There. Behind the stone planter, a small shape is curled in the darkness, silent and still.
I sprint.
The night is mine now. The dark swallows me whole.
A man lunges from behind a cypress tree. I meet him head-on, driving my shoulder into his chest and slamming him into the trunk. His gun skids away. I put one round into his leg and let him drop, screaming.
I crouch. “Lily,” I whisper, urgent, quiet. She looks up, face pale and tear-streaked, and throws herself into my arms, her little hands fisting in my jacket.
“It’s okay,” I say, scooping her up, shielding her with my body. “I’ve got you, kotenok.”
A shadow moves to my left—another attacker. I shift Lily to one arm, gun in my free hand, and fire two quick shots. He crumples, gone.
No one touches her. Not ever.
I hurry back to Bella, dodging through the hedges, bullets snapping at my heels. She’s waiting, crouched low, her arms open, wild with fear.
When she sees Lily, she sobs and grabs her, holding her tight, murmuring into her hair.
“We have to move,” I bark, scanning for more threats. “Stay close.”
We move fast, weaving through the darkness—Bella clutching Lily to her chest, me leading them, gun drawn and every muscle tight. The shouts from the house grow distant as we cross the last of the garden, dodging low branches and hedges. My mind is already plotting every possible exit, every kill I might have to make.
Then a shape steps out from behind a stone archway. Gun drawn. Her silhouette is unmistakable.
Irina.
Irina lifts her gun, pointing it at us. “You never learn, do you, Aleksander?”
I stop instantly and pull Bella and Lily behind me, my arm coming out without thought, shielding them both. Lily is trembling against Bella’s chest. Bella’s breath catches hard behind my shoulder.
Irina lifts her gun, not at me.
At Lily.
Every nerve in my body goes razor sharp.
“Well,” she says coolly. “That explains the theatrics.”
I keep my voice level, even though my heart is trying to tear out of my ribs. “Lower the gun.”
She ignores me, eyes locked on the child. On the way Lily clings to Bella. On the way Bella’s hands are shaking but refusing to let go.
“She is yours,” Irina says, more statement than question. “Isn’t she.”
I don’t answer.
I don’t need to.
Irina’s mouth curves slowly, cruelly, as realization settles in. “Of course she is.” She tilts her head, studying Lily like a problem she just solved. “That’s why you came running.”
Bella stiffens behind me.
I feel it instantly. The sharp intake of breath. The way her body goes rigid.
Irina’s eyes light with a twisted satisfaction. “So that’s it. All that effort to keep her a secret, and you couldn’t even keep her safe.”Her gaze lands on Bella, then slides back to Lily. “One move, Aleksander, and I will shoot her before you reach me.”
I raise my gun, every sense on fire. “You won’t touch her.”
