Her smile is soft.
Sweet.
Terrifying.
“And,” she says. “We handle Oksana.”
“Agreed,” Callum says, sitting up now. All traces of his grin gone. “When do we move?”
I hold up a hand.
“We don’t. Not yet.”
“Elliot,” Juliet starts.
“Listen.” My voice sharpens. Just enough. “Oksana Ivanov is not some jealous ex-girlfriend. She’s a professional criminal with connections, resources, and a body count. If we move without a plan, she’ll retaliate. And not just against us. Against Vitaly.”
That shuts them up.
I lean back.
Steeple my fingers.
Let the weight of it settle.
“So,” I say quietly. “We need to be smart. Precise. And above all...” I glance at Juliet. “We need to make sure she doesn’t see us coming.”
“Oh, Elliot,” she purrs. “She won’t.”
I believe her.
Unfortunately.
I stand.
Walk to the whiteboard mounted on the kitchen wall.
The one Juliet uses for meal planning and passive-aggressive reminders.
I erase ‘Callum - fold the laundry’ and pick up a marker.
“Alright,” I say. “If we’re doing this, we do it smart. Which means assignments.”
I draw a line down the center.
Left side: Oksana
Right side: Vitaly
“Orion. Callum.” I turn to them. “You two are on Oksana.”
Orion cracks his knuckles. “What kind of on her?”
“Surveillance first,” I say. “Stalking, but make it responsible. I need to know her patterns. Where she goes. Who she meets. What businesses she’s actually running through.”
“And if we see an opportunity to fuck with her?” Callum asks.
I pause.
