"For what?" Gemma asks.
"For Artem to make his move. He can't back down now. His credibility is on the line." I look at her. "Your plan is working."
"Our plan," she corrects.
"Right. Our plan."
The day passes. Quiet. Too quiet.
"This is it," Marcello says. "Once Igor is confirmed, Artem's leverage is gone. The footage becomes meaningless."
"Unless Artem does something stupid," I say.
"He won't. He's smart. He knows when he's beaten." Gemma sounds confident. "He'll retreat. Regroup. Maybe try again later. But for now, we've won."
I want to believe her.
Want to think it's that simple.
But something feels off. Wrong.
"Double the security," I tell Emmanuel. "On the compound. On Gemma. On Marcello. I want eyes everywhere."
"Boss—" Gemma starts.
"Humor me. Please."
She sees something in my face. Nods. "Okay."
That night, I can't sleep.
I lie there, watching Gemma breathe. Peaceful. Trusting.
She thinks we've won.
And maybe we have.
But I've been in this life long enough to know?—
It's never that easy.
And men like Artem don't lose.
They just change the game.
CHAPTER 27
Gemma
The warehouse has been transformed.
What was once a storage facility for the Bratva's import operations is now...well, it's still a warehouse. But someone's tried to string up Christmas lights and add flowers to the tables around the room.
Plus, there's vodka. So much freaking vodka.
This is Igor's coronation. His official acceptance as Pakhan.
And we're here to witness it.
