Chapter Seventy-One: The Release

The story broke at nine in the morning.

Not one outlet. Not one journalist. Everywhere. Felix had coordinated it down to the second. Claire had written the piece. Marcus had verified every document. Leo had confirmed every name.

By nine-fifteen, it was trending. By nine-thirty, it was the top story on every major news site. By ten, Volkov's name was everywhere.

I watched it happen from my office. I didn't feel satisfied. I didn't feel triumphant. I just watched.

The headline was simple: International Crime Boss Andrei Volkov Exposed: Decades of Trafficking, Money Laundering, and Murder.

The subheadline was simpler: Evidence Provided by Elena Voss, Daughter of Murdered Journalist Margaret Voss.

I read it twice. Then I set it down.

Felix appeared in my doorway.

"It's done," he said.

"I know."

"It's everywhere. Every outlet. Every platform. There's no way he can hide now."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"Then we wait," I said.

---

The first call came at eleven.

A man. No name. No introduction. Just a voice.

"You think this changes anything?"

I didn't respond. I just listened.

"You think because you told the world about him, he's going to stop? He's not going to stop. He's going to come for you. And he's going to make you pay."

I didn't respond. I didn't need to.

"Tell your husband to watch his back. Tell your brother to watch his. Tell everyone you love to watch theirs."

The line went dead.

I set the phone down. I looked at Felix.

"Volkov," I said.

"He's trying to scare you."

"He's trying to warn me."

"Same thing."

I didn't respond.

I picked up my phone. I called Adrian.

---

He was in his office when I got there.

He was on the phone. He hung up when he saw me.

"Volkov called," I said.

He didn't react. He just looked at me.

"What did he say?"

"That he's coming for me. That he's going to make me pay. That I should tell everyone I love to watch their backs."

He stood. He walked to the window. He didn't turn around.

"He's not going to touch you," he said.

"You don't know that."

"I know enough."

I walked to him. I stopped a few feet away.

"We need to be ready," I said.

"We are."

"He's not going to stop. He's not going to hide. He's going to come for us."

Adrian turned. He looked at me.

"Then we'll be waiting," he said.

---

That afternoon, I found Daniel in the living room.

He was sitting on the couch. He was watching the news. The same story. The same headlines. He didn't look at me when I entered.

"You okay?" I asked.

"No."

I sat beside him.

"Volkov called," I said.

He turned. He looked at me.

"What did he say?"

"That he's coming for me. That he's going to make me pay. That I should tell everyone I love to watch their backs."

Daniel didn't react. He just looked at me.

"What do we do?"

"We don't hide. We don't run. We fight."

He nodded. He didn't ask anything else.

We sat there. The news played. The city hummed.

After a while, he said, "I'm not afraid."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"I'm not either," I said.

---

That evening, I found Adrian on the balcony.

He was standing at the railing. The air was cold. He didn't notice.

I stood beside him. He didn't turn.

"We go public with everything," I said. "The folder. The evidence. Everything."

"We already did."

"Not everything. The rest. The parts we were holding back."

He turned. He looked at me.

"What parts?"

"The parts that could get us killed. The parts that could get Volkov killed. The parts that could get everyone killed."

He didn't respond. He just looked at me.

"You're not afraid," he said.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I've already died once. I'm not afraid of dying again."

He held my gaze. Neither of us spoke.

"Then we do it," he said.

I reached for his hand. I took it. His fingers were warm. Steady.

We stood there. The city hummed. The clock ticked.

I didn't lean my head against his shoulder. I didn't close my eyes. I just stood there. And for the first time in a long time, I didn't need anything else.