Chapter 90

Chapter 90
The edge of the knife.
Damian’s POV.
The air in the safe house was thick with tension, the kind that made every breath heavier than it should. I stood at the edge of the long oak table, my knuckle resting on the surface as my dark eyes scanned the room. Every man present was one of my most trusted at least, what remained of them after the chaos of the past week. 
But even trust was a brittle thing now. 
Lucian sat opposite me, leaning back in his chair with a smirk that was equal parts arrogance and provocation. His presence felt like a blade pressed against my spine a silent reminder that betrayal could sit across from you and still act as if nothing had happened.
“You’ll have to move quickly,” Lucian said casually, swirling the whiskey in his glass. “Sokolov’s heir isn’t going to wait around for you to make up your mind.”
My jaw tightened. “You seem to know a lot about our target for someone who’s been off the grids for months.”
Lucian’s smirk widened, like a snake tasting the air. “I have my sources.”
The unspoken truth hung between us. He had more than sources. He had secrets. 
Claire sat to my right, her hands clasped tightly together on the table. She didn’t look at Lucian directly, but the way her shoulders stiffened told me that she was cataloging every word, every glance. I could feel the same storm building in her that churned inside of me.
I thought Lucian was dead, I thought the blood on the cold marble floor had been his final chapter. But here he was, very much alive, and sliding into our mission as if nothing had changed. The more I looked at him, the more I realized Lucian wasn’t just back, he was here with his own agenda.
Lucian leaned forward, eyes glinting with something sharp. “If you want my advice..”
“No one asked for it.” I cut in.
The table was silent. Even the hum of the refrigerator in the corner seemed to fade. 
Lucian chuckled softly, but there was no humor in it.
“Careful, brother. You might find I’m the only one who knows how to get the heir before she vanished.”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. I knew this was a game, and Lucian was setting the board. The only question was whether Lucian planned to help us or lead us straight into the wolf’s den.
The mission briefing unfolded like a map into enemy territory routes, surveillance shots, and notes scrawled in my precise handwriting. Sokolov’s heir, Aleksandr “Alexei” Sokolov, had been spotted in Prague two days ago, but he was already moving east toward the Black Sea. If we don’t intercept him now, we’d lose the trail for months.
Claire traced a finger across the red marker line on the map. “If he’s heading to Varna, we’ll have a narrow window between his arrival and boarding whatever vessel he’s using to vanish.”
Lucian leaned in, his voice low. “There’s another way in, one that Sokolov wouldn’t expect.”
My eyes narrowed. “And what would that be?”
Lucian smirked. “Through his mistress.” He slid a glossy photo across the table. A stunning brunette in a fur-lined coat, sipping champagne on a balcony overlooking the Danube. “Elena Morozov. She’s been at his side for the last six months. I can get close to her. Convince her that Alexei is planning to trade her in for someone younger.”
I didn’t hide my suspicion. “And what’s your price for helping us?”
Lucian’s eyes flickered something dark and unreadable.
“Let’s just say I like to keep family matters…balanced.”
The words hit me like a warning. Lucian was dancing around something, something connected this mission to the betrayal I still couldn’t prove outright.”
The plan was formed quickly after that. I would lead the intercept team in Varna, while Lucian approached Elena in Budapest to extract intel. Claire would handle the coordination between the two operations, keeping communication locked to encrypted channels.
Still, the tension between Lucian and me wasn’t lost on anyone in the room. As the meeting ended, Claire lingered, her voice soft but steady.
“You don’t trust him.”
“I trust that he’s dangerous,” I said. “And that he’s got his own game in play.”
Her gaze flickered toward the door Lucian had just walked through. “Then you’ll need to decide whether to use him…or cut him loose before he cuts us first.”
I didn’t answer. But in my gut, I knew if Lucian’s betrayal was still in motion, this mission might be the perfect stage for it to strike.
