Chapter 12
Yarik
T he engagement announcement begins with all the pomp Leonid Nikitin demands. I stand beside Katya on the small platform, her hand resting on my arm while her father delivers a speech about tradition, alliance, and the joining of two great houses.
Every word grates against my nerves.
The ring sits heavy in my jacket pocket.
It’s a three-carat diamond I selected because it’s so cold and ugly to me but meets the price requirements for such a transaction as our union.
I’ve been dreading this moment since the party began, but now that it’s here, I search the crowd for the one person who shouldn’t matter.
Sarah stands at the back of the room, partially hidden behind a marble column. She’s pale, composed, professional, and everything she’s supposed to be. I know her well enough to catch the tension in her shoulders and see it in the way she stands, as though bracing for a crushing blow.
Leonid concludes his speech and gestures for me to step forward.
The crowd quiets expectantly. I reach into my pocket and withdraw the ring, holding it up for everyone to see.
“Katya Nikitina has agreed to become my wife.” My voice carries across the room.
“This union will strengthen both our families for generations to come.”
The words make me grimace, but I quickly force my face to become neutral again.
I can’t fake warmth or enthusiasm. I take Katya’s hand, and she extends her fingers.
The diamond slides onto her ring finger, a perfect fit, and the assembled guests burst into applause.
Photographers snap pictures, capturing the moment for posterity.
I should be looking at my fiancée, but instead, I search the crowd again.
Sarah’s expression is neutral, but for just a moment, and half a second too long, our gazes meet across the room.
Something passes between us. It feels like recognition and maybe regret on her part. It’s definitely a silent goodbye.
Then Katya nudges me subtly with her elbow, and I force myself to look away. The moment breaks, and Sarah turns her attention back to her work, but the damage is done. I’ve revealed too much in front of too many people.
Katya’s smile never falters, but I catch her analyzing look. She noticed. Of course she did.
Leonid raises his champagne glass, and the rest of the guests follow suit. “To Yarik and Katya. May their union bring prosperity and peace to both our houses.”
I lift my glass and drink, but the champagne tastes bitter.
I might as well be drinking vinegar rather than the fine vintage.
Around me, people offer congratulations and well-wishes, but their voices sound distant and muffled.
I go through the motions, shaking hands and accepting kisses on both cheeks from Katya’s aunts, but my mind is elsewhere.
The party continues, and finally, around eleven, the last of the guests leave. Sarah disappears into the kitchen, and I hope she’s finally heading home. This has been an ordeal for her, and me, though I have no right to complain.
The contract signing is supposed to happen now, but I check my watch and shake my head when Leonid asks if we should adjourn to my home office. “It’s getting late. We should handle the formalities tomorrow when we can give them proper attention.” I make a show of looking around.
“I believe my attorney has already left with his wife anyway.” Around nine, I had discreetly asked Randolph to slip out before the end of the party to buy an extra night before I sign that millstone that will hang around my neck and probably drag me down to the depths.
Jesus, too much time with Katya inspires dark, ridiculous thoughts of woe. That doesn’t mean they aren’t valid, if melodramatic.
Leonid’s mouth tightens slightly, but he nods.
“Of course. Such important documents deserve our full focus, and you must have your attorney present, though you’ve had months to review every detail.
” His voice tightens with anger toward the end, taking a passive-aggressive shot at my continued delays.
Katya’s grip on my arm becomes more possessive. “Tomorrow then. We’ll make everything official.”
They leave a few minutes later, and I retreat to my office while the catering staff cleans up. The silence is a relief after hours of forced conversation and fake smiles. I pour myself a glass of vodka and sit behind my desk, staring at nothing while wishing for everything I can’t have.
The morning sun hits me in the eyes as I finish reviewing the overnight reports. I haven’t slept. The engagement party feels like a fever dream, something that happened to someone else, but the ring on Katya’s finger made it real enough.
Valentin knocks and enters without waiting for permission. “Ready for the warehouse run?”
