I sprint through the chaos toward the stairwell. Bullets follow me, ricocheting off metal, punching holes in walls. I return fire blindly, not aiming, just creating covering fire.
A figure appears ahead—someone in tactical gear, running toward the exit. In the muzzle flashes and explosive light, I catch a glimpse of his face.
Roman.
He actually showed up. I thought he’d be holed up and waiting for the dust to settle.
Rage floods through me. I raise my weapon and fire. Once, twice, three times. But he's already moving, and the darkness makes accurate shooting nearly impossible.
Did I hit him?I can't tell. He disappears around a corner, and I have to make a choice: chase him or save Kira's father.
The father wins. Because if I let him die, Kira will never forgive me. It’s why we’re all here.
Even if the bastard doesn't deserve to be saved.
I reach the stairwell and run up the stairs. My shoulder screams in protest from the vibrations.
Ignore it. Keep moving.
Second floor. Still chaos below. Still gunfire. Still my men dying to create this opportunity.
Third floor.
The hallway is dark. Quiet.
Wrong.
I advance carefully, weapon up, checking corners. The silence is worse than the gunfire. At least gunfire tells you where the enemy is.
A door at the end of the hall shows light beneath it. Flickering. Candle or lantern. It’s a beacon to draw me in. I know it but I still have to go.
I approach, every sense screaming this is a trap.
The door is unlocked. Also wrong.
I kick it open and go in low, weapon sweeping the room.
Kira's father sits tied to a chair in the center of the space. I pause and wait. When I hear him wheeze, I know I have to keep going.
He’s alive.
And alone.
Too easy. This is too easy.
"Maksim?" His voice is slurred. "That you?"
"Yeah." I move closer, checking for tripwires, pressure plates, anything that would turn this rescue into another death trap. "We're getting you out."
"Trap," he mumbles.
"I know." I'm already working on his restraints. "But we're leaving anyway."
The knots are designed to take time to undo. Wasting precious minutes while the building counts down to explosion.
"Sorry... so sorry..."
"Save it." I cut through the last rope with my knife. "Can you walk?"
