Chapter 38: Iosif

The front of the restaurant is gaudy, the paint bright red and gold, the colors of Mother Russia. But it's chintzy, old and unrepaired. A dive, Syd would call it. I keep my head down, blonde hair covered in a black wool toque, hands shoved in the pockets of my leather jacket. Night has fallen, the crisp air feeling of approaching winter, though it's only late September. This close to the Russian border, snow comes early enough.

The street is bustling, making my approach all the easier, the stink of cigar smoke and stale furs brought out of mothballed storage wafting around me. My boots make no sound on the pavement as I weave through the crowd to the restaurant front, eyes carefully observing the two hulking men outside the front door. Standard Mafia bodyguards in long, black leather jackets, one bald, the other dyed blond with shoulders as wide as the doorway. I don't have to look for bulges under their clothing. They are armed, no question.