32
LEO
There was a moment, as he stood in the lobby of the Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya, when Leo was afraid he’d not be allowed to leave. That the dinner at Pasha, the conversation with Ivan, all of it had been a trick, the players arranged like palm trees in a mirage. But he checked out of the Hilton with no issue, the Azeri concierge handing him his paper folio; the hotel car returning him to Sheremetyevo in under an hour, the light traffic a near miracle, and the next morning Leo was at his apartment.
Before he could change his mind, he went to Miriam’s. In his hand was a carrier bag from duty free containing a Hungarian dessert wine and a nesting doll. The dolls were everywhere in Moscow, in both the traditional patterns and modern formats, like footballers and reality stars. Next
