The note felt like fire in Simone's pocket. She stood in the kitchen, one hand pressed against the counter for balance, the other clutching the folded paper Lisa had left earlier that morning.Ashley was wiping down the twins' high chairs when she glanced up and noticed. "Simone? You okay? You look pale."Simone forced a smile and shoved the note deeper into her pocket. "I'm fine. Just tired." The lie tasted bitter on her tongue, but what choice did she have? Damien was overseas, facing God knew what danger with Volkov's network. She could not add to his burden.The afternoon crawled slowly. Every time she passed a mirror, she saw her own haunted eyes staring back. When Emma burst through the door at four o'clock, Simone nearly jumped out of her skin. Her stepdaughter was glowing with excitement, practically bouncing on her toes as she described the zoo trip with Lisa."Mom let me feed the elephants! And we got cotton candy, the blue type! And there was a baby giraffe that tried to e

The words hung in the air like poison. Insurance policy activated. Damien stared at the surveillance photos, his hands trembling against the table's edge.Larry pulled more files from his portfolio. Not just a few pages. Dozens of them. Years’ worth of documentation spread across the hotel room table like evidence at a crime scene.Torres moved closer, her face tight with professional concern. She picked up a photo from the pile. Damien at his wedding to Lisa. The date stamp showed eight years ago.Another photo. Damien holding newborn Emma in the hospital. Someone had circled Emma's face in red ink. Notes in Russian filled the margin."They documented everything," Torres said quietly. Her voice carried something close to horror. "Your marriage. Your divorce. The birth of your daughter. All of it."Damien felt his chest tighten. He reached for another photo with his hands shaking. This one showed him at Emma's third birthday party. He rem

Damien's blood turned to ice. The voice on the other end was calm, almost conversational. Like they were old friends catching up after years apart.Torres lunged for her laptop, her fingers already flying across the keyboard. She mouthed words at Damien. “Keep him talking.” Damien's hand shook as he put the phone on speaker."I imagine Agent Torres is listening," Volkov continued. His English was nearly perfect, only a slight accent coloring his words. "Hello, Rebecca. You have been very persistent."Torres did not respond. Her eyes stayed locked on her screen, watching lines of code scroll past. The trace had started."Damien," Volkov said, his voice softening. "I want you to know something. I do not hate you. I hate what you represent. The arrogance of men who destroy families without thinking about consequences."Damien's throat felt tight. He forced words out. "I never knew Katarina was your daughter. I cared about her. She was a good

The command center erupted in argument the moment Damien announced his decision. Torres stood from her chair and slammed her hands on the table. Her face was flushed with anger and disbelief."Absolutely not," she said. "You are not going to meet a man who has spent fifteen years destroying your life. Are you insane?"Agent Larry moved closer and crossed his arms. "It's a trap, Damien. Volkov wants you isolated. He will kill you the second you are alone with him."Martina spoke rapidly in Czech to her colleagues and then turned back to the group. "This violates about fifty protocols. International cooperation, jurisdiction, and safety measures. I cannot authorize a civilian to walk into danger."But Damien had made up his mind. His voice was calm and steady despite the chaos around him. "This is the only way to end this. He wants to be heard. I will hear him."Torres stepped in front of him and blocked his path to the door. Her eyes

Damien froze. His body locked in place and his breath ceased in his throat. Every instinct screamed at him to move but he could not make his muscles obey.Volkov saw his terror. He looked at the gun in his hand and then at Damien's face. Slowly, deliberately, he placed the gun on the pew between them. Not pointed at anyone. Just there."I am not going to shoot you," Volkov said quietly. "I wanted you to see it. To feel what I felt when I got the call about Katarina. Helpless, terrified, and too late to save anything."Torres was yelling orders in Damien's ear. Her voice was sharp and urgent. "Breach now! All teams move in!"Damien spoke calmly despite his racing heart. "Stand down. He is not threatening me."Torres cursed but the order went out. The teams held position. Damien could feel their presence outside, weapons trained on the church windows. One wrong move and this would end in violence.Volkov stared at the gun betw