Page 79 of Prey of the Bratva

My gaze sharpened.

“Show me.”

She expanded the routing map, and I could see lines overlapping one another before they split and reconnected. It was all forming a pattern which was subtle but intentional and very, very familiar. The tokens coming in seemed like an entry fee, and the account was being cleared for bigger transactions later. In Volkov’s business, the only big transactions were auctions. My pulse quickened as the realization seeped in.

“Auctions,” I said quietly.

The room stilled.

Avgust straightened slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” I replied, my gaze falling on Iosif, who had been quiet up until now.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I have seen these financial patterns before, and given what we know about Sidorov and Volkov, it could mean nothing else.”

I stepped closer to the screen, studying the structure one more time.

“This isn’t random distribution,” I continued. “This is consolidation showing us high-value movement and pre-event positioning, and from what I can tell, this event is going to be a huge one.”

Iosif’s voice cut through the silence. “Explain.”

I did not look away from the data.

“Private auctions operate on predictability masked as chaos,” I said. “Assets are moved in stages. They are secured and cataloged before being presented.”

“And only the highest bidders are invited, I assume?” Avgust asked. He knew about the auctions happening in Miami already. That was where he had found Ilana, but the auctions happening in St. Petersburg were much bigger and far more dangerous. The stakes were higher, and the buyers were richer.

“Found something,” Diane chimed in, appearing rather pale.

“What is it?” I asked.

“There are multiple subtle hints on the dark web about an auction happening soon here, in St. Petersburg. Everyone is talking in a coded language, but I am sure this is what it means. It seems as if invitations have been sent out and accepted, and the planning was done weeks in advance.”

“They’re preparing for an auction,” Nico finished.

“Yes.”

Heavy silence followed the revelation as all of us realized time was ticking. Everyone in that room understood exactly what that meant. Misha was not just being held. She was being positioned to eventually be sold, and she would be the Volkovs’ most prized asset.

***

“No,” Jarek said flatly. “We have to hit every location tied to this network, and we tear it apart piece by piece.”

“And lose Misha in the process?” Avgust shot back. “If she’s moved during the chaos, we will never be able to find her.”

“We hit one wrong location, and the first thing they will do is transport Misha somewhere else. She is their most prized possession right now; let’s not forget that,” Nico cut in, his tone sharper than usual.

“It is still better than sitting here—”

“Enough.” My voice wasn’t raised, but it didn’t need to be. The room fell silent immediately, and I let the tension settle for exactly one second before speaking again.

“This is not the time to fight and fragment,” I said. “We need to focus and plan ahead.”

All eyes were on me now.

“This auction,” I continued, “is the center of everything right now. It is not on the edges or the intermediaries but the center for all of us.