“Are you sure you can do this?” I ask.
“Aleks just stepped out with a contingent of men,” Yulia informs me. “There are guards on duty, but I know their movements. I’m the one who arranged their shifts. I can have you out of here in the next ten minutes.”
Is that all that remains between me and freedom?
After three months under lock and key, I didn’t think it would be over so soon.
I swallow my nerves and give her a curt nod. “Let’s go.”
As I get to my feet, I have to push back another wave of nausea. My head feels like it’s about to burst. My heart does, too. I expect it’s the adrenaline of escape.
But the sadness that weighs me down like an anchor? That’s something else entirely. It’s a deep sense of loss that I can’t quite justify.
And since I can’t explain it, I ignore it and fol
