I think of Rowan, of the life we’re trying to build. My daughter is out there. Sofiya Akopov, innocent and perfect, untouched by the darkness that defines her father and grandfather. There is blood on my hands, pain in my past, graves that I dug myself—but does she have to be touched by those things?
I do it for her.
So that she does not have to.
And after all, what’s one more sin in a lifetime of them?
“Goodbye, Father,” I say softly.
His expression shifts from contempt to fear. “Vincent, wait—”
Then I pull the trigger.
This is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Andrei Akopov’s body hitting the floor in Vince’s study doesn’t sound like the momentous event it is. Just a soft thud, a gentle exhal
