Chapter 27
DANTE
Ivan talks for three hours straight, and with every word, the scope of the betrayal becomes clearer.
We're in the secure room in the estate's basement—the one with reinforced walls and no windows. It’s our interrogation room. Ivan sits in a chair, his shoulder bandaged but his survival instinct sharp enough to make him cooperative.
He still thinks he’s going to leave this room alive.
I don’t tell him otherwise because right now, that’s giving him the incentive to talk. He thinks by betraying Bogdan, that somehow makes him my ally.
Fool.
Alexei stands against the wall, his ribs wrapped but his eyes alert. He’ll be fine, but I know how close it came to losing him along with Hannah.
My most trusted men surround us—Andre, Mikhail, Sergei—all of them veterans who've been with me since before I became pakhan. I hate the idea of trusting anyone, but I have to trust them. They’ve proven themselves.
"Radimir has wanted your position since your father died," Ivan says, his voice hoarse from talking. "He believes it should have been his by right of age and experience. That you were too young, too American, too soft."
"And Bogdan?" I keep my voice neutral, though rage simmers beneath the surface.
"Your cousin has been planning this for over a year. The embezzlement scheme, framing Richard Quinn—all of it was designed to make you look weak. Incompetent. To give the elders reason to question your leadership."
The pieces fall into place with sickening clarity. "The evidence against Quinn was manufactured."
"All of it. Bogdan needed the money.”
“Needed?” I question, but I don’t expect Ivan to give me that answer.
Bogdan is a wealthy man. He doesn’t need anything.
He wants. He desires. That is a very dangerous motivator.
Ivan looks at me. I see the fear. “I don’t know.”
"Where’s the money?"
"Hidden in offshore accounts under Quinn's name. Bogdan planned to 'discover' it after Quinn's execution, proving to the elders that you'd been right to act.”
My hands curl into fists. Richard Quinn would have died for a crime he didn't commit, and I would have been the one to order his death. Hannah would have lost her father and never forgiven me.
Which was probably part of the plan too.
"Today's ambush," I say. "Was that supposed to kill Hannah or just scare her?"
"Kill her." Ivan's expression is grim. "And you, if possible. Radimir believed that with both of you dead, he could take control before the elders even knew what happened. He wanted to position himself as the strong leader needed in a time of crisis."
Ivan is singing. So much to say. Bogdan and Radimir were fools to let him know so much. And I’m going to capitalize on their foolishness.
I look at Alexei, who nods slightly. He's been thinking the same thing I have—we're running out of time. If Bogdan and Radimir were willing to move today, they must have contingency plans for when the ambush failed.
"How many men do they have?" I ask Ivan.
"Maybe twenty loyal to Bogdan directly. Another thirty who'll follow whoever's in power. Radimir can call on his own network—another forty or fifty. I was supposed to be the general."
He’s pouting. He wants me to provide him a position of equal rank in my organization.
"When will they move again?"
Ivan hesitates. "Soon. Maybe tonight."
“When were you supposed to report in?” I ask.
“They were going to be out of town,” he says.
So they could claim to have no knowledge. Claim they survived by sheer luck.
“And when were you supposed to report in?”
He swallows. “A few hours ago.”
Which means I don’t have much time before they figure out Hannah survived. That we thwarted their attack.
“Keep him alive,” I say to Alexei. “Then meet me upstairs.”
I check on Hannah and find her with Mila eating dinner. She knows where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. I don’t see fear in her eyes when I lean down to kiss her, then Mila.
“Are you going to eat with us, Dad?” Mila asks.
“I have work to do,” I tell her. “But eat your vegetables. I will try and tuck you in later.”
Hannah gazes up at me. “I’ll make you a plate.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in my office.”
She nods with understanding. “Me and Mila are going to watch a movie and then probably go to bed early.”
She’s keeping her busy, allowing me to do what needs to be done.
“I’ll be late,” I say.
“Take all the time you need.”
I want nothing more than to sit down and have dinner with them. I want to scoop them both up and run.
But it will never end if I don’t end it.
I gather my inner circle in my office which has been transformed into a war room of sorts. The estate's layout is spread across the table.
"We go defensive," I tell them. "Bogdan will come here because this is where Hannah and Mila are. He knows I won't leave them unprotected."
"We could evacuate them," Andre suggests. "Get them out of Chicago entirely."
"No." The word comes out harsh. "Running makes us look weak, and it splits our forces. We keep them here; in the most defensible position we have."
