"Can I ask you something? ...well, a couple of somethings, actually."
Spy didn't immediately reply; Shiloh's room wasn't that large but it was at least large enough for a bed, a desk, and two armchairs with a small table between them. He had taken up residence in one of the chairs and had a glass of brandy (and the bottle) within easy reach on the table, having been uninterested in eating anything.
In the silence that followed Shiloh shut the door behind her and came in to drop into the other armchair; every bit of her was wanting nothing more than to go to bed - she'd made sure Scout had gotten at least a small dinner in him, had calmed him down and had all but tucked him into bed before she'd come back with the brandy for Spy, then Alexei had come to see what the argument in the hallway had been about and she'd had to handle THAT-
-and now she was in her room, within sight of her own bed, and it'd likely be awhile before she could crawl into it...it left her with a sense of obligation warring with an irritation born of exhaustion in her mind that she tried her best to ignore.
"You asked me about the bank - back when we were still at base," she added a moment afterward. "And then, out in the hall just now...did you somehow already find out which bank the shooting happened at?"
Spy stirred just enough to lift his tumbler to his lips and take a sip, the rest of him still. "...she has banked at the same place since I have known her...it could be no other bank, but I wanted there to be no doubt so I inquired."
"I guess that would make sense, providing you knew she hadn't changed her banking habits."
"She has not," Spy said quietly. "...after I proposed to her the second time and she refused me I promised that she would at least want for nothing. I have set up quite a lengthy chain to accomplish it but a part of my earnings go to her. To that bank, in fact. It should have occurred to me at the time, but given the topic of conversation..."
"Oh."
He went silent again and Shiloh looked over to the clock sitting on her desk - it was a quarter after three...Alexei had agreed to speak to Spy but not until the afternoon, after his "business appointments" were taken care of. She had a key in her pocket for another room for the Frenchman's use but since he too was in mourning she was reluctant to bring up that fact - it would be like asking him to leave, tossing him out, and that wasn't something she was willing to do given the circumstances.
"...was everything you said true, then? Why wouldn't she want to marry you?"
Spy snorted loudly and waved a hand in dismissal as he pushed himself out of the chair to pace, with Shiloh discretely gauging the amount left in the brandy bottle and deciding he hadn't imbibed enough to be close to intoxicated yet (so at least there wasn't a need to watch for stumbling like she would with a club patron downstairs).
"As I said she did not want to make a husband out of me, she wanted an exotic secret. Admittedly I have not been to visit her in nearly a year...I regret it now, but at the time I thought it would be prudent to begin removing myself from her life in the hope she could find a more permanent happiness - if not another marriage then someone who would at least be more available than I."
"And what did she have to say about that?"
Spy paused to pick up his drink and drain the brandy before setting the tumbler down carefully on the table, a bitter smile on his face. "She does not know - I came and went as I was able, the times between my visits varying. What was this but another long absence?"
Shiloh frowned a bit. "Don't you...think she deserved to know you were trying to make an exit?"
"It hardly matters now, does it?"
"I guess not."
She sat and watched him pace, the time ticking away on the clock; some time later she found herself jerking awake, having dozed off in her chair. Spy likewise had dozed off in his chair and she noted that well over half the bottle of brandy was gone.
After rubbing out the crick in her neck she stood and stepped over to him, managing to prod him awake enough to budge him over toward the bed and get him on top of it; she wasn't about to undress him so if he wanted his jacket or shoes off that would be up to him but she turned out the light and quietly left, fishing the key out of her pocket and heading to what was supposed to be Spy's room...it's not like it mattered, she supposed - a bed was a bed, and so long as she didn't catch him rifling through her things leaving him in there wasn't a big deal.
She did at least take off her jacket, holsters, and shoes before she fell into bed.
When morning came (and boy did it come quick...) she saw Scout off at the front of the club before heading to check in with the morning shifters and make sure everyone scheduled was there and ready to work; at some point Yuri took up his usual position of "at her elbow" and if she thought she could get away with it she would have dumped all her duties on him and crawled back into bed for another hour or two of sleep.
But...there were other matters to attend to. At least the kitchen always had coffee available.
Once her morning routine had been completed that left her about a half hour to herself before she'd have to worry about crowds flocking in, and there was the meeting between Spy and Alexei sometime this afternoon...she found herself dropping into her desk chair in her office, leaning back and staring blankly up at the ceiling - the urge to doze off was hard to ignore but if she fell asleep now she'd be groggy for the rest of the day and a sluggish security guard would be pretty damn useless.
