Chapter 26
Alexei Estate, Russia
-
As soon as Alex felt Faison's touch, she brushed it off.
"Don't you dare touch me…"
Faison let go of her, his eyes narrowing. Hurt. "I don't want you to be afraid, Anna. That's all."
Alex glared at him, not bothering to wipe away her tears. "You said you were going to help my daughter. How?"
"I did," he replied, still kneeling on the floor next to her. "You know I keep my promises."
"How?"
"I sent a cure for her virus to the Hopital St. Michel. A couriered envelope in your sister's name. I knew she would know what to do with it."
Alex observed him, trying to feign a semblance of composure. If Faison had couriered an envelope to the hospital in her name, would anyone else have signed for it? And if not, where was it? Leah's cure could be left in limbo in some courier depot.
"I don't believe you. Let me call the hospital in Paris. I want to hear it from Leah's doctors. I want to speak to my sister!"
"Of course I'll let you call the hospital." He looked as though he'd expected her to demand precisely that. "But not yet. In a few days, when they will have released your daughter."
Alex wanted to wipe the smirk off his hideous face. Wanted to strike out at him, as she'd done on the bridge, but this time the anger was tinged with fear and she stopped herself. The martial arts skills she had been force fed years ago under Charlotte's thumb, were now rusty and inadequate. Should Faison choose to strike back, her poor fighting skills would raise his suspicions right away.
It would be an instant reminder that Anna was the fighter, not Alex.
She bit her lip.
'Except that Anna would fight him,' she thought bitterly. Anna wouldn't hide her desire to kill him for what he'd done to Leah.
"I want to know right now…I swear to God… if you don't let me find out about my daughter's condition," she threatened, pushing herself off the floor.
"I said you could," he repeated. "Not yet. But soon."
"That's not good enough!"
Faison stood up alongside her, relieved by her energy. Relieved that the drug he injected her with, as well as the journey here, seemed to have left no lingering physical effects.
He ached to touch her again, but he knew he couldn't. Knew that she'd lash out at him, and she would hurt him physically, because he'd refuse to strike back. "You have to trust me, Anna."
For the first time since entering the room he caught a trace of desperation in her eyes alongside the anger.
"I have to know if my baby is alright…"
Faison clasped his hands together, as if by some miracle the gesture would lessen his desire to touch her. "I said she will be. I would never harm your daughter. You have to know that, Anna."
"You already did, you bastard! You made her ill!"
Faison cringed. Guilt was not an emotion he was terribly familiar with, yet Anna could extract it from him with the same ease with which she managed to send all his other senses into turmoil. "I would never hurt her," he repeated. "She's yourchild."
"You really believe what you're saying, don't you?" Alex swallowed. "There's a term for people like you. They're called delusional. Psychotic!"
Faison smiled in an effort to make sure she didn't see the sting her words left. Only she could make his heart both bleed and soar in the span of seconds. "You know I'm telling the truth, Anna. I've never hurt you and I would never hurt your children."
"No, you're right," she spat. "Injecting my daughter with a virus, stalking me and bringing me here against my own will, didn't hurt. Blowing up a boat that killed Robert and almost killed me, that didn't hurt either!"
Faison frowned. She didn't know. Even now after all this time. Anna still believed that he caused the tanker explosion. No wonder her hatred for him ran so deeply. It would make everything so much more difficult.
It didn't matter, he thought. He could handle the challenge. He would handle the challenge; if it meant protecting her from the truth.
Because if you remembered that day…remembered what you did that day, you might never forgive yourself.
'The truth might be unbearable for you,' he thought sadly. "Sometimes things aren't what they seem," was what he said.
"Let me call the hospital. Please."
Her voice was small now. Desperate. It tore at him, making him dig his nails into the palm of his hands so as not to give in to her plea. "In two days, Anna." he said softly, wishing she would understand that to call today wouldn't answer her questions. Chances are the baby wouldn't have been injected with the serum yet. Alexandra Marick would undoubtedly insist on testing it first.
He watched her wipe away a tear and Faison fought back the urge to comfort her.
"What exactly do you want from me?" she asked, composing herself. "Are you going to keep me a prisoner here?"
"I told you, Anna, All I want from you is a chance."
"A chance…for what?"
"A chance for you to realize that we're not as different as you think. You and I." Faison paused, observing her. "And for that I need time. Alone with you."
