52

Meeting Berta

"You're a woman," I said, confused, and looked at Nikolay. "She's a woman."

"In theory," Nikolay replied with a half-smile before looking at her.

"Careful, darling," the woman warned. "If you say things like that, you could hurt others' feelings, and if you hurt mine, I could even remove the men who care for your brother."

"Mike?"

"Do you know how my brother is? Have you seen him? Please, tell me how he is!" I almost begged, and my desperation was more than evident.

A smile spread across the woman's face before she glanced at Nikolay.

"You should be careful with your woman, Nikolay. Who knows what could happen if it's discovered that the wolf has nothing less than a sheep for a wife..."

"She's still learning," Nikolay indicated in a tense tone before looking at me. "I need a favor."

"And I need to know something; I suppose our honesty deal still stands, doesn't it?"

I sat down slowly, watching as a sly smile crept onto Nikolay's lips.

"Of course, but first let me introdu