I tried a few drawers, but none would open. Even if one had, I probably wouldn’t have found anything useful.
After a few minutes of searching, Clara caught my attention. “Are you going somewhere?”
I looked up. The men had left, with the body and the bloodstained carpet no longer in sight. Clara was kneeling on the floor, scrubbing.
“Yes… But I’ve changed my mind. Maybe later.”
“Is everything okay? I’m noticing something’s off.”
“No,” I lied because she was clearly fishing for information. I couldn’t risk telling her about Rodion. “Not really. Look… can wetalk later?”
She nodded. “Sure.” And went back to finishing her work. After she finished, she left the office.
I stayed, staring at the desk and the useless files. I needed that number, but searching felt pointless. Dorothy was my only option, but what if she told Matvet? Rodion needed protection. Matvet couldn’t move security to the hospital. If he did, the soldiers would find out their boss was sick. So, someone close and dangerous had to help.
I dialed Dorothy. The line rang longer than I expected before she answered. “Alessia, I can’t talk right now.”
“I’ll be quick. Can you send me Dmitri’s number?”
“Sorry?” She sounded confused.
“I’ll explain later. Please just send it.”
“Alessia—”
I cut her off. “We can’t leave the boss exposed there. A family member has to know. I trust Matvet, but he’s still not well.”
“I told Matvet we should inform the family,” Dorothy said, “but he’s strongly opposed. The boss would feel the same.”
“It’ll be on me. Don’t tell Matvet yet.”
She agreed, and that relieved me. Now it was up to Dmitri. I knew he was Rodion’s enemy, but clearly, he wasn’t against him. Complicated as he was, he was the best person to help.
A minute later, Dorothy sent the number. I stared at it, my stomach sinking. One call could ruin everything or change it all. But knowing he was Rodion’s brother gave me a sliver of hope.
I hesitated to call him, lost in my thoughts as I weighed every option. When Carina’s call came through, I almost dropped the phone in shock. I remembered she was to go to the hospital, but Matvet had changed the plans.
“Hey,” I answered quickly.
“Which hospital is it?”
“Come back to the mansion. Something came up.”
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes. Yes,” I said.
“Okay. On my way then.”
I hung up and tapped Dmitri’s number. My pulse thudded as the first ring echoed. I wanted to hang up, to stop and trust Matvet, but I forced myself to wait until the call went to voicemail.
He didn’t answer. I bit the inside of my cheek and stared at the dark screen, thinking. He could ignore it because it was an unknown number. A message would work, so he would know it was me.
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?”