9- The Ermitage
TWO DAYS LATER
The cold was biting that evening. The outside temperature didn't not exceed -5 degrees. Agitation filled the air. The large adjoining square to the Ermitage was crowded with people, all the high society of St. Petersburg had visibly given an appointment for this great evening performance. The old palace, now converted into a museum, shone brightly under the lights of the city. Its white and turquoise-blue arcades, typical of Russian architecture, stood out under the deep black sky. Snow was falling in small quantities, gradually covering the sumptuous Russian city to the smallest corner.
Hidden in a dark corner, Kurtis watched the incessant coming and going of cars and other cabs that unfolded before his eyes. As expected, a lot of people had come tonight. He quickly scanned the large square, but did not detect any suspicious movement.
He felt strangely serene for the moment, even though he did not feel that comfortable in the suit Roman had found for him, but it would do very well for the evening.
He took a last look at the corner where he had left his motorcycle, camouflaged under a thick tarp. Thanks to some well-placed contacts, he had been able to negotiate with Roman to have it discreetly repatriated to Russia, and he was not unhappy about this. He preferred to be prepared for any eventuality, especially on a night like this.
After a last puff, he got rid of his cigarette with a snap and headed for the great hall, disappearing into the crowd.
—
The taxi dropped her off right in front of the main entrance. She got into her big fake fur coat that Sasha had lent her, and took a few seconds to admire the façade that lit up in front of her. The square was crowded with countless snazzy party outfits and ultra chic three-piece suits that evening. As far as her memory went back, it had been a long time since she went to such kind of party.
She finally made her way to the large entrance hall, drowning in the compact crowd. At first glance, she passed relatively unnoticed, which was a good starting point. A squad of bellmen and hostesses greeted her at the entrance, before taking care of her heavy coat. Without it, and especially without her usual outfits, she suddenly felt vulnerable. A fresh draught caressed her neck, she couldn't hold back a shiver.
She walked into the huge baroque hall, whose imposing chandeliers were shining brightly above her head. The gilding of the walls and the various ornaments glittered and reflected on the smooth marble floor, giving the place a warm, almost cosy atmosphere.
She then headed for the main staircase to the floor where tonight's reception was being held, all she had to do was follow the rest of the crowd. She watched from the corner of her eye as several people turned around in her path. She had told Roman she wanted to wear something relatively discreet, but she realised that she would have finally made a splash among all those aristocrats who had put on their best finery.
She finished climbing the last steps of the huge staircase, and turned on her left. The mezzanine overlooking the hall had various nooks and crannies in which guests could enjoy the bustle of an evening's performance in complete tranquility, settled in wide benches, sofas and imposing deep red velvet armchairs. They formed successive small lounges, protected by the returns of the imposing columns supporting the decorated ceiling of the great hall. A few crystal chandeliers adorned the whole, their heavy gemstones cascading down over the heads.
The young woman walked with a confident but temperate step, the bottom of her evening gown gently whipping her lower legs. Her chic black strappy heels resonated on the thick marble.
You're still better in flat shoes than in things like these. But it will be okay, I guess
Roman had gotten her this dress almost at the last minute; under what circumstances, given the urgency of the matter, she had preferred not to know. A mermaid dress with long sleeves, slightly flared at the bottom, all in delicacy: the large boat neckline revealed with elegance the birth of her breast, without any pretension whatsoever. It was relatively tight, elegantly marrying her curves. The powdered pink of the fabric and the thousands of embroidered sequins glittered under the lights of the chandeliers.
Even though everything seemed planned, she felt slightly nervous. She even hoped to find Kurtis as soon as possible, so that they could start their research right away, and end it as quickly as possible. She didn't want to linger here for too long.
A few metres away from her, in one of the numerous cosy corners, she finally saw the mercenary, stuck in a thick armchair, his gaze lost in the void. The young woman stopped in front of him.
'Good evening, stranger,' she said teasingly.
Kurtis raised his head towards her, almost surprised to see her. He looked at her from top to bottom, : she had gathered her hair into a low, loose bun, and brought a large lock of hair to the side of her face. She wore some long diamond earrings but hadn't put much makeup on: a simple stroke of mascara, and a beautiful red lipstick. Simple, effective.
Sensual
Lara watched him swallow with difficulty as he stood up, mechanically pulling the bow tie that seemed to tighten around his throat. She almost felt embarrassed to present herself to him like that, tight in such a dress she was no longer used to wear.
'You look... pretty smart.'
Lara sketched a smile; she tried not to think about the red that was going up to her cheeks. The mercenary ran a nervous hand in his hair that had been combed backwards. She looked at his clean-shaven face, surprised by the delicacy of his features. She discovered a small scar in the corner of the mercenary's eye, like a slight scratch, which she hadn't noticed until then.
