Worlds Collide, page 10
“No. I asked to see him.” Budimir opened the door and held it for Artyom.
Feeling much like a criminal being escorted into an interrogation, Artyom forced his feet to move. He entered the empty office.
“Where is Grigori?”
“He had another meeting.” Budimir closed the office door and motioned to the single chair positioned opposite the desk. “We have already discussed what needs to happen next. He doesn’t need to be here for this conversation.”
Artyom swallowed hard and lowered himself into the seat.
Budimir moved to the front of Grigori’s desk and leaned against it. “It appears your instincts about the Petrov boy was correct.”
His brow furrowed. “My instincts?”
“I arranged for some good fortune to fall his way. Josef Petrov appears to be someone who is anxious to improve his situation in life.”
“What sort of good fortune?”
“An early paycheck, the chance for a few items that he needed.”
A bribe disguised as something else. Was the young Petrov too naive to recognize the “good fortune,” as Budimir called it, for what it was, or was he desperate enough to take advantage of the situation without knowing what would be asked of him?
Artyom swallowed again. “Have you already spoken to Josef? Does he know what you want him to do?”
Budimir nodded. “Josef doesn’t have any particular fondness for his cousin or his aunt, nor does he appear to trust Americans.”
The boy was willing to betray his own family? Artyom reminded himself that he was supposed to be on Budimir’s side. “That bodes well in your favor.”
“Yes, as in yours. Once we are in Canada, he will share information with you,” Budimir said. “You will then pass it along to me.”
“Wait. You want me to be Josef’s contact?” His voice rose a decibel on the last word.
“Who better?” Budimir patted his chest. “Viktor knows me. It won’t do for him to see his son speaking with a man he doesn’t trust.”
Artyom let out a resigned sigh. “But he trusts me.”
“Yes.” Budimir pushed away from the desk, now towering over Artyom. “Be sure to speak to the Petrov family at the airport. You need to be certain Viktor knows you are acquainted with his son.”
“Of course.” Artyom’s eyes narrowed. “Are you allowing the whole Petrov family to travel?”
“Not quite. One will remain behind to ensure they will all come home.”
The silent threat hung in the air. “I understand.”
“So will they.”
Amaliya sat beside her mother and Linda as her mother’s shopping list continued to grow. Coats, gloves, hats, scarves. At the table across from them, Gordon sat with the sports section open in front of him, a plate of cookies at his elbow.
Linda flipped through the Sears catalog on the coffee table. “What else would be helpful for Viktor and his family?”
“Even if we buy things for Uncle Viktor, how would he take any of it back with him?” Amaliya asked. “Swapping out a coat will be hard enough. I don’t know how he would be able to get much else past security.”
“Plan for the best. Prepare for the worst,” Gordon said, contributing to the conversation for the first time.
“He’s right,” Linda said. “Katerina, think back to when you lived in the Soviet Union. What would you have wanted then?”
“So many things.” Her mom sighed. “Fresh fruit, clothing from Europe or America, books that weren’t censored.”
“Fruit is something that won’t travel well, but clothes are easy enough to buy,” Linda said. “I heard Levi’s can be sold for quite a bit of money in the Soviet Union.”
“That’s true, but if we can’t find him, it won’t matter what we do.”
Amaliya heard the despair in her mother’s voice. “We’ll find him. Even if we have to pass things through Sonya, we can find some way to help him.”
Her mom let out a sigh. “At least he has the letters I sent him.”
“That’s right.” Amaliya reached out and put her hand on her mom’s arm. “He knows how much you miss him.”
Miles rushed into the room, his face and hands animated when he spoke. “I think I found it.”
“Found what?” her mom asked. “The hotel?”
“Yes. And you aren’t going to believe this.”
“What?”
“It’s the same hotel as the one we stayed at when you met Robert.”
Her mom shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. That’s the first one we called.”
“I know. I decided to check again, but this time, I talked to security instead of the front desk.” Miles grinned. “Turns out the Soviets reserved the entire fifth floor.”
“That gives us something, but we won’t have any way of knowing what room Sonya is in.”
“Or Viktor, if he’s staying there too,” Amaliya added.
“We know the first question we need to ask when we try to contact Sonya at her practice session.”
“The best way to pass information to Sonya is if Tyler and I can practice at the same time as her.”
“I wish we knew someone who could fix that for us.”
“I know someone.” Gordon set the newspaper aside.
“You do?” Amaliya asked.
“Archie Benton is on the U.S. Olympic Committee. He has to know someone in Canada who can help us.” Gordon moved to the phone hanging on the kitchen wall. “If you don’t mind another long-distance charge, I’ll call him now.”
“Go. Call him,” Amaliya said.
Gordon looked past Amaliya to her mom.
“Yes, Gordon. Please call.”