"You think spending time with you will make me see you in a different light?" She snickered. "After all you've done?"
Faison said nothing. Her biting sarcasm was hard to swallow sometimes. He had forgotten that about her.
"Where is here?" she demanded.
"You're a couple of hundred miles north of Moscow. On a country estate named after Tsar Nicholas' only son and heir, Alexis, or as his mother, Alexandra used to call him, Alexei." Faison was pleased to see he held her attention now. "The estate was meant to be a playground of sorts for the Tsarevitch. It was Alexandra who convinced Nicholas to purchase it for Alexei, saying the air in these parts would have restorative and curative powers for their sickly son."
Alex tried to recall the fragments of European history she'd learned an eternity ago. It wasn't so much the last Russian Tsar and his wife that stuck in her mind, as was the ill heir. Alexis, the Tsar's only son was perhaps the most famous haemophiliac in history. Although devastating at the time, his illness had no lasting impact on the course of history, given that the entire family, including young Alexis, was brutally murdered during the Russian Revolution, thus ending Tsarist rule in Russia.
"Rumour has it that little Alexei never set foot in this estate," Faison explained. "After the revolution, the property fell into the hands of the Communists. Its contents were raided and then it stood empty for almost eighty years, slowly falling into disrepair until plans to convert it into a museum fell through and the glasnost government of the time decided to sell it to the highest bidder."
"You?"
Faison laughed. "No…not me. A local businessman, who in turn sold it to me last year. He purchased it as a novelty and tried to recreate its glory days by furnishing it with replicas of its original contents. He saw it as an exclusive country getaway, a place to take his associates hunting and to make deals. In other words, to show off."
"But he sold it to you instead?"
"He thought it would be a simple drive from Moscow. But in reality it's not. The roads in this region are poorly maintained, barely traversable in the winter. Moreover, the wildlife is meagre and the cost of the estate's upkeep is enormous. You could say, for him, it was a poor investment, whereas I appreciated it for the exact same reasons he didn't. The estate is a historic treasure. It's isolated. It still needs extensive renovations, but I'm willing to give it the time and care it deserves. It reminded me of you, Anna. I saw it as a beautiful challenge."
Alex shivered at the analogy. "You're insane."
Faison smiled thinly. "At a time like this, it must seem like I am. But I assure you, I'm not…I know you're furious with me and I know that winning your trust seems like an impossible feat. But I believe that given time, you will change your mind about me."
"You took me away from my life, from my daughters…"
"You can bring your daughters here anytime you wish. I could arrange it with ease."
Alex shuddered at the thought. "I would never…"
"Never is such a long time, Anna."
"How long?" she demanded. " How long are you going to keep me a prisoner here?"
Faison met her eyes, still smiling, "You're not a prisoner, Anna. But the duration of your stay…that, my love, depends entirely on you."
St. Michel Hospital, Paris, France
-
Anna was staring at Robin when she suddenly spotted them from the corner of her eye.
David and Dimitri Marick.
A sinking feeling filled the pit of her stomach. "Oh no…"
Anna stood, alongside Sean. "Does he know?" she whispered.
"Who?"
Anna didn't have to answer. Sean Donely heard David's voice as the two men entered the cafeteria. She also didn't have to tell him who the other man was. Tall, dark, impeccably dressed and unmistakably European. Sean had heard enough about Dimitri Marick to know it had to be him.
"No," he answered, his voice as low as Anna's. "He doesn't know."
Sean watched as Anna closed her eyes, her pallor suddenly frightening him. The blows kept coming. One after the other. Relentlessly. Faison. Leah. Alex. And now Dimitri. How many more could she deflect?
"I'll handle him," he told her.
She looked at him angrily, a hint of colour returning to her face. "No you won't. The last thing Dimitri needs is to hear this from anyone but me. Alex is my sister."
"You had nothing to do with this…" Sean started. He stopped when he caught her angry glare. "Fine," he mouthed. "Have it your way."
"Hello Anna," Dimitri said. "David says Leah's condition is improving. I'm very relieved for you."
"Thank you…" she said, swallowing as the words got caught in her throat.
She noticed his eyes taking in her sombre expression, noticed that they questioned her even before he spoke.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "I've come to see Alex and David said you know where she is."
Anna looked at David, Sean and Robin. "Do you mind giving me and Dimitri some time alone, please."