'I have to admit the suit doesn't look bad on you either,' she replied in a tone she wanted amused.
Kurtis readjusted his black smoking jacket.
'Thank you. Not really used to this kind of... things, but anyway...'
He escaped a small nervous laugh. The young woman stared at him without a word, looking deeply into his eyes. She suddenly stepped forward to delicately adjust the American's bow tie which went askew. Kurtis felt the nervousness in her gestures as she tried to stay concentrated on the piece of tissu. Because, indeed, she was worried : even though the nightmares had not returned, or at least not for the time being, her vision had left a deep impression on her. She felt constantly on the alert, being observed from all sides, on the verge of paranoia. But she was too proud to let it show in front of the mercenary.
'You okay?' he asked, searching for her eyes.
She finally let go of his bow and took a step backwards.
'I haven't been to such an event for a long time now... I must admit I don't really feel comfortable...'
She stopped, and observed out of the corner of her eye a couple of Russians in their age who was passing by. The crowd was on the move and was starting to gather around them near the reception hall.
'Museums don't really bring me luck...'
A mischevious smile appeared on Kurtis' face.
'Don't worry, won't be around to stalk you this time...'
A hostess called out to the crowd and invited everybody to enter the large adjoining hall. Kurtis reached out his arm to the young woman.
'Would you do me the honor of being my date tonight, Miss...?'
'Richardson. Ana Richardson.'
'My real pleasure, Miss Richardson.'
The adventurer intercepted her companion's mocking smile.
'Don't be that slanderous, mister...?'
'Renner. Vance Renner'
Lara returned an amused smile. For safety, they had decided to change their name for the evening, with Roman's advice and help. It wasn't much, but it would give them a little more discretion.
'Alright, let's go for it then, mister Renner.'
The young lady grabbed his arm, this time smiling at him, and they walked at the same pace towards the great reception hall.
—
The reception hall was sumptuous, worthy of the greatest palaces in the world. Glued together, they made their entrance into a crowded hall. Their footsteps echoed in rhythm on the thick rough-wood parquet flooring. The walls were covered with a thick red-purple tapestry with golden ornaments, heavy velvet curtains framed the full-length windows through which the lights of the city shone in the dark night. Impressive masterpieces observed them from their gilded arabesque frames. As in the large entrance hall, huge crystal chandeliers lit up the room with their most beautiful flame, plunging the guests into a subdued, almost fairy-tale atmosphere. On the high, vaulted ceiling, huge epic frescoes in shimmering colours stretched across the room. To their right, an impressive sideboard had been set up on a long table. At the back of the room, on a small stage, an orchestra played a famous classical tune. As Mikhaïl and Roman had predicted, it seemed that a good part of the St Petersburg bourgeoisie was present tonight. Somewhere behind their backs, Lara identified a few foreign couples as well.
A man climbed up on the stage at the back of the room. There was a general movement through the crowd, the voices gradually fell silent, and the brightness dropped slightly. The notes of the orchestra fell back, establishing a light silence.
The man, whom Lara imagined to be a high-ranking official or a museum official, walked forward in front of the audience in his elegant blue three-piece suit, before stopping in front of the microphone. After clearing his throat, he began a speech that the young woman was unfortunately unable to understand, as it was in Russian. She took advantage of the situation and discreetly scanned the crowd around them, but did not notice anything unusual. At a glance, however, she spotted two security guards positioned a little further down the hall. She glanced at a Kurtis who did not seem more interested than that in the speech either.
After about twenty minutes, the speech ended with a thunderous applause. The orchestra resumed its notes, and the crowd began to disperse. Conversations resumed, and the two adventurers found themselves drowned in the crowd.
'Where do we start?' Kurtis discreetly asked the young woman.
They quietly walked around the reception hall, pretending to admire the paintings hanging on the walls.
'As we have no precise idea where the sword is, we have to proceed logically. I think it is better to start on this floor, we have to take advantage of the crowd and the movement while we can. We can also have a look inside the Royal Flats. Accessible, but certainly less crowded.'
'What about the basements?'
'Not open to the public tonight, otherwise it would have been too easy. They are mainly underground archives, there are several storage rooms, but difficult to access.'
They went to the entrance they had used to get to this room.
'But I guess Roman and you have worked on this, haven't you?' replied the mercenary.
As a response, she just smiled at him. Her red lipstick made her look like a femme fatale.
'Have you seen something?' she whispered to the young man's ear as they turned round and walked away from the crowd.
Kurtis slightly leaned towards her so that he could answer discreetly too.
'I havent noticed nothing weird for the moment. Everyone's busy here.'
'That's a good point. But there are a lot of people here,' the young woman whispered between her clenched teeth. 'Much more than I thought'.
'There are also a lot of agents.'
