Chapter 29 Vadim #2
Vuk got all that evidence to my cousin and he's pulling strings to clean all of this up, all the way from St. Petersburg. Where can't this man reach?
"Where is she?" I ask. "Can I go to her now?"
"In the waiting area at the front of the building. She was released about thirty minutes ago and has been waiting for you." Kova? starts gathering his papers and returning them to his briefcase. "I suggest we move quickly. The sooner you're out of the country, the better."
He stands and I follow, but my legs are stiff from sitting in the uncomfortable chair for so long.
As we walk through the station together, I'm hyper-aware of every camera and every officer we pass.
Any one of them could decide to stop us to ask additional questions or delay us long enough that we miss the flight.
But nobody does. They all ignore us completely as we make our way out.
The front waiting area is crowded with people dealing with various bureaucratic nightmares and it takes me a moment to spot Danica sitting on a bench near the far wall.
She looks exhausted. Her hair is disheveled and there's a bruise forming on her cheek where Ruslan must have hit her at some point.
Her clothes are rumpled, and I can see dried blood on her shirt that might be hers or might be from the scene.
But she looks up as I approach and a smile transforms her tired appearance.
She's off the bench and moving before I can say anything. She crashes into me, and I have to take a step back to keep my balance, and then her arms are around me, holding on fiercely and not letting go.
"I thought they were going to keep you," she says into my chest. "God, I'm so happy to see you."
I wrap my arms around her and rest my chin on top of her head. "I'm here. I'm okay. We're both okay."
"Are we leaving now?" she says, pulling back just enough to look up at me. "Can we just go somewhere away from here?" It saddens me that her reaction after this is to run away, but I know what she means. I know I don't have to ask her again.
"The advocate has arranged everything," I tell her, brushing her hair back from her face. "We have a flight leaving tonight. We need to go directly to the airport from here."
"Tonight?" She looks startled. "What about our things?"
"We can't go back there," I say gently. "The police might still be processing the scene, and even if they're not, there could be other complications. We need to leave now."
"Okay…?" Danica seems confused or frightened by it all, but I know I can send for the things later. Vuk and Nenad will package them up and ship them when the police are done with their investigation.
Kova? clears his throat politely. "I have a car waiting outside that will take you directly to the airport. Once you're in the air, you'll be safe."
"Thank you," I say, and I mean it. Whatever Yuri's paying this man, it's not enough.
We follow Kova? out of the station and into the parking lot. A black sedan is waiting with the engine running and a driver behind the wheel. Kova? opens the back door for us and hands me an envelope before we get in.
"Everything you need is in here," he says. "Tickets, identification documents, some cash for immediate expenses. Your employer will be in contact once you arrive in St. Petersburg to discuss next steps."
"Tell him thank you," I say. "For everything you've done tonight. If you're ever in St. Petersburg—"
"I'll look you up," Kova? says. "Safe travels."
Danica and I climb into the backseat and Kova? closes the door.
The driver pulls out of the parking lot without a word and turns toward the airport.
Danica leans against me, and I put my arm around her shoulders.
It's good to feel her cling to me like this, though I'd rather it be out of intimacy and not fear.
"Are you really okay?" I ask quietly.
"I don't know," she admits. "I keep seeing Ruslan's face when he fell. Every time I close my eyes, I see all the blood."
"That will fade," I tell her, though I'm not sure if it's true. Some things stay with you forever. I still remember the first person I saw die, just as vividly as the day it happened. "Give it time."
"What's going to happen when we get to Russia?"
"Yuri will have a place for us to stay while we figure things out. I'll need to debrief with him about everything that happened, but after that I don't know. We find a house, maybe you find a job if you want…" The sound of it is appealing, though I still have my family to take care of.
"Will we really be able to be normal?" Her head tucks against my chest again snugly, and I sigh to relieve some of the pressure off my chest.
"We can try," I say. "God knows, we both deserve a fresh start."
After three-quarters of a year chasing a man down, only to find it wasn't one actor but a full conspiracy against my family, it feels good to be done.
I lean my head back and rest my eyes, thinking about how long this road has been.
I'm exhausted, and I'm worn out. And I have a new wife at my side who I never thought would be a lasting part of my life.
But I'm happier than I've been in a very long time, and as soon as my cousin sees how happy I am, I know he'll understand when I say I'd like to stay put for a while.
Surely, there are other, younger men who'd like to hit the road and do the jobs I've been handling.
There's plenty in St. Petersburg to keep me busy, like my new wife.