CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Peep. Peep. Peep.
Alan shifted in the chair as his eyes darted around the hospital room. He hated hospitals but he was here for his friend. He couldn’t believe his ears when the hospital had called to alert him that Vlad was in the hospital. For a few hours after he had arrived at the hospital, fear had ate at him. Alan knew that Vlad was a fighter, but he had been informed that his injuries were serious.
Vlad had been shot three times and stabbed twice. Along with that he had a broken arm and a few bad bruises.
His eyes darted over to his friend lying in the hospital bed. Vlad was just as pale as the pillow beneath his head. It actually hurt to see him in such bad shape. Alan placed his ankle on his knee and tried to focus on the file that had been delivered a few minutes ago. Some more information had been dug up on Julia. Two police reports were included in the file. Julia had filled one report right after they were married and the other shortly after Cora was born.
Apparently Andrew had assaulted her. Nothing ever came from the reports so Andrew’s name stayed clean.
“Hello?”
His head snapped up at the sound of a soft voice. Alan expected it to be one of the nurses, but it was a woman in her late twenties that hovered in the doorway. She was dressed casually which made him frown. Vlad had never been involved with another woman—except for Cora—but that was different.
“May I help you?” Alan asked as he lowered the papers to his lap.
“I just stopped by to check on him. How is he?”
Alan hesitated. “He’s stable.”
“That’s good.”
Silence filled the small hospital room. Alan studied the woman silently as she stared at Vlad’s still form. What was she to him? Surely Vlad would’ve told him if he left some woman behind on his last job.
“When did they say he would wake up, Mr. . .?”
“Alan,” he provided his name. “And you are?”
“Officer O’Neil.”
He sat up, instantly on alert. “Has Cora been located?”
“No, not yet,” she muttered. “We haven’t heard anything from Mike yet.”
“You expect to hear from him?”
Officer O’Neil hesitated. She walked back over to the door and closed it. When she turned back to him she seemed to hesitate. Her eyes darted to Vlad and then back to his.
“Do you and Mr. De Luca know each other well?”
“Yes, we grew up together,” Alan answered.
Something about her body language was off. What was she scared of? Why was she here instead of out there searching for Cora? Why was she asking question about how well Vlad and he knew each other?
“Has Detective Parker been here to see him?” She nodded toward the bed.
“Not that I know of, why?”
Officer O’Neil licked her lips and clasped her hands in front of her body. She rocked back on her heels and then moved closer towards him. Her eyes locked with his. He saw the fear but also the determination in her eyes. What she was about to tell him was very important.
“I can’t really tell you anything right now.” She licked her lips. “Don’t trust Detective Parker, and don’t leave him alone with your friend. He isn’t the man everyone believes him to be.”
Before Alan could ask any more questions she hurried out of the room. He stared at the door for a few more seconds before turning around to glance down at Vlad. It didn’t take long for different scenarios to flash through his mind. So Vlad’s gut feelings were right.
Fishing his phone from his pocket he dialed a familiar number. “Have you found any information on Detective Parker?”
“Just waiting for the latest results.”
Alan hung up and walked back to the chair. He picked up the file before sinking down in the chair again. Sometimes it helped knowing the right people.





“Don’t look so sad honey. Pretty soon you’ll be joining him.”
Vlad’s eyes snapped open. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision before he glanced around. The sound of the machines alerted him of his whereabouts even before he had glanced around the room. His eyes landed on Alan slumped in the chair next to the bed. Vlad shifted and pursed his lips when pain shot through him.
His eyes dropped to his left arm that was covered in plaster. He frowned before reaching up with his other arm to lift the sheets. A big white bandage covered his lower abdomen and right shoulder. His eyes darted over the dark bruises around his ribs. He dropped the sheets and reached up to touch his face. The left side of his face was a little swollen and his lip hurt but it wasn’t as bad as the pain in the rest of his body.
