"I have information." Alina's improvising now, and I watch her with a mixture of pride and concern. "About Dimitri's operations, his alliances, his weaknesses. Things that could be valuable to you and the Kozlovs."
Silence on the other end. I can practically hear Viktor's mind working, weighing the possibilities.
"Even if I believed you," he says, "why would you betray your new husband? What's in it for you?"
"My sister's safety. And my freedom." She looks at me as she says it, and I see the apology in her eyes. "I never wanted any of this. Let Katya go, and I'll give you what you want."
More silence. Then, "You'll come to me. Alone. We'll discuss this face to face."
"Where?" Alina asks.
"The safehouse where I'm keeping your sister. You know the one. Come alone, Alina. No Morozov, no guards, no weapons. If I see anyone following you, if I suspect any kind of trap, Katya dies. Do you understand?"
Alina's face goes pale, but her voice doesn't quaver. "I understand."
"Good. You have two hours. Don't be late."
The line goes dead.
21
ALINA
The phone feels like it weighs a thousand pounds in my hand. My father's voice still echoes in my ears, cold and calculating, making demands like he has any right to. Like he didn't drug me and hand me over to men who wanted to kill me.
Two hours. Come alone.
I set the phone down on Dimitri's desk with trembling fingers and look up to find him watching me. His green eyes are dark with fury, his jaw clenched so tightly, I can see the muscle jumping beneath his beard. He's already shaking his head before I can say anything.
"No." The word comes out flat, absolute. "You're not going."
"Dimitri—"
"I said no." He starts pacing, his movements sharp and agitated like a caged tiger. "Viktor wants you isolated and vulnerable. It's a trap, Alina. He'll kill you the moment you walk through that door."
"Maybe." I stand, my legs steadier than I expected. "But he'll definitely kill Katya if I don't show up."
That stops him mid-stride. He turns to face me, and I see the war playing out behind his eyes. The ruthless Pakhan who makes calculated decisions versus the man who just made me his wife, who promised to protect me.
"We'll find another way," he says, but his voice lacks conviction.
"There is no other way." I move around the desk toward him, my heart pounding. "You said it yourself. A direct assault gets people killed. But if I go in, if I can get close to Katya, we have a chance."
"A chance to get yourself killed." His hands curl into fists at his sides. "I just got you back, Alina. I'm not losing you again."
The raw emotion in his voice makes my chest tight. This man who kills without hesitation, who threatened to destroy an entire family to save me, is afraid. For me.
I reach up and cup his face, feeling the roughness of his beard against my palms. "You won't lose me. But I need you to trust me on this."
"Trust has nothing to do with it." He covers my hands with his, pressing them harder against his face. "Your father is a snake. He's already proven he's willing to sacrifice you for power. What makes you think he won't do it again?"
"Because this time, I'm not going in blind." I pull my hands free and step back, my mind already working through the logistics. "I'll wear a wire. A tracking device. You can have your men positioned around the compound, ready to move in the moment something goes wrong."
Dimitri's eyes narrow. "And when Viktor searches you? When he finds the wire?"
"Then you come in shooting." I cross my arms over my chest, trying to project confidence I don't entirely feel. "But he won't find it. He thinks I'm desperate, that I'm willing to betray you to save Katya. His ego will make him careless."
Alexei, who's been standing quietly by the door, clears his throat. "She's right, Pakhan. Viktor's arrogance is his weakness. If Alina can sell the performance, if she can make him believe she's there to negotiate, we might be able to extract Katya before he realizes what's happening."