They exchanged a meaningful glance: the mission was going to be a delicate one. The failure of Sasha and Roman's mission at the Peterhof the day before had only added an extra layer of pressure. Sasha had used her contacts on the spot, searching from top to bottom even collections that were inaccessible to the public, from the archives to the royal flats, in vain. They had found no trace or even the slightest clue as to the possible location of the sword at the Peterhof. Disillusioned, they had returned home late in the evening with nothing to show for it. The translations of Mikhaïl and Kurtis had not brought any further details about the matter either. Lara felt apprehension take hold of her. She didn't dare to imagine the possibility that Karel might be too far ahead of them and that it might be too late. But deep down inside, she had the hope the sword was indeed somewhere here.
With a slow step they returned to the main corridor. Kurtis passed an arm around her waist and they slowly started walking down the huge corridor, trying to blend in. They accepted a glass of champagne a waitress was handing them.
'Let's start there,' the young woman said with a slight mouvement of the head.
A little further to their right was the east wing of the palace, mainly devoted to Russian neo classical works, among the most beautiful in all Europe. As Mikhaïl had told her when they had looked at the Hermitage's plans the day before, it was not impossible that they would find clues in this part of the palace, as many of the works in this department had belonged to the royal family before its extinction and after their return from Germany.
They went down long, endless corridors, which very much resembled those they had seen in the Louvre. The glossy parquet floor cracked under their feet. Long dark red ropes, supported by small golden posts, indicated the direction of traffic and prevented any direct access to the works, be it the paintings or the furniture on display. She also recognised some French paintings, and German works from the end of the 18th century.
After going through a gallery full of paintings of little interest to them, they came to a small vaulted room, halfway between a pavillon and a reception room. Here too, large, leaf-like chandeliers cast a soft light above them. The city lights, which filtered through the large windows, caught her attention for a moment. She remained pensive, standing in front of them. She felt Kurtis joining her.
'There doesn't seem to be much here,' he said softly.
The young woman gave him a weary smile over her shoulder. With a gentle gesture he invited her to follow him, and they resumed their walk among the guests who had scattered all over the museum. A little further on, as they were about to leave the Pavilion Hall, they crossed the way of an old Russian couple which was staring at them both. They exchanged a polite smile and greeted each other with a slight movement of the head. The adventuress clearly saw the old man's gaze go from her breast to the curves of her hips. She felt Kurtis's arm gripping her more tightly as the couple walked past them. She couldn't help but smile.
'Don't worry, he's not my type.'
Kurtis smirked, and bent slightly so that he could whisper to her ear.
'Didn't know miss Richardson had a type.'
Without letting go of her mysterious smile, she let her answer float away.
'I usually need a little more adrenaline.'
Lara turned away and entered the imposing staircase that led to the upper floors. They passed two security guards who gave them a quick glance, but without insisting any further. They climbed up the grand marble staircase and went around an impressive marble horseman, enthroned in the middle of it, which seemed to brandish his curved sword in their direction. They reached the floor that opened onto the New Hermitage, and the whole area onto the royal flats.
They stood in the middle of the corridor, face to face, acting like they were having a conversation. Lara looked distractedly around her, as if she was looking for something. A group of women went by them. After giving the mercenary some insistent and revealing glances, they whispered a few words to each other, before disappearing into the corridor.
'It looks that Mr Renner is also very successful tonight,' the adventuress told him playfully.
Kurtis took a look at the women walking away.
'A little too wise for my taste. I need a little more... adrenaline,' he replied with a slight smile. 'How can you think I'm interested in women like that?'
'I don't know, maybe you're into the exotic type. Former Russian spies are always very successful for instance.'
'Not necessarily.'
Their eyes met. Another couple of aristocrats interrupted them, greeting them warmly as they passed by.
'Does miss Richardson show signs of jealousy?' replied the young man, with an even larger smirk on his face.
Lara caught a triumphant glint in his eyes, which annoyed her. She couldn't help answering a little abruptly, keeping as much as she could of the smile on her face.
'I'm just suspicious of everyone, that's all.'
Lara's hazel eyes got back to the mercenary's crystal ones. They shone brightly under the lights of the chandeliers, just like her marvelous dress. They observed each other for a few seconds in silence. The adventuress felt the young man's hand gently slide down her hip as another group of people went by them. She felt a rush of electricity running through her whole body, and suddenly felt strange.
She looked away, embarrassed. She glanced behind her, as if she was looking for something to hold on to in this situation where she felt uncomfortable. Then, without any explanation, she grabbed Kurtis by the arm. They walked fast, he let her drive him into a hidden corner, where a very small sign hanging on the wall indicated the Restroom.
