“They promoted you, I hear,” I said.
She nodded. “Things are a little...chaotic, back at Langley. That’s why they wanted me to come over here and make our position clear.”
“You mean, explain why a senior CIA man was working with arms dealers,” said Vasiliy sweetly. “I think our government is wondering the same thing.”
From what I’d heard, there had been a lot of very embarrassed diplomats rushing back and forth between the US and Russia over the last few days. There were rumors of desperate bargaining behind the scenes and the whole thing had narrowly avoided making it into the press.
“Adam pled guilty last night,” said Roberta. “He didn’t have a lot of choice, given the evidence.” She looked at me. “Well done.”
The thing about a photographic memory is, it’s always on, whether you want it to be or not. I’d seen Adam’s laptop screen and all the account numbers and amounts were burned indelibly into my mind. That was more than enough for Roberta to go to her superiors and demand they subpoena the banks, and that had started a domino effect. Adam’s whole career of deceit had come spilling out.
Roberta put her hands flat on the table. “We wanted to acknowledge the part you played, as well,” she told Luka and Vasiliy. I could tell this wasn’t easy for her. “And to let you know—off the record—that the CIA won’t be pursuing investigations into your trading at the present time.”
“Meaning you’d rather have us around than scum like Ralavich,” muttered Luka.
“Meaning keep it clean,” said Roberta, a warning tone in her voice. She stared at Luka, but kept glancing meaningfully at me. “Play nice. Be respectful. And we won’t have to get involved. Am I clear?”
I could feel the motherly concern and disapproval coming off her in waves. Even Luka was a little subdued by it. He nodded and I couldn’t help but smile.#p#分页标题#e#
“And you,” said Roberta, turning back to me, “are free to come back anytime.” She tossed me my Arianna Scott passport. “There’s a job waiting for you, if you want it.”
I looked at Luka. “I don’t.”
She looked at the two of us and a sort of world-weary smile touched her lips. “Well, I’m there if you need me,” she said.
“And I’m here if you need me,” I said. I meant it, too. I owed her one. And I figured that an American in Moscow, under the protection of one of the most powerful families in Russia, was probably quite a useful thing to be.
She nodded gratefully and was about to say something else when Vasiliy interrupted her. “And what about you, Roberta?” he asked. His voice still had that smooth tone. “I can call you Roberta, can’t I? Can I tempt you away from the CIA? I’m sure I could find something for a woman like you.”
He locked eyes with her.
She flushed.
Oh.
That was what was going on. I stood up quickly and made let’s go motions at Luka. Luka being Luka, he took his sweet time to get up, nod a goodbye to Roberta and allow me to lead him away from the table. We left Roberta looking panicked, as if she couldn’t decide whether being left alone with Vasiliy was the worst thing in the world or the best.
“Your dad better not sleep with my boss,” I told Luka.
“Ex-boss,” he rumbled. “It’s out of my hands. You think this is first time he’s done this?” He grinned, just a little cruelly. Goddamnit, he’s enjoying this! He seemed so much less troubled now, and it was more than just the Ralavichs no longer being a problem. It was finally having someone to open up to and trust, after all those years alone. I understood that, because I was feeling it, too.
Being together, though, hadn’t cooled off the sex one bit. I’d taken the precaution of adding a safeword to our games, because that seemed sensible. But Luka’s big hands were still shredding plenty of pairs of panties, and sometimes whole dresses, and that was just the way I liked it.
I glanced back at the table. Vasiliy was leaning forward a little; Roberta was leaning forward a lot. Oh, good grief.
“She’ll be fine unless he shows her his gunshot wound,” said Luka knowledgeably. “Then, all is lost.”
I glanced back again. Roberta was nodding. Vasiliy started to unbutton his shirt.
Oh shit.
“We Malakov men know how to handle American women,” said Luka proudly.
He’d find out, soon. Nancy had promised to visit in a few weeks. And once Vasiliy had fully healed up and could spare him, I was planning to take Luka on a trip to the US and show him Wisconsin—cows, rain and all. And there’d need to be business trips, too—to New York, first, and then all over the US, to finalize the gun deals. With Ralavich gone, we could take over his US gun business cleanly and without violence. Soon, we’d be the main pipeline into the country.