Page 58 of The Fire Beneath the Frost

“Dimitri called,” I said aloud, more to taste the words than anything.A little thrill shot through me.Maybe we could see each other tonight.Maybe—just maybe—we could even be alone.

But then I glanced at Vera.

She’d bent over backward to make time for me and Dimitri, coordinating errands and shifting meetings just so we could have a few precious stolen hours.And she deserved her own joy.Maybe Vera should have the flat this time?

“Sanctuary might be open tonight,” I murmured.

We reached our door.Vera unlocked it, and we both kicked off our shoes in the tiny entryway.The apartment already felt quieter.Emptier.Like the walls were breathing a sigh of relief.

Then the phone rang.

Vera raised an eyebrow and went to answer.I followed, lingering by the doorway.Her voice changed instantly—lighter, eager.

“Mira!You’re fast.Nina and Pavel just left for someone’s dacha.”She laughed, a real one.“You can absolutely stay the night.Pack whatever you like.I’ll make dinner.”

I grinned to myself.Well, at least one of us gets to be alone with their lover tonight.

She hung up, beaming, and then turned to me with a gleam in her eye.She dug into her purse and pulled out something shiny.

A key.

“What’s this?”I asked.

She held it out dramatically.“It’s the key to the dacha Comrade Korovin manages for the factory workers.”

I blinked.“How do you have it?”

“I’m supposed to award it to one of the top employees for next weekend.”She smiled mischievously.“I’ve decided that person is Dimitri.”

I stared at her, touched and exasperated all at once.

“I know you wanted the flat,” she blurted.“But Mira and I haven’t had a single night together in weeks.Her flatmates never leave, and ours are always around.Please, Petyr.Take Dimitri to the dacha.You’ll have an entire weekend alone.No interruptions.Just the two of you.”

I sighed.The apartment had seemed like a dream ten minutes ago, but now the dacha was starting to glimmer in my mind—like something out of a poem.Wood smoke, quiet, maybe even stars.

“That actually sounds perfect,” I admitted.“Even if the mattress is stuffed with hay.”

Vera laughed and tossed me the key.“You’ll make it work.”

I pocketed the key and padded into the kitchen to make some tea, while Vera began to clean the place up a little.

“I swear Nina is the laziest woman I know,” I heard Vera bitch from the kitchen.“She never cleans.”I went back into the living room and there was a knock at the door.

Vera looked up from where she was rummaging through a drawer.I set down the tea mug I’d just filled, already hoping it was who I thought it was.

“I’ll get it,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

When I opened the door, Dimitri was standing there.I wanted to grab his hand and drag him back to my bed, but that wasn’t happening.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hi,” I breathed, our gazes locking on each other.

He glanced past me, a little unsure.“Is it okay that I came over?I called earlier and…”

“Of course,” I grinned.“Come in.”

He stepped inside, and just the fact of him standing in our narrow entryway made everything feel warmer, closer.I wanted to reach for his hand but didn’t—not yet.Dimitri didn’t know that Vera knew about us.

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