Part 6 (1/2)
”That man.” Junie's blond eyebrows knotted. ”You said he wasn't handsome.”
”Did I?”
”Yes.” She frowned. ”You lied.”
Katya smothered a chuckle. ”You think so?”
”Yes.” Junie's hand lowered. A single finger hooked into Katya's hand. ”Do you think he would take me?”
The question, asked in all sincerity, slammed a hole into Katya's heart. Fury pounded behind her eyes; fury that a child should be so conditioned to think that way, and sorrow that she didn't know any other way to think.
Katya closed her eyes, turning her hand palm up to lace her hand through Junie's. ”I think if you ask him, he will be your friend.”
A light tap on the door had her standing before she knew she meant to.
”Excuse me.” A handsome man in a police uniform leaned through the doorway, one hand on the doork.n.o.b. His blue eyes flickered; sympathy, Katya thought. Awareness. He noticed the way Katya stood in front of Junie, and by the twist in his mouth, it bothered him.
Junie rose to her knees, her hand tight in Katya's, and peeked around her.
”My name is Officer Jake Leigh,” he offered. ”I'm going to make sure you ladies have everything you need. Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
Katya hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. ”Hungry, sweetheart?” she asked in Russian.
Junie nodded.
Officer Leigh tilted his head. ”Is she all right to come with me? I can escort her to the cafeteria.”
And Katya desperately wanted a nap.
”This police man will take you to food,” she translated, searching Junie's expression for any sign of fear. ”His name is Jake Leigh. Do you want to go with him?”
Junie's gaze flicked to the officer.
He sank to his haunches, draping his elbows on his thighs and somehow making himself look less threatening. ”Less big. How do you say h.e.l.lo?” he asked.
”Privet,” Katya offered. ”Her name is Junie.”
Junie ducked her head. Jake matched the gesture, tilting his face up to smile at her. ”Privet, Junie. Will you come with me? I promise to keep you safe.”
He offered one hand, his expression at ease. Infinitely patient.
The door widened behind him, and Nigel stepped in, a folder in hand. He glanced at the officer crouched on the floor and then at the girl kneeling on the couch. Raising his eyebrows, he sidled around the officer to set his folder quietly on the desk.
He said nothing.
Katya looked at Junie, watched uncertainty meld into something cautiously optimistic. ”Go on,” she murmured in Russian. ”I'll be right here.”
Junie unfolded from the couch, framing something cautious and impossibly hopeful in Russian.
Jake c.o.c.ked his head at Katya.
”She wants pancakes,” Nigel translated, his voice quiet and smoky.
Jake's smile widened. ”Da,” he said in his flat American accent. ”That's yes, right?”
”Da,” Katya confirmed.
Junie cautiously slipped her hand into his.
Katya folded her arms over her chest. ”Do you have children, Officer Leigh?”
His eyes warmed. ”One,” he said. ”And one on the way.”
”All right,” Nigel said irritably. ”Get out.”
Jake shot him a look filled with laughter, shaking his head, and guided the young teenager out the door. It closed behind them, leaving Katya alone with the man who'd kissed her blind the first time she'd seen him.
And rescued her friends the next.
She blew out a slow, shaking breath, her arms tightening around her ribs.
Nigel flicked on a lamp, adding a little more light to the gray daylight peeking through the blinds. ”There was an earthquake in California, too. They say we're getting a series of aftershocks from both ends.”
”Really,” she whispered.
”It beats the end-of-days scenario every ragtag nutcase with a sign is preaching,” he said, his smile crooked.
It faded when she didn't answer. He half outstretched a hand, paused as if unsure whether to approach her or to let her be. ”Katya.” She flinched. ”Are you all right?”
And there it was. That kindness.
The crack.
Her knees folded. Katya hit the floor, hunched over herself, and let her chin sink to her chest. Her breath came in shuddering gasps as the relief, the shock, finally set in. With a vengeance.
He swore, crossing the office so quickly that he was suddenly kneeling beside her, an arm around her shoulders. One under her knees. ”Hey, it's okay,” he soothed. ”I've got you.”
He lifted her with a smooth flex of power, transferred her to the sofa and hesitated as her fingers dug into his s.h.i.+rt. ”Please,” she whispered. Tears filled her eyes; d.a.m.n it, she wasn't supposed to cry.
It was over. Junie was safe. Elena and the others were going to be free.
Why was she crying?
Nigel looked down at her shaking hands, his features conflicted. Then, as if afraid he might spook her farther, he sank into the sofa cus.h.i.+ons beside her. Cautiously lifted her, settling her sideways on his lap as if she were just a child to be comforted.
His body heat seeped into her legs. Her back.