"Could I bother you for another cup of coffee?" she asked into the quiet after a moment or two, lowering her chin just enough to look at where Yuri stood just inside and to the side of the door. "...straight black, as strong as they can make it?"
He did not move or otherwise respond for a few breaths, then "you should rest."
"I'll rest when I'm not busy - I just need to reach an acceptable level of functional to make it through the day."
An honest-to-God tiny flicker of a smile crossed his features before he turned and pulled the door open - quickly enough that he pulled the person on the other side of it in with the door, their hand still on the doorknob and their entrance marked with a squeak that ended with colliding with him.
Shiloh managed to suppress her groan. "Yes, Julia?"
The younger woman looked mortified and ready to drop at Yuri's feet; he calmly guided her to the side and stepped around her, leaving her staring after him with eyes the size of dinner plates.
If she weren't so lacking in sleep she could have had a bit of fun with this, but... "...Julia?" Shiloh prompted again.
The woman flinched and turned abruptly to face her, hands holding the sides of her skirt with a white-knuckle grip. "Yes, ma'am...sorry, I s-should have knocked before trying to come in but-"
"-let me preface this with the fact that I've had maybe three hours of sleep," Shiloh interrupted, tone dry and quiet. "If I sound grumpier than normal."
She went from holding her skirts to twisting her fingers together. "Y-yes, sorry, I'll um, I'll get right to the point - I think someone followed me to work t-today and I think it's the same person that's been following me home except for when you had Yuri walk me-"
"-hold up, back up," Shiloh interrupted, feeling a pressure behind her eyes. She sat up in her chair as Julia stood there and fidgeted in place. "Someone's been following you around?"
"Yes ma'am."
"How long? Club patron? Do you know?"
She shook her head. "I don't know and I wish I did but I first noticed someone walking along behind me when I was heading to my car and um, I think it's the same person each t-time and I feel like someone's watching me when I go out."
Shiloh felt her headache intensify - she'd sent Yuri to walk with her both as a little jab at the unflappable male and also because of this whole business of potentially being attacked - she hadn't actually expected her paranoia to "pay off" so quickly nor was she exactly happy to hear about the time frame. "You have any identifying features?"
"Tall, and um, in dark gray or black or somewhere in-between - suit, I think, and they're wearing big dark glasses so I can't really recall the face but I know it's a man and it's the same person each time but I notice them in different places but they're usually behind me and I see them once I'm a block away though sometimes further-"
Again Shiloh held up a hand. "-exactly how far away do you park?"
"I don't own a car ma'am, I walk to work - I live six blocks away in those apartments over on Weston and Eighteenth on the eighth floor south side. Yuri walked me all the way to the elevator and that's the first time I feel like whoever was following me wasn't there that time. I've never really worried about walking to and from work because all the streets are lit up and there's always people around so if I needed help I could just s-scream but I know I never see the same people going home so that's why I think I started noticing this man following me but then again I don't- I don't know, ma'am. I don't know why someone would follow me." She ended her rush of words with a little huff, visibly swallowing hard.
Shiloh went quiet, letting all of that sink in, then finally sighed heavily and used the edge of the desk to leverage herself out of her chair - how many times had Julia made up excuses to come down to Shiloh's office in recent memory? Hadn't she just said something to Yuri about this? Damn it, damn it, damn it... "And you didn't think to say something before now?"
Julia's face darkened and she stared down at the floor. "Um, no - I wasn't s-sure one hundred percent and then my mom came to visit and she asked me what was wrong and I told HER and she got mad at me for not saying something so..." she trailed off and continued to stare a hole through the floor.
Coming around the desk Shiloh resisted the urge to shake the woman. "All right, well...come on, let's go have a talk with..." She stopped talking then and stood in the doorway, thinking; would anyone ELSE not have the sense to say something if they were being followed or suspected they were being followed? Vegas was sort of an...interesting city when it came to stuff like this, and if any of the employees were engaging in less-than-legal activities outside of their work schedule then they likely wouldn't say anything or own up to anything if they were asked. It was also generally understood that so long as it didn't interfere with their job or endanger the workplace then there wasn't a reason to bring it to light anyway.
God damn, she hated this city...
"...talk with...who?" Julia asked into the pause.
Shiloh shook her head. "Depends on who wants to talk or has anything to share. Come on."
Yuri was heading down the hallway with a mug of coffee; Shiloh took it with only a jerk of her head back toward the stairs and he fell in behind her as usual with hardly a glance at Julia (though the woman seemed ready to sink through the floor or claw her way through a wall).
