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“Yes, yes.” Mikhail pulls off his leather gloves. “However, you didn’t tell me that you’re back.”
Lena appears on cue, rushing across the foyer to take Mikhail’s gloves and coat.
“Dania,” Alex says, acknowledging her with a nod, but he doesn’t kiss her cheek when she tilts up her face.
I don’t miss the minute tightening of her eyes.
“I hope you don’t mind the uninvited visit,” she says, smiling sweetly up at Alex.
“Not at all,” Alex says, returning her smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes. “You remember Katerina.”
Dania and Mikhail turn their attention to me.
Mikhail gives me a critical once-over, taking in my oversized off-the-shoulder sweater and leggings. “Of course. How are you, Kate?”
Lifting my chin, I walk over with a straight back. “I’m good, thank you for asking. How about you?”
Raising his arms, he says with a condescending tilt of his lips, “As you can see.”
“It’s lovely to run into you again,” Dania says to me. “You look…” She trails a gaze over me. “Nice?”
“Thank you,” I say, matching her sugar-sweet tone. “You look… formal? Are you on your way to an event?”
Lena, who’s taking Dania’s coat, smothers a snort. When Alex gives her a hard look, she quickly busies herself with hanging the coat in the closet.
Dania chuckles. “This is my day wear, darling.”
Alex holds out an arm, indicating the formal lounge. “Shall we?”
He leads the way.
Looking around, Dania falls in behind him. “Not much has changed around here. It’s about time a woman redecorated this stuffy old place.”
“Dania,” Mikhail says with reprimand. “Alex will think you’re insulting his taste.”
“I know Alex’s taste,” she says, swaying her hips as she follows him into the lounge. “It’s modern, like his house in New York.”
The jab hits me hard, just as she intended. It’s meant as a reminder that she’s seen the inside of his house, and more specifically, the inside of his bedroom. It was before he knew me, but still. If I could claw her eyes out right now, I would.
“Would you like a drink?” Alex asks, motioning for them to take a seat on the sofa. “Vodka?”
“Tea for me, if you don’t mind,” Dania says, sitting down next to her father. “I’m parched.”
Alex takes a seat on the couch and pulls me down with him. To Lena, who stands in the doorframe with her hands folded in front of her, he says, “Tea and vodka, please.” Looking at me, he asks, “What would you like, Katyusha?”
“Tea is fine, thank you,” I say.
“You know which tea I like, Lena,” Dania says. “That lovely licorice and verbena homemade brew of yours.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lena says before leaving the room.
Dania addresses me. “Tell us about your trip to the States.”
Not in the mood to discuss my family or personal life with them, I answer vaguely, “It was great.”
Alex stretches his arm across the backrest and brushes a finger over the naked skin of my exposed shoulder. “Too short, I’m afraid.”
We make small talk for another few minutes, and then the discussion turns to business, which excludes me from the conversation.
Lena arrives with a tray that she puts on the coffee table. She pours herbal tea from a small porcelain teapot for Dania and offers me a cup of Earl Grey. After serving everyone a slice of Tima’s almond cake, she leaves.
Alex pours the vodka and hands Mikhail a glass. It seems early for drinking hard liquor, but I know it’s a Russian custom. Mikhail drones on about the business while we finish our tea. He’s in the middle of a sentence when Dania interrupts him by standing abruptly.
Placing a hand over her stomach, she says, “I don’t feel well. Kate, can you please accompany me to the bathroom?”
“Of course,” I say, already on my feet.
The men stand, their brows pleated.
“Shall I call a doctor?” Mikhail asks.
“It’s just a little nausea, Papa.”
I rush after Dania as she hurries to the door.
“Katerina is a nurse,” Alex says. “She’ll let us know if we need to call.”
Dania knows her way around the house. She runs for the guest bathroom, banging the door against the wall as she opens it.
I follow and close the door for privacy. Her face is pale and sweat beads on her forehead. She looks like she’s on the verge of vomiting. Just in case, I open the toilet lid.
“How do you feel?” I ask. “Only nauseated or do you also have stomach cramps?”
“Listen to me,” she says, startling me by grabbing my shoulders. She continues in an urgent tone. “We don’t have much time. In a moment, I’m going to be sick. Really sick.”
I lean away, taking in her feverish face. “What are you talking about?”
“The tea. Lena slipped something into it.”
“What?” I exclaim.
She gives me a shake. “Listen to me. This is your only chance to escape.” She tips her chin toward the toilet stall. “There’s a bag behind the door. Get changed. Soon, there will be mayhem. It’ll look as if I’m dying. They’ll think it’s poisoning. My father is going to rush me to the hospital. I’ll get into the car with him. While everyone is distracted, get into the second car. My bodyguard is the driver. Lie down in the back. He’ll take you to the airport. Lena packed you a bag. It’s already inside the trunk with money and a false passport.”
