Chapter 33
The next day…
Kara
I woke up to the sun streaming in through the windows, a golden warmth that seeped into my bones and chased away the last shadows of sleep. The bed was empty beside me, the sheets cool, but their scent still lingered—Roman’s clean, spicy cologne and Lev’s smoky, woodsy one.
I sat up, pulling the sheet around me, my body a delicious, pleasant ache. Every muscle protested, a sweet reminder of the night before. I felt… spent. Sated. And completely happy.
I could hear their voices from the other room, their tones too low to make out words. I slipped out of bed and padded into the living room still naked.
They were standing by the window, looking out at the glittering expanse of the sea. Roman was dressed in a neat white shirt and dark trousers, his hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed but alert. Lev was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression impenetrable.
They looked up as I entered, their eyes darkening with a possessive heat that made my stomach flutter. Roman’s gaze swept over me, an appreciative smile spreading across his face. Lev’s face was more intense with a hungry look that made my skin tingle.
“Sleep well, Kara?” Roman grinned and Lev’s eyes sparkled with heated intent.
“Like the dead,” I said. “What’s the plan?”
“Get dressed,” Roman said. “We’re meeting Dmitri and the others. Katya’s finally ready to talk.”
“About what?”
“About how we end this,” Lev replied. “For good.”
The drive through Dubai felt surreal. It was too bright outside, almost like the world was pretending it hadn’t burned last night.
We crossed the causeway back to the mainland, the skyline glittering like a thousand knives.
When we finally pulled up in front of the Revenant tower, its mirrored surface caught the sun and threw it back at the city in a blinding glare.
A man in a dark suit escorted us through the lobby and up to the top floor. The elevator doors opened onto a penthouse made of glass and shadow. Everything was sleek, expensive, and sterile. Revenant’s taste in décor matched their business model: beautiful, soulless, and impossible to trust.
Dmitri was already there, standing near the wall of windows. He turned as we entered. For a second his gaze met mine, and his expression softened.
“You’re late,” he said.
Roman clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You’re welcome. She’s alive, we’re breathing, and ARCHEON learned not to mess with us. I’d call that a win.”
Viktor lounged on the couch like he owned the place. “Barely,” he said.
Katya was by the bar. She looked immaculate—white blouse, dark slacks, not a hair out of place—but the strain around her mouth told another story. She glanced toward the heavy glass doors that led to the balcony, then back at us.
“Outside,” she said. “Now.”
Roman arched a brow. “What, you’re shy all of a sudden?”
Her voice dropped. “No. I don’t trust the walls in this building.”
That was enough to get everyone moving. The balcony doors slid open, and the dry desert wind rushed in, carrying the faint salt of the gulf far below.
Katya waited until the doors closed behind us before she spoke. “Revenant’s next step is the drone handoff. Officially, we’re to oversee the sale and ensure the shipment reaches the buyers intact.”
Roman’s eyes narrowed. “Buyers meaning?”
“An extremist faction operating out of Moldova,” Dmitri said quietly. “Revenant thinks they can profit from the chaos for whatever they have planned.”
Lev folded his arms. “So, we stop the sale.”
Her mouth curved, humorless. “No. We let it happen.”
Roman frowned. “Come again?”
“We complete the transaction,” Katya said. “Revenant gets their spectacle, the terrorists get their toys… but we make their toys explode before they’re ready for it.”
I blinked. “Explode?”
She met my gaze, calm and lethal. “Every drone is equipped with a failsafe—remote detonation wired into the guidance core. If we alter the frequency, we can make them self-destruct the moment they’re activated.
It will look like a weapons malfunction.
The terrorist group takes the blame, and Revenant’s involvement becomes impossible to hide. ”
Roman let out a low whistle. “That’s not a plan, that’s a headline.”
Katya’s expression didn’t change. “It’s also the only way to cut them off. If we try to expose them, they’ll bury the evidence. But if the whole world sees their technology turned against them…” She trailed off, eyes cold as glass. “They lose everything.”
Lev’s gaze flicked to Dmitri. “You buying this?”
