Synopsis

Rune August has lived again and again through many different time periods, but has never found tranquility until she walked into St. Agnes Home for Orphans in New York City in 1894. When her new home is endangered, she doesn’t hesitate to fight back – and win. But that win comes at a terrible price.

Refusing to leave the children unprotected, she watches over and protects them in a different form… as the beloved statue in their center garden. But eventually the orphanage is renovated, and Rune finds herself packed away and sold.

Sergei Vasiliev and his best friend and bodyguard, Dimitri Mihailov, run one of the most powerful computer software development companies in the world. Both men carry deep scars from their life on the streets and from living in the world of the ultra-rich. Sergei knows men want him for his power and women want him for his money. Dimitri knows that some people would do anything to gain the secrets their company is developing.

Sergei purchases the statue for their home outside of Moscow because there is something… enthralling about it. He knows Dimitri will see it, too.

Read on for the just over three chapters of Touching Rune!

Chapter 1

New York City, St. Agnes Orphanage 1894

“Rune, look at me!” Mary Katherine cried out as she twirled around in the new dress that Sister Helen had made for her. “Don’t I look beautiful? Do you think the Wrights will choose me?”

Rune grinned as the excited six-year-old twirled around in a circle so her dress would fly out around her. Sister Mary stood to the side, smiling serenely. Neither one of them let on that the faded dress had seen better days or had been passed down time and time again. To both of them, Mary Katherine looked beautiful with her shiny brown curls and rosy cheeks.

“I think the last thing you need is a bouquet of flowers to give Mrs. Wright,” Rune said as she pulled out the leftover flowers she had tucked away for just this occasion. “I bet she would love them as much as she’ll love you.”

Mary Katherine gasped and ran over to give Rune a huge hug before she carefully took the small offering. Her eyes shone with excitement as she stared into Rune’s warm brown eyes. A small dimple formed as she smiled up at Rune.

“Oh thank you, Rune,” Mary Katherine whispered. “I’ll take very good care of them until they come.”

“It is a good thing they won’t be long,” Sister Anna said sternly from behind Mary Katherine. “Come along, Mary Katherine. The Wrights are here to see you now.”

Rune leaned down and hugged the delicate little girl. “Remember to smile and be polite,” she whispered. “They are going to love you as much as I do.”

“I love you too, Rune,” Mary Katherine whispered before she gave Rune a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Go shine for them, rosebud,” Rune whispered back as she watched Mary Katherine follow Sister Anna into the orphanage.

Sister Mary walked over to where Rune stood watching the departing figures. She brushed a strand of long dark brown hair back behind Rune’s ear that had fallen loose. She studied the face of the young woman who had appeared out of nowhere five years before when they desperately needed help.

A serious outbreak of Whooping Cough had struck the orphanage. The four Sisters of St. Agnes had been unable to handle the almost thirty children who contracted it. Rune had walked in and taken over when Sister Helen and Mother Magdalene came down sick as well. She had been a part of their small family ever since.

“Do you think they’ll adopt her?” Rune asked in a soft, worried voice.

“Only God knows, child,” Sister Mary said. “My goodness, what happened to your wrist?”

Rune looked down at her wrist in surprise. She started to pull the sleeve of her blouse back over it, but Sister Mary reached down and gently gripped her hand so she could take a closer look at the dark bruises that marred the delicate skin.

“It’s nothing,” Rune started to say, but Sister Mary refused to release her right wrist.

“Who did this to you?” Sister Mary asked in concern. “Was it that dreadful Mr. Randolph?”

“Sister Mary,” Rune sighed. “He came to see me over in the market. I took care of him. There is nothing to worry about.”

“What did he want?” Sister Mary demanded. “Was it about the orphanage again? The church will not sell him the property. We have a written agreement from the Archbishop himself that as long as there are children living here, it will remain open.”

“I told him that,” Rune replied, looking around the garden that she had created for the children. “He… wanted me to convince you that you needed to change the Archbishop’s mind or he would have to take matters into his own hands.”

“You need to tell Mother Magdalene. She needs to know he threatened you,” Sister Mary insisted. “What else did he say?”

Rune blushed and lowered her head. She couldn’t tell the Sisters what else Walter Randolph said. She had become livid at his crude comments and she had let him know she would not let him talk to her in such a manner. She brushed her long braid over her shoulder and shrugged instead of answering Sister Mary.

“He just wanted me to convince Mother Magdalene to talk to the Archbishop,” she mumbled.

Sister Mary’s lips tightened as she looked at the lovely young woman standing in front of her. She could see the flush on her cheeks and the anger in her eyes as she looked at the ground. She reached out and touched Rune’s cheek and smiled in understanding.

“You are a very lovely young woman, Rune,” Sister Mary said. “You have a heart of gold and you have given that gold to not only the children who live here but to the Sisters of St. Agnes. I just want you to know that we are here for you as well.”

