by Jonas Saul
Darwin blinked and looked up at the ceiling tiles. Rosina wasn’t in the room with him and nothing revealed that she lingered in the cafeteria or the hallway waiting for him to wake. He could tell that she didn’t know he was here. That meant they didn’t know where she was.
He thought about Rosina and the life they had dreamed of and how it would never be possible. Darwin had too many enemies. Too many people knew his name. The Italian and Russian Mafia had been trying to kill him and now the Triads would weigh in on the bidding of who would get to kill him first.
He wished it would all go away. His luck would run out one day and he couldn’t face that day if it meant Rosina would get hurt.
The door opened and a tall man in a white lab coat entered, followed by two nurses and two men in suits.
“Good evening, Darwin,” the doctor said. Darwin recognized his voice from when he partially woke before. “How are you feeling?”
Darwin nodded with a slight dip of his head as everyone filed in.
“I’m Doctor Jameson and these are nurses, Jessica and Mary. You’ve had quite a traumatic experience. Can you talk?”
He opened his mouth and rolled his tongue around. “Water.”
“Of course. Mary?”
The older blonde nurse grabbed a glass, brought it over and lowered a straw to Darwin’s mouth. He sipped slowly as instructed by the doctor.
After the nurse pulled the straw out, the doctor asked, “Is that better? Can you talk now?”
“Yes …”
“Good. These men behind me are with the FBI and the man in the corner is RCMP. The FBI has a few questions for you, but first I’d like to explain what happened.”
Darwin turned his head sideways and looked up at the doctor, waiting for him to continue.
“You hit your head pretty bad. I understand there was an explosion of some kind. When you got here, it was touch and go. There was swelling on your brain. I had to induce a coma to get the swelling down, which has worked. But I have to say, you’re quite the fighter.”
“How … so?” Darwin asked.
“You were in an induced coma and you tried to wake from it. Yesterday morning, you almost opened your eyes, but then we lost you again. That’s a rare event. These drugs are seriously strong.”
Darwin waited for him to go on as he wasn’t too interested in what the authorities had to say. They were probably here for a statement to explain what happened before they listed all the charges he was going to be arrested for.
The doctor stepped closer and leaned against the bed. “The swelling centered on the brain stem, near the hypothalamus and the amygdala part of the brain. Are you aware of those areas?”
“No …”
“The hypothalamus is one of the busiest parts of the brain as it regulates hunger, thirst, response to pain, anger, and aggression. When you asked for a drink, that tells me it’s still working. Are you following?”
“Yes.”
“Good. The hypothalamus also deals with breathing, blood pressure and response to emotional situations. The amygdala is an area of the brain that deals with fear conditioning. Do you know what that is?”
“Please … explain.”
“Fear conditioning is phobias, really. It deals with the development of phobias. It also deals with positive conditioning, but mostly phobias.” He leaned in closer. “Now, if you have any phobias, there may not be any change, or they may have disappeared. Your aggression may have been altered, too. The swelling has gone down, but it’s hard to tell if there was any damage to that area of your brain. I’m going to have to ask you to take it easy for a while.” He stepped away from the bed and raised his voice. “You’re going to have to stay bedridden for a few more days without too much excitement so we can monitor your brain waves and—”
“Rosina?”
“Excuse me,” the doctor said. “I’m sorry, I missed that.”
“Rosina?”
“Is that your mother, your wife?” the doctor asked.
“His wife,” one of the two men in suits responded for Darwin. He met Darwin’s gaze. “You want to know where she is?”
Darwin nodded.
“So do we.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” the doctor interjected. “That kind of talk could upset my patient and I won’t allow it. He has been through a traumatic injury, intensive care for over a week and he’s now just waking from an induced coma. Your questions must be brief and not confrontational or I’ll have you escorted out of the building.”
The suit raised both hands. “Take it easy, Doc. We’re on the same page here. But you’re going to have to wait outside while we question Darwin.”
The doctor moved back to Darwin’s bedside. “Are you feeling up to it?”
Darwin nodded. “Yes.” Better to get it over with.
“Okay, but I’ll be just outside that door. If you need me for any reason, just press this.” The doctor slipped a button attached to a thick wire into Darwin’s hand. “Press this and I’ll come running.” He turned to the men in suits. “If you upset him, that machine monitoring his blood pressure will send an alarm to the nurse’s station. Then I will have no choice but to have you removed until my patient is up and walking on his own. Are we clear?”
None of the suits moved in any way to acknowledge what the doctor said. He didn’t appear to notice the snub.
He motioned for the nurses to follow him and exited the room without another word.
All Darwin could think of was Rosina—what had happened to her, where she was. Alive or dead? He wanted to cry and curl into a corner of the bed to hide under the covers at how unfair it all was.
