Deadly Embrace (Deadly Assassins Series Book 1) Page 15

  “Commander, I have been in touch with the President and he has ordered that the mission be cancelled immediately,” Admiral Thompson said.

  “No Admiral, I will not be able to obey that order. That means I will have to abandon Natalia and I would never do that! I love her and I will hunt those motherfuckers to the ends of the earth if I have to! I promised her I would be by her side forever and I intend on keeping my promise to her.”

  “Commander, as you know there may be consequences for disobeying my direct order”

  “I understand that Admiral, but I will do anything to find her.”

  “I’m in, Commander,” Nick said

  “I got your back as always mate, I’m in,” Vince said

  “We’re in this together, right brother?” Ryan asked.

  “Thi feels like a suicide mission. I hope she is still alive,” Maurice said.

  “She is Maurice. Boris wants me, and he knows I will come for her.”

  “We will run down every lead,” Chase said.

  Chapter 35

  Natalia

  I woke up to an alarm going off on my satellite phone. As I listened to the voice message it said “I have a job for you be in NYC in three days!” I had just gotten back from a job in Barcelona where I had to kill a diplomat who was a traitor to his country. I was still jet lagged from taking the red eye back to Montana. I had been living in the mountains of Montana for the last three years and I now went by the name Rachel Maddox. I couldn’t believe I had just turned thirty only a few days ago. Everything I had done in my past life, I had to leave behind. A few weeks after the Moscow mission I found out I was pregnant, so I fell off the grid. I even cut my hair into a short, wavy bob and dyed it a dark cherry, brown which took some time to get used to. As I got out of bed, I was greeted by my German Shepherd, Max. I went in the kitchen and filled Max’s bowl with some food while I made myself a cup of coffee. Suddenly I hear little footsteps coming down the hallway. My son, Justin runs into the kitchen and jumps into my arms.

  “Hey, Mommy, I missed you!”

  “I missed you too peanut!”

  “I want pancakes.”

  “Coming right up, sir.”

  Max runs up to Justin and starts to lick his face. I instantly had a flashback of Jason’s dog Brooklyn and how cute he was. I had gotten Max when Justin was just a baby because I wanted a protector for him when I wasn’t around. Max was fully grown now and well trained to kill if I gave him the command. When I had to go away for jobs I would leave Justin and Max with my sitter, Jessica. I had five million dollars in a safety deposit box for Justin in case anything ever happened to me. Justin was conceived during those two days Jason and I spent together in that villa in Fiji. It was the happiest memories I have of us together. I had Justin at home in Montana with a private doctor and midwife. His birth name is Justin Jason Maddox, but I call him JJ for short. JJ looked just like his father. His blue eyes and sandy blond hair took me back to the time when Jason and I were young, and I met him that first time at summer training camp. I had obtained a fake birth certificate for Justin from a forger I know just so everything looked legit. Whenever anyone asked about Justin’s father I just tell them he was killed in the military serving his country. Justin had just turned three years old yesterday. I didn’t want anyone from my family to know about his birth that is why I moved to Montana and changed my name. I never wanted anyone from my previous life to know about Justin so that he would never be in any danger.

  Whenever Justin asked where his daddy was I would say he was in heaven with God. A piece of me died that day they took Jason away from me. I always felt I could feel he was still alive even though Boris ordered for him and the others to be killed. How could I ever tell JJ what really happened to his father? My father ordered me to never speak of Jason again. How would I ever be able to tell my son about that his parents really were “trained assassins”. I liked my life now with the exception that my father was sending me out on his personal killing missions. The only thing missing was Jason. I wanted Justin to know his father loved him as much as I did. I disavowed my family name a long time ago because it only led me down a road of secrecy, betrayal, murder and lies. I began to pack a bag when my cell phone started to ring.

  “Hello, Natalia!”

  “What do you want Alexi? I told you never to call me!”

