I move my fingers a few centimeters away from his lips. “Maybe one kiss. A small one?”
His head bends, bringing his mouth to mine. I kiss him, and his arms tighten around me, lifting me from the floor. It lasts a long time, and he tastes so good. Finally he lowers me back to the floor and releases me.
“Da, good. A small one.” I lick my lips and then smile for a second before going to pack my tote.
Alexei glances at his phone. “Stroviak says we can come to his house to see him.”
“Oh. This is good. If he is angry and wants to kill us, I do not think he would bring us there.”
Alexei smiles, and we leave the hotel.
On the short drive to his brother’s house, Alexei says that if Sasha offers for us to stay at his house for a night or two, we should agree to it.
“Oh, yes? Why?” I turn my head toward my window so I can lick my lips for the millionth time. My mind wants to relive the sweet words and sweet kiss from the room. Despite the fact that I told Alexei we can’t get distracted, I’m distracted.
“I have to go back to the city.”
It takes a moment for his words to penetrate my brain. “What city?”
“New York.”
My head turns sharply to look at him. “No. Why?”
“I have to look into something Mikhail left for me. I wasn’t ready before, but I can’t put it off any longer.”
“What does he leave?”
“I don’t know. A copy of his will, I think. And maybe something that will give me leverage against Egorov. I have to go to a bank. Whatever he left is in a vault.”
“If you must go to New York bank, why do we come all the way here?”
“I want you to stay with my brother and his wife. No one will be able to get to you if you’re with Stroviak.”
“Alexei, we do not know these people! What if he locks me in crate and ships me someplace to work for him? With Mafia, anything can happen.”
“He won’t hurt you. And he won’t let anyone hurt you, either.”
“No?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“From things he said.”
I’m not sure I understand and agree, but I don’t have a lot of options at the moment.
“Alexei, do you know this town? The parts that are good and the ones that are unlawful?”
“No, I haven’t been here before. Why?”
“In case I go to take walk. There are places in New York that you go and places where you do not go alone. The dancers are quick to teach me this.”
“Don’t go anywhere. I won’t be gone long.”
My fingers toy with my braid, and I nod, trying to look innocent. Before another day passes, I plan to get cash from a bank and to figure out where to buy fentanyl poison as a precaution. Egorov is killing everyone around him. If he captures me, he’ll check for weapons like guns and knives, and he’ll take my phone away as he always does so that I won’t be able to call for help. This time I plan to be ready with something else. Something he won’t expect.
The area on the way to Alexei’s brother’s house looks shabby until we reach his block and then everything is either under construction or freshly built. Lawns are trimmed and very green. Flowers burst from flower beds.
