Chapter 37 #2
Roman opens the archival box with hands that aren’t quite steady and pulls out the protective sleeve. Then he stares at the book inside like it might try to bite him. “This?” Roman peers up at me. “This is what all of the fuss was for? A fucking children’s storybook?”
He raises The Snow Maiden and Other Lost Tales so that everyone else can see what we’re dealing with.
“We think so.” I glance at Paige. “One of the stories includes the quote that was part of the clues. And—”
“It’s more than just a book.” Paige inches forward, toward Roman’s desk, while tugging white fabric from her pocket.
Everyone stares. Several people tense.
You don’t approach Pakhan uninvited, especially not when he’s barely clinging to control.
But Paige either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. “May I?” She’s already pulling on a pair of white cotton gloves.
Roman waves a hand. Permission or dismissal, I can’t tell. Regardless, he’s as focused on Paige as she is on the book.
Carefully, she removes the book from its sleeve and places it on the desk. Her fingers trace the edges.
Alexei leans forward. “What are you doing?”
Paige’s brow furrows. “I noticed this when the book was first brought in. I planned to get a restorer to come out and take a look before I did anything else. It wasn’t until tonight that I realized this was no accident or a result of decomposition over time.
See here?” Her fingers stop to press into a spot near the bottom of the back cover.
“Someone’s added a false backing. Maybe within the last year.
” She looks up at Roman. “It looks like there’s a hidden cache. Do you have a knife?”
The tension in the room climbs. Even Valeria squeaks with surprise.
I almost laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
Paige just asked the Pakhan of the Kozlov Bratva for a knife.
Kirill’s hand drifts toward his jacket. Kolya’s eyes narrow. Sergei shifts in the shadows, a question in his posture.
Paige finally notices the reaction. “Oh. I mean, a razor blade would be better. Or a scalpel? I need a tool precise enough to separate the layers without damaging the original binding.”
The tension breaks slightly. Several people exchange glances.
A smirk tugs at my mouth. Even here, even now, Paige remains true to herself. She’s more concerned about the integrity of a historical artifact than the dangerous men surrounding her.
Roman opens a drawer and pulls out a small folding knife with a wicked edge.
Paige accepts the blade without hesitation. “Thank you.”
Not even glancing up as the tension builds again, she bends over the book, her tongue caught between her teeth in concentration.
The room holds its collective breath as she makes a tiny incision. With delicate, controlled movements, she works the blade along the paper and the leather folded over the edge of the cover.
A rectangle about the size of a thumbnail slides free.
A micro-SD card.
Alexei jumps to his feet. “Son of a bitch.”
Paige passes the card to Roman, her focus back on the book.
“Emil!” Roman bellows.
Footsteps thunder down the hall. Emil appears, straightening his glasses as he pants for air, his lanky form pressing through the doorway. “Pakhan?”
“Air-gapped laptop. Now.” Roman points to the card.
Emil’s gone before the word finishes echoing.
Paige’s face twists with fury. “Who would do this?” She peels away the false backing while muttering, “Who would deface a historical artifact like this?”
Vitaly shoots me a look, the question clear from his raised eyebrow. Is she serious?
I shrug and nod, not bothering to hide my grin.
That’s my girl. I wonder how many of them have noticed the single stud in her ear or recognized it as mine.
“You care more about the book than what’s on that card.” Roman stares at her as she continues her careful cuts.
“Well, the book is irreplaceable.” Paige bends over a bit more, all her attention on the damaged story collection. “The information on the card is probably just copied from another source. This can’t be duplicated. Well, I mean, it can, but…it’s not the same.”
Sergei’s choked noise could be a laugh or a cough. It’s hard to tell with him.
Emil returns with a laptop under his arm, interrupting the awkward moment. Then he freezes, gaping at Paige, who’s still bent over Roman’s desk and ignoring the rest of the room.
Roman steps to the edge of the desk and gestures. “Set the laptop up here.” He hands Emil the card. “I want to see what’s on this.”
Everyone in the room shifts closer, eager to discover what this new piece of the puzzle will be.
“Yes, sir. Of course.” Emil slots the mini-SD card in, then his fingers fly across the keyboard. “There’s only one file. It’s a video. Looks clean. No obvious malware signatures.” He glances up. “Want me to play it?”
Roman nods. “Yes.”
Emil clicks play.
As the video starts, an image of a young woman with white hair appears.
Just like the Snow Maiden.
The background is deliberately dark, nondescript fabric. The sole light source behind the camera targets the woman, showing only her head. She’s beautiful, with a heart-shaped face and full lips. She smiles at the camera.
“Hi, Daddy.”
Daddy? How is this possible?