Chapter 8 - The Viper’s Ledger
Forty-eight hours after the raid on the Volga Star, the syndicate world of New
York was on the brink of total war.
Boris Rostov had not fled to Zurich.
He had retreated to his heavily fortified compound in the pine barrens of
southern New Jersey—a fifty-acre estate surrounded by ten-foot concrete walls,
razor wire, and sixty heavily armed Russian mercenaries.
The seizure of his cargo ship and the arrest of his daughter had backed the old
warlord into a corner. He was a cornered wolf, and cornered wolves are the most
dangerous predators alive.
In the grand library of the Long Island estate, Valentin sat behind his massive
mahogany desk, reviewing tactical satellite feeds on multiple monitors.
Ilya and Vera sat on the thick sheepskin rug near the fireplace, playing with
wooden blocks. Vera was laughing, wearing her pink sweater, while Ilya carefully
built a towering castle, making sure his little sister didn't knock it over.
The room smelled of burning birchwood, old leather, and hot chocolate.
I stood beside the desk, holding a tray with a fresh pot of black tea for
Valentin.
“Boris has hired thirty contracted killers from Belgrade,” Valentin said,
tracing a finger across the satellite map of the New Jersey compound. “They
landed at Newark on private charters last night. He knows that if he doesn't
kill me before the Grand Council meets on Friday, the five boroughs will strip
him of all territory.”
“Can he breach this estate?” I asked, looking toward the large leaded windows.
“No,” Valentin answered with absolute certainty. “This house has thirty snipers
on the roof, seismic ground sensors, and reinforced titanium shutters. But I
will not fight him here. I will not have my children listening to gunfire in
their home again.”
He reached out, taking my wrist, gently pulling me around the desk until I stood
beside his leather chair.
He looked up at me, his dark, handsome face softened by the firelight.
“Tomorrow morning, Leah, Maksim is taking you and the children to our mountain
retreat in the Adirondacks. It is an off-the-grid cabin surrounded by twenty
miles of private timberland. You will stay there until I settle this debt with
Rostov.”
My heart tightened with a fierce, unexpected refusal.
“No,” I said firmly.
Valentin blinked, clearly stunned. In his world, nobody told Valentin Sokolov
no.
“What did you say?”
“I am not leaving you, Valentin,” I said, stepping closer, holding his gaze
without a flicker of hesitation. “The children trust me, but they need their
father alive. If you go to New Jersey alone with your operators, Rostov will use
every dirty trick he has. You need the council’s authorization to strike him
legitimately.”
“The council is slow, Leah,” Valentin growled softly. “They debate while Rostov
mobilizes.”
“Then give them something they can’t debate,” I said, reaching into my apron
pocket.
I pulled out a small, encrypted micro-SD card that Dr. Thorne had recovered from
Maya’s personal effects at the clinic—a drive our father had hidden in her teddy
bear before he died.
“My father wasn't just a mechanic for the syndicate, Valentin,” I revealed
quietly. “He was Boris Rostov’s personal communications technician. This card
contains the private bank accounts Boris used to pay off the three council
bosses who are protecting him right now.”
Valentin stared at the tiny black card in my palm.
A slow, terrifying, triumphant smile spread across his face—the smile of a
predator who had just found the throat of his prey.
“You are a miracle, Leah Miller,” Valentin whispered, reaching up to cup the
side of my face with his warm, calloused hand.
He pulled me down gently, pressing his lips against mine.
May you like
The kiss was deep, breathtaking, and filled with the unshakeable promise of a
man who was ready to conquer an entire city for the woman standing before him.
