Chapter 3 - The Ghost From Victor’s Past
Her name was Eva Sokolov.
Victor had not seen her in twelve years.
He had believed she died with the rest of his wife's family after a fire at their country house.
The fire had killed three people.
Eva's body had never been found.
Now she had returned.
And she wanted the Malenkov ledger.
Victor sat in his office while Luca laid photographs across the desk.
"She's been active in New York for four years."
"You said the family was gone."
"I was wrong."
"Who else survived?"
"Two cousins. One associate."
"Find them."
Luca nodded.
Aliyah stood by the window.
"You need to tell me something."
Victor looked up.
"What?"
"Why does everyone connected to your wife keep disappearing?"
Victor's face hardened.
"Because someone wanted them gone."
"And you never investigated?"
"I investigated."
"What did you find?"
"Nothing."
Aliyah turned.
"Nothing for twelve years?"
Victor looked down.
"I stopped."
"Why?"
"Because every lead ended with another body."
She stared at him.
He continued.
"After my wife died, people started trying to get close to me. Some because they wanted power. Some because they wanted information. Some because they thought grief made me weak."
Aliyah understood.
"You stopped letting people touch you."
"Yes."
"Because touching someone meant trusting them."
"Yes."
"And trusting someone got your wife killed."
Victor looked at her.
She had said it without accusation.
That made it worse.
"Perhaps."
Aliyah approached.
"You don't have to explain everything to me."
"I want to."
The words surprised them both.
Victor took a breath.
"My wife's name was Elena."
Aliyah waited.
"She was different from everyone in my world. She hated violence. She wanted me to leave the family business."
"Did you?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I believed I could protect her while staying in it."
He looked away.
"I was wrong."
Aliyah didn't know what to say.
She placed her hand on the desk.
Victor stared at it.
Then at her.
She did not touch him.
Not yet.
That restraint seemed to affect him more than any gesture could have.
Hours later, Victor received an anonymous package.
Inside was the blue ribbon from his wife's car.
And a photograph of Elena holding a baby.
Victor froze.
He had never seen the baby.
On the back:
YOUR WIFE WASN'T ALONE WHEN SHE DIED.
Aliyah watched Victor read it.
"What baby?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
They traveled to an old church in Cambridge, where an elderly priest had served the Malenkov family decades earlier.
The priest saw Victor.
Then Aliyah.
He immediately crossed himself.
"She came to me."
Victor stared.
"Who?"
"Elena."
"Before she died?"
"Three days before."
"What did she say?"
The priest looked frightened.
"She asked me to hide something."
"What?"
"A letter."
He led them to a locked cabinet.
Inside was a yellow envelope.
Victor opened it.
My Victor,
If you're reading this, I failed to explain everything.
There is a child.
The baby is yours.
Victor stopped.
Aliyah's eyes widened.
He continued.
I never told you because I discovered that your enemies were watching our family. If they learned about the baby, they would use him against you.
Victor sat down.
His hands shook.
"My son."
Aliyah lowered herself beside him.
Elena continued.
His name is Adrian. He is being protected by a family who owes me a debt.
I am sorry.
I wanted to tell you.
Then the letter ended.
Victor looked at Aliyah.
"Twelve years."
"We can find him."
He stared at her.
"How do you know?"
"Because if your wife went to that much trouble to protect him, she wanted him to survive."
The priest gave them an address.
A small family in Vermont.
Victor expected to find an adult.
Instead, they found a twelve-year-old boy with gray eyes.
The same gray eyes Victor saw in his own mirror.
Adrian stood in the doorway.
He looked at Victor.
Neither spoke.
Finally the boy asked,
"Are you my father?"
Victor could not answer.
He nodded.
Adrian stared.
Then his expression broke.
"I thought you were dead."
Victor swallowed.
"So did I."
The boy's guardian stepped aside.
Aliyah stayed behind.
She watched Victor kneel.
For a man feared across half the East Coast, Victor looked helpless.
"Can I hug you?"
Adrian nodded.
Victor embraced his son.
The moment lasted only seconds.
Then a gunshot shattered the window.
Victor threw himself over Adrian.
Luca's team responded.
Aliyah dropped behind the wall.
The guardian screamed.
More shots.
Then silence.
Victor looked toward the window.
A bullet had lodged in the wall only inches from where Adrian's head had been.
On the floor was a small note.
WE FOUND HIM.
Victor stared at it.
He realized the enemy had never truly been after the ledger.
The ledger was bait.
Adrian was the target.
And Aliyah was the path they had used to reach him.
Victor turned toward her.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I brought danger into your life."
She shook her head.
"You didn't."
"What?"
"They came because of your son."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Exactly."
Aliyah stepped forward.
"And now they know where he is."
Victor looked at Adrian.
The boy clutched Elena's old photograph.
Victor knew what he had to do.
He had spent twelve years avoiding attachment.
Now he had two people he would not lose.
His son.
And the woman who had become his reason to live again.
That night, Victor made one decision.
May you like
He would destroy the person responsible.
Even if it cost him everything.
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