Page 70 of Stolen Empire
I know it's some sort of test, but I intend to pass it.
When I head back out, Gavriil is parked a block away, engine running.
I slide into the passenger seat and buckle in, still memorizing the old man's face in my mind.
His name tag readCarlbut he didn't look like a Carl at all.
Still, I will do what Daniil wanted and hopefully, it will lead me to the answers Dimitri needs.
"Done?" Gavriil asks.
"Done."
He drives me back to Dimitri's apartment without another word, and I call Daniil from a burner phone Dimitri gave me, reporting that an older man with graying hair took the envelope.
He's satisfied with that intel and tells me to answer my phone if he calls.
He will tell me when and where to meet for my payment.
I know it can't be that simple, but I don't know this world as well as Dimitri does.
I'll have to ask his opinion on what to do.
When we arrive at Dimitri's apartment, he's waiting for me in the living room.
His arms are crossed, and a bottle of vodka is perched on the coffee table in front of him.
"You did well," he says as I slip out of the ridiculous heels he made me wear.
My feet are sore, my body still chilled.
"I did what you told me to do."
"You did more than that."
He relaxes a little, stretching his arms across the back of the couch, his eyes scanning my face.
"You're better than I expected."
I sit, keeping space between us.
"Does that mean I get a reward?"
I ask with a bit of snark in my tone, and instantly, I wonder if it was the right move.
His eyes flick to mine, dark and amused.
"What kind of reward are you asking for?"
I don’t answer.
My pulse is already racing, my body responding to the way he is looking at me.
He leans back, studying me.
"You are playing a dangerous game, Katya. Offering to help me. Volunteering for more work. That is not the behavior of someone who wants to leave."
"I want to leave," I say quickly.
