Was it possible to have a sex hangover? If so, that really wasn’t fair.

But it wasn’t sex or even fire that had set off the evil smoke alarm, it was steam from the shower, which became apparent when Rand stepped out dripping wet to silence the alarm and apologize for waking her.

He was naked, so she forgave him. A dripping wet, naked Rand might be her most favorite sight to wake up to.

Rand returned to his shower, and when he was done, he made coffee while Kira took her turn in the shower. Clean and coffeed, they settled in the living room with their laptops to go through all the data Freya had gathered in the last two days.

“Do you think fake Andre is still in my hotel room?” Kira asked, as the information on him proved scant even with fingerprints and all the other biometric photos they’d taken.

“Doubt it. We can check later today, because I’d hate for housekeeping to get a nasty surprise, but even if no one came to collect him, he’s had enough time to untie the knots and escape.”

“I don’t love the idea of him being at large and not knowing about it.”

“If he’s alive, he’s likely long gone. Too many people are after him now that he screwed up with you. He was working for someone to get you here, but he must have messed up. Made promises he couldn’t keep. Has to be something like that given his panic yesterday at the garden.”

“I went to Birgu and picked up the letter. Who didn’t want me to receive it?”

“My money is on Reuben. The latest intel Freya sent has more information on the younger Kulik’s political goals. He doesn’t just want to join the current regime; he wants in at the highest level. In Russia, a deputy prime minister—finance, fuel, defense, what have you—is recommended by the prime minister to the president. If it became known that his father’s intelligence trading with your father included information on the current president, his shot at a government position is out. In fact, there’s likely an open tenth-floor window with both Kuliks’ names on it.”

“So why meet with me and tell me of the spying? I had no idea.”

“He didn’t know what fake Andre had told you, or if your father told you everything. He probably wanted a feel for your innocence in this. He might be the one who sent Andre to the hotel room to do his dirty work.”

“I’m not feeling great about going to the meeting point in Mdina.”

“Also probably part of his plan.”

“So you think his father wants to meet me, and he wants to stop it without his father knowing?”

“That’s my working theory. It’ll all be shot to hell, though, if Luka Kulik wasn’t your dad’s pen pal.”

Kira had watched enough Game of Thrones to write off the eerie feeling she had as they approached the gate to Mdina as related to the show.

Like everything else in Malta, the walled former capital city was stunning. It wasn’t a replica or a movie set. It was the real deal with high-walled bastions, a ditch, gates, magazine curtain, and enceinte.

It was her third fort since arriving, and she’d been staying in a walled city, but Mdina was so different for being inland and entirely contained. According to tourist websites, 250 people lived within the walled city today.

They arrived early—more than an hour before the noon meeting—and Kira was thankful for the time to explore. 

She and Rand held hands as they wandered through the narrow passageways of King’s Landing. They paused in the shade, refuge from the heat, and studied the map like any other tourist. Cold water was purchased more than once as the hour sweltered on.

For a few brief minutes, Kira enjoyed the feeling of being on vacation with a man she was falling for and imagined what it would be like if they ever took a real vacation together.

She knew he skied—he’d gone to Aspen for a week last December. Was that his ideal vacation—centered on a sport? She’d never gone skiing, but she’d try it for him.

Still, she wanted—needed—to travel, while his work sent him all over the world. Would he enjoy vacationing in the cities of Europe, or was he a beach person? She’d never been much into beaches, but the idea of lounging in the sun, enjoying fruity cocktails and swimming in tropical seas was a lot more appealing if he were with her.

She took a photo of a store named The Maltese Falcon and laughed at the silly tourist trinkets, wondering who she could buy something for. She remembered Chase, her self-defense instructor at Raptor, was on Falcon team and his wife called him Falcon sometimes. She decided to buy him a small Maltese replica of the movie’s eponymous sculpture. 

She then picked up toys for Morgan’s two daughters, while Rand picked out a toy for his niece. She studied the fridge magnets that looked like the colorful Maltese balconies and considered buying one for herself. Later, she’d get some Gozo glass.

As they were browsing, a thought hit her. “My father visited Malta often when I was a child, yet he never brought back gifts for me. He brought me things from Germany—carved wooden toys, Bavarian Christmas ornaments, Kinder eggs…but nothing Maltese, kitsch or otherwise. I wonder why that is?”

“You knew he went to Malta?”

“Sometimes. But most of the time, no. I thought he was in Germany, or he’d just say ‘Europe’ and I assumed.”

“If you really were remembering Birgu yesterday, my guess is he wanted your memories of Malta to fade into nothing.”

“But how could I have been here with my mother? For the last twenty years, I believed she left Russia without permission before I was born. My birth certificate—which I finally got a copy of—says I was born in Pennsylvania. There’s no way she could have left the US after she settled there. She didn’t have a passport or any kind of papers. She didn’t have a social security number. She was a stay-at-home mom who helped my dad with his research. She had no income.”

“How were her taxes filed?”

“I checked after my dad died and he filed as head of household, but didn’t claim my mother. I was his only dependent. He owned the house. Everything was in his name. My mom didn’t drive, except when my dad was traveling, then she’d drive, but as little as possible. We stayed home a lot.”

“It must’ve been hard for her, to live a life in hiding like that.”

They purchased the trinkets and left the store. Back on the street, she resumed the conversation. “My mother always seemed happy with her life, but there was an undercurrent of melancholy. She loved my dad. She loved me. She loved painting and reading and dancing to ’80s music and watching ’80s movies. But I always knew she was missing something. Now I’m wondering if the thing she was missing is here in Malta, not Russia or Germany. Maybe my dad didn’t bring home Maltese trinkets so she wouldn’t be reminded of what she left behind.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

They approached the gate from inside the city. Unless their correspondent had seen them arrive far ahead of schedule, they would expect Kira to be outside the walls.

Rand had to respect the choice for a meeting spot. One thing about a bridge with a ditch at the main entrance was the same advantage it had provided in the 1600s when it was made—one entry point and no one sneaks by.

Now Rand decided to wait until precisely noon, then exit the walled city and cross the bridge. He and Kira milled with the other tourists until it was time, then he took her hand and they set out.

He had the gun she’d taken from fake Andre tucked in slacks with a built-in holster at the small of his back. He wore a loose Aloha shirt over the slacks, and the tailoring on the pants was good enough to hide that he was carrying for all but the most astute observer.

Anyone who worked for an FSB agent should have a good eye for that sort of thing, but he didn’t mind them knowing he was armed.

When they were halfway across the bridge, he spotted the man who had to be their contact. He looked like a lackey sent to pick them up. He stood in the minimal shade of a food vendor’s shack to the right and was scanning the road and park across the circle that fronted the entrance.

Little more than a kid. Early twenties. The age Rand had been when he joined the Navy and felt like he was a badass. It wasn’t until he finished BUD/S that he learned what being an operator really meant.

Rand brought Kira’s hand to his lips to cover his mouth as the boy turned and spotted Kira. “Ready?” he whispered.

“I hope so,” she murmured.

“You got this.”

He lowered their hands, but kept their fingers entwined. She carried the shopping bag to keep his hand free to go for the gun if necessary. The kid scowled as he took in Rand, his eyes skimming down to their joined hands.

Kid should be wearing sunglasses to hide his gaze. Rookies.