Louis
At first, I don’t even realize that there’s a gunshot sounding from the other side of the room. My mind is fully focused on the last man hiding behind the desk. I only heard him curse once, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same guy who stopped my car earlier today. Who would’ve thought we’d meet again?
But I take it as a chance to get back at him. I use the desk as a cover as well, so we kneel on both sides of it, waiting for a good chance to catch each other, when a gunshot pierces through the tense silence.
Instead of being startled, my instincts force me to use the momentary distraction and catch the man off guard, so I lunge forward and around the desk, firing at the man. He grits his teeth around a scream and tries to shoot me back, but his aim is way off and he shatters a lamp behind me instead.
“Good shot,” I say with a hoarse chuckle, lying on my side in front of him. “But your thirty seconds have passed.”
I raise my gun and, forcing my mind into focus, shoot him in the middle of his chest. Blood bursts out of the wound, splattering all over my arms, and with a frantic gasp, the man falls back on the floor.
Finally, total silence settles over the room, and I can’t help but roll onto my back, close my eyes, and catch my breath. My muscles are sore and my head is throbbing with the echo of gunshots in my ears. Goddamnit. It’s been a while since I had such a tense evening.
Ever since I shot Nikolai’s guards and stepped onto his property, my mind has been completely focused on wounding and killing everyone standing in my way. It’s as if a switch in my mind turned from protection to aggression, and the only thing I could think about was finding Sasha as soon as possible.
Wait. Sasha! I immediately sit up and look around. Where is she? Is she okay?
I can’t see her at first, and invisible alarms go off in my head, nudging me to jump to my feet and go look for her. But as soon as I stand up, I notice Sasha’s small figure leaning against the wall on the other side of the room with her knees bent in front of her and her head hanging low. Her red hair is covering her face, her gun is lying between her feet, and she looks so lifeless that, for a moment, I feel a rush of terror at the thought that she’s been shot.
“Sasha!” I rush to her, ignoring the nagging soreness in my legs, and crouch in front of her. Only then do I notice the body lying next to Sasha. It’s hard to mistake Nikolai’s enormous figure for anyone else.
He’s on his back and facing away from me, lying in a pool of blood gathering around his head and urine soaking through his pants. Not a single muscle in his body is moving, not a single breath escapes his lips, and even though I can’t see his blank stare, I know the grimace of death well enough to imagine.
So she did it, huh? I let out a deep breath, look at Sasha, and after a second of hesitance, reach for her hands hanging between her knees. Her fingers are stiff, but when I tighten my grip they yield to it, curling in. At the same time, I hear a shaky breath and a tremor runs through Sasha’s shoulders.
Damn. It looks like she’s crying, and I have no idea how to help. It’s not the best time for it either because Yuriy’s men will come looking for us any moment now, and no matter how much I want to soothe Sasha, I have to make sure she’s safe first.
“I-I know this is hard for you, and I’m sorry you had to do this, but…Sasha, we have to get out of here.” I rub her hand and glance at the window. Did I see a reflection of car lights just now, or was it just lightning?
Sasha breathes out harshly, trying to pull herself together, and I squeeze her hand tighter before letting go. She’s not one to show her weakness easily, so I decide to give her some space and step to the door, listening to the sounds of the house. There are steps and muffled voices coming from below, but it doesn’t sound dangerous, more like the chattering of worried servants.
I raise my gun and turn to Sasha. She already looks better, standing on her feet and checking her gun with an unreadable expression. I can see pink traces of tears on her cheeks, but it’s clear that she wants to hide them from me, so I decide not to ask anything until we get home.
“Are you ready?”
She raises her head with a distant look in her green eyes and drives the magazine back into its place with a loud click. “Ready.”
I carefully step out of the room, guiding Sasha, but she quickly moves past me and takes over, gesturing for me to follow her instead. Oh, right. She knows the place better, I guess. It’s more dangerous to be at the front, though, and I can’t help the pinch of worry in my chest as I watch her confidently run down the hallway. But Sasha won’t let me take over, so I swallow my complaints and hurry after her.
I catch up with her by the balustrade overlooking the stairs, and we both hear the commotion and phone conversation coming from the first floor. Apparently, the remaining injured men are waiting for reinforcement to corner us, and it sounds like it wouldn’t be a problem for them. Sasha swats me on the shoulder and gestures for me to follow her.
She quietly moves to the other side of the hallway, so that she isn’t seen from the first floor, and crawls past the open space to the other side of the building. I follow her, holding my breath and gripping my gun tighter, until we get to the safer zone. There Sasha picks up her pace, still keeping her steps quiet, and I have to admit, her skills are quite impressive. But of course, what else would you expect from a professional spy?
“Here,” Sasha whispers and opens one of the doors, glancing around. “I know another way out.”
The room turns out to be a bedroom, and while Sasha doesn’t even stop on her way to the window, I close the door and linger to take a proper look. “Is this your bedroom?”
“Yeah.”
“Nice.”
Well, the room is nothing special, actually. Just a simple bedroom with a desk in the corner, a closet, a few empty cupboards, and of course, a bed. There’s nothing left to remind of its previous owner, and I guess that’s how Sasha wanted it to be. She didn’t want to leave a trace of her presence here-but still, it used to be her room, and I can’t help but look around curiously until she clears her throat.
“Are you coming?” Sasha meets my gaze with a quirked eyebrow and nods at the open window.
I frown, walking closer. “Do you have a rope ladder?”
“No.”
I stop next to her and look down. The ground is clear and wet from the rain, and I see the reflection of lights from around the corner. Still, there’s no kind of a ladder or anything to hold onto, so I look at Sasha with a silent question.
“We have to jump.” She shrugs and climbs on the window sill. “It’s gonna be alright. I’ve done it many times.”
As soon as she finishes the sentence, Sasha swings herself over the window frame, and I can only startle and rush after her. But she does look fine, landing on her feet and slipping only a little. Sasha quickly looks around, steps away, and gestures for me to follow her. Well, alright. I hope she knows what she’s doing.
I jump after her, feeling only a slight burst of pain upon landing, and Sasha eyes me quickly before pointing at the fence around the property. What, are we going to climb over? But it looks like she’s sneaked out of this house plenty of times, so I trust her.
Sasha guides me under the dripping rain and dark clouds to the iron fence and gestures for me to keep an eye on the people walking around the entrance of the house. I can see them as well as the two cars driving through the gates a few seconds later-the reinforcement, I assume.
“Louis, here,” I hear Sasha’s voice a moment later, and when I turn around, I see her already climbing through a hole in the iron pattern. Thank god!
“Did you know this was here?” I ask, following her. The hole is a little too narrow for my shoulders, but I get through it just fine.
Sasha huffs, watching me with amusement. “I made it. Do you remember where your car is?”
“Yeah, around the corner.”
With one last glance at Nikolai’s house, we run away from it, and I feel an overwhelming wave of relief. Thank god it’s finally over and Sasha is with me, alive and safe. As soon as we get to the car, she gives it a suspicious glance and looks at me with raised eyebrows, and I purse my lips and open the door.
“What? I had to steal the most inconspicuous car out there or your brothers would find me in no time.”
“Steal it?” Sasha frowns, taking the passenger seat next to me, and I pause. Her hair is too obvious, and every Russian knows her face.
“I think it’s better for you to be in the back. If they stop us, they’ll recognize you right away.”
I almost expect her to argue with me, but Sasha only shrugs and follows my directions, not looking even a little pissed. In fact, she looks rather tired, and just a few minutes after I start the car, I notice her nodding off. It’s been a long day, indeed.