Gordon picked up the phone and dialed. Everyone fell silent while they waited for him to chat with his old friend. After several minutes, Gordon turned toward them and grinned. “Thanks, Archie. I appreciate your help.” He paused. “Yes, I’ll wait for your call.”
“Well?” Amaliya asked.
“He’s going to make some calls for us, but he thinks he can adjust our practice schedule to match Sonya’s.” He grinned. “Not only that—I know what day the Soviets have their first reservation at the rink in Toronto.”
“When?”
“A week from today.”
“The day before we’re supposed to get there.” Amaliya looked at her mom. “Any chance we can get to Canada before the Soviet team?”
“I think that’s an excellent idea.” Her mom glanced over at Miles. “And I know exactly which hotel I want to stay at.”
A seed of concern sprouted within Amaliya. “Mama, are you sure you want to be where the Soviet security people will be staying?”
“No, but it’s my best chance for seeing Viktor.”
A look of determination flashed on Miles’s face. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“And we’ll make sure you aren’t ever alone,” Linda added.
Gordon picked up the phone again. “I’ll call the travel agent. We’ll leave Saturday.”
“I guess I’d better go tell Tyler that our plans have changed.”
“And we should get back to Connecticut so we can make arrangements to leave early as well,” Miles said.
“You’re coming to Toronto early too?” Amaliya asked.
“We are.” Miles nodded. “Like Linda said, we aren’t going to let your mom face any Soviets alone.”
“I appreciate that, but you should stay through breakfast tomorrow. That will give us time to sort out some more details.”
“And go shopping,” Linda said.
“That too.”
Levi’s, sweaters, thermal underwear, socks, shoes. Katerina could remember all too well what it was like to go without, to enter a store with enough rubles to buy something but to find the shelf bare. She didn’t know how she would get these new items to Viktor or Sonya, but she was going to be ready in case the possibility presented itself.
“What are you going to put all of this in?” Linda asked. “Maybe we should buy an extra suitcase.”
“That’s a good idea.” Katerina paid for her latest purchases, then she and Linda made their way to the luggage section of the department store. She passed the designer bags, instead focusing on the ones without any distinctive tags. She picked up a large brown case that appeared sturdy enough. “What about this one?”
“It’s simple.”
“It’s perfect.” Katerina picked it up and motioned to the matching bag beside it. “Let’s get that one too.”
“Are you planning to give suitcases to your brother?” Linda asked skeptically. “I doubt he will have much need for them.”
“He won’t, but Sonya will.” Katerina shrugged. “These are just a way to carry what we purchase. How we use the rest of the clothes we bought remains to be seen. I don’t even know if my brother’s sizes are correct.”
“With what Amaliya told us, we should be close.”
“I hope so.” Katerina and Linda carried the suitcases to the checkout counter. When they reached it, Katerina asked the clerk, “Can you hold these for us until we’re done shopping? I still need to look at coats.”
“Of course. Would you like to leave your other bags here too?”
“Yes,” Linda responded without hesitation. “Sorry, Katerina, but I didn’t plan on this much of a workout today.”
“Neither did I.” Katerina handed her bags to the clerk, who tucked them behind the counter. “Thank you.”
The clerk pointed to her left. “The coat section is that way.”
“Thanks.” Katerina led the way to the racks of coats that lined an entire section by the wall. Clearance signs topped several of them. “Looks like we are buying at the right time of year.”
“They must be making room for the spring lines.” Linda moved to one of the clearance racks and plucked one off the rack and held it up. “This looks like it might work.”
Katerina studied the simple coat. “It does, but how warm is it?”
Linda turned it inside out to reveal the coat wasn’t lined. “Not warm enough.” She replaced it on the rack. “I’ll keep looking.” Linda pulled another off the rack before replacing it as well. “There is one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?” Katerina asked.
“I know Amaliya and Tyler have been offered some sponsorships and endorsement deals.” Linda held up a blue coat, studied it, and then draped it over her arm. “Do you know yet what they’re going to do?”
“They still haven’t decided. Why?”
“I’m pretty sure I can get my father’s company to help fund their living expenses if they decide to keep competing.”
“Seriously?” Katerina’s grip tightened on the hanger in her hand. “Your dad would do that?”
“He donates to the arts every year. The amount in his budget far exceeds what Amaliya and Tyler would need.”
“That would be incredible.” Katerina shook her head in disbelief. The additional funding could be exactly what Amaliya and Tyler needed to move forward without stress.
“I wonder, though, if I should wait to tell Amaliya and Tyler about it until they decide what they want to do next.” Linda moved to the next rack. “I don’t want to influence them in their decision. Money shouldn’t be the deciding factor.”
“I’m afraid money may be one of the things driving Tyler’s decisions.”
“Which is why I don’t want to complicate things further. They need to consider every aspect of their future—what’s really going to make them happy—and not just the dollar signs sitting in front of them. And these funds would only be available to them if they remain amateurs.”
