Midnight Days (White Nights 2)

“You go along,” Alex says. “I’ll be right there.”

I stare after him as I remove my coat, unable to suppress my worry. Igor and Leonid enter with our parcels, carrying them upstairs. I haven’t seen much of the guards since we arrived in Russia. They stay in the barracks and don’t talk to me when I’m with Alex. I linger, taking my time to remove my scarf and gloves. When they come back downstairs, I busy myself with putting everything in the closet.

Leonid exits first. Just before Igor steps through the door, I put a hand on his arm, holding him back.

He frees himself carefully. “Is there something I can do for you, Kate?”

“Alex has been very tense this afternoon,” I say, keeping my voice down. “Has something happened?”

He glances at the top of the stairs. “Nothing’s happened. He’s just taking the necessary measures to make sure it stays that way.”

“It went all right today, didn’t it?”

“Surprisingly.”

I swallow. “Did you expect trouble?”

“It would’ve been foolish not to.”

“Then why did Alex risk going out?”

“It was a calculated risk,” he says in a level voice. “If something were to have gone down, you would’ve been well protected.”

“But you didn’t like the idea,” I say, trying to read him.

“It’s my job to protect both of you. I don’t like taking any risks, no matter how small or well managed.”

“What are you really saying, Igor?”

“This house is the best-protected place you can be. If I were you, I wouldn’t ask Alex to go on another adventure.”

“I didn’t ask,” I exclaim in a whisper. “It was Alex’s idea.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you should dissuade him of those ideas. I’m sure you can find effective ways of occupying him here.”

I pull my back straight. “That was an inappropriate remark.”

“If you don’t want my opinion, don’t ask.”

He nods at the guard, who opens the door.

“Igor,” I say when he steps through the frame. “What’s gotten into you?”

He pauses on the threshold. “Look, we’re all tense about what’s going on. It’s rubbing off on everyone, that’s all. As I said, Alex wouldn’t have taken the risk if he hadn’t been damn sure he could protect you. It just took a hell of a lot of resources and energy that could’ve been better spent.”

“Right.”

“Ah, hell.” He throws his hands in the air. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s okay,” I say, backtracking toward the hallway. “I get it.”

“Kate.” He tips his face toward the sky. When he looks back at me, his expression is composed. “I didn’t mean you’re not worth the effort. I only meant our priority needs to be catching the fucker who wants Alex dead.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” I say, my stomach knotting at the reminder of the problem we’re facing.

“Just forget I said it. You’re caught in the middle of a war, and we don’t even know what it’s about. It’s not your problem or your fight. We’ll handle it.”

“You’re wrong,” I say, a little too forcefully. “I’m a part of Alex’s life, and that makes this my fight too, whether I like it or not.”

“Leave the dirty work to us. We’ll catch the bastard.” Turning on his heel, he walks away.

The guard shuts the door behind him and takes up his position in front of it, making a silent but strong statement.

Contemplating Igor’s words, I go to the library. Admittedly, I enjoyed the day and I’m more than grateful for Alex’s consideration. Yet I can’t help but agree with Igor. We should keep a low profile until we’re safe again.

A tray with tea and delicate cakes is on the table in front of the fireplace. Someone made a fire. The flames leap up the chimney, radiating welcome heat. I pour a cup of tea and am about to take a seat when Alex enters, carrying his laptop.

“Joanne is available now,” he says. “Would you like to chat with her?”

I nearly drop the cup in my eagerness. “I’d love to.”

He puts the laptop on the table and activates the connection. A second later, my friend’s face appears on the screen. From the logo on the wall in the background, she’s in one of the meeting rooms at her office. It’s almost six o’clock here, which means she must be on her eleven o’clock coffee break. Her red curls form a copper frame around her pretty face. There’s a glow on her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes when she leans closer to the screen.

“Hey,” she says. “There you are, elopers.”

“Jo.” I take a seat on the sofa. With everything that’s happened, it feels as if I haven’t seen her in weeks instead of days. “How are you?”

Alex sits down next to me.

“Same old on my side. The question is how are you?” She looks from me to Alex. “How’s Russia? Thanks for the selfie, by the way. The scenery is spectacular.” Winking, she adds, “You could’ve told me about your plans.”