Chapter Fifteen
Getting to know Susichka again was actually easier with the others there to ask questions and Linka was very grateful for it. They'd been accepting, even when they found out about her lifestyle and in return she'd started to relax around them.
Linka had finally left her down on the beach discussing fashion with Gi, while she went to see what sort of havoc Wheeler had wreaked in her room. As it happened it wasn't that bad, there were clothes on the bed, his guitar against the wardrobe and his laptop beside hers on the desk. For some obscure reason she liked that last and decided to leave it there.
After sorting out some things for her friend, including new underwear and toiletries, she carefully packed up others to make room in her wardrobe and drawers for Wheeler's. It didn't take her long in the end but she was hot and still achy from the previous night's activities and finally gave in to the desire she'd had all day and ran a bath.
She hadn't been soaking long when there was a knock on the door, "Babe, are you going to be long? Susi's in my room now and I need to uh, pee."
"It is not locked, you can come in." She called out, sinking a little to make sure she was covered by the bubbles.
"Oh," He stopped in the doorway and stared, his mind obviously diverted from his immediate concerns.
Linka chuckled, "Are you coming in or not?"
Wheeler hesitated, "I can't if you're staying."
"I thought you just wanted to pee?" she asked, wondering how they would live together if they got stuck at the first obstacle.
"I do… I'm just not used to someone watching."
"Bozhe'moy, I was not planning to watch!" she closed her eyes.
"Better cover your ears too."
She did as she was asked but commented, "At least I am not the only one with odd boundaries."
"It's not odd," He replied but as she didn't say anything more he assumed she couldn't hear and got on with things. After washing his hands he knelt by the bath and leant in to press a tender kiss to her lips. She returned the gesture and let her arms slip back down into the water when her eyes opened. He smiled, "Spasiba."
"You are welcome," she thought about making a comment about men's ability to wait, but thought better of it.
"You need any help washing your back," He teased, obviously not in any rush to leave.
Linka laughed, "Not this time, go and join the others Lyubov." She did however accept a parting kiss.
Ma-Ti joined with the others in taking helpings of the Chinese take-away Wheeler had fetched from the mainland, speaking as he did so. "Gaia said that the police were already looking into the syndicate operation in that area, it is not limited to the two towns we know about."
"Yes," Kwame continued, "And they were very grateful for the offer of help, so far they have not had any success in penetrating the operation."
Gi offered a warm smile to Susi - who was currently earning Suchi's eternal devotion by feeding him pieces of fruit while he lay snuggly in the crook of her arm – and added, "They've promised you immunity and protection if you'll testify in court."
The Russian nodded, "As long as it is testifying against the Syndicate and not any of the individuals that have helped me… I want to shut down the nastier aspects before we destroy those towns and the people in them but I will not betray my friends, I cannot do that."
Linka was perched on Wheeler's leg due to the lack of chairs around the kitchen table but she now reached out to rest a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, "I am sure that can be done. Something will need to be put in place to help the innocent victims of the crime wave and as far as I am concerned that includes you and your friends."
"You always were a little naïve," Susi said ruefully, "We may not all have had choices but I cannot claim innocence of all crimes either. I know you want to see me as the girl you grew up with but I am not that person anymore."
"I do understand that," Linka told her, "I am sure there are many things I would not like to know about your life but you wanted to help my brother and are willing to stand up for what is right, I am not going to hold it against you that you were forced into a life you did not want because of mistakes made as a child."
Susi's eyes brimmed with tears and she looked away, "Spasiba."
Kwame nodded, "Linka is correct, and I am sure you are not the only one in that position. We need to help those people change their lives into something better not punish them for trying to survive."
"We need to get rid of the bad guys first," Gi said sardonically, but continuing seriously, "If Susi is committed to this then I say we confront Svetlana with her, see if she can deny her involvement when the proof is standing right in front of her."
"It is too dangerous." Linka said at once but was stopped by the girl herself.
"If I spoke to her in front of Mischa, perhaps I could convince him to give her up?"
Tempted, the Wind Planeteer nonetheless shook her head, "It is not worth your safety, perhaps after we have sorted everything out, you could talk to him…"
The American had been eating quietly but now he said, "What if we could let her know about Susi, without actually having them meet… it wouldn't put Susi in danger but it might make Slutlana edgy."
