Lachlan nods, looks down.The walls are closing in.‘Yes, sir.’
Alistair rises to stand, goes to his cabinet and takes out a knife.
Jewelled hilt, something old and antique, but still sharp.
‘Yes,’ he says, gripping the hilt and looking at Lachlan with oddly bright eyes, serpentine and cruel, ‘you will.Come here then, little toy soldier.Let’s see howstrongyou really are.’
?
‘You need a medic.’
‘Just finish up, it’s fine.’
Blaire patches him up, but she’s not a doctor, so she can’t do much more that pack gauze against the three shallow stab wounds that ladder up his side, each one carved with slow, determined precision.
Lachlan has been throughAdvanced Resistance Conditioningin RB, so he withstood the punishment pretty well, but he made sure not to hide his pain from the old man because that’s what he really wanted.
Lachlan gingerly dresses, wincing as he buttons his shirt.
‘For God’s sake, Lachlan,’ Blaire says, so angry she’s shaking.‘Getto medical.Let them look at it.You could have internal bleeding!’
‘He made me show him where to put it to avoid that.’
Hand over her mouth, she shakes her head, tears spilling.
He’s never seen her cry before.
Surprised, he slows his motions.
‘Blaire,’ he says softly, ‘it’s OK.’
‘No, it’s not.None of this…’ She cuts herself off, looks away.
‘I know,’ he tells her.‘When he leaves, I’ll go to medical.’
‘Promiseme.’
‘I promise,’ he lies and for the first time, kisses the corner of her mouth but it’s only for a moment.All time must be stolen here.
Then she lets go and steps away.
‘I shall hold you to that, Lachlan Tanner.’
?
Sorrenko seeks out Lachlan an hour before the entourage is due to leave.They meet in Lachlan’s quarters while he’s downing the last of six painkillers.Mikhail Sorrenko being the man he is immediately notices something is off.
‘You are hurt?’
Lachlan shrugs.‘Nah.’
Sorrenko zeroes in on the wounded area like he can see through the clothes but makes no further comment on it.‘So, how is my boy?’
‘Vasily is adjusting well.He seems to like it here,’ Lachlan informs him, draining a glass of water.‘Are you taking him with you today?’
‘That depends on you.’
‘Look, he’s a good kid, but I don’t know what you expect me to do with him.I don’t have the time to teach him anything significant.I’m stretched as it is.’
