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Walking to the , I draw back the curtain It’s dark, and snow is falling in the yello of the powerful spotlights that illuarden On the opposite side of the river, so in a roo with a pair of binoculars, reporting the activity in ht this very o out there and slit the cockroach’s throat before du infor in life, it’s that you win a ith patience and not with impulsive actions There’s still tiive it until after Christmas, until we’ve visited Laura in the States After that, the gloves will come off

I drop the curtain and dial Nelsky It’s after working hours, but my security chief takes my calls twenty-four-seven

He answers in a shaky voice “Mr Volkov?”

“What’s the status on finding that file?”

He ss audibly “Nothing yet, sir”

My te you for, Nelsky?”

“We’ve tried, sir Our hacker can’t find anything”

“Is the hacker even worth the fucking space he’s taking up in my office?”

“He’s good, sir” If anything, he sounds uncertain “The best”

“Then he’d better prove it Get , or don’t come into the office when I’m back next week”

“Yes, sir Thank you, sir We’ll work around the clock”

“You do that,” I grit out before stabbing the red button to end the call

Too on edge for sleep, I open e from Konstantin Molotov His brother Nikolai is finally ready to sign the papers for the joint venture The only catch is that he wants toto his remote compound in Idaho Nikolai is cc’d on the e Konstantin for the introduction and suggesting that Nikolai and I meet the day after Christht as well kill two birds with one stone

Nikolai replies pro that he’ll send directions and safety instructions

Good Like ain, in our position, we don’t have a choice We haven’t gotten this far by not watching our backs