She violently pushed the heavy solid wooden door, and dragged the American along with her. An older woman, bent over the white marble sinks, was touching up her make-up, which was already a little too pronounced. She looked up at this unlikely couple and seemed to freeze at the sight of Kurtis. Time stood still for a few seconds, all three of them visibly embarrassed by the situation. Kurtis addressed her in Russian. The old woman took offense, and just walked in the ladies toilets.
'Don't know what you told her, but I'm impressed with your language skills,' the adventuress told him.
'I have my little secrets. Can you tell me what's going on?'
She did not respond to him. She waited until the woman went through the door to grab Kurtis by the arm again and drag him into one of the booths. She slammed the door behind him. The young man could not hold back his surprise.
'I didn't think things were getting that serious between us...'
'Give me a minute!'
He looked up at her with a naughty look. When she turned her back to him, the young man's gaze slid down the neckline of her dress which seemed to descend endlessly towards her hips, revealing an almost naked back.
She lowered the flap of the toilet and took support with one hand to pull herself up on it, while slightly raising the bottom of her dress with the other. She finally stood up, and her hands went to push some of the ceiling plaques. She exerted brief pressure in several places until one of the slabs gave way and rose up. She slipped her hand under the plate, fumbled, and finally fell on the small object she was looking for. She pulled it out of the dusty ceiling in a triumphant gesture. As she lowered her eyes, she intercepted the azure gaze of Kurtis who looked stunned as he traced down her curves.
'Stay concentrated, Trent, please!'
She tried her best to frown and look stern, but she realised that she was not at all credible when she saw the young man's azure gaze. He raised his eyebrows, pretending not to be concerned by the remark.
How do you want me to stay concentrated?
'Don't see anything personnal...'
Lara came down from the bowl, pulling the dust away from her dress. She presented him a big white envelop, in which they found two laminated cards. Kurtis watched the pass, and then looked up at Lara, his eyes brows raised in surprise.
'I have my little secrets too,' she simply said, a mysterious smile on her face.
Kurtis smiled back, and took one of the pass Lara was handing to him. He slipped it into his inside jacket pocket.
'I see you're getting along pretty well with Mikhaïl and Roman.'
'How lucky you are to have such good friends,' she replied with a knowing smile.
He watched the young woman hide the pass where she could under her dress.
'So, what do we do now?' he asked, as he adjusted his jacket.
'Let's go and see what's going on in the basements.'
—
After discreetly exiting the toilets, they slipped out through the emergency exit door, which, as Roman had indicated, went straight down into the depths of the service areas of the palace.
They descended the three floors of metal stairs with cold grey walls. The corridors were now empty of anybody here, but on several occasions they had to stop abruptly when some of the doors slammed and resounded in the stairwell. She and Kurtis crossed their fingers on the inside so as not to come face to face with guards. However, they soon realised that this part of the palace was much less guarded, and that the few noises they heard were only relative to the brief passages of some of the waiters deployed for the evening.
On the penultimate floor, they caught a young couple of lovers kissing furiously in a dark corner. Caught in the act, they stopped dead in their tracks, almost ashamed. The young man spoke to them in Russian, wiggling with nervousness. His girlfriend hid behind him as best she could, looking down. Kurtis talked to the young man, who became suddenly agitated and took offense. Lara did not understand a single word of what they were telling each other, but she clearly understood the Russian's sarcastic and haughty tone. His eyes, full of undertones, fell on her. Kurtis, obviously angry, made a wide gesture with his arm, no doubt to ask the two young lovers to get out of the way. The two young Russians passed in front of them, and silence fell again on the stairs. Lara turned her questioning gaze towards the mercenary.
'What did he say?'
The American continued on his way, without really looking back.
'It's better for you not to know, I think.'
Without looking any further and not wanting to create discomfort, the Englishwoman didn't flinch and followed him in the last flight of stairs that led them to the basement of the Hermitage.
They arrived in an enclosed space, whose rough concrete walls were a good reflection of a place. In front of them was a simple metal door with a porthole. Kurtis approached and looked out of the small round window. Lara waited for his green light to come closer.
She in turn took a quick look through the window, but was mainly interested in what could be hidden in the dark corners above their heads. She immediately caught sight of the first camera just above the door and a second one a little further down the corridor. Looking more closely, she noticed that small red lights were flashing, indicating that the cameras were on. Almost instantly, the lights went out. The surveillance systems were now off.
You are perfect, Roman
She felt the stress rising inside her. If Roman had managed to deactivate the security systems, they wouldn't have much time, maybe only a few minutes before agents came to meet them. She gave Kurtis a sign of acquiescence, who took out his pass and slipped it into the small box hanging on the wall, right next to the door. The red light turned green, and a rattling sound told them that the door was open. They slid one after the other into the opening.
