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“The next time you try to convince me you’re expendable, remember that I know better. You’re not a loose end to anyone. You’re exactly the opposite.”

Chapter Ten - Maxim

I’m sitting at the head of the table in the main conference room, listening to Andrei detail why our shipping routes through the Mediterranean are still compromised.

After him, Kirill presents an update on our financial restructuring. The numbers are stable, but there are anomalies; small discrepancies in our offshore accounts that suggest someone is testing our defenses. I make a note to have it investigated and move on.

Then Andrei brings up the matter I’ve been avoiding. “The men are talking,” he says. “About the woman.”

The room goes quiet. My inner circle knows about Davina—there’s no way to keep her presence a secret when I’ve ordered increased security and personal oversight—but they also know better than to discuss her in front of me.

“What are they saying?”

“Some think she’s too dangerous to keep alive. They’re concerned about what she knows, what she might have shared with the agency before we took her.” Andrei pauses. “Others think we should trade her immediately. Use her as leverage while she’s still valuable, before the situation changes.”

I consider both positions. The first group isn’t wrong. A skilled hacker who’s seen our systems could cause significant damage if she decided to cooperate with our enemies. The second group has a point too; leverage has a shelf life, and the longer we hold her, the less valuable she becomes.

Neither option accounts for what I’ve learned in the past three days.

“She stays where she is,” I say. “Security remains tight. No one enters her room without my authorization, no one speaks to her without my knowledge. All decisions about her go through me directly.”

Andrei nods, but I can see the question in his eyes. He doesn’t understand why I’m keeping her this close, why I haven’t moved to either eliminate the threat or exploit it. I don’t explain. I don’t need to.

The meeting continues. We discuss the situation in Prague, the alliance negotiations, the ongoing pressure from federal investigators who are getting closer to some of our legitimate business holdings. I make decisions, give orders, and keep the conversation moving.

Part of my mind stays on Davina.

***

The crisis hits at 7:43 p.m.

I know the exact time because I’m in my study reviewing financial projections when Kirill bursts through the door.

“We have a problem,” he says. “Someone’s compromised our secondary communication network.”

I’m already standing. “How bad?”

“They’ve locked access to the financial movement protocols. We can’t process transactions through our Mediterranean routes. Everything is frozen.”

I feel the tension in my shoulders, the familiar tightening that comes when my systems are threatened. “Our own people?”

“No. It’s an external attack. Someone found a vulnerability and exploited it before we could patch it.”

I follow him out of the study and through the halls toward the security hub. The estate is moving with controlled urgency—guards taking positions, analysts scrambling to their stations.

The security hub is chaos when we arrive. Screens are flashing with alerts, analysts are calling out status updates, and the air has the sharp edge of panic that comes when something fundamental has been broken.

I take my position at the main terminal and start reviewing the data. The attack is sophisticated. It’s a message.

“Who?” I ask.

“We’re still working on that. The signature doesn’t match any known groups.”

“Then find out.” I pull up the affected systems and start tracing the attack path. “How long have we been locked out?”

“Twenty-seven minutes.”

That’s too long. Every minute our financial movement is frozen, we’re losing money and credibility. The people who rely on our systems to move their money are going to start asking questions, and if we don’t have answers soon, those questions will turn into action.