Katie was hungry, so she went to raid the fridge, but when she came back, she held a pink package in her hands along with a turkey sandwich. She brought it over to me and chewing around her food, she said, “This was by the door when I came back. It’s got your name on it.”
I took it and stared at the nametag. It said, “To Elizabeth. From The Church.”
Apparently, Dad’s congregation was already starting to hand off baby gifts since this one had little orange giraffes all over the pink paper. I grinned like an idiot. “I bet it’s those cute little onesies.” I laughed shaking my head and tearing off the paper. “Hope they put three in here, though.”
Katie chuckled, staring over my shoulder as everyone watched me open my first baby gift. Handing the paper to Katie, I opened the box, also handing her the lid, which she quickly stuffed under her arm, still munching on her sandwich. Gently, I lifted the pink tissue paper aside.
And stared.
It wasn’t what I had thought. At all.
With a shaky hand, I lifted the note off what appeared to be some kind of black mask, and read aloud, “Put this on now, if you don’t want any harm to come to your babies.”
Katie was already unmoving behind me, but the group sitting on the ground relaxing in front of me froze.
All hell broke loose.
Ember was instantly on her phone, calling Grigori. Artur and Roman jumped up to their feet to see what I held. Two men I didn’t know ran into the room, slamming the doors behind them, guns drawn and shouting to Ruslan.
Artur and Roman’s faces turned damn frightening when they saw these two men, but they didn’t attack them as I thought they would. I was stationary, my feet not moving as Roman started shouting in Russian to all the bodyguards, who all quickly drew their weapons.
Ember’s voice penetrated my numbness. “I think we’re about to be attacked. Two men that know Ruslan,” she paused when Roman shouted their names to her, “all right, a man named Abram and Vadim have just come in. They’re guarding the door, guns drawn.” She paused, and I could hear Grigori shouting over the line. “I know. I love you, too. I’ll kill them all.” She hung up. Calm as could be.
Mary and Katie hugged me, but I stared down at the mask. It all came from the mask. A gift left for me. I stared at the mask hard, my heart in my throat as I realized what it was…too late.
“Get out! Everyone get out!” I screamed, interrupting a call Artur was having with someone on his phone, his gun drawn in his other hand. “It’s a fucking gas mask! They’re going to gas everyone!” I held up said mask. I had no clue who the hell was coming, but they weren’t coming in with guns. They were smarter than that.
The new guys, Vadim and Abram, stared at what I held for all of a beat before they lunged at the doors.
Just as a hissing echoed in the room above our heads.
“Put the mask on,” Artur demanded sharply, coming to stand in front of me. Vadim and Abram aimed at the door when it wouldn’t open—even though they had just come through it. He held the phone up to my ear. “It’s Papa.”
I stared into Artur’s calm, but fierce eyes.
Over the line, Daniil said, “Beth, put the mask on. Put it on now. Stay alive for me, my sweet. Stay. Alive.”
I choked, and the world went a little blurry.
Artur stumbled but put his gun away, taking the mask out of the package. He placed it up to my face. I ripped it away long enough to say, “I love you, Daniil.”
He was so calm. “I love you, too. Now put on the mask.”
