He veered out onto the street, finding it easier to dodge traffic than pedestrians. A couple of policemen looked at him as he tore toward them, but he laughed and waved, giving the impression of someone terribly late rather than up to no good. They both laughed, and one even waved back as Finn sprinted past.
As he reached the junction with Harry’s street, he saw the BMW cruise across in front of him. His lungs were burning now, his legs uncertain—he’d been running full speed in the cold for more than five minutes. He was in pretty good shape, but it had still taken it out of him.
He flew around the corner and saw that the car had carried on past the building, looking for a place to park. If they’d realized there was a pursuit in progress, he guessed one of them would have jumped out while the other parked, but fortunately for Finn there was still a lack of urgency about them.
He slowed to a brisk walk, not wanting to make any movement that might register in the driver’s mirrors. Once inside the building, though, he skipped quickly up the stairs, pulling the key from his pocket as he reached the top.
She was sitting on the sofa with a book, but jumped up now, momentarily fearful, then happy, then confused—the emotions playing out in quick succession across her face.
“But you said—”
“I know, but we have to go now. Is your bag ready?”
She nodded, pulling on her Converse, which were next to the sofa, lacing them quickly. There was a desperate, determined look about her that was painful to witness, speaking as it did of what she’d come to expect from life. She stood, picking up her book.
“Okay, where’s your bag?”
“In here.” She pointed to the bedroom and he followed her in. There was a sports bag on the bed, looking quite bulky for someone who had so few clothes. She opened it and put the book in, and he saw that the other books were also in there. He could hardly deny her that.
He was about to speak again when the doorbell sounded and he froze. She looked at him, seeking an explanation, but he simply put his finger to his lips and closed the bedroom door.
He walked over to the window and looked down. They were on the fourth floor, at the back of the building. He lifted the window. There was a metal fire-escape ladder attached to the outside wall, but it was a couple of windows along, meant to be accessed from the roof rather than inside the apartments.
Some of the apartments at the front had ornate balconies, but there was nothing here, just a narrow decorative ledge running under the windows at floor height. He looked up, too, at the guttering above, but there was no obvious way.
Katerina also leaned out, looking down at the paving below, taking in the options as quickly as Finn had. The bell sounded again, but Finn knew they’d just be checking that Harry wasn’t in, and that once they were certain, they’d work the lock and search the place.
Katerina caught his gaze now and pointed to the fire ladder and nodded. Before he could shake his head or whisper a response, she climbed nimbly over the windowsill and started edging along the building, showing no apparent fear.
He stared for a second, awestruck, then mobilized, grabbing her bag. He held it out of the window, but waited until she’d seen him before he dropped it, not wanting to shock her with the sound of it hitting the ground below.
He climbed out after her, and even as he gently lowered the window, he thought he heard the apartment’s front door open and then close again. He was shocked by how strong the wind was now that he was on the outside of the building, and while Katerina edged along without difficulty, her feet turned sideways, it felt like only the toes of his boots were on the ledge. His backpack was slung over one shoulder, and that seemed to attract the tug of the wind, too, but he didn’t want to drop it now, fearing the noise would be audible from inside the apartment.
He passed the first window. The apartment was empty and a decorator was painting, his back to the window. Katerina had already passed the second window and reached out for the ladder. She made barely any noise as she lowered herself down the rungs.
Finn picked up his pace but wasn’t sure about the soundness of the ladder, and waited for her to lower herself from the bottom rung and drop to the ground before he started down himself. By the time he was on the ground, she’d already retrieved her bag. He took it off her and she smiled.
He was still deciding which way to go and what to do when the window opened above. It could have been a lucky guess on the part of Karasek’s man, but suddenly, Finn remembered the bedding on the chair in the living room, and wondered if that had played a part in convincing him the girl had to be there.
Finn turned his back to the window and started walking; Katerina followed and only she looked back as the guy called something out in Estonian.
As she faced forward again she said urgently, “I think he has gun.”
“He won’t use it, but it’s time to run.”