Homestay – Lena’s Room – Morning
Lena lay on the bed, leg propped up, her bandaged foot throbbing. Blood had soaked through the gauze.
She didn’t care.
On the wall above her, more photos were pinned up. Newspaper clippings. A map. Ivan’s face circled in red. A timeline of events.
But now—there was a new photo. A blurry shot she took from the villa security room: Ivan holding the photo of Irina.
Lena stared at it.
Lena
Lena (whispering): “You bled for me. I bled for you. You said you’d kill me… but you didn’t.”
She dragged a finger down the photo.
Then she reached for her phone, dialing a private number she’d used once before to trace shell companies.
A voice answered.
Hacker Contact: “What now, Lena?”
Lena: “I need access to all known Volk shell businesses. Particularly properties. Anything tied to Irina Volk.”
Hacker: “You really want to poke that bear again?”
Lena (softly): “I want to know where he keeps her ghost.”
The line clicked dead.
Elsewhere…
Ivan sat in his black SUV, engine off, watching a city street through dark-tinted windows.
A flower shop.
He’d tracked down a receipt—one of his men bought flowers here two weeks ago. Exactly when the first breach happened.
He stepped out of the car.
Keturah
The bell above the door chimed as he entered. The girl behind the counter smiled. “Can I help you—?”
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