Chapter Forty-five #2
My fingers shook as I typed: It’s Alessia. Can we talk?
The text was delivered, and I paced the office, sank into Rodion’s chair, then stood again. Nothing came. He didn’t reply. No, this man had to hear me out.
I called again, and on the third ring, his voice cut through the line. “What the fuck do you want?”
For a moment, the world narrowed to him and the thud of my heart. “I … I was wondering if we could talk.”
“Aren’t we?” His tone was icy.
“Okay … hm. I need a favour.”
The silence stretched. I was about to speak when a gunshot cracked through the line. I flinched, the phone slipping against my jaw, but I gripped it, holding it tight against my ear. What the fuck was that?
“Clean that mess,” Dmitri ordered someone.
Did he just kill someone? Heat shot through me. I heard noises and movement from his side, then quietness fell before his voice came again. “What was that?”
I gulped. “I needed a favour.”
“Alessia.”
The single word pulled my spine straight. “Yeah?”
“Spit it out, or I’m hanging up.”
“I need your help.”
“No.” He hung up, leaving nothing but silence.
I stared at the phone, stunned. That was it? He didn’t even want to hear me out. But I couldn’t stop. He had to listen. I dialed again. Thank God, he answered.
“Didn’t we just do this?” His voice was edged with boredom.
“We didn’t finish,” I said. “And I won’t stop calling until you hear me out.”
“I’m listening.”
“The boss is in the hospital,” I said. “And the situation isn’t good. I didn’t know who else to call.”
When he didn’t respond, I pressed on. “He was to get a kidney transplant today. They had a donor, but someone attacked her and killed her. Some people know he’s in critical condition, and they probably want him dead, so—”
“What do you want?”
I drew a breath. This man was Luigi. Rodion hated him, and here I was, handing him my fear. I swallowed hard. “Is there nothing you can do? He’s not safe there.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Didn’t he tell you I want him dead?”
A tear slid down my cheek. “Then come over and kill him yourself,” I said. “You can help if you want.”
He chuckled. “Pray, I don’t come over and push through this request. Because if I do, you’ll marry another man and carry his father’s child. Is that what you want?”
My breath caught in my lungs. An old fear I thought I had buried crept back into my chest. I sank into the seat, gripping the phone tighter. “How did you know about that?”
“Isn’t it funny how you forgot what Rodion put you through?”
Anger pushed through my fear. “So you won’t help?”
“You have two choices,” Dmitri said. “I come over and kill him, or I hand you to the old bastard and go through with the deal to get the kidney. Pick one. Make it quick. I have no time.”
My pulse spiked with rage. “You can’t simply do that.”
“Then ask around about me,” he said, voice heavy with menace. “You don’t seem to know who you’re talking to.”
He hung up, and I cursed. Why would he see that as the only option? Did that mean there truly was no other way to help Rodion? When I told Matvet Leonid needed me, part of me still hoped there was another path. But after Dmitri’s call, I couldn’t deny that Leonid had control.
“Sia?” Carina’s voice pulled me out of my spiral. I looked up as she walked in, concern etched across her face.
I forced a smile. “That was quick.”
She glanced at the bag I had ready for the hospital. “What happened? Were you crying?”
“We can’t go to the hospital for now. Someone knows Rodion is there, and they killed the donor.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Seems like someone from inside leaked information.” I pressed my fingers to my temple as the headache sharpened. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“But how? When did this happen? So there won’t be surgery?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “No.”
Carina shook her head. “That’s messed up. So what’s the solution now? Getting another donor isn’t easy.”
Dmitri’s voice echoed in my head. He knew I understood what was at stake. Leonid could provide a donor, but I would be the price.
“Did you hear me?” Carina snapped her fingers in my face.
I blinked. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What would you do if you knew a way to get a kidney for someone you have started falling for?”
Carina’s brows furrowed. “You’re not a match, are you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “This is bad.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What am I missing?”
