Page 23 of Grizzly Sleuth
“No, nor did he know why they were so keen on getting their hands on Yuri.”
“Oh, come on. We all know why,” Idris’ harsh reply. “It’s because of what Yuri can do.”
“That seems doubtful, since no one other than the people in this room are aware he can shift,” she commented.
“What other reason could there be for them to want a bear who can do tricks?” How could she not see the truth?
Svetlana went to bite her lower lip, winced, then huffed, “I don’t know, but we’ve been careful. No one alive has seen Yuri shifting.”
Did she imply they’d killed those who had? “That KGB guy, Ivan, saw me change and managed to escape,” Idris reminded.
“And whose fault is that?” she taunted.
“I’m aware I was dumb. In my defense, it’s one thing to eviscerate someone trying to murder you. Another to do so when they’re unconscious.”
“With that kind of attitude, it won’t be long before you’re captured or killed.” Her matter-of-fact reply.
“Maybe he’ll forget what he saw.” Idris could hope.
Svetlana dashed it. “Oh, he saw and most likely will hear about the pair of bears that escaped the hotel and realize there are two of you.” Her lips pressed tight. “That’s a problem.”
“Only if he lives long enough to tell someone,” Yuri stated.
“And how are you going to find him? We have no idea where he went or who he might have already contacted,” Idris pointed out.
“I could return to the hotel and see if I can pick up his trail,” Yuri offered, but Idris dashed the idea.
“There’s no point. Even if the place wasn’t crawling with cops, the trail will most likely end in the parking lot. He could be anywhere blabbing about our secret.” Idris clenched his fists. “And he’s only one half of the problem. If someone has pockets deep enough to bribe someone high enough up to order the KGB around, then that means they have the resources to keep hunting for Yuri’s ass.”
“And yours,” Svetlana reminded.
“At least I’ll be hard to find since they don’t know what I look like when I am not a bear. You, on the other hand, might have a problem. You don’t look very Russian.” Idris’ brown skin wasn’t all that made him stand out; add in his size and uncharacteristic hairiness, and he was a figure most wouldn’t easily forget.
Annoyed at the astute assessment, Idris couldn’t help but wipe the smug smile. “Don’t be so sure they haven’t seen your face. All it would take is a hacker scouring social media footage for images of Svetlana, of which I’ll bet there are plenty from the shows.”
“Her, yes. Me? I was a bear.”
Idris crossed his arms. “Are you saying you never went out with your sister when you weren’t a bear? Because I guaranteethe pair of you have been recorded somewhere, and with today’s technology and facial-recognition software, it won’t be long before they know what you look like.” At their suddenly grim expressions, Idris sighed. “The reality is, none of us are safe.”
“What is this word safe?” scoffed Yuri. “Life is a series of never-ending hardships to overcome.”
The bleakness of his claim hit Idris hard. Was this going to be his life now? Never being able to let down his guard?
“What are the chances Ivan decides to report what he’s learned to the KGB?” A question by Idris that turned Svetlana pensive.
“He might, if only to access their resources, but I doubt he’ll admit the entire truth. After all, how crazy will he sound when he tries to claim he saw a man turn into a bear?” Svetlana stated with a lilt, only to turn more serious as she added, “It’s possible he won’t tell anyone about that part, not that it matters. Agents are dead. They’ll be on the hunt for the killers. Us.”
Idris arched a brow. “Bears killed them, not people.”
“It wouldn’t be hard for Ivan to spin a story that I’ve got bears under my command who are a menace to society and that I’m working with two accomplices.”
“Menace? I’m an adorable teddy,” Yuri huffed.
“Yes, you are,” Svetlana soothed. “But given what happened, I doubt the public will agree, which means no more bears, at least until we get out of this town.”
“We can’t leave yet. Not while Ivan lives. Our focus should be finding him before he can blab about us,” Yuri stated.
“And as I said before, you’re talking about the impossible,” Idris reminded. “Your sister is right. We’d be better off getting out of town, rather than wasting time trying to locate one man in a city of thousands.”
