"Andy, thank you for dealing with Jasmine. I don't think she took you seriously when you told her you were recording the signing of the documents. I am sorry to ask more of you, but are you able to emcee this evening? Hollywood here," He said, jutting his thumb toward the bumbling mess of a host with a ruined suit, "can't do it with his pants like that."

"Answer me something first, please Victor. Was this planned?" I had a feeling it was. The seam was a clean bust on what looked to be a brand new suit. It wasn't a tear in the fabric, but more like someone forgot to stitch it together. Victor had the decency to look embarrassed when I asked this, and taking in his expression, I quickly added, "Don't bother lying to me about it either. Who's idea was it?"

"I don't know what you are talking about" Victor tried to plead ignorance to the situation.

"Victor, I know it was a set up. That rip was too clean to be anything other than a deliberately unsewn seam. I can even start to understand the reason behind it. I will help you out; despite the fact we both know I don't always enjoy being the centre of attention, and that I like to have notice when I will be performing. What I need to know, in exchange for not leaving you without an emcee, is who put you up to this." I had a fair idea, but needed it confirmed before I decided on my next move.

Releasing a sigh, Victor finally came clean. "It was Axel's idea. He thought that if someone did happen to come looking for you here, making sure they knew exactly where to find you would be a good idea."

I moved my hand to indicate he should stop talking. I could hear our jazz band leaving the stage, which meant that it was time for me to step up. I knew I was looking murderous at this stage; even Raven was smart enough to stand back and not say anything. I didn't know if he had been in on that plan, but now wasn't the time to dig into that. Instead, I cocked my head to the side, pressing my finger into my earpiece, and made sure to speak very clearly.

"Corey, I assume that you were told what was going on." I didn't wait for a reply before I continued. "I don't appreciate being left in the dark on a mission, especially when I am the one that it directly impacts. Tell Axel that we will be discussing this the next time I see him; and that for his sake, he better not attempt to force the conversation tonight, because it will end badly for everyone involved."

I wasn't usually this ill tempered, but there were a handful of times it had managed to shine through. Victor was standing back now, recognising the tone I was using as one he had witnessed from me once before. Owen had tried to convince me that something was in my best interest without allowing me to even look at the situation or the possibilities. When it had become clear he was not going to take anything I had to say into consideration, I had tackled him through their coffee table. That incident, as well as the repeat with Raven, made me glad I never got around to buying a coffee table for my place.

The only reason that Owen and I had not come to blows after I had made my anger known the only way that was taken seriously was that North had lifted me off him and fought to keep hold of me until all my fight was gone. He had needed some help from Silas at one point, too.

I may not have had the self defence training that I have now, but I was a dirty fighter then, and may have taken both of their resident Greek speakers down with one well placed shot each. Everyone had turned to gape at Sang when she started howling with laughter, telling them all they deserved what they got for treating me like a toddler, including the usually unflappable Mr Blackbourne. Needless to say, they kept me informed of all possible steps from then on.

"He heard you." Corey replied, sounding very hesitant. "I think it is time to get Victor on stage. "

Making our way to the stage, Raven remained behind the curtains, in the wings, watching; ready to act if things went wrong. Victor made his way over to the bench seat at the piano, ready to perform when the curtains opened. I took the microphone offered to me by a stagehand, stood behind the opening of the curtains and took a deep breath before finally stepping through.

"Good evening everyone and welcome to the Morgan Family Charity Gala! It is my favourite event to attend every year! Everyone always looks so fantastic!" I said smiling and waving to the patrons that had filled in the room while I had been dealing with Jasmine. "It seems the original emcee, Mr Hollywood, had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. It wasn't a full on Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl, but it was definitely on par with Miley at the MTV VMA's.

"I know I'm no comedian and you are probably all rolling your eyes at me already, but they are asking me to keep going for just a few more moments. So, in the spirit of this wonderful event, has everyone had a look at the amazing items that have been arranged for the silent auction? I know I have my eye on a couple of those items! And don't forget to stop by the photo booth! You can pick up a beautiful photo to commemorate the evening!

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the wonderful sounds and amazing talents of the one and only, Mr Victor Morgan!"

I walked to the side of the stage to a loud round of applause, as the curtains opened revealing Victor sitting at his crisp, glossy white piano, fire in his eyes and a killer smile on his face. Knowing I had done all I needed to for now, I left the stage, passing a waiter who was about to head out to the main area with a fresh tray of champagne. I took a glass from his tray with mumbled thanks and threw it down like I had been trapped in a desert and hadn't had a drink in months.

