Snow fell slowly and silently over Moscow, blanketing the streets with a white, treacherous veil. The air was thick with the scent of dampness, tobacco, and gasoline, and the fog hung heavy. Alexei Ivanov clenched his fists inside the pockets of his black coat as he walked toward the abandoned dock where he had been summoned.

The ice creaked beneath his shoes as he stopped in front of the figure waiting in the shadows. The wind whistled through the cargo containers, carrying a distant echo of s