Chapter 7

It seemed as Anna worked for the Russian mob. I still had grave problems with accepting it, but it was the sheer truth according to my 'friend'. He had sent me an urgent warning as soon as he had found out. And as I read his mail again, for the third time, I thought back on the conversation I had had with her 'Parents'.

They had seemed like a perfectly normal old couple, living in their small house, at the outskirts of Santa Barbara. It had been quite a drive there which was somewhat unexpected, as I at first had expected her to live with them near me. But as she had explained it she had moved to a youth hostel to be able to meet me like I wanted, I had accepted that at its face value, and Andrew had drove us all down to meet them.

We had had a very nice conversation with them, me hearing them voicing most of the reluctance and worries that any parents would have with the idea of letting their daughter travel around the world with a perfect stranger. I had succeeded in calming their fears rather easily though. Perhaps that should have made me suspicious? But at the time it only made me proud over my skills of negotiation. So what? I have an ego too.

I couldn't understand why they needed to plant her with me though? And it made me wonder about her age too. There had to be some long range plans set in motion here I guessed. Her past was a total unknown according to my friend's source. She might even be a 'special', sent here just for me. If so they had researched me really well. She was all I was interested in, in a woman.

But her English was so incredibly perfect, not the slightest accent, and that knowledge of malls and clothes? If it was true she might even be one of those really gifted spies, the ones they trained in their special schools, wasn't there an 'American school' in Murmansk? And if that too was true they really must have it bad for me, but, for what purpose?

There was that old adage. 'Keep your friends near you, but your enemy even closer.' Well, her and me would be real close from now on I decided, bosom buddies in fact.

Although I wasn't so sure that they knew what they had set in motion sending her here. I had a feeling that her meeting Alana had put a new spin on it, an obstacle in their way, and an unknown that they would need to analyze before they could start to move their pieces on the board again. But then again, they hadn't been there as I had, watching those two interact.

Could that be the reason she had became so reserved when we were at her 'parents'? A fear that she would let on, inadvertently, just how much she cared for Alana? Maybe she wasn't all that they expected then? I remembered how Alana had seemed to lose all vitality, disappointed drawing back inside herself as we talked. Had she felt the same?

I hated the fact that I couldn't talk Russian with her, it would have helped greatly here. Remember that I was an accomplished manipulator, able to read people very well. Even though lacking in empathy I was very good in reading their 'behavioristics', if you see what I mean. And looking at again I thought that the signs had all been there for me to read if I only had used my eyes.