We were walking down another street. Ahead of me, Viktor was checking every vehicle, while I tiredly trailed after him, eating the chicken satay he had bought me at the convenience store.
In between bites, I questioned him and his decisions. “You heard me, right?”
“I heard you.”
“The typhoon is supposed to hit Da Nang directly.”
“You’ve mentioned that.”
I had serious reservations about driving into an Asian hurricane, but I also understood that we needed to find his friend, Tonko. Still, wouldn’t it be more prudent to wait out the storm? “But we’re going there? What about the hotel and my shower?”
“Change of plans.”
“You know I hate it when those words come out of your mouth.”
“Why?”
“Because it usually means something worse is coming my way. What are we doing on this street? Shouldn’t we be finding a bus or something?”
“Buses take too long, so we’re going to borrow a car.”
I should have felt moral outrage at his statement, but I remained unfazed. I would take a closer look at this reaction at another time, but for now, I focused on being practical. “Can you at least borrow a nice car? Something with a bit of luxury, maybe something with seat warmers?”
He looked at me with surprise. “You’re right. We need a car that has speed.”
“There’s a Mercedes across the street, and we just passed an Audi. If you’re looking for speed, that model is the faster of the two.”
“Show me the way.”
I felt pleased to be contributing on some small level. I led him to a new black Audi. “How do you plan on stealing this?”
He pulled a generic RF fob out of his bag and activated it. Suddenly the locks of the door clicked open.
“That’s disturbing.”
He looked down the street both ways before opening the door. “Get in.”
As I sank into the soft leather seats, it brought back memories of my old life from a week ago—a life that seemed a million years behind me. “Now what?”
“Now we have a thirteen-hour drive.”
I couldn’t keep the dismay from my voice. “You’re kidding.”
He checked his military watch. “It’s just after eleven. If we drive straight through, we should get there around midnight.”
“I don’t even know what day it is.”
He used the fob to start the car. “It’s Wednesday.”
He pulled the vehicle into the street.
The time difference was doing a number on my sense of time. “When do we have to be in Singapore?”
“Friday morning. Which means we have approximately forty-three hours.”
“And you thought it was a good idea to detour through a typhoon first?”
“You have a better idea?”
I remained silent. The reality was, I was shocked we had made it this far. It was a feat I never would have achieved on my own.
“If Drake wanted us to meet the ship, why didn’t he at least give us our passports?”
“He doesn’t want any record of us being here.”
“Why not?”
“Probably because he’s breaking multiple international laws.”
Again, my lack of outrage surprised me. I realized I would break any number of laws if it meant I might save my grandfather. “Do you mind if I sleep?”
He glanced over at me. “Why do you always ask me that?”
“Maybe you need help to stay awake.”
“I’m fine.”
I was filthy, exhausted, hungry and disoriented, but in that moment I felt safe. Safe enough to lean back, turn on the seat warmer and shut my eyes.
I woke up to the sensation of the car slowing down. I sat up and watched as Viktor navigated the car toward a petrol station.
“Where are we?”
He glanced over at me. “We’re about nine hours into our trip.”
“I can’t believe I slept that long.”
“We’re taking a short break here to refuel.”
I looked around. The open restaurants, covered only by thatched roofs, were illuminated in the dark of the night. People milled around and stood in line at one of the food counters.
“What time is it?”
“Around 8 p.m.”
“Can I buy some food?”
He pulled out some currency. “Whatever you buy yourself, buy me some too.”
“What do you like to eat?”
“Anything.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I’m not picky.”
I used the facilities first, taking advantage of the running water to freshen up. On the way back to the restaurant, I stopped at a coffee booth and bought us to two large Vietnamese coffees. Although there were four different restaurants with multiple seating areas, only one of the restaurants was serving food, and the lineup was long because two buses of people had pulled in after us.
