He swallows. “A few hours ago.”
Which means I don’t have much time before they figure out Hannah survived. That we thwarted their attack.
“Keep him alive,” I say to Alexei. “Then meet me upstairs.”
I check on Hannah and find her with Mila eating dinner. She knows where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. I don’t see fear in her eyes when I lean down to kiss her, then Mila.
“Are you going to eat with us, Dad?” Mila asks.
“I have work to do,” I tell her. “But eat your vegetables. I will try and tuck you in later.”
Hannah gazes up at me. “I’ll make you a plate.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in my office.”
She nods with understanding. “Me and Mila are going to watch a movie and then probably go to bed early.”
She’s keeping her busy, allowing me to do what needs to be done.
“I’ll be late,” I say.
“Take all the time you need.”
I want nothing more than to sit down and have dinner with them. I want to scoop them both up and run.
But it will never end if I don’t end it.
I gather my inner circle in my office which has been transformed into a war room of sorts. The estate's layout is spread across the table.
"We go defensive," I tell them. "Bogdan will come here because this is where Hannah and Mila are. He knows I won't leave them unprotected."
"We could evacuate them," Andre suggests. "Get them out of Chicago entirely."
"No." The word comes out harsh. "Running makes us look weak, and it splits our forces. We keep them here; in the most defensible position we have."
Alexei moves markers on the map, indicating guard positions. "We'll need three times normal security. Rotating shifts, overlapping coverage. No single point of failure."
"What about the perimeter?" Mikhail asks. "The walls are solid, but determined attackers could breach them with enough firepower."
"Then we make sure they never get close enough to try." I point to several spots on the map. "Motion sensors here and here. Sniper positions on the roof. We turn this place into a fortress."
"And if they get through anyway?" Sergei's question is practical, not defeatist.
"Then we have fallback positions." I trace escape routes on the map. "Hannah and Mila go to the panic room first. If that's compromised, there's a tunnel that leads to the garage. SUVs staged and ready."
"Who escorts them?"
"You do, Mikhail. And you, Sergei. Your only job is to keep them alive. If the estate falls, you get them out and you don't look back."
Both men nod, understanding the weight of the responsibility I'm placing on them.
"What about the council?" Alexei asks. "Do we contact them?"
I've been thinking about this since Ivan's confession. "I will, but I need to carefully ask questions. We don't know who Radimir has in his pocket.”
"And if they don't believe us?" Alexei asks.
"Then we fight anyway. But at least we'll have tried to follow protocol."