Rune lifted her head and gazed at Sister Mary with a look of determination in her eyes. “You… all of you… are the family I lost,” Rune whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll protect you and the children, no matter what Randolph threatens to do.”

“You are part of our family as well, Rune,” Sister Mary said. “Never doubt that.”

Rune smiled and was about to reply when suddenly the center courtyard garden was overflowing with excited children. Mary Katherine came running as fast as her legs could move. She had a huge grin on her face.

“Rune! I’ve got a family,” she called out as she threw herself into Rune’s open arms. “I have a mommy and daddy.”

“And they have a beautiful daughter,” Rune laughed as she swung Mary Katherine around in a circle before setting her down and smiling at the young couple walking toward her.

“I believe these came from you,” the young woman said with a smile as she lifted the small bouquet of flowers. “Thank you.”

Rune smiled back. “No, thank you,” she responded as the other children gathered around to wish Mary Katherine goodbye.

Rune watched with a combination of happiness and sadness. She had dreamed a long time ago about having a family, but it was not meant to be. Instead, she accepted the children and Sisters into her heart and let them fill her life with joy.

She looked around the cheerful garden that she had worked hard on. Brilliant flowers bloomed everywhere. They reminded her of the children; each different, delicate yet colorful.

Yes, I will do everything in my power to protect them, she thought as love swelled inside her. This is what I was meant to do.

Chapter 2

Rune turned the corner and held her breath as she pressed her back against the cold brick and mortar building. Walter Randolph and his men were looking for her. She cursed under her breath. Ruby had warned her as she gathered the last of her flowers that had not sold for the day. Ruby, who sold scented soap beside her, had told her that she would take care of everything and have her brother drop it off at the orphanage later that evening.

Rune had barely had time to whisper her thanks before one of Randolph’s men spotted her. Hiking her long skirt up, she had run as fast as she could. She heard Randolph yell out behind her but she wasn’t about to wait.

He’s probably mad about the black eye I gave him yesterday, Rune thought as she dodged between two horse-drawn wagons filled with barrels of fresh fish from the docks. I’ll give him another one today if he tries to touch me again.

She groaned when another one of Randolph’s men spotted her. She was two blocks from the orphanage. She knew the horrid man wouldn’t try anything there. She was fed up with him and his demands. She had to vary her times and the spots where she sold her flowers three times in the last two weeks because of him.

Rune pushed off the wall as the man started down the alley toward her. She turned the corner and ran headfirst into a tall, lanky form. Hard hands grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. With a silent moan, she looked up into the twinkling eyes of Officer Olson Myers.

“Why, Miss August,” he said in his cheerful, deep voice. “Where is the fire?”

Rune pushed her long hair back behind her ear and smiled nervously up at the officer who often came by to see the children. Sister Mary and Sister Helen liked to hint that he really came by to see Rune, but Rune refused to rise to their baiting. She knew better than to encourage the young officer to believe there could ever be more than friendship between them.

“I was just on my way back to the orphanage,” Rune replied, glancing behind her. She turned back with a smile and touched Officer Myers arm. “Would you be so kind as to escort me? I know the children would love to see you.”

Olson grinned down at Rune, his thin mustache curving upwards. “I would be honored, Miss August. How are you doing on this fine evening? Did you sell all of your lovely flowers today?”

Rune mumbled an answer. She knew that they were being followed as they walked slowly back to the orphanage. She fought the urge to just turn and yell at the man to tell Randolph to leave her and the Sisters alone. She didn’t, though. Walter Randolph might be a slimy weasel, but he was a very wealthy and powerful one.

It took almost an hour before Rune was able to peel herself away from the friendly officer once they reached the orphanage. Sister Helen had to offer him a cup of tea. Sister Mary had to give him a piece of cake. Mother Magdalene asked him how his day was and if he was courting anyone.

Rune had rolled her eyes at that obvious attempt to feel out his intentions. She had finally taken pity on the poor, blushing man and exclaimed that it was time to get the children ready for their nightly bedtime ritual. She grimaced as the Sisters all stood up and looked expectantly at her.

“Let me get your hat for you,” Rune grunted out.

Rune led Olson out of the sitting room and into the small foyer. The soft giggles coming from the stairwell had her raising her eyes in warning to the line of children looking down at them. She winked at two of the youngest ones, pulling more muffled giggles from her audience.

“Yes, well, it was very nice of you to have me for tea and refreshments,” Olson said, nervously rotating his hat in his hands. “I was wondering if perhaps, after church this Sunday…”

“I don’t attend church, Mr. Myers,” Rune said shortly.

“You don’t… but you live…,” Olson said, confused as he looked around at the home filled with religious artifacts.

“No, I don’t, and yes, I do,” Rune said firmly as she opened the door. “I hope you have a very pleasant evening. Please be careful of the last step. It has a slight dip in the center and can be slippery.”

