Chapter 14 Alexei
Alexei
This safe house reeks of smoke and unfinished business.
I stare out the grimy window at Moscow’s industrial district. Warehouses and shipping containers stretch in every direction. It’s the perfect place to disappear for a few days while law enforcement loses interest in last night’s operation.
My phone vibrates with an incoming message from Dmitri.
Irina and the baby are stable. Leonid wants to meet with you to express gratitude.
Tell him I’ll be in touch when things cool down.
He’s insistent. Says he owes you a debt.
Tell him his other daughter has paid it in full.
I stuff my phone in my pocket without elaborating as I return to looking out at the city below. Somewhere out there, Mila’s lying in my bed thinking about what happened between us last night and the things I said.
The memory of her texts hardens my cock. The way she admitted she couldn’t stop thinking about me. How wet she was just from our conversation. The sounds she made when she came.
“Focus,” I mumble to myself.
The door opens behind me, and Boris Smirnov enters with one of his officers trailing behind. The captain has dark circles under his eyes and a wrinkled uniform like he’s been working double shifts to cover for our operation last night.
“Tell me the damage,” I prompt without turning around.
Boris drops a folder on the table. “Could be worse. Federal investigators are asking questions about the Novikov compound. Nothing that connects back to us, but they know something happened.”
“How long until they lose interest?”
“Two weeks, maybe less if we’re lucky. They don’t have the resources to pursue every kidnapping case that resolves itself.”
“And the Novikov response?”
“That’s where things get interesting.” Boris opens the folder and spreads photographs across the table. “Maxim Novikov has been making calls. Reaching out to families we don’t normally worry about. Smaller operations. Regional players.”
I walk over and inspect the photos, including surveillance footage of Maxim sitting down with men I recognize from various territories around Moscow.
“What’s he selling them?” I ask.
“Fear. He’s arguing that a Kozlov-Andreev alliance controls too much territory and that we’re positioning ourselves to dominate shipping routes and eliminate competition. He’s convincing them that stopping us now prevents future problems.”
“Smart. Turn competitors into allies by making us the common enemy.”
“Very smart. And it’s working. We’ve identified at least six families who’ve agreed to coordinate against any formal alliance between you and Leonid.”
I pick up a photo showing Maxim Novikov sitting across from Matvey Vasiliev. Two families who normally compete for the same contracts breaking bread together.
“How serious is the threat?” I ask.
“Depends on whether they move from talk to action. Right now, it’s just gathering intelligence and strategic positioning. If Maxim can hold the coalition together, they have enough combined resources to make things very difficult for both families.”
Boris’ officer clears his throat. “If I may, sir. The Andreev girl would make excellent leverage against this coalition. We could break to send a message that we don’t negotiate with—”
I move before my brain registers the decision, crossing the room in three strides. I grab the lieutenant by the throat and slam him against the wall hard enough to crack plaster.
“What did you just say?” I ask through gritted teeth.
The officer’s eyes go wide with panic. He tries to speak, but he can’t with my hand crushing his windpipe.
“Let me be clear about something.” I lean in closer. “Mila Andreeva is not leverage. She’s not a bargaining chip. She’s not a tool you use to send messages. Anyone who threatens her, even theoretically, dies. Understand?”
The officer nods weakly.
I release him, and he collapses, gasping for breath and clutching his throat. Blood drips from the back of his head and dribbles down his neck.
I crossed a line with her, and now I’m the only one who can decide who pays for crossing it.
“Get out,” I tell him.
He scrambles to his feet and runs from the room.
Boris watches the whole thing without moving. When I turn to face him, his mouth is hanging open.
“Jesus Christ, Alexei. That was one of my best men.”
“Then train your men to think before they speak.”
“He was just making an observation. Suggesting options for—”
“I don’t care what he was suggesting. Mila is off limits. No threats, plans, or theoretical discussions about using her in any capacity. That’s not negotiable.”
Boris holds up his hands in surrender. “Understood. Crystal clear. But you need to know something.”
“What?”
