Page 33 of Tainted Empire

“We’ll keep digging. Keep your phone close. I’ll let you know as soon as we have something more concrete.”

“Thanks, Pappa,” I say, feeling a mix of gratitude and frustration. “I’ll be waiting.”

The call ends, and I’m left with a torrent of thoughts. Dasha’s brother, Gabriette’s father in Berlin, the shadowy connections tying it all together—it’s like a complex puzzle, and I’m struggling to find the pieces.

I stand up, pacing the room, my mind working overtime. I need to find that fucker Alberto and unravel the threads of this tangled web. But more than that, I need to protect Gabriette, to shield her from the fallout of a past that’s intruding into our present.

“Fuck,” I mutter to myself.

This is more than I bargained for, more than any of us anticipated. Those two women gave me her father’s name as the one who was pulling the strings over here, but I know Alberto is too much of a fucking coward to do something like this by himself.

So that leaves one of two things: Alberto is getting help from someone, or he’s helping someone. I’m leaning more toward the latter.

The revelation that Alberto might just be a fucking pawn in a larger, more dangerous game sends a cold shiver down my spine. The bastard’s probably more clued up than we thought.

And if he’s just a piece in this twisted chess game, who the hell is the grandmaster?

I grab a bottle of vodka from the cabinet, pouring myself a stiff drink. The clear liquid burns its way down, offering a fleeting escape from the relentless storm of thoughts and curses swirling in my head.

I need to think, to plan. Whoever’s behind this, they’re not just gunning for me; they’re aiming at everything that means a damn to me.

I slam the glass down, my resolve hardening like steel. I need to fucking act, and it needs to be now. But before I can dive headfirst into this mess, I need to come clean about everything to Gabriette.

But how do I approach her? After everything, the last thing I want is to overwhelm her, to make her feel trapped. No, this needs to be on her terms, in her time. I owe her that much.

I glance at the clock. It’s late, too late to make any moves now. But tomorrow, I’ll start putting the pieces together. I’ll reach out to Gabriette, bridge the distance between us with careful words and open ears. She deserves to know the truth, and I need to be the one to tell her.

As I head to bed, the burdens of my world weigh heavily on my shoulders. The Pakhan, the husband, the protector – all these roles merge into one single mission: to protect the woman I love and salvage whatever’s left of the life we could’ve had.

But first, I need fucking answers. And I’ll tear apart heaven and hell to find them. For Gabriette, for our lost chance at a family, for the future we might still have a shot at building out of these ruins.

Chapter 19

Gabriette

I tiptoe down the stairs, the house eerily silent except for the faint murmur of Lee’s voice coming from the living room. Something in her tone, a mix of urgency and frustration, makes me pause. Curiosity piqued, I decided to stay out of sight, lingering in the shadows.

Lee’s words are muffled, but her tone is unmistakable – she’s rattled, her usual composure frayed at the edges. I strain to catch snippets of the conversation, my heart thumping in my chest.

Pausing just out of sight, I strain to listen, my heart beating a tad faster. “...can’t just barge in like that... reckless...” Lee’s voice floats through the air, tense and sharp.

“...no, I get it, but this changes everything... Yes, I’ll keep … out of it...”

I frown at this, knowing I shouldn’t be listening but the anger and annoyance in her tone stops me from walking away.

“Yeah, well, it’s not that simple, is it?” Lee’s voice rises slightly in frustration. “We can’t just... Damn it, you know we should have waited.”

Waited? Waited for what? My mind races with possibilities, each more concerning than the last.

She continues, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “No, I get it, but this could blow up in our faces. You’re playing with fire here.”

Playing with fire? Is this about Mikhail? The unease in my stomach grows, twisting into a knot of apprehension.

Lee’s next words are barely audible, a hiss of exasperation. “Look, just... be careful, okay? We can’t afford any more fuck-ups.”

A pause, then she slams the phone down with a force that echoes through the silent house. Lee lets out a string of curses, her voice echoing through the silent house.

“You’re more trouble that you’re fucking worth,” she growls, the words heavy with an emotion I can’t quite place.