Choking on tears, I nodded.Where will I get such a huge amount from?I only had a little cash set aside as my rainy day fund. I rubbed my face with shaking hands.God, what am I going to do?
"Renée, he is going to kill my brother if I don't give them a million dollars in four weeks."
"Shit!” Her face went pale. “Okay, let’s try to stay calm. We'll figure something out. I've got some money saved up that I can spare. Twenty-five hundred dollars; how much do you have? We can send it first and think of something in the meantime.”
I knew Renée would do anything to help me.
"I have to go," I said, rising to my feet and running to the door.
"Where are you going at this time of night, Sasha? Sasha, wait!"
"Top floor. Aiguo!"
I opened the door and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When I got to Aiguo’s door I pounded on it. My feet were throbbing and I remembered I still had my heels on. I kicked them off and took them in my hand. I heard someone shuffling to the door.
"Aiguo, open up! It's me," I called urgently to the man within the apartment. Aiguo Zhao was a Chinese independent cyber security consultant by day and an ethical cracker by night. We had run into each other one day and, somehow, we just connected. No one in the building knew him because he liked to keep to himself. I’d returned a pen drive he’d dropped from his bag. We started talking and I’d invited him over for dinner with Renée, and the three of us had become friends. Renée often made Aiguo track her love interests when she suspected them of cheating. So far none of them had been caught.
Aiguo opened the door, rubbing his eyes and holding his robe closed with the other hand. He was short; 5'5 but with a taut, muscular body. His hair was waist-length but now it was done up in a tight bun and held fast with a Chinese hairpin. As much as Aiguo worked on the cutting edge of technology, he clung firmly to his Chinese heritage.
"You disrupted my nap time, Sasha. I'm not due to wake up for another five minutes," he said sourly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll just go back downstairs and return in five minutes," I replied sarcastically.
"Fine. Come in. What is so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning?" He shifted to let me in and locked the door behind me. His apartment was clean, like he had just tidied up a few minutes ago because no one's house could be this spotless after a long day. I knew, though, that his house was always clean. Aiguo had a terrible OCD complex.
He took my shoes from my hands and placed them neatly on a shoe rack. Then he made me swipe my feet on the door rug.
"I need to know who owns this number. It's really important. I'm not going until you do," I started, showing him the number I’d retrieved. "Please, I need to know now, Aiguo. Please!"
"My God, you're shivering. Here, lie down on the couch. I'll get a blanket. I'll make you some hot chocolate and then I'll see if I can help with this."
∞∞∞
Sasha Ramirez
"Sasha, I found something. Wake up."
I’d fallen asleep on his couch, and shock and panic returned as I sat up, staring at Aiguo.
Aiguo had converted his dining area into his workspace. There were about eight screens in the room. He drew up and another chair beside his and I placed myself on it.
"What did you get yourself involved in, Sasha? That is Manolo Gutierrez, nickname Razortip. Because that's his go-to torture instrument. Owner of one the largest drug cartels in Mexico. I don't know why you have this man calling you, but whatever it is, you should get out while you can. He's a convicted murderer; bribed his way out of doing time."
Aiguo heard a hitch in my breathing and turned to find tears streaming down my face.
"Oh no, Sash. What have you done?" Aiguo said. He got some napkins and dabbed my face dry.
"It's true. It's true. It's not some cruel joke," I was muttering to myself. "I have to go. Renée will be growing worried."
"Sasha, wait! Here's the stuff I dug up."
I took the file from him and thanked him.
"I'm here if you need anything." He rubbed my arm, trying to comfort me, but I was already heading for the door.
Chapter 15
Sasha Ramirez