Alexei moves markers on the map, indicating guard positions. "We'll need three times normal security. Rotating shifts, overlapping coverage. No single point of failure."
"What about the perimeter?" Mikhail asks. "The walls are solid, but determined attackers could breach them with enough firepower."
"Then we make sure they never get close enough to try." I point to several spots on the map. "Motion sensors here and here. Sniper positions on the roof. We turn this place into a fortress."
"And if they get through anyway?" Sergei's question is practical, not defeatist.
"Then we have fallback positions." I trace escape routes on the map. "Hannah and Mila go to the panic room first. If that's compromised, there's a tunnel that leads to the garage. SUVs staged and ready."
"Who escorts them?"
"You do, Mikhail. And you, Sergei. Your only job is to keep them alive. If the estate falls, you get them out and you don't look back."
Both men nod, understanding the weight of the responsibility I'm placing on them.
"What about the council?" Alexei asks. "Do we contact them?"
I've been thinking about this since Ivan's confession. "I will, but I need to carefully ask questions. We don't know who Radimir has in his pocket.”
"And if they don't believe us?" Alexei asks.
"Then we fight anyway. But at least we'll have tried to follow protocol."
“When do you think they’ll come?” Mikhail asks.
"We have maybe twelve hours before Bogdan makes his move. Maybe less. If they know the hit wasn’t a success and Ivan is missing, they’re not going to wait around to see what comes next. My uncle is smart. He’ll suspect Ivan is talking. He’s going to try and finish the job before I can get to him.”
“Tonight?” Alexei asks.
“If I was them, that would be my move.”
The tension in the room amps up. It’s not a lot of time to prepare. I would have preferred days, but we have to be ready.
I look around the room. “I need everyone ready to defend this estate like your lives depend on it."
"Because they do," Alexei adds quietly.
"I'm not asking anyone to die for her," I say, making sure each man understands. "I'm telling you I will. Hannah and my daughter—they're my priority. If you're not willing to defend them with everything you have, leave now. No judgment, no consequences."
No one moves.
"Then we prepare for war."
The men disperse to their assignments, leaving me alone with Alexei.
"You should rest," I tell him. “It’s going to be a long night.”
"I'll rest when this is over." He doesn't look up from the weapon. "She's good for you, you know. Hannah. I've never seen you like this."
"Like what?"
"Like you have something to lose." He finally meets my eyes. "It makes you more dangerous, not less."
After the war room clears, I go to find Hannah. She's in the theater room with Mila. I quietly sit down beside Hannah and pull her hand into mine.
I’ve never thought of myself as an affectionate person. I didn’t do touching and feeling and all the emotions.
But with her, I hate when I can’t touch her. I need that connection as much as I need oxygen.
She leans over, her lips brushing against my ear. “All good?”
“Later.”
She squeezes my thigh and returns her attention to the movie.
I sit there, watching a talking dog save some kids. I know I should be out there preparing for war, but I can’t bring myself to leave. If I die tonight, I want to have this moment to carry me into the afterlife.
After the movie, we tuck Mila in and then go to our room.
“Tell me,” Hannah says. “I need to know.”
So I do.
She listens without interrupting, her face growing paler but her eyes staying clear. When I finish, she doesn't panic or cry or demand I send her away.
“Okay,” she nods.
“Hannah, I could get you and Mila out—”
“I'm staying."
"Hannah—"
"I'm staying," she repeats, stronger this time. "You can't ask me to run while you fight. Your cousin sees me as a weakness he can exploit." She steps closer, taking my hands. "But I'm not your weakness, Dante. I'm your reason to fight. Your reason to win."
The certainty in her voice, the absolute lack of fear, reminds me why I fell in love with her in the first place. She's not some fragile thing that needs to be protected from reality. She's a fighter, just like me.
"You're sure?" I ask.
"I've never been more sure of anything."
I kiss her then, deep and real, with no fear left between us. She kisses me back with equal fervor, and when we finally pull apart, I see my own determination reflected in her eyes.
I’m a lucky man.
"You're not my weakness," I agree. "You're my strength."
“Are you coming to bed?”
“Soon. Sleep. I’ll be in when I can.”
She kisses me again.
I pause before I leave the room and then go into the closet. I pull out one of the Glocks stashed away and put it on the nightstand.
She looks at me but says nothing.
She knows how to use it and after today, I know she can and she will.