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She used the metal strut she had taken froined ht, when the house was silent and she was sure the others were asleep, she would begin signaling again First, she would pick the lock on the bedroo the separated fork tine in it so she could lock it by raking the pins aside on the tu the tine She would open the door, listen carefully, and thenthe corridor to aso she knew for sure it was night and all were asleep Then she would go back and signal

She always left the door closed but unlocked so she would be ready for Sam It would be very difficult for him to find her, but she kneould He was a brilliantHe had once promised her that if they were ever separated this way, he would si would stop him while he was alive She had no idea when he would arrive at this remote Russian manor house, but she kneas on his way

Most nights, she kept up the signaling on the pipes until she judged it ht outside Then she would look down the hall to confirm it was predawn, close and lock her door, and sleep She had beco periods between ating Sasha about the world outside

And then he ca on the pipe as usual when she becaed She had been in this sed everything—air, sounds, a new vibration on the floor as he walked in the door

Re up instantly, hurried to Sahtly as she could for a full ten seconds, tears welling in her eyes She recognized the familiar contour of his shoulders under the bulky jacket Then she looked up at hile?”

“No You just forgot to tell ”

“Oh Sorry”

“Ready to get out of here?”

“Almost,” she whispered She sat on the bed and put on her shoes “We’ve got to go that way and down the back stairs to the second floor, which will get us past the fauards Then we use the main staircase to reach the first floor, so we o for their breaks”

“You know that?”

“I et into the house?”

“I saw a second-floorthat had been left opened It turned out to be a hallway I heard your signal, and from there I went up the back stairs”

“Dumb luck That was about the only way that was clear” She stood “I’m ready” She opened the door and walked out, waited for Sam, and locked it behind them

She led hi stairs for two stories, then silently and carefully moved up the hallway to the broad main staircase She stopped for a , then moved onto the stairs The steps were carpeted, so their footsteps were round floor, where there was a large foyer with a marble floor with a round escutcheon mosaic at the center As they stepped onto its surface, three men seemed to materialize from a shadowy doorway somewhere beside the stairs