Chapter 4 #2
Yuri nodded. “Instead of expiring in a hospital bed, I transformed and, in the process, was healed.”
Which sounded very much like what happened with Idris and the others, minus the god part. “And you’ve never met anyone else like you? Us?”
“No, but then again, it’s not as if I can announce I am a bear. I imagine, if others exist, they hide too.”
A fair point. Idris didn’t exactly go around telling folks.
Yuri halted abruptly and glanced at a house set a few paces back from the street. He checked left and right before stalking for it, returning quickly to announce, “Boris is inside.”
“You’re sure?”
“Assuming he didn’t skip out a back door, yes. His strongest scent enters, but doesn’t exit.”
Idris pursed his lips and eyed the home. A single-floor bungalow with painted wooden siding, the white of it faded and peeling in spots. Despite the drawn curtains, a window glowed, indicating someone might still be awake.
“Think he’ll answer if we knock?”
“Only a bear is brave enough to greet strangers at this hour,” snorted Yuri. “And do we really want to announce ourselves and give him time to call for help or flee?”
A good point. “We can’t exactly kick in his front door. We’re too exposed.” While the street appeared quiet this time of night, who knew what kind of ruckus would occur if they broke in?
“Perhaps there’s another way in. Let’s check out the back.” Yuri headed around the side of the house, and Idris hastened to follow.
“We need a plan,” Idris whispered as they entered a postage-stamp-sized yard filled with scrubby weeds and a dilapidated garage at the rear.
“The plan is we go inside and make him talk.” Yuri began to strip.
“Why are you getting naked?”
“So I have clothes to wear when we’re done.” Yuri rolled his eyes. “Surely you know by now that there is no fabric that survives the shift.”
Yeah, Idris was aware and more than once heard someone scream “Pervert!” when he morphed from bear to man before he’d made it to a safe spot. “I thought we said no killing Boris until we had answers?”
“We’ll get those faster if he’s scared.” Yuri grinned. “My bear is quite fearsome.”
“Jeezus.” Idris rubbed his jaw. “Better hope he doesn’t have a gun.”
“Bah. Bullet wounds heal.”
“Head shots don’t,” Idris muttered.
“Ready?” Before Idris could reply, Yuri changed. No gimmick, no injury, just poof, instant bear. The jealousy was real.
Instead of letting Yuri charge the back door and make too much noise, Idris quickly moved to grab and twist the knob. To his surprise, it wasn’t locked and opened without a creak.
The bear, driven by concern for his sister, barreled through the doorway without pause, and Idris followed. No time to take in the details of the kitchen, although, judging by the smell, someone didn’t like cleaning or taking out the trash.
Yuri’s furry butt disappeared through an archway, and snarls erupted, along with a male voice huffing in panicked Russian.
Sounded like Boris was home. Idris entered the living room to see the guy who’d been serving booze behind the bar with his back pressed to the wall, eyes wide and sweat beading on his skin.
With reason.
Yuri stood on his hind legs and growled menacingly.
“No eating the man, Yuri,” Idris reminded, a remark that drew Boris’ attention.
“Help!” the man pleaded in heavily accented English.
“Help? That will depend on how cooperative you are.” Idris crossed his arms. “Where’s Svetlana?”
“I not know,” the man blubbered.
“Bullshit. You called the KGB on her,” Idris stated.
“No. No. Not me.” Boris shook his head, and Yuri dropped to four paws to take a menacing step.
“If not you, then who? You’re the only one who knew she’d be coming back to the bar to get paid,” Idris pointed out.
“I… Uh…” Boris cringed as Yuri took another step, mouth open wide.
“Listen, you either tell us why the KGB were waiting in the alley, or I let Yuri eat you. He’s really not happy about losing Svetlana.”
“I no call,” Boris squeaked. “KGB come see me. They hear about show. Ask about bear.”
The answer surprised. “Why?”
Boris shrugged. “Say bear cause trouble.”
“And?” Idris prodded.
