Page 41 of Tracking Shadows

I don’t interrupt. I can see how much it takes for her to talk about him, and I want her to have the space to do it at her own pace.

"He wasn’t like other men." Her eyes drift to the window as if she’s looking for something out there. "He believed in doing the right thing, even when it was hard. He always told me thathelping others is what gives life meaning." She pauses. "I guess that’s why he got involved in all of this. Why he couldn’t turn his back when he found out about the trafficking.”

"He sounds like he was a good man," I say gently.

"He was." She nods, her fingers tracing the edge of the table. "Too good, maybe. Too selfless. He’d give everything for someone else without even thinking about what it might cost him. I think that's what got my mother interested in him, and that is what ruined us in the end.”

The silence stretches between us for a moment, and I reach across the table and brush my fingers against hers.

"If you could go back in time, would you want to stop him?"

Irina doesn't respond for a long while. “Yes . . . but knowing my dad, he would have found another issue to be involved in. Same way Abel did.”

“Who's Abel?”

“He was my father's partner, and he found me after it happened." Her eyes glaze over slightly as if she’s remembering every detail. "He took me in. He told me that he, my dad, and Bristol were working on the case outside their official setting. After everything went down, he made it his mission to keep me alive.”

“Is he still alive?”

"No . . . he died five years ago. Cancer. He fought it as long as he could, but in the end . . . there was nothing we could do.”

"I’m sorry."

Irina nods, but her gaze stays fixed on the table, "It’s fine. It’s life, right? People die. You move on."

Her words are cold, but I can hear the emotion buried beneath the surface.

"What about your brother?" I ask gently. "Do you think he’s still out there?"

Irina hesitates for a moment, "I don’t know," she admits. "I want to believe he’s still alive. I need to know, Alexei. Before anything else, I desperately need to know if he’s still out there."

I squeeze her hand gently. "We’ll find him, Irina. As long as he’s alive, we’ll find him."

Chapter 14 – Irina

Katya spreads the map across the table. “This is the warehouse,” she says, pointing to a spot near the edge of the city. “I’ve been chatting with Sergei for a week now under the aliasYuri, posing as a merchant. He seems eager for this deal, so it’s the perfect setup.”

I lean forward and look at where she is pointing.

“The main entrance is here.” She taps the north side of the building. “It’s wide and open, which is good for Sergei. He’ll feel confident using it. He thinks this is a simple deal, so he won’t suspect anything right away.”

Katya moves her finger to the eastern side of the warehouse. “This is where you’ll come in. There’s an old employee entrance here. It’s completely out of sight. I’ve checked it, and it still works.”

“The warehouse used to be a storage facility,” Katya continues. “So there are wide-open spaces inside, but there’s enough cover in case we need it. Some containers and old machinery are all still there, which means you have a few places to hide, but it also means you’ll have to move fast if Sergei’s men get suspicious.”

Her finger glides over the map, stopping near the bottom. “There’s an underground tunnel system here,” she says, pointing to a line that runs beneath the building. “It used to connect to a loading yard about half a mile away. The system’s abandoned now, but you can use it as a fallback if things go south.”

“And Sergei won’t know about this tunnel?” Alexei asks

Katya shakes her head. “Not unless he’s been doing extensive research, which I doubt. This place has been off the radar for years. No records, no activity. It’s the perfect spot for us.”

She pauses and looks up at both of us. “We’ll be inside before Sergei even arrives. All we need is him inside. He probably won’t come with a lot of guards, but even if he does, it won’t be an issue.”

“What if Sergei’s onto you? What if he knows, and he’s just playing along? Sergei is not a fool.”

Katya shakes her head. “I don't think he is, at least not yet. If he were, he’d have already made a move to expose me. I’ve been careful, and Yuri’s backstory is solid. He trusts the deal.”

Alexei nods slowly, but I can see the doubt flickering behind his eyes. “Dmitri’s sending a few men,” he says after a moment. “One of his allies is coming too, so they can help block some of the exits and handle any extra guards Sergei might bring along. If Sergei’s playing it smart, he won’t come with just a few guards.”

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