Mike found that his room was of the standard setup, a bathroom by the entrance, the main bedroom behind it with a lavish double bed, in crisp white sheets and suiting a velvet buttoned headboard. There was a classic armchair, and a small desk beside a narrow open wardrobe without doors. Curiously there was no TV, which was unusual, but he didn't plan to use one anyway. He threw down his backpack onto the bed, pulled off his jacket and discarded it on the armchair. Pulling some cables out of his bag he set up his phone to charge, slumping onto the bed to catch-up on some messages.

Alina was...