The question makes my chest tighten. Liesl. She's here, in the main house, completely vulnerable if the Volkovs breach our defenses. If I had known sooner, I could have gotten her somewhere else… but there's no time for that now. There's every chance trying to get her out of here could result in an attack on the way. That might be exactly what they're trying to get me to do.
"She stays in her room," I say. "Lock it from the outside. Post four guards."
"Andrei—"
"Do it."
Viktor hesitates, then nods and leaves.
I stand there for a moment, staring at the security feeds. I should be focused entirely on the tactical situation, on making sure we survive the next few hours. Instead, all I can think about is Liesl locked in her room, terrified and alone.
Hating me.
I push the thought aside.
—
The first shotscome twenty minutes later.
I'm in the security room with Viktor and three other men, watching the feeds, when the east gate explodes with a concentrated barrage of gunfire.
"East entrance compromised," one of my men reports, his voice tight.
"Hold position," I order. "Let them come."
On the screen, I watch as Volkov's men pour through the breach. Ten, fifteen, twenty. They're moving fast, coordinated, weapons raised.
My men open fire from concealed positions. The sound is deafening even through the walls—automatic weapons, shotguns, the sharp crack of sniper rifles from the roof. Bodies drop. The Volkovs scatter, seeking cover, returning fire. Blood sprays across the camera lens. A man goes down clutching his throat. Another takes a round to the chest and crumples.
"Main gate under attack," another voice reports.
I switch cameras. The main gate is holding, but barely. More of Volkov's men are there, using a vehicle as a battering ram to force their way through. "Take out that vehicle," I say into the radio.
A moment later, one of my snipers puts a round through the driver's side windshield. The vehicle swerves, crashes into the gate pillar, and stops. But the men keep coming.
They pour out of the disabled vehicle, taking cover behind it and laying down suppressing fire. My men return it, but the Volkovs have numbers and they're using them.
"They're trying to flank us," Viktor says, pointing at another screen. "South side, through the gardens."
Fuck.They're smarter than I gave them credit for. This ia a coordinated attack designed to overwhelm our defenses from multiple angles. "Pull men from the west side," I order. "Reinforce the south. And get me a count on how many we've taken down."
"At least eight confirmed kills," someone reports. "Maybe ten."
Not enough. Not nearly enough. I grab my weapon and head for the door. "Where are you going?" Viktor asks.
"To handle this myself."
The estate is chaos. Gunfire echoes from every direction, punctuated by shouts in Russian and the occasional scream. Smoke drifts across the grounds from something burning near the east entrance. The air smells like gunpowder and blood. I move through it, my weapon raised, calculating positions and threats.
Two of Volkov's men round the corner ahead of me. I drop them both before they can raise their weapons. Clean shots, center mass. They fall without a sound. I keep moving.
My men are holding their positions, but barely. The Volkovs have numbers and momentum, and they're pressing hard. I see one of my guards go down near the fountain, blood blooming across his chest. Another is pinned behind a stone planter, returning fire but clearly outmatched. I move to support him, laying down covering fire that forces the Volkovs back. The guard nods his thanks and repositions.
"Status," I bark into my radio.
"East entrance holding," Viktor reports. "Main gate holding. South side is a problem—they're pushing through the gardens."
The gardens. Close to the main house.Close to Liesl.My blood goes cold. "How close?" I demand.
