He was willing to take a bullet for me.
Her heart swelled, but now wasn’t the time to get soft.
She entered the conference room, offered a pleasant smile as she sat at the head of the table. “Good morning, how’s everyone doing today?”
Nice and easy.
Just another day, but her blood was racing through her veins.
If Grigori told anyone I’m a spy…
Forcing out the thought, she glanced around the room.
“Grigori should be here, unless he’s at an off-site meeting,” said a woman on the team.”
With a steady hand, Halston checked the schedule. “You’re right. He should be here.” Next, she checked her phone. “He didn’t call out sick.” She paused—on purpose—to allow someone to speak up.
As her gaze floated over the group, she was looking for a sign of uneasiness. Someone fidgeting, someone not looking at her. Her employees acted like everything was normal. After working through a couple of last-minute translator conflicts and new meetings that had popped up, she opened the floor to questions.
None.
“I’m here today…unless the ambassador’s schedule changes. Let me know if something comes up. Thank you.”
She closed her laptop, but she didn’t rush out. She’d learned that there was always someone who wanted to talk offline.
One of the quieter women on her team rose, gathered her laptop. “Minka, can we talk?”
Halston gestured to the chair, but Daria didn’t sit, so Halston rose. The woman stepped close. “Grigori told me something.”
Here we go.
Halston offered an encouraging smile.
“He told me you are spy,” Daria whispered.
Halston raised her eyebrows. A reaction, but not an over-the-top one. “That’s alarming.”
“I should have come right to you, but I was afraid.”
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Halston said. “I have to report this to HR. A very serious accusation… and insulting.”
Daria looked over her shoulder. “I text him today, but he didn’t reply.”
“Is he sick?”
“I think something happened to him,” Daria whispered.
“Why?”
“He told me he was going to follow you.”
Halston’s blood pressure jumped. She could feel her cheeks heating. “I’m furious about this. I will speak to him when he gets here.”
Daria hugged herself. “I’m very anxious to be involved in this. This is big job for me and great honor. I can’t lose it.”
“Can you work or do you need a day to calm down?”
Daria shuddered in a breath. “I think work will help me stay with attention focused.”