Rune stood in the door as Olson gave his stammered goodbyes. She knew she had taken him by surprise with her comment, but she didn’t care. She didn’t answer to anyone… not anymore. She had made her decision long ago and she accepted the consequences. She didn’t feel like she had to explain or answer to anyone why she felt the way she did. They would never understand anyway.

How did you explain that you had lived and died a hundred times to someone who believed that you went to heaven or hell after you died? she thought as she watched him hurry down the road.

Her eyes narrowed on a dark shadow across the street. The figure stepped out into the dim light of the lamp post. The scarred face of the man who had followed her earlier stared back at her.

Rune lifted her chin and gave the man a cold smile. She had met men like him many times before. She had fought with a man just like him the first time she had died. She had sworn as she lay dying on the cold, muddy ground centuries before that she would never bow to a tyrant.

She closed the door and leaned back against it. Her eyes went to the single pair of eyes staring down in silence at her. Eyes so much like… Rune forced her mind to close on the distant memory that haunted her still. She smiled and walked over to the stairs leading to the children’s dorm. She didn’t say a word as she held out her hand to the small boy who stood up as she approached. Together, they walked in silence down the long corridor.

* * *

“The local lawman left just a few minutes ago,” the scar-faced man said as he spit on the pitted dirt road next to the carriage that pulled up next to him. “I wasn’t sure he was ever going to leave.”

“And the young woman?” the dark figure sitting in the back of the carriage asked. “She is still inside?”

“Yes. She looked right at me,” the man replied, shifting from one foot to the other in unease. “She didn’t look like she was scared either.”

A chilling silence met his response. “Did you get the items I asked for?” the man in the carriage finally asked.

“Yes,” the man replied. “But I don’t feel good about burning down a holy place. I can kill a man or that young woman if you want, but burning down some Sisters and a bunch of kids just don’t sit right with me.”

Walter Randolph sat forward in the carriage just enough for the man to see the cold brutality glittering in his eyes. He didn’t care how the man felt. It wouldn’t matter. Sam Weston was nothing more than a cutthroat he had hired down at the docks. His body would be found in the burnt remains of the building. Weston would be blamed for an arson gone wrong.

Randolph only needed the man to gather the items that were to be used and to be there. He would kill him after Weston and he used those items to set fire to the orphanage. But first… first he had a certain female that he wanted removed. Rune August had been a thorn in his side for the last two years. She had petitioned the mayor and several wealthy philanthropists to support the orphanage. His arguments that the property was too valuable to be wasted on a bunch of indigent children had fallen on deaf ears. He soon discovered that the more vocal he became, the cooler his reception among his peers had become, thanks to her interference.

He had come to the conclusion that he needed to take care of the situation himself. Time after time, his meetings with the stubborn but beautiful Miss August had led to nothing but frustration, both physically and financially. She had rebuffed his attentions just as she had refused to take his money.

“You are not being paid to feel things, Mr. Weston,” Randolph said coolly. “Have the items in the back alley behind the orphanage after midnight. I want to personally oversee this… task.”

“Yes, Mr. Randolph,” Sam muttered before he stepped back. “I’ll be there.”

“You’d better be, Mr. Weston,” Randolph said before he tapped on the roof of the carriage. “You’d better be.”

Randolph looked out the window of the carriage as it pulled away from the curb. His eyes rose to the figure silhouetted in the upper window. A cruel smile formed as he saw the figure disappear as the light inside was blown out. Tonight he would not only make the property available for his future plans, but he would have the beautiful Miss August under his control.

* * *

“Rune, where are you going?” Timmy asked.

Rune turned and pulled her dressing gown closed. Timmy had come to the orphanage a couple of months before. He was a soft-spoken boy of eight whose eyes held too much sorrow. His father had died when he was just a babe and his mother of tuberculosis two months ago.

“You should be asleep,” Rune whispered sternly. “What are you doing up?”

Timmy looked down at his hands and didn’t reply at first. Rune sighed and knelt down in front of him. She gently tilted his trembling chin up so he could see she wasn’t mad.

“How about some warm milk and a small piece of cake?” she asked softly. “It always helps me when I have a sad dream.”

Timmy looked into her eyes with a serious expression. “Do you have sad dreams too?” he asked, raising his hand to touch her cheek as she nodded. “I dreamed about my mom. She was coughing again and couldn’t stop.”

“It is hard when someone we love dies,” Rune said sadly. “Just remember, as long as you keep them in your heart, they are never really gone.”

“Do you keep your family in your heart?” Timmy asked innocently.

Rune schooled her face not to show the pain she still felt at times. She often wondered if anything would ever heal the grief she kept locked away deep inside her. Being around the children and watching them grow helped.

“Yes, Timmy,” Rune replied as she stood up. “I keep them locked inside my heart so I never forget them. Come on. Let’s go see if Mother Magdalene saved us any of Sister Mary’s pound cake. You know she loves it.”

