Page 83 of Twisted Pact
“They’re wrong.” My voice comes out flat and cold, carrying the kind of finality that usually ends conversations permanently. But Boris continues as if he didn’t hear the threat.
“They don’t know that yet. From their perspective, this looks like a casual relationship that got complicated by an unplanned pregnancy. They’re underestimating what she means to you.”
“What’s their timeline?”
I lean forward across my desk, focusing on operational details rather than my budding fury. Planning helps channel anger into something productive rather than letting it consume rational thought.
“Unknown, but communications suggest they’re accelerating plans. References to ‘windows of opportunity’ and ‘striking while targets are vulnerable.’ There’s more.” Boris’ voice takes on a grimmer tone. “Novikov sent a message an hour ago. A video file. You need to see it.”
“Send it.”
My phone pings with an encrypted message. I open the video attachment, and Maxim Novikov’s face fills the screen. He’s sitting in a luxury office, but the background is deliberately obscured.
“Alexei Kozlov.” His voice carries mock formality. “Your romantic entanglement with the Andreev girl has created an interesting opportunity that serves my business interests quite well.”
His cold smile gets wider as he adds, “Your alliance with Leonid Andreev blocks my access to territories that should be mine. The Andreev docks and their shipping routes. The import contracts that have been fattening their coffers when they should be feeding mine.”
I squeeze the phone.
“But emotional attachments make men… vulnerable to persuasion. When Miss Andreeva disappears, her father will blame you for failing to protect her. The alliance will crumble. Leonid will be left isolated and desperate, forced to seek new partnerships. And I will be there to offer the protection he can provide.”
He pauses to take a sip from a glass of what looks like expensive vodka. “Of course, she could be returned safely once Leonid understands that partnering with the Kozlovs brings nothingbut danger to his family. Once he agrees to more… profitable arrangements with organizations that can keep his loved ones safe.”
“Your choice is simple, Alexei. End this alliance voluntarily, or watch your personal feelings destroy it anyway. Either way, I gain access to the Andreev territories.
“Send me everything you have on their coordination efforts,” I bark out. “I’m ending this.”
“Already compiled. But Alexei? The threats are intensifying faster than we can track them. Multiple independent contractors have been approached about potential contracts.”
After Boris hangs up, I sit in my study processing what I just learned. They’re coordinating against us. They think targeting Mila is a safe way to demonstrate that emotional attachments make leaders vulnerable.
I stare at the notes I took during the conversation, seeing patterns and connections that paint a picture of coordinated action from multiple directions. This isn’t random opportunism; this is strategic planning designed to exploit what they perceive as my greatest vulnerability.
Dmitri was right about one thing. My priorities have changed. The pregnancy has made Mila’s safety more important than any business consideration, territorial dispute, or revenue stream our family has ever pursued.
But he was wrong about that making me weak.
I stand and walk to the secure filing cabinet where I keep contacts for resources that exist outside normal businesschannels. Men who specialize in problems that require permanent solutions.
My hands are steady as I pull out files I haven’t touched in years. Phone numbers for operators who ask no questions and leave no traces.
I return to my desk and make calls. Each conversation is brief and in a coded language that communicates intent without creating evidence. Arrangements for meetings that will happen in secure locations away from normal surveillance networks.
The first call connects me with a former military contractor who now handles private security for situations that require extreme discretion. The second reaches a logistics coordinator who can move people and equipment without attracting government attention. The third contact specializes in intelligence-gathering that goes beyond what normal private investigators can provide.
By the time I finish the calls, my desk is covered with notes and contact information for resources I never thought I’d need. Each piece of paper represents a capability to respond to threats in ways that go far beyond defensive measures.
I lean back in my chair and study what I’ve assembled. The scope of what I’m contemplating should give me pause. Should make me consider alternatives that don’t involve destroying everyone who threatens my family.
But every time I think about Mila sleeping downstairs, our child growing inside her, and the future we could build if I can keep them both safe, the alternatives feel inadequate.
These families think they can use my feelings against me. Think they can exploit my attachment to force compromises and concessions.
They’re about to learn that threatening my family doesn’t make me weak or vulnerable or willing to negotiate.
It makes me willing to destroy everything else to protect them.
23