I watched as Viktor came in from the front and scanned the area before locating me. Something jolted inside of me when we locked gazes and he started toward me. I tried to ignore that feeling, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off him. There was something about how masculine he was, how strong and confident, that gave me shivers every time he looked my way. He didn’t seem to notice my appraisal as he moved to stand beside me. I handed him a coffee.
He gave a short nod. “Thanks.”
“I can’t read the menu, but they seem to be serving pho, which is a noodle soup. They also have rice wraps and a few rice dishes.”
“I’ll take two wraps. Stay in line, I’ll be back.”
I watched him with curiosity as he disappeared into the convenience store at the back. As I stood in line, I listened to the news station that played overhead. Most of the news was in Vietnamese, but they had clips of a journalist reporting in Mandarin as he stood next to a windy coastline. “As you can see, this storm is promising to be a fierce one, with winds up to one hundred fifty miles per hour. If you haven’t left the city of Da Nang, there’s still time—but if you choose to ride out this monster, be sure to find someplace safe from debris, winds and torrential storm surges.”
I felt Viktor’s presence tower over me from behind. I glanced up at him as he watched the television with an impassive expression.
“They are predicting one-hundred-fifty-mile-per-hour winds.”
He didn’t even blink.
“And a storm surge,” I added.
He finally looked down at me. “Why did you learn Mandarin?”
“I lost a bet with my grandfather when I was thirteen years old. As a result, he got to choose my summer school program that year. I wanted to take drama, and he put me in six weeks of intensive Mandarin.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You learned to speak a language in six weeks?”
“No, that was just the start of my passion for learning languages. I ended up studying Mandarin for six more years.”
We ordered our food and then stood, waiting for it to be prepared.
“What was the bet?”
“We had an apple danish bake-off, and my grandma and the staff did a blind taste test.”
His lips twitched. “You sure it was a blind test?”
I paused, comprehending the truth of that question. “Do you think they tricked me so I would study Mandarin?”
That earned me a rare smile. “Counting on it.”
I laughed in disbelief as one of my childhood memories was altered. “I can’t believe that. That’s unreal.”
“Why did you want to take drama?”
“Jason Fitzpatrick was my current crush, and he was taking drama that summer.”
His smile widened. “Did you ever get your crush?”
I lifted my chin a bit defensively. “Jason and Patricia started dating that summer—after meeting in drama class.”
Viktor laughed. “This story is a tragedy.”
“It was tragic when I was thirteen years old.”
We got our food and moved toward the car. The rain had temporarily stopped, leaving the air steamy with humidity. The memory of my childhood was overwhelmed by grief and fear for my grandfather’s safety.
I reluctantly got back in the car. “Do you think he’s okay?”
Viktor’s jaw tightened as he started the car. “Drake’s hoping he’ll be kept alive long enough for us to save him.”
I felt my heart flood with relief at this news. “Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me that? I’ve been so worried.”
“Because we don’t know if that’s true—I don’t know if anything Drake has told me is true.”
“You think he’s lying?”
He looked over at me, but I couldn’t make out all his features. “I think Drake says whatever will help him get what he wants.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“I’m being a realist.”
“It’s freaking me out.”
“Then don’t think about it. We’ll know when we get there.”
“We need to get there on time!”
“I know that.”
I knew he was doing everything in his power to save his friends and my grandfather, but at times, this whole mission seemed impossible. “Thank you.”
He gave me another look before turning to focus on the road, effectively ending our conversation.
The streets of Da Nang were completely empty. It was almost creepy how empty the place felt. I couldn’t tell if that was because people had left or because they were just hunkering down. We parked in front of a small house nestled in a row of houses. All the houses hid behind a large stone fence dotted with individual gates. “Is this it?”
Viktor looked at the address again. “I’m hoping.”
Outside the car, the air felt thick and warm. There was a stillness in the air. “Hard to believe there is a storm coming in.”
Viktor came around the car and stood beside me. “Do you hear that?”
I listened, but I couldn’t hear anything. “What am I listening for? All I hear is silence.”
He pushed the creaky gate and held it open for me. “Exactly. Usually the insects are deafening at night—but we hear nothing.”
