I exhale slowly, the rage inside going nuclear. “We need to find out what he gave her.”
The guard nods grimly. “I know. We’ve captured nothing else since.”
My mind is racing. If Felix found her, it means the Bratva is sniffing around. Which also means…
I close the tablet with a snap.
“She didn’t mention any of this to me.”
My blood runs cold. What the hell is he doing with Eva?
I step back, pacing the room. “That was Felix, I’m sure of it.”
The guard glances at me. “Felix Sokolov?”
“Yes. That bastard shouldn’t even be in this city.” I rub my jaw. “He must’ve told her something, something that made her run.”
I’m going to find out what it was.
It doesn’t take long to track Felix Sokolov down, not when I still have friends in the NYPD and ties to the old neighborhood. Turns out, he’s been keeping a low profile in a quiet, unassuming apartment building in Brighton Beach. Nothing flashy, nothing suspicious. Just nice enough to blend in without drawing attention. The kind of place with manicured hedges, a doorman who doesn’t ask questions, and tenants who mind their own business.
I bring a small crew with me—just enough muscle to keep things calm if Felix decides to get clever. We roll up in tinted SUVs, parking discreetly down the block, not drawing a single curious glance in this part of town where privacy is the unspoken rule.
The breeze carries the scent of the ocean, briny and cool. Young moms stroll by with strollers, families play on the beach, a couple of old men involved in an intense game of chess nearby.
It’s almost laughable how normal it all looks.
Then I see him.
Felix slips out of the building’s side entrance, clutching a brown paper bag like he’s just picked up lunch from the corner deli. He’s wearing a nondescript jacket, ball cap pulled low. He lifts his head and our eyes lock. There’s an instant flicker of recognition then panic.
Good. He knows exactly who I am.
And he damn well knows what I’m capable of.
“Stop him!” I bark to my men, stepping out of the SUV.
Felix bolts, but my guys split up, two of them taking hold of him as he tries to run in the opposite direction, pulling him into a nearby alley and forcing him on his knees. I stride over, motioning for them to haul him up. He tries to shrug them off, but they grip his arms tight, forcing him to face me.
“Bellacino,” Felix snarls, breathing hard. “I figured you’d find me eventually.”
I tilt my head, voice ice-cold. “You engaged in contact with Eva Petrova. What did you tell her?”
His eyes dart around, looking for an escape. “All you need to hear is she knows the truth now.”
Rage burns within, but I keep my composure. “The truth? You mean your twisted version that pins her father’s death on me?”
He spits on the ground near my feet. “Not twisted. She saw the footage.She knows you met with her father’s killer right before the hit.”
My jaw clenches. “That’s not the whole story and you know it.”
Felix lets out a bitter laugh. “Do I? All I know is I told her to watch her back and she ran.” He glares at me and raises his chin, defiance etched on his face. “You won’t be able to keep her as your trophy if she despises you.”
My men tighten their hold, but I raise a hand, signaling for them to ease off. I step closer, dropping my voice. “Listen carefully, Felix. Eva doesn’t know everything. She saw one piece of footagethat could easily mislead her.” My chest tightens as I think about what she must be going through. “I never gave the order to kill Yuri Petrov. That was out of my hands.”
Felix barks out a laugh. “You expect me to believe you? You Bellacino heirs were all too eager to clean out the Petrovs.”
A storm of guilt churns in my gut, and I grit my teeth. “Believe what you want, but Eva’s carrying my child. If you truly cared about her, you’d help me find her before she does something rash or gets hurt.”