Dmitri studied Katya for a long moment. “You’re gambling a lot of lives on a theory.”
“I’m gambling on timing,” she said. “We make sure no civilians are anywhere near the demonstration site. The blast will wipe out the shipment and the men who arranged it. After that, Revenant’s leaders will turn on each other trying to hide from the fallout.”
Viktor crushed out his cigarette and grinned. “I like her plan. It burns the right people.”
Roman crossed his arms. “And what happens to us when Revenant realizes the Dragunovs are the ones who lit the fuse and we’re the ones who helped them?”
Katya’s mouth twitched. “They won’t.”
Lev’s quiet chuckle was humorless. “You really think we’ll get out clean?”
“I think,” she retorted, “that we’ll be alive. And for people like us, that’s as clean as it gets.”
“Well,” Roman quipped, pushing off the railing, “it’s insane. I like it.”
Katya arched a brow. “You’re in, then.”
He grinned. “Obviously.”
Lev sighed. “Of course we are.”
“Me too,” I added.
For a moment no one spoke. I looked from one Markov brother to the other—Roman’s smirk already forming, Lev’s jaw set in silent resolve, Dmitri’s eyes dark with thought—and felt the ground shift under us again.
“We’ll give you the night to think about it,” Katya said finally. “Revenant expects an answer in the morning.”
Roman’s brows rose. “You mean you expect an answer.”
Her mouth curved up in a polite smile. “Same thing, darling.” She turned and gestured toward the sliding doors. “There’s food in the kitchen, rooms upstairs. The view’s spectacular, and the system is locked down tighter than a presidential vault. I’d suggest enjoying the amenities.”
Lev frowned. “You’re not letting us leave, are you?”
She met his gaze without apology. “Let’s just say Revenant prefers their guests where they can be found. This floor’s security protocols are… particular. Elevators, stairs, even the service lifts are coded until I reset them in the morning.”
Roman gave a short, low whistle, half amused, half annoyed. “So, we’re prisoners in a penthouse.”
“Luxury has its limits,” Katya said, her tone too smooth to be mistaken for regret. “Try not to redecorate. Viktor likes the rug.”
Viktor smirked from the doorway, cigarette dangling between two fingers. “The silk ones are a nightmare to replace.”
Dmitri’s voice was quiet. “You really think a night makes a difference?”
“I think everyone makes better decisions on full stomachs and less adrenaline,” she answered. “You’ve all been running on fumes. Eat. Sleep. Decide if you’re willing to join me to start a war.”
She turned, heels clicking against the marble, and disappeared back into the penthouse. Viktor followed, flicking his cigarette into a crystal tray as the door slid shut behind them.
For a moment, the balcony was silent except for the wind. The city glowed below us, endless and indifferent.
Roman leaned his forearms on the railing, watching the traffic. “I hate being grounded.”
I folded my arms and sighed. “So, what now?”
Dmitri glanced back toward the city. “Now,” he said quietly, “we rest. Because tomorrow, we go to war.”
Roman exhaled, pushing away from the railing. “Fine. But if I’m going to be trapped, I’m ordering room service.”
Lev didn’t miss a beat. “Sure,” he said dryly, brushing past him. “Ask them to bring you a muzzle while they’re at it.”
Roman laughed under his breath. “You wound me, brother.”
“Not yet,” Lev shot back, his mouth curving in that rare, wicked half-smile.
Their voices faded as they stepped inside, and I lingered a moment longer on the balcony, looking out at the skyline. From up here, the city looked untouchable.
The wind tugged at my hair, warm and salt-sweet from the sea.
I turned back toward the villa’s glass doors, where Roman and Lev stood framed by the soft golden light inside, one smiling, the other already scowling, both of them mine in ways I couldn’t quite explain.
Dmitri had sat down on the couch and his gaze met mine, the heat in his eyes sending a flush of heat straight through me to my core.
I looked at them—my wild, impossible men—and felt a chill that had nothing to do with the breeze.
Whatever tomorrow brought, I knew one thing for certain. Nothing about it was going to be simple.