I hesitate.
“Now, Kate,” Lena says in a stern voice, prompting me to action.
I act on autopilot, taking the boots and peering around the open door. There’s a commotion in the foyer, men running in every direction. The front door stands open. Mikhail is in the entrance, pulling on his coat while barking something in Russian to one of his men. Alex has his phone pressed to his ear, presumably alerting the security at Mikhail’s house, or maybe he’s warning the hospital of Dania’s arrival.
Quietly, I slip around the frame and enter the deserted summer lounge next to the bathroom. It’s one of the many rooms we don’t use. I press my back against the wall behind the door, taking a deep breath as footsteps fall hard in the hallway. Scraping together all the courage I possess, I put on the boots. My hands tremble so much when I tie the laces that the effort is messy at best.
Igor’s voice booms from the bathroom next door. He’s saying something in Russian. Lena replies. Ducking my head, I hide my face behind the visor of the cap and scoot around the frame. My heart beats with deafening thumps in my chest as I walk briskly down the hallway.
Caught up in the havoc, no one looks up as I fall in line with two men carrying rifles. Igor comes out of the bathroom, carrying Dania in his arms. Alex ends his phone call and hurries toward them. Mikhail follows.
I use the opportunity to slip through the front door. Alex’s men are carrying metal detectors and guns inside. After what’s happened, Alex will make sure our security hasn’t been breached. I walk toward the cars in the driveway, my heart threatening to burst from my chest with every step I take. It’s too late to turn back. By taking action, I’m collaborating with Dania. Alex may even think I concocted this plan, but there’s no time to ponder the possible consequences. There’s only one way forward, and it’s getting out of here. I’ll figure out the rest when I’m on American soil.
The back door of the second car is open. The man next to the car gives an almost undetectable nod as he meets my gaze. I glance over my shoulder. No one is watching. I slide into the back, facing straight ahead. The man shuts the door. When nobody shouts and nothing happens, I slide down the seat and lie down flat. There’s a blanket on the floor sticking out from under the passenger seat. I cover myself, not daring to breathe.
Mikhail’s voice reaches me in my hiding place. Footsteps crunch on the gravel. When my lungs start burning, I realize I’ve been holding my breath. I inhale the scent of the leather seat and a feminine perfume that sticks to the cashmere blanket. The wool tents slightly with my exhale, the scratchy fibers tickling my nose.
Don’t sneeze, Kate. Please, don’t sneeze.
The engine starts. The car rolls forward slowly. I count the seconds. After fifteen beats, we pick up speed. The faster we go, the more my pulse quickens.
The man says something in Russian.
Syad’, it sounds like. Get up or sit up.
Pushing the blanket aside, I stare at the sky through the window. The day is overcast. It looks as if it’s going to snow. I straighten. We’re still in the city, in a neighborhood I don’t recognize, but there’s a signpost with an airplane symbol up ahead.
I glance through the back window. We’re not the only car on the road, but I don’t see any of Alex’s familiar black cars. We’re not being chased.
The interior of the car is warm and the jacket I’m wearing is thick, but I still shiver. Instead of relief, an inexplicable sense of loss assaults me. I feel adrift. Lost. Torn and confused. I’ve yet to process what I’ve done. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, not something I planned. And the stress is far from over. Nothing’s resolved until I set foot in that plane. At that point, I’ll be free. That’s what I have to focus on.
Holy shit.
Dania did it.
I made it.
I rub my palms over my face. I still can’t believe I’m out of Alex’s stronghold.
Turning my face toward the window, I stare out with an unseeing gaze. My thoughts are focused on the future, on what I’ll do when I get home. I’ll let Alex know I’m safe. He deserves that much. But I’ll make it clear that I’m not prepared to be a prisoner any longer. While he deals with his assassin, I’ll disappear, take some time to think everything through. In the meantime, I’m not going to dwell on why Dania helped me. She didn’t do it for selfless reasons, that’s for sure.
The driver steps on the gas as we approach a traffic light. It’s green for us. A pair of headlights advances from the crossing, heading toward the red light, but the car doesn’t slow down.