Leonid pauses mid-sentence as his steel gray eyes meet mine, a silent but loaded signal. I nod, then press the button. The remote clicks softly beneath my thumb and the image on the screen shifts, displaying a more detailed blueprint of Vasili’s facility.
He motions to the image, then faces the men. “We may not have any need for those ventilation shafts. Storming in through the entrance would suffice...”
His voice drifts to the back of my mind. Even as new data fills the room, I can’t tear my eyes away from him. I notice the coiled tension in his broad stance. Every gesture and movement is calculated, and each order that falls from his lips sounds ruthless and insistent.
By the shadows near the back mapping table, Mikhail raises a finger to catch Leonid’s attention. I didn’t even notice when he moved all the way back there.
Leonid nods and Mikhail leans forward, then takes a slow drag from a cigarette before he lets out a cloud of gray smoke. “Permit me, Leonid, but there’s a loophole in the plan. The east perimeter wall is too exposed. If Vasili’s men rotate early, your primary breach team is walking straight into a bottleneck. That’s a fucking suicide run.”
Leonid’s eyes darken. He steps closer to the screen, his massive frame cutting off half the light as he stares down at the blueprint.
“Doesn’t matter.” He shrugs, then strokes his chin. “The early rotation is exactly why it works," he explains. “Vasili’s men are disciplined, but they’re predictable. They expect a siege, not a ghost. By the time they even realize there’s been a breach, our primary team will already be inside the central holding sector. The plan is foolproof because we’re exploiting the one thing they rely on: their routine.”
I nod, concurring with his explanation the same way the rest of the men do. But it’s safe to say, I understand very little of what’s going on.
What I do know, however, is that Tatiana is going to come home. She has to.
Tonight, I’m seeing the darker, tactical side of Leonid.
It’s like the dominant men I’ve read about in books—he’s the ruthless shadow king who commands absolute, unquestioning loyalty from his subjects.
There’s no hesitation in him, no room for doubt. He looks at a tall building of concrete and steel and sees a living, breathing puzzle he’s already solved.
It reminds me, again, that he and I are different in every sense of the word. We’re like fire and ice, from two different worlds.
All I’ve ever known has no similarities with the kingdom he rules.
A wave of awe and fear washes over me, sending my heart pounding frantically against my ribs.
It’s terrifying to witness the sheer scope of his darkness, to realize the true lethality that he keeps caged for me, yet it is utterly breathtaking to see how intensely he weaponizes that darkness to protect the people he loves.
He turns back to the men, his eyes scanning the grim faces of his crew. He slams his hand flat against the table, a sudden, heavy thud that makes the remote tremble in my hand.
“We know what to do, and we know how to do it: speed, stealth, and efficiency,” he emphasizes, his tone sharp enough to cut glass. “No sloppiness. Don’t fucking move until I give the order. If anyone finds her before I do, extract immediately. Get her out. We take the target and erase anyone who stands in the way. We have less than sixty minutes to get in and out. Oh, and one more thing: leave Vasili for me. Let’s move.”
The men begin to file out of the room, with Mikhail leading the way. It takes a minute, but soon, it’s a lot quieter. No buzz. No noise.
I drop the remote on a table nearby, but my feet don’t move. I’m stuck in a haze, with my mind replaying snippets from the briefing over and over again.
My chest swells so much it hurts. He’s walking into danger, and there’s nothing I can do to help.
“Hey.” My head snaps up, and I find Leonid watching me with creased brows. “Are you okay?”
He stands tall in all black, with a gun holster strapped beneath the jacket.
I tear my gaze away from the gun and notice the small tick in his jaw.
Briefly, I scan the room. We’re the only ones left, standing at the front of the room in deafening silence.
“Yeah, I am.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he raises a brow and gives me a look that shows he isn’t convinced. “Go on, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
I don’t even take a second to breathe. “Nothing.”
“Ptichka—”
“No.” I shake my head, then glare at him defiantly. “Leo, this isn’t about me. Your sister is somewhere out there with that horrible man. I amfine.Nothing’s wrong. We should go. Your men are out there, waiting.”
