37 Hours

Katya’s features tightened. ‘He was just trying to bait you. Maybe he was Spetsnaz, knew Papasha in the old days. When they find the sub and his putrefied corpse, they can confirm it.’

Ah yes, the Yuri. Nearly a kilometre down, and the weather was still difficult back there. Sergei had said they’d have deep-sea divers in submersibles there within a week, depending on the weather. She had no doubt the colonel was using paperwork to cover his ass, hyping the intrigue around Salamander. Everyone loved a good conspiracy theory, especially Russians, for whom it was practically a religion.

‘Tell me about Bransk,’ she said.

Katya was instantly back on form, her eyes dancing as she talked about how they’d met at a diplomat’s party a year ago, how he seemed so serious, but was different whenever it was just the two of them. A high-flying businessman in the oil and gas sector, with mid-level contacts in the Kremlin. Another fairy-tale romance. Katya was a magnet for them. But Nadia was glad for Katya, especially after she’d had to endure five years with Kadinsky, and all that had entailed.

She took Katya’s hand again. ‘Ice cream time.’

As they meandered back towards the hotel, Nadia picked out the plain-clothes keeping an eye on them: two male, one female. Fine. She and Katya made one last ice cream stop, then they went to the bank, and an hour later she emerged richer and happier.

***

The call came through at ten p.m. on the mobile the colonel had given Nadia. It wasn’t Jake. It was his boss – and ex-lover – Lorne.

‘Where’s Jake?’

‘Unavailable.’

Nadia hesitated. ‘We think the guy who likes roses is back in the game.’

‘We?’

‘Me, Katya, and mother.’ As in Mother Russia.

There was a pause. The line sounded dead. Nadia waited. Thirty seconds. A minute.

Lorne came back. ‘Jake’s deepest dive,’ she said. ‘Your birthday.’

The line really went dead this time. Nadia clicked off her phone. It rang again. The colonel.

‘I need a flight to Kuala Lumpur,’ Nadia said. ‘Onward connection to Kota Kinabalu.’

‘What’s your final destination?’

‘I’ll tell you when I get back.’

‘Not good enough. They know where you’re going; we don’t.’

‘I’ll tell Sergei.’

The line clicked off. She called Katya, who answered the phone a little out of breath. Nadia told her sister she’d be away a few days, a week at the most, and that she’d come back to the hotel afterwards. Said she’d do some diving. Katya didn’t ask where.

After an hour, during which she watched some TV and remembered why she hadn’t missed it, her mind kept drifting to Sergei, his hands on her. She tried to dismiss it, but it had been two years. She started getting ready for bed.

There was a knock on the door. Two raps. She stole up to the eyehole and peered through, then opened it but stood with one hand on the door, the other one on the frame.

Sergei looked earnest. ‘Nadia, we need to talk.’

Her heart sped up. She tried to relax, then opened the door, and let him in. ‘It’s late,’ she said. An old song came into her mind – will you stay now? Two long, non-fucking years…

‘I’ll make it quick,’ he said.

No need. Really. Take your time. She caught herself. Stop it. Bad idea.

Sergei indicated the bathroom. She followed him in, unsure what was coming next. He turned the shower on full, as well as the taps for the sink. It made quite a racket. He leaned close to her ear, his breath hot on her neck. Her heart rate climbed. The steam from the hot water made her cheeks flush.

‘Tell me where you are going to meet MI6,’ he whispered. His head stayed close. His breathing was deep, measured. Hers wasn’t. She put her hands on his sides to stabilise herself. Pure muscle. Zero fat.

She gathered herself. ‘Anspida. A remote island off the coast of Borneo. A diver’s heaven, apparently.’

‘And this woman, Lorne, she will be there?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I could send one of my men. Get you a weapon out there.’

It seemed a bit extreme. ‘I’m not worried about MI6 –’

‘Not MI6. Salamander.’

She closed the door. The mirror had already misted over.

He didn’t blink. ‘It’s been a little strange since we both reported to our superiors.’

‘The colonel seems to think –’

‘Don’t be fooled by him, Nadia. He’s a lot smarter than he makes out. He’s gone far for his age; that doesn’t happen by accident. But it’s as if we’ve tripped over something. Things are in motion. We both now believe the Salamander theory may have some truth to it.’

‘I’ll find out what I can from the Brits.’

His black eyes bore into hers. His mouth was close, his lips moist. Her body was reacting. But it was a bad idea, even though it had been two years. She’d be okay, just, as long as he didn’t touch her…

‘Come back in one piece,’ he said.

He brushed her cheek with the back of a finger.

Dammit!

‘You were exceptional in the sub. I’m not easily impressed. Nor are my men.’ He drew back. ‘Get some sleep; you’ll need it.’ He reached towards the shower control. But her hand clasped his arm, pulled it back. He gave her a questioning look, and she made up her mind.

‘I can sleep on the plane,’ she said.

His smile returned. ‘Sure?’

She nodded, her breath loud in her ears, her heart pounding. She put her hands on his chest. Solid as a rock, while her fingers trembled. She touched his nipples, rubbed them gently between fingers and thumbs.

‘Just don’t disappoint me,’ she said.