Page 49 of Bride of Vengeance

But methodically destroying him will. He will pay for every life lost because of his actions.

"We need help," I say, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Resources we don't have."

"What kind of help?"

"Family." I look at her, seeing understanding dawn in her amber eyes. "I need to contact Mila and Alexei. Bring them fully into this investigation."

"I thought Alexei was already helping? He sent teams to back you up at Pier 17."

"He provided tactical support for that specific operation. But this is different. This is asking them to commit their full resources, their connections, their credibility." I pause. "It's asking Mila to help me when she doesn't even know I'm alive."

The decision to visit Mila carries risks I've spent years avoiding.

My niece believes I died at Chernobyl. She's built a life on that foundation, married a man who's legitimizing his criminal empire, had children who will grow up free from the violence that defined previous generations.

She's everything I've been protecting from the shadows, and now I'm about to drag her into them.

Revealing myself now means risking her safety, her stability, her carefully constructed future. It means admitting I've been alive and watching from the darkness while she grieved a loss that wasn't real.

And it also means potentially destroying the one blood family I have left.

But we're out of options. Harrison has federal resources, unlimited funding, and the authority to mobilize agencies against us. We need allies who understand both the criminal and legitimate worlds. We need Alexei's connections and Mila's technical skills and the kind of family loyalty that transcends blood.

"Are you sure about this?" Mariana asks from across the table, her professional walls temporarily forgotten in the face of what we've discovered about Anya. "Once you tell them you're alive, there's no taking it back."

"I'm sure."

"Mila's going to be angry."

"She's going to be furious." I look at Mariana, seeing the concern in her amber eyes. "I let her grieve me for over two decades. She has every right to be angry."

"And Alexei?"

"Alexei will calculate whether I'm more useful alive or dead, then make a pragmatic decision about whether to help us." I pause, considering the man who's been using my intelligence without knowing who I really am. "He's smart enough to have suspected Ghost was connected to his family. Smart enough to have questions about why I was at Pier 17. But he doesn't know I'm Mila's uncle."

"How do you think he'll react?"

"Professionally, with calculated assessment of the tactical advantages." I lean back in my chair, exhaustion from the sleepless night and emotional revelations catching up to me. "But underneath that? He's fiercely protective of Mila. Discovering I've been alive while she was suffering for me will make him want to kill me on the spot."

"But he won't."

"No. Because he'll understand why I had to do all that. Because family loyalty means something to him. And because we have evidence that Harrison killed Anya—which makes this personal for everyone involved."

Mariana studies my face, and I can see her processing the implications. "This changes everything for you. No more shadows. No more Ghost operating alone. Once your family knows you're alive, you'll have to be Mikhail Kozlov again."

"Maybe it's time," I say quietly. "Maybe I've been Ghost long enough."

"Are you ready for that? To stop being the phantom and become a real person again?"

Am I ready?

Ready to face Mila's fury and grief? Ready to explain to my niece why I let her grow up believing I was dead? Ready to step out of the shadows I've worn like armor for over two decades?

Ready to be human again instead of just a weapon?

I think about last night. About Mariana in my arms, soft and vulnerable and trusting me with her body and her heart. About the way she looked at me like I was worth it. And about the future she suggested we could build together.

"I'm ready," I say, and mean it. "For the first time, I'm ready to stop hiding."