The alley reeked of garbage, Tiana struggling against Vera.A black van waited, engine running, door sliding open.Mikalai waiting.
“Tiana, drop!”Sergei shouted.
She twisted, breaking Vera’s grip for a second.Sergei threw his knife.Vera kneed Tiana’s stomach, syringe jabbing her neck.Tiana gasped then went limp.
“No!”Sergei reached the van, fingers scraping metal as the door shut, Tiana’s face fleeting in the window.He slammed his palm, pain jarring.The van surged leaving marks on the asphalt.
“Tiana!”Keisha’s scream pierced the dark, sneakers skidding as she crashed beside him, face raw with rage, fear.Her body shook, but she ran fierce.
“Black Ford, no plates,” Sergei said, grabbing her shoulders.“Mikalai driving, Vera with Tiana.”
“We have to—” Keisha’s words broke off, fingers digging his arms.
“Breathe.”He scanned the alley.Empty.“Anyone follow?”
“No.Just us.”Her eyes fixed where the van vanished.“Tiana—”
“They won’t hurt her.”Sergei hoped it was true.“They want something else.”
A paper, crumpled in a puddle caught his attention.Sergei crouched, unfolding it.
LISOWSKI FOR THE GIRL.COME ALONE.
The address was Dmitri’s mansion.
“What’s it say?”Keisha snatched it, reading.“They want to trade.”
He held it out to her.“Yes.”
“You for Tiana.”Her voice steadied, shaking limbs.“No way.”
Sirens wailed in the distance.
“It’s the fastest way to get her back,” Sergei said, resheathing his knife.“Dmitri wants me.”
“They’ll kill you both,” Keisha said, voice rising.“You know that.”
Logic, brutal.No witnesses.Sergei’s jaw tightened, Svetlana’s image morphing into Tiana.
“I’m going,” he said.“I need to call Nadia to pick you up.”
Keisha stepped closer, eyes blazing.“I’m going with you.”
“You need rest.You still haven’t fully recovered from your seizure.”
“I’ll rest while you drive.”She cut him off, steel despite shaking.“If anything happens, you’ll handle it.Like before.”
Her trust, fragile, hit hard.“They’ll kill you too.”
“They’ll try.”She moved to the alley exit.
Sergei grabbed her arm, spinning her.“This isn’t your fight, Keisha.”
“Tiana’s mine.”Her voice cracked.“I won’t ditch her.Not like everyone else.”
He studied her silently for several minutes.“Then we do it smart,” he said.“No heroics.”
She nodded, sharp.“Tell me everything about them.No more secrets.”
