“Don’t be silly. You should be able to aim and fire regardless of distractions.”
“I have a loaded gun in my hands,” she muttered.“When is Tau coming back?”
He was a good choice for her. Konstantin was more annoying than I was—which was saying something.
“He’s still in America,” I said, reluctantly stepping back.
Her stance was good. She fired. Rapid, decisive—the blasts tearing through the cold air and rolling back off the compound walls. She hit two of the six bottles.
She threw her hands in the air, gun and all, and began jumping up and down like a lunatic.
My smile died the moment I thought about what was currently bouncing around inside her.
I wrapped both arms around her, absorbing the motion, and she turned to face me. Her hat was askew, strands of blonde hair whipping across her face in the wind, cheeks pink from the cold and the triumph.
“I did it. Did you see that?” she said, waving the gun in my face.“I want a bigger one. Can I try yours?”
She pushed my jacket back and started searching for my holster.
“Blyad. Your safety isn’t on,” I said as her barrel grazed my waistband.
“I’m out of bullets,” she said, still pulling at my gun.
I grabbed her wrists and stepped back.
“You’re out of control, woman.”
“What about grenades?” she countered.“Just a few tips.”
I waved Bogdan over without looking at him.
“You deal with her.”
I was not about to get my dick shot off.
“Coward,” she shouted at my retreating back.
Bogdan’s expression as I passed him was the kind that would have earned consequences six months ago. But I was leaving him with a pregnant woman who had just asked about grenades, so I considered us even.
I glanced back before I reached the house. Bogdan was standing at least a metre from Iskra, pointing at the wall with the careful deliberateness of a man defusing a bomb, then holding his fingers up to demonstrate a trigger.
I grinned and went inside to find Runa in the living room with Tikhon. We could watch her mama from the safety of bricks and glass between us.
I had a duty to keep her siblings safe.
??????
I raised my eyebrows at my brother.
“You’re certain?”
“I’ve been working with Valentin and we’re one hundred per cent sure it’s Mirko. Aleksandr has two men tailing him.”
“He never attended the memorial.”
“He’s clever,” Konstantin said with a shrug.
“A Dragunov,” I murmured.
