Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (30 page)

Shae
rolled her eyes. “What are you going to do… sleep on the floor?”

I
eyed the red stain again. “Absolutely not.”

She
laughed. “I guess we’ll just have to sleep with our clothes on.”

I
nodded. “Good plan.” I started hanging clothes in the closet next to the
bathroom. “What do you want to do for your birthday tomorrow?”

Shae
unzipped her suitcase. “I was hoping we could go out for dinner and dancing.
I’m curious to see what the dance clubs are like in Ukraine. I wonder what kind
of music they dance to.”

I
still couldn’t believe our birthdays were so close together. “That Hawaiian club
in Frankfurt was a lot of fun. Do you really think it’s safe to go out dancing
here?”

Shae
nodded. “We should be fine as long as we stick close to Cory. We’ll use the
buddy system to make sure none of us are ever alone.”

I
set my shoes in the bottom of the closet. “I don’t think we should stay out too
late.”

Shae
began piling clothes inside the dresser. The bottom drawer fell apart when she
tried to pull it open. She stood and scowled at the dresser. “What did you
think of Nonna?”

I
shrugged. “She seems nice enough. I’m kind of surprised the university sent the
head of the international relations department to meet us at the airport.”

Shae
shoved her empty suitcase under the bed. “Maybe she felt responsible for us.
She is the professor who invited us to come. I think she and the dean both
signed the letter of invitation that enabled us to enter the country.”

I
plugged my international adaptor into the electrical outlet so I could charge
my cell phone. “It was nice having her here to translate when we checked in,
but I think it’s weird she wouldn’t take us to get SIM cards for our cell
phones. Why would she insist we didn’t need them?”

Shae
tore the comforter from her bed and shoved it under the bed, next to her
suitcase. She sniffed at the dark gray blanket that lie on top of the sheets
before she sat on the bed. “She was kind of dismissive about the SIM cards.”

I
removed my comforter and perched on the edge of the bed. “I know she offered to
let us use her cell phone, but I don’t feel comfortable using her phone for
personal calls, and I told Rafael that I’d check in with him every night so he
would know we’re safe.”

A
knock sounded at the door. “Kri, Shae, it’s Cory.”

Shae
sprang to her feet. She pulled the door open and waved Cory and Sammi inside our
tiny room. “Are you guys done unpacking?”

Sammi
nodded. “Yes. We’re going to go track down SIM cards and an Internet café
before dinner. Do you guys want to join us?”

Shae
and I exchanged looks. “Absolutely!” I responded as I reached for my purse. We
followed Cory and Sammi out the door.

Shae
nudged Cory as we walked toward the stairs. “What’s this dinner about… the one Nonna
said we’re supposed to attend tonight? That wasn’t on our agenda.”

Cory
shrugged. “I don’t know. It wasn’t anything we were given advance notice of. I
think it’s just some sort of welcome dinner. Maybe we’ll get to meet some of
the students.”

We
exited the stairwell and filed into the lobby. Cory approached the clerk at the
front desk to inquire about a cab and a place to purchase SIM cards.

I
tugged on Sammi’s arm. “Look outside.”

Sammi
looked out the front window. Nonna was still sitting outside the hotel. She was
applying lipstick in her rearview mirror. Shae followed our gaze. “Is that
Nonna?”

I
nodded. “Why do you think she’s still here?”

Cory
joined us. “What are you guys looking at?”

“Nonna,”
we replied simultaneously.

Cory
looked surprised. “Well, if she asks, don’t tell her we’re getting SIM cards.
We’ll just tell her we’re going to the Internet café.”

I
eyed her car nervously as we made our way outside.

She
stepped out of her car as soon as she spotted us. “Do you need a ride
somewhere?”

Cory
shook his head. “No. We’re just walking to the Internet café. The hotel clerk
said it’s only two blocks from here.”

She
walked around the car and opened the passenger side doors. “I am happy to drive
you.”

I
leaned toward Shae and whispered, “How rude would it be to refuse?”

Shae
sighed. “Just rude enough.”

We
folded ourselves into the car. Cory sat in front with Nonna. “We really don’t want
to impose. I’m sure you have a lot more important things to do than drive us
around.”

She
waved her hand dismissively. “I cleared my entire schedule for the day.” She
paused as she turned into traffic. “We do not have much time for the Internet
café. We should return to the hotel soon, so you can change for dinner.”

Sammi
squeezed Cory’s shoulder as she leaned toward the front seat. “Will any of our
students be joining us for dinner?”

Nonna
smiled through the rearview mirror. “My two best students will be attending the
dinner.”

“Who
else is coming?” Shae asked curiously.

Nonna
shrugged. “The dean, some professors, and a number of government officials are
attending the dinner. There are a lot of people who want to meet the guests of
honor.”

I
met Nonna’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Who are the guests of honor?”

She
laughed as she pulled up to the café. “You are.”

My
cheeks heated. I hadn’t realized we’d draw so much attention.

Cory
stepped out of the car and opened the back door. “We won’t be long, Nonna. We
can easily find our way back to the hotel, so you don’t need to wait for us.”

“I
would prefer to wait for you,” Nonna responded. She picked up her cell phone
and began texting, effectively ending the conversation.

Cory
shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay. We’ll be done in thirty minutes.”

Nonna
nodded absently. It appeared she intended to wait in the car.

The
four of us filed into the café. My eyes widened in disbelief. A number of
prehistoric computers sat on top of long rectangular tables, which ran down the
center of the room and along every available wall. Each computer had a metal
folding chair sitting in front of it. Extension cords were strewn all over the
floor. “There’s no coffee… just computers?”

Shae
laughed. “Were you expecting Starbucks?”

