Chapter 20
DIMITRI
Istep into the hallway and pull the door closed behind me, leaving Alina to dress. The warmth of her body still clings to my skin, and part of me wants nothing more than to crawl back into that bed and lose myself in her again. But that luxury will have to wait.
"Show me," I say, keeping my voice low.
Alexi pulls out his tablet and brings up a satellite image. "Here. The Popov safehouse on the eastern edge of the city. It's one of Viktor's backup locations, used for… sensitive operations."
I study the image, my tactical mind already working through the problems. The compound sits on two acres, surrounded by a twelve-foot wall topped with security cameras.
The main house is a two-story structure with reinforced windows.
Two guard posts flank the main gate, and I can see at least six men patrolling the perimeter in the infrared overlay.
"How many inside?" I ask.
"Best estimate? Twenty guards, maybe more. Viktor's pulled in soldiers from his other operations. He's expecting us to come for her."
Of course he is. Viktor knows his daughter well enough to predict she'd ask for Katya's safety. He's using the girl as bait, hoping to draw us into a trap.
"Weapons?" I ask.
"Automatic rifles, handguns. Possibly explosives.
The compound has a panic room in the basement where they're likely keeping Katya.
" Alexei zooms in on the building's blueprint.
"Reinforced steel door, separate ventilation system.
If they lock her in there during an assault, we'd need cutting equipment to get through. "
I run my hand over my jaw. A direct assault is exactly what Viktor wants. He'll have his men ready, positioned to cut us down the moment we breach the walls. And if we do manage to fight our way in, he'll either kill Katya out of spite or use her as a human shield.
"There has to be another way," I mutter.
The bedroom door opens, and Alina emerges. She's changed into jeans and a dark sweater, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her face is pale, but her green eyes are sharp, focused. My wife. The word still feels strange in my mind, but not unwelcome.
She moves to my side and looks at the tablet screen. "That's where they're keeping her?"
"Yes." I watch her face as she studies the compound, seeing the fear and determination warring in her expression. "It's heavily fortified. Viktor's expecting us."
"Then we don't give him what he expects." She looks up at me, and I see the same steel I witnessed when she pulled a gun on me in the guest room. "We negotiate. I call him, tell him I want to make a deal."
"Absolutely not." The words come out harsher than I intend. "You're not going anywhere near that compound."
"She's my sister, Dimitri." Her voice is steady, but I hear the edge underneath. "I'm not going to sit here safe while she's in danger because of me."
Alexei clears his throat. "It's not a bad idea, Pakhan. If Alina calls Viktor, claims she wants to negotiate Katya's release, we could use the meeting as cover. Position our men, create a distraction, extract the girl while Viktor's attention is divided."
I want to refuse. Every protective instinct I have is screaming at me to lock Alina in this house and handle this myself. But I look at her face, at the determination there, and I know she won't back down. She'll find a way to help her sister, with or without my permission.
And she's right. A negotiation gives us options that a direct assault doesn't.
"We do this my way," I finally say. "Every detail, every contingency. You don't make a move without my approval."
Alina nods. "Agreed."
I gesture toward my study. "Then let's plan."
We spend the next two hours in my study, surrounded by maps and blueprints and tactical assessments. Alexei coordinates with our tech specialist to get real-time surveillance of the compound. I call in my best men, the ones I trust with my life, and brief them on the operation.
The thought makes my chest tight, but I force the emotion down. This is strategy. This is what I do. I can't let my feelings for her cloud my judgment.
"The meeting needs to be somewhere public," Alexei suggests. "Neutral ground where Viktor can't control all the variables."
"He won't agree to that," Alina says. She's sitting in the chair across from my desk, her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee that's gone cold. "He'll want the advantage. He'll insist on meeting at the compound or somewhere he controls."
"Then we make him think he has the advantage while we position our pieces." I lean back in my chair, thinking through the angles. "You call him, tell him you want to negotiate for Katya's release. You're willing to come back to him, to leave me, if he lets her go."
Alina's eyes widen. "He'll never believe that."
"He'll want to believe it. That's enough." I stand and move around the desk to her. "Viktor's ego is his weakness. He thinks he's smarter than everyone else, that he can manipulate any situation. We use that against him."
She looks up at me, and I see the fear she's trying to hide. "What if something goes wrong? What if he hurts Katya before we can get to her?"
I kneel in front of her chair, taking her cold hands in mine. "Then we adapt. But I promise you, Alina, we will get your sister out. Whatever it takes."
She searches my face, looking for reassurance, for certainty. I wish I could give her guarantees, but in my world, nothing is certain except violence and death.
"Okay," she whispers. "When do I call him?"
I check my watch. It's nearly dawn, the sky outside my study windows turning from black to gray. "Now. Before he has time to move her or reinforce his position."
Alexei hands me an untraceable burner phone. I dial Viktor's number from memory and put it on speaker, setting it on the desk between us. My hand finds Alina's, squeezing gently.
The phone rings once. Twice.
Then Viktor's voice fills the study, cold and controlled. "I was wondering when you'd call."
Alina's hand tightens in mine, but her voice is steady when she speaks. "Papa. I want to talk about Katya."
"Do you?" There's amusement in his tone, cruel and mocking. "And what makes you think I'm interested in talking to you? You chose that monster over your own family."
"I chose survival." Alina's voice hardens. "You drugged me. You handed me over to the Kozlovs. You tried to have me killed."
"I did what was necessary to protect our family's interests." No remorse, no apology, just cold calculation. "You were always too soft, Alina. Too emotional. Like your mother."
I see her flinch at the comparison, but she pushes forward. "I want Katya released. She's innocent in all of this. Let her go, and we can discuss terms."
Viktor laughs, a harsh sound that makes my jaw clench. "Terms? You're in no position to negotiate terms. You're Morozov's whore now. You have nothing I want."
"I have information." Alina's improvising now, and I watch her with a mixture of pride and concern. "About Dimitri's operations, his alliances, his weaknesses. Things that could be valuable to you and the Kozlovs."
Silence on the other end. I can practically hear Viktor's mind working, weighing the possibilities.
"Even if I believed you," he says, "why would you betray your new husband? What's in it for you?"
"My sister's safety. And my freedom." She looks at me as she says it, and I see the apology in her eyes. "I never wanted any of this. Let Katya go, and I'll give you what you want."
More silence. Then, "You'll come to me. Alone. We'll discuss this face to face."
"Where?" Alina asks.
"The safehouse where I'm keeping your sister. You know the one. Come alone, Alina. No Morozov, no guards, no weapons. If I see anyone following you, if I suspect any kind of trap, Katya dies. Do you understand?"
Alina's face goes pale, but her voice doesn't quaver. "I understand."
"Good. You have two hours. Don't be late."
The line goes dead.