Suddenly, the silence in the air felt ominous. “Do you think the bugs know there is a storm coming?”
“They can probably sense the atmospheric change.”
We stood at the door and Viktor rang the bell. I heard feet running and then the door flew open. A tall thin man with blond curly hair and thick black glasses stood in front of Viktor.
“Pushka!” He had a thick European accent. He held open his arms in a welcoming gesture.
Fascinated, I wondered if they would hug. Instead, Viktor growled his annoyed accusation. “You moved.”
Undeterred, Tonko threw his arms around all of Viktor and awkwardly lay his head on his shoulder. “This is such a wonderful surprise. I’m so happy to see you.”
To my amusement, Viktor endured the hug with a grimace. “I need your help.”
Tonko stepped back and studied Viktor. “You know I’ll do anything for you.”
“We both need papers.”
“It must be very bad if you need papers too, Pushka. I’ve never seen you ask for papers for yourself.”
“It needs to be a rush job.” When Tonko just stood and gave him a knowing look, Viktor admitted, “It’s pretty bad, okay?” He didn’t look at me.
“Come in, come in.” Tonko motioned for me to follow him through the house. “You poor thing. Akira told me you were coming all the way from Ho Chi Minh City. Have you been stuck in a car all day?”
“Yes.”
“First we make a hot pot of tea, and then we get to work.”
I looked over at Viktor, who shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”
“There is a bathroom down the hall. Go brush your hair and look as tidy as possible, and then we’ll drink tea and take photos.”
Tonka handed me a steaming mug of oolong tea. I sat in the chair while Tonko set up his passport camera. Viktor disappeared, leaving me alone with his friend.
“What does Pushka mean?”
He paused. “Pushka is the word for gun in Russian.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me that Viktor’s nickname was Gun, but it did. “That’s a weird nickname.”
He looked over at me in amusement. “In this world, only the fiercest of men get nicknames, and it’s considered an honor.”
“What do you mean… this world?”
“A place where things get really dark.”
“You mean a world where there are guns and kidnappings and bad men?”
“Yes,” he said kindly. “That’s the place. Sounds like you’ve become acquainted with this world.”
I didn’t want to talk about the darkness. I wanted to talk about Viktor. I was hungry for more details about his past life, so I shamelessly fished for information. “Back when you knew him, Pushka was considered pretty fierce?”
He fiddled with a camera lens. “When he was with the special forces, he was one of his enemies’ most feared men. He’s one of the best marksmen I’ve met in my career. When there was an impossible job, he was the one they called.”
I listened in fascination. “What happened?”
“He disappeared from the scene. Some rumored that he had been dishonorably discharged. Others said he left to run guns.” He looked up at me. “I never thought I would have the chance to repay him.”
“Repay him for what?”
“Pushka saved my life once.”
“How?”
“I was working with some unsavory characters; did quite a big job for them. Six of them showed up to collect, but they didn’t want to pay. They were in the process of beating me unconscious. When I came to, those six men were knocked out and lying in various piles around my place.”
My voice lowered. “Viktor did that?”
“Yes, apparently he showed up and interrupted their work. Six against one, can you believe it? And you know what?”
“What?” I whispered, fascinated by this story.
“When it was over, he was as much of a mess as I was. Bloody and nearly broken—he took a beating of a lifetime for me.” He shook his head at the memory. “It must have been a hell of a fight because my house looked like a tornado had gone through it. Everything was destroyed.”
I tried to imagine Viktor fighting six men at once and couldn’t wrap my brain around it. “That’s crazy.”
“I learned something important about Pushka that day.”
I waited, but my eyes asked him to keep going.
“The one thing that sets Pushka apart from everyone else is his internal drive to protect others. Not many people have this gift, but he has it straight to the bottom of his heart. It drives him, it motivates him, and, frankly, I don’t think he knows any other way to live. He’s one of the good ones. And now whatever Pushka wants, Pushka gets.”