“Maxim’s already having similar conversations. The coalition isn’t just talking about territory; they’re discussing pressure points and ways to control both families without confrontation.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning they’ve placed bounties on both Andreev daughters. Not kill orders; capture bounties. They want Irina and Mila alive so they can use them to force cooperation from Leonid and demonstrate that your protection isn’t as effective as you claim.”
My body goes cold. “How much?”
“Two million rubles each. Enough to attract serious attention from independents who don’t care about politics.”
“When did this happen?”
“Yesterday, right after we extracted Irina from the compound. Maxim posted the bounties through back channels within hours of the rescue. He’s framing it as an opportunity for enterprising contractors to make easy money while undermining the Kozlov reputation.”
“I can handle Mila, but what about Irina’s security?”
“Leonid moved her to a private facility outside the city under heavy guard with a medical staff that doesn’t ask questions. She should be safe for now.”
“‘Should be’ isn’t good enough. If she gets nabbed again, Mila will go ballistic.”
“It’s the best we can do under the circumstances. You can’t protect everyone everywhere all the time.”
“Watch me.”
Boris sighs and gathers the photographs. “You’re going to burn through resources trying to maintain this level of security. Dmitri won’t authorize it indefinitely.”
“Dmitri doesn’t make decisions about Mila’s safety; I do.”
“That’s what worries me. You’re acting like a man who’s claimed a woman who’s yours to protect rather than an asset we’re securing for the benefit of our organization. You just nearly killed one of my officers for suggesting something you would have considered perfectly reasonable a month ago.”
The accusation makes me want to punch something, mostly because he’s right.
A month ago, I would have seen Mila as the lieutenant described: Leverage. A tool to use for maximum advantage. Someone’s daughter who could be broken to send messages.
Now, the thought of anyone touching her makes me want to burn down the city.
“What else can you recommend?” I ask. “I’m not budging on Mila.”
“Eliminate the threat, not the symptom. Maxim’s the one organizing this coalition. Without him, the families go back to competing instead of coordinating against you.”
“You’re suggesting I kill Maxim Novikov.”
“I’m suggesting you remove the threat before it becomes something you can’t control. Right now, it’s bounties. In a week, it could be coordinated attacks on multiple targets. Better to act while you have the advantage.”
I turn the suggestion over in my head. Killing Maxim would send a message that threatening anyone under Kozlov protection results in death and demonstrate how serious I am about defending this alliance.
It would also start a war.
The Novikov family would demand blood for blood. Other families would have to choose sides. What started as regional politics would escalate into something that could destabilize half of Moscow’s infrastructure, criminal and otherwise.
“I need to think about it,” I tell Boris.
“Don’t think too long. Every day we wait is another day someone decides that bounty looks attractive.”
“How’s the security at the estate?”
“Six men rotating in eight-hour shifts. Perimeter sensors, motion detectors, and camera coverage of all access points. Standard high-security setup.”
“Double it. Twelve men. Four-hour shifts. Add thermal imaging to the perimeter. I want to know if a squirrel crosses the property line.”
“That’s pretty excessive for—”
“Double it. Today. I don’t care what it costs.”
Boris studies my face for a long moment and then nods. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
“And Boris? Anyone who even looks at the estate wrong gets a bullet. No warnings or questions, just immediate lethal response.”
He gathers the rest of the photographs and tucks them back into the folder before he walks to the door, where he pauses with his hand on the knob. “For what it’s worth, I hope she’s worth it.”
He leaves before I can respond, and I return to the window and pull out my phone. No new messages from Mila.
I’m betting everything on a woman who probably hates me and has every reason to walk away the second this situation is resolved.
But the alternative is letting her become a target. Letting men like that lieutenant view her as leverage instead of a person, and letting Maxim Novikov’s coalition turn her into a bargaining chip.
That’s not acceptable.
I need to stay away for three or four days to let law enforcement lose interest in last night’s operation.
Mila will be alone with only guards for company.
She’ll have time to decide whether what happened between us was real or just another manipulation.
And I’ll have time to figure out how the hell to apologize for being the kind of man who makes women get on their knees and then mocks them for it afterward.
I hope like hell it’s enough time.