"Laney." He turns to face me fully, and the intensity in his eyes makes me reconsider my argument before it’s even fully formed. "I need you safe. I can't fight if I'm worried about you. Please."
I clamp my mouth shut and hold back the torrent of objection that tries to force its way out, because the way he is looking at me makes my chest hurt.
He dips his head then, and kisses me, rough, almost desperate, and then he's pushing us toward the shipping container. The women inside move back from the door, and Yakov slams it shut.
"Don't open it for anyone but me!" He shouts as darkness engulfs us.
I feel for the interior lock but can’t find one.
Laurie grabs my hand in the darkness. "Who is that guy?"
"Yakov Korolyov. He's... it's complicated."
"Is he your boyfriend?" she asks, like now is the time to be catching up.
"No. Maybe. No. I don't know." I peer through the tiny sliver of light where the doors don’t quite meet, then turn my ear against the metal door, trying to hear what's happening outside. "He saved me earlier. He's saving all of you now."
The first gunshot makes everyone scream.
Then it's a chaos of gunfire and men shouting in languages I don't recognize or understand, punctuated by the sound of bullets hitting metal and concrete. I count the shots without meaning to. Seven. Twelve. Fifteen.
How many bullets does a gun hold? How many guns does Yakov have?
"Everyone get down!" I grab Laurie and pull her to the floor, away from the walls where stray bullets might penetrate. "Stay low! Cover your heads!"
The other women follow my lead, huddling together in the center of the container. Some of them are crying. One is praying in what sounds like Spanish. One is offering words of calm reassurance.
Another burst of gunfire. Closer this time. Someone screams outside, not Yakov, it doesn't sound like Yakov, please god don't let it be Yakov…
"Is he going to be okay?" Laurie whispers next to me. "Your... whoever he is?"
"Yes." I say it with more confidence than I feel. "He's going to be fine. He's…he's very good at this."
"At killing people?" she asks, incredulity in her voice.
"At doing what needs to be done to protect what’s his."
The firefight continues. I lose count of the shots after thirty. Time stretches and compresses, seconds feeling like hours, minutes disappearing into the chaos of sound and fear.
Then, suddenly…silence.
We all freeze, barely breathing.
"Everyone get up," I whisper-shout. "If anyone other than Yakov opens that door, we rush them and you run. Do you understand?"
A small murmur ofyeswashes through the container.
I reach for Laurie’s hand. "You get them out of here, okay? I’ll be right behind you. Promise me you’ll get them out."
"I think we both know our promises don’t mean shit right now, but Iwillget them out."
Then there are footsteps right outside. I give Laurie’s hand one last squeeze.
"I love you, Laurie."
"I love you too."
I brace myself between the women and the door, and crouch into a position to jump on whoever opens it. Adrenaline courses through me. I feel the women at my back and know I’ll do anything to protect them, to protect Laurie, to get them out of here.