Timmy giggled and slipped his hand into Rune’s. They snuck down the stairs and through the corridor. Rune decided to cut through the garden. She loved going into the garden on a clear night.

Timmy giggled again when Rune teased him about being quiet as a mouse. She was about to remark that maybe they should be stealing some bread and cheese when a movement on the other side of the garden caught her attention. There was a flash and brilliant orange flames flared up, silhouetting a form that Rune was only too familiar with along with the scarred face of the man who had been watching her earlier.

“Timmy, wake the others,” Rune said, pushing the boy behind her. “Run! Tell them fire! Wake the others now!”

Timmy’s eyes were huge as he briefly looked over his shoulder at the two men. One stared back at them in surprise while the other glared at them in fury. He stumbled as he turned, his hand searching desperately for the handle to the door.

“Get him!” The man with the furious expression ordered. “Don’t let him alert the others.”

“Run, Timmy,” Rune ordered as she moved to stand in front of the door. “Save them, Timmy. It is up to you now.”

* * *

Rune knew deep down that her time here had come to an end. She never understood how she knew, she just did. Fury built deep inside her as the pain of losing her new family swept through her. She had sworn that she would protect the children and the Sisters with every fiber of her being, and she would do so.

She heard the door slam behind her as Timmy finally raced inside. She could hear his frightened voice rising as he ran back to the dorms and the rooms belonging to the Sisters and Mother Magdalene. She ignored it as the scar-faced man ran toward her.

Hoping to surprise him, she raced forward and grabbed his arm. She let her slender weight hit him head-on. He grunted and stumbled sideways when she refused to let go of his arm.

“Get the boy!” Randolph growled out harshly as he wrapped his arm around Rune’s waist and ripped her away from the scar-faced man. “Kill him.”

“No!” Rune screamed.

Fury unlike anything she had ever felt swept through her. She slammed her head back into Randolph’s face, breaking his nose from the sound of the crunch. She turned as his arm fell away from around her and swung her fist.

“You bitch!” Randolph snarled out as he slapped Rune across the face, knocking her down. “You’ve ruined everything.”

Flames were crawling up the wall behind them as the wooden frame of the kitchen area caught. Rune’s eyes moved from the flames back to the man standing over her. She waited until he bent to grab her again before she threw the dirt that she had gathered in her hand into his eyes.

Randolph cursed loudly and stumbled backwards. Rune’s eyes narrowed in determination when she realized he was in front of the burning door. Pushing up off the ground, she charged him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pushing him through the flames. They both landed on the floor of the kitchen as the door gave way. Randolph lost his balance and fell on his back with Rune on top of him.

Rune gasped as he rolled so that she was trapped under him. She barely had time to raise her hands to protect her face when he raised his hand to strike her again. He cursed in frustration and rolled off her, coughing as the smoke thickened the air.

Rune rolled away from him and crawled onto her hands and knees. She looked at him with watery eyes. Flames were beginning to roll along the ceiling of the kitchen now and the wall where the door leading to the garden was engulfed. She pulled herself up using the table. Seeing the knife that they had used earlier to cut the pound cake, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around it.

“You stupid bitch,” Randolph cursed as he wrapped his fingers around the wrist holding the knife. “You could have had everything money could buy.”

Rune jerked, trying to break his grip. She cried out when he squeezed hard enough to almost break the delicate bones in her wrist. He reached over and grabbed the knife in his free hand.

“Money could never buy my loyalty or make me care about a self-centered bastard like you,” Rune choked out as sweat from the heat of the fire threatened to scorch her skin. “You are through,” she whispered. “Not even your money can save you from this.”

Rune could hear the bells of alarm and the yells of voices as people gathered to form a water bucket brigade. She could hear the sharp whistle of a policeman and the bells on the team of horses pulling the water wagon. A large beam cracked and fell behind Randolph. Rune reacted the moment his attention was distracted. She pushed as hard as she could against him. Pain exploded through her even as she watched as he lost his balance and fell back onto the burning beam. A second beam collapsed, trapping him between the two.

His screams followed Rune as she turned back toward the empty space where the door leading to the garden now stood. She walked forward, ignoring the flames. They could do nothing to her. She was already dead. She could feel the blood draining from her even as the pain from the knife that Randolph had stuck into her as he fell threatened to overwhelm her. She wanted to reach the garden. The garden that she loved. The garden with the flowers that she grew to sell for the children. The garden where their laughter echoed.

Rune fell to her knees near the center. Mother Magdalene, who was standing in the doorway leading into the dorm area, rushed forward. She gently helped Rune down before rolling her over onto her back. Rune stared up into the night sky as the familiar peacefulness of death swept through her. The stars glittered despite the thick smoke and the red haze of the flames.

“Please,” Rune whispered, looking blindly up at the stars. “Please, let me stay this time. Let me watch over and protect them. Please don’t take me away again. I’m so tired of wandering. Please…” her voice broke.

