Chapter 24 Alexei
Alexei
The bunker’s secure landline rings just after I finish getting dressed.
I stop halfway to the door and stare at the device. Mila sits on the edge of the bed watching me with a desperate hope, waiting for me to confirm that I’m going to save the only family she has left.
I pick up the receiver. Boris’s voice comes through the encrypted connection.
“Intelligence update on the Andreev situation,” he starts. “You need to hear this before you do something stupid, and Dmitri said that from now on, we use secure lines only.”
“Talk.”
“Novikov’s holding Leonid at a warehouse in the industrial district. Same location they used for the Petrov interrogation last year. Security includes at least twelve men on rotating shifts.”
I lean against the concrete wall and process the information. The industrial district means limited escape routes. The Petrov location means they chose somewhere with established torture facilities.
“Professional setup designed to prevent exactly what you’re planning,” Boris continues. “This is a trap, Alexei. They want you to come after him.”
“Yeah, I already figured that out.”
“Then you also know that this violates every principle of tactical engagement we’ve ever followed. Open approach. Superior numbers. Defensive positioning that eliminates tactical advantages.”
Mila stands and walks closer, trying to hear both sides of the conversation. Her face is pale, but her mouth is set in a determined line.
“Recommendations?” I ask Boris.
“Walk away. Leonid knew the risks when he chose this life. His capture is unfortunate but not worth compromising family security or risking your life.”
The suggestion makes perfect sense strategically. Leonid Andreev is a useful ally, but not irreplaceable. Rescuing him would require resources and risk that could be better allocated to protecting more important assets.
But then I take one look at Mila, and I know that’s not an option.
“I’m not walking away.”
“Alexei—”
“Develop extraction scenarios. I want options that minimize exposure while maximizing success probability.”
“There are no good options. This is suicide disguised as heroism.”
I watch Mila’s face as she listens. She understands enough to know that we’re discussing something that could get everyone killed, but she’s not backing down. Not suggesting I should prioritize my safety over her father’s life.
“Then we get creative. Use resources they won’t anticipate.”
“You’re making this decision based on emotion instead of strategy.”
“I’m making this decision based on what matters most.”
I disconnect before Boris can argue further. Mila reaches for my hand.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Don’t thank me yet. We need to figure out how to pull this off without getting everyone killed.”
“But you’re going to try.”
“I will succeed.”
The certainty in my voice surprises me, because Boris is right about the tactical impossibility. Novikov chose this location to eliminate any advantages I might have. He wants me to come after Leonid so he can demonstrate that caring about people makes leaders weak.
But watching Mila fight back tears while trying to stay strong makes all that irrelevant.
“Why aren’t we leaving?” she asks. “You said we needed to go.”
“Because Boris said Dmitri wants to use a secure line, and now that I think about it, this is the safest place to plan the operation. Secure communications. No surveillance. Resources I need for coordination.”
The phone rings again. Dmitri.
“Boris told me you’re planning something that will get you killed,” he blurts when I answer.
“I’m planning something necessary.”
“Same thing in this case. Leonid’s capture is bait designed specifically for you. Taking it proves their point about emotional attachments compromising judgment.”
I walk to the reinforced door and stare at the steel surface. Somewhere beyond these underground walls, Leonid Andreev is being tortured for information about our operations. Somewhere out there, Novikov thinks he’s forcing me to choose between strategy and sentiment.
“What would you do if someone took Katya?” I ask.
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“Katya is my wife. Leonid is your girlfriend’s father.”
“Mila is carrying my child. That makes Leonid family.”
Dmitri goes quiet for several seconds. When he speaks again, his voice is careful. “If this goes wrong, you’re not just risking your life: You’re giving our enemies exactly what they want.”
I know he’s right. Everything about this operation violates basic risk management principles. But I also know that watching Mila suffer while I make calculated decisions about her father’s life would destroy something between us that I’m not willing to lose.
“I have to try.”
“Then I’m sending backup. If you’re determined to walk into a trap, let me minimize the damage when it goes wrong.”
“I’m not asking you to risk your men for this.”
“You’re not asking; I’m telling. Family protects family, even when family makes stupid decisions.”
After Dmitri disconnects, I turn back to find Mila watching me with worry creasing her forehead.
“Your brother thinks this is a mistake,” she surmises.
I chuckle and reply, “To be fair, my brother thinks everything I do regarding you is a mistake.”
“Maybe he’s right.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t rescue your father?”
“I’m saying I don’t want you to die trying.”
The admission makes my heart stutter. Underneath all her anger about control and independence, Mila cares about what happens to me. Cares enough that losing me frightens her more than losing her father.
“I’m not going to die,” I tell her.
She shakes her head. “You can’t promise that.”
“Yes, I can. I have too much to live for now.”
I cross the room and pull her into my arms. She feels small despite all her stubborn strength, like something precious that needs protecting from a world designed to break beautiful things.
“I’m scared,” she whispers against my chest. “Of losing you. Of losing Papa. Of this baby growing up without a father or grandfather because the men in my life think they need to prove how brave they are.”
The fear in her voice makes something protective ignite in my veins. She’s right to be scared. This operation could result in exactly the losses she’s describing.
