I wait while she gathers the rest of the thought.
“How did he talk about him?” I question.
She exhales slowly. “Carefully.”
That word interests me. Ivan is not a careful man. The idea of him speaking cautiously about someone suggests a different balance of power.
“He sounded irritated,” she adds after a moment. “Like he didn’t like being summoned.”
“Summoned where?” Polina inquires.
“The car warehouse,” she answers immediately. “The one outside the city where imported vehicles are processed.”
Polina brings up the property map on the monitor.Luxury Auto Storage Facility.A large building with direct highway access and multiple loading docks.
Mikel studies the screen and lets out a low whistle. “That’s a serious operation.”
“Front business,” Polina replies. “But the financial pattern matches. Most of Ivan’s transfers move through this location.”
Lila watches the screen for another moment before looking at me. “Ivan hated going there,” she adds.
“Why?”
“He told me once that Volkov controlled the money.”
The answer fits perfectly into the pattern forming across the table. Without money, Ivan’s system collapses. Weapons stop moving, drivers disappear, and the safe houses lose their funding. Volkov may not command men, but he controls the structure those men depend on.
I rise slowly from the chair, the legs sliding softly across the floor.
My attention returns to the warehouse map glowing on the screen. Two entry roads, a security gate, a small night staff, and easy-to-predict movement patterns.
“Does Ivan still meet him there?” I ask.
Polina checks the surveillance logs. “Vehicle activity matches Ivan’s pattern twice in the last month. Late evening.”
Lila studies my face. “You’re going after him.” It’s not a question.
“Yes.”
Concern moves briefly through her expression. “He’s not like Ivan.”
Men who control money rarely rely on intimidation. Their power comes from systems rather than violence. But systems collapse quickly when the wrong pieces disappear.
“You should be careful,” she warns.
Mikel lets out a quiet breath of amusement. “Kiren doesn’t do careful.”
I glance toward him. “I do calculated.” Then I look back at Lila. “You helped.”
Her shoulders relax slightly.
“Thank you,” Polina tells her.
Lila nods once and leaves the room, the door closing softly behind her. The monitors continue glowing across the walls as I study the network again. Volkov sits at the center of Ivan’s financial structure, and once he’s removed, the entire system begins to fracture.
Mikel crosses his arms as he studies the map. “So, what’s the move?”
Polina keeps her attention on the monitor. “Volkov leaves the warehouse around midnight.”
