So, she was staying with another woman. It was an interesting development that didn't fit the profile they'd been developing on her over the years. She tended to be a loner. He needed to find out what the connection was - other than that they both worked for the Agency. That alone wouldn't be reason enough for the cohabitation, and he speculated on how it might be related to the cryptic message left at the emergency drop. He was going to have to make some further inquiries and find out who Shelby Carson was.

Gregor knew that the more information he had, the more pressure he could exert. Having minutely examined his contact's entire file that afternoon, he had found something he could use as leverage, sensing he might need every bit of ammunition he could muster.



*  *  *

Shelby walked down the last aisle, smiling inwardly. The operative had decided to help after all, and had casually added things they passed in the store including pepper cheese, cheddar cheese, wheat crackers, blueberry and cherry yogurt, lemon flavored seasoning, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, onions, a large bag of crunchy Cheetos, and microwave popcorn.

Noticing that most of the selections were either snack foods or seasonings, Shelby decided Kris probably didn't get to eat many things she liked while in the field. She had been tempted to comment on a few of the spicy items, but hadn't wanted to dissuade her tall companion from getting what she wanted. That was, until now. "You actually eat that stuff?"

Kris looked at the comical expression on Shelby's face, then to the roll of meat in her hand and shrugged. "Yeah. Makes a good sandwich with a nice thick slice of onion and spicy mustard."

Shelby nodded in mock understanding. "Oh, that's how you do it. You drown out the taste with the mustard and onion." She shuddered. "I can't stand that stuff. When we were kids and mom made it for lunch we called it liver the worst."

The twinkling was apparent in the green eyes regarding her, and Kris quirked a half-smile as she held out the package and pointed out, "This is braunschweiger not liverwurst."

"They're all the same...braunschweiger, liverwurst, goose liver. Yuck!"

Kris just grinned and tossed the meat into the cart. "I didn't say anything about that weird cereal you got."

"What are you talking about? My Maypo? Maypo's not weird!"

"Whatever you say. I never even heard of it." The operative was enjoying the banter and pleased that some of Shelby's tension had faded. As a rule, she was bored by shopping, but was finding she didn't mind it nearly as much tonight.

"It's really good. It's a maple flavored oat cereal. Taste's great."

Kris raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I think I'll pass. Sounds way too sweet."

"I happen to like sweet."

Oh, so do I. Kris put a halt to her unruly thoughts. "Nothing wrong with that. We done?"

"Yeah. Just have to get some milk."

Blue's eyes turned glacial. A guy in jeans and a blue polo shirt had mirrored their progress for just a little too long for it to be mere coincidence. She quickly assessed him in the mirror mounted at the end of the aisle. Thank God for shoplifters.

He was too far away for her to determine if he was carrying a weapon, and she needed to get Shelby out of the store safely. She briefly considered just ushering Shelby out of the store, but that would leave him to their rear and if he was good, it could be a fatal move. Blue decided that surprise was her best weapon and if it turned out the guy hadn't been following them and was an innocent, no serious harm would be done.

She moved to the left of Shelby and quietly said, "Let me push the cart. Stay between me and the freezer case."

Alarmed, Shelby bit off a question and moved to Kris' right. Her heart sped up until she could hear it pounding in her ears as she kept pace with the tall woman.

Blue was counting on the man to follow their progress in the mirror, so she slowly traveled up the aisle glancing at frozen selections as she passed. If he was actually following them he should avoid eye contact and the operative intended to use that knowledge to her advantage.

Rounding the corner, she quirked a tiny smile. As she had expected, the guy was gazing at a canned vegetable display. She ambled past him making sure no one was paying attention before suddenly turning and forcefully ramming him with her shopping cart.

The unexpected attack carried Markov into the display shelves and any hope of regaining his balance was lost when he felt his legs swept from beneath him. Biting off a curse, he landed on his stomach in the middle of the aisle, surrounded by rolling cans.

