"I should have—"
"You did everything." Her grip on my hand tightens. "You got him out. You jumped from the second floor and somehow survived. You did everything humanly possible."
She leans closer, her forehead resting against mine. "My father made his choices. He set this whole nightmare in motion when he betrayed you. What happens to him now is consequence, not your responsibility."
I want to argue. Want to take on the guilt of failing to save him completely.
But she's right. I did everything I could.
The door opens, and Semyon walks in. He looks better than the last time I saw him—cleaned up, the cut above his eye neatly stitched. His arm in a sling.
"You're awake," he observes. "Good. We need to talk."
"What happened?" I try to sit up more, but Kira pushes me back down.
"Stay," she orders. "You're not going anywhere. I will absolutely shoot you with a tranquilizer dart myself if you even think about getting out of that bed."
Semyon pulls up another chair. He looks from me to Kira then back at me. "Roman is dead."
The words hang in the air. I stare at him; not sure I heard correctly.
"What?"
"Roman is dead," he repeats. "I saw the body myself. Pulled from the rubble about three hours ago. Crushed when the third floor collapsed."
Relief floods through me so intensely I feel dizzy. "You're sure?"
"Positive. I made them show me the body twice. Checked for a pulse myself." His smile is grim. "He's dead, Maksim. Really dead. That piece of shit is never coming back."
I can't process it. After everything he put us through, Roman is just... gone.
"His network is collapsing," Semyon continues. "Without him, there's no leadership. His lieutenants are already turning on each other, fighting for scraps. By tomorrow, the Barinov bratva will be in complete chaos."
"Good," Kira says fiercely. "Let it burn."
"It's not that simple," Semyon says, looking at me. "Nature abhors a vacuum. Someone will step in to fill the void. The question is who."
I know what he's asking. What everyone will be asking.
Will I take my father's place? Claim what's mine by blood and right?
"The families are already asking," Semyon says quietly. "Leo's death is being mourned. The torture victims Roman left behind are being found. People are angry, Maksim. They want justice. They want leadership."
"They want revenge," I correct.
"That too." He doesn't deny it. "But mostly they want someone to rebuild. To restore order. Your father was loved. You're his son. His legitimate heir."
"I don't want it," I say, but even as the words leave my mouth, I'm not sure they're true.
Part of me does want it. Wants to finish what my father started. I want to build something better than what Roman created.
But another part wants to walk away. I just want to disappear and be normal.
"You don't have to decide right now," Semyon says. "Take time. Heal. But know that the offer is there. The families will follow you if you ask."
"And if I don't ask?"
"Then someone else will step in. Someone who might be worse than Roman." His expression is serious. "I'm not trying to pressure you. Just giving you the facts."
