Miri and Sasha led Vanya through the muddy alleys of Podil, toward the wide boulevards of Kiev where they’d find the train yard and the man Avram had sent them to meet. They stayed in the shadows, watching carefully for Zubov’s men, dodging in and out of alleys. The more they walked, the stronger Vanya seemed to be. To Miri, every woman they passed appeared to be pregnant or holding a child.
Miri and Vanya’s footsteps were fast and loud. Sasha, on the other hand, even bruised, moved without making a sound. As they hurried, Miri whispered Sasha’s family story to her brother, explained that Aleksandr was a Polyakov, that he’d used that to secure their train. When they crossed over from the slum into the city, they entered a world so different it was as if they’d crossed Russia itself. Where Podil was faded, Kiev sparkled. The streets were framed by electric lines, streetlamps and apartment buildings shining with new stone. The train station was a monument of marble and gold, framed by a brilliant domed roof. They ducked around to the back, where Miri was surprised to see the grandeur replaced by the same filth found in Podil.
There was a bustle on the platform at the station. A group of men in three-piece suits and women in travel cloaks appeared. Porters stacked their trunks. A child cried. These were the families hoping to ride the same train, the Rudov. Opposite the platform, down the tracks sat the shed Avram Noskov had described, the place where they’d meet his man.
Sasha turned to Miri and Vanya and held out his hands. Miri gasped. They were covered in blood. Zubov’s blood. Had she been so scared she hadn’t even noticed? “I need to wash up.”
“Sasha, you should have told us.”
“There wasn’t time. I wanted to make sure we made it. And I kept them in my pockets. No one saw.” Sasha shook his head. “There’s a pump over there. Wait for me at the shed.”
Miri knew there was no point in objecting. She and Vanya crept along the rails in the shadows toward the small structure. While Miri and Vanya huddled in the dark, a group of four soldiers ran past. They didn’t appear to see Sasha. Still, Miri held her breath. Were they Zubov’s men? There was no way to know. Were Yuri, Sarah, and the rabbi safe? The man with the wheelbarrow seemed certain they’d be fine. There was no reason to doubt him. Still, Miri wished she’d gotten to say goodbye to Yuri. The soldiers ran past, all the way to the platform and into the crowd.
“You love him more than you’ve ever loved Yuri, don’t you, Mirele?” Vanya asked after the soldiers were far away. His voice was hoarse. He put a hand on his chest as if that could help him breathe. “I’ve been over and over it in my head. Why would my brilliant sister throw her future away for a stranger?” And then: “When I hurt my shoulder. You knew what to do. But Yuri hovered over you as if you were a child. Sasha understood you, though.” Vanya coughed. “Yuri, I told you I’ve come to love him. I truly have. But he’s a man who needs an apprentice. Not an equal. Listen to me, Mirele. You’ve found Sasha. Don’t lose him.”
“Why are you talking this way?”
“If Zubov’s men come, or if the police come here to arrest Sasha. If Avram suspects our plan, I’ll tell them that I am Aleksandr Polyakov. I will take his place.”
“Vanya. No.”
“My work is gone. I’ll never find Clay. I can’t fight Kir.”
“No. You can finish this. You can solve the math. You are so close, you can’t give up.”
Sasha was coming back toward them now. The smell of coal mixed with steam from the trains was suffocating. “Please, if the police come, convince them I’m Aleksandr Polyakov. And tell Sasha about the child. He won’t turn himself in if he knows.”
“But I don’t want the child.”
“Tell him. Before the chance is gone. It might be the only thing that makes him break the promise to turn himself in. That could keep him safe.”
“I won’t let you sacrifice yourself.”
“You must.”
“Must what?” Sasha asked. His face was slick with sweat and water. His eyes were wide. His shirt cuffs were wet, too, and dripping, tinged pink with the stain of blood. “Tell him,” Vanya said. He was right. Sasha would never go back on his word, not unless he had a reason so strong it would justify his actions. Vanya stepped off to the side as if trying to give them privacy. A train whistle blared. An engine heaved past so loud it hurt her ears. It was the Rudov pulling into the station.
Miri put a hand on Sasha’s cheek. As much as she didn’t want to say it, the fact was the child would come. And no matter where or when, she wanted Sasha to be there. If she told him, she had no doubt he’d want to be there, too.
“I’m pregnant,” she said. Sasha didn’t move. She’d never seen the look on his face that she saw now. Was it fear? Surprise? Had she made an awful mistake? Just as she regretted telling him, Sasha buried his face in her curls and kissed her neck, then her stomach. “Magnificent,” he said. “Magnificent.”
“You’ll pose as Yuri. Promise me, you’ll pose as Yuri and get on that train with us.”