“You should be more careful,” he continues, voice dropping lower. “There are people who don’t appreciate curiosity. Especially when it involves things that aren’t your concern.”
“You’re warning me out of the goodness of your heart?”
His eyes darken slightly, something shifting beneath the controlled surface. “I’m reminding you that not everyone plays fair.”
I force myself to hold his gaze, refusing to let him see how rattled I am. “Noted.”
He watches me for another long moment, then stands smoothly, the chair scraping softly against the floor. “Take care of yourself, Diana.”
The use of my name sends a chill down my spine. I didn’t tell him what it was.
He leaves without looking back, moving through the café and out onto the street with the same controlled precision he brought in. I watch him disappear around the corner, my hands trembling around the coffee cup.
I pack up my laptop with shaking hands and leave the café quickly, the morning light feeling too bright and exposed. The walk back to my apartment is frantic, every shadow suspect, every passing car a potential threat.
When I reach my building, I glance back over my shoulder and scan the street.
He’s gone.
Chapter Five - Felix
Pavel is already waiting when I arrive at the lounge, seated in the back corner where the leather chairs are oldest and the soundproofing is best.
A bottle of whiskey sits between two glasses on the low table, expensive enough that most people wouldn’t recognize the label. Security stands outside the door—two men I’ve known for years, loyal enough to die before they let someone listen in.
My cousin doesn’t look up immediately when I enter. He’s reading something on his phone, his expression carved from stone in a way that reminds me we share more than blood. We share the same training, the same understanding that sentiment is a liability in this world.
I settle into the chair across from him and pour two fingers of whiskey without asking if he wants it. Pavel sets his phone down and picks up the glass, studying me over the rim.
“You look tired,” he says.
“It’s been a rough week.”
“It’s only Tuesday.”
I don’t respond to that. Instead, I take a slow sip and wait for him to get to the point.
Pavel doesn’t waste time on small talk unless he’s extracting information, and tonight he has the look of a man who’s already decided what needs to happen.
He leans back, rolling the glass between his palms. “Diana Clarke.”
Her name in his mouth makes my jaw tighten involuntarily. I keep my expression neutral, giving him nothing.
“What about her?”
“Sartore contacted me this afternoon.” Pavel’s tone is flat, matter-of-fact. “She’s been digging into Ethan Clarke’s archived files. Accessed encrypted drives over the weekend, decrypted donor routing maps, pulled up shell corporation filings. She knows about Rudenko Strategic Consulting, which means she knows about the senators.”
The information isn’t new—I’ve been monitoring her activity for days—but hearing it confirmed through Sartore channels sharpens the threat. If Lorenzo’s people are tracking her movements closely enough to alert Pavel, then she’s already escalated from minor concern to active liability.
“She’s conducting transparency audits,” I say carefully. “That’s her job.”
Pavel’s mouth curves slightly, something between amusement and disbelief. “Her job is campaign finance compliance. What she’s doing now is reconstructing her brother’s investigation into organized crime money laundering. That’s not professional curiosity, Felix. She’s got a vendetta.”
He’s right, and we both know it. Diana isn’t just asking uncomfortable questions at donor galas anymore. She’s building a case that connects maritime logistics to political funding, tracing money through the same networks Ethan Clarke spent months mapping before Sartore intervened.
“What does Lorenzo want?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“Same thing he wanted eighteen months ago. Clean removal before exposure spreads.” Pavel sets his glass down with deliberate precision. “She’s a civilian with access to information that implicates both our families in federal crimes. If she goes public, senators lose immunity, shipments get flagged, operations shut down across three states. You understand the stakes.”
