An Hour Ago
"Where are you going?"
Pyotr set his coffee cup aside and leaned against the wall, watching Alia, who had already changed out of her police uniform.
"Where? My shift's over, I can go home now."
"Alright then, see you later."
Alia gave a silent nod as a farewell to Pyotr and left the police station.
She stood on the sidewalk waiting for a taxi, unaware that Pyotr had also ended his shift and was now slipping out behind her, quietly following her.
A minute later, a taxi pulled up. She climbed in quickly without hesitation, gave the driver her destination, and the car drove off into the street under the glow of the streetlights.
From behind, Pyotr started his car and followed calmly, just as he had before.
In truth, he had expected Alia to confront him with questions about what he had discovered so far… but she didn't.
Had she forgotten? Or was she deliberately avoiding it?
What he had seen that night after following Alia wasn't particularly valuable in his eyes, but it did reveal one thing: Alia had entered an ordinary-looking building, and moments later, Leonid came out the one person he hadn't expected to see there.
That left no room for doubt they were working together. And of course, Vasili must be involved too; otherwise, he wouldn't have blocked Pyotr that day.
What further fueled his suspicions today was the way Alia acted with Leonid. something about it felt strange, as if they had a long history. But what puzzled him even more was that Charlotte, whom he had once suspected, didn't seem to know anything about them being "unusual," as he had once thought.
But now, everything had changed. True, he didn't have much information, but what he did have was enough to see the picture more clearly. A federal agent wouldn't reveal his identity so easily but his mere presence meant there was a major case unfolding behind the scenes.
The taxi stopped at its destination. Alia got out quickly and headed toward the same building.
Pyotr slowed down, took a turn, and parked his car in a spot that allowed him to monitor all entrances and exits without being noticed.
Half an hour passed.
Then another car arrived at the location. Pyotr was reclining in his seat when he caught a glimpse of silver hair gleaming under the moonlight.
He squinted… Leonid.
He was strolling calmly, but his steps carried an ominous weight.
Moments later, he stopped in front of Pyotr's car and gestured for him to step out.
Pyotr sighed silently.
Now he had to choose pretend nothing was happening… or get out and face the reality of being caught red-handed.
There was no time for hesitation.
He opened the door and stepped out.
Leonid was smoking coolly, but the moment he recognized Pyotr's face, he gave a slight smile, dropped his cigarette to the ground, and crushed it underfoot without taking his eyes off him.
"Well, well… Aren't you bold, coming back here a second time?"
Pyotr replied calmly,
"Actually, this is the third. But you were absent yesterday… and that piqued my curiosity."
Leonid raised an eyebrow with feigned amusement and stepped closer, his shadow nearly touching Pyotr's.
"Your curiosity might get you into trouble you can't handle."
Pyotr was about to respond, but Leonid exhaled slowly, cutting the conversation short before it began.
"In any case, I can overlook this. Don't take it as a favor… I just don't like meddling in other people's business."
Then his eyes narrowed coldly as he added:
"In return… tell me everything that happened between you and Charlotte. In detail."
Pyotr looked at him with disdain.
"You say you don't like meddling in others' business, then ask me to tell you everything that happened with Charlotte in detail? Isn't that contradictory?"
Leonid tilted his head back slightly, his gaze sharpening with an icy blue gleam.
"Charlotte isn't one of the 'others'… She's my girlfriend, and I care about her."
Pyotr smirked sarcastically.
"How disgraceful. A federal agent falling in love during a mission? Not exactly standard procedure."
"You're insolent. And that's disgusting…"
Leonid laughed, but it was short, dry, devoid of any warmth. Then suddenly, he lunged forward, grabbing Pyotr by the collar and yanking him close with force.
"Believe it or not… this isn't your business."
He continued in a low, cold tone:
"Now… speak. Before I lose my patience."
His threat hung in the air, like a hidden blade dancing between them in the breeze.
The two locked eyes in heavy silence, until Pyotr finally said, seriously:
"Fine… but first, swear to me that you won't use Charlotte Smith in this investigation, and that your feelings for her are genuine."
Leonid raised an eyebrow again but released Pyotr's collar calmly, without changing his expression.
"I swear, I won't use her."
He paused for a moment, his sharp eyes betraying flickers of emotion, then slowly turned to the side, pulled out a lighter from his pocket, lit a new cigarette, and smoked in silence for a few moments. Finally, he spoke through a warm exhale:
"As for my feelings… I'm completely sincere."
"I hope so."
