Michael’s feet felt on fire inside his torn combat boots, but he did not allow himself even a minute’s rest in that deadly gray zone. Behind them came the barking of search dogs and the sharp commands of the men chasing them. The exhausted soldiers moved like ghosts, using every dip in the ground and every fallen branch as cover.
At the same time, back in the apartment building, Victor put the final stage of his plan into motion. He threw Eleanor’s few belongings and old family photographs out into the cold hallway, ignoring her tears and the angry looks from neighbors. Alex Coleman stood pressed against the wall, saying nothing, too cowardly to defend the woman he had betrayed.
Victor changed the locks on the apartment door with alarming speed, as if he had prepared for this moment well in advance. Eleanor found herself on the landing in nothing but her robe and old slippers, clutching a small icon and her phone to her chest. The draft in the stairwell cut through her to the bone, but the pain of betrayal hurt worse than the cold.
Meanwhile, Michael reached the muddy bank of a narrow river the group had to cross under cover of morning fog in order to reach Ukrainian lines. The water was icy and smelled of fuel, but the men stepped into it without hesitation. Michael helped the weakest across one by one, even as his own limbs began to go numb from the cold and blood loss.
In the city, Eleanor sat on the concrete steps of the stairwell, arms wrapped around herself, whispering prayers for her son’s safety. A few kind neighbors brought her a blanket and a cup of hot tea, but she barely seemed to notice. Her eyes stayed fixed on the closed door of her own apartment, behind which criminals were now acting like they owned the place.
Inside, Victor and his drinking buddies were already celebrating. They opened a cheap bottle of brandy and talked loudly about how much they could get for the apartment. They were certain the chaos of war would cover their tracks and that no one would bother defending an older widow with no one left—at least, that’s what they thought. Their laughter carried down the hall, louder even than the distant thud of air defense and the low rumble of missiles overhead…
