“Da, Pakhan.”
I let the others drift ahead. The line by the bar is too still. I look back once more, counting the exits. Artyom goes for the driver’s door. His shoulders are set higher than usual, his jaw locked. His hand pauses on the key fob. Just a fraction, but enough to put my instincts on edge.
“Why isn’t the door opening?”
He doesn’t answer, but clicks the fob again. It chirps and goes nowhere. He tries it a third time, his thumb white against the plastic now.
“Artyom?” My pulse kicks as the logic of the situation clicks into place. Someone has jammed the signal. “Get down!”
The glass explodes, raining down in shards as the first scream cuts through the music. Gunfire follows, rattling my chest and forcing the air from my lungs. I feel a sudden, wet heat against my ribs, spreading through my shirt until I start to tilt. I can't track the movement. It's all too fast and it seems I'm just a witness to my own ending.
“What the fuck?” I shout, but my voice comes out wrong. The words echo inside my head. Another shot rings out. Then another.
I see Artyom go down. He hits the pavement hard. Blood spills from his leg.
“Vik? Vitya!”
Lev’s voice is a sharp spike in the chaos. I try to push up and find him, but my vision blurs. Nothing stays in focus.
“I’ve got you.” Nikolai grabs my arm, hauling at me, but my legs won’t hold. My body doesn’t answer.
“They fucking shot him! Oh my god, they shot my brother!”
“Lev?” I try to say his name. I want to tell him I’m fine, that he needs to calm down. The words never make it past my throat.
“Come on, brother,” Nikolai says, hauling at me. “Get up. We’ve got to go.”
Sirens cut through the noise, close now. Dozens of headlights swing around the corner, flooding the street with blinding white light. I’m so cold. I want to say I’ll be right there. I know, even as the thought forms, that it’s a lie.
Lies get you killed faster than bullets.
“Someone called the cops!”
“They’re almost here!”
“If we stay, they’ll lock us in a hole and Sergei takes the city by morning!” Nikolai swears, his grip tightening as the flashing lights hit the wet asphalt. “Move, Lev! We’ll come back for him!”
Nikolai tries again, dragging me upright. My weight pulls him down. My legs fold.
“Fuck.” His grip tightens on my jacket. “He’s too heavy.”
Hands grab my face. It’s Nikolai. They’re rough and shake. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him this rattled before.
“Vitya. Stay with me. Look at me. We need to move. Now.”
“Lev…” I whisper. Blood spills from my mouth.
Hands drag me across the street. My back scrapes pavement. Pain flares, then dulls into a distant hum.
“We have no time. We need to go. Now!”
Nikolai’s hand slips inside my coat, fumbling at my chest until my father’s dagger slides free in his grip. It’s the last thing I have. My fingers won’t close around the hilt. My eyes flutter.
“I’ll find you,” Lev whispers, his voice breaking as hands pull him away. “Vitya. Don’t die on me.”
Then their voices are gone.
And I’m flat on the wet asphalt. Rain pools against my side, soaking through my clothes. I watch the taillights of the SUV disappear down the street, leaving me alone.
