Crimson Vows

Chapter 1: Deception's Web

The Moscow night felt colder than usual as Darya Ivanova crouched near the security panel, her breath misting in the frigid air. She didn't need to check the time; her internal clock was as precise as the one embedded in her mind after years of high-stakes operations. Everything was set to go off like a domino effect, and Darya was the first one to push.

Her fingers worked nimbly on the wires, cutting and twisting with practiced ease. A second later, the camera blinked off, and Darya slipped her tools back into the slim compartment in her tactical belt. Everything about her movements was quiet, seamless, designed to blend into the shadows as though she were part of the night itself. The building, nestled between others like it in Moscow's labyrinth of tall structures, seemed just another nondescript high-rise. But Darya knew better. Lera Makarov never worked out of anything simple, and the data stored inside this fortress was far from ordinary.

She straightened, giving a quick glance at the figure behind her. Viktor Petrov, Lera's right-hand man and loyal enforcer, was watching her with the same detached interest he always did. His eyes, sharp beneath the rim of his cap, reflected none of the admiration most would feel watching her work. There was something more in Viktor's gaze, though. It was the kind of look that made Darya's instincts prickle.

Viktor's distrust was no secret. He'd never liked her, never bought into Lera's belief that Darya was the best at what she did. He had his reasons, Darya supposed. But even as Viktor's skepticism thickened the air between them, she focused on the mission. Doubt had no place in the world she'd immersed herself in.

"We're in," Darya whispered into her earpiece. Her voice was steady, crisp. A confirmation, not an invitation for discussion.

"Proceed," Viktor said, his voice like gravel ground underfoot.

She knew his eyes were still on her, but she ignored the weight of his gaze. As they moved toward the side entrance, Darya was aware of the shift in the mission dynamics. It wasn't about getting the drive anymore-it was about proving herself. The problem with Viktor was that he had the uncanny ability to unsettle people. To dig beneath the surface and find their weaknesses.

But she couldn't afford to let him see anything. Darya couldn't afford to let anyone in.

They entered the building without further issues. The lobby was empty, the marble floors gleaming under the faint light filtering from the emergency fixtures. The guards had been taken care of earlier, and Darya's hand still tingled from the force of the sedatives she'd injected into one of them during the brief scuffle. She couldn't risk the bodies being discovered yet, so she'd stashed them in the service elevator's closet-a temporary solution. Time was running against them, but that was how it always worked. In Darya's world, you were constantly racing the clock.

The lift hummed as they ascended to the twentieth floor, where the drive awaited them. Darya kept her expression neutral, but internally, her mind raced. This wasn't a simple job, not in the grand scheme of things. It was one of Lera's most important missions this year, something that would shake up the underworld. Information was everything in the world Lera ruled. And this-this was about tipping the balance of power in Moscow's underbelly.

As the elevator doors slid open, Darya felt Viktor's presence behind her like a dark cloud. He didn't trust her, and that would never change, no matter how many flawless operations they pulled off together. Still, she couldn't let that phase her. Her mind was her best weapon, sharper than the blades she carried or the gun holstered beneath her jacket.

The office at the end of the hall was their target. Dark and silent. Darya led the way, her senses tuned to every sound, every shift in the environment. There were no alarms, no signs of life. Good. But Darya knew better than to believe in things going this smoothly. Something was always lurking in the shadows.