David shook his head. "I don't think so…"
Anna shot him an angry look. "I need a few minutes alone with Dimitri."
"Fine," David conceded with a frown. "A few minutes."
She watched as David left the cafeteria, putting his arm around Robin's shoulder, taking her with him.
Sean Donely hadn't budged.
"Do you mind?" she reiterated.
"You can give me all the angry looks you want. I'm staying right here," he told her.
"Is somebody going to tell me what's going on?" Dimitri demanded. "Is something wrong with Alex?"
Further down the hall
-
"Why does Mom do that?" Robin asked him, unable to stop the tears that fell freely down her cheeks, her pace quickening in response. "Dimitri's going to lose it when he finds out what happened and he's going to take it out on Mom! And what does she do? Instead of letting us back her up, she tells us all to get lost!" Robin wiped away a tear on the sleeve of her sweater. "I should've stayed there…like Sean. He doesn't give in to her stubbornness like the rest of the world."
David couldn't help a lopsided smile. "Robin, slow down…please. Sit down and tell me what happened."
"Don't you treat me like a child too!" she shouted back. A passing doctor shot her an angry look and told her to keep her voice down.
"Robin, you're upset," he said softly. "You're upset and I need to know what happened. Please?" He put his hand back on her shoulder. Unable to find a quiet seating area, he nudged her towards the nearest staircase. Away from the chaos of the hallway, he gave Robin another nudge to sit down on the steps.
David fished in his pockets for a tissue to hand her, finding a rumpled napkin that bore the logo of the airline he took on his way to Paris. "Here…"
Robin blew her nose, angry that the act did nothing to stem the flow of tears. Wasn't it enough that Leah was fighting for her life? Why couldn't Alex at least be safe from Faison's tentacles?
She didn't notice that David took a seat next to her. That he put an arm around her and said nothing as she tried in vain to bring the tears under control.
"It's okay, Robin," he whispered.
Robin had to remind herself that this man, whom she had only just met, wasn't a stranger. He was Leah's father. Allowing him to comfort her wasn't as absurd as it felt right now.
David too, couldn't explain what had propelled him to put his arm around this young woman he barely knew. He was never particularly paternal, at least not until forty-eight hours ago. Nor was he particularly adept when it came to compassion and kindness, God knows Leticia reminded him of that fact often enough. On top of it all, he was so exhausted his mind could barely form a coherent thought. Then there's was the minor detail that an unknown anti-viral serum was running through his veins.
It felt strange comforting Anna's daughter, yet, for the first time since Leo died, he felt like he belonged. Right here where he was.
"I'm sorry," Robin whispered, blowing her nose on his Air France serviette for the second time. "I hardly know you and here I am sobbing on your shoulder."
"It's alright," he managed a smirk. "I won't hold it against you."
"I think I'm okay now."
"Tell me what Sean told you."
"He said the set up didn't go as planned. Apparently Faison outwitted them and he got Alex. He carted her off somewhere."
The news cut through his exhaustion. No matter what his feelings for Alex, the thought of what she was facing, because of what she'd done for his daughter, made him feel awful. "I thought Sean had professional men backing her up…that's what you said isn't it?"
"Obviously it wasn't enough."
"Do they have any idea where he took her? Or whether he still thinks she's Anna?"
Robin shook her head. "I don't know…I barely had two seconds to see Sean when you and Dimitri came down to the cafeteria. I don't know any more than what I've told you."
"Sean works for some intelligence agency, doesn't he?" David asked her.
"The WSB. Same as Mom and Dad did."
"So he should have ample resources to find her. After all this Faison guy is known to law enforcement agencies, right?"
Robin shuddered at the thought. "He is, but he's smart. He won't be easy to find."
"But once he realizes she's not Anna, won't he let her go?"
As if anything was that simple when it came to Cesar Faison. "I don't know…"
She bit her lip, forcing herself not to think of her aunt and unleash another flood of tears. "I want to go back to the cafeteria. Dimitri will be so angry. I don't want him to think it's Mom's fault. She can't handle this on top of everything else right now."
"Your Mom's pretty tough."
"Everyone says that…but it's not always the truth. This has to be killing her."
"We also have someone else to take care of," David reminded her.
