Page 92 of Close Pursuit

Her cell phone’s loud ring yanked her out of a dark dream early the next morning. She pounced on the phone, heart racing.Let it be Alex. Let it be Alex.

She slammed the phone to her ear. “Alex?”

“Hi honey. It’s mom. And who’s this Alex fellow you’re so breathlessly eager to talk to?”

Katie’s heart dropped to her feet and she sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. “Hi, Mom.” She glanced at her bedside clock. Not even eight a.m., yet. Ugh. “Why are you calling me so early?”

“Uncle Charlie called. Imagine my surprise when I found out you were back home and didn’t give me a call to let me know you’re safe.”

“I’m sorry. It’s been really crazy since I got back. I was going to call you, but I haven’t had time.”

“Not one single minute to let me know you’re okay? I was worried about you, sweetie.”

Katie scowled. “You don’t make the boys call you every time they get back from a mission. And don’t tell me they’re boys and can take care of themselves, whereas I’m a weak, silly girl who can’t do anything for herself.”

Her mother chuckled. “That’s what your father would say, honey. Not me. I raised you to be a strong, independent woman. And I do make your brothers call me whenever they get home. They’re just embarrassed to admit it.”

Katie smiled reluctantly. Her mother was barely five foot three and would kick butts and take names if her big, bad brothers didn’t do what she asked of them.

“Why are you calling me so early, mom?”

“Ian’s home. Apparently, he got hurt on his last trip and he’s in a hospital in Washington, D.C. Charlie said you’re in the Washington area, and I thought you might check in on your big brother for me. Your dad and I are driving down today, but in the meantime, Ian might like to see a familiar face.”

“What hospital is he in?”

“Walter Reed in Bethesda. Do you know it?”

“Heard of it. I’ll figure out where it is and go see what he’s gotten himself into, now.”

“Thanks, sweetie. How about Dad and I meet you at the hospital this afternoon? We can do dinner and you can tell us all about your trip to that something-stan place.”

“That would be great.”

She tried to go back to sleep, but was wide-awake after the call. She gave up and got out of bed, showered, and dressed. The hotel front desk helped her find a rental car place, and its shuttle drove her to it. An hour later, she was headed toward Chevy Chase and Dawn.

Sister Mary Harris was chipper when she came out to meet Katie in the waiting area. Even better, she was carrying a bundled pink blanket in her arms. Dawn was sleeping, but Katie didn’t care and held the baby close, fussing over her and cuddling her.

“I’ve missed you so much, honey bunny,” she whispered.

“She’s a good baby,” the nun reported. “Eats and sleeps like a champ, and has a sunny personality.”

“That’s my girl,” Katie murmured.

“How’s Alex?” the nun asked without warning.

A shadow crossed Katie’s heart and she looked up at the nun sadly. “Not great. His father called him last night and wanted him to do something…unethical…for him. Alex agreed to do it.”

Sister Mary Harris sat down on a stone bench and gestured for Katie to sit beside her. “That man has always had his hooks deep into his son. You have to understand: Alex had no one else. His father isolated him from other children and other people. Made the boy totally dependent on him. You could even say he brainwashed young Alex. Roman Koronov trained his son to be like him from the time Alex could walk and talk.”

“So you’re saying Alex can’t say no to his father?”

The nun sighed. “Alex said no plenty. Roman just makes him pay for it every time he does. Alex used to come to school beaten black and blue.”

“I thought his father was arrested when Alex was eleven or twelve.”

“I’m talking about before that.”

Katie gulped. His father had beaten him when he was younger than that?

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