Chapter 6 - The Broken Fence
"You can't go," I said as soon as David hung up the phone. "It's a trap, David. You know Nikolai will have snipers at the shipyard. He won't let you leave alive."
"I have no choice, Clara," David said, standing up and reaching for his shoulder holster. "Dmitry has been with my family since my father was a young man. He is the closest thing I have to an uncle. I do not leave my people behind."
"But what about Leo?" I pleaded, standing up to face him. "If you don't come back, who protects him? Your sister? The guards? They don't love him, David. They just protect him because you pay them."
David stopped, his hand resting on the butt of his gun. He looked at me, his dark eyes searching my face with an intensity that felt almost physical.
"Then you will protect him," he said softly. "If I do not return by midnight, Viktor has instructions to take you and Leo to a private airstrip in Canada. From there, you will fly to Switzerland. I have set up a trust fund under your name, Clara. It has enough money to ensure you and Leo can live in safety for the rest of your lives. You will be his legal guardian."
"I... I can't do that," I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs. "I'm just a student, David. I don't know how to raise a child, let alone a child who is hiding from the Russian mafia."
"You are the only person he trusts," David said, stepping closer, his hand gently resting on my shoulder. His palm was warm, and for a second, I forgot about the guns, the guards, and the war waiting outside. "And you are the only person I trust with his life."
Suddenly, the cabin's alarm system wailed—a high-pitched, deafening shriek that made Leo scream and cover his ears.
Viktor’s voice burst through the radio on David's belt. "Boss! The electric fence has been cut! We have movement in the south tree line! At least six men, heavily armed!"
David's face turned to steel. "Get the boy to the panic room. Now!"
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He didn't wait for my response. He grabbed Leo, handing him to me, and pulled out his weapon.
"Go, Clara!" he yelled over the sound of the alarm. "Don't look back!"
