to get the scene out of his headEmery on one bed, knees tucked up to his chin, eyes wide and gaze distant and Ro
The Darkest Hour Chapter 28
Kenzie was shoved into a black van outside the club, her hands bound in front of her. Two of Vadym's men tossed the poor unconscious woman onto the floor beside her, before they walked around to the front of the van and got in. Through the front windshield, Kenzie could see Royce being dragged to a black SUV parked in front of them.When they'd knocked Royce out, Kenzie had nearly fainted. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding and she felt dizzy with terror, but she'd managed to stay in control. This was so much worse than Gary and Monte attacking her at Royce's office. Compared to this, that had been child's play.Vadym had her in his clutches, and he'd made it clear he was going to use her to get what he wanted from Royce and then to hurt her after he disposed of this other poor woman. Kenzie crawled over to the woman and rolled her onto her back. The left side of her face was still red from Vadym's blow.She pressed two fingers under the woman's jaw and felt the steady pulse of a hea
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The Darkest Hour Chapter 34: Epilogue
Six months laterKenzie held on to Royce's back as his motorcycle cruised down the private road toward their homeDevereaux House. She peered at the mansion through her helmet visor and sighed. She never got tired of looking at it. The gabled roofs and endless halls full of priceless paintings and lavish bedrooms and the study where Royce worked. It had all become a part of her life in the best possible way. He pulled up in front of the mansion and killed the engine. Kenzie let go of his hips and slid off. The sight of him astride the bike with his helmet, jacket, and jeans was utterly sinful.He pulled the visor up. "What's up, babe? You're looking at me funny.""I'm just picturing how much I want you to bend me over the pool table tonight."He took off his helmet, leaving his hair playfully tousled, but his expression was hungry and serious."Are you asking me to fuck you, Dr. Martin?""Oh, most definitely, Dr. Devereaux."He grinned. "That's too bad, Little Mac, because I have
The Darkest Hour Chapter 33
Royce came awake slowly, aware that he was in some sort of hospital, probably still at the embassy in Mongolia given the news station flashing on the TV in the corner of the room. Everything hurt like hell. Tubes were in his nose, and an IV bag hung on a pole nearby. His right hand was taped, keeping the IV needle in."Fuck," he groaned, his head falling back onto the pillow. Then he noticed a shape in a chair beside his hospital bed. Kenzie. She was curled up on the chair, her head pillowed by one arm and a jacket covering her. A man's jacket.Not my jacket."Thank God," a deep voice said from the doorway. Hans Brummer stood there, a paper cup of coffee in his hand and a relieved look in his brown eyes."Give you a few new gray hairs, did I?" Royce's voice came out a croak.Hans raked a hand through his scalp. "More than a few. I'll go full George Clooney in a month at this rate.""How did you find us?"Hans pulled a chair out and turned it around, not waking Kenzie. He sat on
The Darkest Hour Chapter 32
Vadym let go of her, and she retreated. He laughed as he turned to Royce. "She has just agreed to come back to Moscow and serve mein all ways."Royce's face was pale as he looked between them. "Kenzie, what's he talking about?""He said he'll spare you and Elena if I do. Please, Royce, don't cross him," she pleaded with him, hoping he would read her thoughts. It's just for a short time, until you can save me from him."You son of a bitch!" Royce moved fast, slamming his fist into Vadym's face before his bodyguards could move in. The attack stunned everyone."Kenzie, run!" Royce shouted as he tackled Vadym to the ground. Kenzie turned and smacked hard into Jov Tomenko's body. She hadn't even known he was in the room. His heavy hand clamped around her arm, squeezing until she cried out. Vadym's other guards grabbed Royce and dragged him off."Take them to the cars.""May I kill them?" Jov wrenched his hand down harder on Kenzie's arm. Her muscles seemed to tear beneath his hands, a
The Darkest Hour Chapter 31
The city of Ulaanbaatar was nothing like what Kenzie had expected. When Hans and Royce had spoken of mountains, lonely deserts, and yurts, they had been speaking of the countryside of Mongolia. But as the Trans-Siberian train pulled into the city, it left the valley hills with snowy pine trees far behind them. The horsemen who had darted alongside the train tracks like the Mongolian herdsmen of history vanished as the cityscape of Ulaanbaatar took over.It was a curious mix of ancient temples, crumbling Soviet-era apartment blocks, and newer glass towers, along with derelict suburbs of yurts and brick houses. A mesh of wire, concrete, and metal piping all crashed together. But Kenzie was stunned by the energy and warmth of the people, which was so at odds with the city itself."Welcome to UB," Royce said. "The city's name means Red Hero." He coughed. "But honestly, they should call it Black Hero in the winter." He pointed at the hazy dark clouds that hovered above the city like an om
