Page 89 of Stolen Empire
"No. Just—everything is wrong. My head is wrong."
"Stay where you are. I am coming."
"No." I grip the phone tighter.
"He wants me to deliver a message. To you. He said your time is up. They're coming for revenge."
There's another silence and it feels loaded.
"And he is paying you to deliver this message?"
"Forty million rubles."
"That's what you owe…"
"I know." My voice cracks.
"I know it's too easy. But I can't think. I can't…"
"Listen to me." His voice is firm now, grounding.
"You're going to leave the café and walk three blocks east to the pharmacy on the corner. I will meet you there in fifteen minutes. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Say it back to me."
"Three blocks east. Pharmacy. Fifteen minutes."
"Good. Go now."
The line goes dead and I stand, my legs unsteady.
The room tilts as I walk toward the door.
The two men near the entrance watch me leave, and it's a little creepy.
But I'm starting to feel more alive than I ever have in years.
Like every cell in my body is tingling with life.
Outside, the air is brisk and it helps a little.
I start walking, counting the blocks until the pharmacy appears on the corner, its green cross glowing in the afternoon light.
I push through the door and stand near the back, pretending to browse the shelves.
My hands are still shaking and my heart is still racing.
The chemicals in my system aren't fading.
They're building, making everything too much.
When the door opens and Dimitri walks inside, his eyes find me immediately.
He crosses the space in three strides, gripping my arm and steering me toward the back exit.
I stumble after him as he drags me through the employee stock room, past a few people who look confused and start shouting at us, and then toward a sign clearly markedExit.