I nod and gather my jacket. The drive will give us time to discuss business without the risk of surveillance in the house. We climb into the armored SUV, and I settle into the passenger seat while Valentin takes the wheel. There’s no Luco today, so he must want to speak to me alone.
The silence stretches between us for several minutes before he gets around to it though. “Last night was careless.”
I don’t have to ask to what he refers. “I know.”
“Do you? The way you looked at her during the announcement?—”
I clench my jaw. “I said I know.”
Valentin merges onto the highway. “If I noticed, others did too. The Nikitins aren’t blind.”
I stare out the window at the passing landscape. “Sarah makes me feel different, like I’m not just surviving anymore.”
“That’s exactly why she’s dangerous…and in danger.” He glances at me. “If the Nikitins realize she matters to you, they’ll come for her. You know that, right?”
The morning traffic is light, giving us clear lanes toward the warehouse district.
I watch the city wake up around us. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to wake up without checking for threats, and to make decisions based on what I want instead of what keeps me alive.
“I never asked for this life,” I say quietly.
He snorts softly. “None of us did, but it’s the one we have.”
I sound far less affected than I feel when I say, “My parents were shot when I was thirteen, and I built this empire on their graves. Every decision I’ve made, every alliance I’ve forged, and every enemy I’ve eliminated has all been about survival, legacy and making sure what happened to them never happens to me. ”
“Until now.”
“Until now.” The admission hangs between us. “She makes me want something different, that isn’t built on blood and fear.”
He shakes his head. “That’s a luxury you can’t afford with the Nikitins circling like vultures.”
The words linger in my awareness even after the sound fades. I’ve seen what happens to people who become leverage against the Barinov family. Sarah deserves better than that kind of target on her back. “I’m handling it.”
“Are you? It looks like you’re walking straight into a trap.”
I turn to face him. “What’s that supposed to mean? You can’t think Sarah is trying to trap me?”
“No. It means you’re thinking with your heart instead of your head. That’s how good men die, Yarik. That’s how empires fall.”
The warehouse appears ahead of us, a sprawling concrete structure surrounded by chain-link fencing. He pulls through the security gate, and we park near the main entrance. Two of my men are waiting for us, their faces grim.
“What’s the problem?” I ask as we approach.
The older of the two, Will, hands me a folder. “We had an unauthorized shipment went through last night. Someone used a dormant Barinov front company to move weapons through Nikitin channels.”
I stiffen, immediately recalling the incident with Viktor that was stopped before it could happen. This attempt got father along in the process before being interrupted.
I open the folder and scan the documents. The forged approval papers bear my seal and is perfectly replicated. The manifest lists luxury items of furniture, artwork, and decorative pieces, but the real contents were military-grade weapons destined for a buyer in Eastern Europe.
“How did they get access to the seal?” We’d tried to discover that when investigating Viktor’s indiscretion, but we hadn’t discovered the answer then. It was suddenly more urgent again.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. The authorization came from inside, but we’ve traced it back to accounts that haven’t been active in years.”
I study the paperwork more closely. The signature isn’t mine, but it’s a skilled forgery.
Someone with access to my personal documents created this, someone who knew exactly which dormant companies to target, and they’re still testing, repeating their previous attempt.
Perhaps they thought I wouldn’t notice if I were distracted by the engagement party.
“This is a serious breach, and the second one at that.” I close the folder and hand it back to Will.
“I want a complete audit of all active fronts and recent contracts. Check every account, every signature, and every transaction from the past six months. No, make it a year, and make sure Viktor isn’t involved. ”
I don’t see how he can be, since we cut him loose and ensured his reputation among other bratva groups was ruined, ensuring he’d never work as an accountant for any of us again, but he’s was involved with the first attempt, seemingly just through bad judgment. Better to be certain.
“What about the Nikitins? This went through their channels...again,” says Valentin softly.
“They’ll claim ignorance like last time, or they’ll say they’re the obvious target in an operation against me since we’re about to partner up with the import-export business.
” I pause, considering. “Still, someone from their side had to approve the transport. This came from inside, and it came from them.”