She nods slowly, then pulls the ring off and slips the tiny diamond piece free, revealing the micro-USB adapter hidden inside. She hands it to me, her fingers brushing mine for a second longer than necessary.
I slide the adapter into the laptop's USB port and start copying the files into our secure folder. The progress bar appears, crawling forward slowly.
"It'll take some time," I say, turning to look at her. "Airplane Wi-Fi and all."
I stand and grab the other chair from the corner, bringing it over. "Sit."
She does, her legs crossing beneath my shirt, and I take my seat across from her, leaning back slightly.
"I'm going to tell you how things will go," I say.
She arches an eyebrow, her lips quirking into a half-smile. "Really?"
"Yes."
She leans back in her chair, her arms crossing over her chest. The shirt rides up slightly, exposing more of her thighs, but her expression is guarded now, curious.
"I am going to show you what's on that drive, and once I do, you need to call Ivan, explain everything, and suggest a meeting with my family."
Danika's expression shifts, the smile fading. She looks away, her jaw tightening.
"What's wrong?" I ask, leaning forward slightly. "Wasn't that your mission? To give him what's on it?"
She nods, then looks back at me, her blue eyes troubled. "I just feel, ugh..." She stops, rubbing her forehead. "Like we killed his brother. It's like I defected, Victor. If I call him and tell him what went down, he might put a hit on me."
I reach across the space between us and grab her hand. Her skin is warm, her grip tight.
"He won't," I say firmly. "Not if you show him how his brother made a fool of his family. You send him the contents of that drive, and he'll see everything Dimitri was doing. How he planned on taking over. This gives Ivan a chance to rebuild. Turn his family into something new without being sabotaged."
She looks at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. "You're asking me to trust you on that. It's..."
"Yes, I am. But not just on this. On everything moving forward. That's how this works. If we can't trust one another, then what the hell are we doing? We've each proven we're willing to die for the other person, so why can't we have trust? Do you think I would do something to put you in harm's way?"
She stiffens slightly, then winces, her hand moving to her side. "Shit. Pain's back." She touches the bruise over her ribs, then smiles faintly. "You made me forget about it."
She takes a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "You're right. It's my old ways. Honestly, I trust you. Even when I'm scared, hesitant, or nervous, you always seem to hold on to your word. So fine. If this is how you think we should best handle it, then we will."
I lean forward and kiss her slowly, tasting her again. When I pull back, she's smiling.
"But what if they do put a hit on me?" she asks.
I shrug. "Then I take care of whoever comes. Besides, they'd put the hit on me, too."
I glance back at the computer and see the progress bar has hit 100%. The files are uploaded.
"Here," I say, pulling her chair closer to mine until our knees are almost touching. "Let's look at it."
She leans in, her shoulder brushing mine, and I open the first folder. The screen fills with documents, spreadsheets, and encrypted communications. I start walking her through it, clicking through the files one by one.
Wire transfers. Hundreds of them. Millions of dollars moving through shell companies, offshore accounts, and dummy corporations. Dimitri's name is everywhere, buried under layers but unmistakable once you know what to look for.
Then the Siberian Ice files. Shipment manifests. Distribution networks. Photos of blue vials stacked in crates.
And then the trafficking houses. Addresses. Photos. Women's faces. We go over it all, some of which I saw and some of which I didn't.
When we're done, Danika leans back in her chair, speechless. Her face has gone pale, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Dimitri hinted at these things," she says quietly, "when I was with him, but knowing and seeing are..." She trails off, staring at the screen.
