Elizabeth collapsed on the couch and took off her boots. Once her feet were free she tucked them under her and leaned back into the cushions, running scenarios through her mind. Yushenkov in London. What was he up to? She compared what she knew about him from the past to this new information. He rarely left the walls of his compound in Arkhangelsk. From satellite imagery, the compound appeared to be a veritable fortress, and he had a small army in attendance at all times. There was a large airplane hanger there as well, and she had seen from the aerial shots herself that he had a MIG-29 in storage. She seriously doubted that Russia’s nastiest mob boss had possession of a fighter just because he liked to go joy-riding. Yushenkov was no joke. So, why, with all his black market deals, his funding of terrorist activity, his trafficking of illegal arms was he concerned with one American company trying to bring more revenue into the Russian economy. What was the connection? And what the hell had brought him out of hiding. Naturally she was a little gun shy about this new information. The last time she had thought he was coming out to say hello, she had ended up in an eight by eight hell-hole with no windows under a prison in Ankarrah for almost three years. She shuddered involuntarily at the memory.

Lost in thought, she didn’t hear the phone until the third ring. Who was calling her at midnight? She hauled herself up from the couch and answered the chirping annoyance.

“Hello.”

“Lizzy, hi, its Jane.”

“Hey, Jane.”

“Sorry to call so late, but I didn’t get to say hello when I saw you at that club.”

“You were there?”

“Yes. It was Caroline’s idea that we all go there as a send off. She’s leaving for Paris.”

“Ah.”

“So, is there anything you want to tell me?”

Jane must have seen her with Manny. She would have to be careful what she said over the phone.

“You mean tall, dark and handsome?”

“Yes.”

“He’s an old friend.”

There was a confused pause at the other end. “Ahh… old friend?”

Elizabeth was taken aback. She knew that Jane was smart, but to figure out so quickly who Manny was… well, she should give the girl more credit.

“Yes, what do you think of him?”

Jane was completely lost. “The same thing I’ve thought of him for years. He’s a good and honorable man.”

Elizabeth had never heard Jane talk about her boys before. She smiled with pride at the compliment. “I’ll be sure and tell him you said so.”

“You two seemed pretty close tonight. What’s going on?”

“Oh, he just had some news to tell me about a mutual friend.”

“Are you sure that’s all? I’ve never seen him act like that before, Lizzy.”

Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to be completely lost. “You’ve never seen him before, Jane.”

“Charles and I came there tonight with him. What are you talking about? Of course I’ve seen William before.”

William. Jane had seen her exchange with William, not Manny. Once she had heard Manny’s news, she had pushed the whole incident with William to the back of her mind.

“Oh, that.”

“So, what was that all about?”

“I was just saving him from a couple of drunken octopi. No big deal.”

“Lizzy, I’ve seen William with women before. He always has a date for social engagements and parties. But never, in all the years I have known him, have I seen him look at or put his hands on a woman like he did with you tonight. Charles says that he was never even that way with Daphne Mayfield, who everyone thought he was going to marry.”

Elizabeth mulled that over in her mind for a moment. She had seen that name in his file. She knew that Daphne Mayfield was an old family friend, and years ago they had spent a lot of time together, the society pages speculating on possible impending nuptials. By all appearances a damper was put on things when Georgie died. It did not shock Elizabeth that, with William’s predisposition to drown himself in work, he had pushed Daphne away in his hour of need.

“There is nothing going on other than me doing his filing and typing and saving his ass. Don’t read too much into it.”

“Leading him on to get the job done isn’t part of the plan, is it?”

Elizabeth bristled at this. Jane was supposed to be on her side, damn it.

“No, Jane, whore is not in my job description.”

“That’s not what I mean, Lizzy. He’s our friend and I worry, that’s all. He’s lost a lot, and, well, frankly, we are the one’s who will be left here to pick up the pieces when you leave. I don’t think its fair to destroy his emotions for the sake of the… well, you know.”

“I’ll tell you what’s not fair, Jane. What’s not fair is you calling me at midnight and implying that I am doing anything less honorable than putting myself in the line of fire for your darling boy. If you think that I will exact my payment in the bedroom for services rendered than screw you. I assure you that any affection he has toward me has been unasked for and unwanted. I have done nothing to encourage it and I have most assuredly not returned the sentiment.” Elizabeth’s voice had reached a fevered pitch by the end of her rant and her breath came out in ragged gasps.

