--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a moment later the second of Sverdlov’s…" description: "\"“a moment later the second of Sverdlov’s men leapt out from behind the truck with his automatic raised. He was about take the shot at Maria, but Cris s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/eric-meyer-78748_law-enforcement_a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s_2116854.jpg" --- # a moment later the second of Sverdlov’s men leapt out from… ![“a moment later the second of Sverdlov’s men leapt out from behind the truck with his automatic raised. He was about take the shot at Maria, but Cris snapped off two rounds. Both buried themselves in his chest, and he collapsed to the sidewalk in a welter of blood. Bystanders were running, and a…” quote by Eric Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/eric-meyer-78748_law-enforcement_a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s_2116854.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/eric-meyer-78748_law-enforcement_a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s_2116854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/eric-meyer-78748_law-enforcement_a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s_2116854.jpg) > ““a moment later the second of Sverdlov’s men leapt out from behind the truck with his automatic raised. He was about take the shot at Maria, but Cris snapped off two rounds. Both buried themselves in his chest, and he collapsed to the sidewalk in a welter of blood. Bystanders were running, and a woman was screaming. He ignored them, reached the table, and stuck his gun in Sverdlov’s face. "Keep your hands in view, and don't move. Maria, we're leaving. You’ve seen the deal they were about to make with you. All they wanted was to get you here to kill you. Isn't that right, Major?" The Russian didn't reply, but his silence was eloquent. They raced across the street back to the Dodge and leapt inside. Sirens were starting to wail, and they had to get out of the city. He drove away fast and out of town, heading north. “Use your phone. Call March, and tell him we’re heading his way. You’ll be able to ask him about Alexander, and see if he can fix us up somewhere remote to stay. Like before, but not his place, an address with no connection to him, and nowhere near Alexander. They could use him again to reach you.” She made the call. It was brief, and she relayed it to him when she’d finished the call. “March said he’d do what he can to find us a place. Cris, what are you planning?” Her voice sounded different, not frightened, but hollow, empty of hope. He spoke as he weaved through the traffic to get away before someone came after them. The Russians, Chicago PD, U.S. Immigration, and maybe a couple more agencies he wasn’t yet aware of. "We need to go back to where it all started, where these bastards first picked us up. I’ll drive to the floatplane base, and if Warner is still there, I'll get him to fly us back to Vermont. It’s time to get ahead of them and make preparations for when they try again." "Why Vermont?" He frowned; annoyed he’d got it so wrong before. "I made a mistake coming here. I thought we could lose ourselves in the city, but the Russians have the same technical resources as U.S. Law Enforcement. Which means wherever we go, they'll find us. We have to go back to somewhere remote. Where there are no cameras.” “And what then? More shooting, more killing?” It didn’t sound like Maria. More like a frightened girl, frightened for the safety of her son.”” Eric Meyer ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In crisis, alliances shift, trust is scarce, and survival demands ruthless decisions. **In simple terms:** In danger, you must act quickly and trust few. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant and prioritize safety. Themes survival trust betrayal Mood tense dramatic Type thriller action When to use this quote - emergency response - law enforcement coordination - personal safety planning Key Concepts ethics risk management Questions to Reflect On - When is violence justified? - How do you balance trust and caution? A Different Perspective Moral dilemmas can erode humanity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law enforcement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) [Phone call](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-call/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Just last year i wanted to kill him, but now it is my duty to save him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/just-last-year-i-wanted-to-kill-him-but-now-it-is-my-duty-to-save-him/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“I didn’t know whether I wanted to kill her or fuck her. Maybe both, but one thing was for sure. One way or another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-frazier/i-didn-t-know-whether-i-wanted-to-kill-her-or-fuck-her-maybe-both-but/) [T.M. Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-m-frazier/) > [When Karim and his group heard about Saddam coming, they wanted to kill him, but fate had other ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/when-karim-and-his-group-heard-about-saddam-coming-they-wanted-to/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [“I never wanted to kill, I am not naturally evil. Such things I do just to make myself more attractive to you -have I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrissey/i-never-wanted-to-kill-i-am-not-naturally-evil-such-things-i-do-just/) [Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrissey/) > [“Lityerses had a talent for making friends. Half the crowd surged forward to kill him. The other half shouted that they, too, wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/lityerses-had-a-talent-for-making-friends-half-the-crowd-surged/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“I