They arrived in a long concrete corridor, just as dark as the stairwell they had just left. A few neon lights regularly placed along the wall lit up the place with a gloomy light. It was cold, almost damp. At the far end, a large sliding door closed the end of the tunnel, in what looked like a freight elevator.
They felt as if they were in a kind of car park: on their left, huge boxes closed by heavy steel doors followed each other for about a hundred metres. From the distance, they imagined that the corridor ran the entire length of the palace, underneath its foundations. The mercenary quickly observed the place and realised that they would not be able to open all the doors and search the boxes one by one.
'Ok, I guess it's up to me now,' Kurtis murmured.
Lara nodded. If she still didn't fully understand the extent of Kurtis' powers, or what exactly they consisted of, she knew they would be useful to them at this very moment. They walked a few steps forward, looking at the armoured doors one by one.
Kurtis looked back at the adventurer, whose dress still sparkled even in the dark.
'We have to hurry,' Lara whispered in turn.
'How much time do I have?'
The young woman nodded her head.
'Not much, unfortunately.'
The American stood in front of the first door, a hand stretched out in front of him, brushing against the metal. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, whispering words that Lara couldn't distinguish from where she was standing. After a few seconds he finally opened his eyes again, shaking his head.
'I will try. But it might take longer than expected.'
The young man walked a little further down the long corridor and stopped somewhere halfway along the way. Facing a new metal door, he closed his eyes and began to chant again in a language that Lara recognised as Latin. Head down, his locks of hair hung down in front of his closed face. Stable on his two feet, his fists clenched, he emptied his thoughts as best as he could to immerse himself fully in his clairvoyance. Lara did not withdraw, for fear of breaking the trance in which the mercenary found himself. She regularly cast anxious glances over his shoulder, dreading the moment when security would realise that they were intruding in the basement.
Kurtis did not moved. Everything around him had disappeared. The echo of his own formulas seemed to get lost somewhere in the distance, in total nothingness. He remained conscious of his own body, of Lara lurking just behind him, and of the long, cold, hostile tunnel. He felt the freezing cold of the metal doors facing him, and the slight draught that caressed his neck. He swung to the other side of the metal wall. In this first room there was only a pile of wooden boxes, lying against each other in no particular order. In one corner he recognised a huge Velazquez painting, wrapped in thick burlap. The other objects were clearly of no interest in this room. He crossed the wall and went to work on the second chest, because that is what it was: a series of safes containing some of Russia's most precious treasures. Again, no particular object caught his attention, or at least he saw nothing that could not resemble a weapon.
He continued on his way, as long as he did not feel the adventuress stirring behind him. After a few chests, a muffled roar rose up around him, like the roar of a volcano deep in the earth. His skin was beginning to burn, his head was buzzing seriously. He knew he was running out of energy and that he wouldn't last much longer. A feeling of anxiety overcame him, but he soon realised that it came from the young woman behind him. He felt himself trembling.
'Kurtis!'
His body suddenly became lighter, and collapsed on itself, as if relieved of a weight. He fell to his knees, shaken. The young woman rushed to catch him as best she could, passing her arm around him to support and lift him up.
Suddenly an engine sound resonated at the end of the tunnel. Lara jumped. She realised that the lift's dial had just turned on, and that someone was descending to the level where they were. With all her might, she dragged the young man who could barely stand upright, to the access door they had used when they arrived, hoping to reach the stairwell. There were only a few metres to go before reaching the door, the adventuress felt the stress rise a notch.
She pulled the handle in haste, and as they were finally reaching back the service stairs, the double doors of the freight elevator at the other end of the corridor opened and the little red light came back on the security cameras.
'Kurtis, wake up! We have to go!'
The young man finally seemed to return from his other world. Without taking the time to think further, Lara walked up the stairs and started to climb to the upper floors, Kurtis still leaning on her. A door seemed to literally explode somewhere above them.
'Shit...' whispered the young woman.
'We've got to get out of here,' the mercenary told her, coming back to his senses.
'No time for that.'
Luckily they had just reached the first level. They heard footsteps coming down the metal steps above them. Lara grabbed Kurtis by his jacket and literally pinned him to the wall, just in the corner where they had surprised the two young lovers earlier.
Instinctively, she came over and pulled herself against the young man, putting her arms around his waist. She hoisted herself up on tiptoes and went to nestle her face in the hollow of the young man's neck, as if she was about to kiss him. Still groggy, Kurtis looked at her with incomprehension.
'What the...'
'Hey, you there!'
Two guards were coming down towards them, their torches pointing down the stairs. The adventuress got even more closer to the mercenary, short of breath.
'What are you doing here?'
'Oops! I think we've been spotted, darling...'
'Hands up!' the two guards yelled at the same time.
A woman and a man with a shaved head came up to them. Instinctively, the mercenary put his arm around the young woman's waist, but could see nothing with that light pointed at them.
