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Yan must have a key to Ruslan’s house, because he enters just as I’m zipping up my pants.
I’m uncertain of how to address Yan when he walks into the house. He’s never met me before, and the tension between the three of us is heavy in the air as Yan settles in, putting his coat on the hanger near the front entrance.
Ruslan gets up, attempting to appear be stoic and unbothered, but I can tell that he’s still shaken by his emotional outburst. It’s been a terrible twenty-four hours for both of us, but I can’t imagine how deep his grief must be.
22
Ruslan
Even though I had prompted his appearance at my house, Yan’s presence is jarring and unwanted with all of the emotional turbulence still hanging in the air.
“You’re always so quick,” I say to him, running my fingers through sweaty strands of hair.
Yan’s eyes narrow, and he scoffs under his breath. “You’re the one who needed me here as soon as possible. I was just following orders.”
I’m a little embarrassed by how unprepared I am for his arrival, but there’s nothing I can do or say to explain my unusual mood. Yan’s not a stupid man, and I’m positive that he knew what had transpired the second he walked in and saw Vera here.
I didn’t even think to give him a warning about her. Maybe I should have.
He steps closer, clasping his hands together. “Anyway, you sent me a picture of a bullet casing you found, but the quality of the photo wasn’t good enough for me to see clearly. Do you have it with you still?”
“I have it here,” I reply, pulling the casing out of my pocket.
He takes it from me, examining it closely with his aged, greying eyes. Despite the degeneration of his eyesight, he’s still as sharp as ever when it comes to identifying weapons. Given my lifestyle, I doubt I’ll be able to keep up with him in ten years, much less twenty.
“This looks just like the bootleg ammunition that’s been floating around since that Johan showed up in the area. It’s the same caliber as the casings found at the gas station. Do you have any reason to believe that this could have been a setup?” he asks as he rolls the casing between his fingers.
Vera’s face turns white, and I give her a reassuring glance before responding. “I mean, I thought for sure that it was after the shots rang out, but not for the reasons you might be thinking.”
Yan’s patience has always been somewhat thin, but it’s becoming obvious by the minute that Vera’s presence is bothering him. I need to introduce her soon, or he might become angry that she’s here.
I gesture to her. “When Vera approached me at the state fair, I thought she was the contact that Johan had sent to meet with me. I hadn’t seen him or heard from him since I got there, and she walked right up to me, so I figured she was the only lead I had.”
I hate to even explain the situation this way, because it’s placed Vera in a bad light from the beginning. However, her involvement in the story is important now that she’s likely been spotted with me.
“Alright, I’m assuming that you know better than to invite a snoop into your home, so what’s the rest of the story?” Yan asks, crossing his arms.
“Vera got trampled during the shooting when everyone started to run, and I felt guilty leaving her there to die. I picked her up and brought her to the safehouse, but I had no intention of keeping her around until I knew she was cleared,” I reply.
“How do you know for certain that she isn’t on the wrong side of all this?” he continues, scanning her body language and expression as she folds into herself. “I mean, I doubt she’s the type of person that Johan would send to complete a mission. Not even close.”
Vera’s face turns red, both from embarrassment and the implication that she lacks the intimidation skills necessary to pull off a black-market weapons deal. I can’t blame her for being insulted, but she really does lack the appearance and body language.
“I brought her back to her apartment at the school,” I explain, trying not to sound defensive. “I had a lapse in judgment when I saw her at the gas station where Misha was killed, but I’m fully aware of her innocence. She’s fine..”
Yan’s face softens, and he turns to her. “Why did you come here? You’re young, and you don’t belong in a place like this, especially not with people like us.”
She straightens herself, consciously placing her arms at her sides and standing taller than before. “I guess I had nothing else to do.”
At first, I’m worried that her offhand response will anger Yan.
Instead, he erupts into laughter.
The tension has been broken, and we can finally get to work.
“You’re funny, girl. Ruslan, she’s fucking funny,” he says.
Vera and I both chuckle nervously. “Yeah, I know. I wouldn’t have kidnapped her and brought her here if she wasn’t,” I reply.
