Alarmed voices. The sound of men scrambling. The blast of a grenade shakes the floor. I straighten up and start shooting, clearing the street. Pityr takes up position on the other side, taking people out. Tanechka eyes the Glock.
“No,” I say. “Not for you.” Sirens sound in the distance.
This is very bad. If the American Russians turned, it’s Bloody Lazarus who turned them. The cops won’t be interested in saving us. The cops may be interested in fighting us, too.
I take a few more shots. Fire is returned. Windows break. The beautiful nest I made for my Tanechka is going to burn.
“Aleksio has a bulletproof Hummer,” I say. “He’s coming.”
Tanechka nods. I wonder whether I could put a gun in her hand. She used to be so fierce in a fight like this. Dependable. Black cap on her head covering the bright target of her hair. Would her body still remember? It remembers so much.
But I’ve damaged her enough today. “Stay down.”
I suck in a breath and rise up to shoot again. They were supposed to be our brothers, these Russians. I should’ve been more attentive. I should’ve seen this.
This is on me. And if Yuri is hurt…
More shoulders slamming the door below. A window breaks.
“The roof,” I say to Pityr. “We torch this place and take the roof. The way Tanechka did. Okay? Tanechka, you ready?”
She nods, goes to the fireplace. She’ll start the blaze. She knows to do this. Is she remembering it all?
I call Aleksio. “How far are you?”
“Two minutes,” he says.
“We’re going over the rooftops to Reston Ave.”
“Neva Street is better,” Tanechka says.
“Scratch that—Neva Street,” I say. “Come up the south alley.” We talk tactics. I’m going to lob out another grenade. I nod at Tanechka, and she sets the bedspread on fire.
“Davay davay davay,” Pityr calls from across the hall, wanting us to hurry. “On your call.”
“You first—with Tanechka.”
“No. I’ll stay!”
“You first!” He doesn’t like me doing the suppressing because it means I’ll be the last up. It means I’ll be in the most danger. But I’m his superior. He’ll obey.
And this is how I best protect Tanechka—by giving her and Pityr the best cover to run the roof. It cannot be otherwise.
“Now!”
Tanechka leads the way to the attic. The fire’s spreading. I stay.
When I hear them punch out the window up there, I begin strafing, clearing the street. When I can no longer see through the smoke, I run to the hall and head up to the attic.
I cough. My eyes water. I waited too long, but I know where the window is. I climb up and out. Once on the roof, I hurl the grenade. Then I run.
I meet them hanging over the fire escape.
I cough, catching my breath. “Go!”
We climb down.
Aleksio screams up to us. Tanechka drops first—right onto the hood like a pro. Pityr goes next.
Gunfire from the corner.
Aleksio shoves open his door and starts shooting up the street. I go for it, dropping down. I feel the wind of a bullet near my leg. I get the fuck down onto the street and in.
Aleksio roars off before we even get the doors closed. The back window cracks under the impact of multiple rounds. I spin around. “Tanechka?”
“Get the fuck down!” Aleksio says.
“Tanechka?”
“I’m okay,” she says, wide-eyed, crouched.
I slide back around. “Where’s Yuri?”
“With Mischa,” Aleksio said. “He’s fine. He was across the street when they surrounded the place. They started taking guys out and got it. Check yourself, brother.”
“I’m okay,” I say.
We get on a main drag out of the city. Aleksio tells me he’s been trying Konstantin. No answer.
“He’s okay,” I say, but really, it’s just that he has to be. “We’re the only ones who know where he is. Probably out with his ducks.” Still, it’s worrisome.
There are many stoplights, some of them red. Aleksio goes through one, then another. We gun it, putting in the distance, heading for Konstantin’s place.
“Listen to me—they didn’t send Kiro to Stillwater prison,” Aleksio says. “He was sent to Oak Park Heights. Criminally insane shit. Don’t forget it.”
My heart thunders for what Aleksio doesn’t say. If one of us is killed, it’s up to the other to get to Kiro. “We’ll get him together.”
“Right. Here’s the thing—he was sent there but he’s not listed. Maybe under an alias. We have to figure it out. That’s where we are with it.”
“We’ll get him,” I growl. “If I have to burn the place down myself.”
“Maximum security. Can’t go in hot. Gotta go in smart.”
We’re heading past Lombard when red cherries light behind us.
“Fuck,” Aleksio says. Chances are good that they’re not after us because of our traffic violations. “Don’t worry—I’m gassed up.”
“Gotta get clear before the choppers come out,” I say, stating the obvious.
He guns it down a main artery. That’s when we see the train.
“Fuck,” Pityr says.
“This is good. We can do this.” Aleksio races up the frontage road, racing the thing with the cops hot on our trail.