Page 152 of Koroleva

I jumped off the bike aiming forward.

Two cars were crushed nose to nose and smoking.

The rear door opened, and out emerged the guy who had taken Sarka, dragging her along. The coward was using her as a shield and pointing at her head.

He didn't even take off his helmet. He had no possible escape route; the street was too narrow and his only path was to come towards me.

"Drop the weapon or I'll kill her!" he shouted. If he had wanted to kill her, she would already be dead. I didn't believe a word; it was a bluff.

He must have had direct orders to take her alive, but from whom? How many people knew I was taking Sarka to the airport? Had it been the Capulets who tried to kidnap her? To what end? Perhaps it was the Chinese, who had been spying on us from a distance and saw an opportunity they couldn't miss. I continued advancing towards him, slowly. A cornered man can commit any kind of folly.

"Don't move!"

The driver didn't move; he might have been trapped or unconscious.

The person from the other vehicle made a move to get out, but seeing us with two guns, he immediately went back in.

Hearing the door sound, the kidnapper turned his head, making the mistake of his life.

I wouldn't get another chance like this and the army taught you not to waste them.

I shot, aiming precisely at the hand holding the weapon. A slight deviation on my part, or a spontaneous gesture on his, would cause the projectile to stray and hit Sarka.

I crossed my fingers that it wouldn't happen and boom!

The scream of pain reached my ears like a siren's song. Two fingers from his right hand were blown off.

The man dropped Sarka due to the pain. He didn't seem very skilled, maybe he was a rookie. Knowing he was at a disadvantage, he tried to flee, holding his wounded hand under his armpit.

Did he really think I was going to let him get away?

A second bullet lodged in his chest, slightly deviated to the left side.

Certainly, his look behind that darkened visor would be one of sheer terror. He fell to his knees and his face hit the asphalt. I reached Sarka in the blink of an eye. I took her pulse to make sure she was still alive.

She was fine, at most, she would have some bruises from the fall. I needed to check if the driver was still alive; I didn't want a shot in the back.

Moreover, it was essential to gather some information. I slipped through the open door. The co-driver was dead, and the man sprawled over the steering wheel in an unorthodox posture seemed unconscious.

I took his pulse; he was still alive, and I couldn't take anyone with me, much as I would have loved to interrogate him. I

aimed at his temple and fired.

The people in the car in front screamed. I observed them from behind my sunglasses. They were a young couple, probably in their twenties. They raised their hands so I wouldn't finish them. I had no intention of doing so.

I quickly searched the glove compartment, I wanted the car papers, that would lead us to find out who they were. I didn't have much time to search them for documentation; others would take care of that if I hurried enough.

My conditions were not optimal. Surely, someone would have already called the police to raise the alarm; it was only a matter of time before they found us.

We would have to manage without the suitcases. I returned to my boss's younger sister's side and took her in my arms. Sarka had her purse slung over her shoulder.

I had the documentation and the ticket in the inner pocket of my jacket. I hurried to reach the main street and hailed a taxi. I told the driver that for now, to head to the airport, if there was a change of plans, I would let him know.

The man looked nervously through the mirror, especially seeing Sarka unconscious.

"Wouldn't it be better to take her to a hospital?"

"She's okay, she suffers from nervous narcolepsy, it will pass in a while, don't worry and just drive."