Misha’s making another big batch of pancakes, and as good as these are, he can keep them coming as far as I’m concerned. “What Mila didn’t have time to tell me, though, is why you’re here.”
“Well, uh. It’s a long story. But I don’t like hotels, and I didn’t have anywhere to go. My, uh, teammates and…friends are all out of town or busy. So Teddy thought this place would be empty, but now you guys are here. It’s pretty big, though, so I don’t think I’ll be in the way. I can stay in a wing out of the way, and you won’t even know I’m here. In fact—”
“It’s fine that you’re here. I was just curious. You’re right. There’s plenty of space. Did someone already take your luggage and show you to a room?”
Misha’s eyes are kind, and I remember how patient he was with Kirill. Maybe he’s the calm to Mila’s crazy. A thought strikes me, and I’m surprised it hasn’t hit me before. I can’t stop myself from ignoring his question and blurting it out.
“Are you and Mila together?”
Kirill chokes on his pancake, but Misha doesn’t even blink. It’s like he’s used to people thinking this, or maybe it’s true. Either way, he’s unfazed.
“No.”
“Oh. You just seem very—”
“Close. We are. More brother and sister. She and I have been together for a long time. But not the way you’re asking.”
“Ah, okay.” He continues to look at me expectantly. “Oh! The luggage. I don’t have any. Basically, everything I own was smoked up in a fire. I came here with the clothes on my back, my phone, and my wallet. That’s it. After the cleanup and fumigation, the companies will finish their work, and we’ll see what I have left. I was actually going to ask someone about that. The address for delivery so that I can order a new laptop, clothes, toiletries, etc.”
Misha regards me for a moment before addressing Kirill. “He looks about Timofey’s size, don’t you think?”
Kirill appraises me before agreeing. “Yeah, roughly the same, I’d say. Maybe a small height difference, but not much.”
Misha’s on the phone in a second, summoning Timofey to the kitchen. Wherever he was must not have been far because I’m barely starting on my second plate of pancakes when he jogs into the kitchen and stands at attention, speaking to Misha in Russian.
He waves him off. “At ease, Timofey. And English for now, please. This is Thatch. He’ll be here for a bit, and he lost all his belongings. You’re about his size. Do you think you have anything you could loan him to wear?”
Ah, man. Now I’m a charity case? This isn’t necessary. “Oh, that’s okay. I can really just order stuff and be fine.”
But Timofey doesn’t look put out at all. “Certainly. We have duplicates of everything, and since I’ve been here for years, I’ve accumulated plenty of tactical pants and long- and short-sleeve shirts. I have unopened underthings, too, from our last quarterly warehouse order. You’re welcome to all of it. And it’s nice to meet you, Thatch.”
He puts out a huge hand to shake, and I gratefully take it. I wasn’t expecting a stranger to hand over his clothing so readily, but if it’s not an imposition…
“He’ll also need a laptop. You’re in tech ops, right? Do you happen to know if there are any not in use at the moment?”
“I can order a laptop, no problem—”
“I’m sure we have an extra, and if not, we’ll take one from a rookie and wipe it. They spend too much time watching porn anyway.”
Kirill chokes on a pancake again, and Timofey gives him a helpful smack on the back. Misha turns to look at my empty plate and piles more pancakes on it.
“Can you think of anything else you might need?”
Kirill and Timofey look at me expectantly, but I really can’t think of anything else I need. Except…
“I’m going to need to work out. A lot.” The men share a confused glance.Okay, so not everyone’s a huge hockey fan.“I’m a professional hockey player. Even though it’s the offseason, my stamina and conditioning can’t take a hit.”Misha really helped Teddy, so maybe...“Do you think I can join youagain in the training gym? Assuming you’re planning similar stuff here as you did in Florida.”
At this, Misha fills plates for Kirill and Timofey, then turns off his griddle. “Oh, Thatcher Prescott, of course you’ll be joining us,” he says with a dark smile. “And it’s going to be so much worse.”
Four hours later, I’m flat on my back, sucking wind and trying to remember why it’s important for me to continue living. At the moment, it seems like if I could just never move from this spot, and take an eternal nap, that would be preferable. I got a taste when I visited Teddy, and he told me briefly about the horrors of his training, butholy fuck.I thought I was in great shape, but I was wrong.
I’m not alone on the mat, which makes me feel a tiny bit better. A few of the rookies are also struggling, and one guy who isn’t new. His name is Greg, and when I told him that didn’t sound very Russian, he just shrugged. We were paired for a few of the agility circuits, and it seems he’s going back through training after being off for six months on paternity leave. Hearing he got leave at all shocked me, but he shrugged again and said, “Taranov Bratva cares about its employees.”
Finally, Simon, a rookie who’s strong but not fast, gets up first and offers me a hand. “Come on, Sunshine. Let’s hit the showers.”
Shit.“Uh. How did you know that’s my nickname?” They all laugh as we wince and hobble toward the locker room.
“You’re the talk of the group chat, man. As soon as we heard you were professional, we had to look you up. You’re pretty good.”
