Chapter 21 - Her Confession

“I was born in New York, the city that never sleeps. At only a few days old, my mother left me at the St. Angelica’s Church stoop and walked away. The sisters at church took me in and looked after me. The parish had a rule; if a kid isn’t adopted by the time they are five, the parish dedicates its resources to raising the child. When I was 16, some rich person sponsored me so that I could attend a private school and make a life for myself. I took that opportunity with both hands and worked my butt off. I wanted to make something of my life and would do whatever I could to get to the top. I graduated from medical school at 21, which very few people had done. After that, I climbed the ladder of success without any hurdles. I reached the peak of my career when I became Chief of Surgery at a prestigious hospital in New York, making me the youngest female to earn that title. I went from having nothing to having more than I could dream of.” I sighed, looking down at my hands.
“They say disaster strikes when you least expect it to, and that’s exactly what happened. One day while doing my morning rounds, I went to check on a patient I had performed surgery on the day before. When I walked into his room, the patient was still sleeping, and a very handsome man was sitting next to the bed. He introduced himself as Kevin, the patient’s nephew, and asked me a few general questions. I didn’t normally associate myself too much with patients and their relatives, so I left after I had done my checks. When I returned a few hours later to check on the patient, the nephew was gone, and I didn’t see him again. However, a few days later, I bumped into him at a local coffee shop with Derek in tow. Wait, do you know about-...” I stopped.
“Yes, I know about Derek. That was all in the file.” Zach grumbled, rolling his eyes.
I nodded and continued to fiddle with my fingers.
“Derek and I became friends through work. I consulted on a few cases Derek worked on, and we hit it off. It turns out Derek and Kevin had met up at some college festive during their first year and had stayed in contact. We all sat down and had coffee together, and Kevin told me more about himself. He said he worked for some big company as a Mechanical Engineer in California and traveled for work. Derek proposed we all meet up again for dinner and go out clubbing. I hadn’t had a break in a few days, so I agreed. Unbeknown to me, Derek was just trying to fix me up with Kevin.”
“One dinner turned into multiple dates, and before I knew it, Kevin was moving to New York to be closer to me. He suggested we stay separately because his younger sister was planning on going to NYU, and his dad wanted her to stay with him. Kevin was very vague when he spoke about his family. The only person he talked about was his sister.”
“We dated for six months, and things were great between us. However, there were things I still wanted to achieve in my life, and when I brought those things up with Kevin, he would always brush them off. A girlfriend of mine mentioned that maybe Kevin didn’t see a future with me, so he didn’t want to be part of my plans, which worried me. Why would a person move across the country for someone if they didn’t see a future with them?”
“Whatever the situation was, I wasn’t going to let it stop me from achieving my goals. The first thing on my list was to buy a place of my own, and after months of searching, I finally found a gorgeous penthouse that I fell in love with. I put down the deposit and signed all the documents immediately. The day I got the keys to my new penthouse, I bought a bottle of champagne and rushed over to Kevin’s to tell him the good news. But when I got there, his apartment was empty. It looked like no one had lived there in months. I quickly pulled my phone out to call him, only for his phone to be switched off. Standing in the middle of his empty apartment, I realized I was a fool. All the signs were there, and I decided to ignore them.” I sighed, keeping my head down.
“I called Derek and told him what happened when I got back home. He was so mad. Derek couldn’t believe Kevin would do such a thing. He said he would try calling Kevin himself and find out what happened, but when Derek came over three hours later, he had nothing but bad news. It turns out that Kevin wasn’t who he said he was. The apartment Knox was staying in was registered under a fake name, and so was his phone number. The company Kevin claimed he worked for had never heard of him. No one by that name had ever worked for them. Who he was, what he did, no one knew. Kevin disappeared into thin air leaving behind my broken heart.”
I glanced at Zach. He was leaning against his table with his arms folded, his body tensed.
“A few months passed, and there was still no news of Kevin. I submerged myself into work and moved on with life. Everything was going great for me, and I started to piece my heart together again. But that was the calm before the storm.” I clenched my jaw and willed myself to keep it together.
Even after two years, the wounds were still fresh.