He glanced back at Alan who was still fast asleep. Reaching behind him, he pulled one of the pillows from beneath his head and threw it at his friend.
Alan jumped up and reached behind his back for the gun Vlad knew his friend carried. When Alan’s eyes dropped to the pillow at his feet he frowned before glancing at Vlad. He managed a small smile when he saw his eyes widen in surprise.
“You’re awake,” Alan muttered.
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Vlad rasped. “Get me some water, will you?”
“Sure, order me around like I’m your servant.” Alan reached down to pick up the bag next to the chair. “I’ll allow you to order me around just because you’re in a hospital bed.”
Alan pulled a bottle of water out and uncapped it. He pressed the button on the remote to lift the bed until Vlad sat up and then he handed him the bottle. Vlad’s hand shook, making him spill some water on the bed and on his chest. He muttered a curse but managed to raise the bottle to his lips. After drinking half the bottle he handed it back to Alan.
Vlad was dying to ask his friends for answers but he was scared of the answers he would get. The beeping of the machines got louder as his heartbeat increased.
“Cora?” Vlad finally managed to ask.
Their eyes locked. Alan shook his head slightly.
Vlad swallowed loudly. “Is she. . .?” He swallowed again. “Is she dead?”
“No.” Alan walked over to the door and pushed it closed. “Cora was taken by Mike after you were shot.”
“She called the police when we made it to the house. They should’ve arrived long before Mike’s men managed to get inside the house.”
“An Officer O’Neil stopped by earlier to check on you. Do you know her?”
“Never heard of her,” Vlad muttered. “Who is she? What did she want?”
Running a hand through his hair, Alan sank down in the chair again. “She didn’t say. She asked me if Parker stopped by and then told me not to trust him or leave you alone with him.”
“Why?”
“She said that he wasn’t the man everyone believes him to be. Looks like your gut was right.”
“If that’s true then it means Parker is either working for Mike or someone else who’s connected to Mike.”
“I’ve already asked someone to do some digging on Parker.” He stared at Vlad for a few more second before letting out a groan. “What do you want me to do?”
“They won’t release me, won’t they?”
“Not with you injuries.”
“Get me out of this hospital Alan. I need to find Cora before Mike decides to kill her.”
“Why do you always give me the shit jobs?” Alan muttered as he stood.
“Because I know you like it.”
Alan rolled his eyes but stood. He picked the bag up once again and placed it on the chair. Reaching inside, he pulled out clean clothes and placed it on the small cabinet next to the bed. Vlad threw the sheet off his body and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He stared down at the wires connected to his body with distaste.
“Don’t take any of that off just yet,” Alan said when he reached up to remove the wires form his chest. “I’ll disconnect the machines in a second. You can pull out the drip.” Alan disappeared behind him.
A minute later Alan walked around the bed and stepped in front of Vlad. Without a word he pulled the wires from Vlad’s body and dropped it onto the bed. Alan helped Vlad to his feet and then helped him dress. It had happened a few times over the years when Vlad had drowned his sorrows in alcohol. He had stopped drinking to rectify his mistakes, but if Mike killed Cora then Vlad would go back down that dark road again.
He had failed to protect her and he would never forgive himself if he lost her.
“Just keep your head down and try to stay upright,” Alan ordered when they were ready.
Vlad gave him a nod. He took a few steps away from the bed with legs that shook. Now that the painkillers had left his system, he could feel very ache and pain.
“Don’t suppose they left some of those painkillers?” he questioned softly.
“No, I’m afraid not.”
Alan paused by the door and slipped his arm around Vlad’s waist. He opened the door slightly and then leaned down to pick up his bag. “Ready?”
Vlad nodded. The sooner they could get out of here, the sooner he could get find Cora.





“Her necklace.” Vlad suddenly muttered. “She was wearing the silver necklace with the pendant.” Vlad glanced up at Alan. “After she sneaked out I installed trackers in the jewelry she wore the most along with some of her clothes and stuff. Can you trace it?”
