4

Lewis turned out to be a very interesting person, but apparently Darek did not like this uncluttered fountain of emotions.

—Is he going to live with us?—Dariusz asked indignantly.

— We need to figure out what they want from this guy. It is unknown what kind of devil might be hiding under that innocent face...—Cornelius put his notebook on the sofa.— Don't be afraid, brother, we won't take him to Poland! But we need to find out where and why he was dragged away... —

— He's British.—Adrianna said as she entered.

Darek shuddered.

—How do you know that?—he asked.

— First, I guessed from the accent, second— I asked.—Adrianna sat down on the sofa next to her lover.— I hope that you won't be offended by the phrase that I liked him? As a person, of course.—

— You and I have been together too long for me to be offended by any nonsense. He's funny, but... to be honest, he seems a little crazy with these strange emotions of his...—

Adrianna laughed.

— Is he? Crazy? In my opinion, he is the most normal person in this world! Except for us, probably...— She said.

— Such a weirdo should probably have been missed by now... surely his friends and girlfriend (or girlfriends) are just as strange...—Dariusz took the rifle.— I can use the shooting range, right?—

— Yes. In the basement. But, Darek...—Cornelius looked at his younger brother.— Why have you become so withdrawn lately? —

— Just… Problems sometimes bother you.—Darek smiled nervously.— Everything will be fine soon...—

Darek quickly went into the basement with a rifle on his shoulder.

It seems that on the way he hooked Lewis with the muzzle, but the thoughts of the youngest of the Kaminsky brothers were elsewhere.

Sitting down next to the target, Darek took out his wedding ring from his pocket.

— What's the point of you? Damn, why couldn't I tell him about it?— he said, looking at the inscription inside.

"Dariusz and Elisabeth Kaminski."

— Darek, why didn't you tell me you were married?— He heard behind him.

**

Dariusz snorted loudly when he realized that for the first time in his life he had missed a spy.

— Adrianna...—He sighed.—That's right, only you can be so brazen...—

— Why don't you know how to tell Cornelius that you got married? Do you think he'll treat this as something strange? He has long been used to the fact that you are no longer a twelve-year-old child.—Adrianna sat down on the targets piled in the corner.— And besides, you are not married to any of our enemies, so that Cornelius would be against it...—

— Liz is my wife. For now, I'm hiding her in London and looking for a way to turn off our transmitters.—Darek said.

— They don't work. Since the command center and the entire laboratory are underground, there is no need to worry about chips...—Adrianna froze.— Stop… What?! Liz?! Liz Thomas?? Oh, Dariush… I thought only Kirby could surprise me like that.… You married Mariusz's secretary!—

She remembered in time to keep her voice down.

After all, Cornelius also has perfect hearing, and so does Ryan… And if Dariush doesn't want to share his secrets, let him keep his secrets to himself.

— And this crazy Brit? I mean, Lewis. I think you like him. You have the same interests in these nightmarish toys and the animatronics game...—Darek narrowed his eyes.

— By the way, he's not crazy. And I just like Lewis. Yes, our interests are somewhat similar...—Adrianna smiled.— After my whole heart is occupied by Cornelius, it is physically impossible to find a place for another guy there...—

Adrianna left, leaving Darek with a rifle and targets.

At first, he thought about asking Adrianna not to tell Cornelia an interesting fact about her marital status that had been revealed, but...

Adrianna herself knows when to keep quiet and when to talk…

Dariusz took several targets, loaded his rifle and threw the targets into the air.

Three rounds.

One, two, three. The shots click one after the other.

Dariusz never looks when he shoots. He will take aim at the victim in real life and averts his eyes.

Dariusz can never physically miss. And he can't look into the eyes of a man whose life he's going to take away.

Darek collects the targets from the floor. They're new, so just keep an eye on him there.

Each target has a bullet hole perfectly between the two inner corners of the eyes.

— If I ever miss, I'll live normally...— He said, looking into the eyes of the target.

**

Adrianna went to cook dinner, Darek was still hanging out at the shooting range, and Cornelius went to the supermarket.

As she passed through the living room, she remembered their unexpected temporary guest.

Lewis was sleeping on the couch, his legs hanging in the air, because the couch was still too small for his tall stature.

His laptop was open and the screen read "You were killed by Chica."

The wire of his headphones was stretched so tightly that it threatened one of two things: either the wire would break soon, or the laptop would fall off the coffee table.

When Adrianna got closer to the Brit, she saw that a third prospect was brewing.

The wire of his headphones, it turns out, wrapped around his thin and long neck and seriously threatened to break it.

Adrianna looked at the sleeping guy.

He himself was so fragile and defenseless in appearance.

Why do the guys from K. I. L. L. need him anyway?

The guy frowned in his sleep with long eyebrows, fluffy eyelashes fluttered. He seems to want to wake up, but he can't.

His thin, long hands clutched at the pillow, his fingers turned white from the effort he was making.

Adrianna sat down in an empty seat and gently shook the guy by the shoulder.

— Lewis… Lewis, wake up!—She said loudly in his ear.

The guy shuddered and jumped up on the couch. It was amazing that with his huge height, he did not fall off this sofa.

Adrianna hugged the young Brit. She knew firsthand how bad it was to suffer from nightmares.

The guy was really very thin, it felt very strongly under Adrianna's fingers.

— Take it easy, Lewis...—Adrianna whispered.— Whatever it was, it was a dream...—

Suddenly she felt like a person stuck at the bottom of the sea in a spacesuit and the oxygen was running out.

Adrianna felt her chest burn from the inside out.

Lewis, coming to his senses, pushed her away himself.

Her breath came back. Adrianna breathed a sigh of relief and at that moment felt like she almost fell off the couch.

Ryan looked into the living room.

— What happened?—He looked at the frightened Adrianna.

Lewis put his finger to his lips and looked at the girl pleadingly.

— It's okay, Lewis seemed to have a nightmare, I wanted to wake him up, but he pushed me away.—Adrianna said calmly.

Ryan frowned.

— Well, if that's the case...—He looked doubtfully at Adrianna.— Can I help you with cooking dinner, Ed?—

— Yes, I think I could use some help...—Adrianna said.

— Tell me honestly, what happened?—Ryan went into the kitchen and crossed his arms over his chest.

—Ryan, I've already told you what happened.— Adrianna said, and felt her voice tremble.— Let's not discuss this...—

— I don't advise you to try to lie to me anymore, Adrianna...—Ryan relented. It was obvious that Adrianna's attempt to lie to him had hurt him mentally. He came over and hugged his adopted daughter.—You and Kirby are the most precious people in this world to me. And it's hard for me when one of you betrays me...—

Adrianna sighs heavily, burying her face in her foster father's shirt.

She didn't understand what had forced her to lie.

It's a strange feeling, probably... something like a mother's instinct. Or the desire to protect someone so fragile.