Echoes In The Mist

by Rifi Strawn

  Holding on to her purse, Tanya stepped aside for a group of rowdy people walking by. They wore those strings of colorful Mardi Gras beads around their necks and wrists as if they were priceless jewels. The women bragged to their friends about how they’d collected their trophies. She gave their breasts an assessing glance. One was practically flat-chested, and the other had saggy boobs. Andrei would not approve. The girls seemed so happy even with droopy lids. Probably hungover. Was it even Mardi Gras season?

  Her attention switched back to Charles. She looked for him among the handsome men around her. He could be standing next to her and she wouldn’t know. It was hard to remember exactly what he looked like. She’d met him briefly in a dimly lit hotel room. Andrei secretly took film of their intimate encounter and then sent her off. But for some reason, Charles had stuck out in her mind among the others. Perhaps it was his southern accent or the rare respect and admiration he’d given her.

  God only knew what angle Andrei was playing with Charles. No one questioned the boss, especially her. Tanya had suspected he was blackmailing the American businessman but couldn’t be sure. No one told her anything.

  Her job was to lure foreign businessmen from the bar to visit Andrei’s escort service on the outskirts of Moscow. Their drug, alcohol, and sex-fueled smiles quickly faded when the men realized they’d been scammed. Most of them left in a fog of despair. Often, she felt sorry for them, but what could she do? She did what she was told.

  Her arm still hurt from Andrei’s last warning. “You mess up this job and you’re dead,” he said. “I’ll find you, and I’ll kill you. It’ll be a slow, painful death.” The memory of his cold, dark hooded eyes and bone-chilling words sank her heart again. Living in fear was a part of her life, but today that fear seemed to have escalated a thousand times. Her life depended on finding Charles.

  Tanya passed by the women in short dresses. Usually, she was the one getting the stares for her sexy clothes and stilettos in public, but today she fit right in with the party animals. She scanned the busy airport. It was strange that she hadn’t seen any of Andrei’s henchmen. By now, one would’ve contacted her with a motion of a hand, a nod, or a wink.

  She gave the men in beads and hats another look. Andrei’s men were good at blending into crowds, but this was New Orleans, a place far away from Moscow. Maybe he’d hired a local to keep an eye on her. Her boss always did a good job of covering his tracks.

  Tanya walked to the wall of glass to look at the long line of cars loading and unloading passengers along the curb. Charles could be waiting for her out there. Most men didn’t want to be seen with her in broad daylight.

  She dragged the suitcase outside and walked up and down the sidewalk. The squeaky wheel got more attention than her swaying hips in the fitted short dress and stilettos. None of the drivers gave her the signal or rolled down their windows to pursue her. Her glance lingered on the big white limo at the end of the line. It must belong to someone very important.

  Andrei’s angry face flashed through her mind again. In his paranoia, he had accused her of tipping off Charles and later suspected the American businessman was an undercover Interpol agent out to get him. She’d dismissed his claim, but what if he was right? Her manager had never sent her out of the country last minute like this.

  Fanning her face with her hand, she ignored the stares from her squeaky wheel. She was burning up in her long-sleeve wool dress. “Der’mo, Der’mo, Der’mo,” she murmured, shit in Russian.

  A blast of cold air hit her as she walked back inside the air-conditioned building. A man in a white linen suit walked by her. She wasn’t the only one who overdressed for the weather. Maybe he was going back home to a colder climate after a vacation here.

  Life couldn’t be more unpredictable for her lately. Just two nights ago, she’d wrapped her body in a warm blanket to beat the chill in her room, and this afternoon she couldn’t wait to strip out of her clothes to cool off.

  Hopeless, she did another quick scan for Charles. She could only hope he’d surprise her again. He’d chosen her over the younger, prettier girls from the escort service catalog. Andrei said it was because her English was perfect. She hated it when he called her “old” at thirty.

  What if Charles didn’t show up today? Nadia, her best friend, had waited for her man two days at the airport before flying back to Andrei. No one ever saw or heard from the poor girl again.

  A deep, sinking feeling took over Tanya. Oh, God. Just like Nadia, she knew too many of Andrei’s dirty secrets and the games he played. He could get rid of her just as easily. No matter what happened today, she wasn’t going back to that tyrant.

  She limped to an empty chair in the waiting area. Some of the raw skin had rubbed off her blistered heels and toes from walking in the stilettos. Her sexy shoes weren’t made for running in airports to catch her last-minute flight changes. She barely made it on the one from Houston here. A flight attendant directed her to the right gate, or she would’ve missed it.

  Tanya sat down and slowly slipped her sore feet out of her shoes to air them out. After another quick look for Charles at the busy door, she picked up a glossy pamphlet from the seat next to her to cool off her hot face.

