On the second ring, he picks up.
"Danika?"
"Yes, sir."
"Blyat, where the hell have you been? I've been calling all morning."
His voice is tight. Strained. In the background, I hear some shuffling.
"I'm in Prague. Everything okay?"
There's a long pause. Then Ivan barks something in Russian that I can't quite make out, and I hear men's voices fading. Then a door slams shut, and the line goes quiet.
"I have something very serious for you," he says to me finally.
I set the wine glass down on the table, my pulse picking up.
"What is it?"
He sighs and mumbles under his breath. I'm not one hundred percent positive, but I'm pretty sure he says something like, "How did it come to this?"
"I need you to go to Sanremo, Italy. There's a casino there. They're hosting an event, and I want you to attend."
"Okay," I say, already mentally cataloging what I'll need. "To clean or watch?"
There's a silence on the other end. Long enough that I check the screen to see if the call dropped.
"Watch."
My brow furrows.
"Who?"
Another pause. This one stretches so long, I almost ask again.
Then, quietly, "My brother, Dimitri."
The room tilts, and I almost fall over. That can't be right. That, that can't be possible.
"Your brother?" I ask. The word comes out strangled in disbelief.
I've never tracked family. Never. That crosses a line so deep, it's written in blood. You don't spy on the don's inner circle. You don't question loyalty within the Bratva. And you sure as hell don't put eyes on the don's own brother unless you want to end up in pieces at the bottom of the Volga River.
"This is a very delicate situation, Danika, and I trust only you for this. I know you will keep this just between us."
"Of course." I stay still in shock.
"There's a tablet he carries with him. Do you know it?"
I think for a moment, sifting through memories, and then it clicks.
He's never without it. A black tablet, always in his hand or tucked under his arm. He once said it controls everything for him, the entire Volkov empire at his fingertips.
"Yes."
"I need you to access it and download its contents."
I blink.
