It soon became clear that Luka had dispensed with all of the crew who’d normally look after the yacht and its guests on a voyage. I figured there must be a captain, somewhere, to steer the thing, but there were no cleaners, maids or deckhands. Just us, Yuri and all the guys dressed in black. From their muscle and haircuts, I presumed they were ex-army, maybe even ex-Spetsnaz: Russian Special Forces. They didn’t smile at me or glare at me. They treated me like luggage Luka had brought aboard.
There were huge refrigerators in the galley stocked with plenty of food, pre-prepared for easy reheating. We loaded up and, back in the stateroom, we sat at the table and feasted. There was pork with marinated apples, gravy and mushrooms and some very good red wine.
As we ate, I felt the throb of the engines. We were underway. Heading off into the night across a freezing, dark ocean, heading who-knew where. My stomach tightened at the thought. And, at the same time, I was getting into some sort of twisted relationship with Luka. I didn’t know where that was heading, either, and that was even more dangerous.
“No,” said Luka suddenly. “You’re not another Natalia.”
“What?” I’d zoned out for a second.
“You’re not another Natalia.”
I caught my breath. “What am I, then?”
He looked at me for a long time, then gave a wry little laugh and shook his head, muttering something I couldn’t quite hear.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I played it back in my mind, over and over. I couldn’t be sure, but it had sounded like he’d muttered spaseniye.
I was his salvation.
***
After dinner, Luka said he had to make a phone call. And then there was an awkward silence.
We were too far away from shore, by now, to use a cell phone. And the ship-to-shore phone system aboard the yacht used handsets, built into the walls, so it wasn’t like Luka could go outside to make his call. He needed me to leave. But I wasn’t supposed to have any idea what he did for a living, so I had to play dumb.
“Business?” I asked.
He nodded. “I need to arrange things with my father. He’s meeting us.”
I smiled innocently but my mind was racing. His father, Vasiliy. The one who’d built the family empire before passing over control to his son. For him to emerge from the shadows, something big must be happening. Was the arms deal going down on this trip? I needed to warn Adam...and I had no way to contact him.
I couldn’t say any of this to Luka. I had to play the oblivious girlfriend. “Will I meet him?” I asked brightly.
“Yes,” he said. But he sighed as he said it, as if that was a whole other problem. I felt an uneasy chill pass through me, a dense fog that threatened to numb all the parts that Luka was bringing back to life. What did that mean? That his father wouldn’t like me? That he wouldn’t...approve?
Stop thinking of it like a relationship. I was undercover. I was just pretending.
“I’ll go explore,” I said. “Or maybe go to the galley and find some dessert.” I felt a flash of guilt, at that. I’d just stuffed myself with pork and gravy, but there’d been some pavlova in the refrigerator that looked divine….
He smiled at that. “Yes, get dessert,” he said. “Eat plenty. You’ll need your energy for later.”
I caught my breath again, eyeing the huge bed, and backed out of the door.
“Stay on this level,” he called after me. “Or go up top. Not down.”
I nodded quickly and smiled, then closed the door to give him privacy for his call. I leaned against the wall in the companionway for a moment, thinking. I pushed all thoughts of me and Luka out of my head and focused on the mission. If the deal was going down on this trip, I needed to get my head in the game and do my job. While he was busy making his call, I had the perfect opportunity to scout around and find out what was on board. And he’d just told me exactly where to look.