Page 97 of Poison Evidence

The idea that Ulai might live nearly overwhelmed him. “I didn’t hurt him. I would never—”

“I know. Local authorities invited the FBI to consult. I spoke with Agent Palea this morning. He knows my suspicions about Rudy Fredrickson, but he’s going to need to interview you.”

Dimitri nodded. “Even if Curt won’t cut a deal with me, I’ll talk to the agent. I want the person who assaulted Ulai to pay.”

He pulled Ivy against his chest and simply held her. The coming days were uncertain. He would risk everyone he cared about and couldn’t decide if that was the ultimate in selfish, except that his goal was to free all of them—Luke, Ivy, Sophia, and Yulian—before they were in the same position as Ulai.

He never should have befriended the man. He should have realized that even being a casual acquaintance was a risk.

And Ivy. What had he done to Ivy?

He cupped her face. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes. You do. What you haven’t deserved is how you’ve been used your whole life. We’re going to change that. Together. You won’t be alone anymore.” Her smile warmed him as much as her words.

She kissed him, a deep, hungry kiss that did more than simply warm him.

He pulled back before the kiss got out of control. “What’s our plan? Do I call the FBI agent now?”

“We’ll rendezvous with Luke and Ian at dusk on Angaur,” she said, naming the southernmost of Palau’s two hundred and fifty-plus islands.

“You were that confident I’d change my mind?”

“No, but I suggested the rendezvous just in case. I need to call and tell them you’re in. You’ll need to call Curt too.”

“And if I hadn’t agreed?”

“Then I had no plan beyond going back to Koror without you.” She cupped his cheek with her right hand, the hard cast on her left arm pressed against his side—a painful reminder of how he’d failed her already. “We can do this, Dimitri. We can save your family and cut your ties with the GRU.”

He furrowed his brow. No more lies or omissions going forward. “I’ve killed for them, Ivy. I am—was—the Hammer. I had to be, but still, I did it.”

Her fingers stroked the stubble on his chin. “You killed Bratva. Child traffickers, arms dealers, and rapists. And I understand you had no choice.”

“My orders were always men I could dispose of without guilt—except at the end, when I had orders to kill Luke.” He gripped Ivy tighter against him. “Days ago, I was told if I didn’t kill Luke, you would die.”

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t pull back. That she didn’t fear him with that admission meant everything to him.

“You didn’t kill Luke, and you’d never hurt me.”

“Never. For either of you.”

“It sounds like the GRU knew your limits and chose not to push you too far lest you’d balk. Until now.”

He thought of the one time he’d balked, and the results—when he’d beaten the hell out of his handler with the same hockey stick used to beat Sophia, and later, how he’d exacted his revenge after the man raped his sister a second time. Yeah, the GRU knew not to test his limits. He’d made it clear he could be pushed only so far.

He pressed his lips to Ivy’s forehead. “So. We call the others, then we have hours before the rendezvous?”

“It’s middle of the night in DC. You can probably wait a few hours to call Curt.”

“And Luke?”

Ivy picked up a satellite phone, which rested on the helm. She dialed a number and a moment later said, “Luke? Dimitri’s in. See you at dusk.” Then she hit the End button and dropped the phone on the padded captain’s chair.

She smiled at Dimitri and pushed him toward the open hatch with both hands, unimpeded by the cast. “And now,” she said, “I have plans for you.”

He crossed his arms, blocking her path. “You expect me to make love to you inside when we have the whole ocean to ourselves?” He took a step toward her, nudging her back toward the padded bench seat. “Since that first morning when you sunbathed topless in front of me, I’ve fantasized about making love to you in the sun.”

She bit her bottom lip and smiled. “I had the same fantasy—and felt so guilty for wanting you.”