The call ends just as the shower shuts off.
I remain where I am, phone in hand, my focus held tight. Ivan Malenko has stepped closer to my orbit without appearing to do so. Whether that’s intentional or coincidental will reveal itself soon enough.
Rowan returns moments later, dressed for work, with her hair pulled back. She notices my expression immediately.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks.
I consider deflecting, then decide against it
“My dinner with your family,” I answer instead.
She pauses, surprised. “That’s not what I expected.”
“It’s the truth.”
She studies my face, looking for an angle, but there isn’t one.
“I’ll be there,” I continue. “Not as protection. Simply present.”
She studies me for a moment, then her shoulders ease, the tension leaving without ceremony.
“That helps,” she replies.
“Good.”
She leaves soon after, her energy lingering in the space long after the door closes behind her.
I remain in the apartment longer than usual, aware of how deliberately she leaves a space behind. Her coffee mug has been rinsed and set to dry. Her jacket is folded over the chair with care rather than convenience. Nothing is out of place, yet her presence lingers all the same.
This isn’t fixation or distraction. It’s attachment, clear and unmistakable. In my world, attachment is dangerous. But I accept it anyway.
I leave the apartment soon after Rowan and lock the door behind me. I ride the elevator down in silence, watching my reflection in the mirrored wall. My expression gives nothing away.
Outside, the city is already in motion. Cars move through intersections. Pedestrians gather at corners, coffee in hand, focused on the narrow demands of their mornings. Life continues without concern for power or consequence, creeping closer to the world I keep separate.
Mikel waits near the car, his posture relaxed enough to avoid attention, but his focus intact. He opens the door without comment, and I slide into the passenger seat. We don’t speak until we’re in motion.
“Walk me through it again,” I request.
Mikel’s eyes remain on the road ahead as he replies. “Ivan’s overlap with Sergei Kovalchuk occurs during three separate windows. Different firms. Different roles. No shared contracts on paper.”
“Yet they continue to appear adjacent,” I observe.
“Yes.”
I tap my fingers once against my knee, then still them. “If Ivan wanted to be noticed by me, how would he do it?”
Mikel answers without hesitation. “Through legitimacy.”
I glance at him. “Continue.”
“He wouldn’t challenge you directly. He wouldn’t provoke scrutiny. He would offer value. Intelligence. Services that appear beneficial without carrying obligation.”
I consider that. “Corporate.”
“Yes.”
“Security,” I add.