Raven met me beside the stage, eyeing the empty champagne flute in my hand, but said nothing. I sat the glass down on the table as we started walking through the halls toward a back entrance for the main room. I still planned on enjoying Victor performance.

"I don't understand why you were worried. You were great up there." Raven was trying to calm me; he could see I was still wound up.

"I know I can do it, but I like to be able to prepare. I don't like going in blind and being forced to improvise like that." I responded, before Corey cut through the earpiece.

"Guys, you have three men heading your way. I couldn't get a good look at them, but they seem to be looking for someone, and I think it is you they are after, Andy. As soon as they saw you on stage they started looking for a way to get back stage. ETA is about 2 minutes."

"Crap! Well, I guess it is show time Raven! Cor, sorry for everything you are about to hear."

Raven backed me up against the nearest wall; one hand had slipped down my thigh and into the spilt on the left side of my dress. He grabbed behind my knee and brought my leg up to hook around his hip. He left his resting on the underside of my leg, offering a little extra support since I was now balancing on one heel. His left forearm rested on the wall beside my head.

Bowing slightly, so our foreheads were touching, he started talking to me in Russian, telling me all the ways in which he wanted to wake me up in the morning, given I was his wife. He still didn't know I spoke Russian. After a moment of this, he closed the gap between our lips, tilting his head slightly for better access. He started slow, a couple of small brushes of the lips, before his tongue darted out and he gently licked across the seam of my lips.

The unexpected sensation that I felt when his tongue caressed my lip made me gasp. The electricity in his every touch had my body feeling like I was on fire and Raven was the spark that caused it. The second my lips parted, Raven's tongue darted inside my mouth and he deepened the kiss, taking control. It wasn't long before we parted, breathing heavily. It was at that moment a throat cleared behind us.

Raven lowered my leg to the ground before turning to face the newcomers, tucking me into his side protectively as he went. There was no need for me to fake a smile this time, that kiss had left me on cloud nine.

Looking toward the newcomers, I said "Sorry you saw that. You would think that after having been together for almost five years I would have learnt more Russian than I actually have, but between the words I don't understand and the accent he has, I really can't keep my hands to myself!" I let out a flirty giggle.

"I completely understand. I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you if you were my wife." The man in the middle stated simply, with a slight hint of an accent. Only a well trained ear, or someone intimately familiar with it could tell you it was also Russian. The moment he spoke, I froze. It felt like time stopped. I would never forget that voice as long as I was alive.

I wrapped an arm around Raven's waist, holding tighter than was strictly necessary, but I felt like I needed an anchor at that point. I was afraid I would give something away. Raven was quick to pick up the conversation when it had dropped.

"Can we help you find something?" He had kept his accent thick and I could only assume it was because of my statement.

"Ah, yes, see we are looking for a woman, looks a lot like your wife here. Her name is Natalia and we used to work together." This man was eyeing me closely and it was a good thing I had already prepared myself to hear that name again.

"I am sorry, but I don't know a Natalia" I replied as sweetly as I could.

"Stephanie is a lawyer. Started with her firm straight out of college. You do not look like a lawyer to me. I think you have the wrong person." Raven's muscles tensed under my arm as he stared down the man that was so certain I was who he was looking for.

"I'm almost positive this is who I am looking for." The man said. He took one last glance at me before turning his full attention to Raven. "I don't think we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I am Ivan Smirnov, better known as Sputnik." The grin that crossed his face when he offered his mob name could only be described as menacing. He offered a hand to Raven.

Taking the offered hand, Raven replied with only one word and a deadly scowl. "Raven."

A look of recognition flashed across Sputnik's face. "Raven, as in Yevgeny 'The Raven' Ravenstahl? As in the deadliest hit man in all of mother Russia?" He sounded in awe.

This information was nothing new to me. I had already known it before Raven even made it into the Academy, but given everyone was looking to me for some sort of reaction, I decided to use it as a way to escape the current situation.

"WHAT! What does he mean hit man? You told me you had given up that profession when you left mother Russia! How could you lie to me like that! They are here to see you, aren't they? Yet another clandestine meeting that I am supposed to be your cover for. I thought I was more to you than just some floozy to take the fall if you ever get caught. You promised me!" By the time I was done, I looked and sounded hysterical. Raven almost ruined the opening that had been created when he stood there looking stunned. Thankfully I was able to recover it.

