I sit quietly waiting for Maximoff to let Irina go.

After all, we haven’t really gotten to celebrate her birthday.

I gaze at my watch. ‘1:31 am’. I sigh. That means it’s no longer Irina’s seventeenth birthday.

And I really didn’t even do anything for her. Hell, I didn’t even take her to an illegal speakeasy. I’m a horrible friend.

Just then two of the Tsar’s guards, Uriah Wentz and Gregory Wheller I believe their names were, barge in.

They’re both out of breath. But, Gregory more so.

Strange. I wonder why.

Uriah pants, “We’ve got to see the Tsar.”

They try to head forward.

I block them. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you with that. He’s busy in a meeting with his niece.”

Another guard, by the name of Holmes, walks in holding a girl by the arm.

She squirms in the woman’s grasp. “Let me go!”

Holmes says, “I’m sorry, sweetie. But, I can’t let that happen.”

I ask, “What’s going on here, Holmes?"

She tells me. “This little girl I have here is Olislavia Yakivev. She gave me some valuable information.”

I eye her. “What kind of information?”

Holmes tells me, “She told me that her brother, Obsidian, is gay. That means that he will die. But, since Olislavia here was able to piece that together, she needs to go too.”

“Come on, Holmes! She’s just a little girl!” I try to reason with her.

“Little girl or not, she knows too much.”

“Don’t do this!” I plead.

Holmes sighs. “Sorry, but the Tsar’s orders are the orders I follow.” She raises the gun to Olislavia’s head.

“I’m sorry Holmes, but I can’t let you do this,” I say.

“Excuse me, what?” Holmes seems to be confused.

I don’t answer.

In a split second, I tackle her.

She’s unconscious.

Gregory and Uriah burst into Maximoff’s office.

I then turn to Olislavia. “Alright, kid, when I say run, you run straight for the exit and don’t look back.”

Olislavia looks at me. “But what about you? You just committed treason.”

I shrug. “Well, I’ll try something. But, if not,...well, life happens.”

Then, Irina runs out of her uncle’s office.

I turn back toward Olislavia. “Run Olislavia! Run!”

Olislavia complies. She runs right for the exit.

“Hayden!” Irina shouts.

“What?” I ask.

“He tried to kill me!”

“What? Maximoff?”

Irina nods. “Yeah! He-”

“We’ve gotta go.”

“Why?” She chokes out.

“The Tsar is trying to kill you and I just committed treason,” I say.

Irina looks at me confused.

“That’s a story for another time,” I simply say.

“Okay. Then, let’s go,” she says.

I grab Irina’s hand and we charge right for the exit.

All we can hope is that we won’t be caught.