couldn’t stand to think about it. But how could she turn her back on everything she’d worked for? How could she turn her back on the women like Marta? How could she turn her back on her father?
“There are plenty of nonprofits who need volunteers, and someone with your skills would be incredibly valuable. Your language skills alone would be vital. I know it wouldn’t be the same as earning money for your work, but you could still accomplish some of the things that are important to you.”
Gretchen glanced at her watch. “I’m afraid I have to cut this short. I have another meeting in ten minutes. But I can assure you, if you are looking for ways to use your journalism skills to help clients like mine, the need is endless.”
Elena thanked Gretchen for her time. She didn’t get any real answers, but she got enough for her brain to start turning.
She’d just gotten back into her car when her phone rang. Assuming it was Vlad, she answered immediately.
“Elena, it’s Yev.”
Her free hand white-knuckled the steering wheel. “Yev. Hello.”
He chuckled. “You sound nervous.”
“Yes, to be honest.” At least that wasn’t a lie.
“Well, no need. I’m very pleased to be making this call.”
“Oh . . .” She sounded breathless, like a little girl.
“Is everything okay? Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Yep. Totally bad time. Because her entire life and what she thought she knew and wanted had changed in the past week. “Of course not,” she breathed. “This is perfect.”
“Good,” Yev said. “Because I would like to officially offer you a job.”
A sensation she hadn’t been prepared for greeted his words. Disappointment. “Thank you. That is . . . wow.”
“We understand that it is a big move from America, so we don’t expect you immediately. But do you think you can start in a month?”
A sour taste stung the back of her tongue. “A month?”
“If you need more time, we can make that work.”
“Um, no, that’s not it.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
Elena winced but then reminded herself this was a man she’d known all her life. “Yev, I am so grateful for the job offer, but I actually think I will have to decline.”
There was a pause and then a creak of his chair. “Well, this is unexpected. May I ask why?”
“I might not be quite ready to leave America yet.” He made a noncommittal noise, so she rushed forward. “I will always be so grateful that you were willing to take a chance on me.”
“Well, it was the least I could do for your father. But can I be honest? I’m kind of relieved.”
She laughed. “You are?”
“Now I don’t have to worry about you.” Another creak of his chair, and she pictured him standing. “What are your plans, then?”
“I don’t know yet. I haven’t made any plans. I met with an immigration attorney, though, and she at least gave me some things to think about.”
“Good for you.”
“Yev, thank you so much for understanding.”
“Of course. You’re like family, Elena. You know that.”
“I do. And it means a lot.”
“You’ll let me know if you need anything else?”
Elena held her breath. “There actually is one thing.”
“Name it.”
“I sort of lied to you before.”
He paused. Then, “I’m listening.”
“When you asked if I was looking into my father’s disappearance—”
“Oh shit, Elena. What have you been doing?”
“I’ve been trying to finish his story. I’ve been doing my own investigation, as much as I could from here.”
Silence, then, “And did you find anything interesting?”
“A lot of false leads and dead ends.”
“Well, that’s not surprising.”
“There’s one thing I wonder if maybe you’ll look into for me.”
His sigh could have powered a steamboat. “Elena, you know how dangerous this is.”
“I know. And I’m sorry if I’m putting you on the spot.”
“What is it you want me to look at?”
“Nikolei 1122.”
Silence again. Then, “Where did you hear that?”
Her heart hammered at his tone. “Does it mean something?”
“Not immediately, no. But it could be part of a classification for a police report. The name of the officer and the date, but it could mean anything. Where did you hear that?”
“I have a source inside one of Strazh’s clubs.”
He let out a string of curse words that had her pulling the phone away from her ear. “Yevgeny—”
“This is madness, Elena. Please tell me you’re lying.”
“I need to know what happened to him. Don’t you want to know?”
He swore under his breath. “Does Vlad know what you’re working on?”
Cold seeped down her spine. “Not yet.”
Seconds ticked by when all she could