19. In Love #3
She closed her laptop, but she didn’t rush out. She’d learned that there was always someone who wanted to talk offline.
One of the quieter women on her team rose, gathered her laptop. “Minka, can we talk?”
Halston gestured to the chair, but Daria didn’t sit, so Halston rose. The woman stepped close. “Grigori told me something.”
Here we go.
Halston offered an encouraging smile.
“He told me you are spy,” Daria whispered.
Halston raised her eyebrows. A reaction, but not an over-the-top one. “That’s alarming.”
“I should have come right to you, but I was afraid.”
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Halston said. “I have to report this to HR. A very serious accusation… and insulting.”
Daria looked over her shoulder. “I text him today, but he didn’t reply.”
“Is he sick?”
“I think something happened to him,” Daria whispered.
“Why?”
“He told me he was going to follow you.”
Halston’s blood pressure jumped. She could feel her cheeks heating. “I’m furious about this. I will speak to him when he gets here.”
Daria hugged herself. “I’m very anxious to be involved in this. This is big job for me and great honor. I can’t lose it.”
“Can you work or do you need a day to calm down?”
Daria shuddered in a breath. “I think work will help me stay with attention focused.”
“Did you tell anyone?” Halston asked.
“No one but you.”
Halston escorted Daria to her cubicle. As they passed Grigori’s empty one, Daria stopped. “He is never late.”
“I’ll handle this,” Halston said before she made her way toward the stairs.
Adrenaline pounded through her. She was sitting on a ticking time bomb. If Grigori had told anyone else or if Daria couldn’t handle the anxiety and went to HR—
Halston needed to update Evangeline as soon as she could.
After dropping her laptop in her office, she beelined to the ambassador’s office. He was working at his desk.
“Sir, good morning. Let me get your coffee tray.”
“Thank you, Minka. I ordered breakfast. The chef just called.”
“I’ll pick that up for you.”
Halston’s shoulders were tense with anxiety. During her lunch break, she needed to get back to the hotel and contact Evangeline. Furthermore, by leaving her phone, she’d cut herself off from finding out if the agents at Dulles had found the packages. In that instant, she regretted her decision.
Things were simpler in Moscow. Scarier, but simpler.
In the busy cafeteria, Halston made her way to the cashier.
“Breakfast for the Ambassador,” she said.
The clerk left his post to check on the order. Seconds later, he returned with a tray of covered dishes and large orange juice. As she started to leave, she saw Natasha standing near the coffee station struggling to zip the top of her dress in the back.
Halston hurried over, set down the tray. “Hello, Natasha. Need help?”
Natasha’s attention had been glued to the wall of televisions, the morning newscasters reporting on the recent power outages across the country.
Natasha didn’t respond.
“Dobroye utro,” Halston said. “YA mogu vam pomoch'.” Good morning. I can help you.
Natasha startled. “Minka, good morning.”
“I have that problem with zippers too.” Halston offered a pleasant smile. “Can I help?”
“I cannot touch.” Natasha turned away so Halston could zip her.
And that’s when Halston spied the dragon tattoo on the back of her neck.
No way. It can’t be. Get a photo of it.
She tapped her spy glasses to record the large, red dragon outlined in black.
“Cool tat,” Halston said, while zipping Natasha’s dress. “I almost got one but chickened out.”
While furrowing her brows, Natasha asked, “Chickened out?”
That was too American.
“American slang for not brave.”
Natasha narrowed her gaze. “You know much English.”
“That’s why I’m lead translator.”
Someone turned up the volume on one of the televisions and Natasha spun around.
“Breaking news,” said the news anchor. “We’ve just gotten word that a group of ten leading scientists along with their traveling companions were kidnapped at Dulles International Airport.
The group was returning from a three-week European tour discussing the vulnerabilities of the electrical grids in major cities around the world.
When they didn’t arrive at their hotel, the FBI was contacted. ”
“Ohmygod,” Halston blurted.
Natasha turned. “We have many power hits and the worlds’ experts be taken. We live in crazy world, no?”
Halston couldn’t tear herself from the television, the anxiety sweeping through her. She needed to know if her parents had been on that flight.
Wolfie will know.
But she’d left her phone at the hotel.
I need to leave.
“Minka, are you okay?” Natasha asked. “You’re sweating.”
A thin line of perspiration dotted her forehead. “I had a fever last night. I think I’m getting sick—”
Natasha back away. “Not give to me.”
What I have isn’t contagious.
“We have a partial list of scientists,” said the news anchor who rattled off several names.
When Halston didn’t hear her parents’ names, she inhaled a calming breath.
“The renowned expert in power grids, physicist and electrical engineer Dustin Devereux, and his translator wife Sonya Devereux were amongst the group of people kidnapped.”
“It’s more like vanished,” said the news reporter on scene. “I’m here at Dulles and the group of twelve went missing shortly after they were loaded into two white vans.”
Halston’s knees gave out and she dropped to the floor, stopping herself with her hands before she smacked her head against the tile.
“Minka, what is wrong with you?” Natasha barked.
A firm arm helped her up. She couldn’t catch her breath, the little yellow stars were crowding her peripheral vision. Though foggy, she peered at the ambassador.
“Let’s sit you down,” he said.
He brought her to a nearby table where she folded into a chair. Seconds later, someone handed her a bottle of water. She twisted the top, gulped down several cold mouthfuls.
“I came to see holdup with breakfast,” he said. “Did you fall?”
“She has fever,” Natasha blurted. “I wish she hadn’t been here. I cannot be sick.”
Get it together. Now! You can do it.
Heaving in a deep breath, Halston released the air before repeating it again. The stars disappeared, but she didn’t feel confident she could stand. Every television on the cafeteria wall showed mugshot-sized photos of the scientists, then another group of pictures of their traveling companions.
Her parents’ pictures were plastered on the screen confirming they had been taken.
NO!!!! This can’t be happening.
Anxiety turned to dread. Her throat went dry, she started trembling.
I need to leave. Now.
Forcing herself up, she said to the ambassador. “Natasha is right. I had a fever last night but didn’t want to miss work.”
“Your dedication is admirable Minka, but it’s not good to work with sickness,” he said.
“I should leave,” Halston said.
He glanced at Natasha who shook her head. “Not today,” Natasha said, her tone stern.
“Minka, I need to talk to you,” he said. “It’s important.”
She pushed herself up. With trembling fingers, she collected the bottle of cold water. When she went to lift the ambassador’s breakfast tray, he took it.
“Can you walk or do you need Natasha to help you?” he asked.
She glanced at the wall of television screens. One still showed the photos of the kidnapped scientists. She would muster through the meeting, then leave.
For the first time since becoming a spy, she didn’t care about her job or her country. She was singularly focused on her parents.
At the moment, Dustin and Sonya Devereux were all that mattered.