Page 61 of Beehive
Our trek back to the hotel was quiet. The streets were as hollow as my chest felt. Neither of us spoke. Boris and Sergei appeared unsurprised as we entered their field of vision. They were pros, after all. They might not have appreciated us giving them the slip, but their professional admiration for our return was clear in their lack of reaction to it. Pride tickled my chest.
As we stepped inside our room, the enormity of what lay ahead settled over me, a woolen blanket drenched from a summer storm.
This mission wasn’t about a statue.
It was about what that statue represented, what it could unlock, and the danger we’d face trying to keep it out of Soviet hands. Tomorrow night, we’d step into the shadows, into theunknown, and we’d either walk out with theKeeper of Wisdom—or not at all.
22
Thomas
The next morning started differently than our prior days in the eastern quadrant.
Antonov, ever punctual, didn’t appear at our hotel. Instead, a young soldier in a loose-fitting uniform delivered a message with all the enthusiasm of someone assigned to clean latrines. “Comrade Antonov is unavailable today. You are free to see the city at your leisure.”
“Free?” Will repeated, his brow arching in mock surprise. “How generous.”
The soldier grimaced. His inexperience and youth shone through his next words. “You will probably be followed.”
Will and I chuckled as the boy darted away, leaving us “free” beneath the watchful eyes of our most faithful goldfish.
“Think Antonov finally decided we’re not worth the trouble?” Will asked as we stepped into the sticky morning air.
“Doubtful,” I replied. “The Soviets don’t really allow for independent decision-making. He’s probably dealing with something more urgent than a couple of faux art experts.”
“Faux. Speak for yourself.” Will smirked. “Do you really think he sees us that way? How many times has he referred to us as Americans?”
“Exactly.” I shrugged. “Soviets suspecteveryoneof spying, even their own, so I’m not surprised he sees shadows around every corner; but that doesn’t mean he’s guessed more than our nationality.”
“I guess so,” he said. “What do you want to do first? We have a whole day to see this lovely city. Allied bombers have a certain flair when it comes to decoration, don’t you think?”
I shook my head. Only Will would joke about a decimated city while we stood in the midst of its rubble. Then again, the adage, “You either laugh or you cry,” seemed apt, and I much preferred laughter.
“I need coffee in a very real and legally binding way.”
Will snorted. “You want to marry it?”
“If they bring a whole carafe filled with the stuff—and throw in a hot croissant—I just might.”
Our first stop was a café that overlooked a park close to the museum district. The tiny shop barely had three tables, but the aroma of fresh baked goods drifting from their open windows made my stomach churn.
The park itself was a rare pocket of green in a city of gray. Its grass was patchy and trees leaning like weary sentinels, but the smear of nature on a canvas of rubble was a reminder that things can—and will—grow back and be beautiful again.
In a world where hope was a scarce commodity, the park offered it freely.
Children played near a fountain that sputtered sporadically, their laughter with each spurt of its jets a stark contrast to the somber adults seated on benches nearby.
Boris and Sergei lingered near the park entrance.
As we took our seat at one of the café’s few outdoor tables, I looked across the street and asked, “Think Goldfish One and Goldfish Two know we’re onto them? Or do they suppose they’re so clever as to stand in the open without us noticing?”
Will savored his first sip. “Who knows? They have a shit job, following two strangers around a city no one really wants to visit.”
We ate and drank in silence, enjoying the peace of a carefree moment. For the first time in days, the heat wasn’t so oppressive I feared my clothes might drip from sweat. In another time and another place, it would’ve been a perfect morning.
When we finished the last of our coffee, we made our way across the avenue onto the park’s grounds and ambled toward the fountain.
“You think they’ve ever known anything but this?”
