Chapter 7 Maksim
MAKSIM
Iclose the room door behind me, careful not to let it click too loudly.
Ivy passed out not long after I pulled out of her, her breath soft and even pulls that nearly had lulled me to sleep right alongside her.
Her fingers had still been curled in the sheets, even as she drifted off, almost like she had been bracing herself to be ripped from the bed at any moment, half-expected to be dragged away in the middle of the night by Mikhail’s men.
Even now, after all my promises, she still doesn’t feel safe.
The sight of her lying there stirred something feral in me.
Something that hadn’t calmed even after I made love to her like a man possessed.
I wanted to take that fear from her, to burn it out of her bones.
But I couldn’t, not fully. Not until Mikhail is gone.
Not until Leo is back in her arms, whole and unharmed.
It angers me to no end that even tucked away inside this safehouse with our walls reinforced and escape plans in place, he still lives in her head. That bastard’s shadow clings to her like smoke. Every twitch in her sleep, every small whimper she makes, it’s all soaked in fear.
And that is something I simply cannot forgive.
I leave her sleeping, brushing a final kiss against her forehead, before slipping quietly out of the room and heading down the narrow corridor to the small suite we’ve converted into a temporary command post.
Inside, the atmosphere shifts immediately.
The lighting is dim, blue from laptop screens and LED lights hovering over the table with the grid of the entire city.
Matvey is seated at the far end of the table, his eyes on a monitor cycling through security feeds.
Katya’s legs are pulled up into her chair, a tablet balanced on her knees as her fingers flick through dossiers.
Roman is leaning over the blueprint of Emily Kreslova’s apartment complex.
And Andrey has a pair of binoculars held up to his eyes while watching the streets down below us.
As soon as I enter, the heads turn.
“I assume Roman was able to fill you all in on what happened at Emily Kreslova’s apartment?” I ask.
Roman answers first, his tone clipped. “I did. So far, there’s been no more activity since we left there.
After you left, I gave her our contact information and told her to call us once Mikhail made another appearance.
She still seemed incredibly shaken up, but so far, it doesn't seem like she’s changed her mind on cooperating with us. ”
“Nothing on Leo?” I glance at Matvey.
His jaw tightens. “Not yet. I pulled the traffic camera logs from the last forty-eight hours where Ivy was pinged. I’m looking into following the van that dropped her off and backtracking it to where it originated from.
If we can get a lead on that, we should be able to find out where Mikhail is hiding.
Or at least keeping his men while here in the city. ”
“Or the kid,” Katya adds grimly from her corner.
Matvey nods once, barely looking up. “Exactly. It’s not ideal, but it’s our best shot right now.
The license plates were swapped with fakes, but the frame and wear marks match a delivery van that popped up about eight blocks from Ivy’s location the night before.
If we can find that exact make and match it to earlier traffic footage, we might be able to plot a rough route and pinpoint where they were keeping her. ”
I nod slowly, jaw tight.
It’s not the breakthrough I was hoping for, but it’s better than the alternative—Leo showing up dead.
My hands curl into fists at my sides at the thought. The worst-case scenario claws at the edge of my brain like a rabid dog, refusing to let go. It’s a morbid expectation—one I can’t afford to dwell on—but it’s there, gnawing at me
I shove the image away and focus.
With Ivy’s escape, Mikhail only has one card left to play. My son.
The boy is his last leverage in this war, his final chip on the table, and Mikhail knows it.
He’s arrogant, yes, and also reckless, but he’s far from stupid.
Not when the stakes are this high. Failing once and letting Ivy slip away had been a grave error, one I can only assume he’s punishing his men for as we speak.
Because if there’s one thing I know about the Sidorovs, it’s that they don’t tolerate failure. Especially not when it costs them power.
So he’ll guard Leo like a trophy now. Not out of sentiment, but strategy. Every hour we wait is another hour that my son suffers.
I know he’s strong. He’s Ivy’s child, after all. He’s clever, observant, brave, born of fire just like her. But he’s also just a boy and every second that ticks by is another second he’s left scared and confused about what’s happening to him.
“I want drones in the air by this afternoon,” I say tightly. “I want double patrols running every possible route leading out of the city. If he tries to move Leo, we’re going to intercept it.”
Matvey nods. “Already working on it.”
“They won’t risk relocating him unless they feel cornered. Which means we’re walking on a thin line here. Push them too hard, and they’ll disappear again,” Katya says.
“I know,” I murmur, dragging a hand down my face. “But we can’t wait forever.”
“We won’t,” Roman agrees from across the room, finally looking up from the map he’s been studying. “But we can make Mikhail feel the heat. Make him desperate. Desperation breeds mistakes.”
I pause at that. “He’s already made one.”
Katya nods. “Exactly. He’ll make more as long as we keep up what we’re doing. We already found his little girlfriend. Use that as leverage against him. He gets her back if you get your kid. Simple.”
I glance toward the hallway that leads back to Ivy’s room.
A trade doesn’t sound like a bad idea, however I doubt Ivy will be comfortable with our playing games with our child’s life on the line. One wrong move and Mikhail will cut his losses.
“We’ll hold off on that for the time being. For now, focus on the van and see where it leads,” I say.