“Track and Ava in position.” Ava’s voice crackled in my ear.
“Luk and X moving in,” Luk muttered next to me, his voice echoing through my earpiece.
“Four guards just stopped in front of platform one.” Tracker’s voice spoke as Luk and I strolled through what used to be shopping stores to the train platform. This place used to be a hub of transportation; now only six platforms were being used. All the shops were boarded up, and only a few carts with coffee and bakery items were sprinkled around. Once a symbol of its beauty, the decaying art nouveau-style building was another thing on the endangered list.
“No guards are at platform six,” the voice I now knew as Lea’s muttered through the earpiece.
“Still says it’s arriving on six,” Blade spoke, his Polish accent thick.
“Stand by,” Tracker ordered. It was clear he was the alpha of the group.
My gaze went to platform one, my mind taking in every detail around it. Next to the platform was an arched doorway leading through an old waiting room and then outside to the street. Guards paced inside the doorway.
“Can people exit there?” I flicked my chin. Luk’s gaze slid casually over to where I was indicating.
“No, all exits except the main one are blocked off to civilians, so they can check everyone going in and out.”
“But not for a prime minister wanting to get cargo off as fast and subtle as he can?” My eyebrows arched up.
“Attention! Train arriving for Budapest on platform six.” A man’s voice boomed over the station’s speaker. Passengers immediately headed for that area, but something in my gut told me I was right.
“It’s coming on platform one.”
“But they just said—”
“I’m telling you it’s coming in at platform one.” I looked into Luk’s eyes, the implied trust me expression stretched over my features.
Luk glanced over to the platform, biting down on his lip. I knew he was taking in how the train carriage could line up with the double doors, how easy it would be for them to wheel whatever they wanted off the carriage and into a waiting cart or car outside the exit.
“Trust me,” I said, his eyes holding mine. I could see the struggle in him. He had no reason to trust me.
Inhaling and exhaling, he muttered into the com, “Tracker, get everyone in position for platform one.”
“What? No. The announcer said six,” Tracker snapped back.
“Trust me.” Luk gritted his teeth. “Platform one.”
“Are you sure? If you’re wrong, this whole mission was for nothing,” Tracker replied gruffly.
Luk’s blue eyes met mine, his head dipping. “I’m sure.”
Luk and I moved through the space. It was busy, but not as much as I hoped. The shield of people was better to hide among. I spotted a train coming up the track right before they split off into the six separate lanes.
My stomach twisted with nerves. Please be right, please be right.
The loud squealing of metal rang out as the train switched tracks. I held my breath. And then it curved, coming up track one. My heart rapped in my chest, my shoulders lowering with relief.
“Looks like you were right.” Luk winked at me, lacing his fingers with mine, making us look like a couple. We strolled toward the platform, where two guards stood at the front of the track. You couldn’t pass them without a ticket.
While Luk showed them our tickets, my gaze wandered down the platform, spotting guards propping open the double doors on the side, four moving through with a cart, as three train guards hopped from the train, heading for the last carriage.
It was exactly as I figured, confirming to me what was likely being smuggled in the cargo. The night I was captured and sent to Halálház, when I found the pills, the train had been heading here.
I think we were wrong about Leon and Istvan, at least about their willingness to work with each other for more power and money. It wasn’t out of friendship, but out of necessity.
“How did you know the train was arriving on this platform?” The soldier blocking the path to the platform tilted his head, handing Luk back our papers.
“Attention! Track change for the train heading to Budapest. You are now on platform one. I repeat, platform one.” The announcer’s voice came overhead like he was trying to highlight the fact that we were already there.
“It changed on the board first,” Luk replied smoothly, not even a flicker of doubt.
The two guards peered at each other, both skeptical. Everything you did in this country and mine was suspect, and the young guards were looking for a fight, even if there was none, so they could be praised by their superior.
Both Luk and I kept our chins up, confidence radiating off us, while sweat dripped down my back, panic bubbling under my skin. I heard Prague’s prison tried to compete with Halálház, seeing which one could be crueler.
I couldn’t go back.
I wouldn’t.
People started to line up behind, taking the attention solely off us.
“Go ahead.” The one closest to me stepped out of our way, allowing Luk and me to walk through them.
The internal relief blew from my lips, my fingers squeezing Luk’s. He clenched mine back, and I could see his lids shut for a moment, then open. Reset.
Now the real challenge lay ahead.
“Look,” he muttered. Men were unloading large crates from the caboose, the back part of the trains holding the cargo, placing them on carts to wheel out.
We walked slowly toward the last passenger carriage, waiting for whatever disturbance Tracker and Ava were going to pull.
“Any time,” Luk said into the earpiece.
“There was a hiccup. Hold on,” Tracker growled back.
“We don’t have time,” Luk hissed.
Right then, two guards with a dog walked toward us, my body stiffening as I watched the guard dog sniff, his eyes landing on me, making me feel like he could see right through me.
As if they could sense I was not right. Abnormal. Wrong.
“Relax. They can smell fear.” Luk pulled me to him like we were a couple in love. We both had packs stuffed with sweatshirts to look like we could be going somewhere.
The huge dog yanked against its blond owner’s lead, a low growl vibrating in its throat. What the hell? Did I roll in hamburger on my way here?
The sentry tried to rein him back, the dog straining to reach me. The man’s beady eyes narrowed on me, twisting my stomach again.
“You,” his dark-haired partner ordered, stepping up to us. The dog whined and pranced in his place. The whimper was so odd even his owner was looking at the dog with bewilderment.
“My girlfriend and I... were just getting on the train.” Luk pointed, his hand drawing me toward the carriage.
“Stop,” the guy ordered again, reaching for his gun.
“Do prdele.” Fuck. Holy shit, Luk hissed under his breath in the old Czech language before putting up his hands. “Yeah, yeah, we’ve stopped.”
“Let me see your tickets.” The dark-haired one opened his palm, even though we couldn’t get this far unless we had them.
Luk nodded, placing the documents in his hand, all of us knowing he’d learn nothing from the tickets except we were heading to Budapest, which was where the train was going.