The Krasnograd Countdown

Seventy-two hours. That is all the time remaining on the clock when a routine witness relocation in the isolated, snow-choked county of Krasnograd shatters. Bodyguard Viktor Volkov, a man whose tactical brilliance is matched only by his absolute pragmatism, finds himself trapped behind closed borders with a protectee who knows just enough to get them both killed, and an elite kill squad closing in. The only institution that can extract them is the regional Directorate—a corrupt, rusted bureaucratic machine that is functionally the sole barrier against complete societal collapse in the region. To survive the countdown and secure his charge, Volkov must outmaneuver the assassins hunting him while manipulating the very machinery of the Directorate that wants the witness buried. In a county where the cold is lethal and trust is nonexistent, every hour costs blood, every decision narrows his options, and Volkov is the only one who sees the board clearly enough to win.