Dmitry thought about what he needed to do and wondered if he would get a chance at some point of his trip to take a look around Washington before he heads back home. Maybe he could tell Elena what she is missing. He already had a list of things he wanted to see such as the Ford Theatre and Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument was also featured. He only hoped that the American’s computer problem didn’t take up the entire week.
The Marriot was a large brownstone and the check-in desk was still attended, even at the time of their arrival, the young college aged desk clerk looking bright and chipper for the time of night. He quickly found their reservations and made them out keys. They had a two bedroom suite with a shared common area. The bed however uninviting with its floral design was the best thing Dmitry had seen in a long time. He made his way towards it and dropped his luggage down by the bed where it was, close to the window. He opened the window letting in the - as fresh as you could get in the city - air as he looked out at Washington’s nightlife, at the pretty lights and felt no excitement. He was exhausted, the twenty-one hour flight having taken a toll on him. Ivan however frustratingly looked well-rested, his eyes alight with mischief.
“So are you up for hitting the streets of D.C? Doing some partying and hopefully some American woman?”
Dmitry shook his head. “Nyet, I want to be fresh for the morning. You go ahead, I’m just going to call Elena before I crash.”
His sister worried a lot about him these days, having lost her husband to a traitor and then potential lover to his home country. She was always afraid of losing him too. Since their parents had died he and Elena were the only family either one of them had left.
Ivan shrugged. “Okay but you don’t know what you’re missing.”
He was sure he knew exactly what he was missing. That was another reason he was quite happy to stay at the hotel. He and Ivan’s tastes were entirely different and he for one had never woken up in a foreign jail sleeping off the night before, with no recollection as to what he did.
“I’m sure I can guess and if not, you will certainly tell me. See you in the morning,” he replied.
Ivan gave him an exaggerated wink. “Alright, I’ll try to keep it down when I get back.”
Ivan turned toward the bathroom to prepare himself for lady catching. He had an entire routine he completed before heading out on the town, all in a way to maximize his return. Ivan was the type of man to leave broken hearts wherever he went – that or at least a trail of one night stands and names and faces he would never remember. The last long relationship Ivan had had lasted about two weeks. He certainly wasn’t one in for the long haul.
Dmitry flopped down on his bed and stretched out. He lifted up the hotels handset and dialed the international number. Moscow was eight hours ahead of D.C so he should just be catching his sister Elena before she leaves for work as a liaison officer for SVR – Russia’s alternative to the CIA. She had worked at the Yasenevo office for over five years now and had married her then supervisor Nikolai Nagregor shortly after joining the agency. Their bliss was short lived however when two years ago Nikolai was murdered by close friend and fellow agent Alexei Dimitrovich. For a while he had thought she would get together with CIA agent Lucas Gates after he came to Moscow after a case in the States had involved another SVR agent. But eighteen months on she was still in Moscow and Lucas was in America. He had often tried talking to Elena about Lucas but each time she had shut him down and moved the conversation on, his sister Queen of Denial.
The phone rang in his ear and kicked over to Elena’s voicemail. He must have just missed her. Her message was short and to the point, “Leave a message.”
Dmitry cleared his throat before speaking after the beep. “Hi Elena, sorry I missed you. Just letting you know I arrived here safety. Am at the Marriot now and am about to hit the sack, talk to you later.”
He hung up the phone and replaced the handset back in its mooring. He would try her again later if he found the time and if he remembered, the important thing was that she knew he was alright. He had already organized a wake-up call with the front desk when they had checked in. He didn’t want to rely on his cell to wake him up. He was well past tired and knew he would more than likely hit the snooze button if it was left up to him. But tomorrow was too important to be late.
He yanked off his shoes and crawled beneath the covers, he didn’t even bother to brush his teeth. It was past midnight and he could feel his eyelids getting heavily. He was asleep within minutes and didn’t even stir when Ivan exited the bathroom and left the room ready for a night to remember or forget whichever, he didn’t care.
***
Russian Law (Law Series ) (Volume 1) Page 19
