Without exchanging a word, both Creighton and Olga concluded that they were being watched for sure. Indeed, they had probably been spotted from some way off, and it was quite possible that someone was waiting for the right moment to attack them. Junior Lieutenant Shilina unfastened the holster that hung from the belt around her tunic. In her girlish hands the pistol looked like something innocent, almost theatrical, as if it were not a weapon at all but a mere toy or prop. The American was surprised, but drew his own army-issue Colt from its holster and looked around in the glow of the flashlight. The scene was like a game of cowboys and Indians, but this was wartime and anything could happen; in war no one knows what might come next.
They heard a rustling – someone was moving behind the
