I rush to the hospital where my best friend, Claire was already present.

Claire looked at me with tearful eyes, her lips shuddered as she calls out my name, "Lisha...Ron he..."

"Ron will be fine...please don't worry!!" I pat on her shoulder in assurance.

"No Lisha you don't understand...! He's in danger!!! He has barely escaped, its only a matter of time since they find him!!"

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

Before she can say anything the police comes up to us for questioning.

"Are you acquainted with Ron Fez?" The officer asks.

"Yes"

"When was the last time you spoke with him?"

As Claire answers the question, I decide to go inside and see Ron.

Ron had his head covered in bandages as he laid on the bed. Realising that I was there, he tried to get up.

"Please...no need to..." I stop him and take a seat beside the bed.

"How are you, Ron...?"

"I am fine...my head's just...Ah..."he groans.

"What happened...??"

"I got hit in the head...the bastard was about to kill me but some passerbys screamed and alerted the police it seems, so I escaped by a close call. But unfortunately one of the guys who used to work for me, Samir...He was found dead."

"De-dead?" I gasp.

"Yes...I have something to tell you Lisha...Where...where did you find this guy???"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Mikhail Ivanov...How did you meet him...?"

I gulp down a lump in my throat, unable to answer hos question.

"That man...he's dangerous."

"Ron...please tell me what happened! I beg of you!!"

"Alright...I was investigating him as per your words. Particularly Samir, one of my very trusted hackers, was tracing him down. But then, Samir went missing around the afternoon after he had gone for a short smoke break. I couldn't reach him anymore. I tried calling him multiple times to no avail. And when I tried for the final time, it was finally picked up, but the voice from the other side of the phone was not Samir's. And what he said next sent shivers down my spine..."

I saw Ron shaking as he remembers all of it.

"If I catch you, I kill you. Just like your dear friend here." He said as I heard Samir's scream across the phone.

"What are you doing, you bastard!??? Where is Samir?? What did you do to him?" I screamed in the phone.

"Do you wanna know? Then come out of your building, we are waiting at the back of the alley..."

I immediately rushed out without thinking, and reached the back alley.

Over there I saw it.

A blood-curling sight.

Ron's lifeless body lied in a pool of blood, his tongue cut off his eyes gauged out.

And standing over there were men in black suits...

Among the men was a tall man with Ron's phone in his hand. He looked up at me with his sea-green eyes, and smirked.

"You're late. Your friend is already gone."

"But don't worry, its not too late for you to join him" he says as I felt a sharp pain behind yhe back of my head, losing my consciousness.

The rest is history...

I try to say something but words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

Its all my fault...

Its all mine...!

I ball my fists up...

Mikhail Ivanov...you will pay for this!!

I stand up from seat.

"Lisha?"

Without saying a word, I turn around to leave.

"What's wrong? Where are you going Lisha?" Ron calls me.

All I say is, "I am sorry..." before leaving the room.

I rush outside the hospital and pull out my phone.

Then searching through my call history, I find an unsaved number from a few days back.

The number was from a guy who had called me after I had slept with him the previous night.

I should have done this earlier...

Much earlier...

*I press on call.*

If only I had gathered the courage to face you earlier...

*The phone rings.*

Then...

No one would have gotten hurt...

And finally...

A voice says "Hello", from the other side of the phone.

I put the phone to my ears and wait for a few moments.

My heart pounds like a wild horse in my chest, I could even feel it in my stomach...

Moments pass by in dead silence.

And then he finally says...

"Why are you not saying anything sweetheart?"

"Mikhail Ivanov..." I repeat his name.

"I am delighted that you would call me by yourself, but I am in the middle of something right now, babe. Gotta kill a nosy fly, you see"

I get shivers down my spine in rage...

"Who are you?"

"Huh?"

"I ASKED WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?? WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO RON!? ANSWER ME YOU FUCKER!!" Unable to control my anger, I burst out at him.

And immediately his voice turns grave deep.

"So you know that fly?"

"Why did you do it!!? How could you murder a man in cold blood like that?" I scream in the phone.

"Who is he? Since when do you know him?"

"Just answer my question! How dare you do that!? How dare you touch him!? Just who the fuck are you!?"

"Do you really want to know who the fuck I am?" He asks.

"Yeah!? Who? Who are you!???"

He chuckles slightly...

And there is a pause in between.

Then he says, "I am Mikhail Ivanov, The son of the leader of Hotel Moscow or better known as..."

"The Russian Mafia"

My breath stops at the mention of that name.

What?

What did he just say...?

I feel the ground below my feet falling apart.

"What do you mean...?" My voice breaks.

"You heard it right sweetheart. So tell that dude, that if he ever dares to even get closer to you...he will pay for it with his life".

My body starts shaking on hearing his words.

"Well then...Da svidania" he says (Da svidania means goodbye in russian)

"Wait...wait a second...please listen to me!!!" I beg him in a shaky voice.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He asks in his usual gentle voice as if he never said those heinous things just a few moments ago.

"Mikhail...please listen to me...please leave Ron alone!! Please let him go!!"

"So you care about him that much huh? Enough to beg for his life to me??"

"He is innocent! I swear he got nothing to do with this!!"

"He is not innocent, sweetheart. He has committed a grave crime by getting close to you. I was planning to let him go but I am afraid that I can't do that anymore."

Realising that he is misunderstanding the situation I try to explain, "Its not like that...I swear its not what you think...Ron was only investigating you as I had asked him to! He is like a brother to me, he is my best friend's boyfriend! Please don't do this..."

He pauses slightly and goes on, "Is that so huh?"

"Yes...I swear!!!"

"Fine then, I will think about it. But anyways, I am quite happy that you were interested in me sweetheart. But you didn't need any man to look me up." He switches his voice again.

I gulp down a lump in my throat trying to stay calm.

Just then I hear another voice through the phone, speaking in russian to Mikhail.

Mikhail answers to the man in russian as well.

And then says to me, "Gotta go now for real, babe. I will definitely make it up to you later."

The call ends abruptly.

The phone slips down my ears as my legs give away making me drop down on the ground.

My hands were still shaking as the phone dropped from them.

I couldn't find the strength to move...

Dear Lord...

How the hell did I get myself in this situation?