Chapter 34 Cassian
CASSIAN
Aurelia thinks I should die.
The thought won’t leave me alone. Sits in my head on repeat while I drive back to the office. While I pour myself a drink I don’t want. While I stare out the windows at the city and try to process what she actually said.
Better than making them grow up dead.
Like I’m the liability. The threat. The problem that needs to be removed so everyone else can be safe.
Six years I searched for her. Six years of not knowing if she was alive or dead or suffering.
And when I finally found her, when I finally got my sons back, she tells me they’d be better off without me.
I down the whiskey and pour another.
My phone buzzes. Declan.
“What?”
“You sound angry.”
“I am angry.”
“What happened?”
“Aurelia thinks I should turn myself over to the Petrovs. Let them kill me so the boys will be safe.”
Silence on the other end.
“Declan.”
“I’m trying to figure out what to say to that.”
“Don’t. There’s nothing to say.”
“Did she actually suggest you sacrifice yourself?”
“Word for word. Said it would end the threat before it touches our sons.”
“And you said?”
“That I’m not going anywhere. That they need their father.”
“How’d she take it?”
“Badly. I left before I said things I couldn’t take back.”
More silence. Then Declan says carefully, “She’s scared.”
“I know she’s scared. We’re all scared. But suggesting I die isn’t a solution.”
“She’s not thinking clearly. The Petrovs are active again and she’s remembering what happened six years ago. She watched you kill Dmitri. Watched the violence. Now her sons are targets because of it.”
“Our sons.”
“Your sons. And she’s terrified of losing them.”
“So am I. But I’m not asking anyone to die for it.”
“No. You’re just planning to kill every Petrov in the city.”
He’s not wrong.
I set down my glass. “What’s the update on surveillance?”
“Three more sightings today. Different locations. They’re expanding their coverage.”
“Looking for patterns.”
“And weaknesses. They know you visit the Vance estate regularly now. Know the boys live there. Know the security setup.”
“How much do they know?”
“Enough to be dangerous. Not enough to move yet.”
“When do you think they’ll strike?”
“Soon. They’ve been patient for six years but the surveillance suggests they’re in the planning phase. Weeks, maybe. Not months.”
I walk to my desk and pull up the security feeds. Multiple angles of the Vance estate. Cars passing by. People walking. Nothing obvious, but I know they’re out there somewhere. Watching. Waiting.
“Double the perimeter guards,” I say. “I want eyes on every approach. And get me aerial surveillance. Drones if we have to. I want to see anyone coming before they get close.”
“That’s going to be expensive.”
“I don’t care what it costs.”
“And if Aurelia finds out you’re running drones over the estate?”
“She’ll be angry. But she’ll be alive to be angry.”
Declan doesn’t argue. Just says he’ll make it happen and hangs up.
I sit at my desk and pull up the file we’ve been building on the Petrovs. Leadership structure. Known associates. Properties they own or control. Patterns of operation.
Dmitri’s uncle took over after his death. Viktor Petrov. More ruthless than Dmitri was. Less interested in making noise and more interested in making examples. If he’s planning revenge, it won’t be quick. It’ll be calculated. Personal. Designed to hurt as much as possible before the killing blow.
My phone rings again. Unknown number.
I almost don’t answer. Then instinct makes me pick up.
“Cassian Rourke.”
“Mr. Rourke.” The voice is male, accented, unfamiliar. “We need to talk.”
“Who is this?”
“Someone who knows what you did six years ago. And who wants to discuss repayment.”
My blood goes cold. “I’m listening.”
“Not on the phone. Meet me tomorrow. Noon. The warehouse district on the west side. Come alone.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then the people you care about most will pay the price you’ve been avoiding.”
The line goes dead.
I sit frozen for three seconds. Then I’m dialing Declan.
He answers immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“Trace the last call to my phone. Now.”
“On it. What happened?”
“The Petrovs just made contact.”
“What did they say?”
“They want a meeting. Tomorrow. Alone.”
“That’s a trap.”
“Obviously.”
“So you’re not going.”
I don’t answer.
“Cass. Tell me you’re not stupid enough to walk into an obvious trap.”
“They threatened the boys.”
“They’re bluffing. Trying to draw you out.”
“And if they’re not bluffing?”
“Then we handle it the smart way. Not by giving them exactly what they want.”
My other line beeps. Julian calling.
“I have to go,” I tell Declan. “Keep tracing that number.”
I switch over. “Julian.”
“We need to talk about the argument you had with my sister.”
“Not now.”
“Yes, now. She’s upstairs crying and the boys are asking why Mam is sad.”
Guilt hits hard. “I didn’t mean to upset her.”
