Page 59 of Lethal Alliance

I half smile, remembering the two boys at the dining table, spouting digital terms until my father roared at them both toget outside and kick a ball, for God’s sake.

“The summer before... everything happened, Lars and Alexei were trying to build some computer game together. My parents were worried about how much screen time the two were having, so they put a limit on the amount of hours the boys were allowed to work in Alexei’s room.”

The mutinous muttering from the tech kids gives me a fair idea of their collective opinion on that particular ruling.

“Well, obviously they didn’t like being told what to do. So Lars rigged up a kill switch on the camera feed for the underground bunker and replaced it with a looped video.” I grin around at the captive faces. “Alexei and Lars spent the rest of that summer hunkered down in one of the underground rooms, geeking out to their heart’s content. Sorry,” I say, realizing that the termgeekis probably a bit undiplomatic in present company. But going by the avid expressions of the tech kids, any comparison to their hero is clearly a good thing. “Anyway, my father discovered their secret at the end of the summer. He told the boys that if they were so clever, they could damned well use their skills for something useful. He got them to hack all the security camera feeds so he knew where the weaknesses were. Then he got them to design a new system and set up kill switches and alternate feeds on all of them. It was a good idea. After the Orlovs’ coup, Alexei and I took advantage of it to have conversations in private. Until Vilnus caught us trying to escape with Papa.” I can’t help an involuntary shiver. “Papa was still unable to move or talk then. Alexei rigged the cameras, and we managed to get Papa out of his hospital bed. We took one of the hidden tunnels out beyond the walls to the clearing behind the compound, but Vilnus caught us before we’d even made it to the tree line.”

“Do you know what happens to little Russianblyatswho think they can fly away? Do you?” Vilnus’s scarred, brutal face is only inches from mine. He hits my cheek, hard, with his open palm. “They have their wings cut off.”

My smile fades, the scars on my shoulder tingling at the memory of his knife on my flesh.

The tech kids shift uncomfortably. I don’t have to look at Roman to know how deadly his expression must be, from the way they’re all avoiding looking at him.

“Anyway.” I strive for a lighter tone. “After that, Vilnus made Alexei give him access to the feeds. He took away anything we could use to access the internet: phones, tablets, laptops. Fortunately, Alexei managed to steal a phone and message Lars, who then hacked the system from Sweden. He sent Alexei a code that we could use to mask the feed to all the underground rooms, including Papa’s hospital bed.” I lift a shoulder. “It didn’t help, really. The Orlovs found our only phone, and Alexei couldn’t contact Lars for updates. But going by what you’ve told me, Alexei and Lars are definitely back in contact. Alexei knows we’ll be looking through the feeds. If he’s trying to help us, his code might still work.”

I pretend not to see the cynical look that passes between Roman and Pavel. I know they believe it’s wishful thinking to hope Alexei actually has good intentions.

I’m not going to lie. After everything that’s happened with Papa, I’m worried it’s wishful thinking, too.

I pull the keyboard closer, my heart tripping like I’ve run a marathon as I enter the code.

For a terrible moment the screens go blank.

Oh, God. I’ve ruined all Mickey’s hard work.

And Alexei really is working with the Orlovs.

I close my eyes.

Then Roman’s hand grips my shoulder so hard it makes me wince. “Look,” he says hoarsely.

I open my eyes, and there they are. Ofelia and Masha, in crystal clear, devastating real time.

The tech kids whoop and cheer, but I don’t hear them. I’m frozen in my chair, staring at Ofelia and Masha’s white, terrified faces.

Worse, I’m staring at a vivid, savage line marking the side of Ofelia’s face. At her torn dress—and the dark purple blood stains all over it.

Roman’s fingers are digging like pincers into my shoulder. The room has fallen entirely silent, but for the whirring of machinery. I don’t need to look around to know that everyone is covertly watching Roman.

I reach up and cover his hand with my own. His is cold and iron hard, and terribly, frighteningly still. I try to communicate comfort, to head off the dangerous rage emanating from his every pore, but I’m struggling to contain my own.

The feed might have been old, but that fucking room is exactly the same as I remember it.

The stillness of the air, the horrible deathly fear that permeates the very walls. The light gleaming from the wall of darkened glass feels as evil and insidious as I remember it.

I’m still staring at Ofelia when Dimitry whistles behind me, finally breaking the terrible silence. “Jesus. There’s a fucking army down there.”

For the first time, I drag my eyes away from the girls and take in the horde of security patrolling the corridors.

“He’s got every inch of the place covered, not to mention booby-trapped.” Roman’s voice is hoarse, barely controlled, his knuckles white on the chair back beside my face. “We’d have walked into a fucking death trap without this feed. Mickey, get the view on the door outside the girls’ room.”

I’m hardly breathing, my stomach churning. I know that Roman is dealing with the horrendous sight of Ofelia by focusing on logistics.

I also know he’s close to losing it completely.

“Fuck.” Dimitry hisses an intake of breath and shoots Roman a look that does nothing to settle my stomach. “That room is wired to blow. There’s no way we’re getting in there by force without putting the girls in serious danger.”

“We’ll find a fucking way.” Roman’s voice is cold and deadly. “Mickey—give me a clear feed on the guard in that corner.” His fingers touch my shoulder. “Maybe you should get a coffee, Darya.”

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