The Devil's Keeper - Blackhill

Chapter 19 - A Love To Kill For, Die For, Live For

[April 21th, 2007 – Moscow, Russia]

They followed a man for three blocks before Maria realized something was wrong. Natasha's shoulders were a little tense and she was slightly stiffer than usual.

"You know him." she stated, certain of her assessment.

"I do." Natasha confirmed. "Vlad Petrovitch. He was a Red Room handler. He liked his girls a little too much." she said in a voice so cold and yet so enraged that it sent a shiver down Maria's spine.

Maria clenched her jaw, but didn't reply. They walked silently for a few more minutes before the man entered a shop and they stopped half a block away from him.

Natasha leaned her left shoulder on the wall behind them, turning to look at Maria.

"You need to turn toward me and cover me with your height. This way I can see if he comes out but if he glances our way, he won't see me."

"He would need a super vision to recognize you."

"Don't need to. Just needs to see my hair. He just sent a team looking for me. He knows that if something goes wrong I'd be back in this exact moment in time to get to him. And my hair is-"

"Pretty distinctive. Fair point." Maria whispered, positioning her body so she could shield Natasha. "Is this okay? Are you doing okay?"

Natasha smirked a little, looking up at her. "Yeah, it's a nice view."

"A familiar city or Russia in general?"

"I meant your eyes but being back somewhere familiar is nice, too."

Maria rolled her eyes, but a small smile appeared on her face before she was able to stop it. She regained her composure quickly and scoffed at Natasha.

"He's getting out." Natasha said, her eyes not leaving Maria's face. "Shit, he's walking back. He's coming our way."

Maria quickly scanned their surroundings without moving her head, trying to see if there was an alley or something similar they could sneak into. It was not their lucky day.

"There's no-"

Natasha grabbed the collar of her jacket and pulled her in very swiftly, kissing her on the lips and then tangling a hand in her hair to bring her down.

Maria acted on instinct, kissing her back and lowering her head. It took her a second to realize what Natasha was trying to do and, as soon as she got it, she brought her hand to Natasha's hair, trying to cover at least a part of them from the man's line of sight.

Natasha - not one to waste an occasion like that one - gently brushed her lips against Maria's and smirked when she felt Maria responding to the kiss. After a moment, it was over. She looked for Petrovitch and saw him on the sidewalk, passing them by without speeding up and not seeming nervous at all.

"Come on, or we'll lose him." Maria whispered, distancing herself from Natasha and starting to walk in the same direction as their target.

They followed him on his way back, but he didn't head home. He wasn't trying to make the walk as quick as possible as he was before. He seemed calm, almost too calm, like he was waiting for someone to catch up with him. Then, he stepped into a small alley and entered what seemed to be a very old building.

"What is this?"

"An abandoned warehouse." Natasha told Maria as they stopped just around the corner.

"I think he noticed us."

"Of course he did. I told you he'd be looking for me. And he was walking slower than before." she pointed out.

"Do you think he was waiting for us?" Maria asked.