"Tanya? What does Tanya matter?"
"Apparently a lot. You dumped me for her."
"What are you—?" The pieces fell into place. Had she seen photos from the gala? Did she think he had feelings for Tanya? "Lena, it was just a charity thing. It doesn't matter."
"Charity? Are you calling me a charity case?"
Between the alcohol dimming her wits and the outrageously loud music, she'd misunderstood him. "No. I didn't call you a charity case."
"Whatever, Yuri. What! Ever!"
He flinched as she shouted into the phone. The loud male laughter in the background worried him. If she was alone and drunk with men, it could be dangerous for her. "Lena, where are you?"
"Wherever you aren't."
Pinching his nose, he tried to keep his temper in check. "Lena, please, I'm begging you. Tell me where you are."
"Oh my God! I love this song." Her voice sounded fainter. He strained to hear her. The sound of fabric rustling against the phone scratched at his ear. A few moments later, he heard Lena whooping and raucous applause.
Imagining the very worst, he shouted, "Lena? Yelena!"
A deep male voice came on the line. "Sorry, dude, Lena can't play right now. She's busy dancing."
The line went dead. Panicked, he tried to call her but there was no answer. Terrified that she'd gotten herself into a dangerous situation, he called the only person who could find her in a city the size of Houston.
"Yuri?" Nikolai's calm voice soothed his raw nerves.
"I need you to find Lena."
He laughed. "Let the girl sleep, Yuri. She doesn't need you calling her all hours of the night because you're lovesick."
Somehow he managed not shout at his best friend. "She's not at home. She's drunk and in a club. I'm worried about her."
There was a moment's pause before Nikolai sighed. "Let me call Vee."
The line went dead. As Yuri waited for Nikolai's call, he flipped on the lamp and slid out of bed. The exhaustion he'd been feeling from the protracted negotiations fled as adrenaline took hold. What the hell was Lena thinking?
As he tugged on a shirt and pants, he replayed her conversation. Behind the alcohol making her so aggressive, there was so much hurt in her voice. What in the world did she think was going on here in Berlin? What was her hang-up with Tanya?
He had specifically told Anna to make sure that Lena understood this was simply a way for him to get the approval on the pipeline. He went with Tanya, gave an outrageous donation to an environmental charity and in the morning her father would run positive coverage in his papers to steady the nerves of those people preparing to vote to allow the pipeline to cross German soil.
"Shit." Running his fingers through his hair, Yuri pocketed his private phone and stormed out of his bedroom. He crossed the large suite to the bedroom where Anna slept. Hating to wake her so early after all the work she had done, he knocked loud enough to get her attention. "Anna?"
It was more than a minute before the door opened. Rumpled and sleepy, she hugged her robe around her willowy frame. "What's wrong?"
"Did you speak to Lena about cancelling our plans?"
"Yes. Well." Her cheek twitched and she made an apologetic face. "I sent her an email. Between running interference with the council and trying to track down a tuxedo and getting the cash freed up for the donation, I didn't have time for a phone call. Why? Was it important?"
Yuri groaned and wiped a hand down his face. "She's incredibly important to me."
Anna looked surprised. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize she was—I mean, I thought she was just another one of them. If I had known—"
"Yes." He lifted a hand to stop her. His stomach knotted so painfully he thought he might get sick. The stupidity of what he had done threatened to drop him to his knees. He had been so focused on this damn pipeline that he'd put everything at risk. Now there was only one thing to be done. "Get me on a flight to Houston as soon as possible."
Her eyes widened. "But it's—"
He cut her off. "I know what time it is. Leave our private jet here for the rest of team. Find me another one. Hell, I'll take a commercial flight if that's the only thing available."
"Yes, sir." She hesitated. "And the pipeline deal?"
"Jameson is my VP for a reason. If he can't seal the deal, he can find a new job." Harshness edged into his voice. He had no one to blame for this mess but himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so short with you. This is my fault."
She didn't argue with him. "I'll get it handled."
"Thank you." His phone started to ring as he crossed the living area and ducked into the bedroom. "Nikolai?"
"We've found her."
Yuri sagged against the closed door with relief. "Where is she?"
"Vee tracked her down using the internet. Apparently she's been posting pictures all night on a club run with someone called Ty."
Yuri groaned even louder. Could this night get any worse? "He's a gossip columnist." Certain Nikolai didn't care, he said, "It doesn’t matter. Can you get her?"
"I'm waiting for Vivian to get dressed. I'm not about to try to bring Lena home myself—especially if she has that damn gun in her purse."
Yuri reeled with shock. "She carries a gun?"
"Can you blame her? With a father like that she needs it."
Yuri's brow furrowed. He had only done a cursory peek into her background. Clearly he needed to delve deeper. "Be careful. I don't want this to turn into a bigger mess than it is."
"Vee and I can handle this." Nikolai's voice trailed off and Yuri heard Vivian's soft voice in the background. When Nikolai returned, he sounded unhappy. "You owe me big, Yuri."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to have to bribe my way into Houston's most notorious gay bar," he grumbled. "This girl had better be worth it."
"She is."
"Are you headed here?"
"As soon as I get a flight arranged, I'll be on my way."
"I'd suggest you spend that time coming up with an apology. Flowers and diamonds aren't going to cut it this time."
The line went dead and Yuri tossed his phone onto his bed. Quickly, he washed his face and brushed his teeth. There wasn't time for a shower but he hopped into clean jeans and a shirt. He was tossing things into his suitcases when Anna knocked on his door. "Come in."
She stepped inside but stayed near the open door. "You're on a private jet leaving in fifty-five minutes. The car is waiting to take you. Jake and Derek will be in the lobby in ten minutes. I'll have Tony waiting at the airport in Houston. I've emailed the details."
Yuri glanced at his watch and made the calculations. It would be noon Houston-time before he arrived. He hoped Lena could sleep off her hangover by then. They needed to have a serious talk, one that required her to be sober.
"Thank you, Anna."
"Is there anything else I can do?"
He started to say no but remembered something Nikolai had said. "When you have a chance, I want a full background dossier on Lena. Concentrate on her parents."