Forgiving Him is a Sin

48

I take another sip of my drink as I impatiently wait for this kid to do what he said he was good at. I can't stop thinking of Milena, she was here with me just hours before. Breathing the same air as me. Smiling at me, holding my hands. Now she's gone, and there's a huge hole left in my chest.

It hurts. It fucking hurts!

"You said you're good at this." I say to the blonde kid sitting on the same couch me and Milena sat on last night.

"Just give me one more minute. You'll be surprised to see what I can do" Henry says as he continues to type on his laptop with fast fingers.

I close my eyes and lean back on my chair behind the desk, trying to keep myself in order. All of a sudden the door opens revealing an angry priest and one of my men.

"I'm sorry sir, I couldn't stop him. He didn't even wait for me to inform you" the man speaks.

"It's all right. You can leave." I say to him and he leaves after nodding.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Father?" I say to the angry-looking priest standing in the middle of the room.

"I know you plan on searching for her, I want to be informed about everything. And I don't trust your men to send me the news, so I will stay here with you."

"Did you get tired of praying or are you scared they won't work this time?"

"Stefano. Don't insult the Lord who kept an eye on you on behalf of your mother."

"Fine. You can stay, but if I need to kill someone to get her back, I will."

He simply stares at me with a blank expression. He knows very well what I'm capable of.

"I got it! He's in a courthouse in New York. "

My eyes follow the happy voice of Henry who's smiling at the screen. I immediately stand up and walk towards the couch.

"And what makes you so sure that it's Popov and not Bellini?" An older-sounding man's voice echoed through the laptop. I look at the screen and it's nothing, it's just the sound.

"She confirmed it. There were two initials written on a piece of paper, a small 'b' and a 'q'. If you see the letters upside down you'll notice one of them stands for Popov and the other for Bellini. The B was crossed, meaning it wasn't Bellini." Another voice speaks.

"That's Tony!" Massimo points to the laptop, confirming the second voice to be Tony's.

"Can they hear us?" I ask Henry.

"Nope. It's directly coming from his phone, I can't tell you about my tricks but I assure you he'll never find out" he responds with full confidence and a smile on his face.

"Even if you're right and Popov has her, we don't have any evidence! We can't just barge into their mansion and hope she's all right!" The first voice speaks again.

"I'm not here to ask for your help in that aspect, judge. I'm telling you that there's a chance you can get this man. I know you have more than enough evidence of all his fucking crimes but you're too scared to take a step forward. This is your chance! This guy didn't take just anyone, it's the most influential person in Europe we're talking about! You can finally put him behind bars!" Tony speaks with anger and frustration.

I know he's talking about Milena.

"And we're not talking about just any criminal here, we're talking about the most infamous Russian mafia!" He pauses for a moment before continuing. "And besides, what are you even doing here if you're so sure that Popov has her? You already know her location and you have a great reputation among the FBI, you can just talk to them and make plans. Why are you delaying it?"

"Because I haven't gotten the signal yet! I need her signal to move!" Tony sounds more irritated as time passes by.

But what signal? How is she supposed to send a signal when she's been caught?"

"How can she send a signal in that situation?"

Obviously, I'm not the only one wondering that.

"You don't need to know that"

"Tony... for some reason, you don't seem worried you just seem irritated... why aren't you worried about the only loyal friend you've ever had?"

"Worry? Pff, that woman doesn't need anyone to worry about her. She can survive any situation without a problem."

"Popov isn't just any criminal, Tony. He has a record of drug trafficking, using them on women and taking advantage of them when they're vulnerable!"

I clench my fists with anger upon hearing that. I'm well aware of Popov's excessive obsession with women and drugs. He's a monster like no other. Milena is in serious danger.

"Well then I hope he they do use that!"

What the fuck?!

"What are you saying, Tony?! For god's sake! Aren't you supposed to save her?!"

"Those drugs won't work on Milena! She's resistant to anesthesia and many types of drugs! She is one cunning woman and she won't go down easily! If there's anything we should be worried about it's that's guy Popov, if he's too much of an asshole she might even kill him!"

I unclench my fist and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"If she's that cunning and scary then how come Stefano Bellini didn't receive a blow? Why did she tell you to take a step back and not approach that man?!"

She told him to take a step back?!

"Ugh... I don't know that one. I have a theory but it's just my thoughts, I need to ask her in person to confirm it but if I'm not wrong, she found out that he doesn't violate women and started taking a different approach. But even with that, she stayed there for too long, and the only reason I could think of was maybe she fell in love with him... but... there's no way she'd fall for someone like him... ugh! I don't know!"

She could have left me but she didn't... My body tenses as I try to think straight. She could have left me whenever she wanted, but she stayed... she feels something for me...

"Why hasn't she given you a signal yet?"

"Well obviously because she's not alone! Three of them got out of the car, and none of them returned. That means that the pregnant girl and Stefano's left-hand man are both captured with her. She's got a soft spot for kids, she's definitely working on a plan to get that girl to safety first, then she'll notify me."

Tony pauses then speaks again.

"You know what I bet? I bet she's in a cell, sitting on a chair with her legs and arms crossed, ordering Popov's men to get their boss so she can bargain with him in exchange for that pregnant girl's life!"

She will bargain with Popov? With what? She could literally lose her life in a second. One wrong move and it's over. How is this man not worried? I've known her for a while now, but I find it hard to believe she can get away from that monster easily.

Fuck!

Milena POV

"Ey big monkey!" I call for the big muscled man that just locked my cell. He turns around, looking at me with big shocked eyes.

"How..." it's no wonder he's surprised, he just threw me on this dirty bed thinking I was unconscious. Now I'm sitting straight with my legs crossed, staring at him like nothing happened.

"Never mind that. Go get me your boss, tell him I have some information he'll be eager to know."

I take a look around and see the unconscious bodies of Lucia and Johnny around me. Lucia lying on a bed in the cell next to me, and Johnny with his head bleeding on the floor in the cell in front of me.

I was hoping they'd take me alone, but now my survival plan has become more complicated. I need to save two more lives other than my own.

You got this, Milena. You got this!