Unity Paradox — Sneak Peek
“What the hell happened?” roared Spartak as he walked into the scene in the dining room with a tall older man with dark mocha skin and gray at his temples, also dressed in head-to-toe black. Both men were large and imposing. They were glaring at anyone they laid eyes on.
“Which one is the High Commander?” Erica whispered to Bethany.
“The one on the right with his hands on his hips is His Grumpiness. I do not know who the guy on the left is,” Bethany whispered back.
“His Grumpiness has very good hearing,” he snarled at Bethany as he glared at her.
She blushed instantly and slapped her hand over her mouth.
Erika had to swallow the giggle that wanted to erupt once she saw the scowl on the man.
Spartak motioned to the man with him, who came over and placed some kind of binding on the downed man’s wrists after Danielle got off his back.
The man lifted his head by the hair, assessing him quickly. “Lev is unconscious,” he confirmed. He shifted his expression of surprise to an unreadable one as he stood.
“You do this?” Spartak demanded, glaring at Danielle.
“Yes,” she said, not shrinking from his rage in the least.
“Why?” he demanded, his eyes never leaving hers.
“He refused to leave until the women were done eating and then tried to intimidate me with his body, assuming I was smaller and weaker than his was,” she said, unapologetic.
“Intimidate you?” he parroted. “How?”
She walked over and picked up a stool under a nearby shelf and carried over, dropping it in front of him. She stepped up and leaned over him, glaring. Spartak stepped back a foot. “Exactly. And he easily has two hundred pounds of muscles more than I do. He left me no other choice.”
“How?” he said again, this time with less anger and more curiosity. The rest of the room watched in silent curiosity.
So, she told them, privately enjoying the wince they each made when she made the point about punching the offender in the balls.
The tall dark-skinned man reached his hand out to shake and said, “I am Evgen, Head of Security.” He grinned at her.
“Danielle McQuarrie. Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling at him. Her eyes returned to Spartak and her smile disappeared.
Spartak looked at Evgen and asked, “Did you know she could do this?”
“Yes, and no. I knew she was a Blue Belt in Krav Maga, but I honestly saw self-defense in the description and didn’t look any farther. Obviously, I should have,” he said, looking contrite.
“She the only one?” Spartak asked.
Evgen thought about it for a few seconds. “There was one woman from Tel Aviv who was an analyst and another from Moscow who was a software consultant.”
“Yes, and no. I knew she was a Blue Belt in Krav Maga, but I honestly saw self-defense in the description and didn’t look any farther. Obviously, I should have,” he said, looking contrite.
“She the only one?” Spartak asked.
Evgen thought about it for a few seconds. “There was one woman from Tel Aviv who was an analyst and another from Moscow who was a software consultant.”
Danielle laughed, making both men glare at her. She sobered instantly. “Sorry. Analyst and software consultant are cover roles they give in spy craft. They are likely Mossad and FSB.”
“I found nothing about covert operations in their background,” growled Evgen.
“No, you wouldn’t. They are super secretive,” she said.
“How do you know how to do that?” Spartak asked, raising his eyebrow as he waved his hand at the unconscious man.
She sighed. Men always freaked out whenever they found out she was not a pushover. “I tired of getting my ass handed to me by drunks in the ER. Once I learned the basics, I found I liked it and it was a good workout,” she said, shrugging.
“We are going to have a long talk about these hidden skills of yours, Danielle,” said Spartak, giving her the gimlet stare.