  “Well I have instructions for your next mission in NYC.”

  “Okay well tell me then! I think you just like to torture me Alexi. I haven’t talked to you in years and have always received my instructions via recorded message from father. Why are you calling me now?”

  “Maybe I missed you sister. Father thought it was time we reconnect and get on with business.”

  “You’re evil and incapable of feeling anything good so just tell me what you want.”

  “Once you get to NYC check into the Sofitel Hotel in Times Square into room 2126. Your cover name is Kimberly Brown-Turner. All your equipment along with your target photos will be under the bed as usual.”

  “Goodbye, Alexi!”

  Once I hung up the phone, I took a shower and looked in the mirror at the small healed cuts all over my body. I got dressed and went in Justin’s room to get him dressed. I put Justin in his car seat while Max jumped in the back seat.

  “Where we going momma?”

  “I’m taking you and Max to Jessica’s house for a few days while I go to work.”

  “I don’t want you to go, momma.”

  “I promise I will be back in a few days and I will bring you a surprise.”

  “Okay, you promise?”

  “Yes, Baby.” I kissed Justin on the cheek and buckled his seatbelt. I dropped Justin and Max off at Jessica’s house. “I love you, JJ.”

  “Love you too, Momma.” As I drove away I looked at my rearview mirror and saw JJ waving to me. I left specific instructions about what to do if there ever was a time that I never came back for Justin. She didn’t know anything about my past, but I told her I worked for the government. This time I took my family’s private jet at Billings Airport to NYC. I needed to bring my full automatic sniper rifle on this trip and that’s not something I could get through security at the airport. I slept most of the way on the plane. I often had trouble sleeping and used alcohol and Xanax to cope. The guilt over what I had done to Jason and the team completely consumed me. I feel like a tormented soul. I woke up just before the plane was about to land at the airfield. Once I arrived at the airfield, an all-black Audi A8 was waiting to pick me up. When the driver got out I automatically knew who was waiting for me.

  “Hello, Mr. Ketch!”

  “Hello, Ms. Valchek, your father is waiting for you.”

  As Mr. Ketch closed my passenger door, I could feel my anxiety rising. Once we drove through the gates of my father’s compound, I started to feel sick to my stomach. As Mr. Ketch and I walked into my father’s office we saw that he was standing by the crackling fireplace.

  “Hello, Father!”

  “Hello, Natalia. “How are you? We haven’t spoken in years!” Boris said

  “I’m fine Father! I’m here on your instructions correct?”

  “Yes, I’m here personally to make sure this mission is completed. You will finish this once and for all with no mistakes! Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Father! But who is the target?”

  “All will be revealed in time! I have your brother down in Texas handling his part, now you do yours! Mr. Ketch see that Natalia follows my instructions! You can go now Natalia!!”

  I was totally confused by my father’s comments. Why was Alexi doing a job in Texas? After the meeting with my father, Mr. Ketch drove me the hotel and dropped me off.

  “I will be back when it’s time for the mission Natalia,” Mr. Ketch stated. I had a bad feeling about this job. I checked into room 2126 as instructed. I pulled a long black case from under the bed and opened it. In the side pouch was a yellow envelope with six target photos. When I looked through them my
heart began to ache. I temporarily blacked out for a few seconds because I could not believe what I was looking at. I immediately felt nauseous. I ran into the bathroom and puked in the toilet. I washed my mouth out in the sink. I sat on the side of the bed next to the gun case and picked up the envelope. There were five photos of my old team members, Nick, Chase, Vince, Maurice, and Jason. Why was Ryan’s picture missing? I knew there had to be a good reason for my father to come out of hiding. All these years my father lied to me. I thought they were all dead after that fateful night in Moscow. Why all of a sudden now did he want them dead? I did everything my father told me to leave my former life in the past. After my father was shot three years ago in the neck by Chase on our team’s last mission, he almost died that night. But his surgeons were able to save him and he has been recovering for the past few years in Italy. I felt a piece of me died that night when I thought the love of my life was killed. The fact that I had betrayed my team that night has haunted me ever since. I loved Jason with every inch of my being and now knowing he was alive was everything I needed in my life.

