39. Peyton
PEYTON
Anton gave us one full week with no sightings. Viktor and Misha came home every night muttering about chasing ghosts.
I knew how they felt and yet the worry refused to abate. Somewhere out there, someone knew the truth.
“Mama, can I have more?” Luka scooted his bowl across the tabletop, the ceramic screeching across the glass.
“Yes.” I handed him the box because he’d become increasingly independent since moving in with Misha, Leo, and Viktor.
Grinning, he shook the box over his bowl, coming close to overflowing it before he dug in, kicking his feet back and forth.
My phone pinged a text, and I swiped to unlock the screen while lifting my coffee cup to my lips.
I read the message. The cup slipped from my grasp, falling to the floor with a clatter.
Luka pulled a surprised face.
“Sorry. Lost my grip.” But I didn’t move to clean it up. Instead, I read the message again.
Confirmed sighting. He’s on the move. Closing in.
It was the last two words that turned my blood to ice.
Viktor had been sending me updates every day, offering information that he never would have last time. It showed they were trying. They were making good on their promise.
No more secrets.
No more half-truths or careful omissions designed to protect me from their world.
Every lead, every rumor, every whisper was relayed to me by one of them.
I appreciated it and hated it in equal measure.
The sightings had started small with unconfirmed sightings, then escalated to intercepted communications and a picture of Anton standing outside a casino.
He flew just close enough under the radar that Misha couldn’t pin him down. Until now.
“Mama.” Luka kicked his feet into the counter. His hair stuck up in six different directions, and he held a stuffed dog from Leo under his arm. “My cereal’s soggy.”
“Okay.” I held out my hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Luka slid off the stool and bounced over to me. “Can we go upstairs to the library?”
“Yes.” I held his hand and led the way toward the stairs. I’d sat in this kitchen every morning, watching Luka eat, and told myself every day that they would find Anton.
Viktor destroyed that with one message.
Closing in meant he was coming for me. Coming for us.
Leo had run me through the gun range four more times since that first session.
Misha had worked with me on close-quarters combat.
I still ached after every session, and my coordination was still shit, but I had managed to slip out of his headlock yesterday and kick his legs out from under him.
I was not going down without a fight.
“Mama.” Luka tugged my hand. “You have a worry face.”
“No, honey, I’m just thinking.” My phone pinged again, and I knew without even looking what it would say. But just to prove it to myself, I read the message.
He’s headed your way. Hide. Now. Ridoc and Yuri are on guard.
Luka pulled hard enough to make me stop. “No, Mama. That’s your worry face.”
My nerves leaped along my skin, a prickling sensation bringing my head around to the front door. Misha had drilled it into me to never discount my gut. “Luka, you remember our game? The hiding game?”
He nodded, his face going solemn. “The super serious one?” He scowled the way Misha did at the end of a long day.
“Exactly.” I turned him around and nudged him toward the stairs. “Go now. Go straight to your hiding spot, lock yourself in, and you stay there. No matter what.” I lifted his chin, my hand grazing his cheek. “Do not come out unless you hear me say the code word.”
“Thunderbird.” Luka’s eyes shone. “I love this game.”
I crouched to his level. “You are so brave. I love you to the moon and back. Go. Now.”
He planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek, then bolted, his little feet furious as they pounded up the stairs.
I waited for the click of his door, the special room we’d arranged just for him with the hiding spot behind the closet in a room he could lock from the inside.
We had a backup to unlock it from the outside in case of emergency. There was not enough room for me.
I could hide. It would take Anton time to search the whole house.
Or I could fight.
I turned and ran for the gun room, unlocking it with my thumbprint. My hands were steady, which almost surprised me as I lifted the Kimber free and checked the chamber before racking one in.
Round seated. Safety off. Two spare mags went into each of my pockets. I’d started wearing cargo jeans with open pockets because some part of me had known it would come to this.
I’d known Anton was too chicken shit to come after Leo directly. I’d known he would come for me to try and hurt them.
I set the Kimber down and slid a Glock into a holster I strapped on in seconds thanks to Leo’s training. “Always have a backup.” I patted the Glock, then grabbed the Kimber and backtracked to the kitchen.
Misha had walked me through what might happen. The front door was the only possible entry point. Unless Anton set the house on fire, that was how he’d breach the house.
I moved into the kitchen and crouched behind the island, positioning myself at the far left corner where I had the best angle at the front door. Cold seeped through my pants and made my knees ache. I pushed that aside.
A gunshot sounded outside. The lock on the front door blew apart, sending the door flying open to crash against the wall.
Three men rushed in, Anton on their heels. He moved with that same unhurried pace that had terrified me before.
Blood dripped from the men’s clothing, and my heart somersaulted. The two men Leo had stationed outside the house, Ridoc and Yuri, would not have let them through. They’d killed them already.
Which meant help wasn’t coming. I pressed my teeth together and shoved down the grief, lining up the first shot. Squeeze slow. Leo’s voice in my head helped curl my finger around the trigger.
I shot one in the back of the head. The sound in the enclosed space threatened to blow out my eardrums. I should have used ear plugs, but I’d been afraid they’d hinder me.
Anton’s head snapped in my direction, and I fired twice before he dove left. A bullet caught him in the shoulder, and he slapped a hand over the wound while diving behind the couch.