Shelby was momentarily stunned and stood there unmoving until Kris grabbed her arm, pulling her down the aisle. She heard several customers talking loudly and watched store employees run past them to the scene of the accident. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally exited the grocery store.

Blue escorted Shelby to the passenger seat, then jogged around the car, quickly settling herself into the driver's side. She knew the store would try to detain him until they were sure he was uninjured or he had signed a waiver releasing the store from any liability.

In the meantime she intended to search for a parked blue Taurus. Innocent civilians didn't carry guns and she'd caught a glimpse of one when he fell. A feral grin flickered across Blue's face. The hunter had just become the hunted.

Markov assured the manager for the third time that he was fine as he silently cursed the tall woman. He could not allow knowledge of his disobedience to reach his superiors. If the police or medical personnel were called, he would have to leave the store by force before they arrived, something he didn't want to do. His job entailed keeping a low profile, and he was already humiliated beyond belief.

Finally, after signing an alias to a form releasing the store from culpability, he departed, carefully scanning the parking lot to make sure the red car was gone. He continually surveyed his surroundings as he crossed first the parking lot and then the street to get to where his car was parked behind the service station.

He opened his car door, and froze. The unmistakable sound of a round being chambered reached his ears as he simultaneously felt a hard object pressed firmly against his back.

Shelby was pressed against the entrance to the women's restroom, her eyes wide. She had known what Kris was going to do, but was still surprised when the operative had appeared behind the man. She watched Kris search the man, pocket the gun and wallet she found, then order him to get in the passenger side of the car, before climbing into the backseat behind him, her aim never wavering.

"Who are you?"

Markov maintained a stony silence. He would tell this woman nothing.

Blue softened her voice, and purred into the Russian's ear. "It's simple, really. You tell me what I want to know, you live. You don't, you die. So what'll it be?"

Markov was chilled and tantalized by the voice in his ear, but instinctively knew this woman would do as she said. "I was paid to follow you..." Intense pain filled his head as blue steel impacted with the back of his skull. His eyes watered and Russian curses filled the air.

Blue growled, "I'm losing my patience."

"I am Markov. I was sent by the Bear."

"Why?"

"He did not say." Blue knew that was probably true, but decided to make sure. She pressed her gun into the base of Markov's neck. "I don't believe you."

"It is true! He ordered me to return when you went into the store."

"Why didn't you?"

Markov hesitated and felt the pressure at the base of his neck increase. "I wanted to give him a description of your partner."

Blue felt her stomach tighten. "Why?"

"He was interested in her. I wanted to impress him."

Blue handed the man his wallet. "Hold that up where I can see. Now take out your ID." She looked at the diplomatic ID card issued by the State Department to all embassy personnel and learned his full name was Boris Ivanovich Markov. The other information on the ID didn't interest her. "What else you got in there, Boris?"

Markov began removing each item from his wallet and held it up until she ordered, "Next."

Blue was looking for phone numbers or code names, and smiled when he tried to hide a small folded piece of paper from her sight. It never ceased to amaze her how stupid some operatives were.

She shoved the barrel of the gun against his head. "Hand me that piece of paper you're trying to hide. Try anything funny and you die and I get it anyway."

Markov tensed. That paper had Dimitri's personal phone number on it. He could not allow this woman to have it. He slowly moved the folded piece of paper from behind his international license and then suddenly thrust it to his mouth.

Blue had anticipated the move and slammed her left fist into the side of his head. Ignoring Markov's grunt of pain, she growled, "You don't get it yet, do you?"

She pressed her weapon against Markov's head. "Now pick it up."

Markov shook his head to clear it, and slowly reached down to retrieve the piece of paper from his lap. Any thought of defying her again deserted him when he heard her chuckle softly in his ear. "You try that again and your brain is gonna be splattered all over the inside of this car."

Blue took it from him and slid it in her pocket. "That's a good boy. Now listen carefully. If I ever see you again, you're a dead man. That goes for annoying my partner, too. You got that?"