Page 51 of Twisted Pact

“Dmitri doesn’t make decisions about Mila’s safety; I do.”

“That’s what worries me. You’re acting like a man who’s claimed a woman who’s yours to protect rather than an asset we’re securing for the benefit of our organization. You just nearly killed one of my officers for suggesting something you would have considered perfectly reasonable a month ago.”

The accusation makes me want to punch something, mostly because he’s right.

A month ago, I would have seen Mila as the lieutenant described: Leverage. A tool to use for maximum advantage. Someone’s daughter who could be broken to send messages.

Now, the thought of anyone touching her makes me want to burn down the city.

“What else can you recommend?” I ask. “I’m not budging on Mila.”

“Eliminate the threat, not the symptom. Maxim’s the one organizing this coalition. Without him, the families go back to competing instead of coordinating against you.”

“You’re suggesting I kill Maxim Novikov.”

“I’m suggesting you remove the threat before it becomes something you can’t control. Right now, it’s bounties. In a week, it could be coordinated attacks on multiple targets. Better to act while you have the advantage.”

I turn the suggestion over in my head. Killing Maxim would send a message that threatening anyone under Kozlov protection results in death and demonstrate how serious I am about defending this alliance.

It would also start a war.

The Novikov family would demand blood for blood. Other families would have to choose sides. What started as regional politics would escalate into something that could destabilize half of Moscow’s infrastructure, criminal and otherwise.

“I need to think about it,” I tell Boris.

“Don’t think too long. Every day we wait is another day someone decides that bounty looks attractive.”

“How’s the security at the estate?”

“Six men rotating in eight-hour shifts. Perimeter sensors, motion detectors, and camera coverage of all access points. Standard high-security setup.”

“Double it. Twelve men. Four-hour shifts. Add thermal imaging to the perimeter. I want to know if a squirrel crosses the property line.”

“That’s pretty excessive for?—”

“Double it. Today. I don’t care what it costs.”

Boris studies my face for a long moment and then nods. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

“And Boris? Anyone who even looks at the estate wrong gets a bullet. No warnings or questions, just immediate lethal response.”

He gathers the rest of the photographs and tucks them back into the folder before he walks to the door, where he pauses with his hand on the knob. “For what it’s worth, I hope she’s worth it.”

He leaves before I can respond, and I return to the window and pull out my phone. No new messages from Mila.

I’m betting everything on a woman who probably hates me and has every reason to walk away the second this situation is resolved.

But the alternative is letting her become a target. Letting men like that lieutenant view her as leverage instead of a person, and letting Maxim Novikov’s coalition turn her into a bargaining chip.

That’s not acceptable.

I need to stay away for three or four days to let law enforcement lose interest in last night’s operation.

Mila will be alone with only guards for company. She’ll have time to decide whether what happened between us was real or just another manipulation. And I’ll have time to figure out how the hell to apologize for being the kind of man who makes women get on their knees and then mocks them for it afterward.

I hope like hell it’s enough time.

15