As she expected she didn't gain anything useful from her chats with the club employees; nearly all of them claimed they didn't usually pay enough attention to their surroundings to notice if someone was tailing them while the others were definitely guarded in their responses but gave essentially the same answer: no one else seemed aware of or willing to admit they were being followed by anyone, least of all someone who matched Julia's provided description.
In the end she'd made it a point to tell them all to walk in pairs or get one of the guards to walk with them if they didn't feel comfortable walking on their own, then had led the way upstairs toward Alexei's room - maybe she could catch Alexei for a moment and mention this to him.
"...you didn't notice anyone that would fit the limited description we got, did you?" Shiloh asked on the elevator ride up to the top floor.
Yuri shook his head. "No. Noticed nothing suspicious."
"Well, start looking for anything suspicious because so far as I'm concerned you're walking her home until we figure out what the deal is. And you-" she let her attention move from Yuri to Julia - the girl had been silent and visibly uncomfortable during their rounds downstairs and she shrank back under Shiloh's gaze. "-if you see whoever it is you think is following you point him out to Yuri, we need to know the 'who' and 'why.'"
"Yes ma'am."
A dark suit, glasses...that could be nearly anyone on the street... Not for the first time that day the urge to crawl back into bed hit her, followed by the desire to hit the door running and just disappear back into the wilds again and THAT was immediately followed by a gut punch of guilt that brought on a faint feeling of nausea.
Before all this started sure, she'd wanted to run off and spend a few days in the middle of nowhere, but...hadn't, even though she'd purposely planned and bargained to have that sort of freedom when she took this job. There either wasn't time (what with having to run back and forth for mail drops and other miscellaneous odd jobs) or she simply couldn't muster the urge to just go...'she was home, why leave again?' seemed to be the argument she was always having with herself. She was home, she was back with family, and she had responsibilities to keep up with...even thinking about running off SHOULD make her feel guilty, right?
With Yuri and Julia both standing a respectful distance behind her Shiloh very carefully opened the door to Alexei's quarters and slowly stuck her head in; she could hear him talking to someone in low tones and once her head was in far enough she could see him at his desk speaking into an old yet somehow still functional telephone. He did little more than glance up at her at first, and when she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly he very slightly shook his head and she backed out of the room and silently closed the door.
"All right, he's busy at the moment...Julia, head back downstairs and go about your day like nothing's wrong. Yuri, uh...you go downstairs too, keep an eye on people coming and going - if you see anyone that looks out of place keep an eye on them."
Yuri frowned. "And you?"
"I have a guest to check on and eventually I'll get in there to talk to Alexei about all this," Shiloh sighed. "I'll be up here on this floor if you need me."
Yuri nodded and turned on a heel, taking several long strides down the hallway before pausing to look back at Julia expectantly; she quickly hurried along to walk at his side, hands fidgeting with the fabric at her waist and generally looking ready to disappear into the floor.
Shiloh shook her head as she watched the two leave - if it was true that those two fancied one another they would make one heck of an odd couple.
It was a strange feeling to knock on the door to one's own room but she figured Spy was at least owed that; she didn't wait for him to answer but gave him a few seconds after the knock before she entered, finding him sitting in the same chair as last night reading the day's paper.
"You're welcome to go sit down in the club, you know," Shiloh said as she entered with a bit of a smile.
Spy's gaze flicked toward her for the briefest instant over the top of the paper before returning to what he was reading. "I am aware, but I am also in no mood for the general populace." After a pause she heard a soft exhalation of breath and he looked up at her again, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he smiled thinly behind the paper. "I am not exactly prepared for casual social interaction anyway."
"At the very least let me know if you need something. Breakfast was sent up for you, right?" She couldn't honestly remember if she'd only thought she'd told Lavender to send something up or if she'd actually followed through on it...
He nodded and the paper lowered enough that she could see his face from the chin up. "Yes, thank you."
All right, she'd actually managed to get that taken care of, good on her. "Just checking."
"Is something amiss?"
"When isn't there?" she asked dryly. Her attention went between him and the other empty chair in the room, then moved to her bed - it had been neatly made, no sign that anyone had been in it recently. After only a moment of hesitation she moved to sit on its edge, then let herself fall backward with her legs hanging off and her feet still flat on the floor; there was a very faint hint of cologne that wafted up from the comforter.
Spy calmly folded the paper and let it drop to the little table between the chairs. "It was a serious question, Miss MacKenna."
