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“I hope there’s enough for two on there,” Temur tells the woman. “As I’m starved.”
“There is.” The woman nods before explaining to me how the room works. “Mr. Popov is very worried about your safety. That’s why this room was chosen for you. If there’s any trouble, you hit this button.” She picks up a remote off the cabinet and hands it to me. “The room locks into a panic room. There is a fridge in the small kitchen off to the back that is fully stocked and a linen closet with blankets.” She points to another door off to the side. “Through there is the bathroom. It has everything you need in it.” She points to the line of small monitors on the back wall. “Those are the security monitors that allow you to see the entire property.”
“Thank you…”
“Simone,” she answers and smiles. “If you need anything, you can call me on the phone on the wall over there.” She walks to the door. “Mr. Popov does want you to lock the room while you’re viewing and has left you a laptop.” She points to a table at the back of the room, and her smile broadens.
As Simone leaves, Temur closes and locks the door. I look around the room. “I wanted my father to build a cinema room.”
“I’d rather go to the cinema,” Temur tells me. “It’s a nice outing instead of being cooped up in your house all day.”
I nod and walk to where the box is. My heart is hammering like a wild bird trapped in a cage as I sit down beside it. I run my hand over the carvings and frown. The box looks so familiar.
“I think I remember this box,” I tell Temur, picking it up. “It’s one of my mother’s puzzle boxes.”
“Great!” Temur says, exploring the food trolley. “Maybe you should come get something to eat before you get stuck into that?”
I look up at him. “Would you dish me up whatever it is?”
“I’m not sure what you eat.” Temur looks at me.
“Anything,” I tell him distractedly as I start to solve the puzzle. After a few minutes, it clicks open and reveals a bunch of photos of Konstantin and me growing up. “This is a picture of the three of us.”
I hold it up for Temur to see. “Wow. So the commander was a boy once,” he teases.
“He was a good brother,” I tell Temur. “From what I can remember, he looked after me.”
“He still does,” Temur assured me.
My heart catches, and I look at Temur, feeling a lump lodge in my throat. “Temur, has there been any news of my brother, father, and …”
“They’re all safe,” Temur tells me, bringing over a plate of food and some cutlery. “Here, eat.”
“Thank you.” I put the box aside and take the food. “Do you know the man whose house this is?”
“Dmitry Popov,” Temur tells me and shakes his head. “I must say I was surprised to find you here.” He glances around the room. “Dmitry Popov Senior was a seriously ruthless man. They used to call him the Butcher of the North.”
“Delightful,” I say with a shudder as I tuck into the food. “But I guess if my mother was going to send the information for someone to safeguard, who better than a man with that reputation.”
“Your mother sent it to Dmitry’s grandson,” Temur tells me. “I believe this is his farm now.”
“Farm?” I glance around the room. “This doesn’t look like a typical farmhouse to me.”
“It’s not a typical farm,” Temur tells me.
“Do they actually grow or farm anything on the farm?”
“Automatic and hard-to-find military weapons,” Temur tells me as he eats.
“How awesome,” I say with a sigh as I find another smaller puzzle box. “Look here.” My eyes widen with excitement. “I’ve found it.”
Temur’s eyes mirror my excitement. Finally, the box pops open, and it is a thumb drive.
“That must be what your father, Ivan, and Lev have been after,” Temur states. He gets up and fetches the laptop and set of headphones he finds next to it. “Here.” He smiles. “Watch whatever it is your mother sent you.” He picks up the remote and switches on the security monitors. “I’ll keep watch… Is that…”
I stare at the security monitor Temur is fixated on, and my heart drops into my stomach. Lev and Stacy burst through the gates, with three SUVs roaring behind them like a pack of wolves on the hunt. My eyes dart to my arm.
“They’ve got a tracker in my arm!” I gasp, panic setting in as I pull up my sleeve to show him the itch patch on my arm.
