Spirit of the Towers (The Omni Towers, #6)

Chapter 2-1

Chapter Two

Valentina and Dmitri walked into the abandoned building where he’d hidden his speeder. Sergei and Yuri were already there and waiting for them, and neither of them looked particularly pleased with the unexpected company.

Dmitri muttered a colorful oath under his breath. “This should be fun.”

Sergei straightened as they approached. His gaze swept over her, and she knew he was making sure she was unharmed. But then his eyes narrowed on Dmitri, and they were anything but friendly.

Yuri arched an eyebrow. “Really, Valya? Introducing Dmitri to Sergei? If you wanted him dead, you didn’t have to bring me along. You could have let me sleep.”

“Nice to see you too, Yuri,” Dmitri said and gave Sergei a curt nod.

“I recognize you from somewhere,” Sergei said, his voice almost eerily calm, but the energy surrounding him sparked to life.

Valentina studied him carefully, prepared to intervene if things escalated. Sergei had been working with Hayden to gain better control of his energy when it came to her, but this was the first time they’d had a chance to experiment. It wasn’t an ideal location or test, but facing a former lover was better than having Sergei witness her being injured.

Dmitri nodded. “We met briefly a few years ago at the summit meeting when you were offered your own command.”

Sergei c****d his head. “That’s right. You led the special reconnaissance team for the OmniLab facility. You were there to report your findings.” He glanced at Valentina briefly before focusing again on Dmitri. “This particular assignment seems a bit… out of character for someone with your skill set.”

“Let’s just say I was looking to diversify. I met Valentina shortly after that meeting, and her proposal was… intriguing,” Dmitri replied and placed his hand on Valentina’s back.

She tensed as Sergei’s eyes narrowed on Dmitri again. The energy in the building began crackling with electricity, and she mentally willed him to pull it back. Sergei had always excelled at retaining control in difficult situations, but it was different when she was in the room.

Yuri chuckled. “Our Valya frequently has that effect on people. Granted, she doesn’t usually f**k her informants, but it appears to be a very motivating tactic. Dmitri’s been quite satisfied with his position… or maybe it’s her position under him.”

“Dammit, Yuri,” she hissed as Sergei started to take a step toward Dmitri, murder in his eyes. It was bad enough Dmitri had put his hands on her, but Yuri had to push Sergei just a little more, knowing his control was still tenuous.

“Better we find out now, Valya,” Yuri said with a shrug.

Valentina moved in front of Sergei and pressed her hands against his chest to stop his advance. Sergei encircled her wrists with his hands, his touch gentle but firm as he moved her to the side—or rather, tried to move her. Understanding his intent, she leaped onto him, forcing Sergei to grab hold of her so she wouldn’t fall. No matter how angry he was, Valentina knew his first inclination was to protect her from harm, and she was counting on that now.

He gripped her tightly, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. As long as his hands were occupied with her, he wasn’t going to be killing anyone. She leaned her head against his shoulder and said quietly, “Dmitri has information we need, Seryozha. You know what you mean to me.”

Sergei held her against him, and she allowed her cool water energy to envelop him as she slid down his body. He lifted his hands to cup her face and lowered his head, claiming her mouth. Instead of a gentle kiss, it was full of possession and need. She met him head-on, demanding with her lips and tongue the same thing he wanted from her.

She poured every emotion she felt into that kiss, reminding him he was her chosen mate and the only one she wanted. Without exception, he’d always held her heart, and no matter what happened in the past or future, nothing would ever change that. He pulled back gently and looked down into her eyes, the small flame around his iris flaring brightly with the knowledge of everything she’d communicated.

He released her and turned back to Dmitri. “You know about Pavel?”

When he nodded, Sergei continued, “Good. If you ever put your hands on Valentina again, what I did to Pavel will seem like a merciful death.”

Dmitri’s jaw clenched, but he wisely didn’t argue the point. Valentina blew out a breath. They didn’t have time for this. “Yuri, can you run a check on someone named Caz working in this camp?”

Yuri nodded, and she turned back to Dmitri. “Did Marek report directly to Caz?”

Dmitri continued to eye Sergei and didn’t answer right away. She had the impression they were both sizing up the competition. This was absurd. They needed to focus on learning about the man she’d just killed, who he reported to, and whether he posed a threat to Nikolai. Engaging in this testosterone-laden version of chest thumping while the two of them glared at each other was counterproductive.

Before she could snap at them to knock it off, Dmitri crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Not directly. Marek was fairly new to the camp, but he followed whatever orders Caz threw at him. Caz was always angling for a way to get pushed up faster through the ranks.”

While Yuri worked on his tablet, Valentina handed Marek’s commlink to Sergei. “Can you search this device? I’m especially interested in any messages about me or Dmitri.”

Sergei frowned. “What happened?”

“I think I may have been recognized,” she explained as Yuri entered some additional information into his tablet. “I had to eliminate Marek, but I couldn’t risk leaving Dmitri there if they connected him to me or Nikolai.”

Yuri handed Dmitri the tablet. “Which one is Caz?”

Dmitri scrolled through the tablet, and Valentina leaned over his arm to look at the screen. Images of several people going by that name or some variation were displayed. Dmitri pointed to one of them. “That’s him.”

