The shadows we keep

chapter 15

**Closing In**

The cold night air bit at Ava’s skin as she huddled behind a dumpster, catching her breath. She had escaped, but it was far from over. Sergei Kamarov wouldn’t let her slip away so easily, and every second counted now. She pulled her phone from her jacket, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed Elias again.

His voice came through almost immediately. “Ava, where are you? I’ve been tracking your location.”

“I’m near the docks, a few blocks from the warehouse. Sergei has eyes everywhere, Elias. I barely got out.”

There was a pause on the other end. Then Elias’ voice grew serious. “Stay where you are. I’m on my way. We’ll regroup.”

Ava hesitated. Every instinct told her to run, but she knew that running alone wouldn’t solve anything. She needed Elias. They needed each other now more than ever.

“I’ll wait,” she finally said, keeping her voice steady. “But we need to move fast, Elias. Sergei isn’t like the others. He’s calculated, dangerous in ways we haven’t seen before. He’ll make his next move soon, and if we’re not ready, we’ll lose everything.”

“I know,” Elias replied. “But this time, we’re one step ahead. I’ve been gathering intel, and I think we’ve found Sergei’s main hideout. I’ll explain everything when I get to you.”

Ava ended the call and leaned back against the cold brick wall behind her, trying to calm her racing thoughts. It felt like the world was spiraling out of control. Sergei had shown her just how far he was willing to go to control the city. And worse, he seemed untouchable. Every step she took, he was always one ahead.

Minutes passed in silence, broken only by the distant hum of the city. Then, in the dim streetlights, she saw Elias’ black SUV pull up at the end of the alley. She pushed off the wall and ran toward it, her relief palpable as she slid into the passenger seat.

Elias glanced over at her, his brow furrowed. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, brushing it off. “I just didn’t expect Sergei to make his move so soon. He’s getting bolder.”

Elias nodded, his grip tight on the steering wheel as they sped away from the docks. “He knows he’s running out of time. We’ve been closing in on his network. And now that you’ve escaped, he’ll realize how close we really are.”

Ava turned to him, her voice steady but urgent. “What’s the plan, Elias? How do we bring him down?”

Elias sighed, glancing at her briefly before focusing back on the road. “Sergei’s smart. He’s kept his operations scattered, but we’ve found his central base of operations—a mansion in the outskirts of the city. It’s heavily guarded, and from what we’ve gathered, it’s where he conducts most of his business, hidden behind layers of security.”

Ava frowned. “So we storm the mansion?”

“It’s not that simple,” Elias replied. “Sergei has deep connections. If we make the wrong move, he’ll disappear again, and we won’t find him until it’s too late.”

Ava’s mind worked through the options, weighing the risks. Sergei was like a snake, coiled and waiting to strike. But now, for the first time, they had a real chance to corner him.

“Then we need to hit him where it hurts,” Ava said, her voice low. “We don’t just go after him—we go after his power. His money, his allies. We dismantle everything.”

Elias glanced at her, a small smile forming on his lips. “Exactly. We need to cut off his resources before we take him down. He’s nothing without his empire.”

They drove in silence for a few moments, the weight of the upcoming battle settling between them. Ava could feel the tension in the air—the calm before the storm.

When they finally reached Elias’ safehouse, a small, unassuming building tucked away in a quiet part of town, they quickly made their way inside. The moment the door closed behind them, Elias moved to the large table in the center of the room, spreading out a series of maps, files, and surveillance photos.

“This is it,” Elias said, pointing to a map of the mansion’s layout. “This is Sergei’s fortress. We’ve identified key locations where his security is weakest, but it’s still going to be a challenge. He has an army at his disposal.”

Ava studied the map, her eyes tracing the routes they could take. “We can’t go in guns blazing. We need to be smart about this.”

Elias nodded in agreement. “Exactly. We have to take out his inner circle first—the people closest to him, the ones who make his empire run. Once they’re out of the picture, Sergei will be vulnerable.”

Ava’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the faces in the photos. These were the men who enabled Sergei’s reign, the ones who kept his operation running. If they could neutralize them, Sergei would be left with nothing but the wreckage of his shattered empire.

“We’ll need a team,” Elias said, looking up at her. “I’ve got contacts we can trust, people who want to see Sergei taken down as much as we do.”

Ava’s jaw tightened. “And what about Victor? He threatened me—he’s still pulling strings from the inside. He knows more than he’s letting on.”

Elias’ expression darkened. “Victor’s a wild card. He still has influence, even from prison. But we need to deal with Sergei first. Once he’s out of the way, Victor’s power will crumble.”

Ava nodded, her resolve hardening. This was it—the final stretch. Everything they’d worked for, all the pain, the loss, and the bloodshed, had led to this moment. Sergei’s empire had to fall.

“We’ll need to move fast,” Elias said, pulling up blueprints of the mansion. “Tomorrow night, we strike.”

Ava’s heart pounded in her chest as the weight of the plan settled over her. Tomorrow, they would go after Sergei. Tomorrow, they would end this once and for all.

But as she stood there, staring at the plans, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still off. Sergei had always been one step ahead—why would he let them get this close?

“Elias,” she said slowly, her mind working through the possibilities, “what if this is what Sergei wants? What if he’s expecting us?”

Elias met her gaze, his expression serious. “Then we make sure we’re ready for whatever he has planned. No more surprises.”

Ava nodded, but the gnawing feeling of uncertainty wouldn’t leave her. Tomorrow, they would face Sergei head-on. But in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder: Was this the final battle, or was Sergei still playing a deeper game?