“They are coming at us with another round!” I yell.
Vlad turns the aircraft and drives it down the field, away from them as fast as he can. Soon we are in the air. I listen to the engine but hear nothing wrong. I think we are going to be all right.
“Well, I guess I’m going for a ride,” says Arnie.
“Does anyone know how to fly this thing?” Vlad asks.
Davis runs up. “I do, why?”
Vlad’s grip on the controls loosens. “I’ve been shot.” He slumps forward. The plane stops ascending and begins to dive.
Rover gets Vlad out of the pilot’s seat, and Davis steps in. While Rover follows Arnie’s instructions to get Vlad flat on the floor, Davis stops the dive and resumes our ascent.
“Put pressure on the wound,” Arnie yells at Rover.
I move over near them. “I’m here if you need me.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Nancy says.
“If you are, go to the back,” I yell to her.
Fortunately, Vlad was shot in the arm, and Arnie is able to stop the bleeding. “He needs a hospital as soon as we land,” Arnie says. “He’s in shock.”
Vlad is alert now, and he turns his head away from his wound. “Can’t stand the sight of blood,” he says.
“We can get help once we land in Minsk, but we need to keep moving,” Harding says.
“I’ll stay with him,” Arnie says, “but you will need to get your friend proper medical treatment soon as well.”
“We will. Sorry for the detour to Minsk,” Harding says.
Arnie shrugs. “It’s always an adventure with you.”
I go sit next to Moose. His wound is covered in gauze.
Moose nods to his leg. “I’ve never seen someone put in stitches that fast. Hope it holds.”
“Me too,” I say.
I glance to the back, and Sylvia is comforting Nancy. Once Nancy feels better, I want to find out why Damien owed her money. She might be a larger part of this.
But first, we need to get these two medical help and hope whoever fired shots at us doesn’t figure out where we are going.
CHAPTER 16
Durango
Once Davis landed the plane—likea pro—I might add, she rushed Vlad to a hospital. Harding had a car waiting for us, and we have been at a safe house outside Minsk for the past four hours.
When I helped Moose change the gauze on his leg, the wound wasn’t as large as I expected. The doctor did a pretty good job stitching him up. Considering he was working from the back seat of a car, I’d say the doctor’s skills are impressive.
Moose says he’s fine and doesn’t need a hospital, so Harding let him stay. I’m still concerned his leg might get infected.
I’ve spent the last several hours standing guard outside the room Sylvia and Nancy are staying in. They think I’m here as muscle in case whoever killed Damien comes after Sylvia. But really, I’m here listening to them to see if they know something they aren’t sharing.
So far, all they’ve talked about is Nancy’s family. I should say all Nancy has talked about is her family. Sylvia hasn’t saidmuch. But at no point has Nancy asked Sylvia how she’s doing, considering her husband was killed and her life is in danger.
Sylvia is the one who insisted they stay together, so I thought they were friends. But they don’t seem to be.