think at first I wanted to kill all of them. Everyone. Because if there were no people left alive, then I’d never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-porter/i-think-at-first-i-wanted-to-kill-all-of-them-everyone-because-if/) [Sarah Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-porter/) > [“He wanted to kill us. With what? His evil-eye power? Will pulled a gun out from underneath his loose shirt. Oh, yeah, that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/he-wanted-to-kill-us-with-what-his-evil-eye-power-will-pulled-a-gun/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“It was as if what I wanted to kill wasn't in that skin or the thin blue pulse that jumped under my thumb, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/it-was-as-if-what-i-wanted-to-kill-wasn-t-in-that-skin-or-the-thin/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“It was always the same: in the ring you wanted to kill someone, but once you got out you were mates again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-muchamore/it-was-always-the-same-in-the-ring-you-wanted-to-kill-someone-but/) [Robert Muchamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-muchamore/) > [I didn't want to hurt them, I only wanted to kill them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berkowitz/i-didn-t-want-to-hurt-them-i-only-wanted-to-kill-them/) [David Berkowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berkowitz/) > [I wanted to kill the sexiest person alive...but suicides a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wanted-to-kill-the-sexiest-person-alive-but-suicides-a-crime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wanted to kill her and make her eat her fringe. And her knickers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rennison/i-wanted-to-kill-her-and-make-her-eat-her-fringe-and-her-knickers/) [Louise Rennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rennison/) > [Every time I stepped into the ring, somebody wanted to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-duran/every-time-i-stepped-into-the-ring-somebody-wanted-to-kill-me/) [Roberto Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-duran/) > [“Not the cute kind of cuckoo, or the lights-on-but-nobody's-home loony. She's really, genuinely, sold my-soul-to-the-devil crazy. She don't care about me or anyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/not-the-cute-kind-of-cuckoo-or-the-lights-on-but-nobody-s-home-loony/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [I just liked to kill, I wanted to kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-bundy/i-just-liked-to-kill-i-wanted-to-kill/) [Ted Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-bundy/) ## More by Eric Meyer > [“much time. \* \* \* Racing around the outside of the square in his Afghan robes, face smeared with dirt and blood, he looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-meyer/much-time-racing-around-the-outside-of-the-square-in-his-afghan-robes/) Eric Meyer > [“In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-meyer/in-order-to-improve-your-game-you-must-study-the-endgame-before-3/) Eric Meyer Explore all 3 Eric Meyer quotes ## More Law enforcement quotes > [“Our Chasers Aren’t Cheating! That was the stunned reaction of Quidditch fans across Britain last night when the so-called “Stooging Penalty” was announced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/our-chasers-aren-t-cheating-that-was-the-stunned-reaction-of/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Few people may realize that the Department of Homeland Security is the nation's largest law enforcement organization, with about one-third of our 240,000 employees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-wolf/few-people-may-realize-that-the-department-of-homeland-security-is/) [Chad Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-wolf/) > [I think the FBI is the premier law enforcement agency in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/i-think-the-fbi-is-the-premier-law-enforcement-agency-in-all-of-human/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) > [You can drive yourself crazy trying to peer into a person's soul--or you can do the sensible thing: ask not what inner motives drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/you-can-drive-yourself-crazy-trying-to-peer-into-a-person-s-soul-or/) [Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/) > [Justice should be blind especially color-blind and able to fairly deal with the very real need for honest law enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/justice-should-be-blind-especially-color-blind-and-able-to-fairly/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [New Jersey was threatened like no other region in this country and what we did was we took action within the constitution to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/new-jersey-was-threatened-like-no-other-region-in-this-country-and/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [I felt that politics was one place where I could possibly have a career in arguing, debating, and getting to write papers. I almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovan-adepo/i-felt-that-politics-was-one-place-where-i-could-possibly-have-a/) [Jovan Adepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovan-adepo/) > [“We fall into the fallacy of believing we can litigate the complicated story before us into a black-and-white binary of good guys and bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-lowery/we-fall-into-the-fallacy-of-believing-we-can-litigate-the-complicated/) [Wesley Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-lowery/) > [Remember no matter