"Much better." I snuggled closer, nestling into him like a cat seeking warmth. "Your teaching style... it's stricter than I expected."
He laughed lowly, his chest rumbling with the vibration. "Because I'm serious about it." He tightened his embrace, his voice steady and resolute. "Every technique you learn could one day get you out of harm's way. I can't afford to go easy on that."
I gazed at his resolute profile, a profound sense of security flooding me. This man was enabling me to pursue my passion while ensuring my safety.
With that thought, I leaned in to kiss him, whispering the words from deep in my heart. "I love you, Alexander."
He paused for a moment, then pulled me into a tight hug, as if trying to fuse us together. It was the first time I'd said those words to him, and from his trembling embrace, I knew how much they meant.
"I love you too, Anna," he whispered in my ear. "More than my own life."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alexander
Five in the morning. I sat in my study, files and reports scattered across the desk. Dawn was breaking outside, but I'd been here all night. The whiskey bottle sat within arm's reach, half empty. The alcohol should have relaxed me, but for me it was just fuel to stay sharp.
Cigar smoke and bitter coffee filled the air. The wall clock ticked away, each second a reminder that time was running out. Every minute could mean new threats closing in.
Ivan knocked and entered, his face grim as he set down the latest intel. "Pakhan, Marcus Warren's buried deep. We've been tracking him for three days. Every time we get close, he vanishes—like someone's tipping him off."
I dropped the file I was reading and rubbed my throbbing temples. Days of non-stop work had my head ready to split open.
"Details."
"Last night we tracked him to a warehouse in Brooklyn. When our guys got there, they found warm coffee cups and scattered papers. That's it." Ivan dropped into the chair across from me. "Plus,surveillance equipment had been deliberately destroyed. Someone warned him."
My fists clenched involuntarily. A mole. We had a fucking mole in our organization.
"What about the Kolov family?" I forced down the rage.
"Worse." Ivan's expression darkened further. "They're using your distraction to grab two of our dock operations. Last night their guys started shit on Third Street, put three of our brothers in the hospital. They're testing us."
He pulled photos from his briefcase—hospital reports for our wounded men. Seeing those familiar faces laid up in hospital beds sent cold fury through my veins.
"They think we've gone soft?" My voice was quiet, but Ivan knew what that calm meant.
"Sergey Kolov showed up personally," Ivan continued. "At a party last night, he said publicly that the Volkov family has lost its edge. Said we hide behind women's skirts now."
I shot to my feet. The whiskey glass crashed to the floor, amber liquid spreading across the desk. Under siege from all sides. That's where I stood now. Protecting Anna and Sofia meant splitting my focus, and enemies were circling like hyenas around a wounded lion.
"Get all core members together," I ordered coldly. "Eight tonight, conference room. Time to remind certain people what the Volkov name means."
Three straight days, barely any sleep. Days handling Kolov's growing provocations, dealing with their attacks on our territory. Nights personally coordinating the hunt for whoever was threatening Anna, only to come up empty every time.
Three different encrypted phones sat on my desk, each connected to different networks. Political, business, underworld. They never stopped ringing. Every call brought new problems, new threats, new crises to manage.
Anna didn't know I'd raised the manor's security to wartime levels. Beyond the visible bodyguards, we had round-the-clock snipers, electronic surveillance specialists, and rapid response teams on standby.Every inch around the manor was monitored. Any anomaly triggered immediate alerts.
But this level of protection ate through massive manpower and resources—resources that should have been used against the Romanov family and other enemies. I was fighting a multi-front war, every battlefield draining my strength.
I could feel my body and mind nearing their limits, but I couldn't stop. The moment I showed any weakness, every enemy would swarm like sharks smelling blood.
The third evening, after handling an emergency meeting about Kolov trying to buy off one of our key partners, Sofia appeared in my doorway.
"Alex, why don't you play with me anymore?" Sofia tugged my hand, her brown eyes—so much like mine—filled with hurt. "You're always in your study. You don't even read me bedtime stories."
Seeing my daughter's disappointment cut like a knife. I knelt and hugged her, forcing my voice to sound gentle. "I'm sorry, little princess. Work's been busy, but it'll be over soon."
