Sergei stands beside me, tall and silent. His voice is low. “She fought,” he says.
My throat closes again. “She tried.”
I want to scream and break and tear every door in this building apart, but there’s no time. I press the bear to my chest and stand.
Before I can take another step, a guard yells from the far hallway.
“Someone’s coming up!”
I turn so fast the world blurs. Sergei lifts his pistol. Kirill and the others shift into a firing line.
Footsteps pound closer.
Then Anastasia appears.
She’s running full speed, hair loose, coat open, face pale. And in her arms, wrapped in her coat, is Nadia.
I feel my legs go weak. My vision blurs for a moment and snaps back sharp.
Anastasia holds Nadia like she’s made of glass. Her voice is shaking when she reaches me.
“I found her,” she says. “She was on the lower level of the service stairs. Someone dropped her when the kitchen alarm tripped. She was crying for you. I swear I got to her as fast as I could.”
I grab Nadia from her and pull her into me. My arms close around her whole body. She clings to me, shaking so hard her breath stutters. Her face presses into my neck. She smells like cold air and dust. I kiss her hair and hold her tighter.
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “You’re here. I’ve got you.”
Tears spill down her cheeks and into the collar of my shirt. Her small hands fist into my coat.
Sergei steps closer. His hand brushes Nadia’s back, gentle even though every part of him is coiled and hard. I can feel the violence in him ready to break open.
I look at Anastasia. Her hair is a mess. She’s still breathing like she ran through fire. Her hands shake as she steadies herself against the wall.
“I didn’t know Vera was hurt,” she says. “I didn’t hear anything. I only heard the alarm. I went down to check the vents because of the blackout earlier. That’s when I heard her voice. I swear that’s all I know.”
Before I can ask her anything else, another guard appears at the top of the stairs.
“Pakhan,” he calls, voice tight. “We found something in the stairwell. You need to see this right now.”
Nadia is still shaking in my arms when Sergei steps closer. His hand moves over her back once, steady and warm, and she lifts her head just enough to look at him with wet eyes.
He presses a kiss to her cheek, then to my forehead. His breath touches my skin, and for a second the world stops rattling.
“I’ll be back pronto,” he says. His voice is low, meant only for us. “Stay in the apartment. Lock every door. Don’t open for anyone except me.”
I hold his gaze. “Find who did this.”
“Oh, I will,” he answers, and something dark and focused passes through his eyes before he turns away and disappears down the hall with Kirill and the others. His footsteps fade fast, swallowed by the building.
Nadia clings to me even harder. Her tiny hands shake as she grips my coat. Anastasia steps in quietly.
“Let me help,” she says. Her voice is soft, careful. “Let’s get her warm.”
I nod. My throat is too tight to speak. We walk together toward Nadia’s room. Every light seems too bright and too cold after the safe room. Nadia presses her face into my neck, and I feel the dampness of her tears through my collar.
Inside her room, everything is untouched. Her night-light glows on the dresser. Her little shoes sit by the rug. It looks safe, even if nothing feels safe anymore.
“Let’s sit her down,” Anastasia says.
