Chapter 130 Nikolai
The man stepped fully into the light.
My blood turned to ice.
Dmitri Kozlov.
A ghost from my past. A rival. A man I had crushed years ago when I still ruled Moscow.
"Kozlov," I said. My voice was steady despite the fear coursing through me.
"Markov," he replied. That cruel smile spreading across his face. "Or should I call you Ivan Sokolov now? The humble fisherman."
Viktor scrambled to his feet. Marina was still on the floor. Trembling.
"Who are you?" Viktor demanded. "What do you want?"
"I am Dmitri Kozlov," the man said. "And what I want is simple. I came to collect my debt."
"Debt?" Viktor looked confused. "I do not owe you anything. My debt is with..."
"Your debt is with me," Kozlov interrupted. "Always has been. I bought it years ago. Have been waiting patiently for the perfect moment to collect."
Viktor's face went white. "You. You have been destroying us. The fish. The debts. My daughter..."
"Your daughter is safe," Kozlov said. "For now. Whether she stays that way depends on your friend here."
He pointed at me.
Marina looked at me. Then at Viktor. "What is he talking about? Who is this man?"
"Tell them," Kozlov said. "Tell them who you really are, Ivan. Or should I?"
"I do not know what you are talking about," I said.
Kozlov laughed. "Still playing the innocent fisherman? How pathetic. The great Nikolai Markov. Reduced to gutting fish and pretending to have amnesia."
Viktor's head snapped toward me. "Nikolai Markov? The mafia boss?"
"No," I said quickly. "He is lying. I am Ivan Sokolov. I do not..."
"Stop," Kozlov said. He pulled out a phone. Showed Viktor a photograph. "This is Nikolai Markov. Taken two years ago in Moscow. Look at his face. Really look."
Viktor stared at the photo. Then at me. His expression changed from confusion to horror.
"It is you," he whispered. "You are him."
"Viktor, I can explain..."
"You lied to us!" Viktor shouted. "We saved your life! We took you in! And you lied!"
The door burst open. Little Katya ran in. Her face was streaked with tears. Behind her were two of Kozlov's men.
"Papa!" she screamed.
Marina grabbed her. Held her tight.
"Leave her alone!" Marina shouted at Kozlov.
"I am not here to hurt children," Kozlov said. "I am here for him." He pointed at me. "The man who destroyed my life. Who took everything from me. Who left me to rot."
I looked at Katya. At her terrified face. At the tears streaming down her cheeks.
This innocent child who had saved me. Who had believed in me.
Now she was crying because of me.
"I am sorry," I said to Viktor. To Marina. To Katya. "I am so sorry. I should have told you. Should have left the moment I woke up. But I was selfish. I wanted to forget. Wanted to start over."
"So it is true?" Viktor asked. His voice shook. "You are a criminal? A killer?"
"I was," I admitted. "But that life is gone. I am not that person anymore."
"You are always that person," Kozlov said. "You can change your name. Your face. Your entire life. But you cannot change what you are. A monster."
"Says the man who kidnapped a child," I shot back.
"I did what I had to do," Kozlov replied. "Just like you always did. We are the same, Markov. You just pretend to be better."
"We are nothing alike," I said.
Kozlov walked closer to me. His men followed. Guns raised.
"Do you know how I know everything?" he asked. "About Anya? About your death? About your new life?"
"How?" I demanded.
"Because I have been watching you," Kozlov said. "Since the moment you washed up on that beach. I have had people following you. Reporting to me. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike."
My stomach dropped. "You knew I was alive this whole time?"
"Of course," Kozlov said. "Did you really think you could hide from me? From your past? You are Nikolai Markov. There is no hiding from that name."
"Then why wait?" I asked. "Why not just kill me?"
"Because I wanted you to suffer first," Kozlov said. "Wanted you to build something. Care about something. And then I wanted to take it all away. Just like you did to me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Six years ago," Kozlov said. "You destroyed my operation. Killed my men. Burned my warehouses. Left me with nothing. Do you even remember?"
I did remember. Vaguely. It had been just another war. Another rival to crush.
"I remember," I said.
"Good," Kozlov said. "Then you remember that I swore revenge. Swore that one day, I would make you pay."
