don’t be long. All right? I don’t know who we can trust.”
“I know.” She cupped his cheek and brushed a kiss over his lips.
Dani left the room for the hallway, taking deep breaths and trying to decide what to do. She pulled the test out of her pocket and stared at it. The lines were faint. In fact, they looked like they were fading. Maybe they weren’t real after all.
“You know, sweetie,” a passing nurse said kindly, “I’ve seen people stare at those things for hours and never get a different answer.”
“I was just wondering if the darkness of the lines means anything,” Dani mused. “It’s just not a very good time right now.”
“Tell you what.” The nurse put her hands on her ample hips. She looked friendly. “How about I do a quick test right here in the hospital? Would that make you feel better?”
“Oh yes!” Dani perked up. “That would tell me a lot, right?”
“Of course.” The nurse took Dani’s arm. “Just come right over here.” She took a plastic cup from a shelf. “Just get about half a cup of urine in this cup.” She gestured to a door right beside them. “You can use this restroom right here.”
“Thank you,” Dani said gratefully. “You’ve got no idea how much this means to me.”
“Oh I’ve been there, sweetie.” The woman gave her a broad smile. “I think we all have at one time or another.”
Dani slipped into the restroom and did as directed. She was just pulling open the heavy door when she caught a glimpse of Mikhail striding down the wide hall. Panic surged and Dani pushed the door closed again. She flinched as it slammed shut, but it was too late to worry about that now. Trying to breathe normally, she counted to twenty before opening the door again.
The sound of Mikhail’s distinctive voice drifted out of Josef’s hospital room. Dani minced down the hallway, trying to hear what they were saying.
“Do you have that cup for me, sweetie?” The nurse appeared behind Dani, startling a squeak out of her. “My, you’re a jumpy one, aren’t you?”
“Just nervous,” Dani said, trying not to speak loudly. “Here you go. I really appreciate this.”
“It’ll be just a few minutes.”
“I’ll wait here,” Dani assured her.
Behind Dani, she could hear just enough to make out the conversation in Russian between her brother and Josef. She pressed her back to the wall, holding her breath in order to hear more effectively.
Mikhail was laughing. “You thought you were going to get away with it, but you are not so sneaky, you know?”
“What are you talking about?” Josef asked, his voice perfectly calm.
“I saw you going to her room last night. I saw you coming out this morning.” Mikhail heaved a gusty sigh. “But even that I could have let slide.”
“Could you?” Josef didn’t sound convinced.
“A month ago, you spoke with my father.” Mikhail’s tone gained a razor-sharp edge. “The two of you colluded behind my back. He asked you to spy on me. On me !” Mikhail was shouting now. “How could you? You were my friend. I trusted you. Yet you told my father that I was lying to him. You told him that I was keeping secrets from him. That I had motives you did not understand.”
“You did.” Josef was still calm, still completely rational despite the fact that Dani could hear Mikhail flailing around inside the hospital room, stomping his feet and throwing a regular tantrum. Josef’s soft sigh was almost lost beneath the racket. “And you still have another angle you are working, Mikhail. We all know it.”
“Is that right?” Mikhail lowered his voice, his silky tone almost more terrifying. “And you think this involves my sister?”
“I know it does.”
“She is mine to do with as I wish.”
The first hint of anger entered Josef’s voice. “She is her own woman. I hardly think you can call her your property.”
“Ah, but only because you are in the way. Once you are gone, she will be more
“I know.” She cupped his cheek and brushed a kiss over his lips.
Dani left the room for the hallway, taking deep breaths and trying to decide what to do. She pulled the test out of her pocket and stared at it. The lines were faint. In fact, they looked like they were fading. Maybe they weren’t real after all.
“You know, sweetie,” a passing nurse said kindly, “I’ve seen people stare at those things for hours and never get a different answer.”
“I was just wondering if the darkness of the lines means anything,” Dani mused. “It’s just not a very good time right now.”
“Tell you what.” The nurse put her hands on her ample hips. She looked friendly. “How about I do a quick test right here in the hospital? Would that make you feel better?”
“Oh yes!” Dani perked up. “That would tell me a lot, right?”
“Of course.” The nurse took Dani’s arm. “Just come right over here.” She took a plastic cup from a shelf. “Just get about half a cup of urine in this cup.” She gestured to a door right beside them. “You can use this restroom right here.”
“Thank you,” Dani said gratefully. “You’ve got no idea how much this means to me.”
“Oh I’ve been there, sweetie.” The woman gave her a broad smile. “I think we all have at one time or another.”
Dani slipped into the restroom and did as directed. She was just pulling open the heavy door when she caught a glimpse of Mikhail striding down the wide hall. Panic surged and Dani pushed the door closed again. She flinched as it slammed shut, but it was too late to worry about that now. Trying to breathe normally, she counted to twenty before opening the door again.
The sound of Mikhail’s distinctive voice drifted out of Josef’s hospital room. Dani minced down the hallway, trying to hear what they were saying.
“Do you have that cup for me, sweetie?” The nurse appeared behind Dani, startling a squeak out of her. “My, you’re a jumpy one, aren’t you?”
“Just nervous,” Dani said, trying not to speak loudly. “Here you go. I really appreciate this.”
“It’ll be just a few minutes.”
“I’ll wait here,” Dani assured her.
Behind Dani, she could hear just enough to make out the conversation in Russian between her brother and Josef. She pressed her back to the wall, holding her breath in order to hear more effectively.
Mikhail was laughing. “You thought you were going to get away with it, but you are not so sneaky, you know?”
“What are you talking about?” Josef asked, his voice perfectly calm.
“I saw you going to her room last night. I saw you coming out this morning.” Mikhail heaved a gusty sigh. “But even that I could have let slide.”
“Could you?” Josef didn’t sound convinced.
“A month ago, you spoke with my father.” Mikhail’s tone gained a razor-sharp edge. “The two of you colluded behind my back. He asked you to spy on me. On me !” Mikhail was shouting now. “How could you? You were my friend. I trusted you. Yet you told my father that I was lying to him. You told him that I was keeping secrets from him. That I had motives you did not understand.”
“You did.” Josef was still calm, still completely rational despite the fact that Dani could hear Mikhail flailing around inside the hospital room, stomping his feet and throwing a regular tantrum. Josef’s soft sigh was almost lost beneath the racket. “And you still have another angle you are working, Mikhail. We all know it.”
“Is that right?” Mikhail lowered his voice, his silky tone almost more terrifying. “And you think this involves my sister?”
“I know it does.”
“She is mine to do with as I wish.”
The first hint of anger entered Josef’s voice. “She is her own woman. I hardly think you can call her your property.”
“Ah, but only because you are in the way. Once you are gone, she will be more
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