Eventually, my sneakers hit a dirt-covered floor.
Dominik hops down next to me and takes my hand, leading the way down a dark hallway. Motion sensor lights switch on as we approach them, illuminating the way. The deeper that we go, the quieter the gunfire gets.
Then I hear voices.
“Nobody survives that magnitude of a fire.”
“He’s dead like the rest of them. We’re all that’s left.”
Dominik calls out something in Russian before leading me into a large bunker where a group of men are gathered around a table covered in first aid supplies and ammo. And one woman.
Yelena.
She’s tending to injuries, barely sparing us a glance.
The men tense up, their eyes widening at our appearance, but at least they don’t point their guns at us.
The smell of burned flesh and blood assaults me, making my stomach turn.
“Dominik,” one of the men breathes out in relief. He then frowns. “ThePakhan…nobody’s heard from him.”
What? No.
“We saw the fire,” Dominik replies solemnly, as if he’s already accepted Gavriil’s fate. He inhales a jagged breath. “Is this all who’s left?”
“Yes. Well, a few more may be able to make it here…” A man trails off, as if he doesn’t really believe that.
My heart lurches. They’re giving up. They think it’s over, that Gavriil’s…
No.
No! He has to be alive.
“Men could be trapped in the house,” one of the guys tells Dominik. “We should go back for them. Right, Dominik?”
They all turn to him, waiting for him to make the decision. They need him to lead now that Gavriil’s missing.
When Dom doesn’t speak, just rubs at his temple, as if it’s impossible for him to think clearly, they continue arguing with each other.
I frown as I watch him struggle under the weight of their expectations and his concern for his brother. The burden settles on his shoulders like a physical blow.
How can they expect him to step in and takeover for Gavriil without even giving him a fucking minute to process it all?
“They’re not going to let any of us live,” Dominik eventually remarks. “Those who make it out of the fight tonight will be hunted down.”
He can’t be thinking about walking back up to the house when he just told me it was a death sentence.
“Dom—” I start to argue when Viktor steps to his side.
“So, we might as well die fighting,” Viktor agrees with him. “That’s what Gavriil would want, too.”
No. This is insane. Dominik isn’t thinking clearly.
“Wait. Just wait!” I say over the murmurs of agreement. “I know that you want to hurt them, to make them pay, but you can’t rush into a half-assed plan. You know that better than anyone, Dom.”
“Moya Koroleva is right.You should listen to her,” a familiar deep voice says from the entryway.
I spin around and my jaw drops.
