The pain had come upon Alex Jones unexpectedly, caving in his chest with each step. He shuffled to his room to take his medicine.
His doctors had told him he was in the period before the end. They cautioned Alex that he would feel like his disease was in remission, but it was a false interlude.
He knew he was at the end.
Until now, he hadn't needed a caregiver full-time, but the cancer that had started in his lungs and then spread like wildfire to his other organs was making its presence known more often each day.
Tomorrow, he would call Demetri and have Svetlana, his nurse, make his final days more comfortable.
Before he found the light switch, a soft voice spoke from the darkness, "Alex Jones."
A slim blonde, dressed in black, came from the shadows. With a trembling hand, Alex turned on his bedside lamp. "W-what do you want?"
The blonde spread her arms in a placating gesture. "I mean you no harm." Surveying his emaciated form, she gave him a wan smile. "I came to warn you that your daughter is in danger."
"Jeannie?" Alex said, perplexed. What did this woman want with Jeannie? Did another agency find out she was working with the Istochnik? "I'm sure you have the wrong—"
"We both know her handler, Demetri Petrov, tasked Jeannie with convincing Shon Westwood to join the Istochnik. What you don't know is that Demetri is not the helpful man he seems, but a rogue agent with his own agenda."
Pain, not from his disease, but from betrayal lanced his heart. Alex faltered under it and sat hard on his bed. "Forgive me, but I can't believe what you're saying." Alex shook his head in denial at the idea of Demetri being anything but a trusted family friend.
Demetri had been their handler when his wife worked as his secretary at the Istochnik, and Alex worked as an attaché for the Tanzanian ambassador. Demetri was Jeannie's godfather. He loved her as much as he had loved Valeria.
It was Demetri who delivered the news about Valeria's death. A hit-and-run driver had killed Jeannie's mother awhile she was on a business trip with him in Romania. Demetri had shed tears, huge, uncontrollable ones as he told the tale of finding her broken body. He profusely apologized that all he had to give Alex was an urn of his wife's ashes to mourn.
When Alex asked why he hadn't called and why hadn't, he brought her body home. Demetri had sidestepped the first question with the explanation that the transportation would be too hard on Valeria's body.
"The heat of the summer ..." Demetri had trailed off, and a distraught Alex had drawn his own conclusions. "I'm sorry, dear Alex. If there was any way to spare you the pain..."
Tatiana continued, "I know your time is short. I wanted to come to you when you were stronger, but I've just learned what Demetri is planning. The woman bit her lip, hesitant to continue. "He means to harm your daughter, Shon Westwood and... my son, Thorne."
Alex blinked up at the woman in surprise. Everyone working for the Istochnik knew of Tatiana and her husband, Aleksei the Giant.
But this woman's story had to be a work of fiction. Tatiana Vasiliev aka Tatiana Gable had died when Thorne was five. It was rumored that The Source had killed her as she had disposed of many of its agents.
But who really knew?
The police had found her body the day after she'd disappeared from her apartment. The corpse, burned beyond recognition, was identified by her molars.
But anyone could be bribed to manufacture evidence if the price was right.
If her death was a cover-up, why was she risking her life to warn him about Demetri?
She must be telling the truth.
When Jeannie had come home in tears, Alex had peeked at the file of Thorne on her laptop. He wanted to see the man who had broken his daughter's heart.
Two pictures, one of Thorne running in the park and a headshot of him at a restaurant, revealed the man behind Jeannie's sorrow.
Alex studied the woman's features, looking for the truth. She and Thorne were too similar not to be blood relatives. Thorne had her eyes, the same forehead, and although hers were a bit plumper, the same unusual lips.
Convinced the woman was telling the truth, Alex came right to the point as he didn't have time to waste. "You were once an agent of the Istochnik. I take it you work for The Source now. Why do you think Jeannie is in danger?"
"It is best I...no, your wife shows you."
"My wife? What do you mean?"
Tatiana took out a tablet from the lining of her hoodie. She pressed a few buttons before sitting beside Alex.
A video started. At first grainy, then in focus.
