Chapter 5 Ledger
LEDGER
Alexi is screaming.
The sound rips through the warehouse, high and raw. He’s seventeen, strapped to a chair in the middle of this hellhole, and Viktor Kozlov stands behind him with a knife.
“Your father thinks he’s untouchable,” Viktor says, pressing the blade to my son’s throat. “Let’s see how untouchable he feels when I send you back in pieces.”
Alexi’s face is swollen, and blood is dripping from cuts on his arms. They’ve had him for three days, and every hour that passed felt like drowning.
I move through Viktor’s men like they’re made of paper. Bullets, fists, breaking bones. I don’t stop until I reach my boy.
Viktor tries to run. He makes it to the door before I put a bullet in his knee.
The screaming starts then. His screaming, not Alexi’s.
I drag Viktor outside while Silas cuts Alexi free. The boy is sobbing, and I need to go to him, but first I need to finish this.
Viktor begs. They always beg.
I shoot him in the head and set his body on fire. Watch it burn until there’s nothing left but ash and bone.
When I get back inside, Alexi throws himself at me, shaking and broken. “Dad. Dad, I knew you’d come.”
“I’ll always come for you,” I tell him.
But even as I hold him, Viktor’s brother Dmitri is watching from the shadows, swearing an oath I don’t hear until it’s too late—
I wake up gasping.
The sheets are soaked through with sweat. My heart pounds like I’ve been running, and for a moment I’m still in that warehouse, still smelling burning flesh.
Then I remember. Vegas. The wedding. Savannah.
I reach across the bed.
Empty. Cold.
I sit up fast, scanning the suite. The bathroom light is off. No sound from the living room.
“Savannah?”
Silence answers me.
I check every room, already knowing what I’ll find. She’s gone. The only proof she was ever here is the marriage certificate on the nightstand and the wedding ring sitting next to it.
I grab my phone and call Pedro.
“Sir?” he answers immediately. It’s barely 9:00 AM.
“Did you see a woman leave? Dark hair, white dress.”
“Yes, sir. She got into a cab about five minutes ago.”
My grip on the phone tightens. “And you didn’t think to stop her?”
“I—” He hesitates. “I didn’t realize I was supposed to, sir. She seemed in a hurry, and I thought—”
“You thought wrong.” My voice drops to something cold and precise. “Get every man we have on this. I want her found. Check every hotel, every airport, every cab company. Find out where that driver took her.”
“Right away, sir.”
I hang up and finish getting dressed. The ring sits on the nightstand, mocking me. I pick it up and shove it deep in my pocket.
She married me. Laughed when she heard my name. Let me worship her body. Fell asleep in my arms.
Then she ran the second I closed my eyes.
My phone rings again. It’s Silas.
“Boss, Pedro filled me in. We’re on it.”
“I want results in an hour.”
“Boss, Vegas is—”
“I don’t care how big Vegas is. Find her.”
I spend the morning watching the city get torn apart, looking for one woman.
My men check every casino, every hotel lobby, every flight that left after 6:00 AM.
They bribe desk clerks, security guards, and cab dispatchers.
By noon, I know she’s gone and has left Vegas entirely, probably on the first flight out.
The smart move would be to let her go. Write it off as a drunken mistake and move on. But I’ve never been good at letting go of what’s mine.
And she’s mine now. The certificate and the ring in my pocket serve as proof.
After my meeting, I get on my plane and head home.
My penthouse is quiet when I walk in that evening. Alexi is sprawled on my office couch, scrolling through his phone. When he sees me, his face lights up.
“There’s my old man!” He jumps up and pulls his arm around my shoulder. “Missed you, Dad. How was Vegas?”
For a second, holding my son, I feel the nightmare fade. He’s solid and alive and whole. Not the broken kid from five years ago.
We’ve always looked alike. Same dark hair, same build. And now that he’s grown, the resemblance is even stronger. Sometimes I look at him and see myself at that age—cocky and fearless and stupid enough to think nothing could touch us.
Then I remember Viktor’s knife at his throat and how that fearlessness almost got him killed.
“Vegas was fine,” I say, pulling back. “How’s school?”
“Boring as hell.” He grins, that smile that means he wants something. He’s always been like this—turns on the charm when he needs a favor. “But I’ve been good. Mostly. Came by to see if you wanted to grab dinner.”
I move to my desk and pull up my phone. There are six texts with updates on the search.
All of them say the same thing—nothing.
“Can’t tonight. I’m busy.”
“Busy with what?” Alexi leans against the desk. “You’ve got the whole team running around like their hair’s on fire. Who are they looking for?”
I don’t look up. “My wife.”
Silence.
Then: “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“No, I really don’t think I did.” His voice goes up. “Did you just say your wife?”
I pour myself a drink. “Leave me alone, Alexi. Take the car if you want it.”
“No. No, no, no.” He’s in front of me now, blocking my path. “I’m serious. What do you mean, your wife? Since when do you have a wife?”
“Since yesterday.”
His jaw drops. “Dad, what the hell?”
“I met her on the plane to Vegas. We got married. She left. Now I’m looking for her.” I down the whiskey and pour another. “That’s it. That’s the story.”
