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As we get higher into the or “How is she?”

“Still angry,” he says in his gruff voice

“She’ll get over it” Even though I can see for myself on my phone, I ask, “How about the surveillance?”

“Everything is running smoothly”

The words don’t reassureaway from my kiska

Leonid glances at er seat when I end the call, his beefy face pulled into a frown He doesn’t like the fact that I’ Katerina prisoner My h luck I’ risks with her safety Leonid and everyone else can go fuck themselves

I address Yuri in a terse tone “How much farther?”

He shoots a quick look at the GPS “Ten minutes”

The road zigzags up the mountain Exactly ten ate At our approach, the heavy gate slides apart, revealing more dense woods and a narrow, unpaved road

Why would Nikolai Molotov hide out here in the htened securityresidence Maybe I should build myself a compound in the middle of nowhere too and keep Katyusha there For her safety

Yuri pulls up to a h the vast s All those s give me an uneasy itch that crawls between my shoulder blades With no blinds or curtains, the occupants are sitting ducks, an easy target for any stalker or assassin If Nikolai Molotov’s reputation for being a lass is bulletproof Still, I’ve never liked feeling exposed

The front door opens, and Molotov himself steps outside

Leonid gets my door He folloith Yuri as I make my way over and shake Molotov’s hand

Molotov ushers us inside and invites o to his study

“In here,” he says, standing aside for me to enter