Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Were there any casualties this time?” I ask, impatience edging my voice as I brace for the worst.
“No deaths, but one man was wounded. It was too close. We can’t survive many more hits like this.”
Fighting to stay calm, I draw a slow breath through my nose and let it out. “What did they get?”
“Nothing. The backup team responded fast. But the fact that they got that close again…”
“Means someone knew exactly where to be.”
Mikhail nods once.
I lean back and let the silence stretch. My mind sifts through a thousand possibilities, each darker than the last.
“We scrub the location,” I say after a beat. “No more runs through Pier 18. We find new routes, new meet-ups. I don’t care how inconvenient it is. If someone is watching our every move, we need to make sure everything we do stays unpredictable.”
“I’m already working on it,” he replies dutifully.
I pause.
“What about the men? Are there any potential leaks there?”
He tenses slightly. “The team is clean, as far as we can tell. We’ve run background checks on all of them, even pinged their phones to be sure no information is leaking. Nothing stands out so far.”
“Someone is talking, Mikhail. No one hits us twice by accident.”
“I know,” he answers grimly.
I rub the back of my neck, slow-burning frustration crawling up my spine. I’ve worked too hard for some coward to crack the foundation from the inside.
“What about the Grinkovs?” Mikhail asks, breaking through my reverie with the one question I dread.
I arch a brow, aware of how much effort it cost him to make the suggestion.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “If this were before Katya, I would tell you that they’re the top of my suspect list. But now?”
Mikhail shrugs. “Oleg’s been quiet lately. I hear he’s running things very differently from his father.”
“Quiet isn’t always good,” I mutter.
“Exactly.” He nods, a fraction more at ease.
I glance at the doorway where, only hours ago, Katya and I walked in hand in hand, flushed from the doctor’s appointment. Her smile had been radiant, hopeful, and for a moment I let myself imagine what peace might feel like. Now I’m being dragged back into the rot of our world.
“Keep running the background checks,” I tell him. “Start over if you have to. Every man who touched that shipment. Every driver. Every call that went out of the warehouse in the last two weeks.”
“I’ll get on it,” he says, but his eyes don’t leave mine. “You’re thinking we have a rat?”
“I don’t want to,” I mutter. “But what other answer makes sense?”
We don’t voice the other answer that makes sense. I know Katya would never betray me, but that says nothing about her father. Mikhail finally nods and walks out, leaving the door half-open.
I take my time sorting the files Mikhail left, spreading them across the desk and thumbing through names I’ve read a hundred times. I stop at a few, double-checking timestamps, searching for inconsistencies in routine. Nothing jumps out, and that only makes it worse.
I stand and pace. I should be with Katya, holding her and staring at that ultrasound together. Today should still be one of the happiest days of my life. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go now that I finally have something worth fighting for.
I grab the bottle of Scotch from the cabinet behind the bookshelf, pour two fingers, and drain it in one slow gulp. It burns well, but not enough to chase off my worries.
My phone buzzes on the desk with a message from one of the men stationed at the warehouse, confirming they’ve installed a second round of cameras. I reply with a simple message.
Stay vigilant.
This is about far more than a territory war. Whoever keeps attacking us is sending a message. They want to prove they can outmaneuver me. Maybe they think I’ve gone soft. I’ve only been married a month so maybe they think that means I’m distracted or weak.
Unfortunately, they have no idea what they’ve awakened. Being married to Katya, having a baby on the way, those things give me everything to lose. And that makes me lethal.
Later that evening I’m lighting the last candle on the dining-room table when Maude walks in.
“I’ve left your plates in the oven, and dessert is in the fridge. Do you need anything else?”
“That’s all, Maude. Thank you,” I say as she holds out her hand for the lighter.
I hand it over. She nods and heads back to the kitchen to tuck it into the drawer.
I’d given her the rest of the night off because I want a romantic evening with Katya. When I told her, she offered a knowing look I wouldn’t let anyone else get away with. Maude has worked for me so long she’s become another mother, so it’s no surprise she knows more about my feelings for Katya than even I do.