He nodded and put the phone to his ear. “Hello?” he said cautiously. His eyes widened with surprise and happiness. “Yes, it is really me. I am okay. Really, I am okay…no, please do not cry.” She could see joy in his eyes as she left the room with her laptop under her arm.
A man needed privacy when he talked to his dad.
-
The response to her request came back more quickly than she’d hoped.
Sophie,
First, Signe and I send our undying thanks for finding him and bringing him this far. We cannot tell you how grateful we are.
I know you have much more work to do in order to get him the rest of the way home. I’m happy to tell you that your request can definitely be accommodated. I called my contacts in the proper department, and they can make the arrangements. These kinds of requests are more common than you’d expect, and can be managed quickly and discreetly.
Here’s the information we will need when the time comes…
Sophie sighed in relief and headed to her quarters where she dug into her bag to get what she needed. She went out, everything jammed under her arm, to find Sergei and Sevastian. They were, not surprisingly, having a smoke. She invited them to a small room and closed the door. One by one, she put the items on the table between them.
“Gentlemen,” she said in Russian. They looked at her without expression, laying their weapons down within reach. “Your Commandant requests one of you return to the camp tomorrow and spend the day with him, while the other remains here to guard the prisoner.” Sergei and Sevastian glanced at each other, then back at her.
“The Commandant will require a full report,” said Sergei. “Do you wish us to tell him that your Orlisian lover is recovering?”
She resisted the urge to make a rude comment. “No, I don’t think that would be wise at all.” She opened the bottle of vodka she had brought in and poured three shots. “Your health.” Both drank the liquor straight down. “I would like you to tell the Commandant a different story.” She refilled their glasses.
“What do you offer us in return for this different story?” Sevastian accepted the fresh shot with a nod of thanks.
“Naturally, we want you to remain as our guests here. Continue to enjoy our food and drink, our hospitality.” Sophie knew the accommodations here were more pleasant than those in Parnaas. The coalition building had more reliable hot water, electricity, and other amenities. “You may, of course, keep the remaining vodka. And the second bottle as well.” She gestured to the table where an unopened bottle sat. “You may also share this.” Sophie handed them a fat brown envelope.
Sevastian picked it up and opened it, his big fingers surprisingly dainty as he counted the American bills inside. He nodded to Sergei, then turned back to her. “For this, we can tell a different story.”
She smiled. “To doing business together, today and in the future. If this transaction goes well, we will have a prosperous arrangement for the next while,” she said, raising her glass. Their eyes lit up as they considered the potential for future rewards as well as the one before them.
Sophie had just bought some time.
“Here’s what I’d like you to tell Commandant Jaros…”
-
February 17, 2014
Michael had been asleep for hours by the time Sophie returned to the infirmary. It took a while for her to settle down enough to sleep. She got up twice in the night to change his IV fluids, a task that she had become so proficient at that the nurses allowed her to do it. Michael’s long, rattling coughing fits woke them a dozen more times. In other words, a restless night.
Still, she awoke before the sun rose. They spooned against each other, his leg flung over hers and his arm tight around her ribs. His raspy snores ruffled her hair. She knew she had to get up to consult with the Rev before he went into Parnaas, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Too comfortable. Too warm. Too everything.