Chapter 128 THE TRAITOR

Chapter 128 THE TRAITOR


"I want you to protect your investment." Helena's voice was cold. "If Rafael takes down Sophia, he won't stop there. He wants TI Global. He wants your technology. He wants everything you built."

Tanaka was quiet for a long moment. Then he picked up the folder.

"I'll review the information," he said. "But if I get involved, I do it my way. Not yours. Not Sophia's. Mine."

Helena nodded. "That's all I ask."

As she walked out of the boardroom, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't called in years.

"Victor," she said when he answered. "We need to talk. Face to face."

THE COMPOUND — AFTERNOON

Victoria was finally asleep. Sophia sat on the back porch, staring at the woods, when Kat appeared beside her.

"You're not eating," Kat said. It wasn't a question.

"I'm not hungry."

"Stress. Fear. The unknown." Kat sat in the chair next to her. "I know the feeling. I spent six months in a basement in Moscow, waiting for men to come kill me. I didn't eat then either."

Sophia looked at her. "How did you survive?"

"I stopped waiting." Kat's eyes were cold. "I started planning. I thought about every possible move they could make, and I prepared for all of them. When they finally came, I was ready."

Sophia turned back to the woods. "Rafael isn't coming here. He's too smart for a direct attack."

"No. He'll attack where you're weakest. Your friends. Your company. Your reputation." Kat leaned forward. "The question is: what are you doing to stop him?"

"I'm hiding."

"You're surviving. There's a difference." Kat stood. "But survival isn't winning. And you, Sophia Hart, were not born to lose."

She walked back inside, leaving Sophia alone with her thoughts.

NEW YORK — THAT EVENING

Claire sat in a dingy motel room on the outskirts of the city. 

Marcus had arranged it close enough to Manhattan for her to meet with her lawyer, far enough to avoid David's attention.

Her phone rang. A number she didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Moretti?" A woman's voice, professional and calm. "My name is Elena Vasquez. I'm a journalist with The Chronicle."

Claire's stomach tightened. "How did you get this number?"

"I have sources. The same sources who told me that your husband has been working for Rafael Castillo for the past two years."

Claire said nothing.

"I'm not looking to expose you," Elena continued. "I'm looking to expose him. And Rafael. And everyone connected to them."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I have files that go back a decade. Bank records. Emails. Recordings. Everything that proves Rafael Castillo is a criminal and everyone who's helped him is complicit."

Claire's heart pounded. "What do you want from me?"

"A meeting. Off the record. Just to talk."

Claire thought about David's threats. About Sophia hiding in a compound. About Alexander rotting in prison.

"Tomorrow," Claire said. "Noon. The diner on 7th."

"I'll be there."

THE COMPOUND — NIGHT

Sophia couldn't sleep.

She walked the halls of the compound, Victoria in her arms, the baby wide awake and cooing softly. 

The security cameras blinked red in every corner. Somewhere, Kat's men were watching.

Her phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.

"You think you're safe in that compound? Kat Volkov has more enemies than friends. And one of them is standing right outside your door."

Sophia froze.

She looked at the front door. The security feed showed nothing—just the dark yard, the trees, the fence.

Another buzz.

"Check the basement."

Sophia's blood ran cold. She walked quietly to the basement door, Victoria still in her arms. The baby had stopped cooing, as if sensing her mother's fear.

She opened the door.

The basement was dark. She felt for the light switch—

A hand grabbed her wrist.

Sophia screamed.

THE COMPOUND —

The hand belonged to Dimitri Volkov—Kat's estranged husband.

He stood in the basement, grinning, as Sophia clutched Victoria to her chest.

"Easy," Dimitri said, holding up his hands. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Warning you." His smile faded. "Kat is using you. She doesn't care about you or your baby. She cares about getting close to Alexander so she can take over his network."

Sophia's heart pounded. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm the one who told Rafael where to find Julian. Where to find Claire. Where to find David." Dimitri's eyes were cold. "I've been working for Rafael for months. And now he wants me to deliver you."

Sophia backed toward the stairs. "Then why are you warning me?"

Dimitri stepped closer. "Because Kat made a promise to me once. That if I ever crossed her, she'd kill me. And I just found out she's been planning to do it anyway."

He pulled out a phone, showing her a text from Kat to an unknown number.

"Dimitri is a liability. Eliminate him after the job is done."

Sophia looked up at him. "What do you want?"

"A way out. Protection. A new identity." Dimitri's voice shook. "I have files on everyone—Rafael, Kat, Helena, David, even Senator Cross. I'll trade them all for safety."

Sophia's mind raced. "And if I refuse?"

Dimitri's expression hardened. "Then I walk out that door and tell Rafael exactly where to find you."

Victoria started to cry.

Sophia held her closer. "You want a deal? Then help me take them all down. Not just Rafael. Kat. Helena. Cross. Everyone."

Dimitri stared at her. "You're insane."

"Maybe." Sophia's voice was steel. "But I'm also the only person in this room who has nothing left to lose."

FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER — SAME NIGHT

Alexander sat in his cell, staring at the ceiling, when the guard appeared.

"You have a visitor."

It was past midnight. Visitors weren't allowed at this hour.

Alexander stood. "Who?"

The guard didn't answer. He just opened the door and led Alexander to a private interview room.

Inside sat a man Alexander had never seen before. Mid-fifties. Gray hair. Expensive suit. Eyes that held no warmth.

"Mr. Blackwood," the man said. "My name is Senator William Cross. I'm here to offer you a deal."