Page 20 of Twisted Pact
The usual place is a coffee shop three blocks from the precinct. Neutral ground that’s too public for guns and too loud for wiretaps. When I arrive, Boris is in the back booth with his laptop open and a folder heavy with trouble.
He doesn’t waste words. “Three credible threats in seven days,” Boris says as I slide in. “Surveillance at multiple spots. Someone’s paying to dig dirt on Leonid.”
“Then we find out who,” I say. “Fast.”
“That’s the catch.” Boris taps the screen. “Expensive gear, still not military. Threats polished, not state-level. My read is that it’s a well-funded criminal organization with business ties.”
“The Novikovs?” I already know I won’t like the answer.
“Possibly. They’ve been expanding fast, and Leonid’s ports would open doors they can’t reach yet. The Vasilievs have motive, too. And that new player I mentioned? Could be anyone.”
“Doesn’t matter who it is. They’ll surface, and when they do, they’re done.”
I study the images on his screen. Multiple angles of the Andreev estate. Timestamps, patterns, and movement charts, every second of Leonid’s life mapped out like they’re building a blueprint for a hit.
“What’s your recommendation?”
“Same thing I told Dmitri,” Boris says. “Tighten security. Encrypted comms only. Keep exposure minimal until we know who’s behind this and can shut them down. And Mila Andreeva?” He glances at me. “She’s the soft target. The easiest way to squeeze Leonid.”
The moment he says her name, every instinct I have goes sharp. She’s not their leverage.
The suggestion makes strategic sense. Remove the most obvious leverage point and force the opposition to change their approach. But the idea of Mila being used that way makes me want to destroy something.
“I have a secure location that would work,” I think aloud.
“Your private safe house?”
“It’s clean. Off the books. No connection to any of our operations. She’d be safe there.”
Boris studies me. “Dmitri mentioned you might volunteer to handle this.”
“I’m volunteering to make sure the Andreevs have protection. That’s all.”
“Sure, you are.” He pulls up a new screen that shows detailed layouts of the Andreev estate. “I’ll coordinate with you on the security assessment. When do you want to present the recommendations to Leonid?”
“Today. This afternoon, if possible.”
“That eager?”
“That concerned about potential threats to a family we might be forming alliances with.”
Boris doesn’t argue with my explanation, even though we both know I’m being selective with the truth. He just nods and starts compiling the information I’ll need for the meeting.
Three hours later, I stand in Leonid Andreev’s study while he reads the report I brought him. The place reeks of money and control, both of which he’s about to lose.
“This is worse than I thought.” Leonid sets down the file. “Your brother mentioned you’d be overseeing security.”
“I am.” I remain standing. Let him feel the weight of it. “My job is to keep your family breathing until this threat is handled.”
He nods slowly; a gesture more cautious than grateful. “And you believe the risk is that high?”
“I don’t deal in belief,” I tell him. “Only evidence. And the evidence says someone’s watching your house and planning their next move.”
The door opens without a knock.
Mila walks in in jeans and an oversized sweater, with her hair pulled back and no makeup.
And she’s still a knockout.
