But he's made one critical mistake. He's underestimated how far I'm willing to go to protect what's mine.
"All teams, stand by," I order. "Wait for my signal."
Through the wire, I hear Alina's voice again, stronger now. "I've given you what you wanted. Now give me my sister."
"Not quite yet." Viktor's tone shifts, becomes colder. "You see, Alina, I'm not entirely convinced of your sincerity. You married Morozov. You let him touch you, claim you. That's not something a daughter does lightly."
"I did what I had to do to survive." Alina's voice is sharp with anger now, and I wonder how much of it is performance and how much is real. "You drugged me. You handed me over to the Kozlovs. You tried to have me killed. What was I supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to trust that I knew what was best for this family." Viktor's voice rises slightly. "Everything I did was to protect us, to secure our future. The alliance with the Kozlovs would have made us untouchable."
"The alliance with the Kozlovs got seventeen people killed at my wedding." Alina's voice cracks with emotion. "Including Sergei.Including innocent people who had nothing to do with your power games."
"Collateral damage." Viktor says it so casually, like he's discussing the weather. "Necessary sacrifices for the greater good."
"You're a monster." The words come out raw, honest. "You sold your own daughter. You're holding your other daughter hostage. You're a liar and a murderer, and I'm done pretending otherwise."
Through the binoculars, I see a figure appear in one of the factory windows. Tall, silver-haired. Viktor. He's standing with his back to the window, facing someone I can't see. Facing Alina.
"Careful, daughter." Viktor's voice is dangerous now. "You're in no position to make accusations."
"Where's Katya?" Alina demands, and I hear the desperation creeping into her voice. "You promised she'd be here. I want to see my sister."
This is it. The moment we've been building toward. If Viktor produces Katya, if he brings her out, we can move, extract both of them before Viktor realizes what's happening.
But something feels wrong. The way Viktor's men are positioned, the number of them, the tension I can hear in the silence that follows Alina's question.
"Papa." Alina's voice is smaller now, frightened. "Where is she? Where's Katya?"
Through the binoculars, I see Viktor turn slightly, and even from this distance, even through the dirty factory window, I can see the cold smile on his face.
Then his voice comes through the wire, and every muscle in my body goes rigid.
Viktor laughs. It's a sound devoid of warmth, of humanity, of anything resembling paternal love. A sound that makes my blood turn to ice in my veins.
"Your sister is already dead, Alina," he says, his voice carrying clearly through the wire. "I killed her this morning when you refused to come home."
23
ALINA
The words hang in the air like poison, seeping into my lungs, choking me.
Your sister is already dead, Alina. I killed her this morning when you refused to come home.
No.
No, no, no.
The factory floor tilts beneath my feet. My vision narrows to a single point—my father's face. That cold, satisfied smile. Those eyes that hold no remorse, no grief, no humanity.
"You're lying." My voice sounds distant, like it's coming from someone else. "You're lying to manipulate me. Katya is alive. She has to be alive."
Viktor takes a step closer, and I see the truth written in every line of his face. The certainty. The pride in what he's done.
"She cried for you at the end," he says, his tone conversational, like he's discussing the weather. "Called your name. Begged meto stop. But you weren't there to save her, were you? You were too busy playing house with Morozov."
Something inside me shatters, but I don’t have time to recognize it as Dimitri’s voice comes through in my earpiece, telling me to get down. I drop to my hands and knees an instant before bullets start zinging through the warehouse. My gaze, however, is glued to my father. Or, rather, his retreating back.
