2026-03-01 02:23:10
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Chapter 138
Ethan didn't sleep.He lay on the bed in Volkov's guest room, staring at the ceiling, his mind turning over everything Mira had said. I know who hired him. I know where she's been. I know what she wants.The clock on the nightstand ticked. The house was quiet. He heard footsteps in the hallway once, then nothing.When morning came, he was already awake.He showered and dressed and walked to the kitchen. Dimitri was there, making coffee. Camilla was at the table, reading something on her phone. Volkov wasn't there."Volkov will be down soon," Camilla said without looking up. "Sit. Eat."Ethan sat. Dimitri placed a cup of coffee in front of him. He didn't drink it.Mira walked in a few minutes later. She was dressed in the same clothes from last night. Her hair was pulled back. Her eyes were clear. She looked like she had slept well."Morning," she said."Morning."She sat across from him. Dimitri placed a cup of coffee in front of her. She wrapped her hands around it and took a sip."Y
Chapter 137
The driveway was dark, the only light coming from the security lamps mounted on the walls. Ethan stood at the gate with Volkov beside him, the night air cold enough to see their breath.Mira's car was parked just outside. She was leaning against the hood, arms crossed, watching them like she'd been waiting all night."You didn't call," she said. "So I came to you."Ethan stepped closer to the gate. "How did you know I was here?""Followed you." She shrugged. "You're not hard to track."Volkov spoke for the first time. "You followed him to my house.""Your house." She looked past Ethan, directly at Volkov. "I've been watching you for months, Adrian. I know where you live. I know who you are. I know what you do." She paused. "I know my mother's been trying to get close to you for years. She wants your network. She wants your reach. She wants your name."Volkov's face didn't change. "And you?""I want the same thing she wants." Mira pushed off the hood and walked toward the gate. "But I
Chapter 136
Ethan drove to Volkov's place without calling first.The house was on the outskirts of the city, set back from the road behind a tall iron gate. He had been here twice before. Both times, Volkov had been expecting him. This time, he wasn't.He pressed the buzzer and waited.Dimitri's voice crackled through the speaker. "Mr. Cross.""I need to see Volkov.""He's not here.""I'll wait."A pause. Then the gate groaned open.Ethan parked in the driveway and walked to the front door. Dimitri was waiting for him, his face as expressionless as ever. He stepped aside and let Ethan in."He'll be back within the hour," Dimitri said. "You can wait in the living room."Ethan walked into the living room. It was large and cold, with high ceilings and dark furniture. A fire was burning in the fireplace, casting flickering shadows across the walls. The room was quiet except for the crackling of the flames.Camilla was on the couch.She was curled up at one end, her legs tucked under her, a book open
Chapter 135
Ethan waited until Eleanor's car disappeared from the warehouse lot before he pulled out his phone.He stared at Mira's name for a long moment. His thumb hovered over the call button. Eleanor had just threatened him with prison. She had told him to cut Mira loose. She had made it clear that if he didn't comply, he would rot in a cell while Volkov went on vacation.He pressed call.Mira answered on the second ring. "Ethan. I was wondering when you'd call.""Your mother came to see me.""I know.""You knew she was coming?""I knew she was going to make a move soon. I've been watching her for months. She's been getting nervous, which means she's been getting reckless." Mira's voice was calm, measured, like she had been expecting this conversation for weeks. "What did she say?""She told me to cut you loose. She said you've been lying to me about the driver. She said you don't know who hired him."Mira laughed. It was not the laugh of someone who had been caught. It was the laugh of someo
Chapter 134
The warehouse smelled like rust and diesel and something metallic that Ethan had stopped trying to identify.He stood at a metal table near the back, a stack of shipping manifests spread out in front of him, his pen moving across page after page. Volkov's imports were mixed with his own, container numbers and customs codes and declarations that didn't match what was actually inside the crates. The signatures were his, the company was his, and if anyone ever looked too closely, the prison sentence would be his too.He had been signing for three hours. His hand was cramping. His eyes were blurry. But he kept going.Volkov's men had brought the paperwork in batches, each one labeled with a number and a date. Ethan didn't ask what was in the containers. He didn't want to know. He just signed.The warehouse door groaned open. Footsteps echoed on the concrete floor. He looked up, expecting one of Volkov's men with another stack of documents.Eleanor Graves walked toward him.She was dressed
Chapter 133
Ethan parked on the street outside Seraphina's building and killed the engine.The building was newer than he remembered, six stories of glass and steel, a doorman in a long coat standing near the entrance. He sat in the car for a moment, his hands still on the steering wheel, his mind turning over the words from the diner parking lot. Someone close to you. Someone who's been watching you for a long time.He got out and walked to the entrance. The doorman nodded at him and held the door open.The lobby was clean and modern, with polished floors and a small fountain in the corner. He took the elevator to the third floor and walked down the hallway to her door.He knocked.The door opened. Seraphina was wearing sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, her hair down and her face bare. She looked softer than she did at the office, younger somehow. She blinked when she saw him."Ethan?" Her voice was surprised. "What are you doing here?""I need to talk to you."She studied his face for a moment, t
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