Page 13 of France Face-Off (Brotherhood Protectors International #6)

Natalya led her to a table where the Saudi energy representative sat with Hikosaburo Kono, the Japanese delegate.

The other interpreter’s choice immediately put Alex out of her comfort zone.

She spoke no Japanese and no Middle Eastern dialects.

Fortunately, Richard Wedington, the UK representative took the seat beside hers.

Natalya leaned forward and addressed the UK delegate. “Richard, it’s good to see you again.”

He nodded. “And you too, Natalya.”

Their use of first names indicated a close familiarity with each other, and Natalya turned to Alex. “Richard, have you met Ms. Sokolov?”

He shook his head and held out his hand. “I have not had the pleasure.”

Alex took his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Wedington.”

“Nice to meet you too, Ms. Sokolov. You’re interpreting for Mr. Hans Sutter, the German Minister of Energy?”

She nodded.

Wedington’s lips pressed into a thin line. “He appeared quite angry leaving the summit conference room.”

She gave a tight smile rather than a response.

Another interpreter sat between Richard and the Saudi. The Saudi spoke to the interpreter, and the interpreter turned to Richard Wedington and introduced the Saudi. A conversation ensued between the UK representative and the Saudi representative, thankfully leaving Alex out of the conversation.

“So, Ms. Sokolov, or may I call you Alex…?” Natalya asked.

“You may call me Alexa.”

“I detect an American accent. Where did you learn to speak Russian and German so well?”

“In school,” she said. It was her canned answer for people she didn’t want to know her background. Her parents’ secrets were her secrets.

“And where might that school be? I’d like to recommend it to others who might pursue careers in interpretation.”

“Sorry, but the school is no longer in business.” Another lie she’d grown used to using.

“Such a shame, especially when they did such a good job.”

“What about you, Ms. Zotin?”

“I grew up in Moscow, and my parents moved me around quite a bit when I was young. We spent time in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and even in Saudi Arabia.” She smiled and nodded at the Saudi delegate.

He nodded in return.

“I became quite adept at picking up different languages and have made friends all over the world,” Natalya said with a smile.

“How many languages are you fluent in?” Alex asked.

“Eight, and I’m able to adequately communicate in another six.”

“That’s amazing,” Alex said.

Thankfully, the meal was served, and Alex wasn’t required to talk while they ate. Alex picked at her food, pushed it around on her plate and finally set her fork aside.

“Is the meal not to your taste?” Natalya asked.

Alex gave a tight smile. “No, it’s quite good. I’m just not all that hungry, and I need to get back to my room for a few minutes before the afternoon session begins.”

“I need to go to my room as well. I’ll walk with you.”

That was not how Alex saw her lunchtime escape to Daniel’s room happening. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the man who made her heart skip beats making his way to the banquet hall doors. He glanced her way and gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Natalya walked with Alex all the way to the elevator.

Daniel hung back, letting them enter the elevator without him. Alex thought to punch the seventh floor. Instead, she entered three, the real number that she’d been assigned. As the elevator rose, she pulled her keycard from her wallet.

“Oh,” Natalya said, “we’re on the same floor.”

Alex swallowed a groan as the door opened.

Natalya waited for Alex to emerge and didn’t make a move until Alex turned in the direction of her room. They walked side by side. “Have you always been an interpreter?” Natalya asked.

“For the most part,” she said. “You?”

“Not always. I’ve dabbled in business, but the corporate world was not for me. I’m happy doing what I do. I have more control over the work I take on.”

Alex stopped in front of her door. “It was nice talking to you. I have a few things I need to do before I go back to the summit.”

“Me, too. I’ll see you there.”

Alex waited for Natalya to move past her. When the woman didn’t, she waved her keycard over the door lock. She pushed the door in just enough to get through it and then turned and closed the door between her and Natalya.

The broken window was a glaring reminder of the evening before.

Her pulse picked up. She stared around the room, half-expecting the man in black with the mask to show up again.

She checked the room to make sure there was nobody else inside and then went back to the door and looked through the peephole.

Apparently, Natalya had moved away from the door. She waited another three minutes before she pushed the door open and peered out into the hallway. It was empty.

Alex left the room and headed for the closest stairwell.

As she pushed through the door, she looked back over her shoulder.

The floor was still empty. She hurried through, let the door close behind her and then climbed the stairs to the fifth floor.

When she opened the door to the stairwell, she heard another door clatter below.

Alex muttered a curse beneath her breath.

Hopefully, it wasn’t Natalya following her.

She walked quickly to Daniel’s door and knocked three times softly.

The door opened immediately, and she dove in.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “Is somebody following you?”

“I’m not sure,” she said.

He leaned into the peephole, stared for a moment and then straightened. “Did you see who it was?”

“No,” Alex said, “but I had an interesting lunch with your girlfriend.”

“What girlfriend? Oh, you mean Natalya.”

“Yes, she invited me to sit with her and then grilled me.”

His lips twitched. “Did she find out any more than I have found out about you?”

“She didn’t get much further.”

“She’s an interesting woman,” Daniel said.

“She is,” Alex agreed. And kind of creepy , she thought but didn’t add.

Daniel’s brow dipped. “Was she following you?”

“I don’t know…maybe. I told her I was going up to my room after lunch to do a few things before I went back to the summit.

She said she also had to go back to her room.

And then she got into the elevator with me.

I punched the button for the third floor, and she said, ‘Oh, we’re on the same floor.

’” Alex grimaced. “When I got out and went to my room, she followed me. It wasn’t until I went inside my room and closed the door that I finally got rid of her.

I waited a few minutes, then left the room and came up here.

At the fifth-floor stairwell door, I thought I heard somebody open a door below me.

I could just be imagining things.” But her gut told her she wasn’t.

Daniel frowned. “Why would Natalya follow you?”

“Good question,” Alex said.

“How did it go in the summit meeting?”

Alex filled him in on the discussion between the attendees and how Petrov and the German left the room.

Daniel shook his head. “A much more interesting morning than I had.”

“Did you have a chance to look over the video again?” Alex asked.

“I did.” Then he shook his head. “I didn’t find out anything different.”

“Did you learn anything else about the attendees?”

“I did some web surfing, but nothing seemed to indicate a motive for murder.”

“Well, I guess I'd better get back to the summit. Are you still okay with me leaving my things here?”

Daniel nodded. “And I’m still okay with you staying here again tonight.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Can we discuss it later after the summit meetings and dinner?”

He nodded. “The offer remains open. I won’t withdraw it, unless you turn out to be a real assassin.”

She gave him a stiff smile. “I take it you’re a man who likes to take risks?”

“Calculated risks,” he said.

“I guess we’ll see each other at dinner.”

“Before you go,” Daniel said, “let me check the corridor.” He went to the door, glanced through the peephole then opened the door just a little so that he could look out. Finally, he held the door wide. “All clear.”

Alex quickly walked down the hallway to the elevator.

Once inside, she descended to the second floor, where she’d get off and take the stairs the rest of the way.

She held her breath as she neared the third floor.

If Natalya stepped in at that point, she had a lie ready to tell the woman.

Her story would be that she’d stepped into the elevator moments before, thinking it was going down and it went up instead.

She’d gone up to the sixth floor and back down.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to use the excuse.

The elevator didn’t stop, and Natalya didn’t step into the elevator on the third floor.

The short visit with Daniel had managed to calm her.

Somehow, she knew if she got in a pinch, he would help her out of it.

She didn’t know much else about him, but her instincts told her he was a good guy, even if he wasn’t telling her the whole truth about himself.

What male escort was all that concerned about identifying potential assassins?