Page 38 of Grizzly Sleuth
“Leaving this room is a foolish and unnecessary risk.”
“Risk is letting Yuri strut into a possible honey trap.”
Idris tossed out a compromise. “We could shadow him to the restaurant. See if there’s a place with a sightline so we can keep an eye.”
“How can we do that if he takes the car?”
“My guess is he asked her to meet him somewhere within walking distance to the hotel. After all, if he plans to bed her, her room would be most convenient, given his current living situation.”
Her eyes widened. “Surely he’s not stupid enough to go inside that hotel.”
“He’s certainly not bringing her back here. And for that, I’m kind of thankful. Pretty sure neither of us wants to be around for that,” Idris joked.
Her lip curled. “Definitely not.”
“If he’s been made, they’ll try and nab him when he meets her for dinner, and let’s be honest, it wouldn’t matter how close we stuck to him. If the KGB swarm the restaurant, there’s not a thing we can do.” He didn’t lie.
“I hate the idea of sitting here and worrying when it feels like I should be doing something.”
“What you should do is eat. I don’t know about you, but I am hungry as a bear. There’s a place next door that has those kiosksso I can order and grab without talking to anyone. Will you be okay by yourself?”
She glanced at the bathroom door. “Hardly alone. Yuri’s still here, and knowing him, he won’t be ready for at least another half-hour.”
“I’ll be back before then.”
“Don’t get caught,” she admonished as she handed over some rubles.
“Not planning to.” Idris put on his hat and pulled it low over his brow. He added the matching coat before he headed outside. A glance around showed no one nearby. He inhaled deep, trying to see if he could pull a Yuri and sift out the scent of the living versus inanimate. Exhaust. Garbage. Fast food. What might have been people.
He really did need to practice that skill. Yuri would likely help if asked. Mock as well, but the man didn’t do it maliciously.
The restaurant next door had no one inside, and he quickly managed to use the kiosk, glad it used images because he couldn’t read Russian. Within fifteen minutes, he returned to the room, paper bag in hand to find Svetlana arguing with her brother as he buttoned his shirt.
Upon seeing Idris, she growled, “He thinks he can forbid me from following.”
Rather than remind of their earlier conversation where they’d discussed the futility, he said, “If she’s properly covered up, it should be safe.”
“But how am I supposed to properly seduce Olga if I know my sister is spying?” Yuri flung his hands.
“Never bothered you before,” she snapped.
Yuri’s mouth tightened. “It is one thing to flirt in a bar or a club we happened to go into together, another for me to know you’re watching my every move. Not to mention, if things go wrong, I don’t want you anywhere close by.”
And there was the real reason. Yuri wanted to keep his sister protected.
“If we’re close by, we might be able to help.” She didn’t relent.
“Don’t be foolish. If I’m wrong about Olga, then they will have too many agents for even my mighty sister to overcome.”
“Stop joking. I don’t want you to die,” cried Svetlana.
“They won’t kill me,” Yuri scoffed. “I’m too valuable, remember? Not to mention, if they have their bear, they’ll leave you alone.”
Rather than keep his mouth shut, Idris pointed out the flaw in his reasoning. “Hate to break it to you, but if Levy finds out Svetlana is your sister, he’ll definitely want her.”
“Why? She can’t shift.”
“Won’t matter to Levy. He will still want to study her so he can find out why you can change and she can’t.”
