Page 39 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

“Water is fine. Thanks.” And while she was away, I’d snoop.

When she left, I walked the room. An unlit fireplace big enough for me to stand inside dominated the west wall. The mantle held a few photos of Rogue with some Russian diplomats I recognized from the news. A pair of bookcases flanked the fireplace, holding books in Russian, English, French, and Chinese.

A baby grand piano filled an alcove. It was hard to imagine Rogue playing piano with his stubby fingers and surly attitude. I didn’t picture him as a lover of the arts.

Framed pictures sat on the polished wood. Rogue with a teenaged Sasha. Rogue with two black spaniels. A black and white photo of Rogue in a military uniform beside a woman in a white dress. A wedding photo. These were the family photos. There was a small one of a toddler. I picked it up. The image looked damaged, blurred.

“That’s the only photo of my mother.”

I startled at Fredericka’s voice. I didn’t hear her enter the room. The woman was stealthy, like a Russian cat burglar. She took the photo and exchanged it with the water.

I took a drink wishing I’d chosen the vodka. “Caiyan told me the WTF took her when she was young.”

“I should have known Caiyan would tell you all our dirty little secrets.” She looked down at the photo, then replaced it on the piano.

“He only told me about the fire Gian-Carlo started in Rogue’s house and that your mother was saved and hidden from Rogue.”

“To hide their guilt.”

I sipped the water. “I was wondering, what do you remember from your childhood?”

Fredericka motioned toward one of the chairs. I sat, holding the water glass in my hands because I feared it would leave a watermark on the antique table.

She perched on the sofa across from me, studied me for a minute. “I’ll tell you because I think you want to find Sasha. But only if you promise not to hurt her. Not that you could, of course, but if the situation presented itself.”

“I want to save Marco. I’ll protect Sasha the best I can, if the situation presents itself.”

“I heard he stayed.” She paused, waiting for me to respond. When I didn’t, she added, “He’s been here too.”

That took me by surprise. Marco never told me he’d been here. “I didn’t know.”

“He cares for her, but his past choices of partners don’t encourage me.” Her eyes narrowed like she knew I had feelings for Marco and silently warned,you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Jeez, Louise. Can’t a girl be iffy about her love life in peace?

“Marco’s a friend. A good friend. I don’t want him hurt any more than I want to hurt Sasha. I only want answers.”

Her face softened a little. “My mother’s adopted family died when I was young, so I don’t remember them well. We were poor. There was war. My mother worked in a factory. The kind lady next door watched over Sasha and me until we were old enough to stay by ourselves.”

Fredericka stood and walked to the window. The light cast a copper hue in her hair. “One day, my mother came home. She told us she’d met someone, a man. He would help us. We would be better. She quit her job at the factory and spent time with him. Then, one day she told us we were moving to America. I think I was about thirteen.”

And had recently come into her gift, I thought.

“Sasha didn’t want to go. She had friends at school. I wasn’t so lucky.” Fredericka shifted uncomfortably. “Men loved our mother. She was beautiful, but she never brought home any of her lovers. I never saw the man, but it was the happiest I remember my mother. Until the day she wasn’t.”

“What happened?”

Fredericka frowned. “I’m telling you.”

I gulped down more water. My inner voice told me to save my questions until the end.

“She had been out with him, came home in a rush, pulled out our big suitcase, and tossed our clothes inside. She shouted at us to gather our most precious things because we had to leave.”

Fredericka moved to the piano and ran a hand over the wood. “Sasha had a cat. Mother said she couldn’t bring her. Sasha took the cat and ran from the house. I will always remember the frantic look on my mother’s face at Sasha’s disobedience.”

She walked around the room as she spoke.

I stood because her pacing was giving me whiplash. I set my glass on a nearby marble-topped breakfront.

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