Chapter 31 #2
I let my head lean back against the wall as I considered what they are trying to imply. “I don’t suppose you have a weapon hidden in those letters of yours?” Dimitri asks, sounding worried. I shake my head.
“What am I going to do?”
“I dunno, killer. I don’t know.” He gives me a sad look, then takes a seat on his own cot. There is nothing he could do to help. We always showered alone with the guards watching, so when Aleks and Mikhail take me in there tonight, it will just be them and me.
I quickly move off my cot and start pumping out some more push-ups. Maybe if I’m strong enough, I can fight back. Lord knows I’m gonna try.
I pace my cell all evening, terrified of what’s to come.
And when the dinner cart comes through, I barely eat anything.
As usual, I toss Dimitri my roll, knowing that we’re given the same amount of food, but he needs way more calories than I do.
I’d already noticed he’s lost weight since I’ve been in here.
I’m pacing my cell when I hear the door open, and two pairs of heavy footsteps draw near. My head whips up, my frightened eyes meeting Dimitri’s.
“Fight like hell, killer,” he says, squeezing his bars so tight you’d think he was trying to bend them.
I step back to the center of my cell and clench my fists, letting my fear turn to anger to help fuel me.
When they step up in front of my cell, they’re smiling, and it takes everything I have not to show them how scared I am right now.
Aleks unlocks my cell and opens the door, letting Mikhail step inside.
“Hands,” he says, holding out a set of cuffs.
I’d thought about this a lot, all day in fact.
Would it be better to hold my ground here or fight them when we reach the showers?
Both had their advantages and disadvantages.
But in the end, I decided I wanted to keep my clothes on for this fight, so take a step back and raise my fists as I assume a fighting stance.
He bursts out laughing, looking at me like I’m the funniest thing he’s ever seen, and not a threat.
He’s not wrong. I haven’t been taught any hand-to-hand combat, something I was ready to rectify.
Dimitri had offered me a few tips, but now that I’m actually facing off against two armed guards, I realize I have no chance of making it out of this unscathed.
But I refuse to go down without a fight.
“You want to fight, little doll?” he asks with a grin. I don’t move. I just level him with my most determined glare as I wait for him to make the first move.
A door bangs open down the hall, followed by the distinct sound of a cart. Mikhail frowns, stepping out of my cell with Aleks to frown down the hall.
“Dinner!” Someone yells in Russian.
“What is this?” Mikhail asks. “They already had dinner.”
“Dinner!” The voice says again, and the sound of the wheels draws closer.
“Hey, he’s talking to you,” Aleks yells at the incoming guard. “What are you doing? They’ve already been fed.”
There’s a pause, then the man replies in Russian, “Delicious.” My eyes widen in shock. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize his voice straight away. Slowly, I step forward, and as soon as I catch sight of his face, my emotions betray me as a whimper escapes my throat.
Peter.
Mikhail’s head whips around to me. “Hey, get back!” he shouts, seeing I’m close to the open cell. Pete uses that distraction to lift his own baton and slam it across the back of Mikhail’s head, making him drop like a sack of bricks.
Aleks pulls his radio from his belt, but before he can get out a single word, an arm wraps around his neck as Dimitri yanks him backward against the front of his cell.
“Disgusting coward,” Dimitri whispers before snapping his neck. The distinct crack rings out right before he lets go, and Aleks drops to the ground.
“Dios mio!” I gasp, looking at the two downed guards.
“Wren!”
My head shoots up as Pete rounds the cart and closes the distance between us. He wraps his arms around me tightly and lifts me off my feet. I press my face into his neck as I tell him, “I knew you’d come.”
“Always,” he whispers back.
“Not to break this up, but you two better get going,” Dimitri says in Russian. I translate for Pete as I bend down and grab the keys from Aleks's belt.
“Wren, are you sure you can trust him?” Pete asks when he sees I’m about to unlock Dimitri’s cell.
I nod, glancing at Pete. “Yes, he’s tried to help protect me from the guards.”
I unlock the cell and pull the door open. “Come with us?” I ask him.
He takes the keys from me and shakes his head. “Don’t worry about me, killer. I got plans here before I leave.”
I turn and see Pete glaring down at Mikhail’s unconscious body, his fists clenched tightly at his side. He glances up at me and asks. “Why did you need protection from the guards, Wren?”
I hesitate to answer, not wanting him to get upset, and he looks over my shoulder at Dimitri. “What did they do?”
“He doesn’t speak English,” I inform him.
At the same time, Dimitri surprises me by answering in English. “They’d shove her into the walls, backhand her if she didn’t listen. These two were about to take her into the showers to do something much worse.”
Without hesitation, Pete pulls a knife from somewhere behind his back and shoves it straight down through the center of Mikhail’s neck.
His body twitches for a few seconds, then deflates, as the life drains out of him.
My jaw drops open in shock at how quickly he just killed him.
He yanks the knife free and wipes it clean on Mikhail’s shirt, returning it to where it was hidden behind his back somewhere.
“Much better,” he says before lifting his head to me, his eyes calming and sparking with that mischievous glint I’ve been missing for the past month. “Ready to go?” he asks, reaching for my hand.
“Be careful,” I tell Dimitri, before taking Pete’s hand and following him quickly down the hall.
As soon as we step into the hall, a guard is standing there. He reaches for me, and I jump back in shock, before I actually look at his face. The moment I do, I gasp in relief. “Sly!”
“Little bird,” he whispers, pulling me in tight for a hug that’s way too short. “Let’s go, the others are waiting.”
When we get to the end of the next hall, Sly stops right before the door and turns to me. “You have to pretend to be sick.” I nod as he scoops me up. “Moan like you’re in pain,” he tells me, and I do as he asks.
Pete throws the door open as they march through like they own the place.
I moan and squirm in his arms, like I’m dying.
I hear guards shouting questions, but since neither of these two knows any Russian, they don’t answer.
But it seems like wearing a guard uniform and walking with purpose can get you just about anywhere.
I glimpse the infirmary door, but Pete turns right before it, closing the door once we’re inside. I realize we’re in the laundry room.
“This is the hard part,” Sly says, looking at me apologetically.
“Harder than taking out those two guards?” I ask as I eye the empty laundry cart.
Pete lifts up a giant empty laundry sack and grimaces. “I’m afraid so.”
My eyes widen in realization. “I need to get in that bag?”
“Can you do it?” Sly asks with worry. “We’ll figure out another way if we have to.”
“But this is the plan you’ve made?” I ask, staring at the bag as my claustrophobia starts to surface.
“Yes, it gives us the best chance of getting you out.”
“Okay, let’s get this over with. How long?” I ask as I gesture for Pete to open it up for me, and I step into the bottom.
“Not long,” Sly says. “Depends on whether we get stopped. Hopefully it’s only twenty minutes.”
I nod, sitting down as Pete lifts the sides of the bag over my head. “Wait—” Sly says, bending down to kiss me, hard. “Stay strong, we’ll be as fast as we can.”
Nodding Pete lifts the sides and ties the bag shut. Luckily, a bit of light floods in through the material, but then I’m gently lifted and set in what must be the laundry cart. They gently place other bags around me, blocking out most of the light, and I will myself to breathe.
That’s all I have to do. Breathe. This is way better than what I thought was going to happen to me tonight. I can get through this.