Phase 2: ESCALATION
Chapter 22
The world was mourning a ghost, but I was chasing a heartbeat.
The official report was immaculate. Adrian Volkov, presumed dead at sea after the catastrophic collapse of the Newport estate. No body recovered. No further investigation warranted. A footnote at the end of a long, bloody chapter in organized crime history. The public consumed it with relief, hungry for closure. The government presented it as justice. The media framed it as tragedy narrowly averted.
I read the report once, then burned it.
Because ghosts do not send coordinates. And dead men do not bleed.
I left my father behind in a high-security witness protection facility in Vermont, surrounded by cameras, locked doors, and federal promises that felt as fragile as paper. He had not argued.
