He knew the cycle would continue, fueled by desperation and the shadows that danced at the edge of the dance floor..... The bass throbbed through Dima’s chest as he scanned the faces in the club. Sweat clung to his body, a welcome contrast to the bite of the approaching Russian winter. Unlike the others lost in the strobe lights and pounding music, Dima wasn’t there to forget. He was hunting. His quarry: young men, restless and disillusioned, ripe for the promises whispered between rounds of cheap vodka. Dima wasn’t selling bootleg cigarettes or knock-off Nikes. He was a recruiter for the Wagner Group, a shadow organization that offered escape, purpose, and a hefty paycheck. Escape from the dead-end streets of their provincial town, purpose beyond the drudgery of daily life, and enough money to finally break free. The club owner, a man with a shaved head and a scar that ran like a lightning bolt across his cheek, steered a skinny kid