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When I step onto the upper deck area, the air changes. Gone is the recycled, air-conditioned smell from below. Instead, fresh, slightly cooler air carries the faint scent of salt and engine oil from the marina.

This deck stretches wide and open, framed only by glass railings that let the city spill into view from all sides—and what a view. The Hudson glimmers under the night sky, the water reflecting the golden city lights, and barely visible through the haze at the water’s edge is the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty.

Guests flock to cocktail tables facing a minimalist stage—a standing microphone set before an LED backdrop displaying the Volks Security logo. I make my way toward the front, claiming a seat next to an older woman who gives me a curious look. I’ve always been a front-row person, and tonight that instinct doubles as strategy.

If I want to grab Dimitri Petrov’s attention, I need to be somewhere he can actually see me.

My pulse hammers as I settle, eyes glued to him.

Here goes nothing.

3

DIMITRI

I lean back in my chair, a flute of champagne on my table, my brothers seated on either side of me as the next speaker drones on.

Each presentation somehow manages to be worse than the last, the ideas getting more ridiculous the longer this goes on. Didn’t these companies vet their speakers?

“What do they think this is? Comic-Con? I’ve never heard so much sci-fi bullshit…” Vanya mutters under his breath, the engagement ring on his left hand glittering as he pushes his hair away from his face. A bad habit we share.

Aleksei says nothing, listening with his usual quiet attention as the current speaker, some young MIT graduate, enthusiastically explains his vision for the next big security innovation. A bulletproof cloak.

I tap my index finger on the edge of my glass table, and a thin panel of light flickers to life. To everyone else, it should look like nothing more than reflections bouncing across the surface, but from my angle, the nearly invisible Volks smart tablet appears. I scroll discreetly through the program to see who’s presenting next.

“Are you playing with your toy in the middle of this riveting presentation?” Vanya again.

I toss him a mild glance. “It’s not a toy. It’s a technological breakthrough that took our designers and engineers years to build.”

“Kind of like the cloak this guy is pitching?” He chuckles.

“It’s nothing like that cloak.” The point of it is elegantly simple—what better way to protect your data from hackers or prying eyes than by making sure no one can see it in the first place?

The next speaker listed is Jacob, a promising intern at Volks Security that I’ve been keeping an eye on. I already know what he’s about to present. I tap the edge of the table again, and the smart tablet disappears. The cloak enthusiast finally wraps up his presentation and leaves the stage. Jacob steps forward, plugs in his USB, and his first slide appears on the LED screen behind him.

The Sentinel Band.

My lips curl into a smile.

“Good evening,” he starts. “Tonight, I’m proud to introduce something we at Volks Security believe will redefine personal security—the Volks Sentinel Band.” The screen slides to show the band, which looks similar to what every guest in attendance is currently wearing on their wrist. “For years, we’ve built systems that protect buildings, vehicles, and networks. But what about the people themselves—the ones those systems exist to protect?” He lifts his wrist, showing off the slim black bracelet gleaming under the lights. “Every one of us has this on right now. It’s been programmed to grant you access to selected areas on this yacht. If you don’t have one, you can’t board the Volya—sensors around the vessel would deliver a mild shock and trigger a silent alarm to alert security. The same applies if a guest with the band tries to enter a restricted area.”

A low murmur spreads through the room, and my smile widens, my chest expanding with pride.

“Is it really just a mild shock?” Aleksei asks beside me.

“We can’t exactly tell a room full of rich bastards they’ll be electrocuted if they trespass, can we?” I reply.

Jacob continues, and the crowd quiets. “But for this presentation, I want us to look at future possibilities. The Sentinel Band integrates biometric monitoring, encrypted GPS, and micro-signal distress transmission. In a high-threat scenario, it can alert private security within three seconds—faster than any human response ever could. And all without notifying your would-be attacker.”

Applause breaks out. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” someone calls from the back.

As the screen cycles through activation visuals—emergency alerts, GPS pings, a softly glowing body heat map—the crowd once again becomes quiet, properly hooked.

“It’s compact, secure, and untraceable to anyone but you. Designed not for paranoia, but for peace of mind.” Jacob smiles faintly, lowering his wrist. “Because real safety isn’t about reacting—it’s about staying one step ahead. And the best part? The Sentinel Band can be made to look like any piece of jewelry you’d normally wear. A favorite bracelet, a wristwatch, a necklace. Complete discretion.”

The crowd murmurs their approval, a few investors exchanging impressed glances.

“Welcome to the next evolution of personal defense,” Jacob finishes. “Welcome to Volks Security.”