Chapter 6 - A Debt In Shadows
The voice on the phone was smooth, cultured, and devoid of humanity. Nikolai Morozov. A man whose name was whispered even in the deepest corridors of power with dread.
""She belongs to no one,"" Dominic replied evenly, his eyes locked onto the encrypted drive resting in his palm. ""And your men made a mess of my floor.""
Nikolai chuckled softly, a sound like dry leaves scraping across stone. ""Elena stole something invaluable when she ran five years ago. Financial accounts, identities, laundering pipelines that keep my empire breathing. She thought she could hide under your shadow. She was wrong.""
""Where is she?"" Dominic demanded, ignoring the syndicate boss's posturing.
""Alive, for now. She is remarkably stubborn, even with two cracked ribs and a failing pulse,"" Nikolai said casually. ""Bring me the drive, Dominic. Tomorrow night, midnight, at the abandoned rail yards in the industrial district. Bring the drive, and you can watch her draw her last breath before I put a bullet in her brain. If you don't come... I'll send her to you piece by piece.""
""And the girl?"" Dominic probed, watching Maya out of the corner of his eye. She was watching him intently, clutching the hollowed-out bunny back to her chest.
""What girl?"" Nikolai paused, a faint hum of intrigue entering his tone. ""Ah. The stray. Throw it in the river. I have no use for vermin.""
The line went dead.
Dominic slowly lowered the phone. Nikolai didn't know about Maya. Elena had concealed the child's true identity from the syndicate, protecting her daughter at the cost of her own life.
Dr. Marcus Thorne emerged from the secure panic room, carrying a clean towel and an emergency burner phone. ""Dominic, you can't go to that meeting alone. It’s an execution ground.""
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""I know,"" Dominic said coldly, sliding the drive into his inner pocket. ""Which is why I'm not going to exchange the drive.""
He turned to the little girl sitting on the floor. ""Pack Barnaby, Maya. We're going to war.""