Cory
pulled us into a huddle before I could respond. “Give me your cell phones. I’m
going to find a back entrance, slip out, and go purchase our SIM cards. According
to the hotel clerk, the place is just around the corner. If I’m not back in
thirty minutes, just come up with some excuse to delay Nonna. Don’t tell her
where I’ve gone. I don’t like this tight reign she’s trying to establish, and
I’ll be damned if I let her restrict us from communicating with the outside
world.”

We
handed our cell phones to Cory. He spoke briefly with the sales clerk before disappearing
down the hallway that led to the bathrooms.

Sammi
watched Cory walk away. “I think we should get three computers since we only
have thirty minutes to check our e-mail and send messages back home,” she said,
shifting her attention toward Shae and me.

Shae
nodded. “I agree. These computers will probably run slow.”

Sammi
spoke as we walked up to the sales clerk. “
Tri komp'yutera, tridtsat' minut
kazhdyy
,
pozhaluysta.
” She handed him hryvnia to pay for the
computer time. Thankfully, we had already exchanged our money for hryvnia at
the airport in Kiev.

We
found three available computers sitting next to each other, so we quickly
claimed those seats. I checked my work e-mail and responded to a couple of messages
before typing a note to my boss to let him know we had arrived safely.

I
logged onto my personal e-mail and typed a message to Rafael, Kadyn, Lexie, Cenia,
and my mom.
We’ve arrived in Simferopol
.
There’s been a bit of delay
in getting SIM cards, but we should have them by the end of the day. I will
text you as soon as I can. Know that I am safe. Love you! Kri.

I
read and responded to personal e-mail while waiting for Sammi and Shae to
finish up. Shae glanced over at my computer screen. “The Internet is crazy slow
here.”

I
leaned back in my chair and blew out a breath. “I know. The computer is taking
so long to process everything, I’m not even sure these messages are being
sent.”

Sammi
scowled. “Have either of you been able to log onto Facebook? I think maybe it’s
being blocked.”

Cory
walked back into the room. He kneeled next to Sammi and discreetly handed us
our phones. “SIM cards are already in there. Let’s get all of our cell phone
numbers programmed in each other’s phones before we leave. That way, we’ll be
able to call one another if we get separated. Don’t use your phones in front of
Nonna just yet. I’m not sure if she has a hidden agenda or if she’s just
oblivious to the fact that we may need our cell phones for security purposes.”

Shae,
Sammi, and I logged out of our e-mail accounts and programmed our cell phones
while Cory checked his e-mail on Sammi’s computer.

I
waved at the sales clerk as we filed out of the café. “
Spasibo
.”

He
smiled and waved. “
Nyezashto!
”

Nonna
was on her cell phone. She ended the call when she saw us approaching the car.
She flung her car door open and ran around the front of the car.

Cory
smiled as he opened the rear passenger door. “I’ve got it, Nonna.”

Nonna
ushered Sammi into the front seat. “Are you ready to go back to the hotel?”

Sammi
slid into the seat. “Sure. That would be great.”

Cory
joined Shae and me in the back seat as Nonna took her place behind the wheel.

“Do
we need to dress up for dinner?” Shae asked as Nonna merged into traffic.

Nonna
eyed Sammi’s pantsuit with obvious disdain. “Yes. You should wear dresses.”

Shae
and I exchanged glances. We were all dressed in nicely tailored pantsuits,
which should have been perfectly acceptable for a business dinner.

Nonna
glanced at her watch as she pulled in front of the hotel. “Can you be ready in
an hour?”

“Sure,”
Cory replied. “Are you driving us to dinner or should we plan to take a cab to
the restaurant?”

“I’ll
drive you,” Nonna responded a little too cheerfully. “I’m going to run home and
change, but I’ll be back in thirty minutes. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

I
glanced back at Nonna as I stepped out of the car. “
Spasibo
.”

“
Nyezashto
,”
she replied with an approving smile.

*
* * * * *

The
four of us followed Nonna into the restaurant. I glanced nervously at the two
men standing guard just outside the door. I wondered whether that level of
security was typical for restaurants in Ukraine or if they were there for the
government officials who were attending the event.

Dean
Bykov was standing just inside the door. He was a tall, wiry man. His dark gray
hair blended seamlessly with his charcoal suit. He shook my hand
enthusiastically. “Ms. Stone, thank you for coming. I’m sure you are exhausted
from your travels, so we will try not to keep you too long.” His English was
impeccable.

I
shook his hand and smiled. “
Spasibo
chto priglasili
nas
.
Thank you for inviting us, Dean
Bykov. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” I moved to the side as I waited for my
colleagues to shake hands with the dean. I chewed on my lower lip while
studying him. He seemed to know us by sight. Nonna had identified who he was,
but she hadn’t given him any of our names.

Nonna
nudged me toward the two young people who were standing next to the dean. “This
is Oni and Igor, two of my finest students. They are enrolled in our
international relations program and will be attending your class.”

I
shook Oni’s hand before extending my hand to Igor. “
Mne ochen' priyatno s
vami p
oznakomitca
. It’s a pleasure to meet
you both.”

“The
pleasure is mine,” Igor responded cordially. He looked to be in his
mid-twenties. He was nearly six feet tall and quite broad, although he wasn’t
what I would consider muscular by any means. He was wearing a black suit with a
white shirt and a dark red tie.

Oni
was a willowy blond with light green eyes. Her hair hung perfectly straight in
a sheet that fell halfway down her back. She was wearing a skin tight dress in
lipstick red. I suspected she was an inch or two shorter than me, but she was
wearing five inch stiletto heels, which made it difficult to gauge how tall she
really was.

I
smoothed my dress over my hips as I waited for Shae to finish shaking Oni and
Igor’s hands. I was wearing a jade lace dress and high heel sandals that were
the color of tiramisu. It was one of the few outfits I had kept from Paris.