"So this is about revenge?"
"This is about justice," Kozlov corrected. "You took everything from me. Now I take everything from you."
He looked at Viktor. At Marina. At Katya.
"This family saved your life," he said. "Protected you. Loved you. And now they will suffer because of it."
"No," I said. "Leave them alone. They have nothing to do with this."
"They have everything to do with this," Kozlov said. "They chose to help you. They chose to harbor a criminal. Now they pay the price."
"Please," Viktor said. "We did not know. We thought he was just a man who needed help."
"Ignorance is not an excuse," Kozlov said.
He turned to his men. "Burn it down. The house. The boats. Everything. Leave nothing."
"No!" Marina screamed.
I lunged at Kozlov. But his men grabbed me. Held me back.
"Wait," Kozlov said to his men. He looked at me. "Actually, I have a better idea."
"What?" I demanded.
"I will give you a choice," Kozlov said. "You can die. Right here. Right now. And I will forgive Viktor's debt. Let this family go. They can rebuild. Start over. Live normal lives."
"Or?" I asked.
"Or you can live," Kozlov said. "And I destroy this family. Burn their house. Sink their boats. Kill everyone they love. Starting with that little girl."
He pointed at Katya.
My blood ran cold. "You would not."
"Try me," Kozlov said.
I looked at Viktor. At Marina. At Katya.
They were staring at me. Waiting.
"Choose," Kozlov said. "Your life or theirs."
The room was silent. Just the sound of Katya crying.
I thought about Anya. About Mikhail. About everyone I had failed.
And I made my choice.
"I will die," I said. "But you have to promise. You let them go. Forgive the debt. Give them back their daughter. Let them live."
"Nikolai, no," Viktor said.
I looked at him. "It is the least I can do. After everything."
"You do not owe us your life," Viktor said.
"Yes I do," I replied. "You saved me. Now I save you."
Kozlov smiled. "How noble. The great Nikolai Markov. Sacrificing himself for strangers."
"They are not strangers," I said. "They are family."
"How touching," Kozlov said. He pulled out a gun. "Any last words?"
I looked at Katya one more time. "I am sorry. For lying. For bringing danger to your door. For everything."
"Ivan..." she whispered.
"My name is not Ivan," I said. "It is Nikolai. And I was not a good man. But I tried to be. For you. For your family. I really tried."
Tears streamed down her face.
Kozlov raised his gun. Pointed it at my head.
"Goodbye, Markov," he said.
"Wait!" Viktor shouted. He stepped forward. "Get out of my house."
Kozlov lowered the gun slightly. "What?"
"I said get out," Viktor repeated. His voice was shaking but firm. "Take your men. Take your threats. And leave."
"You are making a mistake," Kozlov warned.
"Maybe," Viktor said. "But this is my home. And I decide who lives and who dies under my roof."
He looked at me. His eyes were hard. Hurt.
"Including you, Nikolai. You lied to us. Put my family in danger. So get out. Now."
"Viktor..." I started.
"Now!" he shouted.
Kozlov laughed. "This is perfect. Even better than killing you. You get to live knowing you destroyed another family."
He gestured to his men. They released me.
"You have one week," Kozlov said to Viktor. "One week to pay your debt in full. Or I take everything."
He walked to the door. Paused.
"And Markov? I will be seeing you soon. This is not over."
Then he was gone. His men followed.
The house was silent.
Viktor stood there. Staring at me. Marina held Katya close.
"I am sorry," I said. "I am so sorry."
"Sorry does not fix this," Viktor said. "Sorry does not bring back my business. My peace. My daughter's innocence."
"I know," I said. "But I will make this right. I will..."
"You will leave," Viktor interrupted. "Tonight. Now. I do not want to see your face ever again."
"Viktor, please..."
"I said leave!" Viktor roared.
I looked at Marina. At Katya. Both were crying.
I had destroyed another family. Just like Kozlov said.
I walked to the door. Stopped.
"For what it is worth," I said quietly. "These past months with you. They were the happiest of my life."
"Goodbye, Nikolai," Viktor said.
I left. Walked out into the night. With nothing. No money. No plan. No future.
Just the weight of my sins.
And the knowledge that I had failed again.