“Aren’t you coming?”
“No. This is the end for me.”
“You don’t want to reach the destinationthey had planned for you, Mikado.” Kozlov’s voice was harsh. “Ifyou want to hurt yourself, there are better ways. Just throwyourself into the propeller or something. But don’t stay here.” Heheld his arm out for Mikado to exit the prison.
“Don’t you dare,” I said, glaring at Kozlov.How dare he make it seem that Mikado had nothing to live for. “Youare going to live, Mikado. Free from the bratva. Free. You and yourfamily. Now get it together.”
Kozlov shrugged.
“She’s right,” Jeremy said. “Fight it. Don’tlet Alexander take another life. Reclaim yours.”
Jeremy looked out the crack in the containerand motioned for us to come. Something felt wrong. It was so quiet.I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something was wrong. He onlyopened the door just wide enough for us to slip through.
My spidey senses flared, sending my heartracing. “Are you sure?”
He looked again. He nodded, taking a stepout.
I followed. With hesitant steps, I checkedthe area, holding my hand out behind me, urging Mikado and Kozlovto wait. My chest felt heavy, and my body screamed for me to stepback into the container. Jeremy was already five feet onto the deckand nothing had happened. I was being paranoid. I pushed past thefear and took a couple steps out, looking all around.
“What’s this?” A familiar voice grated overme, sending a spasm up my back as I looked up toward the voice. Ishook my hand behind me, warning them not to come.
“Amber.” He tsked. Jeremy froze. “I’m notsure I understand what is happening here, but it doesn’t lookgood.” Alexander, the brigadier, peered over the edge of thetriple-stacked containers. Four guards’ rifles pointed right atus.
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing cameout.
“Don’t worry, myshka,” he said. “Iwill come down and give you the chance to tell me everything.” Hestarted down with two guards while the other two remained, gunsstill pointed at us. “When Kozlov sent me the pictures of the manwho had been sent to save you, we searched all our databases forhis face. Interestingly enough, he didn’t show up anywhere. Thatmade me wonder. What kind of a man would be skilled enough to getonto my ship and get his hands on my prisoner and not show up inthe databases? I knew it could only mean one thing. He was a spy ofsome sort. I had to come to meet this spy and be a part of hisinterrogation. And the interrogation of my little myshka,because if he was a spy, it followed that my myshka mustalso be one. We have an exciting day in front of us.”
Jericho burst out of the stairwell where wehad been headed, only he came from the bridge above us. Shockplayed all over his face as he spotted Jeremy and me, but it turnedto utter fear as his eyes lit on Alexander emerging from thecontainers with his two guards.
“Jericho, my boy. I’m glad you’re here. Ineeded you to tell me why myshka here was roaming freelyabout my ship when Kozlov told me he had her secured to meet a fateworse than death. This hardly seems to fit. And where is Kozlov? Ihave interesting news to tell him.”
Jericho looked at the container. “It waslocked,” he cried, moving past Jeremy, causing him to move backtoward me, closer to the container. He turned to Jeremy. “How didyou get out? How?” His face turned dark red, and he clenched histeeth as he pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it atJeremy.
“You’re a little late to the party, Jericho.Don’t you think?” Alexander waved his hand at the guards besidehim, who had their rifles pointed at us. The other two guards cameup behind those two and spread out, two on each side of thebrigadier.
“I didn’t know you were coming, sir,”Jericho said, his eyes shifting to Alexander. “It’s an honor tohave you here.”
“Lip service will do you no good at thispoint. You are a failure. I asked you where Kozlov was. I think itmight be a good idea to have him here right now.”
Jericho pulled a radio out of his pocket andcalled for Kozlov. I closed my eyes. This would give Kozlov up ifhe had a radio on him. I doubted he would have thought to turn itoff before coming for us. I took a deep breath, but I didn’t hear asound from the container. Had Kozlov really left his radiosomewhere or thought to turn it off? What luck.
Crew members spoke back through the radio,saying Kozlov had headed to his room. “His radio must be off. Couldyou send someone to his room and tell him Alexander is waiting forhim by the container.”
“Which container?”
“He’ll know. Just tell him.” He was fightingto keep control. He licked his lips and looked at me like a man whohad lost his last cent in a poker game.
“Mikado. Is he still secure or is he alsorunning around the ship?” Alexander’s piercing stare even made mecringe.
“He was in there,” Jericho said, waving thegun toward the container.
“We should check and see if that’s still thecase, don’t you think, Jericho?”
“I’m sure he’s still there.” He stalkedforward. Alexander and his men took a few steps forward also, untilthey’d created a semi-circle, with us on the end of one side andtwo guards on either side of Alexander. Two guards’ guns weretrained on Jeremy and me; the other two guards shifted their gunsand pointed them toward the slightly ajar container door. Mystomach ached in anticipation, and my hands began to sweat. Jerichopulled on the door, swinging it out.
Out of the darkness, Mikado leapt, kickingthe gun from the guard closest to Alexander, forcing him to swayand hit into Alexander. He fell back. While still in the air,Mikado twisted, punching the
