MikhailThe warehouse district was a maze of abandoned buildings and empty lots, the kind of place where people disappeared and were never found. We'd been searching for three hours, following every lead, checking every possible hiding spot.But there was nothing. No sign of Liliana, no trace of her kidnappers."Maybe we should head back," Viktor said, wiping sweat from his forehead despite the cold night air. "Regroup and try a different approach.""No." I kicked at a piece of broken glass, sending it skittering across the concrete. "She's out there somewhere. Waiting for me.""Mikhail," Dmitri said gently. "We've checked every building in a five-mile radius. If she was here, we would have found her by now.""Then we expand the search." I snapped."We're exhausted. We're making mistakes. We need to rest and think about this logically." He said.I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right. We'd been running on adrenaline and fear for hours, and it was starting to show. Viktor had nearl
LilianaThe first thing I felt was cold. Bone-deep, penetrating cold that seemed to seep through my clothes and into my very soul. The second thing I felt was pain, a throbbing in my head that made my vision swim when I tried to open my eyes.Then, I realized I was lying on something soft, like leaves, as my fingers brushed against the damp floor. The smell of earth and decomposing vegetation filled my nostrils, and I could hear the distant sound of traffic somewhere beyond the trees.What happened?The memories came back in fragments. The motel room. Anastasia's hurt eyes when she realized I'd investigated her. The sound of glass breaking. Men in masks bursting through the door."Take anything valuable," one of them had said. "Check the woman's purse.""What about them?" another voice had asked."The old one saw our faces. Take care of her. The young one... we'll deal with her in the woods."They weren't Vlad's men. I realized. They were just thieves. Common criminals who had chosen
MikhailThe safe house we drove to after the incident at the warehouse was a cramped apartment above a bakery, and it smelled like old bread and cigarette smoke. Viktor had found it years ago, one of a dozen bolt-holes scattered around the city for emergencies just like this one."The news is calling it an industrial accident," Dmitri said, looking up from his laptop. "Gas leak explosion. Very tragic.""Any mention of bodies?" I asked, trying to ignore the sharp pain in my ribs where a piece of burning debris had caught me."Nothing yet. But the fire burned so hot, there might not be much left to find."I nodded, but I couldn't shake off the eerie feeling. Men like him don't die easily, and they certainly don't die quietly."What about the FBI?" I asked."They're investigating, but they seem to be treating it as an accident for now. No mention of the Volkov family or organized crime."That was something, at least. But I knew it wouldn't last. Once they started digging into the warehou
Liliana"Vadim is a friend," I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I slowly turned around to face Anastasia. "He was just checking in on me."Her eyes were different now. Not the warm, grandmotherly look I saw few minutes ago . They were sharp, calculating, and cold as winter steel."A friend who knows enough to ask about my children's records?" She asked, stepping closer. "That's quite an unusual friendship, Liliana."My heart was pounding so hard I was sure she could hear it. "I was just curious. You mentioned them, and I…""You what? Decided to investigate me?" Her voice was bitter. "After everything I've done for you and Mikhail?""I'm sorry," I said, backing against the balcony railing. "I was just…""You were just what, Liliana? Curious? Concerned?" Her voice was getting stronger now, but I could hear the pain underneath. "Do you have any idea what it's like to lose your children? To have them taken from you, and then have to live with that loss every single day?"Tears were
MikhailThe Moscow Steel warehouse loomed before me like a monument. Broken windows, rusted metal siding that groaned in the wind. This place had been abandoned for at least a decade, or maybe longer.Viktor and Dmitri had taken their positions twenty minutes ago. I could feel their presence in the darkness, even though I couldn't see them. And that was the point, if I couldn't see them then Vlad couldn't.But as I approached the main entrance, that familiar instinct started screaming again. Something was wrong. The silence was too complete, and too perfect.I checked my watch and it says two minutes to eight PM.The heavy steel door was slightly ajar, which should have been my first warning. But I was committed now. Whatever was waiting inside, I was going to face it.I pushed the door open and stepped into the darkness.“Hello, Mikhail.”A voice came from everywhere and nowhere, amplified by hidden speakers. It was electronically distorted, but there was something familiar about the
LilianaThe moment the door closed behind Mikhail, I felt like I couldn't breathe.Anastasia was humming again. That same soft tune she'd been humming all day. It was starting to make my skin crawl."He's a good man," she said, settling into her chair. "Just like his father was at that age.""Yeah," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper."You love him very much, don't you?" She asked softly.I looked at her, studying her face. Those kind eyes, the gentle smile. She looked like someone's grandmother, not someone who would ever hurt Mikhail and me."More than anything," I said."I can see that. The way you look at him... it reminds me of how I used to look at someone once.""Who?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. It never crossed my mind that someone like Anastasia Volkova, the Jezebel would love a man let alone have kids.She was quiet for a moment, staring out of the window. "Someone I lost a long time ago."My phone buzzed. A text from Vadim that made my heart stop."Everyth