AT SIX FEET, three inches, Alexei Karpov towered over his companion as they stood watching the giant cranes load containers onto the T.R.S.L. Antares.
"So, colonel. I suppose this means no more Kalashnikovs?"
Alexei's gaze never shifted from the distant workers. "I'm afraid so, Ashida-san. I was never comfortable with it anyway."
Lewis Ashida glumly stuck his hands into his pockets. For the past six years he'd bought thousands of surplus AK-47s from Karpov and resold them for considerable profit on the world markets. The arms trade and the ready availability of the Russian-made rifles, had made him one of the wealthier men on Hokkaido and a civil leader in Kushiro.
On the positive side, the former Russian army colonel had given him a number of contacts in Russia and the Ukraine, but Lewis was not at all confident they would be as honourable in their dealings.
" You look like hell, Karpov. When was the last time you slept?"
The colonel's gaunt face blocked the sun as he looked down and smiled, exposing a stainless steel cap. "Days, Ashida-san. Long days. But now I can rest easier. Let me buy you lunch."
Lewis met the taller man's smile. "You're buying, colonel?"
Karpov shrugged. "Call it friendship. Call it an homage to my new life in a new world. Didn't you tell me you knew the finest seafood restaurant in Kushiro?"
Lewis laughed and the two men began walking. "It's on the other side of the Nusamai Bridge," Lewis said. "But well worth the walk."
"Just keep it easy. I am tired."
"Why the move, Colonel? If you don't mind my asking."
Karpov's gait slowed, the bottom of his greatcoat brushing his legs in the sea breeze. He stopped and looked out across Kushiro harbour toward the horizon. "Twenty-five years in the Russian army and the thanks of a grateful motherland are retirement checks that cannot be cashed. They arrive months late and are too small to live on if they were on time and anyone would honour them."
He met his companion's gaze. "I believe I can sell my knowledge of Russia in the United States, Ashida-san. It's that simple. Today's Russia is a young man's game."
The two men began walking again.
"So why the rush Alexei?"
"I have a job. But I must have my household items in the States by a specific date."
The bridge loomed above them and Karpov stopped, gazing up at the bronze sculptures that graced the arch. "The four seasons," he said admiringly. "It's a symbol of life itself, yes?"
"A lot of Japanese culture is symbolic," Ashida said. "I think it's in the genes."
"And yet, ultimately everything boils down to life and death, doesn't it, comrade?"
Lewis Ashida looked up into Alexei Karpov's eyes and recognized both desperation and irony. "It does indeed, Colonel. Now let's get lunch."
YOU ARE READING
Not-So-Secret
RomanceLike father . . . like son. The empty crib, the warning note - Kelly Declaremount-black recognised the signs that her secret life had been discovered. To save her son, she became the willing captive of a man arrogantly convinced that her baby was hi...
