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Christos

BOSTON

I grew up listening to my mom say that phone calls in the middle of the night are never good news.

This concept of night, for me, is relative. I’ve always slept just enough. I need only a few hours of sleep to feel energized, so it’s not a problem when the phone rings at almost one o’clock in the morning but rather who is calling.

Beau.

When he calls, no matter the time, he always brings with him an ominous vibe that something bad is about to happen. He is a man of few words and never engages in social interactions without a purpose. This is especially true because we spoke twice today, which is a record for both of us.

“What happened?”

“Your girl, Zoe. There was a fire. She is alive but has been hospitalized.”

It takes me less than a second to stand, my heart hammering in my chest. “Send me all the information, which hospital, and anything else you can find out. I’m just going to change clothes and be on my way. ”

As I get dressed, I don’t allow any other thoughts to enter my mind besides the fact that she’s alive.

I’m used to repressing emotions. It was this self-imposed discipline that kept me from going after her when she left me in Barcelona. But right now, none of my fucking rules apply because nothing is stronger in me than sheer terror.

Minutes later, I leave the hotel room in Boston while texting Yuri about what has happened, and the name of the hospital Beau has just sent me.

I’m not a family member, so to reach her, I’ll have to use my influence. From what Beau told me, Zoe’s parents were also in the house, which means there’s no one else responsible for her. As far as I know, they’re all she has in terms of family.

For the first time in years, I have failed to follow any security protocol or plans; I just want to find her.

When I get to the elevator, my phone rings again.

“I have a driver outside your hotel,” Beau says, and I don’t even ask how he knows where I’m staying.

I’m not the type who usually depends on someone, but at this point, I’m relieved that he’s stepped in and taken care of everything. “Tell me what happened.”

“The house caught fire; they suspect arson. If that’s the case, I already know who is responsible.”

“I’ll kill him.”

“He disappeared; I already sent people to hunt him down. But that’s not important now. What matters is that you know that everyone in the house survived.”

“All of them? How many were there?”

“The parents and the agent, Bia Ramos.”

“How did you find out about the fire?”

“Because I trust my gut. As we agreed, I was going to send protection over to her house starting tomorrow . . . well, today. But something told me to get there sooner. However, by the time my men arrived, the fire department was already there. They couldn’t do much else, so they did what they were best at: investigating. They found a van parked outside the house, and before the police got there, they looked for fingerprints. It belongs to—or at least it was driven by—Mike Howard.”

“Do you think he found out we did a background check, and that’s why he sought revenge?”

“No. He hasn’t been informed he’s been laid off by the university yet. I believe he would try something, anyway. Most likely, he tried to kill her because he didn’t want a divorce. But for now, it’s all speculation, and I work with facts.”

“How do you know he didn’t die, too? You said the van was parked by her parents’ house.”

“Because one of my men has already consulted with someone from the fire department. It looks like Zoe repeatedly said her husband’s name while being rescued. The paramedics thought she was calling him. But if you want my opinion, I think she was trying to inform us that he caused the fire. Anyway, after the fire was contained, they searched the scene, and there were no bodies. Even if he was there, he got away.”

“I want him, Beau. Find him, but don’t do anything. I will personally finish this matter.”

“As for Zoe, you can’t know her real condition until you talk to someone in person. From all we know so far, she didn’t suffer any serious burns; they were all second-degree.”

I close my eyes for a moment. Imagining her hurt is like having a razor opening up my chest, the exact feeling of something tearing me apart from the inside.

“It doesn’t matter. She is alive. Everything else is secondary. The only thing I wouldn’t be able to give her back is her life. As for all the medical care she needs, she will have it, even if I have to buy a hospital for that.”

I hang up the phone and get into the car, which, as he said, was already waiting for me.

I barely get the door closed before my phone rings.

“Christos, it’s me,” my assistant says. “Your permission to enter the hospital is already cleared. Just say you’re her boyfriend. But there’s something you need to know. It’s very serious. I have information from within the government. This new flu has been spreading worldwide, and people with symptoms have been admitted to the same hospital where Zoe is with her parents and agent.”

“And the level of contamination of this virus is very high,” I say because I’ve been reading and following the news. I think the world was not paying attention to the seriousness of the problem until now. But I’m always two steps ahead, and based on what the experts said, I already predicted it wouldn’t be just any flu.

“Yes, very high. Deadly, actually, especially for people her parents’ age. What I’m trying to say is that the government is going to institute a lockdown on shops and all businesses that are not essential. Zoe’s parents will be discharged later today; they didn’t suffer anything serious. They were the first to leave the house. But as you may know, her mother is a cancer patient. She will likely need to go back to get medical care soon. I thought about setting up a clinic with everything she needs, but outside of a hospital setting. If isolation is enforced and she’s hospitalized, they won’t let her husband get close.”

I think of my parents, who have been together for over forty years. If Yuri’s statement is true and they had to split up, I don’t think they would survive. “Do whatever it takes. Hire doctors and nurses exclusively for her.”

“What about Zoe?”

“I’m arriving at the hospital now.”

“Her condition is not serious, although she has been sedated, but Bia Ramos is in a coma. Even if we arrange for Zoe to be moved to a safe location, her agent will likely have to stay in the hospital. No doctor will discharge her now.”

“One thing at a time, Yuri. Provide everything for her parents. I’ll take care of the rest.”