  The enticing pictures of Magnolia Plantation Resort captured her attention. The guests wore beautiful old-world costumes and enjoyed their drinks, food, and dance. It was just the kind of place she’d like to visit. But how could she? She flipped the brochure over to see where this resort was. The directions said it was an hour drive from the airport.

  Tanya flinched from a soft squeeze on her shoulder. Andrei’s men had finally found her. She shouldn’t have left the building to search for Charles. Now she’d get in trouble. She slowly turned her head to face an annoyed man, but it was the woman who had sat next to her on the flight here.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” the friendly lady said.

  Hand on her thumping chest, Tanya exhaled. “I’m okay.”

  “Have you heard from your husband?”

  Tanya shook her head. “Um…No.” How much did she blab to this woman? She must have been more tired than she thought. Andrei would kill her for befriending a stranger. What if this woman was working for him? Always quick on her feet, she devised a plan to see if the woman was connected to Andrei. “I just realized I left my phone at home.” Tanya’s shoulders dropped with despair. “I was in such a hurry to get to the airport that I forgot to check my purse for it.”

  “Here use mine.”

  Tanya glanced at the woman’s expensive phone as she offered it to her, and quickly dismissed she had any connection with Andrei. His spies carried cheap disposable phones, not like this one. She smiled. “No, thank you. I don’t know his new number. I put it in my phone and did not bother to learn it. Now I wish I had.”

  “I know how that goes.” The woman slipped the phone back in her purse. “Don’t worry, your husband is probably on his way. Our flight arrived twenty-minutes before the scheduled time.”

  Tanya’s eyes lit up as she sat at the edge of her seat. “Oh, yes, I remember now. The captain said we had a good tailwind.” Thank God, Charles wasn’t late. Now she had time to fix her hair and makeup to look her best for him.

  She hardly got a wink of sleep on her flights. She was too worried about the turbulence, making a love connection with Charles, and Andrei’s threats. “Where’s the water closet? The restroom—I mean.” Everywhere else she’d been, they called bathrooms water closets or lounge rooms. “Restroom,” she repeated, committing it to her memory.

  “Down the hall and to your right.” The woman pointed to the wide corridor and left.

  Tanya walked into the large, brightly lit restroom. For once, there wasn’t a long line of anxious women waiting to use it. She hunched over the sink and took her time splashing cold water on her face. It was so refreshing and woke her up.

  As she gently dabbed paper towels on her wet face, she stared at her new look in the mirror. It was hard
to get used to the dark brown hair and eyes. Most men preferred her natural blonde hair or the redhead version with blue eyes in the agency’s catalog, but Charles chose the last-minute brunette she’d created to attract more men to her.

  The cheap hair color itched her scalp, and the contact lenses dried her eyes out. As if learning to talk and act like an American woman wasn’t hard enough, she’d spent countless hours learning the American culture, customs, and dialects, but nothing prepared her for the sudden trip to New Orleans.

  Hair brushed and full makeup on, Tanya dragged the old suitcase to the waiting area. She looked past the admiring men to the handsome man in the white, old-fashioned linen suit she’d seen before. He carried a beautiful bouquet of red roses in his hand. He must be a romantic, if not just old fashioned. Maybe that’s how men still behaved in the South.

  Hoping to catch the Romantic’s eye, she slowly walked by him. His captivating golden-brown eyes looked past her as if she didn’t exist. Der’mo. If this man didn’t like her, neither would Charles. It must be the dress. The skin-tight cream dress that Andrei didn’t let her take always attracted the men.

  Her admiring gaze swept the Romantic’s short, black hair, big brown eyes, and the deep dimples in his cheeks. She took a closer look to see if he was George Clooney. The famous actor could be in New Orleans remaking her favorite movie of all time, Gone with the Wind. God only knew who many times she’d dreamed of him.

  She’d practically memorized every scene of that movie. The history, culture, and traditions of the South had fascinated her, and later the knowledge helped her lure a southern man like Charles to her. He was impressed that she knew so much about the south.

  The festive music of a TV commercial for Magnolia Plantation grabbed Tanya’s attention away from the Romantic. It was the same place as the one on her pamphlet. She sat down in the waiting area to watch it. This must be a sign she needed to go there, but how?”

  Mesmerized by the enticing scenes from the resort, she smiled at the happy guests dancing in beautiful costumes in an elegant ballroom. In another scene, a couple strolled through a beautiful garden. In the last scene, they enjoyed a candlelit dinner.