Pyotr didn't feel the depth of Leonid's emotions as much as he felt suspicion and doubt. Still, he leaned against his car and began recounting everything that had happened since he met Charlotte in the lobby with the blonde woman and the suspicious man in his eyes.
Inside the meeting room, silence loomed. Everyone was waiting, and as usual, Leonid had yet to arrive.
Kozlov closed his eyes, exhaled audibly, then broke the silence with a heavy question:
"When will he get here?"
"He should be here any moment now…"
Vladimir replied in a low voice, trying to hide his impatience.
Kozlov shot him a blank stare, then slowly turned toward the wall clock.
The clock hands didn't stop moving, yet Leonid remained absent.
"It's been five minutes. If he has arrived, what is he doing outside?"
"Probably smoking, as always."
Alia replied coolly, crossing her arms and legs. Her voice still carried the remnants of a restrained anger after what had happened in Charlotte's apartment earlier that day.
She turned and said:
"In any case... Vasili, go get him. Now."
Vasili raised his eyebrows in boredom as he glanced at Alia, then slouched back into his chair:
"Why me? I have no energy. Dmitri, you go."
Dmitri sighed slowly, as if the weight of the world had fallen on his shoulders. Even he didn't want to see Leonid.
"I'm tired too. Can't you see the bags under my eyes?"
He lazily pointed to the dark circles beneath his eyelids, then added in a sarcastic tone:
"Alia, since this was your idea… why don't you go? Who knows, maybe your secret lover got into some trouble."
"How dare you?!"
Alia stood up angrily, slapping her palms on the table, her eyes blazing with fury.
Kozlov and Vladimir were momentarily taken aback, then tried to resume their serious discussion as if nothing had happened.
"That idiot is no longer my secret lover!"
Alia added heatedly, while Dmitri raised a mocking eyebrow:
"Really? And when did you make this life-altering decision?"
Alia hesitated, then replied with flustered stubbornness:
"Since… a while ago! Or maybe today! It's none of your business!"
"Wow... shocking news."
Vasili muttered while lying back, staring at the ceiling, completely drenched in boredom. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.
The commander and his deputy were discussing something serious, while Dmitri and Alia bickered above his head.
And now, the headache was slowly creeping into his skull, making him wonder if searching for Leonid might be more merciful than staying here.
Suddenly, he stood up, clearly out of patience:
"Everyone just quiet down, okay? I'll go look for Leonid."
He walked toward the double doors, and no one acknowledged his words. But as soon as he reached for the handle, the door opened on its own.
Vasili froze.
A ghost?
He wondered internally as he stared at the slowly widening gap. A bright figure began to emerge white hair swaying gently in the light.
The color drained slowly from Vasili's pale face, until Leonid stood before him.
"Leonid…?"
Vasili blinked in shock, while Leonid ignored him completely and walked past him with steady steps, his eyes void of any emotion.
Everyone fell silent and turned their eyes toward Leonid, who had finally arrived.
"You're more than five minutes late. Where have you been?!"
Kozlov snapped at him, his voice laced with suppressed anger.
Leonid replied coldly without looking at him,
"I had some additional tasks to take care of."
He walked to his seat and sat down slowly, rubbing his shoulders as he added,
"Anyway, let's begin the meeting."
But Alia wasn't going to let it slide.
"By "additional burdens"... do you mean Charlotte Smith?
She mocked coolly, leaning back in her chair, still trying to vent her pent-up anger now that the person in question had arrived.
Leonid completely ignored her. He seemed to be struggling to keep his composure, but his silence spoke louder than any response.
"What are you talking about, Alya? He clearly said tasks, not burdens,"
Vasili commented indifferently as he returned to his seat.
"This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it."
Alia snapped sharply, glancing sideways at him.
"Vasili, don't get involved with those two. Don't you hate drama?"
Dmitri said, eyeing him suspiciously.
Vasili lazily rubbed his temple and muttered with a bored tone,
"Is there even a problem here?"
He was genuinely asking, seemingly unaware of the intense undercurrent between Leonid and Alia.
"Enough!"
Kozlov cut through the tension with a cold tone, one that barely concealed his frustration.
"What is this bickering? What's with the toxic atmosphere?"
He paused for a moment, then swept his eyes across the room before saying firmly:
"You're one team, working toward a common goal. I won't repeat myself again… anyone who wants to settle personal scores can leave now."
He pointed toward the door, waiting for someone to move but no one did.
Instead, heads bowed and apologies mumbled in unison, all except Leonid, who stared blankly at his father, unmoved and unapologetic.
Kozlov held his gaze for a few seconds, then looked away and tapped the table lightly.
"Let's begin."