Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [144]
She shook her head, swallowed, tried to speak. Finally, she tipped her head toward the Russian. "Who?"
"Uncle," Alex said. He gave Elena a reassuring nod. "He's your uncle Roland. I don't know what his story is yet, so don't get too close."
Elena was staring at the man as if she'd seen him before. "I remember you. You always gave us chocolate."
Roland smiled. "Yes, that was me. Your mother used to scold me. She said I was spoiling you."
"Why didn't you tell me who you were when you came to the radio station?" Julia asked. "Why did you speak to me in Russian?"
"I wasn't sure it was you. I wanted to know if you could understand me. But you had forgotten everything. Then your friends came. I knew the time wasn't right. But you're safe now. You're both safe."
While Elena and Roland tentatively embraced, Julia moved into Alex's arms. "Thanks for coming to save me," she said.
"I thought I was going to be too late," he said tightly. "But you saved yourself."
"With Elena's help. She knocked Brady out with a chair while I was trying to get the gun."
"You went after Brady?" he asked in amazement.
"It was our only chance. It was probably stupid."
"Probably," Alex agreed. "And amazingly brave."
"You were brave, too. You went after Roland before you knew he was a friend. When Brady left the two of you fighting, I was so afraid you were going to be hurt or killed. I begged him to turn back, but he wouldn't. He said he called for backup, but that must have been a lie, part of his plan. He needed us to get the jewels and the money. That's all he wanted." She paused, seeing the truth in his eyes, but still she had to say it. "Brady told us that he killed our parents. He thought he already had the stones. They set him up. I guess in the end they didn't trust him as much as we did."
"Maybe they knew him better. Don't beat yourself up, Julia. Hindsight is always crystal clear."
"I know." She touched the swelling around his right eye. "I think you're going to have another black eye."
"It was worth it." He paused, his lips tightening. "God, Julia. I thought I might lose you today."
She blinked back a tear at the raw emotion in his voice. She didn't know if she could call it love, but it was something. She pressed her mouth to his, kissing him with everything she had. It ended all too soon as the sound of sirens intruded and grew louder and louder.
"I think we have company," Alex said. Fire engines and police converged on the block.
"We're going to have a lot to explain." She opened her hand and showed him the stones. "These were hidden in the icon."
"That's what Roland thought. Put them away for now," Alex advised. He reached for his cell phone. "This time I'm going to call for backup."
"Who?"
"My father. I think it's time he came all the way out of hiding."
"Brady fooled him, too. He played everyone. He was very clever." She looked at the burning house and said with a degree of vengeful satisfaction, "And now he's dead."
Chapter 22
It was after midnight before Julia, Elena, Alex, and Roland returned to Elena's apartment to regroup. They'd spent the entire day and evening being questioned by local police and numerous government agencies. The entire story had finally become clear. What had once been thought to be a politically motivated murder had in fact been precipitated by simple, old-fashioned greed, a greed that had nothing to do with nationality.
Once Brady had learned of the existence of the jewels, he had become obsessed with having them for himself. In talking to various government agents, Julia and Alex had learned more about Brady's background. He'd grown up poor and found his ticket out of a Detroit slum at an army recruitment office. While in the army he'd become an expert with explosives. He'd later worked his way up to Intelligence and eventually a career as a spy.
For Brady it had never been about ideals or political freedom or national security; it had been about adventure, excitement, and