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18
Yan
It doesn’t take long to convince the government agent to cooperate. He’s not in favor of involving a prominent civilian, but he knows getting the Hotel Paris manager to work with us is our best bet.
We go through our plan with him. Mina, disguised as Natasha Petrova, will arrive with the fake da Vinci in a crate in case Dimitrov has the hotel watched, which I expect him to do. He’d be a fool not to, and the crime lord didn’t get to the top of the drug business by being a fool. Anton will accompany Mina, as Dimitrov will expect her to have a bodyguard. The hotel manager will let Petrova and her entourage—which will include Anton, Ilya, and me—use a private entrance to walk in unnoticed, something else Dimitrov will expect. A famous socialite like Petrova will demand privacy, and the hotel will happily oblige. She’s a frequent client, after all. The secrecy will reassure Dimitrov that the sale of the art will remain discreet.
Ilya and I will be disguised as transporters. Our job will be to carry the crate and open it in the Klimt suite. We could’ve gotten real transporters, but I want to make sure Mina gets in safely and that nothing is out of place. Once that’s done, Ilya and I will leave, making sure our exit is caught on camera. Timing is of the utmost importance. We’ll enter the elevator in which there is no security camera. Two hotel guards disguised as us will be already inside. We’ll exchange clothes, our company overalls for their suits, and hand over the keys for the delivery van.
They’ll get out on the ground floor and leave in the van in which we arrived. Dimitrov will have men outside watching. They will inform him of the transporters’ departure, and Ilya and I will exit on the rooftop, where we’ll have stored a rope and detachable sniper rifles. We’ll set up the rifles and use the rope to climb down to the balcony of the Klimt suite. It will be a tricky descent, but we’ve done more dangerous stunts. Then we’ll get into position and wait.
In the meantime, Dimitrov and his team will arrive. Dimitrov’s guards will be heavily armed. They’ll sweep the suite before allowing Dimitrov inside to ensure there’s no one besides Mina—a.k.a. Natasha—and her bodyguard, no hidden weapons or planted bugs, and, of course, that the painting is there. They’ll search Mina and Anton for weapons or wires. The deal is that Mina, Dimitrov, and his art expert meet alone, as per Mina’s demands. Anton and Dimitrov’s guards will leave, letting Dimitrov and his expert into the room with Mina after Anton has searched them. No weapons inside the room. Only Dimitrov’s smartphone on which he’ll make the transfer after confirming the painting is authentic. Mina will offer Dimitrov champagne while the expert studies the painting. Pretending to get the champagne, she’ll slip into the bathroom and lock the door.
A couple of attractive hotel waitresses will serve snacks and vodka to distract the guards waiting in the hallway. While they’re eating and drinking, Anton will excuse himself to take a piss and disappear. As soon as Mina is out of sight, Ilya will hit the expert with a dart, and I’ll shoot Dimitrov. The idea is to sedate the expert to immobilize him and prevent him from alarming the guards. With the silencer, the guards outside won’t know what’s going on until it’s too late. Mina will get onto the balcony. Ilya will climb up, and we’ll lift her with the rope to the roof. Then I’ll join them, and the three of us will make our way outside, where Anton will be waiting with our getaway car.
It’s a good plan. It’s as good as foolproof. But something can always go wrong. I don’t like that Mina will be involved. Risking her life has a strange effect on me. It makes the thought of locking her up in that tower all the more appealing. Admittedly, she’s a crucial part of the plan. Without Natasha Petrova, there is no plan.
This morning, before Anton and I had left, I told Ilya about my reservations.
“I don’t like it,” I said, “that Mina’s life will be at risk.”
Ilya tried to reassure me. “She’s not just any woman. She’s one of us. She can handle herself.”
True. She’s not just any woman. I said so myself yesterday in the bathroom when I cornered her. I meant it differently, though. She means something to me, something I can’t name. It’s not the feeling I have for Ilya. It’s more than responsibility and brotherly love. It’s a sense of belonging, of having found the female version of my soul.
Yes, a soulmate. That would’ve been a fitting description if I hadn’t captured her like a bird in a cage. Mina may not be a willing yang to my yin, but she’s mine. I claimed her that night in the alley when I pressed her up against the wall, and I’m keeping her.
