Page 42 of The Payment

Three hours later,One Financial Center, the Financial District of Boston...

“Interesting meeting,” Declan said, breaking the heavy silence in Jarek’s office.He stood by the window, watching the early rays of sunlight crawl over the cityscape.“Let’s hope Martinez is smarter than I gave him credit for.”

Jarek barely heard him.His mind wandered two decades back, trying to conjure the image of himself in a white doctor’s coat and the comfortable weight of the stethoscope around his neck.He remembered the gentle way he used to speak to patients, the careful manner he explained procedures, and the way children would stop crying when he entered the room.But the memories felt like they belonged to someone else now, a stranger whose life he had watched in an old film.

He tried to imagine himself in that role again, and the disconnect was jarring.His hands, once steady with a scalpel, were now steadier with a gun—not that he made a habit of killing, but still.The voice that had soothed worried parents now commanded men to kill when the need arose.The transformation wasn’t just in what he did but in who he had become at his core.

“Boss?”Declan turned from the window.“Are you alright?”

“I’ve been thinking.”Jarek’s voice was distant.“All these years, the only thing I’ve thought about was making Polov pay.I’ve never considered what comes after.”

The realization hit him like a physical blow.The Dark One wasn’t just a name he had adopted.It had become his identity.He had woven himself so thoroughly into this world of shadow and violence, he couldn’t see where the web ended and he began.He was both the spider and the trapped prey, spinning his own prison with every passing year.

“After?”

“When he’s permanently out of the picture.”Jarek looked up at his friend.“I don’t know if there’s anything left of who I used to be.The Dark One...this life...it’s not just what I do anymore.It’s who and what I am.”

Declan studied him for a long moment.“Guess you’ll find out when the time comes.”

Jarek nodded slowly, but the truth was already settling in his gut like cold lead.He had started this journey seeking vengeance, thinking it was a path he could eventually leave behind.Instead, he had become the very darkness he had stepped into, and no amount of revenge would light the way back.

The most depressing thought haunting him was whether this was the kind of life fitting the child he so desperately yearned for.

Chapter Sixteen

Tatiana

Four Seasons PrivateResidences, One Dalton Street, Boston...

Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting golden stripes across the marble floors.The Boston skyline stretched before them in a vista of glass and steel against a crisp autumn sky.Tatiana’s hands trembled as she poured tea into delicately hand-painted Herend cups with the tantalizing Darjeeling’s fragrant steam rising between them.

“You really don’t have to leave, Mom.”She set down the teapot with her fingers lingering on its warm ceramic surface.“We just found each other, and the penthouse is huge.Jarek invited you to stay as long as you wanted.”

Her mother reached across the table to brush a stray lock of hair behind Tatiana’s ear.The maternal gesture made her chest constrict.Thirty years of missed touches and absent embraces.She wanted to barricade the doors and disable the elevators, anything to keep them here, safe in this suspended moment of reunion.

“We’ve imposed enough, my darling girl, but we will see each other every day, I promise.”Mila cupped Tatiana’s cheek.“Your husband needs his home back.He’s been too kind by staying away to give us privacy.”

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