Chapter 55 Chapter 55
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Irina's POV
Roberto held the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Who is this?" He demanded into the receiver. "What do you want?"
The distorted voice laughed, it was mechanical but somehow I recognized something in it.
"You know what I want," the voice said.
Then suddenly, the distortion cleared for just a moment, and I heard it, the real voice underneath.
Alexei.
My blood turned to ice. "It is Alexei," I whispered.
Roberto and Marina looked at me in shock.
"Give me the phone," I said, my hands shaking.
Roberto handed it to me. I pressed it to my ear.
"Alexei," I said, my voice shaking with fury. "You monster, you kidnapped a child, an innocent child!"
Alexei laughed, a real laugh now, not distorted. "Ah, Irina, I knew you would recognize me. God… I’ve missed your voice."
"Where is Carlo?" I demanded. "What have you done to him?"
"The boy is fine," Alexei said casually. "A bit scared, but unharmed, for now."
"You are insane!" I shouted. "He is eight years old! He has done nothing to you!"
"He is leverage," Alexei said calmly. "Something you understand, yes? You were my leverage once too."
My hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone. "What do you want?"
"You know what I want," Alexei said. "You, Irina, I want you back."
"Never," I said immediately.
"Then the boy dies," Alexei said simply.
Marina gasped beside me, tears were streaming down her face.
"You would not," I said, but I knew he would, Alexei was capable of anything.
"I will return Carlo unharmed," Alexei continued. "If they bring you to me, tonight, alone."
"Where?" I asked.
"I will send the location," Alexei said. "You have two hours, if you do not come, the boy disappears forever."
Then the line went dead.
I stood there holding the phone, my whole body was trembling.
Roberto snatched the phone from my hand. "We have to take her," he said to Marina. "We have to take her to Alexei right now."
"No," Marina said immediately. "We need to call Mikhail first, and let him handle this."
"Mikhail has not found Alexei in five days," Roberto shouted. "How is he going to help now? We have two hours, Marina, two hours!"
"But we cannot just hand her over," Marina protested. "She is pregnant, she is under our protection."
"Our son is under their control!" Roberto shouted back. "Carlo is all that matters!"
They started arguing. Their voices were getting louder, but I could barely hear them.
My mind was spinning. Alexei had Carlo, an innocent child, because of me.
"We should call Mikhail," Marina insisted. "He will know what to do."
"Alexei is a maniac," Roberto said. "Even if we call Mikhail, even if he sends his men, it will take too long, and Carlo will be dead by then."
"But Irina..." Marina started.
"Is the price for our son's life," Roberto finished coldly.
They both looked at me, waiting for me to say something.
"I cannot go back to him," I said, my voice was barely a whisper. "I would rather die than go back to Alexei."
"What?" Roberto asked, shocked. Even Marina looked shocked.
"I know it is selfish," I said, tears were falling now. "I know Carlo is innocent, I know he is just a child, but I cannot go back there, I cannot."
I looked at Marina, pleading with my eyes. "You do not understand what he did to me, what he will do to me, and the baby, if I go back."
"Then what do we do?" Marina asked helplessly.
"There has to be another way," I said desperately. "Please, there has to be another way to save Carlo without me going back."
"There is no other way!" Roberto shouted. "You heard Alexei, you for Carlo, that is the deal!"
"We can call the police," I suggested weakly.
"The police cannot help against the mafia," Roberto said bitterly. "You know this, Irina."
"Then Mikhail," I tried again. "He has men, he has resources."
"We have two hours," Roberto repeated. "Two hours, by the time Mikhail organizes something, it will be too late."
Marina put her hands on my shoulders. "Irina, I understand you are scared, but this is our son."
"I know," I sobbed. "I know, and I am sorry, I am so sorry."
"Then come with us," Marina begged. "Please, just let us take you to Alexei, save our boy."
I wanted to say yes, I wanted to be brave, but I was terrified, and paralyzed with fear.
"I cannot," I whispered. "I cannot go back to that monster, he will destroy me, he will take my baby, he will..."
"He will kill our son!" Roberto roared.
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Roberto looked at me with such hatred, such rage causing me to I actually step back.
"Please," I whispered. "There has to be another way."
But Roberto was done talking, done waiting.
He grabbed my arm roughly, his grip was painful. "You are coming with us."
"Roberto, no!" Marina cried out, trying to pull him away. "Not like this!"
But Roberto was stronger, he dragged me towards the door.
"Let me go!" I screamed, fighting against him. "Please, let me go!"
Marina was hitting Roberto's back, trying to stop him, but her strength was minimal compared to his fury.
"Roberto, stop!" Marina begged. "This is not right, we cannot force her!"
But Roberto did not listen, he pulled me out the front door and into the cold night air.
I was still in my nightgown, barefoot with nothing to protect me from the cold or from what was coming.
"Please!" I sobbed. "Please, Roberto, do not do this!"
He opened the car door and shoved me inside roughly. I hit my head on the roof and cried out in pain.
"Roberto, please!" Marina was crying, pulling at his arm. "Think about what you are doing!"
"I am thinking about our son," Roberto said coldly.
He slammed my door shut, got in the driver's seat, and locked all the doors.
Marina was banging on the window. "Roberto, no! Irina! Roberto, stop!"
But the engine roared to life, and w
e started moving, leaving Marina standing in the driveway, crying and screaming for us to stop.
I pressed my hands against the window. "Please," I begged one last time. "Please do not take me to him."
But Roberto did not even look at me, he just drove faster into the dark night, taking me back to the monster who had destroyed my life.