Page 32 of Dark Embers

“Is it done?” Oleksi asks.

“Yes, I hid the evidence in Sabrina’s costume wardrobe,” Ivan confirms.

“Good. Let’s go tell Heather Gold that one of her dancers seduced me and stole my shit.”

Oleksi blinks. His jaw ticks once. Twice.

“You should know,” I say softly, “before you throw around words like illegal surveillance—that footage was legally obtained. You tripped motion sensors the moment Ivan stepped up to my dressing room door. The surveillance system was installed for my safety—after my mother was attacked by a masked man in her dressing room at the Ember Club.”

I keep my tone cool, but firm. “Heather Gold, Sam, Nikolas… they were all worried I’d be next. So they installed motion-activated cameras outside and inside certain areas of my dressing room,” I add pointedly. “I signed the consent form inside my dressing room. Just outside of it, the hotel has full legal right to monitor for safety.”

He opens his mouth, clearly ready to argue.

I hold up a hand. “Wait, I’m not done.”

One more swipe, and the final video plays.

This one shows him tying my wrists with the curtain cord. His voice—clear, distinct—commanded me to hold still, to do a lot of other nasty things. No face shown on mine, but it’s clearly me. The bruises are clear. The submission is clear. But the context? Oh, that’s the fun part. It’s been altered just enough to make it look non-consensual. Marco’s that good.

Oleksi’s eyes snap to mine. His voice is quiet but sharp.

“Where the fuck did you get this?”

I tilt my head. “You know Heather doesn’t trust just anyone with her penthouse, right?”

He frowns.

“You signed a waiver at check-in, Oleksi. All guests staying in the hotel’s highest suite consent to security oversight due to the value of the furnishings and art. You probably skimmed over it in your arrogance, but the fine print is airtight.” I smile. “I know. I wrote it. Heather asked me to look over the hotel’s liability clauses last year.”

He steps forward. “I can still get around this.”

“Maybe,” I reply. “But even if you do… the damage is already done. You’ll have a hell of a lot of explaining and cleaning up to do.”

His nostrils flare. “You’re not scared, standing here in my den, showing me this?”

“Yes,” I admit, my voice low but steady. “I won’t pretend I’m not petrified.” I swallow, unashamed of the truth. “You’ve made it very clear what you’re capable of.”

Then I lift my chin, meeting his gaze dead-on as I deliver the coup de grâce.

“But do you remember that call I took earlier?”

He freezes. A flicker of recognition flashes across his face.

“If Marco doesn’t hear from me in an hour…” I let it hang, letting the weight of the threat settle between us. “Let’s just say several government agencies—ones desperate to bring your family down—will get everything I have. And trust me, what I have is enough to bury you in investigations for years.” I take a slow breath. “And by now, Marco’s gathered even more. He’s not going to stop until he’s certain I’m okay.”

I lower my voice, calm and razor-sharp. “Oh, you won’t have any luck trying to find him. Not even the CIA can. When they need him, he finds them. He’s untraceable. Off the grid. And he doesn’t scare easily.”

“Yet he called you.” Oleksi says as if he’s tripped me up.

I nod. “Yes. Because he’s that confident he’ll never be found. Just like you’ll probably never see daylight again if he decides you’re a threat.”

“Congratulations, Sabrina.” He grits his teeth. “We’re at a stalemate.”

“No,” I say, stepping closer. “This isn’t a stalemate, Oleksi. This is checkmate.”

His eyes burn into mine.

“I’m not proud of having to stoop to your level,” I say, feeling my voice wobble but I don’t care. I want him to know what he’s done. Not that the fucking bastard will care. “But you left me no choice.” Tears start to burn the back of my eyes and it mortifies me at how quickly this man got under my skin. “When I walk out of here,” I continue, “you will not lay a hand on my mother. Or on Heather Gold. You started this war, and dragged them into it. They have nothing to do with what’s between us. You will leave me the fuck alone and not go near my sister when I find her.” I glance at Syd who has not said a word this whole time. “And you’ll call off your British bitch—I’m tired of her tailing me like I’m some flight risk.”

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