28. Erik
ERIK
“ T wo weeks.” I pace the length of Nikolai's office, my hands clenched behind my back. “The wedding is in two weeks, and no one has seen her leave that compound since the exchange.”
Dmitri shifts in his chair. “Igor's locked her down tight. My contacts in the Lebedev organization say she hasn't even appeared at windows.”
“She could be dead for all we know.” The words taste like acid.
“She's not dead.” Alexi's fingers fly across his laptop keyboard. “Dead daughters can't marry into strategic alliances. Igor needs her breathing for this to work.”
Nikolai spreads architectural blueprints across his desk. “The Lebedev estate has been fortified since our last intel update. Motion sensors, thermal cameras, doubled guard rotations.”
“Then we go through them.” I stop pacing, my focus sharpening. “How many men?”
“Forty-six on the grounds at any given time.” Dmitri's voice carries the weight of military assessment. “Plus household staff that could be armed. We'd be looking at a small war.”
“So we have a war.”
“Erik.” Nikolai's tone cuts through my rage. “A frontal assault gets Katarina killed. Igor would put a bullet in her head the moment he realized we were breaching his defenses.”
My jaw clenches. “Then what do you suggest?”
Alexi spins his laptop around, showing thermal imaging of the estate. “Here. Service entrance on the east wing. Delivery trucks arrive every Tuesday and Friday to deliver to the kitchen. Minimal security because it's considered low-risk.”
“I can disable their surveillance systems.” His fingers dance across the keys again. “Give us a thirty-minute window before they realize something's wrong.”
Dmitri leans forward, studying the blueprints. “Katarina's room is here, third floor, northeast corner. The same room she had as a child, according to our intel.”
“How do we know she's actually there?” I ask.
“Because Igor's traditional. Unmarried daughters stay in the family wing under supervision.” Nikolai traces a route on the blueprints. “If we're right about the timeline, the wedding is next Saturday. That gives us one chance.”
“This Friday's delivery truck.” Alexi taps the screen. “I will hack their systems Thursday night, and then we infiltrate Friday morning during the regular supply run.”
“And if we're wrong about her location?”
Dmitri's expression hardens. “Then we tear the place apart until we find her.”
I study the blueprints, memorizing every corridor and exit. “What about extraction?”
“Same route in reverse. Alexi keeps their systems blind. We're out before they realize what happened.” Nikolai rolls up the blueprints. “Clean, surgical, minimal casualties.”
“The Petrovs will retaliate.”
“Let them try.” Nikolai's smile carries no warmth. “Igor chose sides when he forced this marriage. Anton Petrov chose sides when he agreed to it.”
Alexi closes his laptop. “I'll need three days to map their entire network. More time would be better, but?—”
“Three days is what we have.” I turn to face my brothers. “Any objections to declaring war on two families for one woman?”
Dmitri shrugs. “Wouldn't be the first time an Ivanov started a war over love.”
“This isn't about love.”
“No?” Nikolai arches an eyebrow. “Then what's it about?”
I meet his gaze steadily. “It's about taking what's mine.”
The silence that follows my declaration stretches too long. My brothers exchange glances—the kind of wordless communication that comes from decades of shared violence and shared secrets.
“Right.” Dmitri's voice carries a note I don't like. “Taking what's yours.”
I turn back to the window, watching the city sprawl below us. The glass reflects my face, and I see something there that makes my chest tighten. Something that looks too much like the desperation I've watched consume other men.
“The Petrov alliance strengthens Igor's position significantly.” I maintain an analytical voice. “Removing Katarina from the equation destabilizes that.”
“Strategic thinking.” Alexi's tone is carefully neutral. “Very logical.”
“It is logical.” I spin around, facing them again. “Katarina's cybersecurity expertise makes her valuable. Her company's tech could be weaponized against us if it falls into Petrov's hands.”
Nikolai nods. “And her personal knowledge of our compound security.”
“Exactly.” The words come easier now, building momentum. “She's seen our defensive capabilities, our routines. That intelligence can't be allowed to transfer to hostile parties.”
“Of course not.” Dmitri stands, moving to pour himself a drink. “Professional concerns only.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing at all.” He takes a sip of whiskey. “Just admiring your commitment to family security.”
“My commitment has never been in question.”
“No, it hasn't.” Nikolai's voice cuts through the growing tension. “Which is why we'll support this operation.”
I study their faces, searching for signs of doubt or mockery. Instead, I find something worse—understanding. The same look Nikolai wore when he was hunting Sofia. The same desperate edge Dmitri carried during his pursuit of Natasha.
“Whatever you're thinking. This is tactical. Katarina represents a security risk and a strategic asset. Nothing more.”
“Right.” Dmitri sets down his glass. “That's why you haven't slept since she left.”
“I've slept.”
Alexi rolls his eyes. “That's why you've been checking her old room every night.”
“I check all secure areas.”
Dmitri clears his throat. “That's why you destroyed three punching bags in two weeks.”
My hands curl into fists. “Equipment maintenance.”
Nikolai stands, straightening his jacket. “Whatever your motivations, we have work to do. Three days to plan an extraction that doesn't start a war we can't win.”
The meeting dissolves around me, but I remain at the window. Below, the city pulses with life—people moving through their ordinary existences, unaware that somewhere, the woman I've fallen for is being prepared for a future that will destroy us both if I allow it.