Chapter 36 Into The Underworld

• Russo's POV
• The private jet touched down in New York under a darkened sky. Cleo sat beside me, her face unreadable, though I knew her mind was racing. Mine was too. The drive from the airport was silent; Viktor had already laid out the plans while we were en route, but something about this situation felt different. It wasn’t like any of the business deals or territory disputes I’d handled before. This was personal.
• We arrived at one of my safehouses in the heart of the city, a place known only to those closest to me. Viktor was already at the table, going over intel, maps, and files. Cleo stood off to the side, watching everything with sharp eyes, trying to take in the new world she was stepping into.