"Always," I promise.
He’s leaning on me. I can tell it’s taking every ounce of his strength to stay upright. I don’t know how to help him, but I will do all that I can to fight. I understand what we’re fighting for—our lives. There is no one coming to save us. It’s the four of us against an army.
We move into the hallway, and chaos erupts around us. Gunfire echoes from multiple directions. Smoke drifts through the air. Roman's men are everywhere, but so are others. It’s not just the four of us. I recognize one of Roman’s guards take down another guard.
Mutiny.
Revolt.
Fucking finally.
"Kitchen exit," Maksim says, pulling me forward. “Go. We’ll find you.”
I don’t want to leave him. But it’s him or Anya and he has a gun.
I grab Anya’s hand and start pulling her.
Maksim and Semyon lay down covering fire while Anya and I sprint ahead. The wedding dress tangles around Anya's legs, and she stumbles. I catch her, both of us fighting fabric and fear.
"Almost there!" Semyon shouts.
More gunmen appear from a side corridor. Bullets chew chunks from the walls around us. Maksim returns fire, his shots precise despite his obvious pain.
I see him wince with each recoil, his shoulder bleeding fresh, but he doesn't slow down.
"Go!" He pushes me forward. "Don't stop!"
Anya trips on her dress, and I haul her up. We're so close—the kitchen door is just ahead…
An explosion behind us. The concussion wave throws us forward. I hit the ground hard, Anya beneath me. My ears ring. Smoke and debris fill the air.
I feel paralyzed. Nothing moves. It’s like a video game and we’ve all been paused. I don’t know how long I lie there. Seconds? Minutes?
And then I feel someone touching me.
Strong hands pull me up. Maksim, his face set in determined lines.
I try to focus on his face, but my vision is blurry.
“Are you hurt?”
I feel like he’s talking to me from a hundred miles away.
I blink.
“Kira!”
I nod, letting him know I hear him.
"Can you run?" he asks.
"Yes."
I lean down and grab at Anya. “Anya!”
She groans and gets to her hands and knees.
“Let’s go!” I tell her. “Get up.”