  Chapter 36

  Natalia

  At the age of seven after my mother’s suicide, my father sent me to United States to live with a Russian family in Washington D.C. When I arrived, my last name was changed to Morgan. We were seen as a typical American family. But what people didn’t know is that we were Russian spies who worked for my father. Any of us could be called upon at any time to complete a mission. In my early and teen years, I was trained by my foster family in weapons training and close hand to hand combat.

  When we went on family vacations I had sniper and weapons training by the age of sixteen. None of my friends knew about my family training. My father had sent word to me from Moscow that he would send me instructions when the time was right. I knew me being drafted into D.S.A.T. was no coincidence. Mr. Ketch was my contact person when I wanted to send messages to my father. Any missions we went on I had to send details to Mr. Ketch. It killed me that I had to keep this secret from Jason and the rest of the team. SEAL training was extremely difficult for me, but I know I wouldn’t have made it through without Jason.

  For years I had fed him information on our missions, but I wasn’t prepared for what happened that night at the mansion. I didn’t know that would be the night my father was going to take down my team. The cuts my brother made on my body that night had healed on the outside, but it affected me tremendously on the inside. Alexi, is a sick and twisted person. He is pure evil. It makes me sick that we are twins. I could tell he enjoyed what he did to me, but the cuts had to look real, so Jason and the team wouldn’t suspect anything. Alexi made me remove mine and Jason’s digital trackers that night with his knife while he was unconscious. My mission was to help my father take down the US government from the inside. Falling in love with Jason was not part of the plan.

  As I sat on the floor of the hotel room all I could do is wonder what I would do, if I ever came face-to-face with Jason again. I got up early the next morning and went for a run around NYC to clear my head. As I was heading back to the hotel I saw a couple sitting on a bench in Central Park. I loved how they looked at each other with such loving eyes. One day I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare of my life. Once I got back to the hotel I got dressed in my black leather jacket, black jeans, and stiletto black boots. I grabbed my rifle case and headed for Tribeca. Once I got to Tribeca I positioned myself on the rooftop of the building across from Jason’s office. I could see his office on the 11th floor clearly through my scope.

  He was walking around talking on the phone. He was still as handsome as ever. He was wearing slim fitting black jeans, a white tank top, and black boots. I always loved the Virgin Mary tattoo on his right arm with the red rose petals. Each fallen petal represented friends of his who were Navy SEALS killed in action. I was supposed to shoot him at 2 pm exactly. At 1:59 I laid down behind my rifle and looked through my scope as I screwed on the suppressor to the front of my rifle. At 2pm exactly I took a breath and pulled the trigger. I saw the bullet as it shattered the large pane of glass and hit Jason in the chest. I heard people below screaming as large pieces of glass fell onto the sidewalk below. I took my rifle apart and placed it back in the case. I ran downstairs to the parking structure where Mr. Ketch was waiting for me.

  “Nice shot, Natalia. Didn’t think you were really going to do it.”

  I took the binoculars from Mr. Ketch and watched for a few minutes as the paramedics arrived and carried Jason’s body away in an ambulance. Suddenly my cell phone rang.

  “Is he dead Natalia?”

  “Yes, Father. I saw them take his body away myself!”

  “He better be, Natalia! You know there would be consequences if you try and deceive me!”

  “It’s done, Father! I’m moving on to the next target”

  I hung up my phone. I grabbed my rifle and ran down the fire escape of the building. Once I got back to the hotel I felt a sigh of relief. As I entered my room I saw someone sitting in the dark corner of my room.

  I immediately reached for my gun. As the light came on my heart stopped. It was Jason. I stood there in shock. Immediately he stood up and ran over and picked me up in the air.