  Lost in her fantasy, Tanya looked at the charming man in the commercial. It was as if he was talking only with her. “Psst…” His smiling face zoomed in the screen. “Get on ya dancin’ shoes and come to Magnolia Plantation. Enjoy our live music, delicious southern cuisines, and ancient traditions now and every weekend at the bayou. Just hop on the pink bus outside the airport for a free ride to our little paradise. Nowhere else on the planet will you get a once in a lifetime experience like this. And while you visit us, don’t forget to enjoy our complimentary homemade cherry pie and mint iced-tea. They’re made from old family recipes passed down the generations…” He winked.

  Tanya looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the ad. Most people were looking down at their phones or reading a book or magazine. She looked out the wall of glass at the hot pink bus for Magnolia Plantation. It was loaded with passengers. The man on the ad said it came twice a day. The last one left at ten o’clock at night. Hope leaped in her heart. There was her ride to paradise if Charles didn’t show up.

  In a daze, she looked back at the Romantic. He wasn’t George Clooney but just as handsome. Impatiently, he checked the time on his gold, antique pocket watch. He had to be in a costume like those men on the TV commercial. Her searching gaze swept past him to the men walking in the door. Neither Charles nor Andrei’s men were among them.

  She’d never been left alone this long before. Something must have gone wrong. Biting her lower lip, Tanya eyed the pink bus. If she didn’t take this chance to escape from Andrei, she might not get another one. She’d rather die running away from him than live another day of hell with that man.

  The Romantic paced the waiting area. His clicking shoes on the floor, caught her eye. She sat up after one look at his cowboy boots peeking from under his pant legs. Oh, God. That was Charles. She couldn’t remember his face, but she’d never forget his black alligator boots.

  She ran her fingers through her hair and stood up. Smile on her face, she waved at him. Der’mo. He looked past her again. Maybe he didn’t see her. This time, she waved more vigorously and smiled wider. Everyone in the airport seemed to see her but him. Was she invisible only to him?

  Blood rushed to her cheeks as she gathered her composure. Before the arrogant prick walked out those exit doors with his droopy shoulders and the bouquet of red roses in his hand pointed to the floor, she chased after him. Obviously, he’d missed his connection, too. Andrei had trained her to always confirm her target’s identity. No other man she’d met wore expensive boots like his. He had to be Charles.

  She could barely keep up with the Romantic’s long steady strides. The suitcase with a broken wheel and aching feet slowed her down even more. “Mister Man?” Out of breath, she tapped his arm and made sure he saw and heard her this time.

  He stopped. “Yes?”

  “Are you Charles Dugan?” She waited for a big fat “no” after the long pause he gave her.

  He tipped his chin up. “Who wants to know?”

  “I’m Tanya Kozlov from Moscow,” she whispered.

  Color drained from his face as he looked around. “The Tanya I know has blonde hair and blue eyes,” he whispered back.

  She hid her panic behind a calm smile. Der’mo. She had changed her looks for the wrong guy. It was the oilman from Texas who had liked her studious brunette version. Lately, Andrei had her meeting so many men that she couldn’t keep them apart. “There is no mistake, I am Tanya.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Think. Think. Think quick to save your life. “I changed my hair and eyes to look like the models in my new American fashion magazine. I can see you do not like this look. Do not worry. I will change back to blonde hair and blue eyes.” His skeptical look prompted her to pop out the contact lenses. She blinked her long black lashes to moisten her dry eyes as she caught his assessing eyes on her. “See…I am the same Tanya you are waiting for. I change my looks all the time for fun, yes?” She smiled.

  He leaned into her and lowered his voice. “This is no place to reveal your secrets to me. Let’s get out of here before someone sees us.” He slapped the roses against his thigh and hurried to the waiting white limo by the curb.

  Tanya followed the battered rose petals down the sidewalk. Reluctantly, she gave her shabby suitcase to the black chauffeur and watched him tuck it into the trunk as if it were vintage Louis Vuitton. Heart thumping, she paused before stepping inside the limo. There was no turning back now, just moving forward with her plan to convince an angry man to let her stay with him.

  About the Author

  Rifi Strawn

  Writing is my passion.

  After hanging up my interior design hat, the desire to create still burned inside. I sewed, knitted, made jewelry, and turned my backyard into a mini-botanical garden (I wish), but the yearning to do more didn't stop.

  I got busy on my computer crafting romance novels and loved it. I’ve been lucky enough to travel, enjoy different cultures, and meet interesting people. I channel those experiences into my stories—my characters and settings. I hope you love them as much as I do. What started as a creative outlet, is now a full-time passion and job.

  I call myself a citizen of the world, but at heart I’m a true Texan. I married my best friend, Jim, and we have two children I’m proud of. Whenever I have free time, I love to cook and ride my bicycle with friends.

 

 

 
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