Chapter 105 Anya
I stared at the suitcase on my bed.
Half packed. Half empty. Like my heart.
I had given Nikolai an ultimatum. One week to choose. Power or me. And already I knew what he would choose.
I had seen it in his eyes when he left. The complete absence of the man I loved.
That man was gone. Buried under blood and revenge and an empire he never wanted.
One of the guards knocked on my door.
"Mrs. Koslov? Are you alright?"
"I am fine," I lied.
"Do you need anything?"
"No," I said. "Thank you."
He left and I sat down on the bed and put my head in my hands.
How had it come to this? We had survived Ivanov. Survived torture and execution and hell itself. And now we were destroying ourselves from the inside.
Maybe that was Ivanov's final victory. He had not broken us with violence. But he had taught Nikolai to become exactly like him.
And that was worse than death.
My phone rang. It was an unknown number.
"Hello?" I answered cautiously.
"Mrs. Koslov," a man's voice said. It was unfamiliar. "We need to talk."
"Who is this?"
"A friend," the voice said. "Someone who wants to help you."
"I do not need help," I said.
"Yes you do," the voice insisted. "Because tomorrow night Nikolai is going to attack the Bratva. And when he does, he will start a war that will destroy Moscow."
My blood went cold. "How do you know this?"
"Because I have people inside his organization," the voice said. "And because I have been watching him."
"What do you want?" I demanded.
"To offer you a choice," the voice said. "You can let Nikolai destroy himself. Or you can help me stop him."
"Stop him how?"
"Meet me," the voice said. "Tomorrow morning. At Gorky Park near the fountain. Come alone."
"What happens if I refuse?"
"Then tomorrow night Moscow burns," the voice said. "And the man you love dies in the fire he started."
The line went dead.
I sat there staring at the phone. My hands were shaking.
This was a trap. It had to be. Someone was trying to use me to get to Nikolai.
But what if it was not? What if this person really could stop the war and save Nikolai from himself?
I looked at the suitcase. At my half-packed belongings. At the life I was preparing to leave behind.
And I made a decision.
Tomorrow I would go to Gorky Park. I would meet this mysterious caller. And I would do whatever it took to save the man I loved.
Even if it meant betraying him.
The next morning I woke early. Dressed in simple clothes. Told the guards I was going for a walk.
They tried to stop me. That Nikolai had ordered me to stay inside.
"Nikolai does not control me," I said firmly. "I am going for a walk. You can follow if you want. But you will not stop me."
They looked at each other. Then one nodded. "We will come with you."
"Fine," I said. "But keep your distance."
We left the safehouse. The morning was cold and gray. Moscow looked tired. Worn down by violence and fear.
Gorky Park was nearly empty. Just a few early morning joggers. Dog walkers. Normal people living normal lives.
I envied them.
The fountain was in the center of the park. I stood beside it, waiting, my guards watching from a distance.
A middle-aged man approached. He was well dressed in a expensive coat.
"Mrs. Koslov," he said. "Thank you for coming."
"Who are you?" I asked immediately.
"My name is Vladmir Sokolov," he said. "I am a member of the council."
My stomach dropped. "The council that backed Ivanov?"
"Yes," he admitted. "Though I never supported what he did to you. Or to Nikolai."
"Then why did you not stop him?"
"Because I was afraid," Viktor said simply. "Just like everyone else. Ivanov had power. Anyone who challenged him disappeared."
"And now?"
"Now Ivanov is dead," Viktor said. "And Nikolai has taken his place. But he is making the same mistakes. Using the same methods. Creating the same fear."
"Nikolai is nothing like Ivanov," I said.
"Is he not?" Viktor asked. "In three weeks he has killed seventeen men. Seized control of half the city. Started building an empire based on terror. How is that different?"
I had no answer.
"The council wants peace," Viktor continued. "We want stability. We want to end this cycle of violence."
"So you want to kill Nikolai?" I asked.
"No," Viktor said. "We want to save him. Before he destroys himself and everyone around him."
"How?"
Viktor pulled out a folder and handed it to me. "Inside is evidence. Proof of every crime Nikolai has committed in the past three weeks. Every murder. Every theft. Every act of violence."
I stared at the folder. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Give it to the police," Viktor said. "Let them arrest him. Put him on trial. Give him a chance to answer for what he has done."
"He will go to prison," I said.
"Yes," Viktor agreed. "But he will live. And eventually, when he has served his time, he can have the life you both want."
"You are asking me to betray him," I said.
"I am asking you to save him," Viktor corrected.
I opened the folder. Inside were photographs. Documents. Evidence of everything Nikolai had done.
My hands shook as I looked through it. This would send Nikolai to prison for life.
"The choice is yours, Mrs. Koslov," he said. "Betray the man you love to save him. Or stay loyal and watch him die."
He turned and walked away, leaving me standing by the fountain with the folder in my hands.
My guards approached. "Mrs. Koslov? Are you alright?"
"Yes," I whispered. "I am fine."
But I was not fine. I was holding the power to destroy Nikolai's life. To send him to prison. To take away everything he had fought for.
Or I could throw the folder away. Let him start his war. Let him become the monster he was destined to be.
I looked at the folder. Then at my guards. Then at the city spreading out around us.
And I realized I had already made my choice.
I just hoped I could live with the consequences.
That evening I returned to the safehouse. Nikolai was there waiting. He looked surprised to see me.
"Anya," he said. "I thought you were leaving."
"I was," I said. "But then I realized something."
"What?"
I walked toward him slowly. The folder was hidden in my bag.
My heart pounded.
"I realized that I love you too much to let you destroy yourself," I said.
"Anya, I…"
"So I am going to save you," I continued. "Even if you hate me for it."
I pulled out my phone. Dialed a number I had memorized.
Nikolai's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
"What needs to be done," I said.
The call connected. "This is Detective Petrov," a voice said.
"My name is Anya Koslov," I said, my voice shaking. "And I have information about Nikolai Markov. Information you need to hear."
Nikolai lunged for the phone. "Anya, no!"
But it was too late.
I had already set everything in motion.
And there was no going back.