Linka's old friend choked, "What did you call her?"
The blond Planeteer waved her comment away and addressed her boyfriend, "How do we do that?"
"You said you wanted to call Gram later, right?" He shrugged, "I'm sure you can think of a way to drop it in the conversation."
"That might actually work." Gi said, leaning forward with interest, "We need everything to be in place first though, someone needs to be watching her in case she calls anyone to warn them."
Linka nodded enthusiastically, "She will not do that from the house I am sure of it. We should talk it through with the police but I have no doubt that Grandmuska would be only too happy to mention it whenever we want her to."
Wheeler chuckled, "Yeah, anything to get rid of the grand-daughter-in-law from hell! Susi, you ok with this?"
She nodded, "But if you are going, I want to go with you. There is no love lost between me and any of 'Slutlana's' cronies."
"Oh my darling, it is so good to see you!" Grandmuska exclaimed as Linka's image appeared to her through the medium of the Planetvision.
"Is something wrong?" the Wind Planeteer asked, immediately alarmed.
The old woman shook her head, "Nyet, at least nothing new, but after the way you left I was worried about you, both of you. I was not sure if... That is, you defended him but there have been doubts in the past and I would hate to think that that..." She used a word that made her granddaughter colour up but continued without appearing to notice, "has damaged things between the two of you?"
Still recovering from her grandmother's colourful language Linka tried to reassure her, "Oh nyet, we are fine." And because she knew that hadn't sounded very convincing, "We are better than fine. I am not saying that I am beyond jealousy and suspicion but the man Svetlana described just is not my Yankee."
Grandmuska regarded her carefully, "You are sure?"
Link chuckled, "We have not spent a day or a night apart since we left you, I think we are beginning to make the others queasy."
"Good." The old woman sighed in relief, seeing Linka's happiness in her eyes.
"How is Mischka?" Linka asked and wished she hadn't since it dimmed the light in her grandmother's eyes.
Shrugging, Grandmuska said, "He says he is ok but I know better. They argued after you left, I did not want to hear what they said so I went to my room but I do not think he believed her any more than I did, he will still not admit it though."
Linka shook her head sadly, "He really loves her then."
"I think pride has more to do with it than love," Her grandmother replied with a hint of disgust.
"Wheeler said something like that too." Linka nodded.
Her eyes twinkling the older woman said, "Mischka will never admit he made a mistake… it is a family failing."
The Planeteer wrinkled her nose, "I will pretend I did not understand you. Do you think there is no hope of Mischka giving her up? I mean if… if he were to find out some things about her. True things."
"Do you know something?"
Linka nodded, "That is why I am calling, I do not want to hurt him but he needs to know the real Svetlana."
Her grandmother hesitated and then said thoughtfully, "He does not like it but I think he is coming around to the idea that she is not the person he thought he knew at university, he has certainly stopped asking her when they should set the date of their wedding, in fact I believe he avoided the question when she brought it up."
"Oh?" Linka wished she didn't sound quite so eager to hear that her brother's relationship was failing but she couldn't help it.
"They argued over her going out at night too, that time I did hear them and he made her promise to stop."
"Has she?"
Grandmuska shook her head, "She has slipped out at least once. Oh it was all locked up again by morning but I got up in the middle of the night, you know how unhappy my digestive system gets on occasion, and the back door was unlocked. I did consider locking her out but I would not really want anything to happen to her and there seems to be a lot of unsavoury characters around these days."
"Da," Linka agreed with some amusement, "And she is friends with them, in fact if Susi is right she is their leader."
"Susi?"
"Susichka," she beamed for a moment but then her face took on a troubled expression "She contacted us because she was worried about Mischka getting involved with Svetlana… she has had a difficult life and it is mostly due to Svetlana and her friends."
Grandmuska looked horrified but asked for details anyway. At last she said, "The poor girl, I remember how the two of you used to be so carefree when your father was alive, always giggling and plotting mischief."
Linka blinked away tears, "That was a long time ago for both of us, I am not sure we will ever be that close again, though I admit I like having her here."
"She is with you?" Grandmuska looked delighted, "Give her my love and tell her how much I would like to see her again, though I suppose that would not be very wise at the moment."
"We have a plan… if you would consider helping us?"
Linka's grandmother looked younger in that moment than she had seen her for years and it gave the Planeteer hope.
To be continued…