“I think I can convince him that self-destructing over wounded feelings is the kind of weakness that gets everyone killed.” Sasha pulls out her phone and starts dialing. “Which is something Father would have drilled into both of you if he were still alive.”
Dmitri sneers. “Don’t bring Father into this.”
“Father would be ashamed of both of you right now. He spent years teaching you that family loyalty was the foundation of everything we do. That protecting each other was more important than being right, more important than pride, more important than anything else in the world.”
“I was protectingmyfamily.”
“You were protecting Katya. Which is admirable, but you did it by attacking Alexei instead of working with him to find a solution that keeps everyone safe.”
Someone answers Sasha’s call, and she switches to Russian to arrange a meeting. Her tone suggests that declining isn’t an option.
“One hour,” she says when she hangs up. “Neutral location, both of you present, and this gets resolved today.”
She turns to me next, and I brace myself for another verbal assault.
“You’re coming, too.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“This fight is partially about you, which means you need to be part of the solution.”
“Alexei wants me dead. My presence won’t make him more reasonable.”
“Maybe not. But it’s going to force them to confront the reality of what they’re fighting about instead of hiding behind abstract principles. One hour,” Sasha repeats, looking at each of us in turn. “Warehouse district, building twelve. You show up, you tell the truth, and you start acting like family instead of enemies. Right now, the biggest threat to this family isn’t Viktor’s network or the FSB or rival organizations. It’s the two of you tearing each other apart over a situation that could be resolved with honesty and compromise.”
She heads for the door, then stops and looks back at us.
“Don’t make me choose between my brothers. Because if this keeps going, that’s what will happen, and none of us will like how that turns out.”
She slams the door behind her, leaving the three of us staring at each other in stunned silence.
“Well,” Anya says finally, “she’s terrifying.”
“She’s also right,” I reply, though the admission tastes bitter.
Dmitri sinks into his chair and puts his head in his hands. “This is going to be a disaster.”
“Maybe. But it’s also the first chance we’ve had to solve this problem instead of just managing it.”
“You think Alexei will listen to reason?”
I offer him a one-shouldered shrug. “I think Alexei loves his family more than he hates me. And I think Sasha is scary enough to make both of you behave like adults long enough to have a conversation.”
“What if she’s wrong? What if telling him everything just convinces him that I’m more compromised than he thought?”
“Then at least we’ll know where we stand. Right now, we’re fighting shadows and assumptions. Maybe it’s time to deal with facts.”
Dmitri looks up at me, and I see the fear in his green eyes. Not fear of his brother or the coming confrontation, but fear of losing something precious that he’s only just realized he has.
“Whatever happens in that warehouse, I want you to know something. Shooting Alexei to protect you was the right choice. Even if it costs me everything else, even if it destroys the family, even if it was the stupidest decision I’ve ever made. It was the right choice.”
“Why?”
“Because some things are worth more than strategy or family loyalty or organizational survival. And you’re one of those things.”
I lean over and kiss him, tasting the fear and determination on his lips.
“Then let’s go make sure we don’t lose everything else in the process.”