"And I gave you a serious answer," she muttered, staring up at the ceiling. "Life was so much more simple when I was a drifter..."
Spy chuckled softly and stood. "I imagine it was also a lot lonelier, dirtier, and leaner...I do thank you, however, for last night's quiet company and for giving up your bed."
"You're welcome, and don't worry about the bed thing - I just took your room for the night."
"Yes, I am aware...regardless, you have my thanks for being a gracious hostess, even if I was a poor guest."
She didn't know exactly how to respond to that so she simply shrugged; with a silent nod Spy slipped from the room and Shiloh found herself counting the little fan-patterns pressed into the plaster of the ceiling. As much as she didn't want to she probably SHOULD get an hour or two of sleep while she could...there was no telling how long Alexei would be before he was off that call or how long before he got to Spy, and she didn't have anything immediately pressing (she trusted Yuri better than herself to note anything out of the ordinary downstairs, after all).
Though a thought occurred to her...
With a grunt she partly rolled, partly pushed herself off the bed and, with only a small stumble, made her way to the door and tugged it open; Spy was just disappearing through the door of the room that was for his use.
"Spy?"
"Hmm?" He stopped in the doorway and looked back at her from over a shoulder.
"When you're done talking to Alexei, do me a favor and let me know?"
"Of course. Enjoy your rest, Miss MacKenna."
If he actually had something to occupy himself with Sniper imagined he wouldn't be revisiting his last little chat with Shiloh so often as he was lately.
Spy was gone, that much was for certain; Sniper had enlisted the assistance of the rest of the team to search every nook and cranny of the base and the Frenchman was nowhere to be found. The best he could figure is Spy somehow tagged along with Shiloh and Scout as the only other vehicles on base were all present and he couldn't see the Frenchman walking several miles in the desert heat to reach the highway just to hitchhike.
That Spy had left wasn't so important as why he had left, and that fact kept circling around in Sniper's head alongside Shiloh's expressed concern that something bad was going to happen.
...what was it with that woman and attracting trouble?
The thought brought a ghost of a smile to his face as he sat in the oppressive heat and silence of his little "nest" in a room at the base's tallest point (he'd boarded up the windows as much out of safety as to keep the damn sun and heat out) but the smile persisted only for a moment; caring about someone who attracted trouble on a regular basis meant most concerns were probably legitimate, and if the person in question was worried then he should definitely be worried.
Had Spy left because he'd pieced together something out of what Shiloh had told him after asking to speak to her privately? It was highly likely...so the question was, what HAD she told him, what had he put together, and how worried should Sniper be?
He found his gaze dropping lower, going from the horizon down to the roof of his camper - how long of a drive was it from here to Vegas? As Shiloh had so helpfully pointed out he really was too far away to be of any help to her if she needed it...but if he were closer...
Spy had left and so far there didn't seem to be any repercussions...what if Sniper left too?
The thought brought a bit of a chill to him - he'd never run out on a contract before and he'd be abandoning his teammates here if he left; Spy at least could explain away his absence by...well, he might well have legitimately left to follow Scout to Boston (there was a history between Spy and the man's mother, after all). Sniper would only have a hunch to explain himself with - a hunch and a heap of concern, and in addition to that the thought of abandoning his team didn't sit well with him.
But they were trained killers, mercenaries, they could handle themselves...Shiloh was something completely different - equal parts reckless and brave, but ultimately out of her depth.
So what...should he be doing, then...
He stood up and swept his hat off his head, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of a hand as he stomped his way toward the ladder that was the only real way out of his boarded up nest; as usual he didn't even bother with the rungs going down, just locking his feet on the outer edge of the ladder and sliding down with his hands keeping him steady, hitting the ground with a thud and a grunt and jogging toward the main building of the base and cramming his hat back onto his head.
A few miles down the highway was a pay phone but rather than continuing through the base and out to the camper as he'd done hundreds of times before Sniper found himself pausing outside of the little office room that held the sole phone installed in the base - it was there for their use (and for Pauling to contact them) but Sniper didn't care for the idea that someone could listen in on his regular phone calls to his parents so he normally made the drive out to the pay phone...but this time he paused and stared at the door. The pay phone wasn't that far away but the need to make a call was pressing, almost anxiety-inducing.
'Just this one time.'
The doorknob was hard to turn and the door squeaked on its hinges but the office was well-lit, if a bit dusty - usually no one stepped foot in here except to use or answer the phone - and as he dropped into the chair at the desk he carefully dialed the number she'd given him weeks ago.
