That earned me a rare smile. “Counting on it.”
I laughed in disbelief as one of my childhood memories was altered. “I can’t believe that. That’s unreal.”
“Why did you want to take drama?”
“Jason Fitzpatrick was my current crush, and he was taking drama that summer.”
His smile widened. “Did you ever get your crush?”
I lifted my chin a bit defensively. “Jason and Patricia started dating that summer—after meeting in drama class.”
Viktor laughed. “This story is a tragedy.”
“It was tragic when I was thirteen years old.”
We got our food and moved toward the car. The rain had temporarily stopped, leaving the air steamy with humidity. The memory of my childhood was overwhelmed by grief and fear for my grandfather’s safety.
I reluctantly got back in the car. “Do you think he’s okay?”
Viktor’s jaw tightened as he started the car. “Drake’s hoping he’ll be kept alive long enough for us to save him.”
I felt my heart flood with relief at this news. “Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me that? I’ve been so worried.”
“Because we don’t know if that’s true—I don’t know if anything Drake has told me is true.”
“You think he’s lying?”
He looked over at me, but I couldn’t make out all his features. “I think Drake says whatever will help him get what he wants.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“I’m being a realist.”
“It’s freaking me out.”
“Then don’t think about it. We’ll know when we get there.”
“We need to get there on time!”
“I know that.”
I knew he was doing everything in his power to save his friends and my grandfather, but at times, this whole mission seemed impossible. “Thank you.”
He gave me another look before turning to focus on the road, effectively ending our conversation.
The streets of Da Nang were completely empty. It was almost creepy how empty the place felt. I couldn’t tell if that was because people had left or because they were just hunkering down. We parked in front of a small house nestled in a row of houses. All the houses hid behind a large stone fence dotted with individual gates. “Is this it?”
Viktor looked at the address again. “I’m hoping.”
Outside the car, the air felt thick and warm. There was a stillness in the air. “Hard to believe there is a storm coming in.”
Viktor came around the car and stood beside me. “Do you hear that?”
I listened, but I couldn’t hear anything. “What am I listening for? All I hear is silence.”
He pushed the creaky gate and held it open for me. “Exactly. Usually the insects are deafening at night—but we hear nothing.”
Suddenly, the silence in the air felt ominous. “Do you think the bugs know there is a storm coming?”
“They can probably sense the atmospheric change.”
We stood at the door and Viktor rang the bell. I heard feet running and then the door flew open. A tall thin man with blond curly hair and thick black glasses stood in front of Viktor.
“Pushka!” He had a thick European accent. He held open his arms in a welcoming gesture.
Fascinated, I wondered if they would hug. Instead, Viktor growled his annoyed accusation. “You moved.”
Undeterred, Tonko threw his arms around all of Viktor and awkwardly lay his head on his shoulder. “This is such a wonderful surprise. I’m so happy to see you.”
To my amusement, Viktor endured the hug with a grimace. “I need your help.”
Tonko stepped back and studied Viktor. “You know I’ll do anything for you.”
“We both need papers.”
“It must be very bad if you need papers too, Pushka. I’ve never seen you ask for papers for yourself.”
“It needs to be a rush job.” When Tonko just stood and gave him a knowing look, Viktor admitted, “It’s pretty bad, okay?” He didn’t look at me.
“Come in, come in.” Tonko motioned for me to follow him through the house. “You poor thing. Akira told me you were coming all the way from Ho Chi Minh City. Have you been stuck in a car all day?”
“Yes.”
“First we make a hot pot of tea, and then we get to work.”
I looked over at Viktor, who shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”
“There is a bathroom down the hall. Go brush your hair and look as tidy as possible, and then we’ll drink tea and take photos.”
Tonka handed me a steaming mug of oolong tea. I sat in the chair while Tonko set up his passport camera. Viktor disappeared, leaving me alone with his friend.
“What does Pushka mean?”
He paused. “Pushka is the word for gun in Russian.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me that Viktor’s nickname was Gun, but it did. “That’s a weird nickname.”
He looked over at me in amusement. “In this world, only the fiercest of men get nicknames, and it’s considered an honor.”
“What do you mean… this world?”
“A place where things get really dark.”
“You mean a world where there are guns and kidnappings and bad men?”
“Yes,” he said kindly. “That’s the place. Sounds like you’ve become acquainted with this world.”
I didn’t want to talk about the darkness. I wanted to talk about Viktor. I was hungry for more details about his past life, so I shamelessly fished for information. “Back when you knew him, Pushka was considered pretty fierce?”
He fiddled with a camera lens. “When he was with the special forces, he was one of his enemies’ most feared men. He’s one of the best marksmen I’ve met in my career. When there was an impossible job, he was the one they called.”
I listened in fascination. “What happened?”
“He disappeared from the scene. Some rumored that he had been dishonorably discharged. Others said he left to run guns.” He looked up at me. “I never thought I would have the chance to repay him.”
“Repay him for what?”
“Pushka saved my life once.”
“How?”
“I was working with some unsavory characters; did quite a big job for them. Six of them showed up to collect, but they didn’t want to pay. They were in the process of beating me unconscious. When I came to, those six men were knocked out and lying in various piles around my place.”
My voice lowered. “Viktor did that?”
“Yes, apparently he showed up and interrupted their work. Six against one, can you believe it? And you know what?”
“What?” I whispered, fascinated by this story.
“When it was over, he was as much of a mess as I was. Bloody and nearly broken—he took a beating of a lifetime for me.” He shook his head at the memory. “It must have been a hell of a fight because my house looked like a tornado had gone through it. Everything was destroyed.”
I tried to imagine Viktor fighting six men at once and couldn’t wrap my brain around it. “That’s crazy.”