Franz soon came bato the room, a fancy phoh a gold case held in his hand. Handing it over to Kus, he refused the return of his on. “Keep it for now. I’d feel better if you had something to defend yourself, should I miss a threat again.”

  Not wanting tue, Kus thrust the phoo the face of the Blood Eagle. “Open it.”

  “No,” said Hans. He thrust his hands bato his pockets. “I know as soon as I do, that will be it for me. I want to make a deal.”

  Kus made eye tact with Franz, who gave a nod. “We’re listening,” Kus responded.

  “I’ll give you access to my email if you let me leave here unharmed,” seeing the unging looks on his captors’ faces, he hurriedly offered to sweeten the deal. “In addition, you have the merdise and money iher room. I’ll tell the Blood Eagles that we were attacked by a rival gang, the Storm Wolves. Do we have a deal?” He held out his hand to Kus, but his eyes stayed locked on the more dangerous Franz.

  Reag out, Kus took advantage of Hans’ distra to press the s his phone against his forefihe phone unlocked with a click. Hans’ eyes so Kus in horror.

  “I’m sorry,” Kus said, his voice quiet but full of anger, “but as soon as you said ‘merdise’ I khere was no way we could let you out of here. Franz?”

  At Kus’ reje of the deal, Hans surged upright, haended out in front of himself to ward off Franz’s desding bde. He had begun his attack as soon as Kus had said Hans couldn’t be allowed to leave. Hans’ upthrust arms slowed the sword but a moment before it carved deep into his chest. The Blood Eagle colpsed to the floor, and after several gurgling breaths was dead.

  “By merdise, he meant women, didn’t he?” asked Franz while he wiped his bde .

  “Yes,” Kus agreed, feeling sick looking down at the test death he had witnessed. He put up with the feeling, however. “I’ve heard of rumors that the Blood Eagles have been engaging iraffig, and a massage parlor would be an ideal front for activities like that. As soon as he said ‘merdise’ the way he did, I kly what kind of man he was.”

  Putting Hans from his thoughts, Kus swiped through the dead man’s phone. ing to his email app, he ope up and scrolled through the messages until he got to the one ing from Dr. Halter’s office email. It took a mio get down to it. Hans’ email at was a cesspit of spam and praphy subscriptions.

  Seleg the email, he deleted it, and theied the trash right afterward. “Done.”

  “Good, then we have just one more thing to do.” Franz began moving in the dire of the only other door off the room. He sheathed his bde, but kept his hand near it on the ce he had to draw it again. “The women must be terrified right now.”

  When Franz opehe st door, Kus was standing right behind him. As soon as the light from behind them peed the room, Fra out a loud curse in a nguage Kus did not know. Rushing into the room, he darted over to the first of twed mats on the floor. On each y a semi-scious young woman covered in bruises and garbed in little more than rags. Tilting her head back, he pulled a vial from an inner pocket and held it to her lips to drink.

  As soon as the vial was empty, he handed ao Kus. “Here. Give this oo the irl.”

  Kus took the vial with a nod, and quickly gave it to the other injured woman. His suspis were firmed, for barely had he gotten the woman to drink when her eyes began to stir and the bruises across her arms and legs began to fade. Blue eyes slowly opeo meet his own.

  Upon seeing a man so close, she jerked back. “Kto vy? Who are you?” A sound came from the other mat, and not waiting for a respohe ushed herself up and moved over to the other captive. “Kira!”

  Seeing the woman Kus had help rushing over, Franz shifted aside to make room.

  “Eva!” Kira cried, reag out her arms. The other woman dived right into her, tears already dripping down her face. Kus could not tell if they were the result of fear or joy that the other woman was still here. Kus felt a boiling pit e open within him at the now-dead Hans.

  “What happeo you?” asked Kus of the women, both of whom were n in each others arms.

  “Now or earlier?” the one named Eva responded. “If you meant earlier…well you imagine.” She shuddered at memories only she could see. “As to the state you found us in, Hans came in to beat us into silence earlier. Said something about expeg guests.”

  Kira froze in fear at those words. “Guests?”

  “Don’t worry,” Franz said softly, hands in clear view and sitting back from both women. ”Hans has hosted the st guests he will ever have.”

  Rather than be reassured, both women te Franz’s words. Thinking he might uand what was going on, Kus hurried to add, “To be clear, Franz killed Hans and his men for what the Blood Eagles threateo do to my family and others. We have no i in his line of work or… you in that way. You won’t ever have to suffer anything like this again. We are getting you out of here.”

  Finally uanding, both women began a new round of sobbing, but this time more clearly in relief. Kus could not even begin to imagine what they had gohrough. Not sure how to help in this situation, Kus and Franz simply gave them their space while looking over the rest of the room. Though the liquid in the vials had helped the women, they were still clearly in some pain from their time here. Looking down at the vial still in his hand, Kus knew without a doubt in his mind that, as crazy as it seemed, it had retly held what could only be a healing potion of some sort. Once again he bahe thoughts that threateo run through his mind to instead focus on the here and now. There would be time for everything else ter.

