“Interfere? You’re not being clear, Lara.”

Her mother was right. Nothing was clear at this moment. It was all guesswork. “Kaskov did something that might change everything for us. I can’t promise, but there’s a chance.” She looked at Tanner. “We’re leaving Russia. We’re not coming back. You’re going to be safe.”

Maria was silent. “Thank God. But you’re the one who has to be safe. Volkov was getting…I’ve been afraid for the last month. But you know Volkov isn’t going to let you go.”

“He won’t have a choice. Once I’m free, I’m going to stay free. If Tanner gets us out of Russia, I’ll find a safe place for you and then just disappear.”

“Tanner?”

Lara looked Tanner in the eye and said defiantly, “Kaskov’s errand boy. But Kaskov wouldn’t have sent him if he hadn’t thought he could manage to get us out. You know how afraid everyone is of Kaskov, and they don’t screw up. We’ll trust Tanner unless he proves that we can’t.”

“It’s really true?” Maria whispered. “It’s not a trick?”

“Not as far as I know.” But Lara was afraid to tell her anything more than that. They had both been disappointed before. “If it’s a trick, it wasn’t one of Volkov’s. Tanner killed one of Volkov’s men. That’s good enough for me to take this chance. I just don’t know why Kaskov would interfere.”

“I might be able to guess. I’d watch his face when you were playing. At times there was something…” She paused and then said quietly, “It’s too good to be true, you know. I’m afraid to believe it.”

“Believe it,” Lara said. “All I need is an opportunity, I’ll take it from there.” She added quickly, “Do what this Nash tells you to do until we meet in Stockholm. After that we’ll talk and make decisions for ourselves. Okay?”

“It will have to be,” Maria said. “I’m just having a little trouble with remembering about decisions. I haven’t had the opportunity to do that for a long time. Take care, Lara.” She ended the call.

“Content?” Tanner asked as he took his phone.

“No, I want you to call that Nash back and make sure he treats her very carefully. She didn’t really know what was happening. It worried her.”

“I don’t have to call him back. He had his instructions and I’m sure she told you she was treated very courteously. She’ll have no complaints when she meets you in Stockholm.” He smiled. “We don’t generally harass mothers or children. And a bit of worry wouldn’t have been a criminal offense.”

“It depends on the person. Maria is tough, but you don’t know what my mother has gone through in her life. It might have brought back memories I don’t want her to have to ever think about again.”

“I can’t be responsible for memories,” he said. “Not hers, not yours. You’ll have to handle those yourselves. I can only guarantee that I’ll inflict as little insult or pain as possible.” His lips lifted in a lopsided smile. “Which you weren’t being too careful to do yourself. ‘Errand boy’? Neither word accurately describes me.”