Page 159 of Mission Shift

Braxton ground his teeth but obeyed.

Nikolai rested his fist on the edge of the desk and looked Luca dead in the eye. “I’ll have my men meet the ship at the port. The men I trust. If she steps off it, they’ll put her down.”

Luca leaned back, smirking. “Are you sure you have any loyal men?”

That landed hard. Nik didn’t flinch, but his shoulders tensed subtly.

“The ones that matter are loyal to me,” he said coolly. “Their loyalties don’t lie with the Bratva or any country. They’rebusinessmen. They want what I’ve built—a conglomerate of tech, finance, and crypto businesses and clean laundering networks. They’re done selling young girls at meat markets and done with making snuff films. The old guard? Sure. They still think like Viktor. And the Tambovskaya Bratva? They’re meatheads who think power comes from the pain they inflict and from keeping their organization tightly under control, but like with the Volkovi Notchi, the old fuckers are dying off left and right.”

He stood and leaned across the desk. Luca’s guard stepped toward him on instinct, but Luca waved them off without breaking eye contact with Nikolai.

“Power today isn’t built on brutality,” Nikolai said. “It’s built on capital. Influence. Look at the elections being bought by that egotistical prick billionaire from South Africa. Soon, there won’t be any geopolitical borders, only alliances built on the power of keeping the masses fed and happy enough not to stir up too much shit. That’s the new world order.”

He paused.

“So the question is, Luca…are you going to adapt? Or retire?”

Luca’s mouth twitched into something that was not quite a smile. “You always were bold. I like that about your sister too. Fiery little thing. I’d say it runs in the family.”

Nikolai chuckled and straightened. “Anastasia is smarter than I am, truth be told.”

“No doubt,” Luca said, his amusement returning. He stood slowly, smoothing his cuffs. “It’s in both our interests to reach a mutually beneficial agreement—a partnership, even. How about we iron out the details over dinner?”

Luca shot Braxton and me a quick glance before returning his attention to Nikolai. “You get these two tucked into that fancy G800 of yours and off to Tacoma. Then we’ll talk.”

Nikolai nodded once, his expression more measured now. He’d taken a hit today, but he had held his own.

Luca offered me one final glance, and this time it held something bordering on approval. I didn’t blink.

I finally understood why Luca had arranged this meeting—not just to meet me but to see if Nikolai was ready to step up.

Luca barely flicked his fingers toward the man standing at his right. “See them out.”

No goodbye. No handshake. Just a dismissal.

We stood. Braxton shifted beside me, trying to catch my eye, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction. Nikolai didn’t say a word either as we walked to the elevator and stepped inside. As the doors closed, I caught him shooting Braxton a look—half-apology, half-warning.

Braxton tried to take my hand.

I jerked it away.

Silence reigned as the elevator descended, the tension boxing us in tighter than the mirrored walls.

As soon as the doors opened, I stepped out quickly. I moved fast, my shoes smacking against the marble. I flew through the lobby, shoving through the front doors and out onto the street. The sunlight struck me like a slap. I didn’t stop. Didn’t look back.

Turning, I made my way along the edge of the building and veered into the first alley I saw. It was dark, full of trash bins and not much else. Perfect.

I heard footsteps behind me.

Braxton was catching up just as I spun around. I slammed him into the brick wall. His back hit with a thud, his shoulders tensing, but he didn’t fight me.

Nikolai rounded the corner, took one look at us, and held up both hands. “I’ll give you two a minute,” he muttered, already turning away.

I shoved my forearm against Braxton’s chest, my fury boiling. “How long?” I hissed. “How long did you know?”

Braxton raised his hands, palms up. “Since the wedding back in June. I haven’t been able to say anything—Nik made me swear I wouldn’t tell a soul in order to make the deal.”

“Deal? What deal?” I said icily. “You both let me believe they were dead, let me sit across from you, sleep beside you, lie under you—all while you held onto that secret.”

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