His eyes shift to Mary. “Who are you?”
“Sasha Petrov. Who else would I be?”
Lacee’s hand clenches. “She’s getting a little repetitive with the questions.”
“I like it.” I smile as I watch the video monitor. “There’s a no-nonsense attitude about her.
Todd shakes his head. “You’re not Sasha Petrov.”
I hold my breath, waiting for Todd to say that they’ve met before or that Sasha is a man. There were fifty-six other email correspondences between the two of them that we didn’t decipher. They could’ve had all kinds of conversations that revealed a ton of information about who the real Sasha Petrov is. We took a gamble here.
“Pfft.” Mary spits at him—like literal spit—and droplets accidentally fly out of her mouth and land on the table in front of Todd. I guess that’s one of the downsides to using an elderly actress. They don’t have good control over their bodily liquids. But kudos to Mary. The saliva doesn’t even rattle her. “Why does everyone think men control the world? Can a woman not be a weapons dealer?”
Everything hinges on this moment, and both Lacee and I lean forward, waiting for Todd’s answer.
He shakes his head. “I pictured you this entire time as a man, that’s all.”
Mary raises her chin in arrogance. “And I’ve allowed you to believe that. It’s the perfect cover, don’t you think?”
“I suppose so.” He gives a measured nod.
My chest falls, and I exhale.
“Phew!” Lacee relaxes too. “That felt intense.”
“We’re halfway there.”
One of Mary’s painted brows lifts. “You have something for me?”
“Did you bring the money?” Todd asks.
“It’s close.” She leans back against her chair, showcasing a confident demeanor. “But I’m wondering what a CIA agent is going to do with so much money.”
“And I’m wondering what a weapons dealer is going to do with so many deadly missiles.”
“It’s all for my country. Everything I do is for the Soviet Union.”
My head drops into my hands. “She just called Russia by its old name.”
“Yep.” Lacee sighs.
“Maybe Todd won’t notice.”
“Soviet patriotism?” His brows jump.
He noticed.
Todd smirks, clearly intrigued. “That explains a lot about you and why you might want to collect an arsenal of weapons.”
“Wow.” I rub my chin. “I can’t believe her misstep just worked.”
“What about you?” Mary taps her fingers on her thigh. “You know why I do what I do, but I know nothing about your motivations.”
She’s fishing for Todd to admit something.
“Let’s just say the money in your line of work is more tempting than the money in my line of work.”
“Most people don’t turn on their government for money.”
