Text snippet from the book

           The sound of the knob turning attracted his attention as he stood pensively at the doorway. At that very moment, he felt a squeezing deep down inside of his chest cavity, as if the very hand that was grasping the doorknob was squeezing down on his heart, crushing the vital organ inside of him. The door eventually opened, revealing the antithesis of the demon that was tormenting him.

 In that space stood Nicolai’s wife, Anna. The woman welcomed him.

Oh, hi Valeri-

Did Nicolai ever show up-?

Daggers seared his conscience. He had responded quickly, too quickly. Hopefully she hadn’t caught on. The woman hadn’t.

No, why-

She sighed dejectedly; eyes cast down at flooring that made up the hallway. The ambient temperature of the mood plummeted.

No, I haven’t heard from him in three days. I’m worried-

Anna looked up, the hurt drawn clearly within her eyes.

Do you have some time-?

She beckoned, needing someone to talk to desperately, someone that she could trust. Valeri was perfect in that regard. The woman needed someone to help her understand what was going on, someone to shed some light on the tremendous burden that she’d been saddled with.

Anna had found herself unprepared, and was at a loss as to what to do about it.

Should the truth become evident, there was absolutely nothing that she could do about the situation that she found herself in. Valeri as well was trapped within a chamber of intense emotion, and all he could do was listen. At the same time, he’d be pulling from all of his resources in an attempt to comfort her as well as to protect himself.

It should prove to be the dance of a lifetime-

The man had been here less than a minute and this whole thing hadn’t gotten any easier.

Sure. Do you want to talk-?

Her head nodded affirmatively. The man had stepped into the trap, and started looking for surprises.

Come in-

She opened the door a little wider, allowing for Valeri to enter into the narrow walkway. The feel was claustrophobic, the man wondering if it led to a bulletproof conference room, or some other such entity. The door drifted closed as she let go of the handle, heading toward the kitchen, leading the way.

Here we go, from the frying pan into the fire-

Valeri had stepped over the threshold and would now be deeply immersed into whatever was in store for him.

Do you want coffee-?

Her voice wafted back to him as he followed her down the hallway towards his fate.

Sure-

Valeri answered absentmindedly. His mind was on other pressing matters. He tried to shift the conversation away from where he knew it would soon be heading.

How’s your daughter-?

Oh, she’s okay. Thanks. I’m really worried about Nicolai-

Damn. Okay, what does she know-?

She reached the kitchen, and turned around. Anna focused on the man’s eyes, hoping to find something there, a tinge of something, hopefully leaning towards an answer to her dilemma. A blank aura was exuded from those orbs, no visible signs sequestered within the confines of his eyes. The dreaded topic had been brought about for discussion. Valeri looked down at the floor. It was time to drop the bomb.