2026-04-08 23:39:49
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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
Chapter 132
Mira was waiting in the parking lot of a twenty-four-hour diner on the edge of town. She was leaning against the hood of her car, a black coupe, her arms crossed, her breath misting in the cold night air. The diner's neon sign flickered above her, casting red and blue shadows across her face. She looked up when Ethan pulled in and killed his engine.He got out and walked toward her. The wind bit at his face, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "You said it was urgent.""It is." She pushed off the hood and met him halfway. "I need the identity. The passport, the papers, everything. I need it now."Ethan stopped a few feet away. "I told you it takes time.""Time is something I don't have. My mother is getting suspicious. She's been asking questions about where I go at night, who I talk to. She knows something is off." Mira's voice was sharp, urgent, and her eyes kept darting toward the dark street behind him. "If she finds out what I've been doing, she'll kill me. Or worse.""Wors
Chapter 131
Chapter 125: The DinnerThe Dockside Bar was quiet for a Tuesday night.A few tables were occupied, couples and small groups, their conversations low and private. The lighting was dim and amber, the kind that made everyone look softer. Ethan had arrived early and taken a booth in the back corner. He had ordered a whiskey and was nursing it slowly when Seraphina walked in.She spotted him immediately and crossed the room without hesitation. She slid into the booth across from him, wearing a simple black top with her hair down. She looked different without the professional armor, more relaxed, but her eyes were still guarded."You're early," she said."So are you."She picked up the menu, glanced at it, and set it down. "I'm not really hungry.""Neither am I. But we're here.""We're here," she repeated.The waitress came and took their drink orders. Seraphina asked for wine. Ethan ordered another whiskey. They sat in silence until the drinks arrived.Seraphina took a sip of her wine and
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