Page 29 of Grizzly Sleuth
“I’ll ensure we have room. Good luck.”
Fuck luck. Ian had science on his side, the KGB in his pocket, and, when he revealed his brilliance to world, the ultimate Nobel prize.
But first, he had to catch some tricky bears.
Chapter Nine
Despite the situation,the way Svetlana eyed Idris had his dick stirring. The scent of her clouded the senses, made his mouth water, had him about to reach?—
“We have a car!” Yuri crowed as he returned from the yard. “I found a Lada Niva hiding in the garage.”
“Excellent. Let’s get out of here,” Svetlana exclaimed, ready to bolt out the door.
“Hold on a second. You can’t leave looking like that,” her brother stated, eyeing her with a grimace. “You’re a mess.”
A valid point. Not only did she stink of bear, but blood stained her clothing.
Svetlana glanced at herself and sighed. “You might have a point. Give me a few minutes to sluice off in the shower.”
“And ditch the clothes. I saw a lovely pink and green flamingo shirt in Boris’ closet that would look amah-zing on you,” Yuri teased.
Svetlana flashed her brother the middle finger as she stalked off to bathe.
Yuri chuckled. “She hates wearing anything with color.”
“Speaking of color, what’s this car look like?”
“Cherry red, mint condition. Judging by the low mileage, Boris didn’t use it much.”
“It runs?” Idris asked.
“Started easily enough. Tires looked good, and it has a quarter tank of gas.”
“I assume it’s plated?” The car Idris had bought cash—and now lost—came plated, and he’d never bothered changing them into his name because of the paperwork involved. Seeing as how the previous owner had died, Idris took the chance no one would run them and notice.
Yuri bobbed his head. “It’s legal to drive. I even found an insurance slip in the glove box.”
“Which we won’t need because if we get in an accident, that will be the least of our problems,” Idris pointed out. “We can’t afford to be noticed. Once the authorities realize Boris is dead and discover his garage empty, they’ll be looking for the car.”
“Meaning we’ll have to ditch it, leaving us without transport.” Yuri’s lips turned down.
“Not what I’m saying at all. I think, with a little effort, we can make it work. Change out the plates. Maybe scuff the paint to change its appearance and make it less flashy.”
Yuri snapped his fingers. “I saw spray paint cans and a bottle of brake fluid in the garage.”
“Graffiti won’t make it blend in.”
“Nothing like that.” Yuri shook his head. “I’m going to make it look older. Brake fluid is toxic to paint jobs. I’ll pour some on it, which will peel and expose the metal in spots. Then I’ll use the gray spray can to make it seem as if we’ve been patching it.”
“Giving it the appearance of a fix-me-upper.” Idris rubbed his chin. “That’s actually a great idea.”
“I know.” Yuri winked. “I’ll go take care of it while Svetlana makes herself pretty.”
“I’ll give you a hand.”
“No.” Yuri halted abruptly before exiting. “I want you inside with her, just in case.”
In case they were found and she needed protecting. It actually warmed him to know Yuri trusted him with his sister. And to think he’d been having dirty thoughts.