“Oh, child,” Mother Magdalene whispered as she brushed Rune’s sweat dampened hair back from her face. “What have you done?”

Rune turned her face into the withered hand and sighed. “I promised to protect you,” Rune whispered with a serene smile. “Don’t cry for me, Mother Magdalene. I’ll be alright. I won’t… leave you… or the… children,” she forced out softly before she faded away.

Tears coursed down Mother Magdalene’s cheeks. She touched the still face of the young girl who had appeared out of nowhere and captured the hearts of everyone she touched. She brushed the damp hair back, holding Rune tightly for a moment. She gently closed Rune’s eyes with trembling fingers.

“Mother Magdalene!” Sister Mary whispered in shock as she rushed up to where Mother Magdalene was holding Rune’s lifeless body. “Oh no! Oh, poor child,” she cried as she bowed her head to pray.

Mother Magdalene looked up at the stars and whispered her own prayer. She prayed that Rune would finally find the peace and happiness that she deserved. Her only regret was that she had never learned what put the shadows in the young girl’s beautiful brown eyes.

“Please help her find happiness,” Mother Magdalene prayed. “Please give her a second chance to find someone who will love her enough to chase the shadows from her eyes.”

Chapter 3

Present Day New York City

“You know it helps if you tell me when you plan to deviate from your plans before you do, don’t you?” Dimitri Mihailov told the man sitting across from him in exasperation. “As head of your security, I need to know this so I can plan accordingly.”

Sergei Vasiliev didn’t look up from the tablet he held in his hand. His brow was creased and the scar that ran from the corner of his left eye across his cheek pulled as his lips tightened in displeasure.

Dimitri sighed and waited. He had known Sergei long enough to recognize when his friend was upset. They had grown up together on the streets of Moscow. Dimitri had been the brawn during that time while Sergei had been the brains.

A lot of things had changed since their youth. Their combination of brute force and brains had worked in their favor. Both of the men’s assets were in the billions, though few realized that Dimitri was the second part of the Vasiliev-Mihailov dynasty. He kept a lower profile which allowed him to move unnoticed behind the scenes. A fact that had helped in their acquisitions over the years. Neither one of them would ever forget the poverty of their youth. It was a distant shadow to them now, but the scars left behind were a powerful reminder.

Time had changed them both. Sergei was no longer a scrawny boy. The tight fit of the black cashmere sweater he wore emphasized the thick muscles under it. He had filled out as he grew older until he was almost as powerful as Dimitri. A long scar marred the left side of Sergei’s face, a constant reminder that even having wealth did not guarantee safety. Guilt pulled at Dimitri. He had almost been too late to save the one man he knew trusted him.

“Knock it off, Dimitri,” Sergei growled out in Russian. “I can feel your guilt radiating off you. For the last time, it was not your fault.”

“I should have increased the security around you,” Dimitri grunted out. “I knew there was a threat. I should have done more.”

“I knew there was a threat as well,” Sergei said with a deep sigh. He turned off the tablet and looked at Dimitri’s face that was partially hidden in the shadows as he sat back against the limousine’s rich leather. “You warned me. I was the one who chose to ignore the warning. Do not blame yourself for my own stupidity, Dimitri.”

Dimitri snorted. The thought that anyone, including Sergei, could ever use the word stupid and his friend’s name in the same sentence was ludicrous. Sergei was constantly referred to as one of the smartest men in the world in the major business magazines.

Dimitri gazed out the window at all the holiday decorations and the crowd of pedestrians bundled up against the chill in the air outside. He didn’t say any more on the topic. It was an old argument that neither one of them won. Dimitri continued to feel guilty and Sergei became more cynical about the world.

* * *

Sergei could feel the frustration coming off his friend. In truth, Dimitri was the only human on the planet that Sergei trusted and he knew his friend felt the same. A lifetime of danger, first on the streets of an unforgiving city, then in the cutthroat world of the super-powerful, was enough to make anyone jaded about humanity.

He set the tablet he had been working on aside and folded his arms across his broad chest. Something else was bothering his friend and it wasn’t the scar on his face. Dimitri looked... apprehensive.

“I was invited at the last minute to attend a charity event to raise money. Simone and Petre invited me. I could hardly turn them down,” Sergei said. “We are leaving as soon as it is over.”

Dimitri’s head turned and he scowled darkly at Sergei. “You could have told me,” he said. “What is the charity for this time?”

Sergei shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably another hospital or orphanage benefit.”

“Will Ms. Ferguson be attending as well?” Dimitri asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

Sergei’s lips curved, pulling on the scar on his cheek. “No. It was time for us to part ways,” he responded in a hard voice. “She was making demands. It became necessary to end our acquaintance.”

