The Russian Proposal

I wasn’t supposed to be at the meeting.

Valen made it clear: stay home, stay safe, let him deal with Ivanov. Easier said than done, and I was done being treated like I’d shatter if you looked at me sideways. So, when Valen left at two for his “business meeting” with the Russian, I paced the apartment for exactly fifteen minutes, then picked up the phone and called Bram.

He didn’t even let me get a