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Nikolay nodded at his men, and they reluctantly left the room, so it was only him and the president left.

Volkov leaned forward, his hands in a temple. Body language experts would call it a power move.

And apparently it was.

“I’m going to say this only once. If you try to walk out of this building without handing over the information, you will die.” President Volkov’s voice was dark as he delivered the threat.

Then he sat back and threaded his fingers over his abdomen. “But you knew that.”

“Yes.”

Of course he did.

Both the document and serum were fake. The originals were secure in a location only he knew.

After all, he was a fucking crime boss.

“Then you have twenty-four hours to change that, or your wife and unborn child will suddenly find themselves in a Russian prison...or worse.”

Fuck.

He’d underestimated the man.

Elizabeth may have started out as a horny slut that he enjoyed dominating, but she was the mother of his child. He wasn’t even sure he loved her. None of that mattered. There was no way in fucking hell he was letting his son be born in prison.

He was the heir to the Bratva.

“I’m sure we can come to a much better arrangement.” Nikolay gritted his teeth.

The president smiled, and it made his skin crawl.

“There are two arrangements on the table for you, Mikhailov. You dead and your wife in one of Russia’s worst prisons. Or the information delivered to me by this time tomorrow.”

Motherfucker.

When the door opened and two guards walked in, the president strode out without another word.

Twenty-four hours.

Looks like he was calling the Chinese and leaving the country.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BRAYDEN

“He’s not here,” Kurt said through the speakerphone.

Craig cursed, pushed out of his seat, and paced in front of Brayden’s desk. He rarely used this office, but the teams were broken up running multiple operations and he wanted to be able to hear the Project Shadow team, who were still in Russia.

“If Mikhailov’s not in St. Petersburg, then where the hell is he?” Brayden growled.

A woman cried in the background, and he immediately recognized her voice.

Craig’s eyes met his. “Elizabeth.”

“Fuck, he didn’t tell her where he went.” They heard Mack say. “Smart. But annoying.”

After the Russian’s experience in Seattle, Bray wasn’t surprised that Nikolay wasn’t telling his wife anything. It made her vulnerable. It could also make her dead, too.