44

Rai “Kyle!” I run to him and drop to my knees beside his unconscious body, my heart hammering so loud I hear the pulse in my ears. The chaos surrounding us, the gunshots, the whimpering sounds, the shouts in Russian—it all fades into the background. The only thing I can focus on is the man lying on the ground. The man whose eyes are closed as blood soaks his shirt then oozes out of him at a frightening speed, as if life is abandoning him. I place shaky fingers on the hole and press as hard as I can. “Don’t go…don’t you dare go…” My voice chokes at the end, but I sniffle, focusing on my task. He can’t leave, not anymore. He promised he’d stay. He fucking promised. “Get Dr. Putin! Now!” I shout at the top of my lungs to anyone who can hear. I can’t find the will to cut off my attention from Kyle. I feel like if I take my eyes off him even for a second, he’ll vanish into thin air. Katia pulls herself from the front lines and nods, rushing to the entrance. If it were up to me, I would take