“It was a Thursday night. Derek, me, and some other friends had planned on going out for a fancy dinner before hitting the clubs. I got dressed and was waiting for Derek to pick me up. At around 8 pm, there was a knock on my door, and when I opened it, my world stopped. Kevin stood at my front door, blood dripping down his side. He looked like he had been run over and could barely stand. I took him inside and laid him on my spare bed. I had minimal medical supplies at home, and Kevin’s injuries looked bad. When I suggested going to the hospital and calling Derek for help, he said I couldn’t tell Derek or it would screw everything up. Kevin said he was in big trouble and he needed my help. Once again, like the idiot I was, I believed him and texted Derek to cancel dinner.”
“I had a colleague, Alex, that owned a clinic on the outskirts of Hamptons. He opened the clinic twice a month, and I knew he wasn’t due to open it for a few more weeks. I called him and got details on how to access the clinic. Alex then emailed me more details about where to find things I may need. Thankfully, he didn’t ask many questions. I patched up Kevin as much as possible and rushed him to the clinic. He had deep lacerations on his torso, cuts, and bruises all over. He was losing a lot of blood, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to help him alone. So I called my nurse assistant and got her to drive out to help me.”
“Kevin was starting to deteriorate fast, and I had no idea why. I got him on the bed and started to clean his wounds. In his half-conscious state, Kevin mentioned something about his stomach. I immediately tore his clothes off and examined the lacerations. Someone had used a bunt object to cut into Kevin’s stomach cavity. Kevin kept repeating, “open, it will kill me,” so I sedated him and opened him up. The lacerations were deep, and someone was obviously trying to get into his stomach. I cut open his stomach, and what I found shook me to my core.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in.
The memories of that day flooded my mind like it had all happened just yesterday.
I felt the couch dip next to me and opened my eyes to find Zach sitting next to me. His large hands clasped mine, and he gently squeezed, urging me to keep going.
I cleared my throat and nodded.
“Kevin’s stomach was filled with small white palettes. I had seen those palettes once before while working with Derek. They were similar to the once drug dealers used to move drugs across the states. I didn’t know how those palettes ended up in Kevin’s stomach, but whatever he was into, it was dangerous. I briskly removed the palettes and stitched Kevin up. My assistant and I moved Kevin into one of the rooms, and I started cleaning up the mess we had made. I packed up the palettes and decided I would talk to Kevin first before I called Derek. After a year of being with the guy, I knew he wasn’t into anything illegal, but with the information Derek found on Kevin and his fake identity, I wasn’t sure I even knew him. Why did he disappear into thin air only to appear again with sixteen palettes of drugs in his stomach?”
“There was a knock on the clinic door, and my assistant said she would open it. She said someone must have noticed the light in the clinic and thought it was open. So I let her go and carried on cleaning. The next thing I know, five guys dressed in black clothes armed with guns come running into the room. A sixth guy was standing at the doorway with his gun inside my assistant’s mouth. The man pointed their guns at me and yelled for me to give them the palettes. I immediately handed the bag to them and did everything they asked, including taking them to the room Kevin was in.”
“They tied up our hands and made us sit in the corner of the same room so I could monitor Kevin. They emphasized the fact that Kevin needed to live.” I sighed, and Zach squeezed my hand, trying to comfort me.
“Two hours later, Kevin finally gained consciousness. I called out for the guys that were holding us hostage, and they opened my arms so I could check Kevin’s condition. He was doing fine; he just needed to rest and ensure his stitches didn’t open. Just then, a girl a little younger than me stormed in and started yelling at Kevin. She kept screaming that he was an idiot for putting his life at risk for such a small consignment. The resemblance between the two told me she was the younger sister Kevin had told me about. Although, she kept referring to him by another name and kept mentioning the consignment. After listening to them argue, I knew that whatever Kevin was involved in was consensual and not forced. So I started to look for ways to get my assistant and me out of there. I had worked in the clinic before and knew there was a back door I could use as well as the car in the garage. But getting to those exits was the difficult part.”
