Anton’s moves, the shell corporation, the weapons chatter—it all reeks of orchestration. And Kirill? He’s already tangled in this. There’s no way Anton could pull some of this off without Kirill knowing. My instincts scream it: these two are linked, and it’s deeper than anyone imagined.
I run a hand down my face. I’ve already tasked Demyan with tracking Kirill, but knowing he’s a thread in this web twists my gut tighter. Kirill’s loyalty is uncertain, and Anton is reckless. If they’re working together, it won’t be long before the chaos spills over, and Noelle…Noelle cannot be caught in that fire. Not now. Not ever.
This time, when I call and it doesn’t connect, I’m tempted to hurl my phone across the room, but I refrain. It’s not my phone’s fault. Noelle probably switched off her phone. I don’t want to think otherwise.
A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. I stride to the door, my nerves taut, and see Sasha standing there, dressed and looking every bit as worried as I feel.
“Have you…been able to track her?” she asks, her voice tight with concern. “I’ve been trying to reach her phone, but it’s not going through.”
“I’m on it,” I say, keeping my tone firm but not harsh. “You can go home now. Everything will be fine.”
Sasha bites her lip. “I…I’m sorry. I should’ve noticed when she left.”
I shake my head. “It’s not your fault. You were asleep. I’ll let you know when she comes back. Just go, Sasha.”
She nods, giving me a quick, grateful glance, then turns and walks away, leaving the weight of the empty hallway pressing against me.
I storm down to the garage, every step sharp with frustration and worry. Sliding into my car, the engine hums to life beneath me. My mind races—Noelle gone, Anton on the move, and Kirill’s shadow looming larger than ever.
I pull up to Lev’s house, the city streets quiet under the early morning haze. The tires crunch over the gravel drive, and I can feel every second stretching as I get out of the car. I ring the doorbell, impatient, every heartbeat echoing in my chest.
The door swings open, and Lev stares at me, shock flashing across his face. “Niko? Are you okay?”
“I need Kirill’s financials,” I say immediately, cutting past his expression. “Everything on him, now.”
Lev raises an eyebrow, trying to mask his surprise with a smirk. “Relax, man, it’s just—”
I snap, my patience gone. “Noelle is missing, Lev!” The words hit like a punch, the frustration and fear threading my voice. “I don’t know whether she was taken or if she deliberately left, but I have to find her. And I have to find Kirill—no more messing around. I need everything, and I need it now.”
Lev freezes, the levity gone from his features, replaced with a sharp awareness. “Alright,” he says, voice serious. “I get it. I’ll get the records. You relax. Please. We’ll find her.”
I nod, the tension coiling in my chest, every second wasted feeling like a risk I can’t afford. The hunt has begun, and I won’t rest until I know she’s safe.
Lev sets his laptop down on the table and opens it with practiced ease. Rows of files, search histories, and financial records scroll across the screen like a digital maze. He steps back, letting me take over.
I ignore the trivial entries, focusing only on the period when Noelle’s mother was involved with the Rusnak Bratva—the minor, fleeting part of her life that had somehow snowballed into chaos. Every transaction, every note, every flagged document is meticulously examined.
Just as I suspected, the trail leads straight to Kirill. The arms deal gone wrong—the one that had collapsed spectacularly—was handled by him. Kirill had blamed Noelle’s mother for leaking critical intel to federal agents. She had vanished immediately afterward. No trace. No contact. Nothing.
I lean back slightly, the familiar heat of anger and frustration pressing in. Kirill had been sitting on this for years, the ghost of Noelle’s mother hanging over him, and now the same cycle threatens to entangle Noelle. My fingers tighten around the edge of the table. Whoever thought they could touch her and get away with it was going to regret it.
This wasn’t just a thread of history—it was a live wire, and I was about to follow it straight to the source.
Lev curses under his breath. “You think…maybe this is Kirill’s way of getting revenge? That Anton was just a pawn in all of this?”
I don’t look at him immediately, eyes fixed on the trail of transactions and dates blinking across the screen. My jaw tightens. “Anton’s asshole behavior, trying to frame Noelle—that was all real. He wanted to hurt her on his own.” I pause, letting the weight of my words hang. “But as soon as Kirill realized whoNoelle really is…he sided with Anton. Made sure she’d pay for something that wasn’t even her fault.”
Lev raises his eyebrows. “So…it’s all Kirill’s doing now?”
I finally turn to him, eyes cold and steady. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. Kirill always keeps score. And Noelle…she just became the most valuable score in his game.”
The room goes quiet, the gravity of it settling between us.
Lev leans back in his chair, fingers steepled. “My informants are saying the shipment—the one Anton wants to hijack—it’s heading to an abandoned shipping yard. Name’s Crestfall Dock. Not active for years. Perfect spot to stash something without drawing attention.”
I nod, the gears in my mind already turning. “Then that’s where we’re going. We need to scour the area before he even gets close.”
Lev grabs his jacket, and I pull the keys from my pocket. Without another word, we head out, the hum of the engine filling the tense silence as we drive toward Crestfall Dock.