'Put your hands high!' repeated the female agent.
'Our apologies, I think we got a little lost... We... We just needed a little privacy' Kurtis replied mechanically.
'Your hands! Show me your hands!' yelled the second guard as he approached them.
The two adventurers finally parted and took some steps back, looking at each other from the corner of the eye. The woman approached Lara and grabbed her by the wrists and slammed her violently against the wall. She escaped a cry of astonishment.
'Hey, what the fuck is going on? Leave her alone!' Kurtis yelled.
The woman officer began to search Lara, slipping her hands over strategic places to check that she had nothing on her. Kurtis was suddenly overcome with stress when he remembered the passes they had in their possession. He tried not to let anything show through: if they kept on playing the innocent aristocrates like that and if the guards didn't find anything, they might have a chance. He watched the second guard go downstairs and take a quick look in the corridor of the storage area. Unsure, he went back up towards them and rushed at Kurtis to block him against the wall too.
The Englishwoman struggled furiously, playing the frightened young lady.
'What's the matter with you? Who do you think you are?'
'Be quiet madam,' the female agent told her firmly.
'What the hell is going on? We're tourists, we're invited to the party,' Kurtis attempted, struggling to breathe properly under the elbow of the agent who was blocking his neck.
The agent in question hurriedly searched the mercenary's pockets and pulled out two identity cards, as well as two invitation cards. For long minutes, during which the two officers communicated with their colleagues by earpiece and walkie-talkies, nothing happened. The two adventurers remained prisoners, unable to move. Then, after yet another call to one of their colleagues, the guard holding Lara suddenly released the pressure. She blew, furious. The second officer in turn released Kurtis, who massaged his aching neck.
'We were just looking for privacy...' he repeated, bitterly.
He retrieved the invitations and cards by tearing them out of the hands of the agent facing him. The two guards stepped back. They looked at the two adventurers suspiciously.
'We'll walk you back, ladies and gentlemen, you don't have to do anything here.'
'Come on, darling,' Kurtis said, sliding his hand around Lara's waist.
They've got nothing to keep us here, we'd better lay low.
The big brown eyes of the Englishwoman met the azure the American's. She frowned. She observed the strange smirk on the young man's face despite the perilous situation they were in.
She did not know exactly what had just happened. She had heard the words, but she hadn't seen them. The young man's lips had not moved. The young woman gave him a troubled look. Her mind was still hazy, but she followed the mercenary's movement, who made her turn round and go back up the stairs. The officers followed them.
They reached the next floor in the greatest of silences. The heels of the Englishwoman slammed forcefully against the metal arches. She could hear the jerky breathing of her companion glued to her. Suddenly, a metallic rattle rang out, she stepped on something. As she climbed up the steps, she realised with horror that one of the pass she had hidden had just slipped and fallen, bouncing off the iron steps. The plastic card slipped under the sides of her dress and fell a few steps down, between the feet of the two security guards. They all stopped. There was a heavy silence. The female agent bent down to catch the object that Lara had just dropped.
'What the...'
The adventuress suddenly turned around. With a quick and precise movement she swung her leg round and hit the female agent in the head. The woman was suddenly thrown against the wall in a scream of surprise. In the same movement, Kurtis literally threw himself at the second officer, who, also surprised, had no time to react. The mercenary grabbed him by the neck and came and hit his head against the railing of the staircase. Just as the man was getting up to fight back, the mercenary kicked him in the abdomen and the man swung back. He tumbled down the stairs with a loud crash before spreading out on the lower floor. In the meantime, Lara finished off her opponent by grabbing her by the shoulders and kicking her in the head with her knees. The woman also fell down the stairs and rolled down a few steps.
The two adventurers caught their breath, looking up at each other. Kurtis readjusted his jacket, short of breath. Lara looked down at her dress, which had literally ripped open up to her thigh in the shock of the attack.
'I thought they were well hidden...' she said to Kurtis with a sorry look.
'I'd rather not know where you had hidden them,' he replied in a tone that was meant to be joking.
They took a quick look at the two bodies lying a little lower down.
'By the way, well done... darling.'
The young woman met his mocking gaze.
'I had to find something...'
She pushed back a strand of hair that was bothering her.
'Better not to stay too long over here. There might others coming for us.'
'Better to avoid other bad surprises indeed,' Kurtis told her. 'Now let's turn back and get out of here, darling'
Lara met Kurtis' laughing eyes.
'Don't get used to it...'
'Who knows?' he answered with a smirk.
—
The access door led them into a dark corridor, visibly inaccessible to the guests. There again, large works of art were watching them from their colourful walls. The surrounding silence indicated that they must have been in one of the upper parts of the palace.
'You okay?' asked the English woman to the mercenary.