She took the tablet from him, pulled up Caz’s information, and studied the picture of the man. Nothing was remotely familiar about him. If she’d ever met him, she didn’t have any recollection of it. She looked up to find Sergei frowning at the tablet. “You know him?”

“No, but I recognize him. He was in Sofia’s camp that day when Ariana was taken and held captive. I have no idea what he was doing there if he works here in Ivan’s camp.”

Valentina frowned. Many of the camps in the surrounding area fell under Sergei’s command as part of their initial planned acquisition of OmniLab. Sofia’s camp had been one of them. But once the Coalition had formed an alliance with OmniLab and they agreed to help construct a new tower, everyone had quickly realized their preliminary numbers weren’t going to be sufficient for such an endeavor.

Several of the Coalition’s leaders had volunteered their people to work under Sergei’s direction while still retaining ultimate control of their camps. This agreement allowed Sergei the flexibility to further the Coalition’s efforts in completing the construction as he saw fit. It also had the added benefit of keeping their leaders abreast of the current situation by having their people report directly to them regarding the progress. It all came down to accountability.

Unfortunately for her, having so many of their people in proximity to one another also increased the likelihood of accidentally crossing paths with someone. The more well-known Nikolai became, the more people began to recognize her. Most of the upper tiers of their government knew her by sight, but that knowledge was now starting to trickle down the ranks. It didn’t help that she’d stormed into Sofia’s camp and had thrown Nikolai’s name around to rescue Ariana either. She usually tried to keep a low profile but hadn’t had many options in that case, especially with their alliance at stake.

Dmitri frowned. “Caz sometimes runs deliveries between camps. Not often, but now and then when he’s trying to collect favors.”

Valentina blew out a breath. “Dammit. If he was in Sofia’s camp that day, he definitely knows who I am. He could have been hoping to use that information to his advantage.”

Yuri walked over and took the tablet from her. He entered a few commands to display a map of the camp and thrust it toward Dmitri. “Show me the location of Caz’s bunk and his current assignment.”

Dmitri circled the areas. “If he’s waiting for me to show up, Caz will probably be in one of the tents right outside his assigned area.”

Yuri studied the map, most likely memorizing the layout of the camp. He handed the tablet back to Valentina. “Let me know if Sergei gets anything else off the commlink. I’ll be back shortly.”

Valentina nodded, watching as he headed out. Yuri rarely had much interaction with the other camps, so his presence would mostly go unnoticed while he handled Caz.

Turning back to Sergei who was still studying Marek’s commlink, she considered their options. If she were going to have a chance to get more information out of Dmitri, the time was now. Sergei lifted his head and frowned at her, obviously displeased with her silent request, but he gave her a curt nod to indicate he wouldn’t interfere.

Valentina turned back to Dmitri. “Will you tell me what you know about this rebellion?”

Dmitri darted a quick look at Sergei before responding. “I don’t know much. There are just some rumors floating around that Sergei is orchestrating it.”

She tilted her head to study Dmitri. He was wary, especially about discussing anything in front of an audience. Based on their conversation earlier, she suspected his feelings for her ran deeper than he’d initially led her to believe. It hadn’t helped that she’d made her reconciliation with Sergei clear by kissing him. Dmitri wasn’t going to divulge any information easily, but she didn’t want to resort to harsh measures. Yet.

Taking a step closer to him, she placed her hand on his arm. He tensed, glancing at Sergei before focusing on her again. She bit her lip and lowered her head, peering up at him through her lashes. “Dmitri, we’ve known each other for a long time. I wouldn’t have asked you to work with me if I didn’t trust your judgment. If there’s a threat to our people, please tell me.”

“You know I would tell you if I knew anything definite.”

Valentina sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. “Sergei, can you give us a moment alone?”

There was a long pause. Finally, Sergei said, “Very well. I’ll be outside.”

She listened to his retreating footsteps but knew he’d remain within earshot. She didn’t particularly mind. If she were in his position, she’d do the same.

“What the hell, Valentina?” Dmitri demanded. “How long have you two been back together?”

“We’ve been talking for a few days,” she admitted quietly. “You know the attempt on his life you heard about?” When Dmitri nodded, she said, “Sergei thought they were aiming at me. He pushed me out of the way and almost died as a result. They were barely able to get him to the towers in time to save him.”

Dmitri let out a breath and ran a hand over his head. “Dammit. I don’t want to be grateful to him of all people.” He frowned and glanced in the direction Sergei had gone. “Does Nikolai know about you two?”

“Does it matter?”

He sighed. “I suppose not. I just know Nikolai’s possessive of you. He wasn’t happy when we became close, and I know he had a falling out with Sergei years ago. I don’t want to see you get involved in something dangerous.”

Valentina moved closer to Dmitri and looked up into his eyes. He really was a good man. In some ways, he’d reminded her of Sergei and it was those similarities that had drawn her to him. When it came down to it, though, there was no comparison.

“I wanted you to know about Sergei so you would understand my motivation. I need to find out who’s framing him, Dmitri,” she whispered, letting a trace of her fear and vulnerability edge into her voice. “He saved my life. I have a responsibility to do the same for him.”