“But you did. And now we have two problems instead of one. The Petrovs and whatever the hell is happening between you two.”
“She told me to turn myself over to them. What was I supposed to say?”
“That you understand she’s terrified. That you’re not going to abandon your family. That you’ll figure this out together.”
“I said most of that.”
“Before or after you walked out?”
I don’t answer.
Julian sighs. “Listen. I don’t like you. I barely trust you. But the boys need both of you. So whatever this is, fix it. Before the Petrovs make everything worse.” He hangs up.
I sit alone in my office with two phone calls weighing on me. The Petrovs want a meeting. Want to lure me out. Want to kill me for what I did six years ago. And Aurelia’s at the estate crying because I walked out instead of fixing things between us.
The smart move is to ignore the Petrov meeting. Let them show their hand. Wait for them to make a move I can counter. But they threatened my sons. And I can’t let that stand.
I call Declan back. “Tell me you traced it.”
“Burner phone. Last pinged a cell tower near the warehouse district. Went dead immediately after the call.”
“So they’re already there. Waiting to see if I’ll show.”
“You’re not seriously considering this.”
“They threatened my family.”
“So end them. But not by walking into their trap.”
“What if I can end this tomorrow? One meeting. One conversation. Figure out what they actually want and negotiate from there.”
“They want you dead, Cass. That’s what they want. Everything else is just theater to make it happen.”
He’s probably right. But I can’t shake the feeling that if I don’t go, they’ll escalate. They’ll move from surveillance to action. They’ll go after the boys to hurt me.
“Set up a team,” I say. “Snipers on the surrounding buildings. Eyes in the air. Close support within two blocks. If this goes sideways, I want overwhelming force ready to move.”
“You’re really doing this.”
“I’m ending this. One way or another.”
“And if it’s a suicide mission?”
“Then make sure the boys know I died protecting them. Not running from my mistakes.”
Declan’s quiet for a long moment. Then: “I’ll have the team ready by morning.”
He hangs up and I’m alone again.
I should call Aurelia. Should apologize for walking out. Should tell her I understand she’s scared and I’m scared too but we have to face this together. Instead I pull up the security feeds and watch the estate. The boys’ bedroom window is dark. They’re asleep. Aurelia’s light is still on.
I watch her shadow move across the curtains and wonder if she’s thinking about me. If she regrets what she said. If she understands that I can’t just turn myself over and die because she’s scared.
My phone buzzes. Text from Julian: She wants to talk to you. Call her.
I stare at the message. Then I dial her number.
She answers on the first ring. “Cassian.”
“I’m sorry. For walking out. For not handling that better.”
“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean what I said. About you turning yourself over.”
“Yes, you did. You meant it in the moment. Because you’re terrified.”
“I am terrified.”
“So am I. But dying isn’t the answer.”
“Then what is?”
“Ending this. Before they get close enough to hurt anyone.”
“How?”
I hesitate. I don’t want to tell her about tomorrow’s meeting, don’t want to give her another reason to be scared. But she deserves the truth.
“They called me tonight. Want to meet tomorrow.”
Her breath catches. “And you’re going?”
“Yes.”
“That’s insane.”
“It’s necessary.”
“You’ll be walking into a trap.”
“I’ll be ending a threat to our family.”
“Or you’ll be getting yourself killed and making me raise those boys alone again!”
“I’m not going alone. Declan’s setting up support. Snipers, surveillance, backup within range. If anything goes wrong, I’ll have people ready to move.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“It’s what we have.”
She’s quiet for a long time. Then: “Promise me you’ll come back.”
“Aurelia—”
“Promise me. The boys just got their father. They can’t lose you now.”
“I promise I’ll do everything possible to come back to them.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It’s the truth.”
More silence. Then she says quietly, “I need you. They need you. Please don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t.”
But we both know I’m lying. The meeting tomorrow is stupid. Reckless. Exactly the type of move that gets people killed. But it’s also the only way to draw the Petrovs out. To force them into the open where I can end this before they hurt my family.
“Get some sleep,” I tell her. “I’ll call you tomorrow after it’s done.”
“Cassian—”
“I love you.”
The words come out before I can stop them.
She goes completely silent.
I hang up before she can respond, then sit there staring at my phone and wondering what the hell I just did. Three words I’ve never said to anyone except my mother. Three words that change everything.
And I said them the night before I might die.
I pour another drink and try not to think about what happens if I don’t make it back from tomorrow’s meeting. About Aurelia raising the boys alone. About them growing up without their father. About everything I’ll miss if the Petrovs get what they want.
But I can’t let fear stop me. The boys need me to end this threat. And I will. Even if it kills me.