'If you consider the fact that I have just walked through the reinforced concrete walls of one of Russia's largest art reserves and that we have just knocked out two agents, yes I think we can say everything's fine.'
The young woman gave him a reproving look. They stopped at a sort of crossroads, where several corridors met. Everything was dark, and they heard nothing. They lurked in a secluded corner. Lara grabbed the young man by the arm.
'What the hell was that?'
The mercenary stared at her without understanding.
'Stop taking me for a fool.'
She pulled a little harder on the sleeve of his smocking suit.
'I'm getting sick and tired of your mysterious-and-solitary-hero look.'
'I don't think this is really the time or place for that, Croft,' the mercenary resumed, looking coldly at her. 'Aren't you tired of turning everything into a drama like that?'
The young woman fell silent, taken aback by the irritated tone of the young man.
'I thought you couldn't read minds...' she told him irritably.
'I didn't read your mind, I spoke to you with my mind...'
They looked at each other without a word. The adventuress crossed her arms tightly against her chest, suspicious.
'I'm just asking you to trust me a little, Lara.'
She nodded her head slightly, her lips tightened. She was in the grip of doubt, suddenly frightened by the mercenary's real mental capacities.
'As long as you don't use it against me...'
A silence fell between the two adventurers. Lara took a few breaths to calm down. For there was no need for a big drama, they had more important things to deal with at the moment. But she didn't like to feel as unsettled as she was.
'And the safes?' she finally asked, a little calmed down. 'Did you find anything?'
'Nothing... nothing that looks like a weapon...'
'Did you get a good look?'
The young man shook his head, annoyed.
'I managed to scan most of the airlocks, Lara. There are only paintings and furniture piled on top of each other down there. There was nothing, the sword must be somewhere else.'
'Most of the airlocks?'
'I haven't managed to get into the last two or three safes... it takes a lot of energy, as you've seen...'
'Maybe it's in one of these vaults... we have to find a way to...'
'Are you joking?' interrupted the mercenary. 'We can't go back down, it's too risky... as long as we can, I think it's better to keep going...'
Voices echoed somewhere behind them. They turned and looked upside down, their eyes on the alert. They both held their breath. Footsteps echoed in the distance, a group of people were coming up towards them. They heard the characteristic squealing of walkie-talkies echoing in the dark corridor.
'Shit...' said the mercenary.
He grabbed the young woman by the arm and dragged her a little further away with him to a remote corner. They tried to hide behind a thick marble column, but the beams of flashlights pointed in their direction. The mercenary bent his head to take a look. He discovered with fright a group of about ten men in dark camouflage suits and helmets advancing towards them. A first guard led the way, his shield brandished in front of him. The man standing just behind was pointing an assault rifle in their direction. Kurtis felt his heart beat fast in his chest.
'Here comes the welcoming committee...'
They heard the horde of agents barking in Russian.
'How many are they?'
'Too many...'
They slid along walls to move away as discreetly as possible. They heard the footsteps accelerating behind them.
'I think it's high time for us to go home, darling,' Kurtis told her.
They started to run in the shades of the corridor. Almost instantly, a burst of bullets swept through above their heads. A little further away, Kurtis grabbed Lara and came and pinned her against the wall, pulling his own body against hers to protect her. A marble column covered them as the bullets hit the stone. Lara looked for Kurtis' gaze, out of breath.
'What now?' she asked.
'I don't think we have many options left...'
Kurtis looked down at her. Another shot rang out. A bullet whistled, grazing the young man's head.
'Run!'
She followed him in his footsteps.
'Do you have a plan?!'
'Yes! Well, maybe...'
This did not reassure the young woman. The hallway led nowhere, she couldn't see any way out. Only a window with imposing stained glass was waiting for them. They heard men shouting in Russian, somewhere behind their backs.
'Grab my hand!'
A new burst of bullets passed not far from their heads. As they reached the large window, the adventurer grabbed Kurtis' hand. As she did so, the mercenary gave a powerful impulse, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back against him. He stretched his hand out in front of him and the window exploded just before they hit it.
Rolled into a ball against each other, they tumbled into the void. The cold of the night overwhelmed them. The fall seemed interminable to them. Lara saw the ground approaching dangerously. Before they hit it, Kurtis held out his hand in front of him again: their fall stopped almost instantly, and in a jolt, they landed on the ground in a roll, almost softly.
'You okay?' he asked her in a hurry.
The young woman was startled and grabbed the hand extended by her companion to get up. She slipped into the shards of glass.
'I think...'
They did not have time to come to their senses. A man shouted above them through the crumbling window.
They started running again at full speed. Lara followed the mercenary into an alley adjacent to the palace, on the banks of the Neva River. A few meters away from them, garbage bags piled up. The young man literally threw himself on top of them, pushing them away in great thrusts. They heard voices echoing in the distance. Under a worn tarpaulin was Kurtis' motorcycle.
