Page 32 of Grizzly Sleuth
“Because of Yuri.”
She gave a nod.
“It’s a hard secret to keep. In my case, almost impossible, given how easily the bear emerges.” Such an embarrassing weakness.
“You need more practice.”
He snorted. “This is me with practice. Used to be a lot worse. I once microwaved my soup thirty seconds too long, burnt my tongue, shifted, burnt myself again when I spilled it on myself,shifted back. Thank God I was in my apartment and not a restaurant.”
Svetlana smiled. “Much better to eat it from the can without heating.”
“Ugh. I might be a bear, but I’m not a savage.”
“Savage?” she squeaked.
They devolved into inane teasing and were still laughing when Yuri returned laden with bags. They set off once more, Yuri driving the speed limit, obeying every traffic stop. Idris wondered if the man knew where he was going when he pulled into a parking lot of cracked pavement flanking a three-story, rundown building. A sign high up on a metal pole had flashing neon letters he couldn’t read.
“Wait here while I get us a room,” Yuri stated, leaving them for a few minutes. He returned with a set of keys and parked the car around back out of sight of the street. They entered via a door that gave them a choice of stairs or an elevator. Given the visible state of disrepair of the premises, without even discussing it, they began trekking to the second floor.
As they passed a door, faint moans could be heard, and Svetlana made a moue of distaste. “Could you have found us a worse place?”
Yuri glanced over his shoulder. “Nice places want credit cards. This one might rent by the hour, but they take cash and, even better, don’t care who stays in their rooms.”
The room in question was beyond basic, but surprisingly clean. It held two beds covered in mustard-yellow quilts. A television that likely weighed as much as Svetlana sat on a nicked wooden dresser. The floor was scuffed peel-and-stick tile. Probably easier to hose off.
Yuri dumped all but one of the bags holding his purchases onto the bed, the clothing that tumbled free all made of darkmaterial. He handed the remaining bag to Svetlana. “Your bleach and other girly stuff.”
She sighed. “My hair is going to be like straw. Maybe I should shave it instead.”
“No!” It wasn’t just Yuri that yelled.
Svetlana arched a brow. “I wasn’t aware either of you had a say.”
“You’ll look like a mean lesbian if you do,” Yuri argued.
“What’s wrong with being a mean lesbian?” she countered.
“Nothing. Love lesbians, but in this case, being a pretty, flirty blonde might be of more use,” her brother pointed out.
“I am not whoring myself out of trouble,” Svetlana snapped.
“You’d better not. My sister is as pure as the newly fallen snow,” Yuri sang, which made her snort. “But seriously. If a man hesitates because you’re pretty, that would be your chance to turn a situation around.”
“Agreed,” Idris stated, even as his reason was more selfish. He liked her long hair.
“Fine. This will take a while. If you need to use the bathroom, say so now or piss outside.”
When neither man moved, she stalked into the bathroom with the shopping bag and slammed the door.
Idris glanced at Yuri. “She really doesn’t want to go blonde.”
“The one and only time she dyed her hair, she didn’t like how people treated her differently. Men got a little too bold, the woman much cattier.”
“Why? I mean, she’s already gorgeous as a brunette. Why the difference?”
Yuri shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not as if Russia lacks for blondes. Anyhow, I’m going to pop out while she’s sucking up the fumes. Need anything?”
“Where are you going?”