Dimitri’s eyebrow raised in surprise. Sergei’s latest lover had been the beautiful but shallow Eloise Ferguson, a top model and a horrible actress, at least in Dimitri’s opinion. She had tried to hide her greed for Sergei’s wealth behind a fake smile and a camouflage of innocence. There was absolutely nothing innocent about the former beauty queen who had lost her virginity at a very young age.

Dimitri had made it his business to know everything about the beautiful actress who came from an upper middle class family. She liked beautiful things and had a tendency to live beyond her own financial means.

“What demands?” Dimitri asked.

“She claimed she was pregnant,” Sergei responded.

Dimitri grimaced. Several other women had tried that same trick before. There were advantages to being a cold, cynical bastard. One was to make sure that each of their lovers was on some form of birth control and checked regularly. The second was neither of them ever let the woman they were with supply or touch the condoms that were used.

Sergei had caught one of his previous lovers purposely damaging a condom in an attempt to snare a lifetime of support from him. Dimitri had never given any of his lovers a chance in the first place. He had seen things even Sergei had not and had learned to be cautious at a very young age. Of course, none of his lovers were aware that he was as wealthy as Sergei. They all thought he was the lowly bodyguard, fit only to amuse them if they couldn’t draw Sergei’s attention.

“Is she?” Dimitri asked carefully. “Has she been seen by a doctor?”

“Two,” Sergei replied, picking up the tablet. “The first was her choice; the second mine. I want Dr. Umberto Angelo’s medical license. He took a bribe and lied about the results. It is not the only thing he has done. I will send you the information about his tax evasion and hidden accounts so you can hand it over to the authorities. Also check what he has been doing on his frequent trips to the Philippines. I think you will find he has been indulging in other unlawful activities.”

“Done,” Dimitri said, reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out a small notepad.

Sergei shook his head. “When are you going to come into the twenty-first century and use a computer to help you take notes?” he asked in amusement.

Dimitri scowled at the softly glowing tablet. “You know I always break the damn things,” he grumbled. “They don’t like me.”

“Yet, you are a master at setting up security programming.” Sergei looked at Dimitri again and frowned. “What is bothering you, my friend? You seem distracted tonight.”

“Do you think you will ever find a woman you could trust? One that you would want to spend the rest of your life with?” Dimitri asked, glancing at Sergei before looking back out at the colorful lights decorating the streets.

“Do you mean like we used to talk about finding or just one that I can trust enough to breed an heir?” Sergei asked before a sudden ugly thought crossed his mind. “Have you… found someone?” he asked tersely.

“No,” Dimitri snorted out. “I don’t think there is a woman alive that I would be interested in being tied to for the rest of my life.”

* * *

Sergei released the breath he was holding. They had talked about finding their perfect woman when they were younger. As they had grown older, they often compared the women they were dating with the one they wished for so long ago.

She would be strong. Dimitri insisted she would have to be to live with them, but in a good way. In their adolescent minds, she would fit perfectly between them. She would be the one to complete them and make them the family they never had.

She would also be intelligent, compassionate, loving, and Dimitri added this trait as well, a little bit stubborn. Sergei had asked why he wanted their woman to be stubborn. Dimitri had replied she would need to be stubborn if she was expected to put up with both of them at the same time. Not to be outdone, Sergei had added that if she was stubborn, then she also needed to be passionate enough to handle all the loving they would give her.

They had laughed as they wished upon the stars that night so long ago. They still talked about it on occasion, usually when they retreated to their ‘lair’ to regroup from the world of humanity.

Sergei looked out the window as they passed a large group of colorfully dressed women who were eyeing the limousine. His lips curled in distaste as one of the women opened her coat to reveal the minuscule dress she was wearing. He had seen the same type of women when he was poor. He had no more use for them now than he did when he was younger.

“Then I guess that answers your question,” Sergei replied. “I haven’t found a woman either.”

Dimitri breathed out a sigh. “I have to admit I was worried you would present Ms. Ferguson as a candidate. I don’t think I could have faked a hard-on with her,” he admitted in distaste.

“What about Stella?” Sergei asked, referring to Dimitri’s latest lover. “Are you still seeing her?”

“No,” Dimitri said without any other explanation. “How long do you plan to stay at the mansion? I need to make sure the new system I installed last month is working.”

“I’m not sure,” Sergei frowned and thought for several long moments before he answered. “At least until after the first of the year. I have no desire to join in the festivities or attend the ‘required’ parties.”

Sergei knew that Dimitri worried about him when they secluded themselves at their home outside of Moscow. They had bought the huge mansion together, transforming it into their primary development lab/home shortly after they became millionaires. Dimitri took over the lower floors while Sergei transformed the upper floors. Each also had homes around the world, but preferred to stay at the Moscow residence together. It reminded them of their roots and gave them time to work on some of their new software designs in privacy.

Since the kidnapping attempt, Sergei was spending more time locked away from the world. In truth, he found little to like about the world around him and preferred the isolation. He emerged on occasion to visit a new lover or attend meetings that needed his specialized attention.