“That won’t happen,” I promise her anyway.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I won’t let it.”
She pulls back to look at me. “You can’t control everything, Alexei.”
“I can control this.”
“Can you? It sounds like Novikov has anticipated every move you might make.”
“Then we do something he hasn’t anticipated.”
I think through the tactical challenges Boris outlined. Open approach. Limited escape routes. Superior numbers and defensive positioning. Every advantage belongs to Novikov except one.
He’s counting on sentiment to override tactical judgment. But what if I use that expectation against him?
“We make him think I’m doing what he expects,” I say slowly. “Direct assault. Overwhelming force. Everything he’s prepared to counter.”
“While actually doing what?”
“Something completely different.”
My phone goes off with a text from one of our intelligence contacts. New information about security rotations at the warehouse. I study the message and see possibilities that didn’t exist before.
“I need to coordinate with resources,” I tell Mila. “This will take several hours to plan properly.”
“Hours Papa might not have.”
“It won’t do him any good to rush in unprepared.”
She nods reluctantly and settles onto the small couch.
I spend the next four hours completing the calls I started the other day to former military contractors who specialize in impossible extractions, intelligence operatives who provide real-time surveillance, and weapons suppliers who ask no questions about intended targets.
Each conversation requires careful negotiation. These men don’t work for money alone. They work for professionals who understand discretion and the cost of failure. Convincing them to take this job requires demonstrating that I’ve thought through every contingency.
“Tell me the plan,” Mila says when I finish the last call.
“Three teams. One creates a distraction at the main entrance while another hits the rear access point. Meanwhile, a third team enters through the drainage system beneath the building.”
“Which team do you lead?”
“The drainage team. The most dangerous approach, but also the least anticipated.”
“What about me?”
“You stay here. Safe. Protected.”
Her face hardens. “That’s not acceptable.”
“It’s not negotiable.”
“I’m not going to hide while you risk your life to clean up my family’s problems.”
“Your family’s problems became mine the moment you got pregnant.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to exclude me from decisions about Papa’s life.”
I walk to the concrete wall and press my palm against the cold surface. “I can’t focus on the mission if I’m worried about protecting you.”
“Then don’t protect me. Trust me to take care of myself.”
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not?”
“Because losing you would destroy me, and knowing you’re in danger would compromise every decision I make.”
The honesty surprises us both. I’ve been talking around my feelings for weeks, using words like “commitment” and “responsibility” to describe something more fundamental.
The truth is simpler and more terrifying than strategic considerations.
I love her. In ways that make tactical thinking irrelevant and emotional decision-making inevitable.
“Alexei…” she starts.
“Don’t say anything. Just accept that keeping you safe is more important to me than anything else.”
I’ve just admitted that I would prioritize her safety over her father’s life, and that my priorities have shifted enough that family loyalty means protecting her instead of honoring alliances.
Mila opens her mouth to respond, then closes it again. “This morning feels like a week ago,” she declares with a sigh.
“What do you mean?”
She sits on the edge of the couch. “This morning, I was worried about whether to accept your proposal. Whether I could trust you. Whether this baby would have a stable family. Now, my father’s been kidnapped, and you’re planning something that could get you killed, and the reason behind why we need to get married seems so fucking trivial. ”
I sit beside her. “Those reasons are still valid.”
“Right now, the only thing I can think about is that I might lose both of you in the same day.”
“You’re not going to lose me.”
“What if something goes wrong? What if this is the last conversation we have?”
“It won’t be.”
“But what if it is? What would you want me to know?”
The question sits between us, heavy and real in a way that makes the bunker’s walls feel closer.
“That everything I’ve done has been worth it. Meeting you. Protecting you. Even the mistakes.”
She presses her lips into a thin line and nods slowly. “I want you to know something, too.”
“What?”
“I’m glad it was you. When this all started, I thought any man who would take someone’s freedom was a monster. But if it had to happen, I’m glad it was someone who saw me as more than just leverage.”
“You were never just leverage.”
“When this is over,” she says, “we’re going to have a lot to figure out.”
“You mean with the engagement?”
“Everything. The engagement. The baby. What kind of life we want to build.”
“Mila—”
“Just promise me you’ll remember that when you’re making decisions tonight. You’re not just fighting for my father. You’re fighting for our future.”
Before I can promise her anything, her face goes pale, and she grabs the arm of the couch for support.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Dizzy. Just need to sit down.”
She tries to lower herself onto the floor, but her knees buckle, and I lunge to catch her as she collapses.
“Mila!”
Her eyes roll back, and she’s not responding to my voice. I lower her to the floor and check for a pulse. Strong and steady. Breathing normally. But she’s unconscious.
I pull out my phone and dial Dr. Orlov.
“Emergency,” I shout when he answers. “Mila collapsed. Unconscious but breathing.”
“Any bleeding? Cramping? Signs of trauma?”
“No. She got dizzy and passed out.”
“Could be blood pressure. Could be stress. Bring her to the hospital right away. I’ll meet you there.”
I disconnect and gather Mila in my arms. Her body feels smaller and more fragile. Like something that could break if I’m not careful.
The rescue operation will have to wait.
Right now, nothing matters except making sure she and our baby are safe.