Chapter 12
Aleksey Nabokov paid for his drinks. Instead of leaving the Sky Beacon lounge, he moseyed around the room, pretending to be absorbed by the night views of the San Francisco bridges and skyline. Backing up, to frame a picture with his cell phone, he nudged the table with the mystery couple.
"Please forgive me," Aleksey said, making eye contact with both the man and the blond woman he had spotted earlier.
"You almost spilled our drinks," the man protested.
"I regret my clumsiness and ask your pardon."
"Slow down, young man," the woman demanded, lifting her overdrawn and arched eyebrows. "You are excused."
As soon as Aleksey walked out of their sight range, he dashed to the stairwell and phoned Zachary as he sprinted down the spiraling steps.
"Mayday!" Aleksey declared on