The two men split up. Both fired, their automatic rifles popping off shots that threw plaster and marble in my face. The island would protect me.
Misha promised bullets could not penetrate. I was safe here, and if one of them rounded the island, I’d shoot them.
Shit. What if they split up?
I swiveled my head from one side to the other, trying to listen for footsteps that would give me a heads up on which direction I needed to aim.
“Peyton.” He sang my name in a patronizing tone, then chuckled. “Nice shot, my dear. But we’re not here to hurt you.”
I pressed my back against the island and used the stove to check for any reflections of men creeping my way.
“Come out. I just want to talk.”
I laughed without meaning to, the caustic sound bursting out until I clapped a hand over my mouth.
Shit. Idiot. I couldn’t stay here.
If they didn’t already know where I was, they’d know now. I slid backward, then to the right, aiming for the gap on the other side of the counter. Forward would take me toward Anton, and I’d be a fool to run straight at them.
Back to the counter, I scooted on my ass until I reached the edge but didn’t go around. Instead, I dropped onto my stomach and peeked around the edge. A man stood next to the TV, handgun pointed toward the kitchen.
I didn’t let myself think. I aimed and fired, hitting him in the throat and dropping him like a brick.
Anton burst to his feet from behind the couch.
I swung the Kimber up and fired as soon as his chest lined up in the sight. He cursed as the bullet slammed into his chest but didn’t go down.
Well, that answered my question about body armor. I should have waited one more second and aimed at his head.
The front door blew apart. Automatic gunfire poured through it and into Anton from behind, throwing him forward.
Three sustained bursts that lasted all of two seconds riddled Anton with holes across his neck and head.
His body shuddered and jerked, surprise widening his eyes even as death took over. He slumped to the side, blood bubbling from his neck. He fell across the couch, arm outstretched toward me.
Leo dropped into a crouch in front of me. “Peyton.”
I released my grip on the Kimber, letting Leo take it from me. He put it on the counter, pulling me up and into his arms. “You’re safe.”
“I know.” I hadn’t trembled the entire time I fought Anton, but a full-body shudder ripped through my spine. My chest cracked, the pressure unbearable. “It’s over.”
Misha cupped my chin in his hand. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” I didn’t even think before I answered. “I’m fine.”
Viktor pressed his hand flat against my back, the touch solid and grounding. Misha took the Kimber from the counter and shoved it into a holster.
“I killed two of them.” I licked my lips.
Leo pulled me into a hug. “I know. We saw.”
I let him hold me, pressing my face into his chest as their arms wrapped around me. “What about Ridoc and Yuri?” I saw the answer in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t.” He kissed my forehead. “Don’t you dare.”
Viktor turned my chin toward him, his thumb running across my cheek. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Misha’s boot scraped over the floor, making a crunching sound. “The floor’s covered in glass.”
“Oh.” I glanced down out of reflex. “I didn’t notice.”
“You have glass in your hair and a cut on your forehead.” Viktor plucked shards from my hair.
My mind flashed back to the fight, those few seconds feeling like hours. The stove. When they’d shot at me, something hit the stove, shattering the glass on the oven. It must have hit me.
“I don’t feel it.” I reached for my head.
Misha stopped me with one hand around my wrist. “You will when the adrenaline wears off. It’s okay. Don’t touch it.”
“Luka. We have to get Luka.” I turned away from them and rushed for the steps.
They ran behind me, letting me lead even though they were all faster.
I crossed the ruined living room, glass crunching under my feet, and jumped over every other step. I tore through Luka’s room and fell to my knees on the other side of the closet door. “Luka, it’s Mama.”
Nothing.
Breathe. Remember the rules. “Luka, it’s me. Thunderbird.”
Silence lasted five full seconds, then the door burst open and Luka threw his body against mine. “Mama.” Arms tight around my neck, he squeezed. “I stayed. I stayed in my spot even though I heard scary sounds. I didn’t come out till I heard the secret word.”
I slid down the wall until my ass hit the floor and pulled him into my lap. He smelled like Luka, like the bubblegum soap he loved so much, and that, more than anything, settled my nerves. “You did so good. You were so brave, and I’m so proud of you.”
“Were you scared?” He rubbed his nose back and forth over my shoulder.
“Yes.” No point in lying. “But I was brave too. Like you taught me.”
He stopped wiggling and lifted his head. “Like I taught you?”
“All the time, my baby boy. All the time.”
Leo settled in beside me. “Hey.”
Luka considered him a moment, then patted Leo’s jaw. “You fixed it?”
“Yes. We fixed it.” He nodded toward me, then Misha and Viktor behind him.
Luka nodded, apparently satisfied, and curled into a ball in my lap.
I looked at Leo over Luka’s head.
“He should stay up here for an hour or so while we clean up. Wouldn’t want him getting glass in his feet.” Or see a dead body. Misha cupped my face, bending at the waist to kiss me. “It’s over.”
It was over, and I had survived. I hadn’t just endured or existed at the fringes and hoped for the best. I had looked death in the eye and held my ground.
Leo’s hand found mine. He squeezed tight. Once. Twice. Three times. I squeezed back.
We were going to be okay.