Chapter 12 - Fyodor
“Lock it down.”
The command was quietly given because it didn’t need to be any louder than that. Viktor Petrov nodded once from across the conference table. Former Spetsnaz. Head of internal security. He understood economy, in words, in violence, and especially in mistakes.
“To what degree?” he asked.
“Full perimeter sweep every six hours. Rotate exterior teams irregularly. No patterns.”
Mikhail Orlov, who handled surveillance and digital intelligence, tapped a tablet and projected feeds onto the wall screen. I watched as dots moved across a city grid.
“Chernykh assets increased movement in Brickell and the Port,” he said. “Two black SUVs tailed our supply route yesterday. I think they are onto us and will go to any lengths to find out more.”
“They were allowed to go after us,” I replied.
Viktor’s gaze sharpened slightly. “So you wanted them to see?”
“Yes.”
Confusion flickered briefly across Mikhail and Viktor’s faces, and I leaned back a little further in my chair. I knew I was not making much sense to either of them, but this was my decision in the end. I knew exactly what I was doing, even though it looked like a death trap on the surface.
“They need confirmation,” I continued. “And I want them to know that Elisse is alive, untouched, and unharmed. That will keep them at ease and will keep them pursuing Elisse.”
“And if their pursuit escalates into a war-like scenario?” Viktor asked.
“It will. Undoubtedly. ”
“Do you think they will go ahead and do it publicly?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“You are right. They’ll probe first like they are doing already,” Mikhail added. “It seems as if they are testing response time and their own limits of how far they can go without it being too far in the name of a public declaration of war.”
“Good,” I said as two pairs of eyes fixed on me.
“We will not hide,” I clarified. “We will only reinforce our own security. I want them to feel they are onto us, and I want them to know whatever it is they need to know simultaneously. However, I do not want them to be able to reach us in any way possible. Not until the very end at least.”
“And what about Kliment?” Viktor asked carefully.
“He’s been informed.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
I met his gaze.
“Kliment does not dictate this operation; I do.”
Silence settled over the table, and they all understood exactly what that meant. This was mine and mine alone, and I was not going to sit down and take orders from others when it came to it. The teams were mine, and the intelligence was mine too, hence the decisions were going to be mine as well.
“Elisse Romanov remains in the penthouse and will remain here,” I said deliberately, using her new name with precision. “Which means security is to be increased without making it visible. She is not to feel like a hostage, but she should not be able to get out, and no one should be able to get in.”
Viktor’s jaw flexed faintly. “From what I can tell, she already feels like a hostage here, and you cannot blame her for that, Fyodor.”
“I am aware of how and what my wife feels, Viktor. I don’t need you to tell me that.”
“Do we restrict her movements any further?”
“No.”
“Phone?”
“Still secured.”
Mikhail hesitated. “If Chernykhs trace her signal loss, they’ll assume coercion.”
“They already assume it.”
“Then why not just restore it and let it be?”
“Because timing matters, and it is too soon right now.”
The room went quiet again.
“We push controlled leaks,” I continued.
“But we will do it discreetly and only through channels we know that they monitor. I want them to have a wedding confirmation and, if necessary, any legal documentation pertaining to it. In fact, let’s push forward some photographic proof as well if necessary.
Mikhail nodded slowly. “You want them angry, but not desperate to know if she is safe and alive. Are we trying to frame it as she is here out of her own will, because that can be done as well?”
“Yes and no. I don’t care what they think; let them come to their own conclusions regarding the matter. We must only focus on the news getting to them.”
“And if they come here directly? The Chernykhs are strong people with a lot of contacts. I am sure they will have your location soon enough,” Viktor asked.
“Then they can come here directly for all I care.”
Viktor’s eyes darkened slightly.
“You’re prepared for fallout.”
“Yes.”
“And her?”
I didn’t answer immediately; a part of me didn't know what to say. The bratva strategist inside me was prepared for anything at all times, but I was more than just a bratva strategist when it came to Elisse. I did not want her to go against me, even though I knew she already was against me, and I didn’t blame her for it.
“She is not a variable,” I said finally while Viktor studied me.
