Page 140 of Stolen Empire
Maxim's only being honest but it feels like a knife in the chest.
"The Radiches already know who she is. Others will know soon if they don't already. She can't hide anymore, Dimitri. Her only chance is to stand under our protection and hope it's enough."
The truth of it settles over me like a heavy blanket I can't shake off.
I brought Katya into this world by refusing to let her go.
Now she's trapped in the same web of obligations and violence that's defined my entire existence, and I'm the one who put her there.
"We need to locate the rest of the Morozov family."
Rolan pulls the conversation back to practical matters.
"If Katya's the heir, there might be others with claims to the pact. We need to know who we're dealing with."
"Her mother's in Perm," I say.
"Anzhela Volsky, remarried and living under a false name. Katya hasn't spoken to her in years."
"Anyone else?"
"Her mother kept her isolated from the family."
I pull up the notes I made after questioning Katya last night.
"But I did some questioning too. I dug up a bit of intel about a cousin named Artemy Morozov."
Misha leans forward with interest sharpening his features.
"If there's a male heir, he might contest Katya's claim to the family. That could work in our favor if he's willing to negotiate different terms. Lyovik didn't specify who'd take the family over when he died, and things fell apart on the heels of his death."
"Or it could complicate everything if he decides to align with the Radiches instead."
Maxim shakes his head.
"We need more information before we make contact."
"I'll send men to Perm to locate the mother."
Rolan makes a note on the pad in front of him.
"We'll find this cousin and figure out what he knows. In the meantime, Katya stays under guard. No one touches her without going through us first."
"I'm handling her security personally," I say.
It's not a request, and Rolan knows it.
She belongs to me now.
Not a single hair on her head will be touched.
He studies me for a long moment, and I can see him weighing whether to push back or let it go.
Finally, he nods.
"Fine. But you need backup. Take Gavriil and at least two others with you at all times. If the Radiches are already watching us, they'll move fast."
"Understood."