Neither he nor Dimitri ever brought a woman to their home there. It was an unspoken pact that that home would be reserved for their ‘wish’ woman. He set the tablet down again and focused his attention on his friend.

“That should give me enough time to test out some of the new systems I have been working on,” Dimitri replied. “It is not good to bury yourself there for too long,” he started to add before clamping his lips together when Sergei’s eyes flashed in warning. “I know… if you wanted my advice you would ask for it.”

Sergei smiled darkly. “Some things are best left alone, my friend, even with you. I will be fine, Dimitri. You have enough security there to protect every leader in the world. You saw the report that we may have a possible security issue at our headquarters in Los Angeles. Someone is leaking details of the new defense programming. I want you to find out who it is and take care of it.”

“Is that what has put you in a bad mood?” Dimitri asked, accepting the sudden change in topic.

“Yes,” Sergei said. “You know how I feel about anyone who lies or steals from us.”

“Do you want whoever it is alive or dead?” Dimitri responded cynically.

“Alive,” Sergei replied with a cold grin. “I want them to wish they were dead by the time we get done with them.”

“Done,” Dimitri said with a dark smile of his own and jotted down a note in the notepad.

Both men turned as the limousine pulled to the curb outside of Sotheby’s. Dimitri slid out of the back seat first. He looked around carefully before he nodded to Sergei.

“Make sure the jet is ready to leave,” Sergei murmured to Dimitri. “This shouldn’t take long.”

“Of course,” Dimitri replied as he and three of his men surrounded Sergei as several photographers approached from the sides.

Sergei ignored them. He knew that Dimitri had some of the best and most deadly men in the world protecting him. Nothing could get through his friend’s security, nothing.

* * *

Two hours later, Sergei and Dimitri were seated on one of the Vasiliev-Mihailov private jets heading to their secluded home outside Moscow. The auction had taken a little longer than they expected. Ms. Ferguson had shown up outside to give a dramatic performance for the paparazzi. Dimitri had two of his men escort Sergei’s former lover away while he shielded Sergei.

He glanced over at Sergei. He studied his friend with a puzzled expression. Something strange had happened at the auction. Dimitri had no desire to attend so he asked Sergei to make an anonymous donation for him while he started on the Los Angeles issue.

Dimitri knew something unusual had happened when Sergei emerged from the auction room so distracted that he hadn’t even noticed his former lover trying to gain his attention. Dimitri had waited patiently for Sergei to explain what happened, but phone calls from several of his men in California had prevented him from asking when Sergei remained silent. By the time he got off the phone, they had reached the airport.

“What happened?” Dimitri demanded after the stewardess left them alone again. “Did Simone or Petre ask you to build them a new hospital or something? I’ve never seen you so distracted. You didn’t even notice Ms. Ferguson’s little performance,” he added dryly.

“What?” Sergei asked, looking up at Dimitri with a frown. “No, not a hospital.”

“Sergei,” Dimitri said, handing his friend a drink. “You are acting stranger than usual. Either you tell me what happened or we return to New York and I find Petre and Simone.”

“I bought something,” Sergei replied after several long seconds. “A statue.”

Dimitri frowned. “You bought a statue? What for?”

“For the atrium,” Sergei replied with a frown. “It should go in the atrium.”

Dimitri sighed in exasperation and took a sip of the aged brandy he was holding. He didn’t understand why in the hell Sergei suddenly decided he wanted a statue for an atrium that hadn’t been touched in almost a century. Hell, Dimitri wasn’t even sure he remembered where it was! The mansion they had purchased was actually a former palace during Russia’s more prosperous age. It contained over a hundred rooms, many still in the same shape as they were when it was built.

“Why would you buy a statue for an atrium that we never even go into?” Dimitri asked.

“I don’t know,” Sergei replied. “I just knew we had to have it.”

“What is it a statue of and where did it come from?” Dimitri asked in exasperation. “How much did you pay for it?” he asked suspiciously.

“It is a statue of a young woman,” Sergei answered before he took a deep drink of his own brandy. “And we each donated a million US dollars for it.”

Dimitri choked on the sip he had just taken. “You spent two million dollars on a statue? Is it from a famous artist? Will the value increase? Who designed it?”

“Yes, no, probably not, and no one knows,” Sergei answered as he sat back in the plush leather seat and looked at Dimitri. “It is absolutely beautiful, Dimitri. I will return your donation to you if you want, but I am keeping the statue.”

Dimitri stared at Sergei’s determined face and shook his head. Sure, they both could easily have paid a hundred times that amount, but having been poor once left Dimitri on the more conservative side. If it wasn’t a good investment with a chance of increasing in value, he didn’t invest.

Sergei sat in the plush leather seat looking out into the dark sky. His thoughts were on the impulsive purchase he had made. He frowned as he thought of the statue of the young woman. He didn’t know who had been more surprised, him or Dimitri about the unexpected purchase. His plan had been to attend the auction and make a huge donation, then leave. When the statue had been unveiled, he had been mesmerized by it. The expression on the face of the statue held him spellbound. The combination of innocence, defiance, and steely determination made him almost believe in humanity again - almost.