After two rings a light, chipper little voice answered, "Madam Zoya's, this is Lavender - how may I brighten your day?"
"...I need to speak to Shiloh - MacKenna," he added after a pause. "Let her know it's Mundy, she'll know who I am."
"One moment, sir."
The chipper voice was replaced with chintzy hold music that grated on the ears; hardly a minute had gone by before the music abruptly stopped and a man's voice with a thick Russian accent began speaking.
"She is sleeping. I will deliver message."
"...right. Just let her know I called. She ought to know how to reach me."
"She does."
And with that the line went dead.
He dropped the phone back onto its cradle and leaned back in the chair, frowning - at this point he wasn't certain what he'd been expecting, but at the very least he'd been hoping to at least talk to her.
His watch showed it was creeping up on eleven thirty...what in the world was she doing sleeping at this time of day? Shiloh was an early riser, same as him... Standing with a grunt he brushed the dust off his pants and stomped from the room, slamming the door behind him.
How long of a drive was it from here to Vegas?
"I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me."
The giant of a man sitting on the opposite side of the desk smiled thinly. "If anyone but her had asked, I would have refused."
Spy nodded, not bothering to return the smile. "I shall get right to the point, then - Miss MacKenna tells me you knew of the attack in Boston before Miss Pauling informed her and asked her to pass along the news. I am interested in how you knew, as well as interested in any details you'd care to share about the other two attacks - I do not believe I need be specific?"
Alexei let out a little huff of air through his nose followed by a twitch that flared his right nostril but otherwise left the rest of his face motionless. "Knew of them, yes - word travels quickly of organized hits among this world."
"Allies of yours, then."
"Just because they have not raised hand against me does not make them allies," Alexei replied dryly. "Think - intelligent man such as yourself should be able to guess at the association."
Spy was silent a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Is it the same association that exists between you and I?"
The giant Russian nodded, propping his elbows on the arms of his chair and pressing the tips of his fingers together just beneath his chin. "Da. The woman's reach is further than you think - further than I suspect. It is the common thread between the three we know of."
Spy sat up a bit straighter. "...that you know of. Do I take that to mean this is the only association you know between the three, or is there something more? Do you suspect there have been targeted attacks that have not come to light yet?"
"Is not hard to suspect. When others go silent they are either hiding, or dead - there is not middle ground to consider."
"How many have gone silent?"
"Word has reached of four more, death not confirmed but may well have disappeared off face of planet."
With a quiet, thoughtful hum in the back of his throat Spy relaxed back into his seat. "And all of them connected to our dear Administrator, I presume."
"Da."
"Tell me...do you know who it was that owned the bank in Boston? Truly owned it."
Alexei shrugged, the material of his shirt squeaking against the leather of the chair. "Truly? No. Masks and fake fronts are easy to create, numerous, difficult to trace. I can share that the ones that supposedly owned it were known for exotic animal trade, drugs...but not of the nature you are thinking."
Again the man went silent, leaving Spy to both digest what he was being told and also wonder what the man was playing at - he was being open with his details but only if prompted...what did he want from the Frenchman? "Yet another front to hide their true business practices?"
Alexei chuckled, a deep sound that hung in the air between them as the man eyed the ceiling for a few breaths. "Medicinal - pharmaceuticals. Animals were exotic, yes, but not living - or in one piece. Such is my knowledge of their activities...my mother did not deal with them, and I have no interest in their bits and chemicals."
Pharmaceuticals and butchered animals...which, the latter could also be medicinal in nature depending on the animal and the beliefs of the culture those parts were being sold in.
"What reason would anyone have to kill all within that bank?" Spy went on. "My knowledge of the matter is limited to what Miss MacKenna has told me and that is admittedly spotty..." After a breath he pitched his voice lower. "I do know however that an innocent woman lost her life in that attack...were all bystanders taken in the same sweep?"
Something that could have been a glimmer of sympathy appeared and disappeared just as quickly on the giant's face; Alexei inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, then offered another shrug. "The why, that is good question...one I do not have answer for. In the others we know, everyone within the grounds were killed - man, woman, child, family or not. Same deal with bank, so far as am aware - however, was small bit of information given me that was not included in newspapers."
Another long pause and Spy felt something clench in his stomach. "...well?" he prompted.
Alexei raised a hand, his pointed extended toward the ceiling, and made a little twirling motion with it as though he were stirring the air. "Men, women, they were near exits but did not leave. Gunned down in doorways, near windows. As though tried to flee but could not. Is a strange detail, yes?"