After watching Amaliya and Tyler struggle with their options, Katerina could see the wisdom in Linda’s suggestion. “That’s actually a really good idea.”
“I’ll wait, then. Let me know when they decide.”
“I will.”
For the next ten minutes, they searched through the racks until they found two simple wool coats for Viktor, one in brown and one in black, and a coat for Sonya in navy blue.
Katerina studied her selections. “I think we’re done for now.”
“Good. Let’s pay for these and the suitcases. Then we can pick up some Kentucky Fried Chicken on our way home.”
“That sounds like a great idea, but Gordon won’t approve.”
Linda let out a sigh. “I hate it when your daughter’s diet interferes with mine.”
“Maybe we should just go to the restaurant down the street. They have plenty of options Gordon will let the kids eat.”
“No cooking and no dishes. I approve of this plan.” Linda led the way to the counter and laid the purchases down. She then pulled out her credit card.
“What are you doing?” Katerina asked. “I’m paying for these.”
“Consider this my little contribution to the cause.” Linda handed her card to the clerk. “The three coats and both of those suitcases.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Linda . . .”
“Let me do this.” Linda pointed at the pocketbook in Katerina’s hand. “It’s a small token. Besides, that will let you save some money you can give to your brother. You mentioned giving him some cash.”
“Yes, assuming I can find a way to slip it to him without it being noticed.”
“I’ve heard hard currency can be quite helpful on the other side of the Iron Curtain.”
Katerina had heard the same thing, but she had never lived those challenges. As a premier ballerina, her needs had always been met. She suspected the same was true for Sonya. Viktor, on the other hand, lived an existence she knew little about. She hoped that would change soon. Very soon.
Chapter Thirteen
Something had to change soon. Tyler’s timing was off on his footwork. He stepped out on his double axel. He fell on his triple lutz. Twice. Anyone looking at him would never believe he had an Olympic gold medal tucked away in his sock drawer.
The new short program had come together much faster than he had anticipated. Executing it was another story. He pushed to a stand after the most recent fall.
Amaliya approached. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” It had been a full week since Amaliya had announced she wanted to wait for him to talk to her dad, and every day, the mistakes were getting more and more significant.
Gordon approached. “What’s going on with you?”
“Just a lot on my mind.” Like facing a protective father and asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
“You still haven’t talked to Robert, have you?”
“Amaliya thought it best to wait.” Although now Tyler wasn’t so sure falling in line with Amaliya’s wishes was the best course for either of them.
“Why?” Gordon asked.
“Maybe because he nearly kicked me out of the house last year for dating her.”
“It wasn’t quite that bad,” Amaliya countered. “He just had to get used to us being a couple.”
“He’s used to it now, so why wait?” Gordon asked.
Tyler looked at Amaliya. Why were they waiting again?
When Tyler didn’t answer, Amaliya said, “I’m just not sure how my papa will react. My parents are under a lot of stress right now, especially with them trying to plan how to communicate with Viktor.”
“You don’t think Robert will approve?”
“I think he still considers me his little girl,” Amaliya said.
“Fathers always do,” Gordon admitted.
“I learned that the hard way.” Tyler rolled his shoulders in an attempt to work out some of the tension that had settled there. “It was a rough couple months when we were all first living together.”
“We don’t have months for you to work through your stress this time.” Gordon blew out a breath. “I hate to say it, but if anticipating that conversation is affecting you on the ice, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by waiting.”
An unexpected surge of determination flowed through him. Gordon was right. It was time he spoke with his future father-in-law. No more waiting. He turned to Amaliya. “What do you think? Are you okay with me talking to your dad tonight?”
Doubt flitted across her face.
Before she could respond, Gordon spoke. “The two of you need to get your rhythm back if you’re going to be competitive in Toronto. I’ll even give Tyler his phone back when we get home so you can call Tyler’s family tonight.”
Amaliya hesitated a moment, clearly debating their options. Finally, she gave a little shrug. “It would be kind of nice to be able to talk to my mom about our plans too.”
Another wave of relief swamped through Tyler. “I’ll talk to him tonight.”
“And I’ll hide his rifle,” Gordon added.
The blood drained from Tyler’s face. “Do you think that’s really necessary?”
“Probably not, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Gordon gripped his shoulder and squeezed. “We only have fifteen minutes left of practice. Let’s call it a day.”
Amaliya’s eyebrows rose. “You’re ending practice early?”
“Until Tyler gets through these nerves, it’s best to keep his feet on the ground.”
“Right.” Tyler blew out a breath. Then he turned to Amaliya. “You sure you don’t want to just elope?”
Amaliya’s eyebrows lifted. “You really think talking to my dad after eloping would be better than facing him now?”
A quick fictional conversation of that scenario played through his mind. He shook his head. “We really would need to hide his rifle.”
Gordon squeezed his shoulder again. “I’ll pray for you.”
Tyler swallowed hard. “Thanks.”
