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“But they also help delicious things last way longer,” Mirdza says. “I’m not sure we’d have survived without preservatives when we were growing up.”
Kristiana slides a large platter toward me, and I can’t help grimacing.
It’s shrimp.
Stupid jerk.
“No thanks,” I say. “I never eat shrimp.”
“I heard you haven’t even tried it in years,” Kristiana says. “Maybe you’ll like it now.” She pushes it closer, still.
“Shrimp was only available in certain seasons before,” Alexei says. “I assume that’s changed.” He pulls the platter even closer, totally oblivious to the message as he snags a few more. “I really love it.”
“I just bet you do,” I say.
“Come on, Adriana. Just try one.” Mirdza’s getting in on it now, too.
“Maybe I should.” I bump the plate with my elbow, and it slides off the table, shrimp scattering all over the place. “Oh, darn. Looks like no shrimp for me this time.”
Alexei’s brow furrows and he slides the ones he just took onto the edge of my plate. “It’s fine. You can have mine.”
“I hate shrimp,” I say. “I knocked the platter over on purpose, because Mirdza and Kristiana think I don’t know my own mind.”
But now the wait staff’s rushing over to clean it up, and I feel pretty bad. I push my chair out and drop to my knees, desperate to clean up the mess myself.
“It’s okay,” the woman says in Russian. “This is my job.”
“Cleaning up food isn’t your job,” I say. “I caused this mess.”
But she insists, and finally, I’m forced back to my feet. “Well, I’m full,” I say. “And it’s been a long day. I think I’m going back to my blue room where everything I see is blue to. . . be blue ah ba dee ah bah dye.”
Mirdza snorts.
Grigoriy and Aleks look very confused.
“It’s an old song,” I clarify. “I really shouldn’t sing any more of the lyrics. I mean, if this was in a book, for instance, the author might get sued for using actual song lyrics. But also, you don’t know the song anyway. So, never mind.”
“Can you stay for just a moment?” Kristiana asks. “I promise I won’t tease you anymore. I actually had something to ask you. All of you.”
That’s weird. “Wait.” I look at Mirdza. “Is this about the wedding? Because I know it’s next month, and I do not want to be a bridesmaid. If you think that throwing me the bouquet—”
“It is about the wedding, but it’s not what you think.” Kris points.
I sit. “What, then?”
“I’ve been thinking about this all day, and any way we turn, we can’t get our answers without catching Leonid.”
“He’s pretty smart,” I say. “I doubt he’ll be easy to catch. Plus, he’s dangerous. Did I mention he incinerated a dozen men? Because he did. Like it was nothing.”
“I’ll be around,” Grigoriy says. “I can prevent stuff like that from happening.”
So can Alexei, with a big ball of water or something, but only if I help. “You want me to stick around to power Alexei up.”
Kristiana sighs. “I have a pretty big favor to ask. We’ve been planning a small wedding, but if we change that, if we open it to more guests, I think we could use the wedding as a lure to flush Leonid out. Maybe then we can catch him and finally get some answers.”
“Absolutely not,” Aleksandr says.
“I think it could work,” Alexei says.