"Leah…I know. You're right." He was right. Leah needed them more than her mother right now. They had to run another blood test on David. If it came back clear, they had to find a way to administer the serum without anyone noticing. There was still so much to do.
Robin eyed him. "Afterwards…will you check on Mom?"
David nodded, not sure whether he would be able to keep his eyes open long enough for 'afterwards.' "I will. I promise."
"Do you still love her?"
It was an odd question to ask in the chaos of the moment and had Robin given herself a second to think about it, she wouldn't have posed it. But it slipped out. Now she wasn't sure whether she really wanted to hear the answer.
"Very much. I never stopped, Robin."
The answer came much quicker than Robin expected.
It made her smile. In spite of everything.
Hospital Cafeteria
-
Judging from the expression in the Count's eyes, Sean deducted he wasn't Anna's biggest fan. He had a gut feeling that, no matter how bad they were already, things were about to take a sudden turn for the worse.
"I'm sorry, but Alex isn't okay," Sean spat out before Anna had a chance to say anything.
Anna watched as the words hit Dimitri. Watched as the colour drained from his face. His physical reaction was hard to watch.
"What happened?" Dimitri asked, trying to keep his voice level.
"A man by the name of Cesar Faison is, or was, in Paris. He was the former head of an organization called the DVX which…"
"I know who Cesar Faison is," Dimitri cut off Sean Donely, turning to Anna. "You used to work for him."
Anna frowned, feeling the sting of his words. It wasn't a question. It was an accusation. Obviously Dimitri Marick no longer cared about putting on a front when it came to his dislike of her.
"It was a lifetime ago," Sean cut in.
"Who are you anyway?" Dimitri demanded.
"I'm sorry...I haven't introduced myself," Sean cringed. "My name is Sean Donely. I'm a good friend of Anna's. I work for the World Security Bureau."
"Why are you telling me something's wrong with Alex?" Dimitri looked at Anna, losing the composure he was struggling to keep. Alex had to be alright. Two days ago they had dinner together. Made love. He could still feel the texture of her hair against his skin. The scent of her fragrance in his nostrils.
He didn't have a chance yet to tell her that Andrei was a Marick now.
Alex had to be alright. Had to. Anything else was unimaginable.
He sucked in a breath of air, hearing its hiss as it struggled to enter his lungs. "Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" he demanded not of Sean, but Anna.
"Cesar Faison made Leah sick. He injected her with a virus in order to blackmail me into meeting him. Into playing his games again."
Dimitri shook his head, shocked as well as angry. "Anna, how is that possible?"
"He sent me a note saying he wanted to meet with me. But when it arrived, I wasn't…" Anna nearly swallowed the words. "I wasn't in a position to do so."
"You were unconscious. Drugged," Sean corrected her, seeing the willingness in her words to take the blame.
"The note Faison sent said he would cure Leah if I met with him," Anna continued.
"But you didn't…" Dimitri pointed out. "Yet Leah's condition is improving…"
"Alex met with him," Anna managed. "She met with him and he kidnapped her."
Dimitri shook his head, the notion making him physically ill. "No…no, I don't believe you. Why would you let her do that?"
He had to sit down. His knees suddenly felt as though they were made of rubber, unable to support his impossibly heavy weight.
"You let her walk into his trap? Just like that?"
"We had back up," Sean explained. "We had nine men plus a microchip tracking device to make sure he couldn't get anywhere with her. We thought we could protect her."
"But you didn't..."
"We did everything in our power…"
Dimitri didn't hear Sean's words, his eyes drifting to Anna instead. "How could you?"
Anna fought back tears.
"Anna didn't," Sean reminded him. "None of us asked her to do this. She offered. It was Alex's idea."
"Of course it was," Dimitri shot back, finding enough strength in his anger to stand back up. He glared at Anna. "Because there's nothing she won't do for her sister. Nothing."
"I would have done the…" Anna started.
"No," Dimitri shook his head, cutting her off. "You would not." He paused, choosing his words. "You…you couldn't even bother to return my wife's phone calls and now you're saying you would have risked your life for her? Surely not even you believe that, Anna. How my times has Alex invited you to come and spend time at Vadsel? You're her only flesh and blood family and she so desperately wanted you to be a part of her life. And you, you can't even find the time for a phone call. 'Hey sis, congratulations on adopting a child', 'Hey sis, thanks for spending half a day on the phone helping my daughter with her med school questions,' …no, not Anna Devane. Anna Devane has more exciting things to do. The only time my wife hears from you, is when you're in trouble…isn't it?"
