"Boris, I need you to contact Alexei immediately. Tell him Pavel Volkov is alive and active in Manhattan. Tell him tomorrow night's operation is designed to destroy both the legitimacy project and our family's reputation."
"I'll reach out through secure channels. How much support do you need?"
"Everything he can mobilize. This isn't just about eliminating threats anymore; this is about family survival. And Boris?"
"Yes?"
"If something happens to me tomorrow night, make sure Mariana Castillo survives. She's the key to everything."
"Understood."
I end the call and begin planning for tomorrow night's confrontation. Twenty-four hours to prepare for war. Twenty-four hours for Alexei to coordinate a response from Chicago and position resources in Manhattan.
Twenty-four hours for Pavel to complete whatever trap he's building.
Each movement is automatic, muscle memory built from fifteen years of staying alive in situations designed to kill me. But tomorrow feels different. Usually, preparation for violence brings the cold calm of a professional going to work. Tomorrow,there's something else underneath the ice; something hot and protective and entirely focused on keeping one specific woman alive.
Mariana.
The little wolf who chose truth over comfort when her world fell apart. Who is now trusting my word over a lifetime of federal training.
She doesn't know it yet, but she's already mine to protect. Has been since the moment she looked into my eyes in that burning warehouse. And she sees me now as a man instead of a monster.
Little wolf. Trust me one more time.
The Following Evening - 10:35 PM
The next evening, I drive to Brooklyn Heights through traffic that seems heavier than usual. Twenty-four hours of preparation and coordination, twenty-four hours for both sides to position their pieces on the board.
I park six blocks from Pier 17 and approach on foot, using routes and methods that have kept me alive for fifteen years.
The trap is sophisticated. Sniper nests on surrounding buildings. Close protection teams disguised as tourists and late-night joggers. Kill zones established at every potential escape route.
Pavel has learned from his failures three years ago. This isn't improvised violence - this is systematic execution designed to eliminate threats while sending a message.
But Pavel made one crucial mistake: he assumed Ghost would arrive alone.
Through my earpiece, I hear Boris coordinating Alexei's response teams. "Ghost One, this is Command. Overwatch teams in position. Counter-snipers have visual on hostile positions."
"Copy, Command. Timeline for primary?"
"Inbound from Chicago, ETA five minutes. Local teams standing by for your signal."
Alexei himself, flying in to oversee the operation that could determine his family's future. The legendary Ghost might be walking into a trap, but he's not walking in alone.
Never alone when family is involved.
I reach the pier thirty minutes early, moving through shadows and blind spots with practiced ease. The Hudson River stretches out like black glass, reflecting the lights of Manhattan while hiding its secrets.
Somewhere in those lights, Mariana has spent the last twenty-four hours as a federal fugitive, probably moving between safelocations, wondering if trusting a phantom was the smartest or stupidest decision of her career.
She's magnificent.Even terrified and persecuted and facing career destruction, she chose the dangerous path of the truth over the safe lie.
The kind of woman who deserves better than being used as bait in Pavel's revenge fantasy.
My phone vibrates with incoming surveillance updates. Mariana's taxi approaching from the south. Pavel's teams adjusting positions to intercept. Federal units monitoring communications but not yet moving to intervene.
They want to see how this plays out. Want to watch the infamous Ghost finally get caught.
