Page 102 of The Pakhan's Dangerous Secret
He nods and starts barking orders to the enforcers. I turn and walk out of the study, leaving Bogdan's corpse behind without a second glance.
The drive back to my estate is quiet. I stare out the window, watching the city pass by, my mind already moving to the next problem. Bogdan's territory is mine now. His operations will be absorbed into my network within days. The other families will see this as a message about what happens when you oppose me.
Good. Let them see it.
By the time we reach the estate, the sun is high in the sky, casting long shadows across the grounds. I step out of the SUV and head straight for the house, intending to find Mariya and tell her it's done.
But she's not in the bedroom, not in the library or the sitting room. I check the kitchen, the gardens, even the training room where she sometimes watches the guards practice.
Nothing.
A thread of unease winds through my chest. I pull out my phone and check the security feeds, scrolling through camera angles until I find her.
She's jogging along the perimeter path, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, her body moving with that natural grace I've come to love watching. Relief floods through me, followed immediately by irritation. She knows she's supposed to stay closer to the house when I'm not here.
I'm about to close the feed when she stops running.
Just stops, mid-stride, like something caught her attention. She stands there for a long moment, perfectly still, then slowly starts walking toward the perimeter gate.
My pulse quickens. Something's wrong.
I move to the desk and yank open the drawer, grabbing the binoculars I keep there for checking the outer grounds. My hands are steady as I raise them to my eyes and focus on Mariya's position.
She's standing near the gate, her posture tense. And on the other side of the fence, partially hidden by trees, is a man.
He's older, maybe late fifties, with graying hair and a build that suggests he was once powerful but has softened with age. He's wearing civilian clothes, nothing that would draw attention, but there's something about the way he stands that makes me suspicious.
The way Mariya is staring at him, frozen in place, tells me everything I need to know.
Yegor. Her father.
Fuck.
I grab my radio and bark orders to the guards stationed near the perimeter. "There's a man outside the eastern gate. Detain him. Now."
The response is immediate. I watch through the binoculars as two guards appear from their positions, moving quickly toward the fence. But Yegor sees them coming.
I drop the binoculars and run.
My boots pound against marble floors as I tear through the house and out the back entrance. The distance to the perimeter feels like miles. My heart hammers against my ribs, adrenaline flooding my system.
I see Mariya ahead, still standing near the gate. She hasn't moved, hasn't run toward him or away. She's just frozen there, staring at her father.
Yegor spots me the moment I clear the tree line. His eyes widen, and he takes off running, disappearing into the forest beyond the fence before my guards can reach him.
"Fuck!" I shout, but it's too late. He's gone.
Mariya turns around at the sound of my voice. Her gray eyes lock onto mine, and I see the exact moment confusion shifts to fury.
I reach her, breathing hard, my hands going to her shoulders. "Are you okay? Did he say anything to you?"
She shoves my hands away, her face flushed with anger. "What the hell did you do?"
"What?"
"You scared him away!" Her voice rises, sharp and accusing. "He was right there, Andrey. Right fucking there, and you sent guards after him like he's some kind of criminal!"
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