“That’s the spirit.” Natalia squeezes my hand again, standing up slowly. “Make sure to keep the meds hidden and take them,” she tells me, with a firm, almost mothering tone. It twists something in my chest, a near-constant pain now. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll find a way, Sasha. I promise. Before time runs out.”
She hurries towards the door, unlocking it, and slipping out. She turns the key, a sound that makes me flinch, and then slips it into the drawer of a file cabinet against the wall. With one last glance down the hall, she turns back to look at me, winks, and then slips into the shadows.
16
MAX
The mood is tense when we get back to Moscow. It’s back to waiting–waiting on Yusov to give us something, waiting on a plan to get in and find Sasha that won’t be a useless suicide mission. I feel as if I’m fraying at the seams, on edge and irritable, and Levin simply remains quiet, a focused and emotionless mask plastered on his face at all times.
We eat at the hotel every day, not going out unless Levin has a lead. The further we investigate, the more dangerous it is for us to be seen out in Moscow, and I know that as well as Levin does. It feels claustrophobic, especially when I’m used to coming and going frequently.
Two days after we come back from Novgorod, we’re in the bar as usual for dinner when I look up and see a tall blonde woman walking towards us. She’s slender and graceful, very beautiful, dressed in slim black trousers and a black blouse, diamond studs glittering in her ears. She looks like a princess, standing out even in this hotel bar, which doesn’t lack for expensive patrons, and I glance over at Levin, who is moodily looking down at his vodka.
“Well, there’s your distraction for the night.” I nod towards the approaching woman, who is looking at us with laser focus, slipping through the crowd of people in the bar with an effortlessness that suggests she’s someone who looks like she’s used to others getting out of her way.
Levin makes a grunting noise as he sits up a little straighter, looking over at her. “For once, I’m not sure if I’m in the mood,” he says, a grumble in his voice. “Shocker, I know.”
The woman clearly is, though. She walks straight up to him, her icy blue eyes fixed directly on Levin as she smiles brilliantly, holding out a hand. “Levin Volkov? I’ve been looking for you.”
Levin smirks, and I have to grit my teeth to keep from laughing. It’s almost ridiculous at this point how many women throw themselves at him. “Lovely to meet you,printsessa, but I’m not sure I’m looking for company tonight.”
The woman doesn’t miss a beat. “I have information you want,” she says, her voice dropping lower, quiet enough to be for our ears only, but still audible in the bar. “So yes, I need you to come up to my room–but not for that. I’m glad we could get that out of the way, before there was a misunderstanding.”
She flashes Levin another brilliant smile, and for a moment, he looks so thrown off-kilter that it’s almost impossible for me not to laugh.
He recovers almost immediately, giving her the charming Volkov smile that I’m used to seeing him use nightly on women in the bar. “And how do we know you’re not some assassin,printsessa?I’ve been nearly killed by a woman in a hotel room before.”
“Unfortunate for you.” She cocks her head. “No weapons here, though–not so much as a garrote. You can pat me down if you want, though.” The woman winks at him, and once again, Levin looks slightly thrown.
“Let’s just find a quiet corner of the bar,” Levin says. “I didn’t live to be this age by not learning from my mistakes.”
“You don’t want anyone to overhear this,” the woman says, her tone turning slightly more urgent. “It’s about Sasha Obelensky.”
The mood instantly changes. I feel Levin tense next to me, his attention suddenly laser-sharp on the woman. “What’s your name?” he asks tersely. “This isn’t a game you want to play. If you have information, I wouldn’t hold it back.”
To her credit, the woman looks utterly unfazed by the change in Levin’s mood. “Andreyev’s wolf has a growl, I see.” She smirks. “I’m Natalia Obelensky. Sasha gave me your name, Volkov. I want to help her. So we’re on the same side. Now, will you come up, so we don’t have to talk about this where other ears can hear?”
Levin gets up, leaving money on the bar for the bartender, his eyes never leaving Natalia. “Let’s go,” he says sharply. “If you’re lying to me, or if you try anything, you’ll regret it.”
“I don’t doubt it.” She glances over as she turns, and sees me standing as well. “Who is this?” Her tone sharpens. “Sasha mentioned Viktor Andreyev, but he looks too young–”
“I’m Maximilian Agosti,” I tell her coolly. Suspicion is riding me hard–I want to believe that this woman is who she says she is, that she can help us, but I’m afraid to put any trust in her and be disappointed. “I’m here to find Sasha, too.”
The woman freezes in place, her icy gaze fixing on me with a stare that looks like she’s seen a ghost. “Maximilian?” Her voice rises, as if I’ve startled her. “Max?”
I frown. “Yes? I’ve never met you before; I don’t know why–”
Her hand goes to her chest. “Sasha said you were dead.”
There’s probably nothing she could have said better to make me believe that she might be able to help us–and that she’s actually spoken with Sasha. My heart speeds up in my chest, realizing that, at least for now, Sasha is alive.
“Well.” I give her a lopsided smile. “I guess I can see why she would think that. I nearly was. But I’m alive. And she–” I swallow hard. “She is too?”
“She was the last time I saw her, which wasn’t all that long ago. But she won’t be for long, so we need to make a plan.” Natalia jerks her head towards the door of the bar. “Come on, please.”
We follow her to the elevator, her heels clicking on the tiles. None of us speak until we’re in the room, and Natalia closes the door firmly behind her, sitting on the edge of the sofa on one side of the room. She gestures toward the chairs on the other side of the glass coffee table. “Sit, please.”
Levin and I both sit. He looks as tense as I feel, and I clench my hands between my knees, looking directly at Natalia. “Explain,” Levin says curtly, and Natalia nods.