Spy dug fingers into the chair beneath him and tried to not to picture a certain woman dead in a doorway. "Were they open? Broken? Blocked? Were there signs that the victims at least attempted escape?"
"Niet. For a bank that had everyone within shot to pieces, all things were intact. Not a single hole in glass, wall, or door."
"...were bullets found in the victims? Casings at the scene?" How could a shoot out have left all windows intact, no bullet holes in the walls? The odds of that happening were...absurdly slim for the windows, and seemingly impossible for the rest of it - bullets that were not stopped within a body would leave SOME sign of their impact.
"Typical bullet, signs of scorching. No casings, but money taken and recordings destroyed. No one left alive to identify attackers and no sign of their arrival save for carnage left behind...this is same for the Bertucins, and for Wellers."
After a few breaths Spy managed to loosen his grip on the chair beneath him, instead drumming the fingers of his left hand against the arm; his right hand at first inched for his cigarette case then fell motionless to the arm as well - his mind marked out the name 'Wellers' as something to keep in mind when he conducted his own research into this mess. "It sounds as though something prevented their escape...as well as prevented damage, in some capacity."
Alexei shrugged again. "Think as you will. Is this all?"
"Unless you have anything else to share."
For a moment the Russian said nothing, still sitting with his fingers just beneath his chin and his elbows propped on the arm's of his chair...and then he sat up abruptly, moving with a suddenness that belied his size. His expression changed from the neutral, emotionless and aloof politeness to one of total seriousness, brows furrowed and a deep frown etched across his features - Spy had the immediate feeling of a very angry mountain staring him down, ready to crush him underneath its weight.
"There is matter of payment for what I have shared," the man said, voice deep and growling.
This wasn't wholly unexpected but Spy had at least not expected the man to change with the ease of flipping a switch. "I am open to negotiation, yes."
Alexei sharply shook his head. "There is no negotiation - there is one method of repayment, and you will agree."
Spy raised an eyebrow - the hand that had been going for his cigarette case only moments before was now tensed and ready to go for his cloaking device. "And if I refuse?"
"There will not be place on Earth you could go that I would not find you."
Projecting an outward calm that he didn't quite feel Spy motioned with a hand in a 'go on' sort of gesture.
"I have shared what I know. In return, should those responsible come for me and mine...you will do everything in your power to get my children out. Understand?"
For a moment the surprise actually showed on the Frenchman's face. "...assuming I am forewarned and in a position to do anything...children?" He knew Shiloh had stated that Alexei was an adoptive father so there was at least one person he knew the man could be referring to but Shiloh herself hadn't mentioned any adoptive siblings.
Alexei stood and with a few thunderous strides was halfway across the room and heading for a door that led to what Spy remembered as being the bedroom area of these quarters. "He will make himself known when time comes." He wrenched the door open, then turned to fix Spy with a pointed stare. "You will uphold this, or should I survive and they do not...you would not like that arrangement, I am thinking."
Spy rose to his feet, hands smoothing down his tie as he regarded the man. "Should I be in a position to do anything rest assured that I shall - knowing who I am expected to protect, however, would assist in making certain I am capable of repaying my debt."
Alexei sniffed, then smiled...then disappeared into the other room, the door shutting behind him and Spy considering himself officially dismissed from the man's presence.
For a few moments Spy stood and contemplated the closed door; it would seem Shiloh had a sibling and she didn't seem aware of this fact...should he mention it to her? It did not really seem his place - after all, if it was something she was meant to know, surely her own father would have told her by now?
Well, he supposed he would consider it, and Alexei had certainly given him a lot to consider.
Oh, and speaking of Shiloh...
When he knocked on her door it took her a moment to answer and when she did she looked like she'd given in and taken a nap. He offered her a polite smile. "I have concluded my business with your father - I would warn you that he seems a bit...on edge, but you did ask to be notified when we were done speaking."
"Yes, thank you," she murmured, rubbing at an eye with the heel of her palm. "I'll - on edge? - I'll give him a moment then go in, thanks."
He nodded and turned to backtrack up the hall toward his borrowed room. "You are welcome...and, I believe I shall be taking my leave in the morning. Thank you for your hospitality."
Shiloh made a noise of acknowledgement and disappeared back into her room; once within his own room Spy called down to the front desk to inquire about booking a plane ticket and arranging for a cab to be there the following morning.
There was a part of him that wanted to depart immediately but, well...Alexei had given him a lot to consider, and he wanted time to think through it all before traveling east.