This was bad, and I wasn’t supposed to think about it at all. I drew a deep breath. “I… hate that man.” The words broke out of me.
Carina groaned. “If you don’t speak, I’ll slap you.”
Fear crawled up my spine, but I forced the words out. “There’s a man called Leonid. I don’t know much, but he has networks that move organs under the table.”
Carina’s eyes widened with a flicker of hope. “Well, don’t they know? Can’t they pay him?”
“That’s the problem.” My throat tightened. “He… kinda needs me.”
Carina stared at me for a moment, processing the information, then asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“He wants me in return for giving Rodion a kidney.”
She studied me, then let out a hollow laugh. “Why would he? How does he even know you? That’s ridiculous. And he expects you to agree? Why would he even want you—”
“Look, these people are insane,” I whispered. “But what if that’s the only way?”
She smacked my shoulder. “You’re forgetting who Rodion is. They’ll find solutions.”
She didn’t understand, and I pressed on. “It might take too long. There are people controlling organ distribution.”
Carina’s brows arched. “And you don’t think Rodion has his hands in it? He already had one donor. He’ll get another.”
I shook my head. “Let me break it down for you. Rodion’s business is different. Leonid runs the organ sector. If Rodion needs something from that world, he has to cross lines, make deals. And the same goes for Leonid; he doesn’t interfere with what Rodion does. That’s why there was a deal.”
Carina scoffed. “I don’t know much about that, but you sound like you want to do this. Do you even hear yourself? And would Rodion agree? No. Sit on your stupid idea and let Matvet handle it.”
“You’re right.” I rubbed my face. “I don’t want to do it either.” My head fell back on the seat, staring at the ceiling. “But… I could. If Dmitri agreed to do something.”
Carina fell silent, and so did I. I let the thoughts spin before I looked at her again. “What if Dmitri agreed to help me before the wedding happens?”
“You’re sick,” she accused.
“Well, I am sick, and you know why.” My eyes watered. “I don’t want anything to happen to him, but if he stays under dialysis too long, it’ll be bad.” My eyes blurred. “Fine. Yes. I love him. How? I don’t know. Why? I don’t know either. But I’ve started feeling things for him.”
Tears slipped before I could stop them. Carina’s eyes welled up too. She sniffled. “Fine. Let’s go. I’ll get tested. If we are a match, I’ll give him a kidney.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
“What?”
“Yes.” She guided me to the door. “If that’ll stop your stupid idea, we’ll check.”
“Hey.” I tried to yank my hand off. “Your parents would disagree. Stop.”
“It’s my body,” she snapped. “So let’s go get this test.”
“Fine. Fine. Wait.” I stopped, and so did she. “You’re not serious.”
“Call Matvet. Tell him I need to be tested.”
I shook my head. “Carina, giving a kidney isn’t handing out a bag of popcorn.”
“Oh, and agreeing to marry some strange man is the solution you could come up with?”
“Fine. Okay. I’ll call Dorothy.” I walked back to the table and grabbed my phone. “We can ask her. Trust me, she wouldn’t agree.”
Carina’s determination was evident, but it didn’t matter. When we called Dorothy, she only asked for Carina’s blood type. That was all it took for us to know she wasn’t a match.
We gave up and sat on the office sofa, silently. Carina was right, it was stupid to consider marrying another man. However, the truth was that Rodion’s life hung by a thread.
“Ice cream?” Carina asked, and I turned to face her. “It’ll help us reboot so we can think straight.”
“You are right.” We both got up, leaving the office we had occupied for hours. But I knew the ice cream couldn’t erase the fact that Leonid was an option here.
As we walked down the hallway, I pulled my phone from my pocket and typed a message to Dmitri. It took me nearly a minute to hit send.
Rodion would be furious if he knew. And what if things went wrong? I would end up carrying Leonid’s child?
I started typing another message to tell him to forget it, but before I could send it, my phone buzzed with his reply.