Page 86 of Savage Truce

“Just go straight for two miles.”

I notice how a few of my men keep going after the van, while the rest stay on my tail.

“Just around the bend, you have to turn left,” my wife gives me more directions.

“Look in the glove compartment. There are two guns.”

She yanks it open and quickly retrieves the weapons, and as I take the turn, she lets out a peep.

Up ahead, black smoke starts to billow into the air, and as we get closer, an old shed is on fire. I keep going, my foot pressing the gas pedal hard. Suddenly the stretch of tar ends and we hit gravel, which makes the wheels spin for grip.

Dust and rocks kick up into the air, and I fight the steering wheel so I don’t lose control.

Seeing a cloud of dust further up, I know in the pit of my soul Andrei is in that car.

“I’m coming, brat,” I grit through clenched teeth. “Hold on, Anastasia!”

She braces herself, and as I catch up to the car, I go around the side before slamming on the brakes while turning the steering wheel sharply. The nose of the sedan crashes into my side, and it pushes us a few feet before stopping. Not even bothering to open the window, I grab one of the guns from Anastasia and shoot at the driver and fucker in the passenger seat.

The bullets riddle the bastards, and only then do I let the car roll forward, so I can force my door open.

Sergei parks behind the car, and as he gets out, my other men arrive as well.

My heart thunders in my throat as I run to the back door, but the fucking thing is locked. I’m running on pure adrenaline and worry as I grip the driver’s side window that’s open an inch and yank the fucking thing out. Glass shatters, and not caring about being cut, I unlock the doors.

Sergei rips the back one open, and as he hooks his hands under Andrei’s armpits and begins to haul him out, Andrei lets out a tired chuckle. “Never… fucking… listen.”

“We’ve got you,” I say as I help Sergei carry him to the Rolls-Royce, and as we load him into the back seat, I shout, “Anastasia! Come get into this car.”

I climb into the back, lifting Andrei’s head onto my lap, and as I look down at all the blood and realize he’s bleeding out, the worry returns full force.

The instant Anastasia is in the passenger seat, she starts ripping her dress. As she passes strip after strip of fabric to me, I do my fucking best to bandage the wounds that are bleeding the most while Sergei drives us back to the city.

I’ll hunt down the fuckers after I get Andrei to the hospital.

The drive back to the city takes for-fucking-ever, and all I can do is watch how my friend grows weaker.

“I’m here,” I murmur as I keep a piece of fabric pressed to the gunshot wound in his gut.

Andrei opens his right eye and keeps staring at me for so long that fear rips my heart out of my chest when I think he’s gone.

But then he blinks slowly. “Ana…” he whispers.

“Yes.” She spins around and looks at Andrei from between the front seats.

“Tell… me… again.”

She reaches for his left hand, gripping it tightly. “You’re at a log cabin you built yourself. Tall pine trees keep it hidden from the world. When you move around, the wood creaks, and everything smells fresh, the air crisp.” His eyes drift shut, and his breathing turns from ragged to shallow.

Don’t do this to me. Please. I can’t lose him.

“You got lazy and let your hair grow long like Rodian’s, and you look like a bearded caveman.”

The corner of his mouth twitches, giving me a surge of hope.

“You hunt and fish for food, living off the land that’s just as wild as you. No people. Only you and nature, and you’re at peace. Every sound is familiar. Every twig that snaps and bird that chirps is the heartbeat of the forest all around you. You feel it in your soul and become one with it.” Anastasia pauses when her voice hitches, and she struggles not to cry, but she somehow fights it and continues, “When you’re fishing, the sun reflecting off the lake, animals come to drink water, not bothered by you at all. They’ve accepted you as part of their surroundings, and when you move, it’s quiet and unhurried. You have all the time in the world to just be at peace.”

She weaves a trance around Andrei, and I hope the picture she’s painting for him is all he sees and that he feels the peace.