I push into the room and find Liesl standing by the bed, clutching her bag to her chest. Her eyes are wide, her face pale, but she's not crying. She looks at me and I see the fear there, but also relief. Like she knew I would come.
Like shetrustedI would come.
"Andrei." My name is barely a whisper.
I cross the room in three strides and pull her against me, one hand fisting in her hair, the other wrapping around her waist. She's shaking. I can feel the tremors running through her body.
"You're okay," I tell her firmly. "You're okay,ptitsa."
She nods against my chest, her fingers clutching at my shirt. Then she pulls back slightly, her eyes traveling over me, and I see the moment she registers the blood. Her breath catches. "You're hurt?—"
"Not mine." I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. "We need to go. Now. Can you do that?"
Another nod, more firm this time. "Yes."
"Good girl." I release her and turn to Viktor. "Clear path to the vehicles?"
"Should be. Western perimeter is still engaged but we can go out the back."
"Then let's move."
We go down the stairs quickly, Viktor leading and me bringing up the rear with Liesl between us. The two men in the kitchen fall in behind us as we exit through the back door. The night air is cool and sharp, carrying the smell of gunpowder and blood. Gunfire still echoes from the western side of the house, but it sounds more sporadic now. Either my men are winning or the attackers are retreating.
Either way, we're not staying to find out.
The vehicles are parked fifty yards from the house, hidden in a small clearing. We move quickly through the trees, Viktor scanning ahead while I watch our backs. Liesl stays close tome, her hand gripping the back of my shirt like she's afraid I'll disappear if she lets go.
We're almost to the clearing when I hear the snap of a branch, too loud to be an animal, too close to be anything but a threat.
"Down!" I shout, pushing Liesl to the ground and covering her body with mine as gunfire erupts from our left.
Viktor returns fire immediately. One of the men behind us goes down with a grunt, hit in the shoulder. The other keeps firing while Viktor advances on the shooter's position. I stay over Liesl, shielding her, my gun drawn and ready. She's pressed flat against the ground beneath me, her breathing rapid and shallow. I can feel her heart racing against my chest.
"Stay down," I tell her. "Don't move."
The deja vu is painful. And I feel a sudden wave of guilt for bringing her into all of this, for wanting to keep her here. This isn't the first time she's been beneath my body while gunfire rattled around us.
But I also know I can't let her go.
The gunfire stops as suddenly as it started. Viktor appears from the trees, dragging a body. "Last one," he says. "I did a sweep. We're clear."
I help Liesl to her feet, checking her over quickly. No blood. No injuries. "Come on." I keep my arm around her as we move the last distance to the vehicles.
Viktor gets behind the wheel of the lead car. I put Liesl in the backseat and slide in beside her, while the two remaining guards take the second vehicle. The wounded man is already being loaded into the back—he'll live, but he needs medical attention soon. "Drive," I tell Viktor. "I'll send you the directions."
The engine roars to life, tires spitting gravel as we accelerate down the narrow access road. I keep my gun in my hand,watching through the rear window for any sign of pursuit. But the road behind us stays dark and empty. We're clear, for now.
I turn my attention to Liesl. She's pressed into the corner of the seat, her arms wrapped around herself, staring straight ahead with wide, unseeing eyes. The adrenaline is wearing off now, leaving her shaking harder than before.
"Liesl." I reach for her, but she flinches away from my touch. Then her eyes focus on my hand—on the blood covering my knuckles, dried and dark in the dim light of the car. Her gaze travels up my arm to my shirt.
"You're covered in blood," she whispers.
"I know."
"Is it—" She swallows hard. "Is any of it yours?"
"No."
