Viktoria paced the parking garage, irritation radiating off her. For the first time in her life, she had no idea what to expect. She’d lost control. Worse, she couldn’t understand how Dajana had entered the picture—or how she’d managed to push her into a secondary role. A Slovak accountant turned cleaner.
She didn’t even notice that, caught up in her thoughts, she was gesturing, pulling faces—at times even letting out low, frustrated sounds.
“I told you you could trust me,” Dajana said behind her.
Viktoria let out a sharp cry.
“Oh my God, why didn’t you make some noise? You nearly gave me a heart attack,” she snapped.
Dajana raised an eyebrow and pulled a thick envelope from her bag.
“You got lucky,” she said, pressing it into Viktoria’s hand. “I told you—if you listen to me, they don’t ask questions. They just pay. You got half of what you asked for. Not bad.”
“And so did you,” Viktoria said coldly.
Dajana ignored the remark.
“No one’s going to prison. That’s what matters. And your kids will have something to start with.”
Viktoria stared into the distance, nodding absently.
“You know,” Dajana went on, “what you pulled off… that was something.” She clicked her tongue in approval. “You’re a brave woman. And see? It paid off. Even the authorities treated you generously.”
She paused, then added lightly, as if the thought had just crossed her mind:
“Though I don’t think it’s exactly standard practice… bargaining and handing out money instead of prison time.”
Something flickered in Viktoria’s eyes. Dajana noticed, but chalked it up to exhaustion.
She gave a small shrug, then left without another word.
*
Bernard and Noud lounged on the couch. Harsh sunlight flickered across the crystal decorations in the living room. In the kitchen, Timothy hummed to himself.
“Well,” Bernard said, “I didn’t expect this to be the solution. Honestly, I never saw it coming.”
A crooked smile tugged at Noud’s mouth.
“I told you. That’s all it ever is. Everyone wants to feel important.” He closed his eyes. “Important. Special. Like someone worth a stranger taking a pointless risk for.”
“The authorities,” Timothy called out.
They burst out laughing.
“The authorities… now that’s a good one,” Bernard said, shaking his head. “I don’t get Dajana. How many years did she spend around criminals, and she still can’t recognize the pattern?”
Timothy stepped in front of them with a tray in his hands.
“Come on,” he said, his tone softening. “A few weeks ago she thought she might lose everything—and maybe even end up in prison. She wasn’t thinking straight. The moment she called the police on Viktoria, she switched into survival mode.”
Noud rubbed his forehead with both hands.
“God, I was fucking terrified back then. Jesus… I really thought it was over. That I’d end up behind bars for good.”
Bernard sat up, grabbed a glass, and took a sip without waiting.
“Do you actually know who the client is?” he asked.
Timothy shrugged.
“Some old woman. How the hell should I know who exactly? She paid for the job, that’s it. Probably one of Ted’s tougher debtors. Doesn’t matter. It’s over.” He drained his glass. “What about you two? Where are you moving?”
Bernard lowered his gaze. Noud cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. Timothy’s eyes narrowed.
“This is a joke, right?”
Neither of them answered. A thick silence settled between them. Timothy shot to his feet.
“This is really not going to work, guys, because I’m not going anywhere either,” he said.
Bernard shrugged.
“Then we all stay.”
“At the crime scene?” Timothy said, half-laughing, half-horrified.
“Oh, come on,” Noud said with a smirk. “Like you don’t know… the safest place to hide is in plain sight.”
*
The elderly woman adjusted her oversized black sunglasses but didn’t take them off when Viktoria sat down beside her on the sun lounger.
“You don’t even like beaches,” she said.
“Neither do you.”
“Which is exactly why I don’t understand why we had to come here.”
“Because until every last nail in that house is replaced, I can’t be sure there isn’t a listening device somewhere.”
The old woman snorted and pushed the sunglasses up onto her head.
“Why the hell do you want to stay in that messed-up complex?”
Viktoria shrugged.
“I don’t know. I just… can’t leave.”
“And the others?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Viktoria said with a tense laugh. “And I don’t care.”
The old woman tilted her head.
“Not even Dajana? She betrayed you.”
“She did,” Viktoria said flatly. “That much is true. But… you got what was yours.”
The old woman took Viktoria’s hand, their fingers intertwining.
“More than what that bastard took from me back then,” she said quietly. “And we have Dajana to thank for that.”
Viktoria looked up sharply.
“What?”
“She was laundering Ted’s money. That’s why I left it to the boys to decide how much to give her.”
“Dajana… the cleaner… a money launderer? Jesus…” Viktoria whispered. For a moment she just sat there, as if she couldn’t process it. Then she squeezed the woman’s hand. “Come on, Mom. Let’s go before we get sunstroke.”