"Who else?" I scan the street ahead, looking for options. "They're herding us. Away from the safe house."
Semyon pulls out his phone. "I'm calling the girls. Warning them."
"No." I grab his wrist. "If they've tapped our phones, that tells them exactly where to find Kira and Anya. Radio silence until we lose these bastards."
He curses but puts the phone away.
The sedan accelerates suddenly, pulling up alongside us. The rear window rolls down, and I see the gun barrel before I see the man holding it.
"Down!" I shout, jerking the wheel hard right.
Gunfire erupts. The rear window explodes inward, safety glass raining down on us. I floor the accelerator, the car lurching forward as bullets punch through the trunk.
"Return fire!" I'm weaving through traffic now, one hand on the wheel, the other reaching for my weapon.
Semyon leans out his window, firing at the pursuing sedan. His shots hit the windshield, spider-webbing the glass, but the car doesn't slow.
More gunfire. This time from ahead of us.
A second car pulls out of an alley, blocking the street. Two men lean out the windows, assault rifles raised.
"Hold on!" I crank the wheel left, jumping the curb. Someone screams. The car bounces violently, my wounded shoulder screaming in protest.
We're back on the street, but now both sedans are pursuing. And I hear sirens in the distance—Moscow police responding to the gunfire.
"This is bad," Semyon says unnecessarily, reloading.
"I'm aware." I take another sharp turn, tires squealing. "We need to lose them before they force us into a kill box."
"Any brilliant ideas?"
"Working on it." I'm scanning the area. We're in the industrial district—warehouses, factories, narrow streets. Plenty of places to lose pursuers.
There’s an alley between two warehouses. Barely wide enough for a car.
I don't hesitate. I jerk the wheel hard, aiming for the gap.
"Are you insane?" Semyon braces himself against the dashboard.
"Probably."
We shoot into the alley. The side mirrors scrape against brick walls on both sides. Sparks fly. Metal screams. But we fit—barely.
Behind us, the first sedan tries to follow. I hear the crunch of metal as it wedges itself between the walls, stuck.
"One down," I mutter, accelerating through the narrow passage.
We burst out the other side into a loading area. I take a hard right, then left, weaving through the maze of industrial buildings.
"Did we lose them?" Semyon twists in his seat, checking behind us.
"Maybe. But they know this area as well as we do." I'm already planning three moves ahead.
"So what's the play?"
"We ditch the car. Go on foot. Circle back to the safe house a different way."
I pull into an underground parking garage. I park between two delivery vans and shut off the engine.
