Page 74 of Rafi

I hesitate, glancing back toward the tarmac. The pilot has disappeared, and the tug is nowhere in sight. The stillness of the airfield presses down on me, getting heavier by the moment.

Somewhere, hidden in the shadows, something is waiting.

And for the first time since this nightmare began, I feel a flicker of hope as I start to ascend the stairs one by one.

42

MAXINE

I’ve always wondered about the cruel hand of fate.

I’ve spent so much time wondering about it—how it chooses who to save, who to corrupt, who to destroy. I’ve tried to make sense of its whims, tried to convince myself there’s a pattern, a reason, but the truth is, fate doesn’t care.

It didn’t care when it handed me the worst year of my life. One disaster after another.

Our father died.

We became poor.

We became homeless.

We were on the run from the mob.

Then we ran away and ended up in the hands ofthe othermob.

No. Fate doesn’t live here anymore.

I start to climb the stairs after Tayana, who takes them slowly, one by one, dragging her feet. I’d like to think that we’re on the same page and we both believe we’re going to get a midnight reprieve and be rescued, but really, if the past year is anything to go by, I’m just trading one clusterfuck for another.

You know, fate and all that…

I clutch the railing with trembling hands, the cold metal slick with my sweat. My palms ache from holding on so tightly, but I don’t let go. If I do, I’ll fall, and while falling might seem like a mercy some days, today isn’t one of those days.

No. Today, I’ll keep going. Not because I’m strong or brave or because I believe there’s hope waiting at the top of these stairs. I don’t. But because of Tayana.

She drags her feet ahead of me, her steps slow and deliberate, her back straight even though I know she’s terrified. Her silence speaks volumes. She’s holding it all in, trying to appear untouchable when I know she’s just as shattered as I am.

My grip on the railing tightens as the memory of the car flashes through my mind. The wind roaring in my ears. The door swinging open. The moment I almost flung myself out into the unknown.

Coward.

I clench my jaw against the word. It echoes in my head, sharp and cruel, but it’s true. That’s what I was. A coward. I was ready to leave Tayana behind, to escape and leave her to face Igor’s wrath alone.

Who does that? What kind of person abandons a sister to a man like him?

Tayana might seem quiet and composed on the surface, but I know her. I know the cracks she hides. She wouldn’t survive this world the way I have, wouldn’t know how to endure the kind of horrors men like Igor thrive on inflicting. She’s not made for this life, and I hate that she’s here, that she’s become part of this nightmare.

I swallow the lump in my throat and force myself to keep climbing. My legs feel like lead, my knees trembling as if they might give out at any moment, but I push through. If Tayana can do it, so can I.

My resolve hardens as I watch her reach the top of the stairs, pausing just before the door of the waiting jet. She glances back at me, her expression unreadable, but her eyes betray her. There’s fear there, yes, but also determination.

She’s counting on me.

The realization settles over me like a weight, but it’s not the suffocating kind. It’s grounding, solidifying.

I won’t leave her to face this alone. Whatever Igor has planned, whatever nightmare awaits us on that plane, we’ll face it together.

As I step onto the last stair, the air seems to thicken, the weight of unspoken truths and lingering dread pressing down on both of us. Tayana turns away and steps inside the jet, her shoulders squared. I follow close behind, bracing myself for whatever fresh hell awaits us.

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