“Get him a computer,” Alan ordered his assistant.
They were at his office downtown. Both men had managed to make it down to the parking lot before Vlad was discovered missing. Police had been alerted of his disappearance. It created a bigger problem for them—especially since Vlad’s face had been plastered all over the news. According to the world Vlad was a suspect in a murder case. Vlad had a feeling that Parker had something to do with all this.
“Here.” A laptop was placed down in front of him on the desk.
Vlad instantly got to work. Every passing second was crucial. Cora could be hurt badly somewhere or worse, dead. His fingers froze over the keyboard as the thought hit him. He should’ve told her that he loved her too when she had uttered those words to him, but Vlad was too shocked to utter a word to her. Does she really love him?
“Vlad.”
His head shot up. Alan held his phone out to him. “It’s for you.”
Vlad hesitated and then took the phone from him. His eyes dropped back to the computer screen as he pressed the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Vlad De Luca, I have a proposition for you.”
Ice travelled down his spine when he heard Mike’s voice through the phone. His mouth suddenly felt as dry as the Sahara desert. His hold on the phone tightened.
“Where’s Cora?”
“She’s around.” Mike chuckled. “Do you want to hear the proposition or not?”
“What do you want?”
“One million dollars,” Mike instantly answered. “In exchange for Cora.”
Vlad’s stomach dropped. One million dollars. He didn’t have that kind of money lying around. Andrew was supposed to pay him five-thousand dollars once the job was over. Panic hit next followed by waves of fear. Where was he supposed to get that amount of money?
“You have twenty-four hours, Vlad. I’ll call you in twelve hours to set up a time and location.” He paused and let out a laugh. “Don’t disappoint her De Luca.”
“Let me talk to her,” Vlad demanded but Mike had already hung up the phone.
Dropping the phone on the table, Vlad focused on the laptop again. He could use the tracker to locate her. If he found her then he wouldn’t have to pay Mike a sent. But what if the tracker had been destroyed?
“What did he want?” Alan asked.
“An exchange.” His eyes darted up to Alan’s.
“What kind of exchange?”
Vlad swallowed and dropped his eyes. “He wants one million dollars. I have twenty-four hours to get the money. Mike will call me back in twelve hours to set up a time and place.”
“Shit.” Alan ran a hand through his hair. “Shit!”
Vlad’s mind was already spinning with possible answers. Her life was at stake and he would do anything to get her back. Vlad would get in touch with his old contacts if he needed to, but he really didn’t want to. After the incident that killed his partner and a lot of other innocent people, he had tumbled down a dark hole. Vlad had taken favours from some bad people—people he was still paying off. He couldn’t afford to take another loan from them.
His eyes darted over to Alan who was standing by the window. Alan could afford it. He would rather take a loan from his friend than a loan shark. Vlad had no clue how to bring it up to him. He glanced at the screen. No location had been found yet, it was still searching. He couldn’t just ask for that kind of money without making some reassurances. It would take him years to pay the full amount back.
“So what now Vlad?” Alan turned towards him with a raised eyebrow.
“Alan—”
“I don’t have that kind of money just lying around, Vlad.”
“I know.” His heart dropped. “I don’t have nearly enough money to make up that amount. I’ll pay you back every scent, Alan. I’ll sign my life over to you if I have to.”
Vlad stood when his friend moved closer. They faced each other, chest to chest. Alan’s eyes darted over his face.
“What does she mean to you? Why are you willing to get killed in order to save her?”
He licked his lips. It was best to be honest with him. “I love her. I can’t imagine a future without her, Alan.”
“Does she know?”
“No, not yet.”
His shifted his weight from foot to foot when Alan continued to silently stare at him. Every passing second was making the fear inside him rise a notch.
“Please Alan.” He wasn’t beyond begging.
Alan sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The laptop suddenly pinged, drawing their attention towards it. Vlad stared at the blinking red dot on the screen and smiled. They knew where she was.