morning!”
“No.” Jamie got up and walked to the door. She put her eye to the peephole and then swung back around to face Tori. “It’s some guy. Looks like one of your mobsters. I think it’s that guy you were talking to the other night at the casino, you know?”
Tori got up out of the beanbag and walked to the door. “Who is it?” she called out in a firm but quiet voice.
“It’s Antonin Orlov. Open the door, little cousin, please?”
Tori recognized the voice, but there was no way she was opening the door. “It’s three in the morning, Antonin. Come back in the morning.”
She could hear his sigh through the door. “I have to tell you something.”
“So tell me.”
“It’s sort of private to be shouting through a door.” He didn’t sound annoyed, but Tori wasn’t taking chances.
“Meet me somewhere tomorrow then,” Tori suggested. “You can tell me then.”
“Fine.” He paused, ostensibly to figure out someplace to meet. “You know that restaurant called Little Kiev?”
“Yeah. It’s Orlov run.” Tori also knew that there were very few civilians who ate at that place. It was very carefully guarded.
“Be there at ten o’clock in the morning.”
“Ten?” Tori groused. “That’s awfully early.”
“Fine.” Antonin was muttering in Russian. “Noon then.”
“Better. See you then.” Tori turned to Jamie, waiting until she heard Antonin’s boots at the other end of the hallway. “Guess I’d better get some sleep.”
“I don’t think you should go,” Jamie whispered. “What if it’s some kind of trap?”
“What trap? He is my cousin. What good would it do for him to trap me somewhere? What would he have to gain?” She bit her lip, thinking that she hadn’t seen her stepbrother in awhile and maybe it was getting to a point where she should find him and have a little chat about whatever the hell was going on.
“What?” Jamie pointed at her. “You’re doing that thing where you come up with all sorts of reckless things you’re going to do, but you don’t really have great reasons for putting yourself in danger.”
Tori pinched her friend in the arm.
“Ow!”
“There, apparently you’re not dreaming, so stop saying crazy things that make no sense.”
“That was mean, Tor.” Jamie rubbed her arm.
“Don’t you have to work in the morning?” Tori asked suddenly. “I just realized that you’re up all night and you actually have a job.”
“Yeah, but I work remote. Sometimes if I’m really sleepy I just nap on the couch and sort of half listen to conference calls or wait for the phone to wake me up if someone calls and actually needs something.”
“You’re lucky,” Tori grunted. “That sounds like the best job ever.”
“Says the woman whose only job is to get laid,” Jamie teased.
Tori knew her friend was just having fun and trying to lighten the mood, but the words stung a little. It was her job to have sex with her husband. It wasn’t as if she didn’t enjoy the work, but she wanted a little more in life. She wasn’t some empty headed bit of fluff that couldn’t handle the tough stuff. And she was starting to think there were a lot of things that Mikhail was keeping from her. The kind of things that could bite her in the ass just as badly as they could him. That meant that he was trying to keep her ignorant of what was happening in her own life. Tori didn’t want that at all. No matter how good the sex was.
“Come on,” Jamie said, tugging her arm. “You can have the couch. I’ll get some blankets and a pillow.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, what else are friends for?” Jamie teased. “And it’s not like I have a whole lot to do at three in the morning.”
“You could work,” Tori suggested. “Since you seem to be opposed to working during daylight hours.”
“Oh ha, ha.” Jamie looked disgruntled. “You’re hilarious. Someday you’re going to have a job, and I’m going to laugh my ass off when you have to get up
“No.” Jamie got up and walked to the door. She put her eye to the peephole and then swung back around to face Tori. “It’s some guy. Looks like one of your mobsters. I think it’s that guy you were talking to the other night at the casino, you know?”
Tori got up out of the beanbag and walked to the door. “Who is it?” she called out in a firm but quiet voice.
“It’s Antonin Orlov. Open the door, little cousin, please?”
Tori recognized the voice, but there was no way she was opening the door. “It’s three in the morning, Antonin. Come back in the morning.”
She could hear his sigh through the door. “I have to tell you something.”
“So tell me.”
“It’s sort of private to be shouting through a door.” He didn’t sound annoyed, but Tori wasn’t taking chances.
“Meet me somewhere tomorrow then,” Tori suggested. “You can tell me then.”
“Fine.” He paused, ostensibly to figure out someplace to meet. “You know that restaurant called Little Kiev?”
“Yeah. It’s Orlov run.” Tori also knew that there were very few civilians who ate at that place. It was very carefully guarded.
“Be there at ten o’clock in the morning.”
“Ten?” Tori groused. “That’s awfully early.”
“Fine.” Antonin was muttering in Russian. “Noon then.”
“Better. See you then.” Tori turned to Jamie, waiting until she heard Antonin’s boots at the other end of the hallway. “Guess I’d better get some sleep.”
“I don’t think you should go,” Jamie whispered. “What if it’s some kind of trap?”
“What trap? He is my cousin. What good would it do for him to trap me somewhere? What would he have to gain?” She bit her lip, thinking that she hadn’t seen her stepbrother in awhile and maybe it was getting to a point where she should find him and have a little chat about whatever the hell was going on.
“What?” Jamie pointed at her. “You’re doing that thing where you come up with all sorts of reckless things you’re going to do, but you don’t really have great reasons for putting yourself in danger.”
Tori pinched her friend in the arm.
“Ow!”
“There, apparently you’re not dreaming, so stop saying crazy things that make no sense.”
“That was mean, Tor.” Jamie rubbed her arm.
“Don’t you have to work in the morning?” Tori asked suddenly. “I just realized that you’re up all night and you actually have a job.”
“Yeah, but I work remote. Sometimes if I’m really sleepy I just nap on the couch and sort of half listen to conference calls or wait for the phone to wake me up if someone calls and actually needs something.”
“You’re lucky,” Tori grunted. “That sounds like the best job ever.”
“Says the woman whose only job is to get laid,” Jamie teased.
Tori knew her friend was just having fun and trying to lighten the mood, but the words stung a little. It was her job to have sex with her husband. It wasn’t as if she didn’t enjoy the work, but she wanted a little more in life. She wasn’t some empty headed bit of fluff that couldn’t handle the tough stuff. And she was starting to think there were a lot of things that Mikhail was keeping from her. The kind of things that could bite her in the ass just as badly as they could him. That meant that he was trying to keep her ignorant of what was happening in her own life. Tori didn’t want that at all. No matter how good the sex was.
“Come on,” Jamie said, tugging her arm. “You can have the couch. I’ll get some blankets and a pillow.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, what else are friends for?” Jamie teased. “And it’s not like I have a whole lot to do at three in the morning.”
“You could work,” Tori suggested. “Since you seem to be opposed to working during daylight hours.”
“Oh ha, ha.” Jamie looked disgruntled. “You’re hilarious. Someday you’re going to have a job, and I’m going to laugh my ass off when you have to get up
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