From Russia With Love

When she opened her eyes the next morning, she woke with a stiff body and a slightly sore head. Gerard’s arm was still wrapped around her and her face flushed crimson as her out of character, bold behavior the night before flooded back to memory. She might have been Russian, but she was also apparently a Russian that couldn’t hold her vodka. Had she really asked him to kiss her? Had he really said no? She made a mental note never to drink again, deciding it made her a lot more outgoing than she liked. She liked to be cool, calm, in control Dominika at all times.

He stirred beside her, his body stiffening for a moment, probably trying to gauge whether she was awake or asleep.

“Good morning” he said quietly. She could hear the hesitation in his voice, trying to work out how she was going to react “do you remember last night?”

“Mostly, I think”

She ran her fingers through her messy hair, catching her fingers in the little snarls that had formed in the ends.

“What about the part where you asked me to kiss you?” he asked. He was smirking at her but she could sense the burning curiosity behind his question.

“What?! I must have been really drunk” she lied, feigning shock “I don’t think vodka and I are meant to be friends after all”

His face fell slightly but he recovered instantly, staring at her for a moment before he wrapped both his hands around her wrists and pushed them firmly either side of her head against the concrete, leaning over till his torso was almost on top of hers. Her breath caught in her throat and her wide blue eyes searched his, confused.

“I don’t think so, kid” he breathed “I think you remember every word you said last night”
He released her and stood up suddenly, leaving her dazed and confused on the floor. She scrambled to her feet and snatched her cardigan from the floor, pulling it back over her shoulders.

They exited the warehouse through the same window they’d entered, and Gerard made her wait in the shadows while he checked to ensure the coast was clear. He gestured for her to follow and they continued their way up the same street as yesterday when they’d heard militants. Her heart fluttered in her chest remembering the fear she’d felt at the noise of those footfalls in the distance drawing closer and closer. He nudged her behind him again.

The streets were still a ghost town today, but instead of the eerie sense of ordered abandon that they’d seen yesterday, many of the shop fronts were damaged and smashed in, obviously having been ransacked. That must have been the shattering noises they’d heard yesterday. An overwhelming sense of sadness came over her as they passed a children’s toy store on the corner she remembered her parents taking her to as a child. The front window was completely shattered and fragments of glass blanketed the sidewalk like a carpet. The store had been gutted by fire or an explosion, she couldn’t tell, and colorful remains of toys that had once lined the shelves were dotted between the glass slivers like confetti.

She slowed for a moment and paused to carefully pick something up from amongst the shards of glass that littered the pavement. He turned to ask her why she had stopped, but paused too when he saw what she was holding in her hands. It was a child’s wooden toy solider, broken in half and blackened from fire. She said nothing as she held it out to him.
“What’s that?” he asked. He glanced around them nervously as if he expected them to be ambushed at any moment. She watched his face cloud with confusion as he stared at the object in his hands. He looked back to her with a raised eyebrow and was shocked to see silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

He pulled her by the arm into a narrow gap between the store and the neighboring building which was barely wide enough to accommodate the two of them.

“Why are you crying?!” he exclaimed, eyes wide with concern.

“This is just so horrible Gerard, seeing the little toy soldier just sent me over the edge, I’m sorry. It just reminded me of what you’ll have to face once we get back to the base. I’m scared to lose you too”

He laughed and she paused to shoot him an incredulous look through her tears.

“You’re laughing?!” she said, horrified. He shook his head and ruffled her hair in that annoyingly derogatory way that made her feel like she was a five year old crying over a dropped ice cream.

“You don’t have to worry about me, kid” he said, still smiling “We have the best men there is, they don’t stand a chance against us”

She turned away from him, heat prickling her face in a mixture of humiliation and frustration.
“Don’t be so blasé! You really think these people are messing around?” she snatched the toy from his hand and waved it in his face. He rolled his eyes and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her into the street again.

“You’ll worry yourself sick, Dominika. Just have faith in me”

She fumed silently as they continued along the street, a thousand and one bad scenarios running through her mind. How could he be so nonchalant? Could he not see the damage and destruction around them? If the military hadn’t been able to prevent this from happening in the first place how could he be so sure they could defeat them without question? Her heart raced as the enormity of the situation they both faced consumed her thoughts.

They paused at a street corner so Gerard could determine the direction they needed to take. The sun was high in the sky now, spreading its heat to the concrete that surrounded them and bathing the buildings in blinding light as it reflected off the remaining intact windows around them.

“This way” he murmured, gesturing to the west as he continued walking. She made pace with him again and he pushed her behind him, glaring at her over his shoulder.

“How much longer?” she whined. He sighed in exasperation.

“Didn’t you say you don’t want me to treat you like a kid, Domi?” he asked pointedly, “we get there when we get there”

She huffed loudly and fell back into step behind him, sulking.

As they reached the end of the street, he stopped them again, pressing his finger to his lips and cocking his head to the side, listening carefully.

“Do you hear that?” he hissed. She looked at him dubiously.

“Hear what?”

As she paused to listen a large brown truck rolled up to the curb almost silently next to them. Dominika’s heart caught in her chest as six Asian men in matching green uniforms sprung from the vehicle and surrounded them in seconds. Gerard shoved Dominika behind him and sprung into defense mode, arking up at them even as they pointed high-powered weapons directly at the pair.

“Get down and put your hands on your head!” one of them yelled. Dominika dropped to the ground immediately but Gerard remained standing, pressing both hands to the sides of his head.

“Don’t hurt the girl!” he yelled angrily, “take me, I surrender!”

“We don’t want you” spat the one with his gun pointed at Gerard’s head. He motioned to the man left of him and muttered something in a language neither of them could understand. The man fumbled in his breast pocket and produced a piece of paper that he held next to Dominika’s face. He looked back at the first man who nodded and said something undecipherable in reply. He stuffed the paper back in his pocket and reached out to grab Dominika’s wrist. Gerard blocked him and he yelled something in his language threateningly in Gerard’s face, waving his gun.

“Who are you?” questioned the first man as it became apparent he was the group’s leader, and the only one who spoke English.

“Pri-“

Dominika interrupted him before he could finish the word “He’s Stefan Lukyanov, he was my servant, he was just trying to help me, please don't hurt him, he’s innocent” she begged. The leader narrowed his eyes at Gerard, thinking.

“You go. Now”

“No” Gerard snarled, arm still stretched out behind him in an attempt to protect the Princess.

“You go now, or I shoot you” he finished. He moved his weapon to aim at Gerard’s temple.

“Please” Dominika whispered behind him “go”

He looked back at her again, searching her eyes, full of fear.

“Please” she whispered “Go. Alert the base”

He kept her eyes on hers as he raised his hands into the air, palms facing the militants.

“YOU GO NOW, AMERICAN! OR I SHOOT YOU RIGHT HERE”

He looked at her for one last, long moment before he took off running in the direction they’d been heading, never looking back as he disappeared around the corner. Dominika watched him go and burst into tears, more frightened than she’d ever been in her life.

“Get in the truck, now!”

Notes

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