Boris slumped. “They ask where find bear. I say don’t know. They tell me big trouble if no give bear.”
A threat that obviously worked. “So you told them Svetlana would be coming after you closed to pick up the money you owed her,” Idris surmised.
Boris nodded. “Must obey KGB.”
An understandable sentiment, but Yuri didn’t like it. He snarled and lunged, snapping his teeth. Boris screamed, and Idris’ nose wrinkled as the man pissed himself.
“Behave, Yuri. I’m not done asking him questions,” Idris cautioned.
The bear sat and glared.
Idris held in a sigh at the antics of his hotheaded partner. “Where did the KGB take Svetlana?”
“I no know.” Boris whimpered.
“Did they give you a phone number, anything?” Idris couldn’t help a frustrated note, as, thus far, they’d learned nothing that would help.
Boris shook his head. “No. No phone. But asked me where is best hotel.”
“I’ll need the name of the hotel.”
Boris couldn’t blab fast enough. “Romashkovyy Zamok.”
The name meant nothing to Idris, but at least they had a place to look.
A livid Yuri leaned close to Boris, his snarl quite impressive, especially with the drool dripping from the canines. While Idris didn’t usually condone murder, it wasn’t up to him. Yuri needed an outlet for his rage, and Boris provided an outlet.
Idris walked out before the screams ended. Not long after, Yuri joined him and shifted. Idris handed Yuri his clothes.
“Feel better?” he asked as the man got dressed.
“No. Fucking bastard.”
Rather than argue the man didn’t have a choice, Idris instead asked, “Did the name of that hotel ring a bell?”
A grim Yuri nodded. “I know where Romashkovyy Zamok is.”
It was too far to walk so they ended up going back to Idris’ apartment, where he snared his car keys, although calling it a car might be generous.
The rust bucket should have probably gone to the junk yard years ago.
However, looks aside, it managed to bring them to the area holding the once grand hotel in severe need of a facelift.
They parked a block away and approached on foot.
“That’s a lot of rooms to search,” Idris muttered as he took in the six stories and many windows.
“Why search when we can follow my nose?”
“Hold on before you go running around inside, sniffing every corner. We have to be careful.”
“I’m aware of the need for caution,” Yuri snipped. “But we also need to move quickly for Svetlana’s sake.”
“Agreed, but let’s not be dumb about it either. Won’t do us any good if we rush in and get caught.”
“I only counted six men. Two of which probably ended up in the hospital.” That admission came with a toothy grin.
“Leaving at least four of them, and you said they’re armed.”
Yuri nodded.
“What are the chances this place has cameras in the lobby?”
At the query, Yuri’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. In the big cities, they’re very common, but a smaller place like this…”
“Let’s assume they have some. When we enter, keep your head ducked. That is assuming you don’t want your face plastered everywhere if shit goes wrong.”
“You are more recognizable than me,” Yuri pointed out.
A reminder that he’d seen few people with similar brown complexions since his arrival in Russia. Idris yanked up his hood. “I know how to hide.” He’d been doing it since his escape from the military facility, worried that the general had a team of hackers scouring security cams looking for him.
“Any other advice?” Yuri canted his head.
“Keep your bear tucked away unless it’s a real emergency.”
To that, Yuri snorted. “I’m not the one who has problems keeping his skin on.”
A reminder to avoid injury. Easier said than done.
They entered the hotel, heads ducked, not that it mattered. Where a camera should have been, loose wires poked instead, and the clerk sleeping behind the desk never even twitched as they headed for the elevator. Before Idris could ask Yuri if he smelled Svetlana, it hit him.
Her scent.
Vanilla, lavender, and that element that was uniquely hers.
They entered the elevator cab, and Yuri pressed all the numbers. At each level, he stuck his head out, inhaled, and said, “Not this floor.”
On the sixth, Idris didn’t need Yuri to announce they’d found her; her unique perfume hit him.
Now to hope his first rescue of a damsel in distress didn’t finish with him dead.