Page 46 of Grizzly Sleuth
“Are you that dense? Because it’s dangerous,” Svetlana exclaimed.
“Bah. She has no idea I’m one of the people they’re looking for. On the contrary, I’ve made it clear how eager I am to assist.”
Idris agreed with Svetlana. “You’re taking a risk of slipping up. One wrong word or question and you could rouse her suspicion.”
“Pretty sure me skipping our lunch date would be worse.”
“It’s like you want to be captured,” Svetlana groaned.
“More like I want to try and assure our safety. We need to know what’s going on inside that hotel. Is it dangerous? Yes. Necessary? Also yes. It is my duty to keep you safe,” the latter being directed at Svetlana.
She sighed. “Maybe it would be easier to just flee this place and find somewhere to hunker down until people have forgotten about us.”
Idris didn’t have to say a thing because Yuri did.
“This doctor won’t ever relent.”
“How can you say that? You’ve never met him,” Svetlana argued.
“Because he is driven. Olga says the man doesn’t rest. He’s been poring over security tapes with the agents. Has taken it upon himself to interview the civilians with the most promising leads.”
“I’m going to have to agree with your brother,” Idris stated before Svetlana could reply. “Levy is a conscienceless bastard obsessed with Project Therianthrope and will do anything to advance it in the name of science.”
“Medical experimentation is illegal.” Svetlana’s naïve argument.
“And yet that doesn’t stop people from indulging or governments from bankrolling. Look at our countries, giving them the funds, tools, and staff needed to make this thing a success.”
“Don’t be stupid, Svetty.” Yuri shortened her name for the first time, which probably explained her grimace. Or was it the insult to her intelligence? “Power corrupts. Money as well. And this has the potential for both. Your boyfriend is right. Running isn’t the answer and would only be a temporary solution.”
“So is killing this doctor. Kill him, and another will take his place using his notes,” she pointed out. “This Levy is but one ofthe tools you mentioned. But so long as his research remains, anyone could continue his work.”
“Meaning it’s imperative we find their new base of operations and destroy it.”
“And if the research is being stored on a computer off-site?” she countered.
“Then we find it and wipe it too.” Idris rubbed his face. “Before you say it, I know it’s a possible suicide mission. Even if we find the lab, getting inside and destroying it will be hard. But I have to try.”
“I agree with Idris. It’s the only way to make you safe again, Svetty.”
She pinched her lips. “Seems like it’s two against one. Guess I’d better brush up on how to destroy an evil scientist and his lair.”
Yuri grinned. “That’s the spirit. While you think up ways to take down the lab, I’m going to nap and shower.”
“No, you’re going to get us some breakfast. I am starved.”
“Why me?” Yuri whined.
“Didn’t you tell us to not leave the room?” She arched a brow.
“You had no problem last night,” Yuri’s rebuttal.
“When it was dark and there was little traffic on the sidewalks or streets. It’s currently bright outside. People are going about their day, making it much too dangerous for me and Idris to go outside.”
“Ugh.” Yuri complained, but he went and got a bag of food for them.
Idris and Svetlana ended up picnicking on one bed while Yuri napped on the other. They didn’t say anything during that time, just sat together watching television with the subtitles on, some Russian movie about androids who went rogue.
Hanging with Svetlana pleased, but at the same time, Idris couldn’t help but feel lazy. While he understood he couldn’texactly go roaming and snooping during the day, doing nothing at all didn’t sit well either. That disgruntlement and unease didn’t have him acting foolish and impatient, though.
