"You don't get to make decisions about my life anymore. You gave that up when you left me with nothing, so be quiet and let me handle this."
Her mouth falls open.
Gabriel watches me, an unreadable expression on his face.
I turn to him.
"Is she right?" I ask directly. "That others would come after Kolya?"
He breathes in deeply, then exhales slowly, a sign that he’s going to tell me the truth, and he’s not going to sugarcoat it.
"Partially. Killing Kolya removes the most immediate threat. But others could be threatened when they find out your true identity. That's why the council matters. It's not just about killing one man; it's about reshaping the power structure. Making it clear that the Fetisov name is under Moretti protection. That anyone who threatens you answers to me."
"And that'll work?"
"For the people who matter? Yes."
"And for the others?"
His jaw tightens. "I'll deal with them as they come."
I press my fingers to my temples.
Liza's solution is running away. Disappearing and changing my name, everything. Spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, never going to college or building anything real.
Gabriel's solution is war. But a war that could—if it works—actually end this.
Neither option is good.
But one of them lets me stay and allows me to fight. Allows me to look Kolya Sokolov in the eyes and make him answer for what he did to my family.
"Tell me about tonight," I say.
Gabriel goes still. "What?"
“The Bratva meeting. It’s tonight, right?”
He crosses his arms, nods. “That’s correct.”
“Then I want to know all about it and what you need from me.”
Gabriel studies me for a long moment. I can sense he’s doing some internal calculus about what he’s willing to share, so I decide to help him out.
“Everything,” I say. “If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it informed, not as some helpless girl you need a sob story from.”
He nods and begins.
“Twice a year, the Bratva council convenes. All of the most powerful Russian syndicates meet at an undisclosed location. But it’s not just the Russians—Camorra families will be there too, as many of them have investments and alliances with the Russians. So it’s more a meeting of who’s who in the New York underworld.”
He goes on.
“I have an invite. It’s frowned upon for non-Russians to speak at these events but not unheard of. If I can present evidence of what Kolya did and do it in front of the rest of the Bratva heads, I can fracture his support in front of everyone who matters.
"Having you present would be—" he pauses, "powerful. If you walk into that room as Teodora Fetisov, as Lev's daughter, alive and breathing, it sends a message no document or testimony can match."
"You want to use me."
"I want to give you the chance to fight back," he corrects. "But I won't force you. This is completely your own choice."
