Page 52 of Power's Fall

He was glad he’d done the research because he was looking forward to walking around the museum and the surrounding reserve more than he would have expected. To be honest, history shit usually bored him, but not with his spouses. Somehow, they had a way of bringing things to life in a way that sparked his curiosity and interest. He liked seeing things through Dahlia and Montana’s eyes.

While he didn’t consider himself a stupid person, school was something he’d endured rather than embraced as a child, preferring to be outdoors playing football, he and his mates all huge Dynamo Kyiv fans.

“I’m sorry, Dahlia. As I said last night, I…” Montana rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. That was when Vadisk noticed the dark circles under his husband’s eyes. It appeared Montana hadn’t been able to sleep last night either.

He wasn’t surprised by that. Montana had opened up a vein, allowing too many years of pain to bleed out in front of them. He was touched by Montana’s trust, but Vadisk couldn’t imagine it had been easy for him to do.

Hell, Vadisk had struggled to sleep, disturbed by the shit Montana had been asked to do. As if there wasn’t enough bad crap happening in the world to keep him up at night.

“Montana—” Dahlia started.

“You were uncomfortable telling us about your claustrophobia,” Vadisk replied for him.

Montana nodded. “I was. I really was worried…”

“How we’d feel about you,” Vadisk finished.

“I didn’t let myself hope that the two of you would be as understanding as you were.”

Vadisk turned to Dahlia. “That makes sense,Sonechko.”

Dahlia softened a little when he used the term of endearment he’d given her. Vadisk had never called any woman by a pet name, never felt compelled to. However, the name fit Dahlia perfectly, as she’d brought light into a life he wouldn’t have called dark before he’d met her and Montana.

“I understand that, but still, you could have just said you were claustrophobic!” Dahlia threw her hands up as she pointed to the screen again.

“Yeah, well, if there’s one thing I inherited from my dad, it’s too much pride. He pounded into my head from a young age that I should never reveal weakness. I know it’s a shitty lesson, but it took.”

Dahlia was only slightly appeased. “Mmm-hmm. And how the hell did you think you were going to get through the tour of the decommissioned Soviet sub base?”

Montana lifted one shoulder casually, trying to disarm their wife with his charming smile while dragging the back of his fingers fondly along the side of her arm. “I made sure it was one of the last things on the list. I was hoping we would get the information and leave early before we got to that.”

Dahlia wasn’t amused. “And the underwater museum at Cape Tarkhankut?”

“I was going to feign a headache and stay in the lobby.” Montana’s reply was so quick, Vadisk realized he’d given a great deal of thought to his escape plans regarding their claustrophobia-inducing itinerary.

“And Tsarsky Kurgan?” Dahlia added.

Montana sighed heavily, and Vadisk could see just how much stress their plans had been causing him. “I was hoping that the Greek archway entry wasn’t as long and tight as it appeared in the pictures.”

Vadisk shook his head. “I’m sorry that you’ve had to worry about these tours in addition to all the other things we’re dealing with here.”

Montana dismissed Vadisk’s words with a wave of his hand. “I did it to myself. I should have told you. I just…couldn’t.”

Dahlia reached out, taking Montana’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “Well, it’s all gone now.” Turning to her laptop, she deleted every activity that was certain to trigger Montana’s claustrophobia. “We can add in that Glade of Fairy Tales in Yalta that you were so quick to dismiss when I brought it up during one of our video chats, Montana.”

Vadisk groaned, pretending to be annoyed by that addition more than he was. “I think you might be disappointed. Slavic folk tales are twisted and dark as fuck.”

Dahlia laughed as she added it to their itinerary. “I’m counting on it.”

Now it was Montana’s turn to look guilty. “I don’t want the two of you missing out on things because of me. Dahlia, you’ve made a career out of documenting places most people will never get to see. That list shouldn’t be limited because of my stupid?—”

“It’s not stupid,” Vadisk interjected.

“And there are countless other places in Crimea I can film,” Dahlia reassured him. “And if we get somewhere, and I can’t get permission to film, we can still enjoy ourselves.”

“But what about needing to stick to the official itinerary so we don’t draw suspicion?” Montana was clearly determined not to let them change in order to make him comfortable.

“We’re already off because of yesterday, and now that we know our blackmailer might be the Minister of the Interior, it’s safe to say we’ve already drawn suspicion.”

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