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Some time later, they landed in almost pitch dark, although there were landing lights on the runway. The little plane touched the ground with several large bumps and hops, and once it had stopped, Smith was grateful for the ability to get out and stretch. The pilot solicitously helped Val out of the plane, unlike when they took off. He raced around the plane and attempted to unload one of the suitcases, tugging the handle to lift the case over the small lip. Smith reached over the smaller man and easily lifted it out of the compartment.
The pilot all but bowed to them as they left. He hailed a cab, and they slid into the back seat after securing the luggage. “My back is killing me.” She leaned forward and rubbed the small of her back.
“Too many gymnastics earlier.” He chuckled and turned so he could rub her back for her. She groaned and lifted her light jacket.
“Just a bit lower, and the gymnastics were your fault,” she hissed when his thumbs moved over a knot in her muscles. He worked the area carefully, trying to loosen the tense muscles. In fact, their fight wasn’t the cause. More than likely, the awkward curled position she’d been sitting in for hours while they flew to Novosibirsk caused the knots. Val sighed and leaned back into him. “I’m tired.”
He was, too. The lack of sleep was catching up with him. “We’ll sleep well tonight.” He kissed the top of her head, and his eyes met the taxi driver’s as the guy glanced back. The driver smiled and turned on the blinker, merging into city traffic.
Forty-five minutes later, with the shades drawn in the small but clean room at the hotel Guardian had booked for them, he watched Val sweep the room. She pointed to the phone and then to the electronics she held in her hand. A red dot appeared on the screen. She continued around the room and pointed to the light switch. Two electronic devices detected. She put the device away and pulled him into the bathroom, turning on the water. She whispered, “Probably installed when the hotel was built. They have power, or the scan wouldn’t have detected them. I doubt they’re being monitored, but we need to stay in character.”
“No problem. The clerk gave you a code to sign into the internet. Do you want to check for any updates?” he whispered before she turned off the water. He wanted to know if there was any further information on Komal. She held up her finger, went to the bedroom where they’d left the luggage, and retrieved her phone from her purse.
Smith watched over her shoulder as she typed in the password for the hotel wi-fi. Her thumbs flew over the keyboard as she searched for the email platform and entered her login and password. There was no draft message. “Nothing yet.” She shook her head. “We’ll keep checking.” She signed out of the email website.
“Let’s get dinner and then get some sleep.” Val yawned and shook her head. “I could use about eight hours of uninterrupted rest.”
“Perfect.” He picked up her purse and handed it to her. “Let’s go.”
Smith shut the door behind them, but Val stopped him. She glanced both ways down the small hallway and pulled a single strand of hair from her head. She wet her lips and pulled the strand across them, then draped one end across the doorknob and pressed the other against the door jamb. The hair stayed where she placed it. She smiled at him and slid her hand through the crook of his elbow. “If someone goes into the room, we’ll know.”
“What if it just … unsticks?” he asked as they approached the stairwell.
“Then it’ll still be on the door handle. If someone turns the handle, the hair will fall. Simple.”
He nodded. Her knowledge was superior to his, yet she called him intelligent.
They asked the clerk behind the front desk for recommendations for dinner. She suggested two places. They chose the closer of the two, so they could walk. God knew he’d sat enough, and Val seemed to agree.
The restaurant was nicely furnished, and they were seated at a semi-private table. “Order for me?” Val smiled at him and put her hand on his arm. He knew it was part of the charade. Val was a woman who made up her own mind. He examined the menu, which wasn’t extensive. When the server stopped at the table, he ordered. “We’ll have the Potemkin Soup, followed by the Zhizhig-galnash.”
“Excellent. And for the third course?” the server asked.
“Tea and Muraveynik cake.” He handed the server the menu and turned back to Val.
“I’ve had the soup, and Zhizhig-galnash is meat and gnocchi. What is Maraveynik cake?”
“My mother made it for Christmas. It is a funnel cake with nuts and condensed milk. One of the few good memories I have of my time with them.”
Val laid her hand over his. “Then I’m sure I’ll love it.”
He listened as Val chatted about a scarf she saw in a shop and loved. If anyone were to listen in on the conversation, there would be nothing unusual about the couple in the corner. He answered at the appropriate time and laughed when she did. Val was a natural at the art of deception. They ate hardy food and finished it with tea and the chocolate confection of his childhood. Val’s eyes rolled when she tasted the cake. “So good!” Neither of them left a scrap on the plate.
They leisurely strolled back to the hotel. He took off his suit jacket when Val shivered and draped it around her shoulders. The wind was brisk, but he didn’t care. She smiled and toed up to kiss him. “Thank you.”
She put her arm through his, and they continued the stroll. “When we get on the train, I’ll have to do whatever I need to get to Komal.” She looked up at him. “Whatever I have to do.”
He stopped and stared down at her. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I … hell. I don’t want you to think I enjoy it. I don’t. I do what I do for one reason only. I come on to them to separate the monsters I hunt from the pack they run with and kill them.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I will kill the pack. You kill the monster.”
“When it’s done, we’ll have our vacation.”
He put his arm around her and started them to the hotel. “I don’t need a vacation with you to know I care for you.”
She leaned into him. “Then take me back to the room and show me.”
