"I've worked with him before," I lie smoothly. "Can't remember his name, but I trust him. He's good at what he does, and I could use someone I know I can rely on."
The silence on the other end tells me Fyodor isn't entirely convinced, but he doesn't question me about it. At least I've earned that much respect from him. "I'll see what I can do."
I wait while he receives the image, listening to the sound of the waves behind me and Danica's soft humming as she wanders closer to the water.
"Got it," Fyodor finally says. "I'll run it through our database, see who matches. But Vadim, if this goes sideways?—"
"It won't."
"You'd better hope you're right. Yuri isn't in the mood for mistakes."
"I know."
"Good. I'll be in touch."
He hangs up, and I stand there for a moment, staring at my phone. This is a dangerous game I'm playing, bringing the suspected traitor directly into my orbit. If I'm wrong, I've wasted valuable time and resources. And if I'm right but he figures out what I'm doing, I'm a dead man.
But I don't have a choice. Drawing him out is the only way to get the proof I need, and I'd rather have him here where I can control the situation than out there where he can continue to operate in the shadows and pull more men into his web.
I shove my phone back in my pocket and turn to see Danica standing at the water's edge. Her dress blows in the breeze, her hair catching the moonlight. For a moment I just watch her. She's somehow become the center of my world without my realizing it was happening.
She turns when she hears me approaching and offers a tentative smile. "Everything okay?"
"It will be," I say softly as I kiss her cheek. Oh, God, to have that moment back when I almost told her how I feel. But it's gone, and to try to recreate it would be a forgery. "The beach is empty now," I observe, glancing around at the deserted shoreline. It's late enough that even the couples who were walking earlier have gone home.
"It's peaceful," she says.
I shrug off my jacket and spread it on the sand, gesturing for her to sit. She does, tucking her legs under her, and I settle beside her. The sand is cool beneath us and the sound of the waves is a soothing rhythm.
"What you said earlier," I start, then pause, trying to figure out how to word this. "About the kind of man you'd want."
"Vadim—"
"You said someone exactly like me, except for the criminal part."
She looks down at her hands. "I shouldn't have said that."
"Why not?"
"Because it's complicated. We're complicated."
"Everything worth having is complicated." I reach over and take her hand, threading my fingers through hers. "You've been incredibly strong through all of this. Most people would've broken by now." It's true. Seeing how she's taken one hit after another and keeps going is only more proof that she is perfect for me.
"I don't feel strong." Her head dips, but I cradle her cheek and make her look up at me.
"You are. And I think if you could look past my faults, we could actually be happy together."
Danica offers a pained expression and tears her gaze away to peer out over the water.
"You're the only woman I've ever been able to tolerate for more than a few hours at a time," I say, chuckling.
She laughs too, then says, "That's quite the compliment."
"I mean it…" I say, and I grow serious. It's nothing like the previous moment, but it feels sincere.
Danica squeezes my hand then leans on my shoulder. I pull her against my body with an arm around her back and listen to the waves lap at the shore. This peace is where I want to live, not in the chaos of crime or chasing men down. And the only place I've ever felt this is with her.
"Would you ever consider moving away from Belgrade?"
