Before I can finish my sentence, I hear the sound of gunfire and I freeze. It doesn’t sound like it’s right around the corner, but it doesn’t sound very far either.
Svetlana turns her gaze to the door as well and I can sense her nerves as well. Still, her expression remains calm, almost impassive, as she turns to me.
“Wait here,” she instructs.
“W… where are you going?” I ask, grabbing her without meaning to.
She doesn’t flinch. Instead, she puts her hand on mine and squeezes it with reassurance. “Don’t worry. I just want to see what the situation is like out there.”
“What if someone sees you?”
“This isn’t my first day on the job,” she says with a wink.
Then she walks towards the door and slips out of it. I stand there in the room, feeling my heart thud against my chest so hard that my ribcage actually hurts.
It’s all in my head.
It’s all in my head.
I try and calm myself down as I get to my knees in front of my son. There’s flecks of blood on my hands, but I wipe it away on the cushions of the sofa and focus on Phoenix.
He looks a little calmer, but his eyes are wide open, staring this way and that, as if waiting for something to happen.
“It’s okay, little bird,” I say. “I’ve got you. It’s all gonna be okay.”
I hear the door open a moment later, and Svetlana slips back into the room. Her expression is carefully orchestrated, but I can tell that she’s worried.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Artem is in the building,” she tells me. “Budimir’s men have him surrounded.”
“A standoff?”
“It looks like it, but from my point of view, it looked evenly matched,” Svetlana says. “I… I think you’re going to be the bargaining chip.”
Of course I am.
Svetlana comes forward. “Esme, I think they’re going to come and get you soon.”
“No!” I gasp. “I have to get Phoenix out of here.”
Svetlana glances towards my son and I see her eyes soften with worry. “All the men are out at the front of the house. Every man is involved in the fight against Artem’s men. There might be a chance to get you out of here without being seen. But we’ll have to move fast.”
“No.”
“No?” Svetlana looks at me as though I’ve gone mad.
“I can’t leave,” I explain. “Artem is here. My husband is here. I can’t leave him. They’re coming for me, Svetlana. I can do something. I don’t know what yet, but I can do something.”
“But your son…” Svetlana objects, looking between him and me.
“Will you take him for me?” I ask. “There’s enough confusion in the house. You can take him and get out. Or barricade yourself in a room somewhere. Just keep him safe for me.”
“Esme—”
“Please,” I say. “I don’t want him near the violence. And if he’s with me when they come for me, they’ll take him, too. They’ll use him as bait.”
I see Svetlana’s jaw twitch uncomfortably as she looks at my son. Then she nods slowly.