Page 68 of Bratva Boss's Secret Baby

I check the time on my phone. “We move fast and clean. I want a four-man team, full tactical gear, and two escape routes planned.”

“When?”

“Dawn. We hit them when they’re least alert and most likely to make mistakes.” I glance at the clock.

“I’ll have the team ready in thirty minutes.”

After we end the call, I sit in the darkness of my office, staring at the ultrasound photo of my daughter that’s become my North Star through all of this planning. In six hours, this could all be over. Vadim will be dead, Irina neutralized, and the last threat to my family’s safety eliminated forever.

I should wake Sabrina and tell her what’s happening. I promised her no more secrets, and this certainly qualifies as something she deserves to know about, but the thought of watching fear replace the peace that’s finally settled over her features makes my chest tighten with protective instincts I can’t ignore.

She’s been sleeping better lately, eating regularly, laughing at terrible movies, and making plans for the nursery with an enthusiasm that lights up entire rooms. Yesterday, she told me about a dream where our daughter took her first steps in a garden behind a house with yellow shutters and a wraparound porch.

“It felt so real,” she said, resting her hand on her belly. “Like I was seeing our actual future instead of just hoping for it.”

I can give her that future. I can give her the yellow shutters and the garden and the absolute certainty no one from my old life will ever threaten the family we’re building together. First, I have to close this final chapter.

When I return to the bedroom, she’s exactly where I left her, in a deep sleep. I watch her for a long moment, memorizing the peaceful expression on her face and the way her hand curves protectively over our daughter.

If my plan works, she’ll wake in a few hours to a world where Vadim Morozov no longer exists, and the last shadow from my past has been permanently eliminated, with our future stretching ahead without any remaining threats or complications.

I press a soft kiss to her temple and whisper, “I love you. Both of you. This is for us.”

Thirty minutes later,I’m seated in the passenger seat of our armored SUV as we speed through the pre-dawn darkness toward Fresno. The tactical gear feels familiar against my skin, but heavier somehow, as though weighed down by the knowledge of what I’m leaving behind and fighting to protect.

Maksim checks his weapon for the third time, his expression grim in the green glow of the dashboard lights. “You’re sure about not telling her?”

I adjust my body armor and double-check my sidearm. “I’m sure. This will be over before she wakes up. There’s no reason to burden her with worry about something she can’t control.”

He sets down his weapon and looks at me directly. “This feels rushed, Nikandr. We could wait, gather more intelligence, and make sure this isn’t exactly what it looks like.”

“Which is?”

He turns in his seat to face me fully. “Too convenient. Too clean. Too fucking perfect. When has Vadim ever made himself this vulnerable? When has he ever operated with minimal security?”

I pause in my equipment check, considering his concerns while watching the dark landscape roll past our windows. “Maybe he’s gotten overconfident. Maybe he thinks I’m too distracted by domestic life to pose a real threat anymore.”

His voice carries the frustration of someone who’s been ignored too many times. “Or maybe he wants you to think that. Don’t let your eagerness to end this make you reckless.”

I glare at him. “What are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting we take another day to verify the intelligence and make sure this isn’t bait designed to draw you out.”

I resume checking my gear with deliberate precision, using the familiar motions to center my thoughts. “We don’t have another day. Every hour we wait is another hour he could disappear again, and another hour my family remains under threat.”

The edge in his voice sharpens as he gestures toward the road ahead. “Your family will remain under threat if you get yourself killed rushing into a trap.”

I look at him more carefully in the dim light. Maksim has been my second-in-command for over a decade, and I’ve learned to trust his instincts about tactical situations, but this time, hiscaution feels like an obstacle rather than wisdom. “I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree with your assessment.”

He picks up his weapon again, but his attention remains focused on me. “And Sabrina? You’re really going to leave without telling her where you’re going?”

“She’ll understand when I explain it afterward.”

“Will she? From my view, it looks like you’re breaking the promise you made her about no more secrets.”

His words are uncomfortable, making me defensive. The familiar countryside sliding past our windows suddenly feels like a countdown, with each mile taking me farther from the woman I love and closer to a confrontation that could end everything. “This isn’t about keeping secrets. It’s about protecting her from unnecessary worry.”

His professional demeanor finally cracks. “That’s exactly what keeping secrets is about. You told her you were done with this life, that you were walking away clean, and you promised to tell her when you went after Vadim. Yet here you are, suiting up for what could be your last mission, and she doesn’t even know you’re gone.”

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