“I’ll be fine,” she reassured Vladimir, and there were three of their sailors in the boat when she got in. Vladimir didn’t go with her. He had work to do. And he didn’t enjoy shopping as much as she did, except for major purchases like jewelry or haute couture, but she could manage the ordinary shops alone. He didn’t need to be with her to buy a new pair of sandals, or a handbag at Prada, and she had a credit card that was designated to her on one of his accounts. He never cared how much she spent, and she was reasonable when she shopped on her own. Vladimir spent far more money on her than she ever did on herself.
The tender bobbed around like a cork in the water as Natasha hopped out onto the quai, and a crew member followed her in case she needed help carrying shopping bags on the way back. She made her way through several stores and was trying on a bright pink fur coat at the furrier where she’d been before, when the first officer from the boat appeared with three of their security guards at his side.
“Mr. Stanislas would like you back on the boat,” the first officer said seriously, and Natasha looked surprised.
“Now? Is something wrong? Is he ill? I haven’t finished shopping yet.” And she didn’t want to go back. She was having fun. She had nothing to do on the boat, and they couldn’t go out swimming in the high winds and rough seas.
“He appears to be fine,” the officer said stiffly. He had had his orders directly from Vladimir, and didn’t want to have to explain to him that Natasha had refused to come back, but she didn’t see why she had to rush. They weren’t going anywhere in the mistral.
“Tell him I’ll be back in an hour,” she said with a smile. She was still wearing the pink fur coat, and wanted to take a serious look at it again.
“I believe Mr. Stanislas wants you to come back now,” he said with emphasis and worried eyes.
“I won’t be long.” She smiled at him and took another look at herself with the coat. She was concerned it was too bright and Vladimir might not like it, but it was fun and she could see herself wearing it with jeans or over a black dress. She took it off and tried another more traditional one while he conferred with the three bodyguards outside. She could see that they were radioing the boat. And a moment later, he walked into the shop again, carrying his cellphone, and told her Mr. Stanislas was on the phone. She took it from him with a smile, and joked with Vladimir when she heard him at the other end.
“I promise I won’t spend all your money. I just want a little longer to look around. The shops are so nice here, better than St. Tropez.”
“Get back here now. When I give you an order, you are to obey my commands.” He had never spoken to her that way before, and she was stunned.
“What’s happening? Why are you upset?”
“I don’t owe you explanations. Get back to the tender immediately, or I’ll have them carry you out of the store.” With a shocked look, she thanked the woman for showing her the fur coats, and left the shop. She noticed that the guards were walking unusually close to her, and the first officer was directly in front of her. Clearly something was happening, but she had no idea what.
She got into the tender at the quai a few minutes later, and there were four security guards waiting for her. The boat was heavier in the water, and lower. She was soaking wet when she walked up the swaying ladder to reach the deck. There were security men lined up along the rail, and five of them followed her inside. It looked like their full complement was out, and there were four more with Vladimir when she found him in his office. He was on the phone and hung up as soon as she walked in, dripping water on a priceless Persian carpet. He nodded, and the security guards left the room.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she tried to kiss him, and he brushed her off. He seemed distracted and upset.
He hesitated for a moment and then looked at her. There was something rock hard in his eyes, and a fury she had seen there only once or twice, but never directed at her. And she could see now that he wasn’t angry at her, but at someone else.
“I’m not going to tell you a lot about it. But I made a very large deal in Moscow in the last week. It has to do with a segment of the mineral industry, and very important territory was awarded to me by the president of Russia. There were three contenders for the land I was allowed to buy. Myself, and two others. I was awarded the land and the mineral rights fairly, and paid a very large sum of money for it. The two men who were in competition with me were murdered this morning, along with their female companions, and one with his oldest son who was in the business with him. And there was an assassination attempt on the president half an hour ago. Whoever is unhappy about this deal means business. We believe we know who it is. It looks like random acts of terrorism, but I think it’s more specific than that. You’re in danger, Natasha, because of me.” He said it clearly and simply and didn’t beat around the bush. He had never explained as much about his business as he just had. “We have a protective system here on the boat, and all the weapons and guards we need to keep us safe, but I don’t want you outdoors at the moment, anywhere on deck, or going ashore. And as soon as the wind dies down, we’ll pull up anchor and go somewhere else. But right now, I want you to do exactly as I say. I don’t want you to get killed.” She didn’t like the sound of the situation, and she looked frightened as she listened. She had never seen him look so intense. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do,” she said softly. She had never before felt at risk. Whatever business he engaged in, it had nothing to do with her. This time, it did. If the female companions of the other two men had been assassinated, they would be gunning for her too. For the very first time, she knew that her life was in danger because of him.
“I want you out of sight for the next few days. We’re moving to an inside cabin, so there will be no portholes where they can see you. But the electronic devices our enemies use are so sophisticated that they can find you just about anywhere. Hopefully, the Russian intelligence services will find them soon.” His eyes were icier than she had ever seen them, and she could tell that he meant business. She wondered if he was frightened too. But he looked angry more than afraid.
For the next few days, they remained confined in an inside cabin, and moved around the boat very little. There were two bodyguards with them inside the room, several lining the halls, and a full commando team on deck. The helicopters were being protected, and she overheard that their missile system had been armed, and all the guards were carrying machine guns. She felt as though they had been transported to a war zone, and it was terrifying knowing that she was a target too.