44

Lia

The house was a wreck. Shattered glass crunched underfoot, furniture was overturned, and the air smelled faintly of smoke from the flashbangs Diana’s men had used. My hands trembled as I picked up a broken photo frame, the image inside cracked but still intact. It was a picture of Petrik and me, taken in a rare moment of calm before this nightmare began.

“How did she know?” I muttered, my voice barely audible.

Petrik was pacing the room, his jaw clenched and his eyes dark with fury. Nikolai was at the dining table, nursing his bruised shoulder and cursing under his breath. No one answered me, but the silence was enough of an answer. Diana had been ahead of us from the start, and now she was tightening the noose.

“We need to leave,” Petrik said abruptly, his voice cutting through the quiet. “It’s not safe here anymore.”

I turned to him, my heart sinking. “Leave? And go where? She’ll find us wherever we go.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he snapped, running a hand through his hair. “But we can’t stay here.”

“Running won’t solve this, Petrik,” I said, my frustration bubbling over. “She’s not just coming for us—she’s trying to break us.”

“And what do you suggest?” he shot back, his voice sharp. “We sit here and wait for her to finish the job?”

“I’m suggesting we fight!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the broken house. “She’s not invincible, Petrik. She wants us to think she is, but she’s not. We’ve already found cracks in her armor—we just have to hit her where it hurts.”

Petrik stopped pacing, his eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, the anger between us hung in the air like a storm about to break. Then, slowly, his expression softened.

“You’re right,” he said quietly. “But we can’t do it alone.”

“Finally, some sense,” Nikolai muttered from the table. “If you two are done tearing each other apart, maybe we can come up with an actual plan.”

I shot him a glare but couldn’t argue. He was right. Diana had resources, power, and people at her disposal. We needed to even the playing field.

An hour later, we were huddled around the dining table, a map of the city spread out before us. Nikolai had managed to salvage his laptop, and he was pulling up files and connections that might help us.

“Diana’s empire isn’t as airtight as she wants you to think,” he said, scrolling through a series of names and addresses. “She’s got allies, sure, but some of them aren’t as loyal as she believes. If we can turn one of them, we might get the leverage we need.”

“Who do we start with?” Petrik asked, leaning over the table.

Nikolai pointed to a name on the screen: Elena Markov. “She used to be one of Diana’s closest advisors. Handled her finances, cleaned up her messes. But a few years ago, they had a falling out. Rumor has it, Diana double-crossed her.”

“Do you think she’d help us?” I asked.

“Depends,” Nikolai said with a shrug. “If she still holds a grudge, maybe. But we’ll need to approach her carefully. She’s not exactly known for her trust in strangers.”

“We’ll go together,” Petrik said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Lia and I will talk to her. Nikolai, you stay here and monitor Diana’s movements. If she makes a move, we need to know about it.”

Nikolai nodded, though his expression was doubtful. “Just don’t get yourselves killed. Markov’s not someone you want to cross lightly.”

Elena Markov lived in a high-rise apartment in the heart of the city, her home as sleek and intimidating as the woman herself. Petrik and I stood outside her door, the tension between us palpable. He knocked twice, and we waited, the silence stretching uncomfortably.

Finally, the door opened, revealing a tall, striking woman with piercing green eyes and an air of cold authority. She looked between us, her expression unreadable.

“Petrik Ivanov,” she said, her voice smooth and clipped. “What an unexpected surprise.”

“Elena,” Petrik said with a nod. “We need to talk.”

Her gaze shifted to me, lingering for a moment before she stepped aside. “Come in.”

The apartment was as pristine as I’d expected, every detail meticulously curated. She led us to a sitting area, gesturing for us to sit before taking a seat herself. Her eyes were sharp, calculating, as she regarded us.

“I assume this isn’t a social visit,” she said, crossing her legs. “What do you want?”

“We need your help,” Petrik said, his tone direct. “It’s about Diana.”

At the mention of her name, Elena’s expression darkened. “What about her?”

“We’re trying to take her down,” I said, leaning forward. “But we can’t do it alone. We know she betrayed you. We need to know if you’re willing to help us.”

Elena let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “You think I’d risk going against Diana for you? She’d bury me before I could even lift a finger.”

“She’s already trying to bury us,” I said. “But she’s not invincible. We have leverage—just not enough. If we combine our resources, we might have a chance.”

“And what’s in it for me?” Elena asked, her tone icy.

“Freedom,” Petrik said. “From her shadow. From her control. Isn’t that what you’ve wanted since the day she turned on you?”

Elena’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t respond immediately. I could see the conflict in her expression, the temptation warring with caution. Finally, she leaned back, letting out a slow breath.

“I’ll think about it,” she said. “But if you’re wrong—if this backfires—I’ll make sure Diana isn’t the only one who pays the price.”

It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no either. As we left her apartment, I felt a flicker of hope for the first time in days. We were building something—a fragile alliance, perhaps, but a start.

But as we stepped onto the street, my phone buzzed with a message. I pulled it out, my stomach sinking as I read the words.

“Nice try, Lia. But you’re still playing my game. –D”

My hands clenched around the phone as I showed it to Petrik. His expression darkened, his jaw tightening.

“She’s watching us,” I said, my voice shaking.

“Let her,” he said, his tone steely. “We’ll turn the game against her.”

But as we walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Diana was still two steps ahead—and that our fragile alliance might not be enough to stop her.