Chapter 20 #2
The expense is manageable, and the peace of mind would be invaluable. “Set up a meeting.”
“I’ve scheduled one for next week. They’ll conduct a full security assessment of any properties you plan to use, recommend personnel, and develop protocols for your family’s protection.”
I nod, making notes about timing and logistics. “What else?”
Once more, he consults his tablet. “Legal documentation. We need to ensure everything we’re doing is properly structured to avoid future complications. I recommend bringing in a specialist who handles high-level asset protection and international business law.”
“Someone clean?”
He nods. “Completely. No connections to anything questionable. I know a firm in New York that handles this kind of work for Fortune 500 executives and foreign nationals. They’ll ask minimal questions and provide maximum protection.”
The thoroughness of Maksim’s planning impresses me, though it also highlights just how complex this process will be. “What’s the timeline for legal documentation?”
He seems to be calculating before he answers. “Sixty days to set up the basic structure, plus another six months to complete all transfers and establish full legal protection for your assets and family.”
I study the folder again, noting the careful attention to detail in every projection and recommendation. “You’ve put a lot of work into this.”
He shrugs. “I want to make sure you can actually walk away when the time comes with no loose ends, no unfinished business, and no reasons for anyone to come looking for you.”
The simple statement encapsulates years of loyalty and friendship.
Maksim isn’t just helping me plan an exit strategy.
He’s ensuring that I can build the life I want for my family without constantly looking over my shoulder.
He and I both know I have to deal with Vadim before I can fully escape though.
He shifts in his chair. “What about Sabrina? Are you planning to tell her about this?”
The question hits a nerve, and I wince slightly. “Not yet. I want the groundwork laid and the path secured before I make promises I might not be able to keep.”
He nods like he approves of that strategy. “She’s going to figure it out eventually. The woman isn’t stupid.”
“I know, but I also know she’s still nervous. She glances over her shoulder sometimes like she’s expecting threats to materialize out of thin air.” The observation comes out rougher than I intended. “I never want her to feel that way again, especially when our daughter arrives.”
“So, you’re going to keep her in the dark while you dismantle your entire life?” He sounds skeptical.
I frown at him. “No. I’m going to protect her from worry she doesn’t need to carry.
” I close the financial reports and stack them neatly.
“She’s finally starting to relax and starting to believe we might have a future together.
I won’t jeopardize that by burdening her with details about exit strategies and succession planning. ”
Maksim studies my face carefully. “You love her.”
The statement isn’t quite a question but demands an answer, nonetheless. I could deflect or point out that love is a luxury I can’t afford in my position but sitting here with my daughter’s ultrasound photo watching over us, the lie won’t come. “Yes.”
“Does she know?”
“I haven’t told her.” The admission feels like confessing weakness. “I’m not sure she’s ready to hear it, and I’m not sure I’m ready to say it.”
He seems like he might smile for a moment. “But you’re willing to give up everything for her.”
I give him a repressive look. “I’m willing to give up everything for them and the family we’re building together.
” I pick up the ultrasound photo again, tracing the outline of our daughter’s profile with my finger.
“Love isn’t just about words, Maksim. It’s about choices, and I choose them over everything else. ”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing.”
I smile briefly. “That’s worth a lot more than you might believe, Maksim.”
That night, after dinner and a movie that Sabrina picked—some romantic comedy that would normally make me reach for my phone—I actually pay attention to the story. Not because the plot is particularly compelling, but because watching Sabrina react to it is fascinating.
She laughs at the funny parts, rolls her eyes at the ridiculous romantic gestures, and tears up during the emotional scenes in a way that makes my chest ache with tenderness.
Somewhere during the second act, she curls up against my side, her head finding the spot between my shoulder and chest that seems designed for her.
“This is nice,” she whispers sleepily, resting her hand on the curve of her belly.
“What is?”
“This. Being normal. Watching terrible movies and eating too much popcorn and not thinking about anything complicated.”
I press a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. “You deserve normal.”
“We deserve normal,” she corrects, and the way she includes me in that statement does something to my chest I don’t want to examine too closely.
By the time the credits roll, she’s asleep against me, breathing deeply in a way that tells me she feels safe.
I should wake her to suggest we move to the bedroom, where she’ll be more comfortable.
Instead, I reach for my phone and send a carefully worded text to Maksim that commits to the plan we’ve designed: Start liquidating non-essential assets. Move offshore accounts to secure locations. Timeline is 6 months max.
His response comes within minutes: Understood. Will have preliminary plans ready by tomorrow.
I set aside the phone and settle back into the couch, careful not to disturb Sabrina’s peaceful sleep. Tomorrow I’ll begin the process of systematically destroying everything I’ve spent years building. I’ll make enemies of former allies and burn bridges that can never be rebuilt.
Tonight, holding the woman I love, and the child we created together, I can’t bring myself to regret any of it. Some things are worth burning the world down for, and my family is at the top of that very short list.
These will be my final months in the Bratva . Once Vadim is eliminated and the immediate threats are neutralized, I want nothing left of this life to return to—no territory to reclaim, no operations to restart, and no reason for anyone to come looking for the man I used to be.
I’ll become someone new, who’s worthy of the family I’m determined to protect, and can teach his daughter about honor and loyalty without having to explain why those lessons came written in blood.
The transformation won’t be easy, and it won’t be without cost, but as I watch Sabrina sleep, one hand unconsciously protective over our child, it’s the only choice with which I can live.
My daughter will never know the sound of gunfire. She’ll never see her father’s hands stained with blood. She’ll grow up believing the world is fundamentally good because I’ll make sure the darkness never touches her. That’s a promise I intend to keep, no matter what it costs me.