“Yes, she is. She is the biggest variable in this whole situation, and you know that damned well, Romanov.”
“No,” I corrected. “She is the constant. She won’t be going anywhere.”
The room absorbed that, and Mikhail cleared his throat.
It was rather strange how everyone knew the most intimate details about my marriage, but that was what happened when you forced a woman to marry you and stay in your penthouse as your hostage.
Of course, everyone could see she didn’t want to be here. Even Anya knew.
“We also noticed an activity spike near the marina last night,” Mikhail said. “This could be seen as Iosif’s signature move.”
Of course it was. Iosif Chernykh did not do subtle, and he would do anything to get his sister back.
The moment he got confirmation that she was with a Romanov, and more importantly, she was married to a Romanov, he would lose all sense of propriety and patience and go all out.
That was exactly what I was waiting for as well.
“Let him circle,” I said. “They won’t strike until they gain further clarity about the matter.”
My men exchanged glances at my words, nodding. We had only been in Miami for a few months, but my team and I had done ample research on every powerful bratva family present in the area. I knew exactly how each one of them operated, what assets they possessed, and what lengths they could go to.
“In that case, I believe we’re anticipating escalation within seventy-two hours,” Mikhail said.
“Sounds good.”
“Should we relocate?”
“No.”
Viktor’s brows lowered slightly. “You’re inviting confrontation inside your own house, and I am not sure that is exactly a good idea, Fyodor.”
“I’m controlling the battlefield.”
There was a difference, and I knew they saw it. Relocation implied fear, and fear invited aggression. I was not going to let either of those things rule my decisions when it came to this matter. I had to be careful about everything.
“You married her,” Viktor said bluntly. “That wasn’t tactical protocol in the first place, and now you are giving the Chernykhs proof and reasoning to come after you. What if Kliment counters this?”
“He won’t.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes.”
I knew this because I knew Kliment. He would never publicly oppose it without admitting a fracture, and he knew that a fracture between brothers implied weakness to both your own men and the enemy. Kliment was smarter than that, and he would not go against me in front of anyone.
The meeting continued for another hour as we discussed routes, fail-safes, contingency planning, and evacuation corridors that would never be used unless everything collapsed.
When it ended, the men filed out one by one except Viktor, who lingered at the back as if he wanted to say something before taking off.
Viktor had been attached to the Romanovs for years now and was one of our most loyal people.
“You seem very calm for someone who has staked a great deal of everything into this,” he said.
“I am.”
He held my gaze for several seconds as if he was trying to understand me while I stayed silent.
He nodded once and finally left, and the penthouse fell quiet again.
But it was no longer just glass and polished floors; I had turned it into a command center.
Surveillance monitors flickered in the study, and secure lines hummed faintly beneath the surface of normalcy.
But the only thing that mattered was that in the center of it all, Elisse moved like a storm waiting to happen.
I walked out of the study and found her near the windows in the living room, standing barefoot on the cold, marbled floors.
To my surprise, she was wearing one of my shirts, which was a little too big on her and fell mid-thigh.
Her hair was loose and wild, and she was staring down at the city like she was memorizing exits in a world that was now allowing her to escape. She didn’t turn when I approached.
“You’ve increased security,” she said, making me realize how she noticed everything, no matter how much I tried to contain it from her.
“Yes.”
“I noticed.”
“I’m aware.”
She crossed her arms and finally turned around.
“So I gather my brothers are beginning to circle around us?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re just waiting for them to come?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes were sharper now than they had been days ago and a little less raw and a little more calculating. I kept staring, unsure of what she was thinking. Elisse knew exactly when to shut off her emotions and when to reveal them.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“No.”
“Why? It seems to me as if you thrive in tension.”
“I do. But that doesn’t mean I love it.”
Her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“You don’t look worried.”
“I’m not.”
“You should be.”
“I’ve considered the variables.”
“You need to stop treating this like a chessboard.”
“It is one. Everything in life is a chessboard if you simply let it be.”
Her gaze flared.
“I’m not some piece of chess that you can play around with.”
“You’re not, Elisse, and you know I am not playing with you.”
“Then what am I, Fyodor?”
I held her gaze.
“You are mine.”