eye as she answered him, suggested she hadn’t heard him and more importantly there was still a chance, thought Sean.
“What about you, Governor?”
“Never, I’m really looking forward to meeting President Gagarin as well. I’m a bit of a techy and space geek.”
“I’d never have guessed,” replied Sean hiding his sarcasm. He’d just stepped off the ultimate gadget!
As the cars pulled into the Ritz Carlton’s entrance, the entourage and their baggage filled the entranceway.
“You staying for the month?” asked Sean looking at the number of items in Katherine’s bundle as he walked the Governor to his suite.
“One never knows what to wear!” she joked.
Sean checked the suite and allowed the Governor to enter; it was stunning and just a little smaller than the plane thought Sean, but not by much. Five minutes later, with her bags safely in her room, Katherine joined them to run through the final itinerary. Room Service delivered a lunch Katherine had ordered and the three sat blankly as the Russian-speaking waiter tried to explain what each course was.
“I had the same problem ordering,” laughed Katherine. “I’ve no idea what anything is!”
Whatever she had ordered went down very well and, as the three sat back for coffee, Katherine felt a slight vibration in her bag. She excused herself and headed back to her room where she removed the telecoms device and called Dr Surkov back.
“Katherine, my dear,” said Surkov, struggling to hide his excitement.
“Dr Surkov, I cannot believe I am finally here,” Katherine was just as excited. “I just wish my mother could have shared it with me.”
As much as Surkov loved Katherine’s mother, he was not a man who indulged in sentiment.
“You are scheduled to arrive at 6.30 and we’ve arranged a private meeting for the Governor at 6.45 with President Gagarin in the State Drawing room. Thereafter, both men will walk to the George Hall and make a grand entrance. If you can be by the Governor’s side, it will make for excellent photos for the press. My two girls Yolana and Katherine side by side with the two most powerful men in the world.”
“God, I hadn’t even thought, I will meet my sister tonight!” exclaimed Katherine, giggling.
“Anything else we may have overlooked?” asked Surkov. Giggling wasn’t his thing.
“Sean Fox,” replied Katherine sourly. She wouldn’t forgive the man for the previous evening.
“We’ll deal with him when it is convenient, before the banquet will cause problems, after is much easier.”
“He is stuck to the Governor’s side,” she warned.
“Not during the private one to one?” asked Surkov questioningly.
“Of course not,” she answered but was less than convinced. She wasn’t sure Sean would let the Governor go in a toilet cubicle on his own. That, however, was Katherine’s job. She just had to make sure the Governor was left to have the meeting in private.
“Good, and you brought the clothes?” asked Surkov.
“Yes, dropped off as requested.”
“Excellent, we will make history tonight, or should I say we will start history tonight!” said Surkov proudly and hung up.
Chapter 77
They pulled up outside the Grand Kremlin palace at 6.29pm and again were met by a sea of photographers. Governor Rick Brown, the future US President, was going to be the biggest news story of the year. His attendance, despite the loss of his wife, was going to have the press and pundits around the world debating appropriateness. However, one thing was agreed, it certainly proved without a shadow of a doubt that the man was strong enough to lead the free world.
Sean was the only one of the Governor’s armed bodyguards allowed within the palace walls and as such guided the Governor quickly through the mob.
As Katherine stepped into the light and allowed the Governor and Sean the first proper look at her in her gown, both gasped. “Wow, stunning!”
“Thank you,” she smiled.
Sean looked at the palace. “Oh sorry, I meant the palace, but you’re lookin OK!” he said looking at her more closely and laughing.
As they walked up the steps and into the palace itself, a line of security scanners were checking everybody that entered. Sean stepped up to one, withdrew his weapon and placed it in the small tray along with his cell and other metal items. He showed his permit and VISA and stepped through the scanner. On the other side he reached down and discovered his pistol had been removed. The Governor looked on from an adjacent scanner and shrugged.
“Sorry, I’ve got a permit for that!” said Sean pointing to his gun been taken to the security room.
“Not inside!” replied the guard, drawing a line at the door.
Sean nodded, realizing he wasn’t allowed the weapon inside the palace building. On looking at the decor, he could hardly argue; it was breathtaking and a bullet hole would probably costs millions to repair. He decided, if nobody else had one, he wouldn’t need one. If worst came to the worst, he’d find something. He caught up with the Governor and Katherine and checked the time, ten minutes before the Governor was due to meet the President. Katherine had her arm around the Governor.
“How are you feeling?” asked Sean, jovially joining the pair.
“Sad, Nicole would have loved this,” replied the Governor as a wave of grief hit him. He had just been sharing with Katherine how much Nicole had loved architecture and had been looking forward to the trip.
Katherine gave Sean a look that could kill and led the distraught Governor towards the restrooms.
Sean followed a few paces behind and considered explaining that he had actually been referring to the fact that the Governor was about to meet Yuri Gagarin’s son and President of Russia but thought better of it.
Yolana Gagarin was beside herself with excitement. It wasn’t just that she would be meeting her sister. She would get to know about her mother. A mother she had heard so much about but new nothing of. Katherine, although ripped from her motherland, was never taken from her mother. Yolana had the motherland but never a mother.
Surkov entered the state drawing room from the adjoining state bedroom. The two rooms were stunning in their grandeur and would have been the Czar’s personal rooms for any state occasion held within the Palace. He could not think of a more fitting venue as he checked every last detail. Alexey sat statesmen like in a large sofa by a roaring fire, while Yolana sat on the arm of the sofa by his side.
“When he comes in, Yolana you greet him and introduce him to Alexey and then take Katherine out to show her the palace. When you come back, we will be done and the four of you will walk majestically into the George hall and our lives will never be the same again!”
Receiving nods from them both, he walked back to the state bedroom and waited. Five minutes to go.
Sean waited as Katherine escorted the Governor into the restrooms to freshen him up before the meeting. Sean had pretty much caused a full-blown melt down with his insensitivity or whatever Katherine had accused him of.
It really was a stunning place, he thought, as he waited. The restrooms were at the corner of the building and Sean had a view down two long corridors, one back the way they had come and the other down towards another large hall from what Sean could make out.
It was only as he looked off down the corridor that he realized he hadn’t even secured the restroom before the Governor and Katherine had entered. He really had relaxed and far too much. As he turned to enter the restroom, he caught sight of a head appearing from a door further down the hallway. Sean checked back to the