He looked at Dimitri and told him what Simone had related to him while they waited for the statue to be set up on the stage. He had been unable to tear his eyes away from it. A shiver of apprehension had swept through him, as though warning him that his life was about to change.

“The statue was in the garden at St. Agnes Orphanage. The building was in terrible shape and the city was threatening to tear it down. I couldn’t let that happen. It was my home for a short time after my parents were killed. I lived there for almost a year before they located my father’s mother who took me in. The statue is of a young woman who lived there at one time. I don’t remember exactly who she was but she is considered to be the guardian angel for all of the children who lived there. I know she helped me during the year I was there,” Simone had quietly explained to him before the bidding started. “The garden is being redone into an interactive play area for the children. The architect in charge of the renovations decided the statue wouldn’t fit in with the new design. The statue was donated to the auction to help raise funds for the new playground equipment.”

“She is beautiful,” he commented as he studied the delicate features of the bronze statue.

“From the little I remember, she was a very unusual woman for her time. I just know I always felt safe when I was at the orphanage, knowing she was watching over me,” Simone said with a small smile.

“What happened to the woman?” Sergei asked, but Simone didn’t reply as the auctioneer began speaking.

A sense of dread built in his stomach as he listened to the auctioneer give a brief history of the statue. He looked down at the program, curious to see who the artist was that designed the statue. He frowned when he found no mention of the artist or any information on where it had been cast. The work was too detailed to have been done by an unknown artist.

“All I know is that she was murdered by a man who tried to burn down the orphanage,” Simone whispered as the bidding began. “There isn’t a lot of information on her. Just that she lived there and gave her life protecting the children who lived at St. Agnes.”

* * *

“So you paid two million dollars for a statue that no one knows anything about?” Dimitri asked in disbelief. “Because you thought it was pretty?”

Sergei frowned and drained his glass. “You’ll understand when you see it. I’m having it shipped immediately. It should be delivered in the next week.”

“You have lost your mind,” Dimitri muttered under his breath. “Two million dollars. I hope Simone is happy.”

“I told you, I’ll reimburse you the funds if you want,” Sergei bit out. “Wait until you see it, Dimitri. You’ll see what I mean when I say I could not let the statue go to anyone else. Plus, it will give you something else to do. If anyone can find out who the artist is, it is you. You always were a sucker for a mystery.”

Dimitri scowled at Sergei before he finally grunted in agreement. “You better hope I turn up a very famous artist who makes this one of those one-of-a-kind finds that is considered a miracle.”

Sergei’s lips curved in an unusual genuine smile. “You know, I think it just might be.”

“I hope your intuition is right again, my friend,” Dimitri grumbled. “Two million dollars’ worth of one-of-a-kind.”

Chapter 4

Rune fumed silently as she looked around the tattered atrium. She didn’t want to be staring at dried and withered plants that adorned the huge area that had at one time been beautiful. She wanted to watch the children as they ran circles around her while throwing snowballs. She wanted to hear their off-key singing as the excitement of the Christmas season approached.

Instead, she had been ripped away from the serenity of her former home. She had spent the last century watching over the children. The orphanage had changed dramatically over the years, but the children, despite the changing times, remained the same. She sent warmth to the new arrivals, listened to their hopes and dreams, and did what she could to make them feel safe and happy.

She grimaced as an older man brushed dry leaves aside so the workmen could set her up in the center of the marble platform. She listened as the men joked in a language she didn’t understand.

She would have panicked when she felt herself start to topple over if she had cared what happened to her, but she was beyond caring now. She had been ripped away from the one place where she wanted to be. Until she was either pulled back to the plane where she existed in a world of nothingness or returned to her garden, she couldn’t care less what happened around her.

“Be careful!” A sharp, deep voice snapped out. “I do not want the statue damaged.”

Rune turned to glare at the male who had barked out a sharp command. She recognized his voice from the room where she had been put on display. He had purchased her for a ridiculous price. She could have told him that she wasn’t worth two million dollars! She had tried to send out feelings of discouragement, but if anything, he had seemed more determined than ever to own her.

Not that he ever will, she thought defiantly.

She felt half a dozen hands straightening her before they finally stepped back. She watched as the men quickly gathered the packaging that she had been stored in for the long move. She had slept through most of it, unable to bear the horrible emptiness and darkness of the crate. She wanted to rant at them to not take it too far because she wouldn’t be staying long. As soon as she could find a way to convince the horrid man that she was a bad luck omen, she planned on being shipped back to where she came from.

Just you wait, she thought as another man joined the first and looked at her with an unexpectedly possessive look. I’ll make you both wish you had never purchased me. You’ll be happy to send me back to my garden.