But I knew this could easily be a trap. They were probably trying to play into my loyalty still, seeing if I’d go somewhere to talk with a man that I looked up to for so long. I had to resist that desire.
I had to remind myself that my old friends were now my enemies. Any one of them would kill me without a second thought, especially if Vadik ordered it. I couldn’t trust him and I couldn’t trust them, no matter what.
Still, I needed to do something. I couldn’t sit around in the hotel room all day long fucking Sadie, as much as I’d love that. It was up to me to solve this fucking crisis. Sadie would help but she could only do so much.
“What did you have in mind?” I asked him.
“I’d love it if you came to my place, but I know that won’t happen.”
“For obvious reasons.”
“Of course. I don’t plan on killing you, Gage, not yet at least. I’d like to talk and work this out between us first if we can.”
“Somewhere public,” I said. “Somewhere with lots of people.”
“You think we won’t kill you in public?”
“No, I don’t. I know you’re not that stupid.”
He chuckled again. “I suppose not.”
“Miller’s Park around three.”
There was a short pause. “Smart,” he mused. “It’ll be full of moms with their kids. It’d be pretty stupid of us to try and kill you in front of a bunch of children.”
“Well?”
“Okay, Gage,” he said. “Come alone and unarmed. I’ll do the same.”
“I’m sure you will.”
He laughed again. “I like you. No bullshit, no games. I had big plans for you.”
“See you at three.” I hung up the phone.
I stared out across the parking lot, trying to make sense of this. I didn’t know what Vadik wanted from me or why he wanted to meet in person, but I was willing to take the risk. It was a necessary risk if we were going to make some fucking headway.
I hated not having a plan and going into shit blind. This whole thing was a fucking mess, and I haven’t had the opportunity to get my fucking feet on the ground. It wasn’t like I couldn’t improvise, which obviously I could, but more that I needed to make sure that I could win. The best way to do that way to have a solid plan and stick to it.
This was better than nothing at least. I’d listen to Vadik and make my plan from there. It would be dangerous, and I was sure that they’d try something, but it was better than nothing.
I went back inside and saw Sadie sitting up in bed. She smiled at me. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said. “Everything’s fine. You hungry?”
She shrugged. “I could eat.”
“There’s a diner just down the road. I’ll go grab us something to eat.”
“Okay.” She paused and looked down at the ground. “What are we doing?”
For a second, I thought I should keep the meeting with Vadik to myself, But Sadie was strong and only getting stronger. I knew she could handle it, even if she didn’t like it.
“The person on the phone was the leader of the Petrov family,” I said. “He wants to meet with me.”
“Oh.” She looked back at me. “You’re not going.”
“I’m going,” I said.
“That’s crazy. It’s clearly a trap.”
“Maybe. We’re meeting in a public place that’ll be full of kids.”
“Do you think that matters?”
“Right now it does. The family is on lockdown. They don’t want any violence coming back to hurt them in the court system right now.”
“I’m going to come too, then.”
I sighed. “No, you’re not.”
“Gage. I can’t keep asking you to risk your life for me.”
“You’ll be a liability. I can’t do this if I have to worry about your safety the whole time.”
She went quiet and looked back down at the floor. I walked over and sat at the foot of the bed.
“Trust me, Sadie. If you could come, I’d let you. This is as much your meeting as it is mine, but it’ll go better if you’re not there.”
“I get it,” she said softly. “I just hate this feeling of powerlessness.”
“You’re not powerless.”
“I am,” she said fiercely. “That man was going to rape me, and I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t do a thing about it. I’ve only survived any of this because you’ve kept me safe.”
“I wish you could understand how strong you’re being,” I said softly. “Maybe you’re not physically strong enough to fight off a man like Kuzma, but you’re a survivor.”