She lifted her head, her eyes wide but focused. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but we’re going to try and find a way out. Okay? Can you come with me?”
Nodding, she sat up. With her hand in mine, I pulled her behind me as I headed for the door. My pulse was racing as I opened it, darting my head outside. I heard noise coming from one of the lower floors. Shouts. Gunfire.
Nina tried to pull away from me and I immediately dropped to my knees. “Nina. I know you’re scared. So am I. But I need you to be brave for me. I will do my best to get us out of here. We need to find your daddy. You with me?”
She eyed me quizzically for a couple of seconds. This time her little mouth twisted with all the fire and fury I’d seen in her father. “I’m fine. Let’s go get Daddy.”
Thankfully, a strange orange glow highlighted the hallway. Emergency lights. With the gunfire, that meant the people keeping us were under attack.
I led her from the room, clueless as to where to go. Maybe if we could just get outside, we could find a way to get a phone or… Oh, God. I was in a foreign country.Think girl. Think. You can do this.
I pulled her toward the top of the stairs, peering down. Several figures raced by and we both hugged the wall. I could tell we were in a house of some kind. There were pictures on the walls, several open doors in the hallway. That gave me a sense of hope that I might find a way out.
The popping sounds continued, but the noise inside the house began to fade, I intertwined our fingers together and moved down the stairs one by one. When I was on the landing, I tried to get my bearings.
A loud voice boomed from the left. So I went to the right. I was shocked she remained quiet, allowing me to guide her through what felt like a maze of rooms. Panic was trying to take over, but I refused to allow it.
The darkness was oppressive, the horrible sounds coming from every direction threatening to derail what little courage I had. When I finally noticed a door, I pulled Nina even closer, inching toward it.
I was almost there. I could almost taste freedom.
With another step taken, I felt a presence behind us. On instinct, I pulled Nina closer.
“Welcome to the party, Lainey. The fun is just about to begin.”
Then I heard a dark, frightening laugh.
Sasha
Pop!Pop!
Boom!
The explosion sent a shockwave of vibrations beneath my feet. The thunderous noise echoed in my ears as smoke began to roll into the building. There were several buildings within the compound, all connected. I’d never seen anything like it. It was as if they’d taken an old barracks and had turned portions into commercial space, other sections into homes.
“Move. Move!” Mikhail yelled.
Pop! Pop!
There were more soldiers than we’d accounted for, the fuckers coming from everywhere.
I raced behind Mikhail and Vissarian as we rolled down a corridor.
Another even louder gunshot sounded just behind me. Swinging around, I was prepared to fight. An enemy soldier was standing maybe five yards behind me and very slowly he fell forward onto his face.
Bernie stood proudly, a grin on his face. “Another one down, boss.”
Jaxon shook his head. “They’re everywhere.”
“Take out as many as you can, but be careful. Nina and Lainey are here. I feel it,” I gritted out.
Another boom. More gunfire. We’d killed at least thirty soldiers and had left our own to keep watch while we searched the house. Other than terrified employees who weren’t carrying weapons, there was no one of value.
There was another sharp turn and as soon as we reached it, Mikhail pushed us back.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