Jane smiled at the other end of the line. She had known from childhood that the only way to get Elizabeth to cop to liking a boy was to piss her off, and the more she liked him the madder she would get and the more she would deny it. For all of Elizabeth’s training in deception and manipulation, she still fell for that old trick every time.

“Busted. Now pay up.”

Elizabeth groaned on the other end. Why had she not seen this coming?

“Fine. I’m attracted to him, okay. He’s tall, he’s gorgeous, he’s built, he’s intelligent what’s not to like. But I can’t and he can’t and I’m trying hard to squash it, Jane. I really am.”

“I know, Lizzy. Just be careful with yourself, okay. I worry about you. And a lot of the stuff I said about him does apply. I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”

“I know, thank you. I’m doing my best, truly.”

“Listen, come over this weekend and hang out with Charles and me. Caroline is leaving for Paris this afternoon, we can do whatever we like however we like. Get some sleep and come over at say, three?”

“Sure, sounds great. See ya then.”

“Lizzy…”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, sis.”

Elizabeth lay in bed for several hours that night, dwelling on feelings she had wanted to ignore. There was something about William that stirred her blood. From that first day in his office, when things had almost fallen apart, she had felt some nebulous cloud forming in the back of her mind. Long ago, Elizabeth had put aside all hopes of having romantic feelings of any sort. Her lifestyle did not allow it. Any twinges of feeling were immediately pushed back into a small pocket in her psyche, and there she had hoped to put William Darcy. But unlike the other fleeting interests she had locked up, he was not being a good boy. He would sneak out at night, making a nuisance of himself in her dreams. He would hijack her thoughts as she soaked in her bathtub. He ran roughshod over her few quiet times. And no matter how hard she tried to stuff him back into that pocket, he would slip out again as soon as she wasn’t looking. The thought of him was just as demanding as the reality of him. She let out a deep sigh, thinking to herself that one good thing might come of all this tonight. He exhausted her so much, she might actually stay in the bed. Holding on to that small hope, she closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her.

No such luck.

The Saturday afternoon sun shown down on three different people engaging in three very different activities.

For Elizabeth, the day was spent in the warm cocoon of Charles and Jane’s loving presence, relaxing and enjoying a moment of calm in her crazy life. Nothing more stressful than what everyone wanted for dinner was discussed. She needed this break, needed to pull herself together and recharge her overly tapped energy reserves.

For William, the day was spent renewing old friendships and agonizing over new ones. He had taken Richard’s advice, and given Daphne a call that morning. They had talked for over an hour before they had agreed that catching up in person was a much more appealing prospect. They made plans to meet at the country club for lunch that afternoon. As William placed the phone back in the cradle, he was torn in two directions. On one hand he was happy to be seeing Daphne again. He had always had feelings for her, and had felt guilty over the way things had played out. But, on the other hand, there was Elizabeth. Last night, he thought he had come to a decision about her. Yet the more firmly his mind was set, the more the thought of her crept in, pushing aside all his best laid plans. In that club, in that outfit, had she been anyone else, he would never have given her a second glance. But, that it was her in that club and in those clothes, and the fact being that he had for so long been curious about what lay under her usual bland office attire, the image of her wouldn’t leave him. He cringed at the shallowness of it, but there it was. He found her mysterious and erotic. Her very being was something of a slow seduction. Little by little he was discovering her true nature just as last night he had slowly taken in her real form and figure. There was far more to Elizabeth than she was openly showing him, and he couldn’t stop his drive to know all.

He left for his lunch date, hoping that seeing Daphne again would help bring him back to the peace of mind he had known before Elizabeth.

For Richard, the day was spent in a small downtown apartment, alone with three very dangerous men, carrying out the last step in Villanova’s harsh plan.

The boys had opted to rent a three bedroom apartment together in the cheap side of town, knowing they wouldn’t be there long and that none of them would be spending any real time there. Manny had received a call from Richard that morning, asking to meet them there to discuss some business. They had agreed on a time when they could meet, but Manny emphasized the fact that it needed to be short, because there should be someone in the truck monitoring the incoming traffic at all times.