  “OMG, baby. I can’t believe we pulled it off!” Jason said.

  “I can’t believe it either. Are you sure nobody followed you?”

  “No, Nick, Chase and I were careful when they took me out in the ambulance and we went to the hospital. Once we got to the hospital I got in my car and came here. Good thing I had on that vest because you are a damn good shot. Thank you for warning me!”

  “After what happened to you during the Moscow mission I know I have a lot of explaining to do Jason.”

  “I can only imagine what Boris and his son Alexi did to you years ago! All I know is I wanna kill them! How did you get away and find out he was trying to kill us?”

  At that moment I couldn’t breathe. I really wasn’t prepared to tell Jason the truth, but it was indeed long overdue.

  “I didn’t get away Jason. Alexi and Boris let me go!”

  “What? Why would they do that?”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this!”

  “Just tell me, Natalia!”

  “My name is not Natalia Morgan!”

  “Well what the HELL is your name?”

  “My name is Natalia Katrina Valchek!”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Boris Valchek is my father and Alexi is my twin brother!”

  Jason began to back away from me. Tears began to run down his face

  “NOOOO! This can’t be true”

  “Please Jason. I’m so sorry, but it is true. It tore me up inside everyday knowing that I was deceiving you.! I was being pulled in so many different directions. On our last mission, I wanted to tell you and the team everything, but I knew my father would never have let us live in peace. I thought of you every day since that last mission! My father told me you all were dead. Please I love you!”

  “I can’t believe this is happening! Yesterday I get this cryptic message from you that I didn’t even think was real and today you tell me this. This is a lot to take in right now. I went through a lot of pain thinking you were dead. A piece of me literally died that day!”

  “Please, Jason you have to believe me. After the Moscow mission I disappeared and moved to Montana. I stayed hidden from my father and brother for a awhile, but somehow they found me, and my father made me start working for him again.”

  “What do you mean again? How long have you been lying to us all?”

  “I was first contacted by my father when I was fifteen and given my instructions.”

  What? I looked for you for years Natalia. The team and I resigned from the D.S.A.T after you went missing and I didn’t care about the consequences. We chased down every lead and went all over the world searching for you.”

  “I died that day too Jason! My father told me he had killed you all! You are the
love of my life. I’m gonna tell you everything. There is something else you must know. After the mission when my father let me go, I went into hiding it was because I found out I was pregnant.”

  Jason put his head down and wouldn’t look at me.

  I walked closer to him and put my hands on either side of his face and looked into his blue eyes.

  “Yes Jason, I was pregnant. It was your baby, our baby!”

  A tear rolled down Jason’s cheek

  “Did you have the baby, Natalia?”

  “Of course, I did! It was a part of you! I would do anything to protect him.”

  “So, I have a son?”

  “Yes, his name is Justin Jason Maddox.”

  I walked over to my bag and pulled out a photo. Jason looked at it and smiled.

  “He’s beautiful Natalia. He looks like me when I was a kid.”

  “He has your eyes Jason.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “So, what do we do now Natalia? This information changes everything. We have a lot to work out between us, but right now I need to know who’s side you are really on? How do I know you won’t betray me again?”

  I held up Justin’s picture.

  “You will know because of him. I looked into Justin’s eyes every day and it was like looking into yours. I made a horrible mistake once before by not telling you and now that I know you are alive and Justin will finally have a chance to know his father, I will do anything to make this right between us.”

  Jason leaned in and kissed me. “Thank you for raising him by yourself. It must have been hard keeping it a secret from your father and your brother. But now we have to take them down once and for all if we are gonna have a life.”

  “I agree. One thing we have to be careful of is Mr. Ketch. He works for my father and will probably be tracking my movements to keep tabs on me.”

  “Mr. Ketch from D.S.A.T training?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, so we will have to take care of him then. But right now, I think we have some unfinished business.”