Contact
All credit goes to Robert Muchamore who created these characters and CHERUB.
TN: 'Приятно с вами познакомиться!' means 'Nice to meet you!'
For those who may not remember, Albert was the one who intruded on Rat and Bethany's 'quality time'.
"Don't look so concerned!" Slatkin announced, slamming his blood splattered Timberlands against the immaculate coffee table.
"I just assumed you were used to these sorts of things, eh, Rurik?"
Lauren sat to the side of Kazakov, who's eyes were steadily fixed on the gleaming black pistol resting on Slatkin's lap. Rat sat next to Bethany on Lauren's left and it seemed as though the two of them were completely engrossed in their chat. Dante had gone to the bathroom upon entering the mansion and was currently installing a minuscule camera and microphone in the hall. He was crouching down by the radiator, fixing the camera in place when he heard a low growl. A massive husky stood at the other side of the hall, a vicious expression curled on its face. Dante stood up calmly, knowing not to act afraid and walked back to the living room where silence had governed for the last five minutes. The husky ran into the room, nearly flooring Dante in the process, and settled beside Slatkin who was still watching Kazakov's movements. Dante sat on the sofa next to Lauren who had a fixed expression plastered onto her features.
"So, Slatkin." Kazakov started over the quiet. "We only got here today; how did you know who we were?"
Slatkin roared with laughter before responding in Russian.
"I like to be thorough."
"Well," Kazakov started, "so do I. How are your daughters? Roza, Nina and Milena? And your sons Vadik and Feodor? I heard there's been a little trouble at school concerning Vadik's grades; I assure you it's just his age."
Kazakov paused and glanced up from his inspection of the ornately designed wooden figures standing in the middle of the table. Slatkin was looking straight at him, chuckling slightly. The Russian man sat up and waved his hand towards the huge double staircase opposite the front doors.
"Adult talk now." He remarked, indicating he wanted the four young CHERUBs to leave. As they began their ascent up the navy marble steps, Slatkin shouted for Milena, Feodor and Vadik. Lauren heard light footsteps and raised her gaze to see a pretty, small blonde girl trot down the stairs. Milena was below average height, had collar-bone length blonde hair, blue eyes and a slender, timid frame.
She addressed her father in Russian and was told to bring the two girls to her room. As the three reached the first floor's landing, two boys erupted out of their rooms and sprinted towards the staircase.
The taller boy, upon noticing Bethany's attention on him, slowed down and brushed past her as he made his way towards the kitchen, much to the annoyance of his younger sibling.
Reemerging with three cokes, Vadik told the male CHERUBs to follow him to his room.
"Hey!" Feodor snapped, disliking the lack of attention. "What about me?"
Before Vadik could spit out an insult, Slatkin shot the teens a 'get the hell out of my territory' look.
The second door to the right of the landing was Vadik's room, which was 12m by 10m and gaudily decorated. Feodor sulked in the corner of the room, all the time giving his brother a scornful stare.
"What the fuck do you want, loser?" Vadik proclaimed as he threw a neglected schoolbook at the 15-year-old, obviously making an effort to look cool in front of his visitors.
Feodor frowned and uttered some objections in Russian before Dante spoke up.
"What's your room like?"
Feodor's face lit up as he spouted some excited nonsense about how he had the best room ever and that they should leave his pissy brother alone. He led Dante to the furthest room to the right of the staircase, leaving Rat and Vadik by themselves to discuss how irritating their younger siblings were. Vadik leaned back against the oak bedpost and ran his hand through his hair in the hope to appear sexy and confident. Rat flinched at the obvious display of narcissism but resisted making a snide comment and instead brought up the typical topic of music and girls.
Feodor's room was slightly smaller than his older siblings but it was filled with Lego, clay and half-finished machine models. Dante cautiously stepped over the small plastic bricks, knowing the pain they could cause. Feodor was rummaging through a huge coloured box at the far corner of the room near a large window.
"Do you like making things?" He gushed, placing multiple cases of glue and various black and silver parts on the floor.
"I love creating things, I made all the figures in my room. My name's Feodor, by the way. What's yours?"
"D-Isaak." Dante cursed himself for the slip-up.
"Wanna help me finish an aeroplane, Isaak?" Dante let out a sigh as his mistake went unnoticed by his target. As the two boys began assembling microscopic shards of metal, their fathers were engaged in a discussion about transportation and discipline.
"I find it easier to go by train." Slatkin announced, pouring more alcoholic liquid into a decorated flask. "There's hardly any security and there's lots of space."
Kazakov considered this. He had only been in the mansion for a quarter of an hour and he already had information that could at least cap the amount of weaponry and drugs being delivered across the region.
This made him nervous. Either Slakin was chatty when drunk, or he was being tricked.
"What about you, Rurik?" Slatkin slurred, eyes only half open.
"That's classified information." Kazakov remarked, hoping he had answered correctly.
Slatkin smiled.
"I like cautious people. They're more professional. Tell me, how large is your gang?"
It was Kazakov's turn to smother a smile as he began the revised explanation of his 'gang'.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Lauren and Bethany were seated at a dainty crystal table in the centre of a room decorated in its entirety in pastel colours and soft toys.
Bethany avoided Lauren's accusing gaze as she and Milena chatted away about the journey to Russia.
'What's she doing?!' Lauren asked herself. 'Milena's MY target, what's she trying to achieve?'
Lauren shot another glare at Bethany, who returned the look as Milena started a new conversation.
"What are your names?"
"Eva." Lauren smiled at the young girl as sweetly as she could.
"Alisa." Bethany recoiled slightly at the smile, much to the subtly annoyance of the blonde CHERUB.
"Приятно с вами познакомиться!" Milena chirped, happy to have met some new people.
The blonde carried on in Russian, "I'm really glad you moved in. I don't know a lot of people, maybe we can be friends?"
Lauren suppressed her urge to hug the bashful girl and instead assured her that she would love to be friends.
As Milena was about to thank Lauren, Slatkin's drunken voice echoed across the corridor, calling for the visitors to leave.
The Slatkin siblings said goodbye to the CHERUBs who congregated in the foyer as Kazakov and Slatkin finished off their conversation.
On the way across the expansive front yard, the five agents passed the still bodies of the two men who had wronged Slatkin earlier. Lauren recognised them as the people from the airport smoking room, and Bethany and Rat recognised one of them as the guy who interrupted them on the plane. What none of the agents noticed was Bethany's bra tucked into Albert's coat pocket.