"What? You thought I didn't know what you were doing when you were 'going away on business'? It was one of two things, and since the sex has always been mind blowing between us, you sure as hell weren't having an affair! It didn't take Einstein to work out you were using me as a cover, you jackass!" With that, I turned on my heal, smirking slightly as the four men I was walking away from and the stunned looks on their faces. Thankfully Raven picked up a bit quicker this time.

"Mishka, stop, wait..." He tried pleading.

"I am leaving! Don't bother trying to stop me. I need to be away from you right now!" I said turning a corner.

"Perhaps we should go after her?" Said the man to Sputnik's left.

"I don't think so." I had stopped just around the corner so I could hear the conversation. "She is my wife and you have caused enough problems. She is not the woman you are looking for, and given you know my profession, you also know it would be in your best interest to walk away."

While standing there listening, I had kicked off my heels and was now holding them. "Raven is coming your way" Corey told me.

I took a few steps back giving Raven enough room to disappear around the corner when he got here. "Corey, make sure they don't come this way." It was a simple request. He quickly relayed what had happened to the others and they were soon heading toward the gentlemen who were still standing where we had left them. 

I lead Raven down another three corridors, making sure it was impossible for them to have successfully followed us, by choosing the corridors that intersected each other, before we slipped inside Victor's dressing room. He was only about half way through his set. Given we had expected someone to try something here, there were a number of exit strategies in place, including the one that had lead us to Victor's room.

"Corey, tell them we are going with exit strategy C. Have the standby ready at the front door. Raven will let you know when we are moving out. I am going radio silent."

"Want to tell me who exactly that was, Andrea?" Raven raised a single eyebrow at me, while I was looking for a pen and paper to leave Victor a note.

"Sputnik? He was the Ringmaster that started with the circus just a few months before I left. Rumour had it he only came because of how successful the show was, except the show was only that successful because of the crazy contortionist that was in it. It was only about 12 months after I had left that the circus was closed entirely. I guess he is the type to hold a grudge. "

Raven accepted my answer without further question while I wrote a note to Victor.

            Victor, had to go to plan C. Sang is safe. This one is personal.
            Tell Gabriel that I want this dress and those shoes back when the coast is clear.

~A~

While I had been writing, Raven grabbed the large duffle bag that had been smuggled in with Victor's wardrobe. He emptied the meagre contents out of it and then assisted me with undoing the zip on the dress. He made no move to turn around or look away as I stripped down, but he did hand me one of his black t-shirts that had been included in the bag for just this purpose.

Plan C was simple. I was going to fold myself into the bag. Raven would attach the shelf inside and arrange the various weapons on top. He would then literally carry me out of the hall we were at, place the bag in the back of the jeep and drive to one of three pre-determined safe houses for the night. It should have been simple.

As Raven exited the building, signalling the valet to bring his black jeep around, Sputnik and his goons again approached him.

"Did you find your wife?" Goon number two asked.

"Da." Raven wasn't going to offer any information they didn't ask for.

"Where is she going?" Goon number one asked.

"She is headed to our personal airport terminal. I am going to stop her." 

"What's in the bag?" Sputnik's voice sent chills down my spine. He wasn't stupid.

"My weapons." Raven stated without emotion. With the coldness currently seeping through his voice, you would be forgiven for thinking he was still in the business of being an assassin.

"Show me" Sputnik commanded.

Setting his bag down gently, Raven folded his arms across his chest, making his already enormous muscles seem even bigger. "No" was his only response.

Goon number two was ready for this response, whipping out his gun and aiming it at the bag.

"Show me." Sputnik demanded again.

"No. And I wouldn't recommend shooting the bag, there is a bomb inside. I would hate for you to set it off and end the lives of everyone here, just because your boss seems to think I am hiding something."

The goon paled and let his gun fall slightly when he was told there was a bomb in the bag. The valet pulled up with Raven's jeep, leaving the car running at the same moment as someone yelled "Run!"

Raven had been facing the direction the person yelled from and the second that all eyes left him he grabbed the bag and placed it into the cargo area at the very back of the jeep. It was the best way to keep hidden while they were still looking for us. He was just jumping in the drivers seat when the car that had been hurtling in our direction swerved, crashing into the building and narrowly avoiding the men that were after me.