Anna shook her head, unable to stop the tears that stung her eyes. How could words hurt this much? "That's not true…"
"What do you think you're doing?" Sean demanded, staring at Dimitri. "If you're looking for someone to blame, then look at me! I'm the one who couldn't protect Alex. If it were up to Anna this would never have happened!"
Dimitri laughed bitterly. "Of course not…it's never your fault, is it, Anna? Alex tells me you're a rebel. A rule breaker. She admires that about you. She tells me that that's why you flirted with the DVX. But, between you and me, I think it was more than that. I think you joined Faison out of greed and boredom. Isn't that right, Anna? Cesar Faison provided you with the danger and excitement you wanted out of life…and when his psychotic nature turned on you, when he became obsessed with you, then you got scared. But by then it was too late…too late for your husband, anyway."
Sean shook his head in disgust, "What the hell does this bitter tirade have to do with what happened last night?" And how in the world do you know all this from mere discussions with your wife?
Dimitri's eyes bore into Anna. "Everything. It has everything to do with what happened."
Sean watched as Anna wept, unable to speak.
"My wife almost lost her mind trying to escape the world of Charlotte Devane. She fought against that woman her whole life…while Anna embraced that world. She sought it out. And she keeps pulling Alex back into it…" He turned back to Anna "Because Alex could never turn you down, because she loves you so damn much."
Sean tightened his lips, hating the way Dimitri's words tore at Anna. "You're upset…I can understand that. I have a wife too, I know this is unbearable news for you…but please stop this. This isn't going to help, Alex. Alex would hate…"
"This," Dimitri seethed. "This …is long overdue. My cousin Gillian is dead because of choices that Anna made! And now you're telling me that my wife is in the hands of a murderer because..."
"As much as you want someone to blame, this isn't Anna's fault…and if you don't stop this madness…I will throw your ass out of here," Sean threatened. Dimitri Marick was lashing out at Anna without justification. It was something that Donely knew he wouldn't soon forgive.
Dimitri ignored Sean. "What are you doing to get her back?"
"We're going to do whatever it takes."
"We?"
"Anna, and me, and Dan O'Toole of Scotland Yard, the three of us combined have access to global intelligence databases that will make it easier to track him
"Tell me you've notified the police?" Dimitri asked incredulously.
"We don't believe it's in Alex's best interests to notify the police."
"You don't believe it's in her best interest to have professional law enforcement involved in finding her?" Dimitri shook in disbelief. "If you don't go to the police right now, I will and I'll make sure you never set foot in another intelligence agency, Mr. Donely!"
"Faison has informants everywhere," Sean cut in, unfazed by Dimitri's threats and no longer bothering to hide his dislike of the Count. "If he finds out he has the wrong twin…there's no telling what he'll do. It could be a death sentence for Alex. The less people that know about the switch the better the odds for Alex."
"Maybe if he realizes he doesn't have Anna, he'll let her go. Have you considered that possibility?" Dimitri countered.
"No," Anna said quietly. "He won't, Dimitri. That's not how Faison thinks. He'll be furious and he'll take it out on Alex…"
Dimitri swallowed, unwillingly to go there. "If anything happens to her…"
"If you go running off to the authorities you're increasing the chances of him finding out…"
"What are your chances of finding her? If your investigative skills are as good as your bodyguard skills, I'll take my chances with the police…"
"We'll find her," Anna interrupted him. "I swear to you, if it's the last thing I do."
"I want my own men helping you out."
"The more people we have looking for Faison the greater the chances he finds out about the ruse…" Sean reminded him.
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear," Dimitri glared at both of them. "I'm going to bring in some of my own men to help find my wife. I wasn't making a suggestion."
"We don't know if we can trust…" Sean started but stopped when he felt Anna's hand on his arm.
"It's fine, Sean. Dimitri has a right to do this," she said softly, looking at him. "I know you wouldn't bring in anyone we can't trust."
"I don't trust you," he spat back. "Or you," he glared at Sean. "So maybe that's a wrong assumption, but you can be assured I wouldn't put Alex's life at risk, if that's what you're trying to suggest."
"She didn't do this for me, Dimitri," Anna added, wanting him to know. "She did it for Leah."
