Chapter 26It was late when I returned to the room. Jerzy lay deeply asleep, snoring heavily. I fell across the bed, fully clothed. I wanted to sleep like the dead. I didn't want to dream, to see or think about anything. I had worked myself into exhaustion and fell instantly into a dreamless sleep. I would need all my resources. The next day I was to fight the Russian. As I drifted off, I saw the smirk on the Russian's face, the cruel twisting of his thin lips. Maria, suddenly, seemed far, far away.
A hand shook me roughly awake. I groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over my head.
“Time to get your gloves on.”
“Go away.”
“He's being coy,” Jerzy said.
“What time did he get in?” Laszlo asked.
“I don't know. I was asleep. It must have been late.”
“After twelve,” I replied. My th
