Page 22 of Ford

He reached out and pushed the knife to the side. “Take a breath there, toots. I was just pointing out that if you get caught, it’ll be bad. I don’t think the embassy will be able to get you out before you disappear in the cells of Lubyanka. Eat your cheese, you need protein.”

He picked up his bread, but his gaze kept flickering over to her, as if sizing her up.

She didn’t move. Yeah, that’s right. She wasn’t afraid of him. Despite his scars and lethal expression. “So, if you never wrote to me, who did?”

“Someone who wanted you to be there, clearly.”

“The same someone who planted the Glock in my purse?”

“Probably.” He used his knife to carry a piece of cheese to his mouth. “Any ideas who wants Stanislov dead?”

“Uh, half of Russia, who’d like nothing better than to see him out and Arkady Petrov take his place.”

“General Petrov. The hard-liner.”

“If it were up to him, America would already be a smudge on the map. He’s reviving promises made in the Soviet era about taking over the world.”

“How’d Roy find out about the assassination?”

“I don’t know. Maybe there’s an email loop for people in the transportation business.”

He cocked his head at her. “Really?”

“He sent me an email. We’ve worked together before—”

“Are you an agent?”

“No, but my boss is. I work for Sophia Randall. But I’ve traveled with her a lot recently, and when Roy called, I couldn’t find her. So I took the meet.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You took the meet.”

“It was urgent. And I tried to call her, but—yeah, okay.”

“Where?”

“Prague.”

He set down his cheese and bread. “What did you say you do, exactly?”

“I’m an analyst.”

He blinked at her. Shook his head. “Oh for cryin’ out loud, you’re a Sydney Bristow wannabe.”

She frowned.

“That show about the female spy?Alias?”

She didn’t blink. Yeah, she knew the show. Too well. But, well…

Okay, maybe.

“You are a walking billboard for in over your head, honey.”

“Hey! I managed to meet with Royandget from Prague to Moscow on my own.”

He drew in a breath. “I’m going to kill Roy.”

Something about that made her smirk.