"Did they ask about Volodin specifically or just treat it as a random killing?"
"He had his ID on him, but they knew things, like about his tattoo." I rewind the footage and watch the timeline again, but there just isn't any trace of a casino staff member there. "It was around midnight they showed up, and we had gawkers until three when they left an investigator to keep an eye on things. Sent the crowd home too."
"So someone did flag him… And if they saw his tattoo, they know he belongs to the Kozlov family." Yuri's tone sharpens with suspicion. "Which means they know this isn't just a typical murder of passion."
"I'm thinking the same thing." I switch to a different camera angle that shows the alley entrance and curse myself for not getting better angles of the back of the casino. Purposefully leaving a blind spot for family business reasons has officially left us in the dark—literally. There is no view of that angle to see who did it and no way to track the person who witnessed it, either.
"Which brings us back to the question of why they'd do this now." Yuri's pacing again, based on the sound of his footsteps on his end of the line. "What were you getting from Volodin in terms of intelligence? Anything recent that might've triggered this?"
"He told me two weeks ago that Malcom was meeting with someone from the Balkan network after Miloš was taken out." I flip through my notes to find the exact details. "He didn't get a name, but he said it looked like they were discussing territory and resources. I passed that information along to you in my last report."
"I remember that report, but without specific intel, there wasn’t much we could do." Yuri grumbles something incoherent to himself. "If Malcom's desperate enough to partner with the Balkans, that changes the entire situation. We had that entire family down to a skeleton, but after the shit Yaros pulled… and now this?"
"That's what concerns me." I close my notes and lean back in my chair. "We need to be ready for a much bigger fight than just a murder in a back alley."
"So we're potentially looking at the remnants of the Kozlov crew, the Balkan network, and possibly the Veche family, all coordinating against us." His voice switches to a flat tone as he recites the facts and then hardens as he says, "What we're preparing for is full-scale war."
"Agreed." I suck in a breath and blow it out hard. "I can tighten security here at the casino and increase patrols around the perimeter. We need to assume they might try to hit us soon."
"I'll send ten additional men to your location within the hour," Yuri growls. "I want you to lock down the casino completely. No one gets in or out without being thoroughly checked—staff, customers, deliveries, everyone. Metal detectors at every entrance, no concealed carry allowed."
"That's going to cause complaints from the high rollers who don't like being inconvenienced." I already know what the reaction will be when some of our wealthiest clients get stopped at the door for security checks.
"I don't care if they complain. Our property was just used as an execution site, and that sends a message that we're vulnerable. We need to show everyone that we take security seriously and that we're not going to let anyone operate freely on our territory."
"What do you want me to tell the staff about why we're increasing security?" I need to have a story ready that won't cause panic but will still motivate people to follow the new protocols.
"Tell them after the murder at the casino, we're taking precautions to keep everyone safe." Yuri pauses, and I hear him drinking something. "Don't mention any threat specifically. Just keep it vague enough that people understand it's serious without giving them details they don't need."
"That should work." I make notes about what I need to communicate to the floor managers and security team. "What about retaliation? Are we going to sit back and wait for them to make another move or are we taking action?"
"We're going to be strategic about this." He's got his wheels spinning, thinking through how to respond. "I want to know exactly who's involved and what they're planning before we commit to any major action. Keep your sources active and see what information you can gather." Yuri's tone shifts slightly. "And watch your back. If they're willing to execute one of our informants on our property, they won't hesitate to come after you directly if they get the opportunity."
"I've been dealing with threats for long enough to know how to protect myself." I appreciate the concern, but I've survived worse situations than this one.
"I know you have, but humor me anyway." Yuri ends the call before I can respond, and I set my phone down on the desk.
Moving back to St Petersburg after such a long stint in Moscow couldn't have come at a worse time, but my family needs me. It's my turn to pick up the mantle and hold the line, and I pray that it's the last test of our endurance that we have to fight through.
I turn back to the security feeds and watch the team moving around. The staff cameras show them doing their jobs dutifully, except for the few slackers who will be fired before week's end. I think of Tatiana, who didn't just refuse me last night but ignored my orders to come to my penthouse, which I fully expected. That one is a pain in the ass sometimes. But I won't give up easily on her, which may not be something she expects.
I pull out my phone and send a message to Linda telling her to send Tatiana up to my office the moment she arrives for her shift. She will have to quit this job if she intends to get away from me for good, and I have a feeling she won't quit.
Linda responds quickly with a confirmation, and I set my phone down.
Now I just have to wait for Tatiana to show up so I can have a conversation with her. She won't be able to run away or deflect when she's standing in my office with the door closed. She'll have to listen to what I'm offering and actually consider it instead of dismissing me outright.
I lean back in my chair and think about how I'm going to approach this. I need to make it clear that this is about her safetyand the security situation at the casino. Frame it as protecting my employees during a dangerous time. She can't argue with that logic without looking unreasonable. And given the heightened security I'll put this place under, it'll look legitimate.
She'll fight me on it because that's who she is, and she'll see through the practical reasoning to the real motivation underneath. But I'm prepared for that. I've been preparing for this conversation for months now.
The question is whether she'll accept what I'm offering or whether she'll try to walk away. And if she tries to walk away, whether I'll let her.
6
TATIANA
Iwake in a groggy funk, feeling hungover and overly tired. When I finally finished the bottle and passed out, it was four a.m. and Lena had already been sleeping for two hours. Not even half a bottle of Russian Standard could soften the edges of my panic to help me sleep, and now I'm regretting it.
