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Her scent is a strange blend of flowers, gunpowder, and perspiration, and I’m pretty sure I’ve just discovered my new favorite fragrance. I almost object when I feel her pulling away.
“Anton, we have to go!” The sound of sirens pierces the air, slicing through our brief moment of relief. She’s right. We have little to no time to escape before the authorities arrive.
“Luka! Ivan!” I yell into the darkness, my eyes scanning the chaos for any sign of them or the rest of our teams.
“Over here!” It’s Carl from Scarlett’s team. He’s waving us over to where Ivan’s men, along with Luka and Art have all gathered. Battered, wounded, but alive. Relief washes over me once again; we still have a chance of getting out of here unscathed…mostly.
Some of the corpses we left behind are our own. Both my team and Ivan’s have taken some casualties, but there is no time to start counting our losses. As fucked up as it sounds, it’s always been a part of this dirty game.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I command, urgency lending strength to my voice as my hand grips Nikolai’s tighter. On his other side, Scarlett has threaded her fingers through his. We exchange glances, then I scoop Niko into my arms, and we’re running.
Moments later, we reach the edge of the site, slipping through a gap in the fence and into the shadows beyond. A van waits for us, its engine idling, ready for a quick getaway. We pile in, the door slamming shut behind us, and the tires screech as we speed away from the nightmare that has finally come to an end.
Several bright beams of headlights swoop in behind us, and I see Ivan and Luka pulling their vehicles in close convoy.
“Everyone good?” Scarlett casts a worried glance around the van as we speed through the night. Her team members nod in response, their faces streaked with dirt but not cowed. For a few seconds, an eerie quiet descends on us. It seems that nobody wants to speak. They just stare idly, probably trying to process everything that happened tonight.
Who can blame them? Not everybody is used to so much blood and gore in one day. But that doesn’t make me any less grateful for these people. They choose to put their lives on the line to help me out of a tight situation. To save my son. I can never thank them enough for that.
“Thank you,” I say, being first one to break the silence. I mean it.
A feeling of gratitude floods my chest, knowing that without Scarlett and her team, both Nikolai and I would probably be buried under concrete right now.
“Anything for Niko,” she replies, her voice soft but resolute.
Our eyes lock for a moment. An electric tension crackles between us like a live wire. Nikolai, still in my arms, squeezes my hand.
“Are we safe now, Papa?” His voice trembles and I can feel his heart pounding against my chest.
“Da,malysh,” I reassure him, brushing his hair back from his face. “We’re safe now.”
The rest of the ride is tense. All of us are on high alert for any signs of pursuit. But as the minutes tick by and the sirens fade into the distance, relaxation gradually replaces fear.
When we finally reach the open road, our small cavalcade splits up, Ivan and Luka taking alternate routes. A string of fast-moving vehicles is only going to draw attention on the open road. We’ll regroup at the estate and take stock of our casualties there. Already, I see Scarlett’s guy, Art leaning up against the wall of the van, his face ashen.
“Okay?” I ask, nodding down at his red-soaked shirt.
He gives a weak grin. “Yeah. Just a scratch.” I can tell he’s making light of it. There’s a makeshift dressing that’s staunching what looks like a flood of blood. But the man’s tough, I’ll give him that.
As the adrenaline begins to ebb away, exhaustion starts to set in. The pressure that had driven us slowly ebbs to quiet calm. Scarlett is pressed against my side, Nikolai fast asleep in my lap, the rise and fall of his chest a comforting rhythm.
As we drive off into the night, I allow myself a few moments of reflection as I feel Scarlett and Nikolai close, their breathing syncing with mine.
The night’s events will have taken a toll – some lost, injured – but I can’t think about that now. For now, there’s a warmth in my chest that wasn’t there before – a sense of victory over an enemy who had plagued me and many others for years. Volkov took so much from so many. Now he’s paid with his life.
“Hey,” Scarlett says softly, her head resting against my shoulder. Her eyes meet mine, and they’re filled with a mixture of exhaustion, relief, and something else – something tender. “You did it. It’s over.”
“Da,” I murmur, then look down at her. “I couldn’t have done it without you,Zayka,” I whisper into the darkness. “Thank you.” She gives me a small smile, and we sit in silence as the miles stretch out behind us, the past receding and the future looming ahead, both unknown and full of possibility.
“Any time,” she smiles, her eyes fluttering shut as she leans against me.
For the first time in what feels like an eternity, I feel a sense of peace settle over us.
We’ve survived the night – and right now, that’s all that matters.
Chapter 15
Anton