“That’s it?” He’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You met someone on a plane and married them? You? The man who runs background checks on people who want to date me? You married a stranger?”
“It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
“Oh my God.” He runs both hands through his hair, pacing.
“This is insane. This is—Dad, I once drove your Aston Martin through a fountain at two AM. I got arrested for public urination at a charity gala. I accidentally set fire to the pool house trying to impress a girl. None of that compares to this. This is next-level crazy.”
Despite everything, I almost smile. “Are you done?”
“No! I’m not done!” But he’s laughing now, the shock giving way to something like amusement. “What’s her name?”
“Savannah Castellanos.”
“And she just…left? Why?”
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be tearing apart every database in the country trying to find her.”
Alexi goes quiet, studying my face. Then his expression softens. “You’re in love with her.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You are. Holy shit. Dad’s in love.” He sits down, looking dazed. “What’s she like?”
I think about her laugh. Her smile. The way she kissed.
“She’s smart. Funny. Doesn’t take herself too seriously. Her mother just died, she caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and she won a plane ticket to Vegas.” I swirl the whiskey in my glass. “She’s been through so much, honestly.”
“So,” Alexi says carefully, “she got scared and ran.”
“Scared of what?”
“You, maybe? You’re not exactly normal boyfriend material, Dad. You’re a—” He glances around even though we’re alone. “You know what you are.”
Yeah. I do.
“She doesn’t know that about me.”
“I’ll find her,” Alexi says. “I’ll help. We’ll find her.”
“There are hundreds of Savannah Castellanos. She has no social media, no online presence. She’s a ghost.”
“Then we’ll check them all.” He stands up, determined. “She’s my stepmom after all. We need to find her.”
I look at my son—this kid I’d burn the world for—and nod. “Thank you.”
“That’s what family does.” He heads for the door, then pauses. “For what it’s worth? I hope she’s worth all this trouble.”
“She is.”
After he leaves, I turn back to my computer and the endless list of dead ends.
The next morning, I have a problem that needs handling.
His name is Anton, and he thinks he can skim product from my distribution network without consequences.
The meeting is in a warehouse on the docks. Anton is already sweating when I walk in, flanked by Silas and four of my best men.
“Mr. Volkov.” He tries for confidence and fails. “I can explain.”
I sit in the chair they’ve set up for me. “Yes, please go on and explain how you’ve been stealing from me for three months.”
“It wasn’t—I was going to pay you back—”
“With what? The money you’ve already spent?” I lean back, casually. “You have a wife, Anton. Three kids. Nice house in Brooklyn. I know where they are right now and what they’re doing. I know your daughter has soccer practice at four PM.”
His face goes white. “Please. Please, I’ll do anything—”
“You’ll do nothing.” I stand and walk toward him. “You’ll disappear. Tonight. Leave the city. Leave the state. If I ever see your face again, if I ever hear your name, I’ll finish what I started. And I won’t stop with you. Do you understand?”
He’s nodding frantically. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”
“Good.” I turn to Silas. “Make sure he gets the message.”
What happens next isn’t pleasant. I don’t watch. I’ve seen enough violence in my life, but I hear it. I hear Anton screaming and begging, while Silas explains in graphic detail what will happen if he ever shows his face again.
By the time it’s over, Anton is sobbing and broken and will never cross me again.
This is who I am. This is what I do. And somewhere out there is a woman who married me without knowing any of it.
The rest of the day is legitimate business. Hotel acquisitions, real estate deals, tech company investments. I built an empire that looks clean on the surface, and most days I can almost pretend that’s all it is.
But underneath? Underneath is the Bratva. The network of criminals, dealers, and enforcers who keep the machine running. The part of my life that got my son tortured and will probably get me killed someday.
The part I can never let Savannah see.
If I find her. When I find her.
Three weeks pass like this. Days bleeding into each other, all the same routine. I handle the legitimate business. Handle the criminal business. Come home to an empty penthouse and wonder where my wife is sleeping.
Alexi helps when he can. He checks social media, tracks down leads, and even flies to Chicago to look into her background. We find her old workplace, her mother’s house, which is empty, and her ex-boyfriend, who posts angry rants about women online.
But no Savannah.
It’s driving me insane.
I’m in a meeting with hotel investors when Silas texts me: Found her.
I’m out of my chair before I can think. “Gentlemen, excuse me. I have an emergency.” In my office, I call him immediately. “Talk to me.”
“Savannah Castellanos. Twenty-five years old, just started working at Kryla Holdings two weeks ago. Marketing department.”
I pause. “Say that again.”
“Kryla Holdings. Your company. Well, technically—”
“I know what I own.” I’m laughing now. “She’s been here the whole time?”
“Looks like it. Just started. I’m sending you her file now.”
The email arrives, and I open it. There she is. I’m looking at her employee photo, professional and serious. Hair pulled back, wearing a blouse that hides everything I know is underneath.
Savannah Castellanos. My wife. Working for me and completely unaware.
“What do you want me to do, boss?”
“Nothing. I’ll handle this.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
I hang up and stare at her photo. She’s been in my building the whole time.
I pull the wedding ring from my desk drawer, spin it between my fingers.
“Found you, princess,” I say to the empty office.