Page 143 of Mafia and Scars

How dependent am I now on this woman? And does it matter?

With a shake of my head, I start the car and tear out of the parking lot and onto the bustling highway, heading back to the Kremlin.

Hours pass before I even look up from my computer screen. The encrypted files just keep going, sent from an old contact I have in the Russian armed forces. Gennady is FSB, and the skating club isn’t just a side gig. He’s involved in a long-term recruitment front for FSB agents. It was all about instilling mandatory obedience, completely breaking innocent girls down into shells of themselves, and turning those who passed the brutal tests into groomed agents with loyalty to the state.

Bile burns the back of my throat.

That bastard isn’t just a coach. He’s a handler.

And what’s worse? He’s mixed up with the fucking Albanians now.

But I’m done letting him pull the strings.

I need to strike—and strike fast.

Footsteps, soft and measured, hit my ears before the knock.

“Viktor?” Avelina’s voice is muffled through the door. She appears a moment later, haloed by the hall light. Concern etches into her face, and I hate that it’s not the sunshine and smiles she normally brings. “I brought you dinner,” she says, gesturing to the plate in her hand. “Is everything okay?”

Her just being next to me loosens some of the knots in my body. I swallow, closing my eyes.

Gently, her hand rests on my bare arm, and I zero in on it. That welcoming scent that wraps around her fills my nose, and I sigh softlyas she squeezes my arm before pulling me into a hug. “It’s okay, Viktor.”

“It’s not. I’m not any closer to finishing this. Killing Gennady—killing an FSB agent—means war. And the Albanians are fucking trying to take over our arms deals with the Russian government. And they’re making deals through Gennady to achieve this.” Frustration cuts me off, and I feel my fingers curl tighter.

“Shhh,” she says softly.

But I can’t calm it down. “I won’t risk your life or Sofia’s… He’s playing all sides. Selling access, moving weapons, laundering through shell corporations. But none of it fucking helps,” I say against her shoulder as she hugs me tightly like she does to calm Sofia. “I’m going to protect you. Even if all of Russia comes for me.”

“I know.”

“He used you and the other girls…”

I can feel her swallow thickly at the words, and I hold her tighter. “It was…” Her voice trails off.

“Psychological and physical hell.” The words are blunt and factual. I shouldn’t say it like that, but I can’t help it. My voice drops low. “You and Sofia, you arenevergoing back.”

I look up at her, cupping her face gently. The way it’s become so easy to touch her, to relish in the softness of her skin, never ceases to amaze me. And yet it terrifies me all the same. “I promise you, I’m going to keep you safe.”

She nods. “I know.”

I’ve never wanted to keep a promise more than I do right now. “It’s not going to be pretty. It’ll be messy and dangerous and…” The words fail me. I know how she feels about dangerous men.

“Do it anyway, Viktor.”

I blink at her.

“If he’s out there, if he’s still doing this, if he still has that kind of power… We’re not safe. Sofia isn’t safe.” Her voice cracks, and my thumb brushes a tear from her cheek. Not one of fear, but fury.

And I match it. “I’m going to end him,” I say. “And when it’s done and over, you and Sofia won’t have to worry about him ever again.”

Later, once Avelina, Leon, and Sofia are sound asleep, I make my way back to my office. Sitting alone in the dark, I piece together my plan. It’s not perfect. I know that. But it’s something.

In a few short days, this will be over. One way or another, I will protect what’s mine.

The thought gives me pause.Mine.The word rings through my head like an echo. I have my brothers, but even they’re kept at some distance. But Avelina? Sofia and Leon?

I push that thought into its own little box. I’ll think about it later.