Chapter Thirteen
Olesya aimed her pistol, elbows tucked into her sides. Nika’s shoulder was pressed into her back. Together, they moved through the town hall. Nika covered the left while Olesya stepped out onto the marble floor of a mezzanine level. The lower floor was on her right, over a balustrade. On her left, tall, ornate windows gave glimpses of the march below.
An explosion thundered from afar, like a mortar dropping. Before Olesya could act, the operative they were hunting launched from the doorframe, knife out. Olesya rolled clear; Nika pivoted and aimed, but the blade cut her hand and she dropped her pistol. The operative slashed for Nika’s neck, missed narrowly.
A young male with trimmed facial hair, shaved sideburns and curly hair on top, focused on Nika with large eyes. The
