Oh, I know.
Another car pulls into the lot before I can respond. All three of us turn, instinctively following the headlights.
“Shit,” Vlad curses under his breath. “Get in the back. Now!”
He snaps in Russian, and somehow, I know better than to question it.
I shove Diana ahead of me toward the van’s back doors. She climbs in fast, crawling between boxes, and I follow right after, slamming the door shut behind us.
Darkness swallows us whole.
And a freezing chill creeps over my skin like a damn curse.
“It’s freezing in here!” Diana shrieks, grabbing my arm and hugging it tightly, searching for warmth. Her thin Konfetki t-shirt—meant to keep her from sweating while she runs around helping me—was never made for fridge-level cold.
I wrap my arms around her, rubbing her bare skin to warm her up. “Be quiet. We can’t get caught,” I whisper.
My heart pounds wildly when I hear footsteps outside.
We won’t die today. We won’t fail.
She nods into my shoulder, burying her face in it. She’s shaking.
We have to get out of here—fast.
Despite the chill clawing at my spine, I lean forward a little, trying to hear what’s happening outside. A buzzing sound vibrates from a metal storage box beside Diana, humming in bursts—blocking out the voices every time it kicks in.
But then—
“This is Ivan,” a voice says in Russian when the buzz cuts off. “He’ll get part of our product monthly.”
I bite my lower lip hard.Shit.
It’s my father.
He’s here.
With Ivan.
Please, God.
Don’t let them open the van.
Don’t let them see us.
I press my forehead to the cold surface of the box in front of me, praying Vlad is scared enough of my father and Ivan to keep his mouth shut—to protect his own skin andnotlet them find us in here.
The buzzing kicks in again, muffling the next few words.
I shift and gently peel Diana off me. “I need to get closer to the door and hear what they’re saying. Stay here, behind these boxes,” I whisper.
She nods, lifting her phone and flicking the light over the narrow space. Her lips are purple now.
I crawl toward the back doors carefully, trying to stay silent.
“Ror.”
Diana’s sudden whisper sounds more like a gasp.
