Page 95 of Cruel Demands

“I did not say anything.”

“You were thinking it.”

“I was thinking you are becoming Russian.”

I shoot the vodka and close my eyes as the warmth settles into my stomach. For several minutes, they talk around me. Anya tells a story about one of her professors losing an argument with a projector. Petyr complains about some new departmental policy. I eat two dumplings and begin to relax. I almost forget the page.

Then Anya asks, “Why were you there so late?”

I should say “Work.” I should joke that I’m developing a sleep and stress disorder all in one, a real wonderkid. I should ask Anya about her professor again. Instead, I say, “I found something strange tonight.”

Anya’s expression changes. Petyr’s does not, but his attention sharpens. “What kind of strange?” he asks.

“Vendor paperwork. There was a page mixed into it that did not belong there.”

Petyr reaches for his drink. “What page?”

“I don’t know. It listed Lyubertsy. A permit number, maybe. Something marked transferred. Six pending.”

Neither of them says anything. I continue because their silence makes stopping feel worse. “And Orlov Transport.” Petyr’s hand stops halfway to his glass. “You know it.”

Petyr sets down his glass. “Orlov Transport is a large freight company.”

“That’s it?”

“That is enough.”

“No, it’s a company with a website. That’s nothing.”

“Taylor.”

I point at him. “Don’t do the thing where men say my name like that instead of answering me. I have had enough of that tonight.”

Anya covers a smile with her hand. Petyr doesn’t. “There are rumors,” he says.

“What rumors?”

“The kind people repeat quietly.”

“Very informative.”

“Orlov owns freight companies. Warehouses. Distribution contracts. He knows politicians. Businessmen. People who do not appear in newspapers.”

“So does every billionaire.”

“I did not say he was a billionaire.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I am saying that if you saw his name in Korolev’s office, I would forget that you saw it.”

I stare at him. “Mikhail took the page.”

Petyr’s expression changes. “He saw you with it?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”