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"He won't be alone. Nikita will be with him, and you've seen how well they get along. I have full faith in Damien to protect them both."
Valentina's jaw clenches, but I see her eyes soften a fraction. I step closer, cupping her face with my hands, forcing her to look into my eyes.
"Listen, we need to be smart about this. We have to draw the line somewhere between being emotionally led and strategically sound. I want him safe, Val. Away from all this madness."
For a moment, she looks torn, but then her eyes meet mine, and something in them shifts. She sighs, defeated. "Alright, Roman, do it. But you better make damn sure nothing happens to my son. I’m trusting you, trusting your family."
I pull her into my arms, embracing her tightly as if my life depends on it. "I promise you, Val. I'll lay down my life before I let anything happen to him."
At that moment, Ilya approaches us, a question in his young eyes as he senses the tension. Valentina breaks away from me and goes to him, kneeling to his level.
"Baby, you're going to go on a small trip with Nikita. Mama and Roman have some very important work to do, okay?"
Ilya looks confused, but then his face lights up at the mention of Nikita. "Nikita? Are we going to eat more ice cream?"
Valentina laughs, a sound so beautiful it undercuts the heaviness of the moment. "Maybe. But you listen to her, alright? And to Damien. They'll take good care of you."
Ilya nods, looking a little overwhelmed, but I can see the trust in his eyes. It's a trust I don't intend to betray.
As Nikita comes in to take Ilya, prepping him for the trip, I can't shake off the dread accumulating in my gut. Sending Ilya away rips me apart, but it's a necessity. For now, we have a war to prepare for, enemies to face, and a future to secure.
And by God, I'll burn the world down before I let anyone threaten that future.
"Alright, we need to plan our next move," I declare, guiding her away from the window and toward the table scattered with maps, weapons, and tech gear.
Samuil, Dimitri, and a few other trusted men stand by, ready to take action. Valentina slides into the strategic conversation like she was born for it. It's no wonder—she knows the enemy like the back of her hand.
"We need to hit them where it'll hurt most," she says, her eyes scanning the maps as she points out several key locations—communications hubs, weapon stockpiles, known meeting points. "We can cripple their supply routes here and here."
"Val's right," I say, taking her lead. "If we cut them off from their supplies, it'll make our job a hell of a lot easier. Dimitri, I want you and your team to handle monitoring the meeting locations – eyes on all of them.”
Dimitri nods, the anticipation of action changing the atmosphere in the room. "Consider it done."
"Samuil," I turn to my right-hand man, "you take your team and target the hubs. If we can eliminate those, we can disrupt their internal communications."
Samuil cracks his knuckles. "Been itching for some real action."
Then I turn to Valentina. "Do you know of any place Vladimir might be? Somewhere he considers safe?"
Valentina's eyes darken, the shift so subtle that if I didn't know her so well, I'd miss it. "There's a hidden location only top-tier members know about. It’s the main stockpile of the Chechens in the city, where they keep all their guns and ammo and other supplies. If a war’s happening, the gear there is going to be essential.”
"So, what do you suggest we do?" I ask, my eyes fixed intently on hers, giving her the space to make the call.
"We destroy it," she says with a cold determination that would send shivers down the spine of a lesser man. "We sneak into the warehouse and take it out. If we rip out the beating heart of their logistics, we might be able to end this war before it even starts.”
Her words hang heavy in the room, but I can feel the determination solidifying among us. We're all in, every last one of us, ready to do the impossible for the sake of our family, our future.
"Alright," I say, my voice thick with unspoken emotion as I look at Valentina. "Let's give this place a visit.”
Whatever doubts Valentina might have had about betraying her past, about turning against her own flesh and blood, were extinguished the moment Vladimir threatened the life of her son. And as I see her now—strong, fierce, and utterly resolute—I've never been more certain about the future we're fighting for.
The tension is palpable as we prepare to move out. Men check their weapons, ensuring every mag is full and every safety is off. Valentina straps a Kevlar vest over her frame, sliding a Glock into the holster at her side. I watch her, marveling at how easily she's embraced the darker part of our world. She looks up, catching my gaze, and for a moment, everything else fades away.
"I have something really important to tell you when we get back," she says softly, as if she's sharing a secret meant only for the two of us.
"Then we better survive this," I reply, my voice tinged with the seriousness only life-or-death situations can bring.
Closing the distance between us, I press my lips to hers. It's not just a kiss; it's a promise, a vow to return to each other, no matter what hell we have to go through. As our lips part, I hold her gaze. "I promise we're going to make it out alive, Val. Trust me."