The Darkest Hour Chapter 30
Royce was watching out the window as the private jet landed on the airstrip outside of Kyakhta. Kenzie and Elena were still close to him. For some reason Vadym had left them alone after he'd given Royce one hell of a beating. Perhaps it was some kind of mind game, allowing him to sit and think about what he had to lose if he didn't cooperate.But now that the plane had landed, Vadym would want his fossils. It went against everything Royce believed in to use his professional reputation to lie, but Royce wanted to live. More importantly, he wanted to protect Kenzie and Elena. The best way to do that was to play along with Vadym until a chance to fight presented itself or the cavalry showed up.Vadym came up to Royce, a cold smile on his lips. "Now, Dr. Devereaux, this way." He jerked his head toward the plane door, indicating it was time to go.Royce gritted his teeth but followed Vadym out of the plane. A truck of Russian officials was waiting for them."Royce?" Kenzie stuck close t
The Darkest Hour Chapter 29
"What's the fossil in Mongolia that you're trying to transport?"Vadym's gaze narrowed. "What do you know of fossils?""A lot," Kenzie said. She could feel Elena in the seat beside her, unmoving, terrified. "You didn't think I was sleeping with Dr. Devereaux, did you? He's a professor of paleontology, and I'm his teaching assistant. In five months, I'll be a professor of paleontology as well."Her announcement caught Vadym by surprise. "You? You will be a doctor like him?" He looked back at the room where Royce lay on the floor, two goons hovering over him."Yes. I can assist Dr. Devereaux with his inspections of the fossils. There's more to it than signing a page of authenticity. He'll need to verify the time period the fossils came from, among other things. I can help him with that."Vadym sat back, a smug smile on his face. "You will take Elena's place after the fossils are sold. I will make good use of youin many ways."Kenzie didn't rise to the bait. It was obvious that he l
The Darkest Hour Chapter 28
Kenzie was shoved into a black van outside the club, her hands bound in front of her. Two of Vadym's men tossed the poor unconscious woman onto the floor beside her, before they walked around to the front of the van and got in. Through the front windshield, Kenzie could see Royce being dragged to a black SUV parked in front of them.When they'd knocked Royce out, Kenzie had nearly fainted. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding and she felt dizzy with terror, but she'd managed to stay in control. This was so much worse than Gary and Monte attacking her at Royce's office. Compared to this, that had been child's play.Vadym had her in his clutches, and he'd made it clear he was going to use her to get what he wanted from Royce and then to hurt her after he disposed of this other poor woman. Kenzie crawled over to the woman and rolled her onto her back. The left side of her face was still red from Vadym's blow.She pressed two fingers under the woman's jaw and felt the steady pulse of a hea
The Darkest Hour Chapter 27
Hans could barely breathe. Hands dug into his arms, keeping him still as Royce and Kenzie were hauled away through the back door of the club.I can't let that boy down. His eyes burned and his vision blurred with tears. Am I fucking crying?"Brummer, everything will be fine. We'll go after them," Dimitri promised in a low tone only Hans and Tatiana could hear. The room was still full of armed men who were watching every move around them for signs that Royce and Kenzie had allies."He's right," said Tatiana, leaning into him by the bar. "If you tried to fight now, Vadym would only kill you. For now, Devereaux is safe and well, and if he's smart he can protect the girl."But all Hans could picture was a tiny child, one who sat quietly beside another boy with bruises and cuts everywhere. Royce had been only eight years old when Emery had been rescued.Hans hadn't been able to get the scene out of his headEmery on one bed, knees tucked up to his chin, eyes wide and gaze distant and Ro
The Darkest Hour Chapter 26
Royce felt the weight of the vial of ricin in his trousers.It seemed to be burning through his pocket. Soon he would be slipping it into a drink and giving it to Vadym. Never in his life had he imagined he would be a man who would take a life like this. He'd always believed in being a hero, someone who would kill a bad guy in a glorious shootout, not this shady, spy-versus-spy, fucked-up shitstorm he was currently trapped in. Soon this nightmare would be over. He led Kenzie outside of the room and buried all thoughts of what they had just shared deep inside. He couldn't let his feelings get in the way of what had to be done.He'd prefer to simply shoot the man in the midst of a fight. That would be fair, sure, but that was too dangerous. Innocents could get hurt in the process. They needed to be cold and calculated because they were putting more than just their own lives at risk.While he had some qualms about using these means to kill someone, he certainly had none about the targe
