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“Still missing.” My mother’s voice drops. “Andrey, hurry. The doctors say it’s touch-and-go with your father.”
Chapter 26
ISABELLA
The helicopter touches down at a small airstrip in Winnipeg. I barely remember being in the air, my mind consumed with seeing Andrey again and worrying that Konstantin won’t keep his promise not to hurt them. He said he would catch up with us as he wanted to take care of Andrey and James personally.
As the helicopter blades stop thumping above us, Pavel and Boris, who have traveled with me, Stacy, and Lev, open the door and jump out to help us.
We’re escorted to a waiting black SUV by another one of Konstantin’s men I haven’t met before, Timur. He seems to know Boris and Pavel well enough. However, I notice that Boris doesn’t seem to like him. He barely looks at Timur or acknowledges him.
“Boris, you need to sort out the helicopter,” Pavel instructs. “We need it ready at short notice. Make sure you put Nickolai up in a hotel close to the airstrip so he’s ready at a moment’s notice.”
Boris nods. “Of course, Pavel. I was going to do this anyway. I will have it secured. I’ll go over the maintenance check with Nickolai and ensure it’s secured.”
“There is a vehicle waiting for you in the hangar,” Timur tells Boris, who gives Timur an icy look and a slight nod.
“We’ll see you at the compound,” Pavel tells Boris.
My eyes meet Boris’s, and he smiles a little—a promise that we’ll have our unfinished conversation about my mother soon. I smile back and wave.
As we climb into the SUV, an uneasy feeling clutches my stomach, and I start to feel anxious. I take small gulps of air, trying to calm this feeling building inside of me, and I wonder if I’m having my very first panic attack. We’ve gone through a lot in one day.
We start to drive toward the new safe house—Headingley, I think Konstantin said. The tension is thick, and my thoughts are a whirlwind. My heart squeezes, and my breath seems to stick, trapped between my lungs and throat.
Images of what I did to Donald Whitman flash in my mind and then swirl into everything that happened with Andrey and James. I gulp for air, starting to feel dizzy. I can’t breathe, and my head starts to feel like it’s about to explode.
“Isabella?” Stacy’s soft voice tickles my ear, and I feel her hand on my back, rubbing it. “Breathe with me.” She takes in a long breath.
“I… I… can’t.”
“You can,” Stacy encourages. “Pavel, do you have a bag or something for Isabella to breathe into? She’s having a panic attack.”
“I don’t… I don’t… have… panic… attacks,” I say through gulps of air.
“Then congratulations, you’re having your first.” Stacy’s inappropriate sense of humor makes me smile and starts to relax the tension in my lungs. “Now, breathe with me.”
“No bags,” Pavel tells her. “We’ll stop at the small mall on the outskirts of St. James-Assiniboia. I’m sure you ladies need the bathroom, and we can pick up some supplies you might need.”
“Do you think that’s wise, Pavel?” Timur asks.
“As far as I can see, no one has followed us,” Pavel reasons and glances around. “That mall is small, discreet, and out of the way.”
“A perfect place for an ambush,” Timur points out.
“There are only seven of us who know we’ve arrived in Winnipeg,” Pavel points out. “Only six of us know where we’re heading. If we are ambushed, that means one of us six is a traitor, and I can assure you, I know who Konstantin is going to point to as a traitor.” He glances at Timur. “And it’s not going to be me or the three in the back.”
“I got that,” Timur tells him. “But trust me, Pavel, that mall is not the safest place to stop.”
“Are you questioning an order again, Timur?“ Pavel’s voice becomes cold with a warning. “You’ve been given a second chance. Konstantin will not be so understanding if anything happens this time. Especially if anything happens to his sister and two best friends.”
“Understood.” Timur nods. “But I do need it to be said that I still think an unscheduled stop is a bad idea, especially at that small mall. I’d wait for the bigger center, which is just a few minutes away in Assiniboia Downs.”
I don’t think I can wait a few more minutes. As my breathing starts to calm down, my bladder starts to alert me that it’s time to pee.
“Please, Timur, I need the bathroom.” My words are barely a whisper between the deep breathing exercises I’m doing with Stacy.
“I need to walk a bit,” Lev adds. “I’ve had my robotic braces on for too long. I usually take them off if I’m going to sit or not walk for this long as they start to hurt.”
