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He straightens with a tight sht, my love”
Not sparing h the door
It takes rab a decorative cushion from the loveseat and throw it at the door he closed behind hily soft thump It’s an immature and pointless display, a sadly ineffective outlet for er When the door reopens, I’m ready to hurl another cushion at him, but it’s Lena who enters with a tray
She walks over to the lounge area by the fireplace and leaves the tray on the coffee table “Tima prepared French toast and a fruit salad There’s tea and honey” Straightening, she asks in a for else?”
“No, thank you,” I say, still battling to get my temper under control
Nodding, she briskly leaves the room
Movement outside draws my attention to theYuri walks to the car we arrived in and opens the door Alex exits the house, followed by Leonid and Igor The four of theets into a second car with some of the men who escorted us from the airport Three cars pull out ahead of their convoy The five cars roll down the driveway and through the open gates
When the entourage is gone, I seize the opportunity I approach the door and feel the handle The heavy door swings open without a squeak I stick my head around the frarandfather clock strikes four times
Tiptoeing into the corridor, I move quietly but swiftly The study is one floor down Thankfully, I don’t see anyone as I climb down the stairs My heart beats ininto the housekeeper or a guard I close the door behind me and let out a shaky breath My pulse juht of the landline phone on the desk
I hurry across the floor and grab the receiver fro to call The American embassy? And say what? I don’t know, but I want to test the limits of my imprisonment I want to know the telephone number of the embassy just in case
My hesitation only lasts a second My best bet is to call Joanne and ask her to look up the number for me I’ll say I lost my bank card The lie bothers me even before it’s left my mouth, but I don’t think about it as I punch in her number
Before I’ible in Russian Giving a start, I almost drop the phone
“Hello?” I say in a hushed tone
The lish “Good evening, Miss Morrell What can I do for you?”
Sing, I ask, “Who are you?”
His Russian accent is heavy “I’o through a central system”