  The rest of the basement was grim to say the least. and decay had taken over everything. The walls, once painted in a now unreizable hue, were marred by cracks and patches of the now faded paint that showed crumbling crete underh. Against one wall sat a rickety wooden table, surface ed and legs no longer settled evenly, even though several bags sat on it. A sealed trunk, battered and in rough shape but solid for all that, was set against the far wall. There must have been a leak somewhere too, as a musty odor assaulted his senses, being some disgusting amalgamation of mold, mildew, and dampness.

  Trying to ighe smell and dampness as much as he could, Kus watched as Franz moved over to the bags. Pulling them open, it was immediately clear that the dead Blood Eagle hadn’t been lying. There was quite a bit of money oable.

  “What are we going to do with this?” asked Kus.

  “I think you should decide,” Franz said as he tied the bags back shut. “After all, we wouldn’t even be here if it were not for you.”

  Kus gnced over at Kira and Eva, who were now quietly paying attention to the strangers in their midst, still holding each htly. “I think they deserve half of whatever is there. They have been through a lot.”

  “Agreed,” responded Franz with a smile, apparently pleased at how Kus was giving some of the moo the young women. “But what about the rest? Will you spend it yourself somewhere?”

  “No,” Kus shook his head immediately. He couldn’t take the rest of the money for himself, not when his first thoughts were of how much his parents still had to pay off from his time in the hospital. “If you are fih it, the rest goes to my parents. This money would go a long way against the debts they have.”

  “Wonderful!” said Franz, smile turning into a full grin. “You are a good son. I am sure they will appreciate it.” He grabbed the bags, tug them under one arm, easily carrying them despite what should be a siderable weight. “Now e, I think you have had enough excitement for one night.”

  “What about us?” Eva said. “Where are we supposed to go?”

  “Do either of you have any family iy?” Kus asked, already half-expeg the likely answer.

  “No,” Eva said while Kira shook her head, staring at the floor. “We were transported here from the east coast. Not sure how to get back either.”

  Like he had expected, the young women didn’t have any real options. Even with the money Kus wao give them, all that would do without knowing anyone iy was make them targets for any one of the angs in the area. No, their best bet was to e with Kus or Franz. But where to take them?

  “There is some extra room at the pce I have been staying,” Franz said. “They should be safe to stay there until they sort out their situation.”

  Eva looked at Kira. At the slight shrug the shy woman gave, Eva nodded and turo address Franz. “We’ll take you up on your offer.”

  Fraured towards the main room of the basement. “Alright, that is settled.” Then to Kus he said, “Let’s get you home. We save our versation until tomorrow, what with the long night you have had.”

  Nodding, Kus agreed with the man. He could holy say that tonight had been the worst night of his life in more ways thaaken hostage, tortured, and then saved from being killed by a plete stranger arently knew him very well. Leading a man who preferred swords and ko attack a hideout of one of the most notorious gangs in Volksturm. Saving two young women and taking possession of more mohan he had seen in his life to this point, all why being party to a number of violehs. A long night undersold it a bit.

  They walked bato the other room, Franz leading, Kus following, and the two young women bringing up the rear. As the bodies of the Blood Eagles came bato view, Kus turo block their view from Eva and Kira, only to see each was staring hard at the dead faces of their captors. Taking only a few moments to make sure they were truly dead, they both then followed Franz as the swordsman made his the stairs.

  In short order, they made their way through the age of the massage parlor and emerged outside where Kus came to a stop in shock.

  The car was gone.

  Someoher brave or foolish, had stolen the car.

  “Don’t worry, Kus,” Franz said, his stride not faltering. He walked down the sidewalk in the general dire of Kus’ apartment. “I’ll walk you home.”

  The walk itself was… not bad actually. Sure, the city still had the same gritty, rough buildings looming around him. Ahe risk of angs being out and about this hour was higher. But for some reason, Kus actually felt the ti bit of the tension in his shoulders start to loosen.

  Eventually, who knew how many mier, the group was standing in front of Kus’ apartment building. ly sure what to say after everything that happened, Kus awkwardly thanked Franz, and said goodnight to Eva and Kira. Waving an aowledgment, Franz said he would be by in the m thehe two young women off, thankfully not down the alley where he apparently spent most of his time.

  Kus did not remember climbing the stairs or, for that matter opening his door. Pausing only close and lock the dain, Kus kicked off his shoes, ahe previously fotten dagger that Franz had let him borrow on his kit table. It looked remarkably out of pce amongst his pyer character notes.

  Without taking his dirty, bloody clothes off, Kus fell into his bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.