Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

before he was arrested to tell Sorbacov to back off.”
    Stefan nodded. “That’s exactly what I think. That’s why Sorbacov tried so hard to get to La Roux. He tried to get him moved to Russia, but France wouldn’t let him go. He was afraid to kill La Roux outright because he didn’t know where that microchip was or if it would come to light later. So he sent me in to see if I could buddy up to him and find out where it was or who might be holding it for La Roux.”
    “No way is Judith doing that.” Lev shook his head. “I’m telling you, Stefan, I know this woman. I’ve only been here a few weeks, but these women are tight, they share a bond as strong as a blood bond. Judith would never be involved in gun running or selling secrets of countries.”
    “I agree. But Jean-Claude La Roux is very, very obsessed with her.”
    “It appears that you are as well,” Lev said dryly, a hint of humor in his eyes.
    Stefan turned cool aqua eyes on him. “Never think for one minute that what I feel has anything to do with what that bastard feels for her.”
    Lev’s eyebrow shot up. “You really are serious about her.”
    “I told you I was. I’m going to hunt Ivanov, and you’re going to secure this farm. If I can remove the threat to you, it will give us time to prepare for the next one.”
    “You know I can’t let you do that, Stefan. We’ll hunt him together.”
    “And your wife? What do you plan on telling her?”
    “I tell Rikki the truth, always. I don’t remember everything about my past, but when it comes back to me in bits and pieces, I tell her. That’s the deal we have and, even over this, I won’t lie to her. She’s dealt with Ivanov before and she did fine.”
    Stefan hesitated. “I can’t tell Judith I’m your brother until the business with the microchip is done, which means I have to walk a thin line of lying. When I’m with her, I give her whatever is real about me, but she knows me as Thomas Vincent, an American. I don’t want to put you in the position of lying to your woman or to Judith, but I can’t do anything until I know those defense plans can’t possibly fall into the wrong hands.”
    He didn’t know if he was asking or demanding, but he knew he was placing Lev in an untenable position. If Judith fully belonged to him, he wouldn’t want to lie to her about his past or about the danger surrounding them. There had to be trust, a bond between a man and a woman that was sacred, or what was the use?
    Lev shook his head. “I can’t lie to Rikki. I can tell her that something from my past has come up and would she mind waiting a few days before I discussed it with her. I do want to tell her Ivanov is in town. He might confront her again and I want her prepared.”
    The protective note in his brother’s voice convinced Stefan once and for all that Lev loved his wife and marrying her wasn’t part of an elaborate cover. No one could be that good of an actor. The fact that Lev would risk asking her to wait to hear information pertinent to their lives spoke volumes. Stefan wished for that kind of open relationship with Judith. He’d never shared any aspect of his life with anyone since his parents had been murdered. His disclosures to Lev were the closest thing he’d managed to date. What would that feel like—to trust someone enough to place your life in their hands?
    Stefan sighed. “You do what you have to do, Lev, but I have no choice until I know the microchip is secure. And don’t go after Ivanov without me. You have no idea how dangerous he is. You may have had a brief encounter with him once, but I grew up in the same school with him. He didn’t like anyone getting the better of him. Everyone learned very quickly to allow him to be number one in all things, or you didn’t wake up in the morning. He killed at least five children I know of and the instructors knew it as well. They had cameras on us twenty-four hours a day.”
    “He definitely murdered the boy in our school. We all knew it. And it was no training exercise. The boy was in his bed.”
    “If one took him down in a combat situation, or stayed under water longer, learned faster, anything could set him off.”
    “Did you let him win?”
    “My barracks consisted of a very tough bunch of kids. We set watch and constructed warning systems. Even then my talents were strong and I always knew if he was close by. I’ll confess, I taunted him, tried to get him to come after me to give me an excuse to kill