“Meaning they want leverage over you. Your wife, your routine, your emotional attachments.” He taps one of the photographs. “This isn’t about territory or revenue. It’s personal.”
The assessment makes sense given what I know about the Borisenko family’s grudge against my organization, but Pavel’sdetailed knowledge of their operations strikes me as unusual for a security consultant.
“How do you know so much about their methods?”
“I’ve dealt with similar situations. Rival families using personal targets to gain advantages in business disputes.” Pavel opens his folder to another section. “The patterns are consistent across organizations.”
“What do you recommend?”
“The first priority is enhanced protective measures. New guard rotations, additional camera coverage, and countersurveillance.” Pavel snaps his folder closed. “I can provide ongoing security consultation to implement these changes.”
“Ongoing consultation?”
“Your wife is a high-value target now. The Borisenkos won’t stop after one failed attempt.”
The offer sounds reasonable, but something about Pavel’s eagerness to stay close to Katya is alarming. Professional security consultants usually want to implement their recommendations and move on to the next client.
“That seems excessive for dealing with one family.”
“With respect, Mr. Kozlov, the Borisenkos have invested serious resources. That level of commitment doesn’t disappear after a failed attempt.”
“You think they’ll try again.”
“Without a doubt. They’re studying your response to the first attempt and looking for weaknesses in whatever new securitymeasures you implement. Having someone with advanced tactical experience on your team could provide significant advantages.”
“Such as?”
“Intelligence about rival family operations, to start.”
I raise an eyebrow at this claim. “You have firsthand intelligence about this family?”
Pavel shrugs. “I have contacts. Former military colleagues who work in various sectors. Security firms, government contracts, private intelligence. They keep tabs on all the Bratva families.”
“And these contacts would share intelligence about criminal organizations?”
“Nothing specific enough to constitute official involvement, but useful for avoiding conflicts.”
I press my lips into a thin line before I ask, “What kind of intelligence?”
“For instance, I can tell you that the Borisenko family has recently recruited former government operatives. New personnel with specialized training in extraction and interrogation.”
“Government operatives?”
“FSB, military intelligence… anyone with useful skills who’s willing to work for private organizations.” Pavel pulls out his phone and scrolls through what appears to be personnel files. “They’re building a more sophisticated operation.”
Every word Pavel says makes sense on the surface, but underneath, I catch implications that put me on edge. If heknows this much about the Borisenko family’s recruitment efforts, how did he acquire that information?
“Interesting intelligence.”
“I’d call it concerning. They’re not just expanding; they’re specifically targeting your organization.”
I sit up straighter at that. “How so?”
“They’ve been asking questions about your wife. Her background, how long you’ve been married, and whether she has any intelligence value beyond being leverage against you.”
Fire races through my veins. The thought of those animals discussing Katya, evaluating her worth, and planning what they might do with her makes me want to burn their organization to the ground.
If the Borisenkos are investigating Katya’s background, they might discover who she really is. And if they realize she’s FSB, they’ll either try to turn her or eliminate her.