Valeria was in a darkened room, tied to a chair. Her right eye was swollen shut and her lips were crusty with dried blood.
Her captor demanded that she confess to the camera. When she finished, Alex was beside himself. His whole world had turned upside down.
He knew his wife had worked for the Istochnik in the past, as a secretary, but he had no idea she'd in fact been an assassin.
While Alex processed the information in stunned silence, Tatiana assured him Jeannie was safe... for now, and that an agent was looking after her.
"Why didn't you warn Jeannie yourself?" Alex asked, his brow knitted in consternation.
"Her assignment of bringing Shon Westwood to the Istochnik was of no concern to The Source." Her lips thinned and her delicate nose crinkled in distaste as she pondered the wisdom of her superiors. "Those in charge were more concerned with Demetri's plan. The Source let Jeannie carry on so she could bring him out of hiding. It has been discovered that Demetri wants Jeannie, Shon, and possibly Thorne for something too diabolical to put into words."
Tatiana shuddered. Her face blanched with the worry she carried.
Alex grew short of breath as his lungs struggled with the weight his fear caused.
"W-what does he want with Jeannie?"
Tatiana studied him, sizing up his strength to hear the news. She nodded her head, satisfied he could take it. "I will tell you, but you won't like what I have to say."
Alex lay stunned, not even bothering to watch Tatiana leave through the window she had come through.
His whirling thoughts carried him back to the beginning and how he had missed the clues. Clues which must have been staring him in the face.
Alex and Valeria were born in Russia. Their parents were the best of friends, having come over from Dar es Salaam as Festival Children—Africans who'd received scholarships from the Soviet Union to study at various universities in and around Moscow.
As college students, both sets of parents embraced the chance to get degrees in math and science at Moscow State University.
Once they graduated, they received jobs helping develop Russia's quest for space exploration. They worked together for many years until a terrorist's bomb went off at their research facility, killing all four instantaneously.
Since Alex and Valeria had no siblings, they consoled each other. Love blossomed quickly and they married soon after.
When Valeria traveled with her boss, Demetri Petrov, she would often come home looking tired. Sometimes it would take a week or more for her to recover.
Alex had no idea, that during these trips, his wife was hunting down enemy agents and disposing of them.
One time, when she had left for over a month to help Demetri set up an office in Europe, Alex called her phone after she had fallen silent for a week. After a few tries, Alex had finally gotten a hold of Demetri who promptly made excuses as to why Valeria couldn't return his calls.
When Valeria came home, fear struck Alex's heart like a sucker-punch to the chest. Upon her ashen face sat a lifeless expression and there were at least fifteen pounds missing from her already slim frame. Demetri had helped a listless Valeria to the couch. Ignoring Alex's questions, he left without any explanation.
Valeria slept for twenty hours straight. When she came to, she simply said she had worked herself to the bone. Alex, in love with his wife, believed her.
After a month she became sick again. This time, Alex was over the moon. He was going to be a father!
Demetri was overjoyed at the news, especially when Alex asked him to be godfather. Valeria had balked at first then relented under Alex's questions of "why not?"
Things moved quickly after that.
Demetri wanted Valeria and Alex to become sleeper spies in America. Alex agreed on the condition that Valeria wouldn't have to work until their child was older.
Alex took a job teaching math a private school and Valeria settled into her role as homemaker and mother.
Jeannie was born eight months later, a gorgeous baby who grew into a beautiful, happy child. By the age of five, she was solving math equations children twice her age couldn't comprehend.
Alex had burst with pride at his daughter's accomplishments. He thought her genius came naturally. His insides twisted and bile threatened to erupt from his mouth on learning that wasn't the case.
After staying up for hours, thinking in circles, Alex Jones took his medicine and slipped under the covers, bringing them up to his chin. He slept sitting up as the pain was too great to lay flat.
Soon, he drifted off into a fitful sleep where Demetri headlined in his dreams.
Alex never felt the pinprick of poison that entered his system. His heart seized a moments later as his organs died one by one. When he slumped in his bed, Demetri went to the kitchen to make some tea. He would give Jeannie a few more hours of sleep before calling with the bad news.