First, I finally return my political team’s calls, and tell them I just need a few more weeks before we go full steam ahead and to leave Lucian alone. I then call Matei to go over his LA expansion operation and check on the supplies. Thankfully, the Bulgarians haven't resurfaced yet and the Russians have been MIA since clearing house. But we all know it’s only a matter of time before they return.
I'm pushing for Adrian and Elena to head out there once they're up for it, but we'll see how everyone feels about that in the coming weeks.
Lastly, I do some busy work, checking on some of our operations here in Romania when finally my phone lights up and vibrates on my desk.
It's just a single email notification, but one I've been obsessively waiting for a few days. Everything takes longer when I need to use connections and resources off the books and away from Lucian’s prying eyes.
I unlock the phone with my thumbprint, open the encrypted email application, and stare at the subject line.
Location Confirmed
I open the email, and a slow smile tugs at my lips.
I've got that son of a bitch.
TARGET: Dimitri Volkov (Father of Maxim Volkov, Deceased)
STATUS: Don of the Volkov Bratva
EVENT: Exclusive gala hosted at Casino Sanremo
LOCATION: Sanremo, Italy
DATE: Three days from now
ATTENDEES: European elite, Italian politicians, Russian expatriates, international criminal leadership
SECURITY LEVEL: Extreme. Estimated 20+ armed security, Italian police presence, possible private contractors.
ENTRY: Ticket at location. Alias Stefan Radovic, wealthy investor from Montenegro interested in expanding into Russia.
I read the email twice, absorbing every detail.
This is the snake's head.
Not Cornel, not even Bogdan. Him. Dimitri Volkov.
And while my father was the one who paid, Dimitri accepted. His son accepted. He partook in taking Elena. The Volkovs are also behind the Siberian Ice that flooded Los Angeles, the trafficking, and most importantly, they are after us. That Russian blonde even mentioned a list.
I will not sit by and let some Bratva fuck start a war that threatens to destroy everything we've built, nor will I let him put my family in jeopardy.
If I kill him, this will end.
It's like my grandfather used to say,"?arpele se omoara de la cap."The snake is killed from the head.
I lean back in my chair, tapping my fingers on my desk as I consider the tactical reality because I'm not fully crazy, at least I don't think so.
Assassinating a Russian don surrounded by a ton of armed guards at a casino filled with witnesses is objectively insane. It violates every principle of careful planning I've ever followed.
But if I succeed, if I put a bullet in Dimitri Volkov's head, this ends before it starts.
One shot, and my family is safe.
With his only son, Maxim, already dead, one more kill and the Volkovs lose their leadership, their direction, their capacity to threaten us.
The strategic value is undeniable.
And there's something else. Something I’d never admit. Not even to Lucian or Matei or Adrian, that burns through my thoughts with a fierce intensity.
