***
I couldn’t believe my luck. Someone has confirmed Yelena was still alive. She was still okay.
I slept soundly that night and then ate a full breakfast the next morning. I felt energized. I knew Yelena and I would be reunited once more. I couldn’t wait to see her and scoop her into my hands in a tight embrace.
I went to that coffee shop an hour early and waited. I found the perfect table in the back of the shop.
Around a quarter past eleven, I spotted a pretty blonde walk by the coffee shop. I glanced at her because she seemed so familiar.
She walked by several more times from different directions. Then she glanced hastily in my direction and then quickly scanned the other tables. Then she darted for my table.
Svetlana stood in front of me, looking confused, scared. Then she asked, “Are you Keith?”
“Yes, I am. You must be that mysterious girl who called me last night.” I studied the woman while gears in the back of my mind turned and turned, trying to dig up buried memories of this woman, and why she seemed familiar.
Svetlana sat down with her back to the street. She picked up a menu and perused it. Then she snapped her fingers together loudly to attract the waiter's attention. She ordered an Earl Gray tea with a dash of lemon and honey.
Svetlana started the conversation first, “At this moment, Yelena is fine, but we must move fast. My employer is extremely dangerous.”
I interrupted her, “I know. His name is Sasha, and I’ve heard a lot about him.”
Svetlana raised her eyebrow in surprise, “Very well. I see you’re well informed. How did you learn his name?”
“Let's just say his business partner told me his name before he had an accident.”
Svetlana raised her eyebrows suspiciously at me. I knew what she was thinking. How could a nerdy, weak professor take on the hardened dangerous criminals of Montenegro?
I hesitated for a minute and added, “Do you think if I gave Sasha some money, he would return Yelena to me?”
Svetlana laughed sarcastically and uttered, “Yeah, sure. Just walk up to his house, ring his doorbell, and ask him. By the way, I would like to buy my girlfriend back. Once he stops laughing, then he’ll shoot you, personally.”
“I don't see the problem,” I pleaded.
“Sasha only plans for the long term. He handles everything through controlled business dealings. Besides, you couldn’t afford to buy her back anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she earned Sasha 300 euros every night for six nights a week for five years, then we are talking about a large sum of money.”
I turned a pale white and spat out a “What?” as more as an expletive than a real question. Then the numbers roiled in my mind, and I blurted, “That’s 468,000 euros.”
“The sad news is: I'm in the same boat. I will only see a small fraction of that. Plus, I have a terrible retirement plan. Thus, I'm willing to help you both, but it’s dangerous for me too. I can sneak Yelena out of the house, but once Sasha finds out, he’ll kill me. So I need to escape too. You must help me! I’ll agree to help you, if you can help me.”
“What can I do for you? How can I help you?” I asked with sincerity as I stared into her eyes.
She stared into my eyes and demanded, “I need money. I need money to start a new life. I need money to get away from Montenegro forever.”
“How much?”
“I think 30,000 euros would cover it.”
“I’m so sorry, miss, but I don’t have 30,000 euros. Right now, I have a little less than 20,000 euros,” I replied, and subsequently, I opened my jacket and partially pulled out the two bundles of blue stacks of money, showing just the edges.
Svetlana's eyes bulged at the size of the money stacks, hypnotizing her, while her curious hand reached for it subconsciously.
I quickly closed my jacket and zipped it up before Svetlana's hand could caress the money.
Svetlana had a faraway, dreamy look in her eyes. Then she continued, “I see. I think I can find it in my heart to accept 20,000 euros. It may be rough, but I think I can do it.”
“Okay, agreed. How do I get Yelena back?”
“That’s the tough part. I’ll find a way to sneak her out. It’ll be tough because Sasha has several armed guards patrolling his house. Once I figure out a way, I’ll call you on the cell phone. You keep your cell phone on and charged. Then you must pick us up. It would also help if you could create a diversion—something that will keep Sasha occupied. He keeps a close eye on everything. I don’t care what you do. Have someone stand outside his gate and shoot at his guards. I really don’t care.”
“Where does Sasha live?”
“I can’t tell you that, not yet. Also, please don’t call me. I can’t have you call me at the wrong time. Just in case, I’ll switch my cell phone off, but I know sometimes a cellphone can turn on as it brushes against something in a purse. Once I have a plan, I will call you, and you must act fast.”
“Okay.”
Svetlana sipped her tea while she kept glancing at me. She kept looking at me as if she knew me.
I blurted, “I think you bumped into me yesterday. You were with some other Russian woman at a store, when I was at the coffee shop that’s further inside the castle.” Then I pointed in the direction of the other coffee shop.
Svetlana began blushing and added, “It’s a small world isn't it. I vaguely remember bumping into you.”
Svetlana continued drinking her tea. After she had drunk half her tea, she announced, “I’m sorry Keith, but I must return.”
“May I ask what your name is?”
“I can't. Just call me a friend. Do you want to say anything else to Yelena? She really misses you.”
“Tell her I love her, and I did some really terrible things to get her back. Tell her I lit a candle for us in the Serbian church in Tuzla, the one near the city's center. She’ll understand.”
“Bye, Keith. Remember, when I call, you must act fast. You must come and get us.”
Then Svetlana gathered her things and quickly disappeared into the noon crowd.
I thought about following her but knew that would be futile. I had no way of busting into Sasha's house, especially with the armed guards. I didn’t mind dying, but I worried over Yelena's life. If I died, then surely Yelena would perish, and I had no intentions of leaving Yelena stranded in Montenegro's underworld. The waiter appeared and placed the bill on the table. The Russian blonde walked away without offering to pay for her tea.
I smirked because I could tell – she always gets what she wants from men. I thought about handing the waiter a hundred euro note out of the stack of money. That way, the mysterious woman left one hell of a tip to the waiter, but my conscience screamed at me not to do this. Sasha also trapped this woman, and she needed the money to buy a new life, so every euro counted.
I pulled out several euro coins and placed them on the table on top of the check. Then I returned to my hotel room.