Chapter 7 - A Dangerous Game
I refused to let Nikolai trade a single ounce of his empire for my treacherous sister.
"Serena made her choice when she put on my dress and took my ring," I stated coldly.
Nikolai looked at me with deep respect, his hand resting reassuringly over mine in the dark car.
"We are not going there to negotiate, Evelyn; we are going there to eliminate the Romanov threat entirely," he clarified.
The Romanov cartel was a ruthless rival faction that had been bleeding Chicago's ports dry for years.
We pulled up to a massive, abandoned warehouse district covered in thick fog and heavy rain.
Dozens of Nikolai's armed men were already securing the perimeter, melting perfectly into the shadows.
Nikolai turned to me and ordered me to stay locked inside the bulletproof vehicle.
I waited exactly thirty seconds after he left before opening the glove compartment and pulling out a small, loaded pistol.
I refused to be a helpless princess waiting in a tower while my future was decided in the blood and mud.
I slipped out of the car and crept toward the side entrance of the warehouse, moving silently through the rain.
Inside, the massive building was illuminated by flickering industrial lights and the laser sights of sniper rifles.
Julian was standing in the center of the room, holding a trembling Serena at gunpoint.
He looked completely unhinged, sweating profusely and shouting demands at the Romanov boss.
"I brought you the girl, now clear my debts!" Julian screamed, pressing the gun harder against Serena's temple.
The Romanov boss laughed, a cruel, echoing sound that made my skin crawl.
"You brought me the wrong sister, Julian," the rival boss mocked.
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"No, I didn't!" Julian yelled back, his eyes wild with absolute desperation.
"Serena is the one who forged the financial documents, she is the mastermind you need to launder your money!"
