Page 12 of Bride of Vengeance

The Orlov crime scene tells a story I don't want to believe.

I move through the safe house like the ghost I've been named for, my footsteps silent on hardwood floors still stained with dried blood. The federal agents finished their investigation hours ago, leaving behind their yellow tape and evidence markers and the kind of mess that comes from too many people trampling through a death scene.

Another thing they left behind was the truth.

This isn't my work.

The blood spatter patterns on the living room wall tell a different story than the one being sold to the media. The shell casings photographed by crime scene techs were in the wrong position for Ghost's usual methodology. The staging of the scene screams amateur hour - someone who knows enough about my reputation to fake a signature but not enough to fake it well.

The real Ghost doesn't leave brass behind. The real Ghost doesn't kill witnesses in federal protection - it's bad for business and brings unwanted attention.

But someone wants the Bureau to think I do all of those things.

I photograph everything with a camera that can't be traced, documenting the inconsistencies that federal investigators either missed or ignored. When I'm finished, I have evidence that could exonerate both me and the little wolf who's being set up to take the fall.

The question is whether she's smart enough to recognize the trap before it destroys her career.

And whether she's brave enough to trust a killer to save her.

My secure phone buzzes with a text from Boris:

Target mobile. Moving toward Brooklyn Heights. Surveillance intact.

Mariana. Following my instructions to pack light and leave her compromised apartment. Good. She's learning to trust her instincts over her training.

Second text:

Federal manhunt active. Her face is on wanted bulletins. They're calling her a traitor and a killer.

Svolochi.Sons of bitches.

I've seen federal frame jobs before, but this one is elegant in its brutality. Use Mariana's obsession with Ghost to build credibility for fake kills. Then, when they need a scapegoat for witness murder, her proximity to the case makes her the perfect candidate.

With the targets, the killer, and his accomplice all eliminated, the real culprits have a free hand to continue their work, and whoever is handling them has a clear path to achieve their true objective without anyone suspecting anything about them.

Two birds, one very public execution. And the game is over, at least at the eyes of the outsiders.

Harrison's fingerprints are all over this operation, but proving it will require evidence even an FBI agent might find hard to accept.

Evidence like the real Ghost helping her investigate federal corruption.

2:15 PM

My phone rings. Boris again, with the kind of news that makes my blood run cold.

"Mikhail? We have a problem."

"Talk to me."

"Intelligence suggests Pavel's planning something big for tomorrow night. Surveillance teams, weapons purchases, coordinated movements. Someone's been monitoring federal communications—they know about your contact with the FBI agent."

Pavel.It has to be.

"How much time do we have?" I ask, already moving toward my secure communication setup.

"Twenty-four hours, maybe less. He's not trying to hide his preparations—this is meant to be seen."

Another trap. But not just for me and Mariana. This is theater, designed to be witnessed. A public show that will make headlines and close cases and give Pavel everything he needs to rebuild his empire on the ruins of ours.