He climbed on it and invited Lara to do the same. The young woman jumped behind him and grabbed him with all her might.
The engine roared. After a powerful skid, Kurtis raced at full speed under the guards' bullets, and they disappeared into the night.
—
By this late hour, the streets of the city were completely deserted.
Kurtis entered a dark alleyway, driving at a brisk pace. A thick mist had risen, enveloping the damp walls of the decrepit old buildings. He made his way cautiously, as it was difficult to see more than a few meters away.
Lara had remained firmly clinging to him all along the journey, half stunned. He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing she was that close to him, her head resting against one of his shoulders.
A few meters away from them, the alleyway formed a recess plunged into the darkness in which garbage cans had been piled up. Kurtis gently swung his bicycle and parked it against the wall. Lara undid her embrace and let him go down. Although much of her dress was torn, it prevented her from getting off the bike properly. The mercenary offered her a hand and smiled softly at her.
'Don't make fun of me, mister Renner... '
He didn't answer anything, but once again he had fun seeing her in that state: they had just escaped death, but he found her frighteningly sexy with her very messy hair, her black make-up that had spread out under her eyes, pulling a little more on her features already marked by fatigue, and her lipstick partly erased. Once Lara was back on her feet, he resigned himself to looking away and turned around to observe for a few seconds the ruined building where Mikhaïl's hideout was supposed to be. Most of the windows were caulked, patched with old planks covered with mold. His gaze descended to the door in front of which they stood. He looked up again, this time to the heavens: they were black and foggy, and the alleyway was terribly quiet.
The air was cold and penetrating; Lara shivered. She had nothing on her but her tattered dress and what was left of the mercenary's jacket. He let go of her hand and put an arm around her shoulders.
'Come on, let's go to a safe place'
The advantage was that they would be in safe hidden place for the night. They would go back to Mikhaïl's appartment the day after, as they had planned together in such situation.
Glued together, almost supporting each other, they walked towards the door. At eye level, caught in a groove on one side, Kurtis noticed the tiny pentacle carved into the wood. The pentacle of Lux Veritatis.
The door creaked as he pushed it open, and it gave way to a small corridor that plunged into darkness. A few meters further on, was a staircase. Kurtis looked down at the adventurer. Her large hazelnut eyes met his; she nodded her head in approval. Arm in arm, they took a same step into the old building.
—
She went to sit on the edge of the bed. The old mattress springs made a few squeaks, but Kurtis didn't move. After sending a quick text message to Roman to tell him they were safe, he had collapsed in bed, exhausted.
Feeling the fatigue getting over her, Lara adjusted the pillow and settled into bed as best she could.
The flat was small, not to say tiny, but it would do more than enough for one night. The dust, piled up on some of the old furniture, indicated that nobody had been here for a long time. There was only one living room, in which a kitchenette, a bathroom corner and an old, narrow double bed. Kurtis had offered her to sleep on the floor, but the young woman had resigned herself to letting him sleep with her in the bed.
Her gaze stopped on Kurtis, laying next to her. In his shorts, the blanket quickly pulled down over him, his breathing was slow and deep, almost calm. It hadn't taken him long to fall asleep.
She found herself scrutinizing his face in detail: his locks of hair falling back on his forehead, his well defined jaw and his thin lips that seemed soft and firm at the same time.
Once again she got lost in her thoughts. No matter how she turned the problem over in her head, she couldn't help but remain suspicious. When she thought back on her vision with Karel, the idea that Kurtis might have the same mental abilities as the Nephilim made her uncomfortable. But yet, the more her eyes scrutinised him, the more it became clear to her that they were fighting the same battle. They were unquestionably linked, one way or another.
Lara gathered her spirits, and turned to the other side of the bed. From where she was, she saw her shiny evening dress lying miserably on the floor.
I think I liked this dress after all
Something blew her mind. She sensed that something was going on in her head, but she was unable to distinguish exactly what it was, as if she was supposed to remember something and couldn't find out what it was. She wasn't sure, but she seemed to be able to distinguish the words 'me too'.
She frowned. She straightened her head slightly and out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Kurtis, who hadn't moved beside her. The darkness did not allow her to see precisely, but it seemed that a smile had frozen on his face.
She finally rested her head back on the pillow. Exhausted, she didn't want to know if she had formulated this thought by herself or if it was her imagination or if it was something else. She let her thoughts wander for a moment, and was even surprised to feel reassured to smell the scent and feel the warmth of Kurtis next to her. She let this soothing thought envelop her before finally letting herself be carried away by sleep. Next to her, Kurtis slept peacefully, a smile effectively frozen on his face.