The suits moved closer, one on each side of the bed. The chair in the corner by the lamp was empty. He was alone with the FBI.
“Darwin Kostas, I’m Special Agent Kirk Williams. We need to discuss with you—”
“I’m sorry,” Darwin cut him off. “About … Greg Stinsen. He was,” Darwin cleared his throat. “My friend. He helped me in Rome, Florida, and back here in Toronto.”
Williams looked at his partner, then back at Darwin. “We’re sorry, too.” He gestured as he introduced the other man. “This is Agent Scott.”
“Rosina? What happened?”
“Let’s exchange information, deal?”
“Deal.”
“You tell me something I want to know and I’ll tell you what we have.”
“Okay.”
“What happened in that warehouse?”
Darwin told them as much as he could remember about how Arkady tried to trick him into believing that he was being allowed to join the Bratva, the Russian Mafia. How they had done the ritual ceremony and then drove him to that mall. He was meant to be killed there, but escaped and stole a city bus to drive back to the warehouse which was rigged to blow after Darwin answered the cell phone Arkady had left behind. Arkady’s men in Florida were trying to locate and kill Darwin’s wife, Rosina.
“The last I remember was Arkady, on the phone. He didn’t have Rosina at the time. His men weren’t far behind her.” Darwin cleared his throat. “Now it’s your turn.”
“That was over a week ago,” Williams said. “Agent Carson Dodge was shot three times and remains in a Florida hospital. Rosina and Arkady have disappeared. No one has seen either one. And the best part is everyone thinks you’re dead.”
“Everyone?”
“Everyone. Even Carson Dodge. Anyone who knew you or was close to you. It’s for your own safety.”
“What happens if Rosina gets away? It’ll crush her if she thinks I’m dead.”
“As soon as we have her, we’ll tell her the truth.”
Darwin turned his head and twisted as far away from the men as he could to hide his grief. Where was his wife? What had happened to her? She could be anywhere—dead in the Florida swamps, a captive of a maniacal killer or starving and still on the run. Why did this have to happen? They were in separate countries, a three-hour plane ride away from each o
ther. There was no way Darwin could protect her from here.
“Darwin, we’re going to need a full statement.”
He didn’t look at the men. “Not right now. Tell me what else you have. How did the Russians find the safe house where Rosina was being kept? I understood it was classified because of what happened the last time.” He rolled over and eyed Williams up and down. He couldn’t help but feel anger toward the FBI who had betrayed him time and again. “Wasn’t it only Carson and Greg who knew where she was?”
“That’s what we understood.”
“So, what went wrong?”
Williams looked at his partner for support. Agent Scott said, “We’re looking into that.”
“Well, fucking look harder,” Darwin shouted. “There’s a scared lonely girl out there trying to stay alive while every fucking Mafia boss in North America is after her. Isn’t it your job to protect and serve or something?” He leaned back on the pillow, his anger spent as the pain in his head rose. The throbbing angered him further. He clenched his teeth and breathed deep, trying not to lose control. It would be the wrong thing to do just ten minutes out of a coma.
“Maybe we should come back after you’ve slept more,” Williams said. “We need a detailed statement and descriptions of all the people you came into contact with. You got a rare glimpse into their warehouse and what went on there.” Williams adjusted his suit jacket. “We lost three RCMP officers from the emergency task force in that explosion. Inside the building, they found a Chinese man who appeared to be dead before the bomb went off and four female bodies we’re still trying to identify. A couple of them fell under the bus you were driving. You need to rethink your position here and watch the anger, Darwin. We have enough to charge you on multiple counts of manslaughter, but until we get all the facts we’re willing to work with you. Do you understand what I’ve explained to you?”
Darwin wanted to get out of the hospital bed, lift Williams over his head and shove him through the hospital window. Arkady killed those people while he was trying to kill Darwin. It was a miracle that Darwin was still alive. How dare they entertain charging him with anything?
“This is a joke,” Darwin said, his voice a little above a whisper.
“Let’s go,” Williams said to his partner. Near the door, he turned back. “I’ll excuse your anger as the pain killers talking.”
Darwin was alone. Seconds later, the door opened again. The RCMP officer returned and walked up to his bedside.
“I gotta stick around in here,” he said.
“Do what you have to do.”
“Those guys are assholes, eh?” The cop seemed sincere. “I mean, you’re a hero. How the hell did you get out of that warehouse?” He stopped talking, moved the chair and cleared his throat. “But the best part is the media don’t know shit.”
“What? Why not?”
“There’s a publication ban on the details of what happened at the warehouse.”
“A publication ban? Why?”