For the first time since Anna saw him, Dimitri's expression softened. "I would never wish any harm on your little girl, Anna. Never." He paused, "If you need to take care of your daughter, you do that. But after that…I swear, you better do everything in your power to make sure we find Alex before it's too late."
Alexei Estate, Russia
-
"If you say I'm not a prisoner here, then why am I locked into this room?" Alex demanded.
"It's only to simplify things at the moment. You're free to wander the estate, Anna." Faison offered her a feeble smile, "I know you like your freedom. I wouldn't think to keep you locked inside four walls."
"And outside these four walls?"
"You're asking me whether it's possible to leave the estate?"
"Just in case I get the urge."
"Maximum security. Including barbed wire, electrical fencing, camera surveillance…and several guard dogs. A gilded gulag of sorts." His lips curved into a smile. "Minus the forced labour."
Alex's eyes widened. Afraid.
"I'm willing to make certain concessions, Anna. But I didn't go to the painstaking trouble of bringing you here so you can run off shortly afterwards."
Don't let him see your fear.
"You're saying I can leave this room as I wish?"
"Of course."
"Prove it."
Faison raised his chin and gestured towards the door. "Go ahead. It's open."
Alex walked towards it, surprised to find it was no longer locked shut. She peaked out into the corridor, into an old, dark hallway that matched the age of the room she was in.
A part of her wanted to run, as fast and as far as she could, praying he was lying, bluffing, about the security that surrounded the estate.
'There has to be a way out of here,' she thought, stifling her panic.
In spite of everything her instincts told her, she fought the urge to run out into the hallway. 'It's foolish and pointless,' a voice told her.
'It's not what Anna would do.'
Ignoring Faison, even as she felt his eyes boring into her back, Alex took a tentative step outside.
Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia
-
Robert Scorpio stared outside the window, just as the Aeroflot Ilyushin 62 made its bumpy landing on the runway. It was an older plane, a workhorse in an airline notorious for pushing its fleet to the limit.
The flight leaving Africa had been delayed for five hours on account of a 'mechanical inspection', and once the aging plane was finally in the air, it turned back into Kinshasa twenty minutes later. Apparently the inspection hadn't been entirely successfull.
Robert cringed as a loud, screeching noise accompanied the ferocious braking efforts of the pilot, finally bringing the panting machine to a halt near the end of the runway.
Robert thought he noticed a bead of sweat on the forehead of one of the two agents accompanying him.
"I think we're going to live," he mouthed.
The black man seated next to him heard Robert and he smiled, revealing a mouth of perfect, white teeth. "I was told working with you is a lucky thing, Agent Saunders."
Robert smirked. "I guess we'll find out won't we?" Bringing two black, African agents into rural Russia wasn't a lucky thing. It was suicide, really.
One of the keys to survival in espionage was the ability to blend in. To render oneself invisible. Two black men in rural Russia would stick out like sore thumbs. After seeing them once, they'd remain in people's conversations for days afterwards.
Yet when Robert had requested two white agents, without explaining why, Sampson had, predictably, told him he could have the two black men or none.
"Where do you think you are, Scorpio? This is Africa. Most agents are African. If they're not good enough for you, you can go it alone."
It wasn't a question of good. It was a question of invisibility. And in Russia, two black men were anything but invisible.
Robert stared at the perfect blue sky as the plane puttered into its holding bay.
It was a problem. A big problem.
Alexei Estate, Russia
-
Alex walked out into the corridor, observing her surroundings.
'It's what Anna would do,' she reminded herself.
She gazed up along the dark walls of the hallway, at the oil paintings that lined it, oblivious to their worth. Dimitri would appreciate them. He had a keen eye for antiques.
'So would Anna.'
To Alex they were heavy and overbearing, much like the house itself.
She wanted to get out of the building, to see its surroundings, and when she spotted a staircase, Alex walked down it, her hands running along a smooth, mahogany handrail that was undoubtedly added during a recent renovation.
Alex spotted a woman near the bottom of the staircase.
She had light blonde hair and wore a colourful print dress that flattered her full-bodied figure and made for a stark contrast to Alex's own dark clothes.
The woman eyed Alex with open curiosity. Studying her.
"You must be Anna Devane," she announced in a thick Russian accent devoid of emotion. "Welcome to Alexei Estate."