“It is, when I have a nurse who does not understand him. I need to find a Russian interpreter.”
Jason looked puzzled. “But he understands English, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, but that part of his brain is now affected. Because it is his second language, it is a skill that is easier to lose.” I blew out a breath. “He doesn’t know who I am.”
“Fuck, Alexei. I’m so sorry.”
I nodded my appreciation. “What concerns me most is how scared he must be. Right now, he knows who Maya is. When he saw her this morning, he started speaking English again. I thought it would help him recall me.”
“But no?”
I shook my head. “Before he might have been confused but he would eventually figure it out. Now … his memories are being stolen, one at a time, and when his mind is bankrupted, what am I to do?”
Jason looked aghast, and I realized this was a lot with which to burden him.
Besides, the only person I wanted to share with was Lauren, and that was no longer an option.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Lauren
* * *
Esme put her head around the door.
“So as luck would have it you have an opening in your schedule right now.”
“Oh yeah, all the time in the world not having to deal with my non-existent client list.”
She raised a finger to her lips. “Maybe less of the defeatist talk and more of the super-agent Lauren we know and love. You have a visitor.”
I hated the part of myself that wanted to see Alexei. A week had passed since we parted, since I demanded that divorce, and I wondered if I had been too harsh. He had lied, but should I have given him the benefit of the doubt?
Esme had clear instructions not to admit him, so any hopes I had of seeing him were set aside. (She hadn’t been too pleased with me when she found out we were secretly married all this time. Tell me about it, girl.)
“Are you going to let me in on?—”
“It’s Arkady Volkov!”
After the FBI crashed my party, I had canceled my scheduled call with Arkady. My confidence was shot, so I thought it better to pre-empt his likely rejection.
“Where is he?”
“Playing with my Labubu.”
“Excuse me?”
She grinned. “You really need to up your game on the pop culture, boss. Should I send him in?”
“Yes, of course!” I shoved my bag of Doritos into a drawer, took a slug of water, then stood just as Arkady entered my office. Tall, dark, and powerfully built, he was dressed in University of Minnesota sports gear. When he went into the draft, he would be top three—of that I had no doubt.
“Mr. Volkov, lovely to meet you at last.”
“Mrs. Nazarov, it is pleasure.”
Okay, so he was up on the gossip. I gestured to the seat and he took it. “Can we get you anything to drink? Esme can do a run for anything more complicated than drip coffee.”
“It is okay.”