“The authorities have been conducting raids on warehouses, strip clubs and all known hangouts of the Russian Mafia looking for Arkady, but nothing has turned up. I guess the higher-ups don’t want anyone finding out you’re still alive.”
Great.
“Anyway, I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they find Arkady, but if you ask me, he’s fled the country.”
Darwin’s eyes were getting heavy.
“Listen,” the cop continued. “I’ve got a friend in the bureau down in Florida. Let me give him a call to see if they’ve found out anything on Rosina and I’ll let you know when you wake up. Deal?”
Darwin nodded. “Thanks.”
He shut his eyes.
The hospital room door opened. His doctor walked in.
“You okay, Darwin?”
“He’s getting sleepy,” the cop answered.
Darwin realized as he drifted off that he didn’t get the cop’s name.
The doctor’s voice droned on as Darwin sunk lower. Something about what happened when Darwin got angry, and what set him off. The cop said he wasn’t in the room.
Darwin wondered why he didn’t have a reaction to the IV in his arm. He knew it was there. It was a sharp object—something he would’ve violently protested in the past, but barely noticed now. When he first woke, only a single lamp was on in the corner by the cop. Otherwise the room was pretty dark and the doctor kept it that way to be better on his eyes. Despite his fear of the dark and, he felt no inner reaction to it.
Could his phobias have been cured? If so, how come his temper flared so easily? Maybe it had something to do with what the doctor said about the aggression part of the brain being affected.
He drifted deeper.
In his mind’s eye, he saw Rosina standing in the Rome airport and wished they could go back to the innocent days …
Chapter 3
Darwin hated physiotherapy but he had to do it after being stuck in bed for ten days. The nurses had exercised his legs daily, but he still couldn’t quite walk on his own. By tomorrow, he might still have a slight limp but he would be good enough to walk without crutches.
The RCMP cop he’d met the first day was John Cavendish. He worked the night shift, guarding the inside of Darwin’s room. That night he was supposed to have information about Rosina for him. Information that the FBI assholes, Williams and his buddies, weren’t relinquishing.
Darwin promised them a full statement tomorrow, after the stitches in his head were removed and he was discharged from the hospital. Doctor Jameson had said he’d healed fast. Special Agent Williams planned to pick him up and escort him to the local branch of the RCMP where they would take his statement and then secretly put him up in a hotel until they learned more about Arkady. Possibly they would fly him back to Florida so he could be close when they found Rosina.
Darwin settled back into bed and ate the bland hospital Jell-O and soup. He debated his next move. Could he really be reunited with his wife and they’d ride off into the sunset? Maybe they could go to Italy where her parents were from or Greece where his dad was from, and live in a small village, far away from Mafia turf wars and hit men hunting them. Somewhere so far removed even the FBI wouldn’t be able to find them.
He was pretty sure Rosina was alive. She was a survivor. She probably found an abandoned building to hole up in. As soon as he got to Florida, he would retrace her steps from the safe house and find her. He was the only one who knew how she would think.
As soon as the authorities found Arkady, it would truly be over. With Darwin’s testimony, Arkady would go away for a long time. Fuccini and Gambino were dead. Once Arkady was gone, Darwin and Rosina could live the lives they deserved.
He pushed the remains of his meal away and checked the bedside clock. The cop who worked the day shift didn’t talk much. After dinner, the day cop got up, gathered his novel and magazine, his garbage from lunch, and left the room without a goodbye.
Five minutes later, Cavendish entered the room, a large smile on his face. He nodded at Darwin and set his things by the chair in the corner.
He looked at the door to make sure it was closed and then walked up to Darwin’s bedside.
“I’ve got good news for you.”
Darwin pushed himself up in the bed, eager to hear what John had found out.
“Although you may not be happy.”
“Just tell me, John.”
“My source knows where Rosina will be—”
“What? Where?”
“Keep your voice down,” John said. “She’s here, in Toronto.”
“How’s that?”
John shrugged. “No idea. Maybe Arkady’s men picked her up in Florida and that’s how she made it here.”
At the mention of Arkady’s name, stones weighed down Darwin’s stomach. “Is she hurt? Alive?”
“She’s very alive. In fact she’s having dinner as Yuri Pavel’s guest at his restaurant on Queen Street tonight in about,” he checked his watch, “two hours
.”
Darwin frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Look, Darwin, I don’t have all the details so I’m going to have to guess a bit here.” John looked at the door again, then back at Darwin. “Arkady is reportedly working for Yuri. I’m going to guess that Arkady’s men grabbed Rosina and brought her here like they did you.”
Darwin grabbed the water glass beside the bed and took a drink to satiate his suddenly dry mouth.
“Then he handed The Blade’s,” he said with air quotes, “wife to Yuri as a goodwill gesture.”