Moe offered Richard a drink as Jack lead him into the living room, offering him a seat on the couch. Richard declined both, instead taking a chair from the table and sitting in it backwards, knowing that he would have it as a weapon in case they didn’t like what he had to say. He asked them all to take a seat, and without any preliminary small talk, hit them between the eyes with their newest assignment.

“Boys, I’ve had a talk with Villanova.”

All three men shivered. Villanova was a name to be feared and respected. Not one of them could think of anyone tougher or meaner.

“I need you to run surveillance on Lizzy.”

Moe and Jack shot up from the couch in unison, fists clenched and curses flying. Richard jumped up from his chair and grabbed it by the back, ready to break it across the first massive form that came at him.

“Sit down.” Manny’s deep voice boomed, bringing the boys to heel. “Let the man have his say.”

Moe and Jack slowly sank back into their seats, eyes hard as flint and muscles still tensed.

“We need to know if Lizzy and Will are becoming… close. She can’t go there, boys. If she becomes emotionally involved she may crack, and we will lose everything.”

“You are asking us to spy on the boss. That’s bullshit,” Jack protested.

“No, its to keep her safe. She’s not fully sound yet. We need to know where her head is at, because, as you all know, she will not admit to a weakness.”

“I won’t spy on the boss. She trusts us and we trust her. If she found out, she wouldn’t think we were trying to help her, she would think we don’t trust her. Then the team is worthless and she’s flying solo,” Moe growled.

Richard looked to Manny, the only one he had not heard from yet and the one he had expected the most trouble from . He knew that this whole thing would be an impossible sell, and the chances of success were zero and none. He was shocked, though, to find he had an ally.

“Villanova’s right. We have to do it.”

Moe and Jack looked at Manny as though he had just grown a third eye.

Jack was the first to find his voice. “What the hell, Manny. I’m not stabbing her in the back.”

Manny took the hard line, snatching the boys up short. “You’ll do as you’re told sergeant, without question. Do I make myself clear?”

A tense silence permeated the room as the three titans took each other in and weighed their options.

“I said, do I make myself clear?”

Moe and Jack gritted their teeth and gave the correct answer, “Sir, yes sir.”

“She’s falling for him, I saw it. We have to protect her at all costs, even if its from herself. Understood?”

“Jealous,” Moe growled under his breath.

Manny was on him in a flash, pulling him off the couch and into his face by the shirt front.

“You have something to say to me, boy?”

“No, Gunny.”

“Damn right you don’t. Don’t you ever question my intentions when it comes to the boss. We almost lost her last time, I’ll be damned if I am going to let that happen again. I don’t care what we have to do.”

Moe let his eyes fall in shame. Manny was right, but he hated the idea so much that he had to lash out at someone.

Richard stood in awe at the scene before him as Manny put Moe down and thumped him on the back in forgiveness. It was amazing how these men related to each other. One minute they were ready to tear each other up, the next all was forgotten. He had never admired Manny more than he did right then. And he was thankful, because Manny had done his job for him, and he would walk out of here in one piece.

“When do we start?” Manny asked.

“Well, that’s the thing. Next weekend is the annual Christmas get together at William’s estate in the country. Lizzy’s sister and brother-in-law are always invited, so that will mean that Lizzy will go to. And if for some reason Will doesn’t extend the invitation to her, I will. When we are there, you will need to bug her apartment and Will’s penthouse. I will take care of things at Pemberley. How does that sound?”

“Good. We can do that, and we have an extra machine in the truck that we can dedicate to the copy.” Manny’s response was solemn. He didn’t feel any better about this than the other two, but he knew it was a necessary evil.

Richard rose to leave and Manny followed him to the door.

“I don’t like this, Fitzwilliam, but I know its what’s best for the boss. I am going to tell you now, though, that I will not be part of anything that will hurt her. If you two are going to try to use this against her in anyway, I won’t allow it.”

“No, Manny. Villanova and I both have her best interests at heart. I’m not going to allow that either. Alright?”

Manny nodded in answer and opened the door.

“I’ll call you to firm things up before we leave. Its going to be alright, Manny.” Richard gave Manny’s arm a squeeze and left the apartment. The three men left behind could do nothing but stare at the floor for several minutes, trying to come to terms with the traitorous thing that they had to do.