‘Fuck, Svetlana… I could have killed you…’
SEPTEMBER 1989
Chapter 33
LENINGRAD
Misha looked around the vault. Viktoriya stood next to Grigory, who was idly weighing up wads of dollar bills in his hands before placing them back where he had found them.
‘Did we get the last of Kostya’s money,’ Misha asked Grigory.
‘Over two hundred million US. He seems in a hell of a hurry.’
‘That’s way up on what he told me,’ Misha said, frowning.
Misha cast a glance in Viktoriya’s direction as if she might be able to throw some light on Kostya’s extra millions. It was odd. She guessed Moika was not the only bank Kostya was pushing his money through and Misha would definitely not have been his first choice. Why the rush now? There was less chance of it being noticed by the authorities if it were drip fed.
The wall phone rang and Grigory picked it up.
‘Ivan on the phone.’
They had been waiting for news on Roslavi. Ivan had joined Major Gaidar’s brigade and entered the plant at first light. They had little idea what to expect, only Federov’s hazy report.
‘Put him on speaker,’ said Misha.
‘We have the plant under control, but they were waiting for us, someone must have tipped them off… a heavily armed local gang, maybe fifty, ex-army I suspect, ten dead, four of ours.’
It was almost useless speculating who had leaked their arrival, thought Viktoriya, but they did need to improve their own intelligence about such matters.
‘And the plant director?’
‘Not very cooperative, at first… he’s onside now. If he gives us any trouble he’ll be out and he knows it. Vika, you can send in your tankers in forty-eight hours, but it’ll take time to get back to half-decent production levels. The place is a mess.’
The Soviet Union writ large, thought Viktoriya. No wonder Federov was so keen to secure the place, and thank God for Yuri. Between him and Ivan it had taken less than ten days to assemble a small army, kit them out and put them in position.
‘Comrade director says that requisitioning spare parts is futile; he’s been doing so for months. The only thing it generates is more paperwork – not what he needs.’
‘Ivan, just tell him to give you the list,’ said Misha. ‘We’ll sort it out, bring in the parts from Europe. It’ll be much quicker, and tell him to get hold of some contract engineers. Put them on our payroll. Let’s get this refinery up and running. Who knows how long we’ll have to benefit.’
The sums they were looking at on the trading side were enormous if they could get back to anything like the capacity levels Federov had told them had been achieved two years before; sinking some of their profit into improving their return would be a small price to pay. Besides, Federov had even hinted that he might get the ministry to cover the cost ultimately, but first things first, thought Viktoriya.
‘I’ve LF setting up the transport depot as we speak,’ said Viktoriya, ‘on the outskirts of Smolensk, courtesy of Federov. I’ll fax you the details. I’m positioning the first five freighters there this week, more next. They’ll need security.’
Smolensk was no safer than any other city.
OCTOBER 1989
Chapter 34
SMOLENSK
Yuri sat enjoying a drink at his favourite bar in Smolensk with Viktoriya sitting on the bar stool opposite. Combining a visit to the Western District with Viktoriya’s visit to the Leningrad Freight depot seemed like a good plan.
‘Bring back memories, General?’ she said smiling. Two girls at the far end of the bar had been making eyes at him for the past ten minutes.
‘Not much changes round here… fortunately.’
‘I’m sure. How long were you stationed here?’
‘Eighteen months.’ Eighteen months, it had seemed more like a lifetime immediately after Afghanistan.
‘So…?’ she said, interrupting his train of thought.
‘I was thinking how beautiful you are.’
‘You’ll have to do better than that, General. I’m not one of those girls,’ she said, casting a glance down the bar. But he could see she was not offended.
‘Old habits die hard.’
Sitting there only inches from her, Yuri wondered if she were seeing anyone. He knew that she and Stolin were no longer, only from what Misha had said, but that was as far as his knowledge went.
‘Do you mind if I ask you a question?’ he asked.
‘Depends.’
‘You and Konstantin Ivanivich… no, it’s none of my business,’ he said, suddenly getting cold feet.
‘We’re not seeing each other, if that’s the question.’
‘Not quite, more why, really, or a how.’
‘You mean how a nice girl like me gets involved with someone like him… maybe I’m not so nice.’
‘That I can’t believe.’
‘It’s complicated. I’ve asked myself the same question… often. He’s smart… good-looking… I always used to feel I could rely on him… he came to my rescue once.’ She looked down at the floor, and Yuri could see she was struggling with her emotions and wished he hadn’t pursued the conversation. She looked back up at him with watery eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ Yuri heard himself say. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’
‘No, that’s fine,’ she said, wiping her eyes and giving him a broad smile. ‘Kostya and I go back a long way… we were at Ten Year School together, along with Misha and Ivan. You know, I can’t say I had a perfect home life, far from it, but Kostya’s was chaotic. His mother had a series of affairs that his father turned a blind eye to… neither of them were ever at home. It was his older sister, Zoya, who mostly looked after him.’
‘How did… do… those two get on together – Misha and Kostya?’ he said, attempting to shift the conversation.
‘They don’t, but over the years they’ve learned to maintain a respectful distance… after a few run-ins. I was the common factor, a sort of go-between, keeping the peace.’ She smiled. ‘They are very different. Misha flits from one idea to the next. You’ve met him… a human dynamo… Kostya is much more self-contained; in fact, the most single-minded person I have ever met… and when he focuses on you, he focuses on you. He can be very charming. I was younger then, when I first became involved with him… he was very glamorous… but the one thing I have learned is that Kostya has only really been interested in satisfying one thing.’
‘And what is that?’
‘Himself. We are all means to his ends.’
They fell silent.
‘Enough about me… what about you,’ Viktoriya said with a wry smile.
‘Not much to say… men don’t come more superficial than me, I’m afraid… or so I’ve been told… many times.’
She laughed. He resisted the temptation to reach out his hand and touch her.
‘I’m sure… parents, brothers, sisters?’
‘Father, retired colonel; mother a teacher – a devoted couple; and younger brother an Aeroflot engineer, married, a son, lives in Moscow… great kid.’
‘And you decided to follow in your father’s footsteps?’
He nodded.
‘Always seemed like a good idea. I can’t remember when I didn’t want to be a soldier.’
‘And has it lived up to expectations?’
‘It has its frustrating moments… but yes, I can honestly say I feel born to it.’
‘And have you ever been frightened?’