My brother and Alexei, their guns aimed at each other.
And in the middle, Slava, his eyes wide with fear and incomprehension.
Something cold and clear inside my mind sifts through the implications. No gunfire is audible now, so Alexei’s forces must’ve neutralized Nikolai’s guards out on the perimeter of the compound. What about Pavel? He’s supposed to protect the house itself. Is he alive? Please let him be alive.
I lengthen my strides, but I might as well be moving through molasses. The entrance seems impossibly far as Chloe brings up her gun, pointing it at Alexei. “Drop your weapon and back away!” Her voice is a trembling, smoke-hoarsened croak.
No, foolish girl! He’ll kill you! I want to scream the words at her, but my lungs are already howling with need for air, and I need every b