“The man tied me back up and moved my assistant and me into another room. We could hear them moving around and talking in the hallway. My assistant had managed to hide a pair of scissors in her scrubs, and using that; we opened the restrains. We waited until there were no noises outside and bolted for the back door. The scary guys must have heard us because it wasn’t long before they found us running through the hallway. My assistant tripped and fell, but before I could help her, one of the guys fired their gun, and it-... it hit-... hit my assistant.” I sobbed.
“She fell to the ground screaming in pain. The guy fired again, and this time the bullet went right through her chest. I stopped to try to help her, but it was too late. I turned and kept running, trying to find a way out. All the doors I tried were locked, and finally, when I did find an open door, it led me to the garage. Alex had mentioned in his email that he left the keys to his Mercedes on the tire and that I could use it if I needed to. I quickly got into the car and started the engine. Just then, the door I had come through burst open, and there stood Kevin, screaming for his man to catch me. He was holding on to his wounds, but he didn’t look like someone who had surgery less than six hours ago. If anything, he looked completely healed.”
“Anyway, I slammed down on my gas and crashed the car through the garage metal doors. I drove into the city like a manic and went straight to Derek’s place. He had just gotten home, and when he saw my condition, he took me to the FBI office. I told him and his superiors what happened, and it was then that we found out who Kevin really was. If you thought my sealed folder was a good read, I’m sure you’d enjoy his.” I sighed again and leaned back on the couch.
“So, who was Kevin?” Zach asked.
I took a deep breath in, “Turns out he is a notorious drug and weapons dealer. His real name is Knox Morelli.”
“*Knox Morelli?!* As in the head of the Morelli mafia family?” Zach exclaimed.
“Head of the family?! Last I heard, his father was the head of the family, and Knox was going to be his successor,” I replied.
“Giovanni Morelli passed away last year. So Knox took over the operation and became the boss. Since he’s taken over, he has been trying to push more drugs and weapons into the street. Hasn’t Derek told you this?” Zach question.
I shook my head, “No. They don’t tell me any of that. The last time I asked Derek, he said they still didn’t know where Knox was hiding and until they could track him down, I was to stay where they had placed me. Although, I was certain they would rehome me after what happened to my apartment. But they didn’t have evidence to confirm it was actually Knox’s doing, so they had no reason to rehome me. Derek said they wanted to use me as bait to lure him out.”
“Bait?! Are you serious?! Do they have any idea how dangerous that man is?! You’ll be dead by the time the FBI even has time to reel you in,” Zach barked.
“You think I don’t know that? I am fully aware of what can or will happen. But what choice do I have? I agreed to be their witness, and that is what’s keeping me alive right now. Well, that and you.” I sighed.
“*Me?*” Zach questioned.
I sighed loudly and hung my head. “Yeah, you. With how well connected and protected you are, the FBI thought it was a good idea for me to stay here instead of rehoming me. Apparently, your penthouse is a fortress, and I’m the safest here.”
I felt a little so guilty even saying that out loud. Zach was so kind, and I was using him.
“See, I knew you weren’t just after my money,” Zach chuckled, making me giggle.
“I’m so sorry you’re getting pulled into this. All you wanted to do was help me have a roof over my head, and somehow that’s turned into this,” I babbled.
Zach clasped his hands around mine and squeezed them gently. His eyes soft glassy eyes bored into mine.
“You kept telling me that there was a storm in your life that would destroy everything in its path, and today, I’m telling you this again. I will go to any lengths necessary to protect you. I don’t care who it is, where it is, and when it is. No one will ever be able to wipe that beautiful smile off your face, and I mean it.”
I stared into Zach’s piercing grey eyes, questioning how a person could feel this way about a stranger. How could a person risk it all for someone that had unintentionally saved their life? Something in my head just clicked, and the next thing I knew, I had my arms wrapped around Zach’s neck, hugging him tightly. As Zach’s arms curled around my torso, a sense of relief washed over me.
My heart and brain were both divided at that moment. My heart screamed that I could trust Zach, and he would help keep us safe, while my brain kept reminding me that once upon a time, I had trusted Knox, and that was how we ended up in this situation.
The warmth that helped me sleep every night suddenly surrounded me, and for the first time in two years, I felt safe and secure. I forgot the battle my heart and brain were having and melted into Zach’s embrace. My problems could wait until tomorrow….