I thought about the dozens of different ways Viktor had stood watch over me in the last few days. Despite extraordinary circumstances, his focus had been to keep me safe. “I’ve experienced that about him.”
He gave me a shrewd look. “Is Pushka married?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because we were talking about his dating life.” I felt myself flush hot as I implicated myself.
Amusement colored his tone. “I see.”
I immediately protested his subtle suggestion. “It’s not like that, not even close.”
He smirked at me. “But you’d be okay if he got a bit closer.”
I should have answered with a resolute no, but instead I found myself floundering for the right words. “Trust me, he doesn’t think of me like that.”
“But you wish he did.”
How could I explain how I felt about Viktor when I didn’t understand my own feelings? “I just think….”
Tonko waited.
I hesitated. To be honest, I didn’t know what I thought. This whole situation felt upside-down to me. “He’s very nice.”
He burst out laughing. “Did you hear that, Pushka? You need to marry this one.”
“Oh yeah, why’s that?” Viktor’s voice rumbled behind me.
Mortified, I spun around in my seat. Viktor leaned against the door jamb, obviously listening to our conversation.
“Because she thinks you’re nice. How many times has anyone accused you of that sin?”
Viktor’s lips twitched, but he was a gentleman and he changed the subject. “Storm’s coming in. You sure this place is safe, Tonko?”
“Storms come and go, they have for years.” Tonko motioned for me to turn and face him. He took several photos of me, then he waved me away. “Come, Pushka, you’re next. Come and sit down. Time for me to take your picture.”
I shot off the seat and turned to watch Viktor get his picture taken.
Instead of looking at the camera, Viktor tracked me as I moved restlessly across the room. “This storm sounds like it might be different. I found an available hotel room that will be safer than here. Come with us.”
“Look at the camera and be quiet,” Tonko instructed before he took several shots. “I’ll work during the storm and then, when it’s over, everything will be ready.”
“You’re not going to have power, so you might as well come. Don’t stay on account of this job.”
“I have a generator and a month’s worth of supplies. I’ll be fine.” Tonko looked over his shoulder at me. “See, he can’t help himself, can he?”
“You need anything else from us?” Viktor asked.
“Just get out of my hair. Come back when the storm is done.”
Viktor stood up and ushered me toward the door. Tonko trailed after us and moved in to hug me goodbye. When he leaned down, he whispered in my ear, “You use his gift to your advantage, you hear?”
I gave him a shocked look, which sent him into a peal of laughter. “This one is adorable.”
Viktor ignored him and hustled me outside. “Come on, let’s move it.”
By the time we drove further inland to the hotel, the weather had shifted dramatically. The wind gusts shook the entire car and bent over the tops of palm trees, shaking them with an alarming fury.
I sat completely silent, my packed bag on my lap, my hand straying to my seat belt buckle. I was ready to take action as Viktor navigated through the empty streets.
Finally, ahead of us, a newer-looking hotel with bright lights promised sanctuary.
He parked the car and then looked over at me. “Okay, here we go.”
Neither of us moved.
“Looks bad out there,” I said, watching the trees get whipped in the wind. Rain pelted the windshield.
We both watched as something dark and black whipped like a missile across the street.
“It’s going to get worse.”
I looked at him in the dark of the vehicle. “Is Tonko going to be all right?”
“He said he would be.”
“Maybe we should have convinced him to come.”
He looked over at me. “Do you think you could change his mind?”
I thought about how resolute Tonko had been in his decision to stay. “Maybe I could. We should try.”
“If we go back, we might not make it back here.”
That scared me. “What do you want to do?”
Through the window, he watched the weather. I could tell he was torn about Tonko. He looked over at me. “You’re my priority. The risk of going back isn’t worth it.”
I still thought it was worth the risk to try and save him. “I’m no more important than Tonko.”
“Three other lives depend on your safety, so that makes you more valuable. Come on. Grab my hand and come out my side. We’re going to run together.”