what color your skin is if you wear a law enforcement badge, you are automatically racists according to the deranged lawless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/remember-no-matter-what-color-your-skin-is-if-you-wear-a-law/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [Local jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement jeopardize the safety of American communities and put our officers at greater risk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hagerty/local-jurisdictions-that-refuse-to-cooperate-with-federal-law/) [Bill Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hagerty/) > [We must support our law enforcement officers, and we must start prioritizing the prevention of violent crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/we-must-support-our-law-enforcement-officers-and-we-must-start/) [Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/) > [Senator Cruz has also strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Brussels, and yesterday put out this statement saying, quote, "that we need to empower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/senator-cruz-has-also-strongly-condemned-the-terrorist-attacks-in/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [But since September 11, we have made every effort to try to work closely with state and local law enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/but-since-september-11-we-have-made-every-effort-to-try-to-work/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [The backbone of our nation's domestic defense against terrorist attacks will continue to be the men and women in local law enforcement and emergency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saxby-chambliss/the-backbone-of-our-nation-s-domestic-defense-against-terrorist/) [Saxby Chambliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saxby-chambliss/) [Browse all 885 Law enforcement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“a moment later the second of Sverdlov’s men leapt out from behind the truck with his automatic raised. He was about take the shot at Maria, but Cris snapped off two rounds. Both buried themselves in his chest, and he collapsed to the sidewalk in a welter of blood. Bystanders were running, and a woman was screaming. He ignored them, reached the table, and stuck his gun in Sverdlov’s face. \"Keep your hands in view, and don't move. Maria, we're leaving. You’ve seen the deal they were about to make with you. All they wanted was to get you here to kill you. Isn't that right, Major?\" The Russian didn't reply, but his silence was eloquent. They raced across the street back to the Dodge and leapt inside. Sirens were starting to wail, and they had to get out of the city. He drove away fast and out of town, heading north. “Use your phone. Call March, and tell him we’re heading his way. You’ll be able to ask him about Alexander, and see if he can fix us up somewhere remote to stay. Like before, but not his place, an address with no connection to him, and nowhere near Alexander. They could use him again to reach you.” She made the call. It was brief, and she relayed it to him when she’d finished the call. “March said he’d do what he can to find us a place. Cris, what are you planning?” Her voice sounded different, not frightened, but hollow, empty of hope. He spoke as he weaved through the traffic to get away before someone came after them. The Russians, Chicago PD, U.S. Immigration, and maybe a couple more agencies he wasn’t yet aware of. \"We need to go back to where it all started, where these bastards first picked us up. I’ll drive to the floatplane base, and if Warner is still there, I'll get him to fly us back to Vermont. It’s time to get ahead of them and make preparations for when they try again.\" \"Why Vermont?\" He frowned; annoyed he’d got it so wrong before. \"I made a mistake coming here. I thought we could lose ourselves in the city, but the Russians have the same technical resources as U.S. Law Enforcement. Which means wherever we go, they'll find us. We have to go back to somewhere remote. Where there are no cameras.” “And what then? More shooting, more killing?” It didn’t sound like Maria. More like a frightened girl, frightened for the safety of her son.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Meyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-meyer/a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s-men-leapt-out-from-behind-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Law enforcement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-meyer/a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s-men-leapt-out-from-behind-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/eric-meyer-78748_law-enforcement_a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s_2116854.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/eric-meyer-78748_law-enforcement_a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s_2116854.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/eric-meyer-78748_law-enforcement_a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s_2116854.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“a moment later the second of Sverdlov’s men leapt out from behind the truck with his automatic raised. He…” — Eric Meyer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eric Meyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-meyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“a moment later the second of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-meyer/a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s-men-leapt-out-from-behind-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-meyer/a-moment-later-the-second-of-sverdlov-s-men-leapt-out-from-behind-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```