Faith held her gaze and flirted, hoping she could hide the intensity of her interest in her father. As a trader, Faith knew the price always went up when the other party sensed desire. “I followed my passion for all things unique, exceptional.”
“So you decided you do want the chess set? I have located the one you’re looking for,” Zara said.
“ ‘The Reds and the Whites?’ You really do know how to turn a girl on.”
An anorexic waitress interrupted them to take their drink orders. She sported a studded leather collar that would have made a pit bull proud. They ordered drinks.
“To be quite honest,” Faith lied, “up until some roses arrived in my hotel room, I was on my way back to the States-ready to walk away from the East.”
“You’re not now?”
“I don’t know. For the last several days, all I’ve thought about is getting away from the whole East-West mess. Do you know what I’ve been through? I’ve been kidnapped, held for days of questioning. Have you ever been tortured-held underwater and then yanked up just before you drown, only to answer the same goddamn questions they’ve been asking for days? I was dumped over there without any papers. I needed your help then.”
“No, you didn’t. You got out on your own. If they’d found out I’d helped you, they would have liquidated you.”
“Believe me, I know.” Faith stared at the steel chains around the waitress’ neck as she slid the two brandy snifters onto the small round table and placed a glass of mineral water in front of Faith.
“If it means anything to you, I didn’t sleep for days. I knew they had picked you up and I knew it was because we had been seen together. I could only guess what they were doing to you.”
“Come on. This is business for you. You don’t think twice whenever some agent you’re running gets picked up for questioning. You probably even knew they were going to do that.”
“Faith, rest assured, you’re very personal for me. Remember, I chose to work with you myself after you came to my office. I usually don’t work the field. You can’t imagine how relieved I was when our Warsaw office reported a probable sighting of you boarding a Lufthansa plane to Frankfurt.”
“So why’d you send the roses?” Faith sniffed the cognac, then took a sip and savored it in her mouth.
“To lure you here. I wanted to see you again.”
“Did you expense them?”
“That’s not a fair question.”
“Yes, it is. Who paid for the flowers-you or the KGB?” Faith set the glass down.
“I’m a Soviet official posted in East Berlin, paid in worthless rubles. How would I ever get the hard currency on my own to send someone flowers in the West? Everything I do in the West has to go on my expense account and has to be written up as if it’s official state business-regardless of whether it is or not. That’s how the system works. And I don’t think it’s all that different from capitalist businesses.”
“It wasn’t a polite question. Access to Western currency is an uncomfortable subject, but I wanted to know.”
“I want to know how you felt when you saw them.”
“Irritated. I thought they were from Hakan, and I couldn’t believe he would be so sloppy.”
“And when you realized they were from me?”
“Maybe I felt a little less perturbed.” Faith grinned and tilted her head. “Thank you. They were lovely. And the note warning me to leave the hotel was appreciated. After I got your flowers, I was suspicious they’d find me. So I moved before we deciphered the message.”
“Suspicion is one of your biggest allies right now. You’re going to have to trust your instincts.”
“If I rely on instincts around you, I’ll get myself in big trouble.” The alcohol eased Faith into the mood of the club, and she liked it more than she wanted to. She missed flirting and decided she needed to treat herself to it more often. The practice couldn’t hurt, even if it was with a woman.
“You’re in big trouble right now.”
“I know.”
They looked into each other’s eyes. Zara leaned forward, but Faith turned away at the last minute. Zara’s lips met her cheek.
“So, you want to tell me about it? What have I gotten myself into?” Faith said.
“Right now, they’re not going to do anything to you, unless they know you’re in contact with me. They’re searching for you and we believe it’s because they’re ready for you to transport.”
“It’s going down tomorrow.”
“So they do know you’re here.”
“They took a guess. They dropped off a package with my glasses and passport at the apartment in care of Hakan. The bastards kept my purse, but a note was stuck in my passport.”
“Do you know what they want?”
“More or less.”
“And you’re not going to tell me?”
Faith pushed her hair back out of her face. “I don’t know how it would help me at this point. I don’t even know if I’m going to do it. Like I said, until those roses showed up, I was on my way to the States.” Faith tinkered with the time line.
“A few flowers were enough to prevent you from leaving?”
“They were enough to get my attention. To make me think about what makes me feel alive-about where my passions lie.”
“And where is that?”
“You tell me. You’ve studied me.”
“Let me see.” Zara rested her head on her hands. Loose curls fell across her forehead, as if her hair were relaxing along with her. “Faith Whitney, the passionate smuggler. She delights in risk-that is, risk she believes she has some control over. She doesn’t like feeling out of control. But she gets an incredible high playing on the edge between control and chaos. Now, in her personal relationships, it’s a little different. As long as the risk is there, she enjoys it. When things start to settle down and become predictable, under control, she gets bored and moves on. So are you really going to abandon the one fulfilling relationship in your life?”
“Don’t you think you’re coming on a bit too strong? I hardly know you. And I don’t know what kind of intel you have on me, but I’m not a lesbian. I have impeccable heterosexual credentials. So you’re not exactly the one fulfilling relationship in my life.”
“I meant with the East, not me.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s the one fulfilling relationship in my life. I’ve had others.” Faith picked up her glass and pressed it against her lips.
“And I understand you abandoned that one.”
“We’re still close. I just couldn’t see myself trapped in a traditional marriage at the time.” Faith sipped the cognac. “I love what I do and I need my freedom. I don’t want to give it up, but I don’t want to die, either.”
“What would you do if you quit smuggling?”
“If I couldn’t play with the East, I’d find other playmates. There are a lot of markets in the world and even more governments that restrict free trade.”
Zara signaled the waitress for another drink. “Seriously, what would you do?”
“Like I said, there are a lot of opportunities for those willing to take the risk, but I wouldn’t touch most of them. What can I say? I’m too ethical for my own good. I’d never trade arms, and even so I understand it’s a tough market to break into. Drugs are out of the question. I’d probably go for antiquities. The thrill of the hunt would still be there, even if Third World governments aren’t as fun to mess around with as you guys.”
“I have a difficult time seeing you get excited over Greek vases.”
“I was thinking more like Khmer ankle bracelets, but your point’s well taken. I’d die of boredom.” Faith sipped her drink. The cognac took the edge off her surroundings. “The East is where I belong. I’ve flirted with the Stasi and KGB all my life. It’s a love-hate relationship, but, as you pointed out, it’s maybe the best relationship I’ve got.”
“So you’re telling me you’re in.”
“Depends. What have you got for me?”