Page 104 of Knuckles & Knives

“Am I?” Marina presses a button on the device, and my earpiece fills with the sound of Dom’s voice, tight with controlled panic.

“Raven, we have explosives. Professional placement, remote detonation. If that device in her hand sends a signal?—”

“I know,” I interrupt quietly.

“The beauty of loving someone,” Marina continues, “is that it makes them so very easy to threaten. Vincent never understood that his feelings for me gave me complete power over his decisions. But you understand, don’t you, little raven?”

“I understand that you’re insane,” I reply.

“I’m practical,” she corrects. “Love is a weakness that can be exploited. Fear is a tool that can be wielded. Power is the only truth that matters in our world.”

“Is that what you taught my father?”

“I taught Vincent to build an empire,” Marina says with pride. “I taught you to think strategically. Now I’m teaching you the final lesson—that true power requires the elimination of emotional weakness.”

“By threatening the people I love?”

“By demonstrating that your love makes you vulnerable,” she clarifies. “Accept my partnership, rule as my public face, and they live. Refuse, and watch them die knowing that your sentimental attachment sealed their fate.”

The choice she’s presenting is stark and simple—betray everything I’ve learned about love and loyalty to save the men who taught me those lessons or watch them die to preserve principles they helped me discover.

“You’re right about one thing,” I tell her, moving deeper into the greenhouse with careful steps. “Love does create vulnerability.”

“Then you accept?—”

“It creates vulnerability in the people who threaten it,” I continue, cutting her off. “Because someone who would use love as a weapon has forgotten the most important truth about it.”

“Which is?”

“Love is stronger than any fear you can inspire.”

Marina’s expression shifts from confidence to wariness.

“Your explosives,” I continue, “require line-of-sight communication to detonate remotely. Marcus has been jamming your signals since I entered the greenhouse.”

“That’s impossible?—”

“Your backup teams in the main house are currently unconscious, courtesy of Axel’s infiltration skills and some very effective sedatives.”

Marina’s eyes widen as she realizes her careful plans are unraveling.

“Your escape routes have been compromised by Dom’s tactical positioning, and federal agents are currently surrounding the entire estate thanks to Kieran’s coordination.”

“You can’t?—”

“I can,” I interrupt, moving close enough to see the fear beginning to replace calculation in her eyes. “You taught me strategy, but you never learned the lesson my four men taught me.”

“Which is?”

“The strongest tactics aren’t about controlling people through fear. They’re about inspiring them to fight for something worth protecting.”

Marina lunges for a backup detonator hidden among the roses, but Axel’s voice in my earpiece confirms that he’s already disabled the secondary charges. She tries to flee toward the greenhouse exit, but Dom’s massive frame blocks her path. She reaches for a concealed weapon, but Marcus’s surveillance has anticipated every move, guiding my response with perfect timing.

When federal agents enter the greenhouse fourteen minutes later, they find Marina Volkov in restraints, surrounded by evidence of a conspiracy that spans five years and encompasses multiple criminal organizations.

“Ms. Volkov,” Director Clements says formally, “you’re under arrest for the murder of Vincent Blackwood, conspiracy to commit murder, and approximately sixty-three other federal charges.”

“This isn’t over,” Marina snarls as they lead her away. “You think eliminating me ends the game? I’ve been playing this longer than you’ve been alive.”