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“Kiril, did I get you?” he says with a sneer. Are you bleeding on my floor?”
Jennifer is screaming through the restraints.
“Shut the fuck up or I will cut out your tongue,” he says.
I risk looking over the side of the bar to see him shaking her into silence.
“What’s your plan, Golubev?” I ask. “There’s nowhere to go. Your men won’t last long.”
“I told you; I don’t need them.” His voice is moving.
I look again and a bullet smacks into the wooden bar top.
He is making his way around the side of the room, headed towards the back door. I cannot let him leave with Jennifer.
I scope the area around me and the area where I think he is going. Through the shattered glass doors, I can see a long stretch of ground leading to a car.
He must be trying to make his escape. He does not have many other choices.
“Little rabbit,” I call out to her. “I just want you to know how much I love you.”
I can hear her crying and it is tearing at me. “You have given me a reason to become a better man,” I continue. “Everything about you is perfect.”
While I talk, I make a plan in my head.
Golubev snickers. “Kiril, it is such a pity that you won’t ever know what it is like to be a father. I think, unlike me, you might have been at least decent at it. Not great, I mean, I really don’t like you, but decent.”
I follow his voice as he speaks, plotting how far away he is from the exit. I think I need to let him get outside. I need to give him that bit of hope. The car is far enough away from the house that I will have plenty of time to do something still.
“That’s okay, Golubev. I don’t really like you either.”
“It is unfortunate. We could have done some good business together if you weren’t so weak.”
I hear him moving faster as he shuffles through the door and I stand up, moving quickly to take cover closer to the exit.
Then he is running. He is dragging Jennifer along with him, the gun gripped in his hand flailing around in the air as he pumps his arms to try and move his body faster.
I stand in the doorframe, taking very careful aim. I track his movements as a hunter would track his target.
I release my breath and fire one shot.
I do not take another breath in until his skull explodes when the bullet impacts against the bone.
Jennifer freezes as his grip releases her and his body falls face-first into the mud. I am already running. All I see is her. She turns in slow motion towards me and I grab her in my arms. I pull the gag from her face and press my mouth against hers, tasting the salt of her tears as they run down her cheeks.
I lift her and hold her against me.
We are still not safe, though.
“Little rabbit, I need you to stay very close to me,” I say. “Do everything I tell you to do.” She nods.
I turn her around and pull the rope off her wrists to free her. I press a handgun into her palm. “The safety is off. All you have to do is point it and pull the trigger. Keep your finger off the trigger until you need to.” She nods again.
“Stay close.” I grab her and hug her again. Then we have to move.
I peek around the side of the house in the direction I came from. Two men spot me, and I fire. One falls, but the other ducks away. I run, keeping Jennifer behind me. We are halfway to the front of the house when the man steps around again and opens fire. I pull Jennifer to the side and fire twice. We are on the ground when he falls dead. I am standing up again when I hear Jennifer scream and gunshots ring from behind me.
I spin around ready to shoot, terrified she has been hit.
