Page 57 of Dark Promise

Sergei raises an eyebrow. “And if he’s not?”

“Then he’s expendable,” I reply coldly. “But I believe he’s already chosen his path. He was loyal to Vlasta, and he offered his loyalty to Mikhail in turn. But Mikhail abused the privilege. Novikov despises Mikhail for what he did to his daughter, and he’s been waiting for the right moment to strike.”

“His daughter?” Sergei asks.

“Married her off to a man three times her age in Belarus. Told Novikov he only had two choices…agree or watch her die,” Viktor says.

“Novikov was not fond of the options,” I say.

Viktor smirks. “You’ve got a knack for turning Mikhail’s allies into your own.”

“It’s not about turning them,” I say. “It’s about giving them something Mikhail can’t—freedom, loyalty, respect. The things he’s incapable of offering.”

Sergei nods slowly. “What’s the next move?”

“I’ll meet with Novikov myself,” I say. “Secure his allegiance and make it clear that when Mikhail falls, he’ll have a place in thenew order. But first…” I pause, glancing at my watch. “I have a meeting with Maxim.”

Viktor’s expression darkens. “You trust him?”

“No,” I admit. “But I’m willing to listen to what he has to say.”

Twenty minutes later,I stand in the rain in a narrow alley that’s slick, glistening labyrinth. The neutral meeting point—an unmarked door tucked between an abandoned bakery and a derelict pawnshop—was chosen for its sheer anonymity.

I push it open and step inside. The dimly lit room is spartan, with walls painted a faded gray and a single bulb casting flickering light over the stained concrete floor. A table and two chairs are the only furnishings, their battered surfaces bearing the scars of countless tense conversations.

Maxim is already waiting, leaning back in his chair with a studied casualness that doesn’t fool me. His sharp features are illuminated by the glow of his phone, but he sets it aside the moment the door closes behind me. The heavy latch clicks into place, and the sound feels louder than it should.

“Nikolai,” he says, his voice calm but edged with something darker. “You came alone.”

“You expected otherwise?” I reply, taking the chair opposite him.

Maxim studies me for a moment, his dark eyes searching for something. “No,” he admits. “I suppose not.” He nods at the gun in my hand, and holds up his own empty hands. “You won’t need that.”

I set it on the table, in easy reach.

The tension in the room is palpable, each of us wary, each of us weighing the stakes. Ever since my uncle’s death, I’ve believedMaxim was Mikhail’s lackey, a willing pawn in my father’s endless schemes. Now, sitting across from him, I see the cracks in that façade. His exhaustion isn’t just physical; it’s the weight of a man who’s played a dangerous game for far too long.

“Let’s not waste time,” I say, leaning forward. “You said you had something for me.”

He nods, sliding a thin, black flash drive across the table.

“Everything you need,” he says. “Bank accounts. Shipping manifests. Contacts. Enough to dismantle Mikhail’s empire piece by piece.”

I pick up the drive, turning it over in my hand. “Why now, Maxim? Why reveal your hand after all this time?”

He grins, a shadow of the boy I once trusted. “You’ve always been smart, Nikolai. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

I arch an eyebrow but say nothing, waiting for him to continue.

“Every time I told Mikhail privileged information in front of you, every piece of intel I ‘accidentally’ let slip…” He leans closer, his voice dropping. “It wasn’t for him. It was for you. I’ve been on your side all along, you fucking ass.”

The words hit like a thunderclap, shaking loose layers of resentment and confusion.

“You were feeding me breadcrumbs,” I say, the realization settling in. “Doing it right in front of him so he could never suspect you of betrayal.”

“Exactly,” he says. “Mikhail trusts me because he thinks I worship him. But I’ve hated that man since the day he took Vlasta’s throne. Everything I’ve done has been to get close enough to destroy him.”

The admission hangs in the air, and I study Maxim, looking for signs of deception. But his eyes burn with a fury that matches my own, and I believe him.

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