Three nights later, I was in Varna, standing on the roof of a derelict hotel that overlooked the harbor. The sea wind carried the scent of salt and diesel fuel, mixing with tension that wound through my chest. Below, black SUVs crawled along the narrow roads leading toward the docks.
I adjusted my earpiece. “Report.”
Claire’s voice crackled through. “Alexei’s convoy just crossed the bridge. Two minutes to your position.”
“Copy.”
But there was something else in her tone, tight, anxious. “Damian…Lucian’s gone dark.”
My grip tightened around the rifle slung over my shoulder. “When?”
“Two hours ago. Last ping was in Budapest. He was supposed to check in after meeting Elena, but…”
A burst of static cut her off. Then, faintly. “Might be compromised..”
“Claire?” I hissed. No reply.
My stomach sank. Either Lucian had broken contact on purpose…or someone had forced the silence. And both possibilities made my pulse quicken in anger.
Movement caught my eye, a sleek black Sudan pulling into the dockside warehouse. Alexei Sokolov stepped out, flanked by two bodyguards. Even from a distance, I recognized his arrogance in the way he carried himself, one hand adjusting the cuff of his tailored coat.
“Team Alpha, move in,” I ordered, signaling the two men beside me. They slipped into the stairwell, boots silent against the crumbling concrete.
But just as I was about to follow, my phone buzzed with an encrypted message. One line.
Lucian. Don’t take him alive.
My eyes narrowed. The mission was to capture Alexei, not execute him. And the fact that Lucian was giving orders outside the chain of command told me everything. Lucian was pushing for blood, not leverage. 
The firefight erupted fast, too fast for my liking. The moment team Alpha breached the warehouse, gunfire cracked through the air, echoing against the corrugated steel walls. I moved in low, sliding behind a stack of shipping crates as bullets shredded the wooden pallets inched from my head.
“Target moving toward the east exit!” One of my men called. 
I broke cover, sprinting toward the narrow passage where Alexei was retreating. But as I rounded the corner, I froze. Lucian was there. 
Standing in the shadows, a pistol in hand, aimed directly at Alexei’s chest.
My voice was like steel. “Stand down, Lucian.”
Lucian didn’t move. “This ends here. You know it as well as I do, keeping him alive only keeps the war going.”
I took a step forward, keeping my own weapon steady.
“We need him for leverage. We kill him, we lose our bargaining chip.”
Lucian’s smirk was cold. “Bargaining chip? Or your excuse to keep playing the long game while people keep dying?”
Alexei’s eyes darted between us, calculating. He was smart enough to know that if Lucian and I turned out guns on each other, he could escape in the chaos.
“Lower the gun,” I ordered. 
For a moment, I thought Lucian might obey. But then I saw it. The slight tightening of Lucian’s jaw, the flicker of decision in his eyes. 
The gunshot split the air. But it was Alexei who fell. I had moved a fraction of a second before the shot, shoving Alexei against the wall as I fired at Lucian’s wrist. The bullet grazed skin and bone, sending Lucian’s gun clattering to the concrete. 
Lucian staggered back, clutching his hand, but his eyes never left mine. “You think you can stop me from doing what needs to be done?”
I closed the distance in three long strides, slamming Lucian against the wall. “I think you just did.”
Before Lucian could answer, Alexei bolted for the exit. I swore under my breath, shoving Lucian aside and tearing after him. The chase spilled out into the open docks, the freezing night air burning my lungs. 
Alexei made it halfway to the pier before I tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground. I cuffed him in one swift motion, ignoring the Russian’s snarled curses. 
“Target secured,” I barked into my comm. 
Claire’s voice came through, shaky but relieved. “Extraction team inbound.”
I turned back, and Lucian was gone. Just gone. Vanished into the maze of warehouses and shadows, like he had never been here at all. 
The realization hit me like a weight. Lucian hadn’t just been here for Alexei. This has been a test. A way to see how far I’d go to stop him. 
And in the distance, I could almost hear Lucian’s voice in my head, low and mocking. The final game’s already started, brother.