The King - S.R. Jones Page 0,74
wanted to get back at him. We made a mistake, and I got pregnant, and then you were all: tell Konstantin it’s his, and he’ll give you a load of money, and we can run off together. You didn’t realize what a pseudo-noble bastard he is, did you?”
“So what do we do?” Denis sighs.
“You help me get away before I have this fucking baby, and he orders a paternity test. It will point right to you, and he will murder you, Denis. Worse! He’ll do worse, probably to me too. He killed his own fucking father; do you think that man has mercy in his soul? There must be something you can do. You’re allowed right into the inner circle. Isn’t there any way you can get money from him?”
There’s a long pause, and Denis sighs again. “No, not from him. Not without him knowing it was me. He is planning on moving against another Pakhan. I could … no, I can’t.”
“What, Denis. Tell me.”
There’s no answer, and I hold my breath, praying Denis doesn’t tell her about Popov. If he does, then I’m going to have to tell Konstantin as otherwise his life will be in danger, but then I could be responsible for getting Denis and a very pregnant Liza killed.
Shit. What do I do? If I do tell Konstantin what these two are up to, then I could be responsible for the death of a woman, a vile woman, but a woman no less, and her unborn child. I can’t do that. I just can’t. But if I say nothing, and let this play out, they’re going to betray Konstantin to Popov meaning his death.
I shouldn’t care. His death would mean I would be free. His death would mean I could go back to a normal life and not have to worry.
I do care, though.
I can’t imagine a world without him even if I never get to see him again. The idea that he simply would cease to exist, all that charisma and power gone. It’s unbearable to me.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck and shit. This is what curiosity and listening at doors gets you—moral dilemmas no one should have to face.
“You better tell me right the fuck now, Denis, or we’re both dead.”
“We can just leave, today.” Denis sounds hopeful.
“With what?” Liza screams. “We have no money, nowhere near enough to get somewhere safe. We need to hightail it somewhere he won’t bother looking for us.”
“You think he won’t look for you? He thinks you’re carrying his child. He’ll search the four corners of the earth.”
“Yes, but if we have a couple of million, we can hide. It’s easy enough to do. He can’t search everywhere. No one is that powerful. We can disappear to a South American island somewhere and live totally off the grid. I can wait until the baby is born, then have a paternity tests and prove he’s not the father, but not tell him who is. Send him the information, then severe all contact. That will be enough for him to not give me a second thought.”
“Not if you’ve taken his money. He’ll still hunt us down for betraying him. He is, how do you say … porochny … more than angry, vicious. That’s it, he is vicious against those who cross him, Liza. Like you say, he has no mercy. I should know. I’ve carried out many of his orders of vengeance, so I know what he will do to us. You should have had the abortion.”
She sighs loudly. “I can’t believe this mess. God, I thought I could play him, and I hate to lose, but it is what it is. So we just run and hide. This way, we screw him over and take his money. We win, of sorts. We can live in quiet luxury. Like I said, stay off the grid for as long as it takes.”
“You? Off grid? Your whole life is this Instagram you do, no?”
“Denis, we have to adapt. If we have a couple of million, we can live in comfort for a long time. Rent a gorgeous place, cash up front. Bring our child up on the beach. We just need some money transferred into our accounts. I have it set up. I have contacts, people I know in South America, and bank accounts.”
“He can trace it.”
There’s a silence for a moment, and then she speaks. “Go find that little hacker bitch. You said that’s why she’s here, right? ’Cause she’s a hacker?