“We?” Lev frowns, sharp and calculating, his eyes narrowing as if trying to read me like an open file. “You and who?”
I don’t answer. Instead, I slide into my seat beside Niko, my fingers curling around his glass. I down the rest of his vodka in one long pull, feeling the burn trail down my throat, steadying me.
Why do I feel this way?
The men at the table watch me closely, silence pressing in like a vice. I sense their thoughts, their suspicion, their unspoken questions. I hold their gaze, letting them feel the edge in me, the storm they’ve been waiting for. My chest tightens, but I refuse to show nerves. Today, I need them to know I’m in control, whether they liked my decision or not.
“Roman?” Lukin asks, folding his hands. “What is this about?” The room tightens around the question.
I inhale, let the weight of the moment settle into my chest, and push forward. “You all know I infiltrated the New York museum,” I say, steady. “We had intel that David Chang was moving new shipments—stuff that could change the course of our business.”
Heads incline; the men are listening. They’re not even drinking their vodka, that’s how hard they’re hanging on to every word that leaves my mouth.
“I have news about that,” I add.
“Hope it’s good news?” Lev’s grin blooms like a dare. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on that grimy bastard.”
“Slow down, Lev,” I warn, and he huffs but shuts his mouth. I keep my eyes on him. “When we catch him, that man is mine.”
He lifts a hand in mock surrender. “Okay, damn.”
I push the manifest I confiscated from Elara across the table and let the silence do the rest. “When I went there,” I say, “someone was already rerouting the shipments. They had an updated manifest—with the new route numbers and everything.”
Niko’s brow knits. “I thought that intel was classified. Who is this person?”
Kaz leans forward, practical as always. “Do we have the shipments? That’s what matters. We confiscate it, we get leverage on David. Do we have it?”
“Not only do I have the shipments, but I also have something even better.”
A ripple of interest passes around the table. “What is it?”
“Elara Chang.”
Silence slams into the room. The men look at me like I’ve switched the board.
“Hold on. Isn’t that David’s daughter?” Lukin asks.
“She’s Sasha’s friend,” Lev says, frowning. “Why do you have her?”
“Calm down.” I keep my voice flat. “I found Elara on-site, rerouting the shipments. She had a whole new manifest.”
“She’s helping her father?” Niko asks. “Or sabotaging him?”
“Sabotaging him,” I answer.
“Deliberately?”
“Deliberately.”
“Oh wow.” Lev is visibly taken aback. “I knew she hated the man, but not to that point.”
Lukin leans in, taking charge. “Okay—hold on. I’m trying to understand. When you say you have her, do you mean she’s here? With you?”
“She is.”
“Why?” Niko presses.
“Because she’s David’s daughter,” I say. “Leverage. David is a grimy bastard, like Lev said. We have to make him pay.”
