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"Call him back!" Sabina turns her tear-filled gaze to Bradley. "Call him back right now!"

"He won't pick up," Bradley replies and he sinks down into his seat. "But the way he spoke… I think that was a plea as much as it was a threat."

"A plea?" I move up the table to Sabina's side and she quickly seeks out my hand. "What do you mean?"

Bradley motions for us both to sit.

After Sabina wipes her eyes, she complies. "Please tell me she will be okay."

"I think Boris needs her." Bradley's hands clasp together on the table. "I think Leo does as well."

"Why?" I glance between them. "What is so important about Illyana?"

"Drugs." Raven suddenly appears from under the table and climbs on top of it. Once there, she turns her laptop toward us, and various faces flash up on the screen. "My theory is drugs."

"Drugs?" Sabina repeats.

"Yup. I've been digging deep into their background and I found this. The Viscontis have been developing a new party drug that's been a hit all over Europe. They can make twice the product at half the cost of any regular party drug you'd find on the streets. The problem is, getting it into the States, which is arguably the biggest party scene in the world, has been difficult. They've been knocked back several times over the years."

"What does that have to do with my kid and me?" Sabina wipes at her eyes. "Do they want to fill my kidney space with drugs?"

"No," Valentina remarks. "Muling would be far too risky."

"This is where the Russians come in." Raven taps the screen and Boris's foul face flashes up. "They have more ways into the States than any of the Italians and they are the perfect route for the Viscontis to get their product in and on the streets. The only problem is, a deal like this is huge and carries a shit-ton of risk. Either one of them could screw the other over at the drop of a hat. The Italians could back out and find someone else to work with, losing the Russians millions of dollars. Or, the Russians could find a way to clone the product and cut the Italians out of the market completely."

"Is this why they have been friends but not allied for the past fifteen years?" I ask as I study the information Raven pulls up.

"Mmhmm. Now, Boris is old school. We know that because he's marrying his daughter off to secure a different deal, and that got me thinking. If Leo Visconti wants to secure Boris's loyalty, then what is the one thing he could do that would lock him and Boris together forever?"

My heart suddenly drops and the word pries past my teeth. "Marriage."

Raven looks up at me and grimaces. "Exactly. But Leo is kind of a failure in that department. Multiple marriages over the years and none of the women were ever able to give him an heir. He can't exactly marry Boris himself, and with no other family, what did he do?" A pained look flashes over Raven's face. "He started fucking everything that moved. He bought up women and girls like candy, Sabina included."

Her grip becomes like a vise crushing my fingers, but I swallow the pain and turn to look at her. It seems she understands, given the paleness of her expression and the haunted look in her eyes.

"Sabina was one of many to fall pregnant but the only one to have a girl. The other poor women were killed. The girl Sabina fell pregnant with is all Leo wanted. An heir he could marry to Boris in order to ensure this deal will never fail."

The air grows heavy as Raven continues.

"So for the past ten years, Mario and Leo have been raising Illyana with the intent of marrying her to Boris when she is old enough. That promise is what's kept them on friendly terms for the past ten years, even if nothing official has ever been drawn up. My guess is they were waiting for Illyana to become a woman before the wedding would happen. But she got sick." Raven sighs deeply. "Her illness was likely seen as a defect."

"That's why communication between the two of them has amped up over the past six months. They've been fighting with one another to maintain the deal while cautiously trying to negotiate a backup plan. It's also why they were keeping an eye out for Sabina and snatched her at the earliest convenience. She's the golden ticket to ensuring Illyana recovers and the deal can be sealed."

"Oh, my God…" Sabina chokes slightly. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Bradley stands and quickly grabs her a bottle of water from the small fridge near the wall, then hands it to her. "I'm sorry, Sabina. I know this is a lot to take in."

"The invite Boris left?" Valentina slides it across the table. It's wrapped up in a bag, but the gold details over the black paper are clear. "We think it's a double event. Boris is announcing the wedding of his daughter and his own marriage to Illyana. It's a slightly desperate move, but given that they've now involved us, it seems like they want to get the deal secured before they both rush into hiding."

"Then why invite us?" I glare at the invitation. "What's the point of that?"

"Ego," Bradley replies. "Boris is old school. He thinks he can get away with this."

"Illyana," Sabian chokes out around her water. "She's only ten. She's a little girl! They can't seriously be going through with something this sick?"

"I'm sorry," I murmur, struggling with the guilt swelling in my chest. "We will solve this, I promise you."

"How?" She turns her defeated gaze to me. "Either I give my daughter my kidney and let her be married to a Russian monster, or I let her die. What kind of choice is that?" A single tear leaks down her cheek. "How am I supposed to choose?"