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“Clear!” someone shouted from upstairs. “There’s no sign of Ms. Kane, Dr. Fortinay.”

André swore under his breath. Alex shared the sentiment. And yet…a frisson of relief whispered down his spine.

They waited almost another hour while André’s men did clean up duty in the woods around the house. The Spetznatz team disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived. If any of the Russians had been injured or killed in the firefight, they’d carried out their casualties when they left.

As for Claudia’s team, a number sported gunshot wounds around the high-tech body armor they’d all worn. One man had been killed by a head shot between the eyes. His body was loaded in the second Hummer that had arrived not long after André’s, and the vehicle drove away.

Finally, the cleanup team reassembled at the house. A big, gruff man reported in to André. “There’s no sign of Ms. Kane, sir. She’s gone.”

Alex snorted. Now there was an understatement. He had no doubt the Claudia Kane identity was dead. His mother would disappear to who-knew-where and not emerge again until she’d built a new legend, a new face, a new life. Just like he would have done in the same situation. His mother was back to being a nameless, faceless ghost who might or might not ever reappear in his life.

And maybe that was as it should be. She’d been a ghost in his mind for so long he almost couldn’t conceive of a flesh-and-blood woman taking its place.

In the meantime, Katie was warm and vibrant against his side. Real and alive. Here and now. She was no ghost at all. She had substance and form. He could wrap his arms around her, hang on to her, tell her his fears and dreams, pour his love into her, and she would return all of it and more.

Finally, at long last, the ghost of his mother had released its hold on his heart. He was tired of her cold comfort. Cold Intenthad been well-named, after all. It had been all about Claudia’s rage and desire for revenge.

But Katie had banished all of that from his heart. Instead, she filled him with laughter and the heat of real love. A real relationship. As reluctant as he was to admit it, he might just need a relationship like that in his life. With a woman who loved him unconditionally.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her long and deeply. She melted into him the way she always did, and for once, he didn’t fight the feelings she aroused in him. He embraced her heat, letting its promise burn away all the icy pain locked in his soul.

“Let’s go home, Katie. To our daughter. Our family.”

“Oh, Alex,” she breathed against his lips. “I love the sound of that.”

“I love you, Katie.”

She froze in his arms. Oh, right. That was the first time he’d ever said that to her. Honestly, it was the first time he’d ever consciously thought the words. But as he said them, he realized he’d felt that way for a very long time.

She interrupted his surprised train of thought by saying back playfully, “I know that, silly. I’ve always known you love me.”

And that pretty much said it all. She’d known him better than he’d known himself, all this time. And she loved him, anyway.

“I don’t deserve you,” he muttered as he tucked her under his arm and led her outside.

A sleek, black limousine was just turning into the long driveway.

“Yikes,” Katie exclaimed softly. “Now what?”

“More like, now who?” André mumbled.

The vehicle stopped and the driver jumped out to open the passenger door. A tall, portly, gray-haired man wearing an expensive wool coat stepped out of the limo.

“Sonofabitch,” André breathed.

Smiling, Alex started forward, dragging Katie with him. He spoke in polite Russian. “Ambassador Deryevnan. To what do we owe this honor?”

“Alexei. Your father sends his greetings to you.”

He bowed his head respectfully. “Thank you, sir. What can I do for you this cold evening?”

“Cold? This?” the Russian ambassador chuckled. “We must send you back to Moscow in January for a visit if you think this is cold.”

“No thank you, sir. I’m afraid I’ve become a soft, coddled American.”

The Russian ambassador to the United States looked around at the assortment of armed and alert men lounging deceptively around the yard. “The way I hear it, you are as tough and smart as your father. A great credit to Roman.”

“Thank you, sir.”