Page 245 of Bratva Jewels Box Set
She nods and pulls out her phone. “This is Agent Vasiliev. I’m compromised, deploying exit strategy A, going dark.”
I hear a voice on the other end of the line and then she hangs up.
Sergei relays the situation to the guys on the phone, and I can hear shouting before he hangs up. “ETA to the bridge, five minutes.”
The car is quiet, except for Grace’s sobbing.
I wrap my arms around her, whispering to her, letting her know everything is going to be okay.
“ETA two minutes.”
I look up. The helicopter isn’t far now, then I hear it, the machine guns sound like a freight train. The back end of the car crumples as the bullets hit it.
Sergei turns the wheel as we reach the start of the bridge. That’s when we crash through the barrier and fly. Everything happens in slow motion. My arms stay tight around Grace while her screams fill the car. We freefall for what feels like minutes but is only seconds. The murky water of the Moskva River comes into view, and we hit it with a thud. The car slowly sinks, pulling us under, then everything goes black.
35
GRACE
Darkness.
All I can see is darkness. And it’s cold. I’m freezing, my body is shivering. I think I’m turning into ice.Maxim, Maxim!I call, but my ears feel like they’re full of water. I can’t hear anything.
“Grace, Grace.” A voice in the distance. “You’re safe now.”
Where are they? They sound so close. I force my eyes open but see only blurs. I shake my head, trying to get the water out of my ears.
“Don’t move,” the voice commands.
I’m exhausted and my limbs are like Jell-O. Bit by bit my eyes open, but it’s still dark.
“Grace.”
“Sergei?” I look up into his blurry face. He has blood dripping down his face, there’s a cut along his forehead. He uses his forearm to wipe off the blood, but it just keeps coming back.
“Oh, thank god you survived.”
“You’re bleeding,” I say.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“Cold.” My teeth begin to chatter.
“I know, I know. Look, help will be here soon. We need to stay out
of sight, it’s still dangerous out there.”
“Maxim.” I suck in a breath, looking around for him.
“Grace, relax, you have injuries.”
“What? Where is he?” Panic rises through my body. I
look around the muddy bank.
“I don’t know. They were supposed to meet me at this rendezvous
point, but they’re not here.”
