Page 47 of Healing Conviction
What happened to me, Frank? Well, my second-in-command became a greedy leech and turned a nonprofit company with a focus on sharing technology into a human trafficking transportation hub. I’m now stuck in the middle because if I rat him out, all of us will be implicated, and then our new dreams—our lives—will go up in smoke. And how can I look in your eyes when you find out these last few years were paid in someone else’s blood?
Her entire family had been living in limbo for a while. One decision could tip it all over the edge and have her life come crashing back down. She wasn’t even sure that was a bad thing anymore. But for her family, she would welcome any retribution. It was no less than she deserved.
“I guess I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. It only feels like a matter of time before we get kicked in the ass again.”
Stefan huffed in annoyance and began to dial his phone again. “I’m going to call Vlad, maybe he’ll know what to do. He’s our best bet.”
“I seriously doubt the Russian hitman will ever be our best bet—”
Stefan held his finger up, making her hackles rise. Oblivious, he smiled before talking into the phone. “Vlad, I’m glad I could reach you, buddy. I know how busy you get. Hold on, I have Gail here, too.” He pressed the button for the speakerphone and leaned over the call screen. “Wanted to touch base with you. Turns out those BlackStone Securities fellas are pretty slippery—”
“Are they alive?” An alarming scream—male or female, she couldn’t decipher, could’ve been both—echoed on the other end. Her wide eyes met Stefan’s as he gulped and answered.
“Erm… is this, uh, a bad time?”
“No.” A horrifying, pained cry echoed again before the slam of a door seemed to abruptly cut it off. “BlackStone, are they alive?”
“Yes, um, technically—”
“Technically? What does this word mean? What is this thing you say?” Another door opened and shut on the other end, and she waited with bated breath, wondering if another scream would occur. Sweat prickled on Stefan’s worried brow.
“Answer.”
Stefan jumped at Vlad’s terse prompting before replying. “The thing is, we had them, but then we lost them. They’re on their way south now—”
“To you?”
“What? Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no.” His nervous laughter made Gail wish she could stretch her leg under her desk and stab her heel into his shin. “No, we think they are still investigating. The contact says we’re not in their sights.”
Yet.
“Is the delivery in danger?” The menace in Vlad’s voice began to leak through the speaker, filling the room with its presence.
“No!” Stefan yelled into the phone before clearing his throat. “I mean, no, of course not. Our facility will be open to your men. We’ll have a couple of our trusted security to help your guys out. There’s nothing to worry about. Not one bit.. I’ve got it under control.”
The gentleman doth protest too much.
Gail wanted to roll her eyes at Stefan’s reassurances. The way he was encouraging Vlad seemed like he’d be there himself, but it was always Gail who had to endure these things. Her interaction with the drivers was always minimal, but even a little mud on a good suit could ruin the whole day.
Needless to say, human trafficking was more than ‘a little mud on a good suit’. It was a tragedy that she’d been too cowardly to stop.
There was a pause over the phone, with mild murmuring, before Vlad spoke again. “The boss says you must take care of this. You must take care of this or we will not support you anymore.”
All the blood drained from her face, leaving her cheeks cold. Prior to the lawsuit, CTI’s business had been dying a slow, cruel death, thanks to manufacturers going overseas and most big tech companies swallowing up smaller ones. Facing bankruptcy had been one of the major reasons why she’d looked the other way in the first place. For them to have gone through all this, andstillget duped, had her feeling dizzy and light-headed.
She fought the urge to vomit and had zero sympathy as Stefan collapsed in the seat across from her desk while trying in vain to argue with the formidable Russian. “B-but, you need us! Our containers! We designed them to fit your needs—”
“Yes. Your containers. Not you.” It was surreal hearing her words preached back in his accent. Maybe if a man talked Gail’s sense into Stefan, the arrogant jackass would listen. It wouldn’t have been the first time her idea was heard better from a man’s voice. “We do not need you. You are one of many. We will shut down suppliers and buyers to your company and take your containers. Your containers can be a big help in a different company. Remember this thing.”
“Vlad, our routes are important too! Our nonprofit status has us less monitored by government regulations and we ship all over the world, especially in locations where your deliveries are well received. Youneedus.”
Gail resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She’d only met Vlad a few times at functions, but the man wasn’t one to be easily pushed around, if at all. Stefan had always been a victim of his own self-importance, but Vlad was the player who held all the cards. Her COO may believe he was high up in the chain of command, but Vlad was the de facto second to the general. Andhe’dbeen the brains of the operation from the beginning, years before Gail was ever blackmailed into joining. Now, though, she wondered which one exactly was in charge.
“Fix this. If this delivery is in danger, so shall you be.”
At the Russian’s last ominous words, the call cut off. Stefan stared vacantly at the phone, the same way Gail had the first time the doctor called to break the news about Frank. It’s hard to believe that your whole world can be threatened over something so mundane as a phone call.
Stefan’s wide eyes darted to hers and his mouth opened and closed rapidly before he finally spoke. “D-do you… do you think he’s bluffing?”