I WAKE UP to a noise in the house. I can’t figure out exactly what it is, but I know it doesn’t belong. I slept above the covers. Oleg’s words of seeing us again kept me vigilant. I’m mentally checking myself. I have my gun strapped to my ankle. The throwing knives are on my wrists. I open the top drawer of my bedside table and remove another gun and click off the safety.
The house is dark, and I pause in the hall and take out my phone. Mila is still in the sitting room. Her dot is unmoving. That gives me some ease. I move to the edge of the wall and peek out across the stairs. The hall is silent. I close my eyes and listen again.
Someone is in the house. They’re downstairs. The sound comes from the back of the house, and I move down the stairs soundlessly. I open the door, needing to confirm what my phone told me. Mila is still tied to the radiator. She’s asleep. Her chest rises and falls. I pull the door closed and release a knife as a shadow skitters across the hall.
The scream is instant, and I withdraw my gun as I zigzag down the hall. I reach the man who’s coated in black. He’s trying to pull the knife from his shoulder. I cock the gun at his head and he freezes.
“Are you alone?” I’m looking all around me.
“Yes.”
The lie has me moving quickly, as the attack comes from behind me. A second man, also dressed in black. I remove the second knife and swipe quickly. He freezes, but I felt the contact. He gargles as his hands reach for his open throat. It only takes three more seconds until he hits the ground.
“Are you alone?” I ask again.
“I am now.” He’s telling the truth.
“Who sent you?”
He’s wearing a balaclava. I want to see the man’s face who broke into my home and tried to kill me. He moves quicker than expected. The gun appears and I kick it out of his hand. It hits the floor with a thud but doesn’t fire. I spin him, wrapping my arm around his neck. His fists swing back, but I tighten my hold. He keeps fighting, but it dwindles. I release him and his dead body hits the floor.
I move quickly back to the sitting room door and open it. Mila is still asleep. I didn’t want the bugs to pick up on the noise. My first thought is that Oleg sent them. I’m not sure if it was to kill me or Mila, but either way, both men now lie dead in my hallway.
I search the remainder of the house. It’s clear. The back door is open. It was a simple job. They picked the locks. I check the camera outside for the gates, which are still closed. They scaled the walls. I never had a security system installed. I never had to. No one was stupid enough to come to my home—that is, until now.
I check both bodies for IDs, but they aren’t carrying anything. After that, I examine their bodies for markings. They both have tattoos, but none that are significant. Blood pools in the hall. I pull my knife from the shoulder of the man I strangled before getting plastic and wrapping both bodies. Once I have them tied, I drag them into the garage and heave both of them into the trunk of my car.
This time when I check on Mila, she’s awake. The sun has started to rise, casting shadows on her face. I nod at her and she nods back. I hate closing the door, but I can’t go near her until tonight. It takes a few attempts to get the blood off my floor, but I finally do.
I don’t want to leave Mila, but I can’t imagine whoever sent these men would send more so soon. Leaving now would be wiser than later.
I drive out as far as the can. It’s barren out here. After placing both bodies on the ground, I douse them in petrol and drop a match. They go up in flames straight away. Would Oleg have sent them? I have no idea why he would want me dead. Killing off Mila might make sense since she knows something. She’s hiding something. Tonight, I need her to trust me. I need to find out what secret this girl is carrying.
I return to the house and shower before eating. I replace the locks and go back upstairs to sleep the day away. I lie on the covers again. My guns are ready. Checking my phone before I fall asleep, I make sure Mila is where she should be. She is.
She eats all the spaghetti on her plate, and when she finally looks up at me, her cheeks grow red. “I’m hungry.”
“You want more?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I could use some of that vodka.”
I don’t want her to get drunk, but I can understand the appeal, especially if she never drank before. It numbed a lot of the pain this world threw at us. I get two shot glasses and fill both of them before I return to the table.
She reaches out and then knocks it back, and her face scrunches up as she swallows the liquid.
“I’ll have another.”
I hesitate but fill the glass.
“Two men broke into the house last night,” I tell her and drink the shot. I’m watching her more carefully than I ever have.
“What? Did they steal anything?” She blinks several times.
“They came to kill me, or maybe you.”
Her nostrils flare as she scrambles for air while shaking her head. “Me? But…” she stutters and looks away.
“I can’t help you if I don’t know what I’m up against.”
Her gaze springs to me. “Help me?” She shakes her head again, but hope blossoms in her blue eyes. “I don’t know anyone who would want me dead.”
The lie has me refilling my glass. I’m getting nowhere with her. I’m staring at her, wondering when she will crack, but she stares right back.
“Let’s go for a drive.”
Her eyes widen and she stands up at the idea of getting out. I give her the shoes she arrived in and a pair of my socks. I hand her one of my jackets, which she drowns in, and we leave the house. I keep taking peeks at her as she watches the world move past. It’s pitch black, but she’s staring up at the sky. It’s dotted with stars.
I drive into the city, and the light pours from windows and flashing neon signs. I drive past Gail’s and keep moving through the city.
“Where are we going?” It’s the first time she’s asked the question.
“I want to show you something.” I hope it will help her open up a bit more. I leave the city behind and keep driving as the landscape grows barren. When we pull up at the can, the ground is scorched from burning the bodies. It’s a pile of ashes.
“Stay in the car,” I tell her as I get out and take a shovel from the boot. I dig a large hole to the left of the scorched ground and scoop in all the ashes and remains of the bodies. Digging up the burnt soil, I turn it. When I feel satisfied, I return the shovel to the car before moving to the passenger door. Mila swallows when I open it.
“Come on, I want to show you something.”
Her fingers tighten around the belt. “Are you going to kill me?”
“No. I want to show you where I drop people off.” I reach in and relish the smell of her. It’s my shower gel, but underneath it is something sweet, like vanilla. I unclip her belt, and I don’t want to lean out. I inhale before I do.
She gets out hesitantly and follows me over to the can. I open the door and she doesn’t step closer.
“Look in, Mila.”
The pulse in her neck pounds, but she steps up to the door and peeks in before quickly moving back, like I might push her in.
“I drop the people off here. They wait until they are collected. It could be hours or even days. Can you imagine waiting in that small cell?”
“Why are you showing me this?” Her voice wavers.
“Because this is your fate.”
She shakes her head like she might be able to change it.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” I say. “Let me help you.”
She laughs. “You want to help me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
It’s a good question. Why do I feel this need to save her? “If you want to end up in the can, then that’s fine, Mila.”
I’m ready to walk away, but she doesn’t follow.
“Even if I told you, you can’t protect me.” She sounds so defeated, and I pause before turning back to her.
“Try me.” I start to walk back to her, but I see in her eyes she’s not ready to talk.
“Oleg…” She swallows and looks away. “Just take me back to the house.”
Disappointment and frustration course through me, and I laugh at her.
“You were right,” I say with a smirk.
“What?” She’s shaking as she wraps her arms across her chest.
“I wish you were stronger too.”
She is strong, but if I poke, she might crack. She doesn’t, as she walks back to the car, keeping her secrets firmly against her chest.