Yara pouts briefly before perking up again. "Okay, but I'm gonna visit him every day!"
After we finish eating, Alina brings out the chocolate chip cookies she helped Yara bake earlier. The gooey sweetness is the perfect end to our meal.
"You can cook too?!" I exclaim, and Yara beams.
As we sit relaxing with our dessert, I feel a sense of peace and belonging that's eluded me for so long.
But the reprieve can't last forever. As much as I want to pretend otherwise, we still have difficult decisions to make.
Clearing my throat, I meet Alina's eyes, knowing she understands what has to come next.
"Yara, do you mind giving Alina and me a few minutes to talk?" I asked. "We need to discuss some...grown-up stuff."
Yara skips off happily to read in her room, and silence descends, broken only by the crackling fire.
Alina reaches for my hand, her gaze steady and resolute. "It's time, isn't it?"
I nod. "We can't stay hidden here much longer. If we're going to stop Luchenko for good, we need to make our move. You can't spend the rest of your life in hiding, on the run. That's no way to live."
Her fingers tighten around mine. "Just tell me the plan. I'm with you, whatever it takes."
I outline my strategy, aware of the risks it entails. But with Alina by my side, I know we can face the danger ahead...together.
I spread the maps and case files out on the table, the web of evidence Luchenko has woven over years of corruption and violence. Alina studies them intently, her brow furrowed in concentration as I walk her through the details.
"His American businesses are just a front," I explain, tapping one of the documents. "Covers for importing firearms and other illicit materials. Including women and young children. If we can get concrete proof of the illegal operations behind it, we can bring the whole American wing of his empire down."
It's sad to think Alina has been trapped now by two men who run sophisticated human trafficking operations. But, fromexperience, I know the industry is much more prevalent than people realize or prefer to think about.
Unending demand, unending supply.
She nods, her eyes blazing with purpose. "So we need to get inside his operations. Past his security, his men. It won't be easy."
"No, it won't," I agree. "But I have an informant on the inside, someone who can get us the evidence we need. He's taking a huge risk, and we'll need to move fast once he makes contact again."
I see the concern in her eyes, the unspoken fear that this unknown ally could betray us.
Gently, I squeeze her hand in reassurance. "We can trust him. He wants him stopped as much as we do."
Silence falls between us, the weight of what we face sinking in.
But as we sit together in the quiet cabin, I feel a sense of conviction I haven't known in years.
With her by my side, it's possible to believe we just might succeed.
Alina takes a deep breath, then meets my gaze unflinchingly. "When do we start?"
I smile. No matter what's coming, we'll face it together.
Side by side, two allies bound by trust and so much more.
Just like Gerald, Luchenko's days are numbered.
Justice will be served.
Chapter 39
Morello