A Debt to Pay Ch. 02

"Come on Stevie, you have to talk to me. I did come here on a courtesy visit...unless, you'd rather talk to someone else?"

It was enough to get Steve to look his way

He noted the brief panic in the boy's eyes, like he had caught his hint, but he shrouded it almost as soon as it came, and maintained his silence.

"Your sister is eager to see you, Sunny."

"Leave her out of this." Steve finally spoke, his words filled with all the venom that sadly, didn't belong to a helpless hostage.

Sergei smiled, glad he had finally gotten something out of Steve, "Well, I think that's coming a little too late, who do you think is responsible for all of this five-star treatment you've received today?"

Steve's eyes widened in realization, and Sergei watched all of the bravado leave him like a deflating balloon, "Please, don't hurt her okay? Just let her go, I...you can do anything you want to me, just...leave Sunny out of this, please."

If there was something left of Sergei's conscience, the passionate appeal from Steve would have counted for something. So, he wasn't the dishonorable wretch he had pegged him to be, he still had some shred of honor somewhere inside him, even if it was only directed to one person. It was a valiant effort, but Sergei had too much use for Sunny to just let her go, "Oh, I didn't bring her in, she came in all by herself" he responded, "..and when the time is right, she'll be out. However, for now, you can thank her for my magnanimity." He let a sly smile form on his face as he finished his words, "I'll send your greetings to her. " he stated as he got to his feet, he was done here.

He turned around and was treated to Steve's repeated calls that he let his sister go. Another day, he would have asked that he be smacked into silence, but he wanted to return to Sunny and be able to tell her he hadn't harmed a hair on her brother's head today, so, he ignored Steve's raving.

*****

It was a wonder what some time alone and a decent meal could do, but six hours later, Sunny was feeling better, physically and mentally.

She had resigned herself to the idea that she would be living with Sergei for the next month, but what she simply refused to resign herself to was helplessness. No, Maya and Ronnie Rivers hadn't given birth to no coward. Time alone had made her put her situation into some serious perspective, it had made her replay all of her parents' words in her head. Words that encouraged bravery, wittiness, sharpness and more than a little cunning. The whimpering just wouldn't do.

If she couldn't find some way to get out of Sergei's trap, she would spend her time making one of her own. Good dick or not, that motherfucker had something coming if he thought he could kidnap her brother and fucking rape her, without consequences. He ran the city, but he didn't run every person in it.

Having taken a long survey of her contact list, only one name kept popping up that could be useful. Sunny had been scared that Sergei would have law enforcement on his payroll, but she knew someone who loathed the man more than life itself.

Eric Gilford. Her boss

It had been Eric's longtime desire to lock Sergei Lavrov up for good, and he had come close a few times, but he could never make anything stick. When Sunny had first gotten her job at the D.A's office, Eric had just had to drop another case against Sergei and he had spent a great amount of time lamenting about it. if only he could get a little more evidence, he always said. what he mostly had was circumstantial evidence, and it was only because he had never gotten anyone on the inside to get solid evidence.

The police could be sneaky, but Eric Gilford would never sacrifice this opportunity to nail the scum he had been gunning for, and Sunny would be damned if she didn't get front seats to the glorious crucifixion of Sergei Lavrov.

As evening approached, she went into the bathroom and locked herself inside. She didn't know if the house was bugged, but if there was one thing she had learnt in six months of working at the D.A's office, it was that the bathrooms were rarely ever bugged. She sat in the tub, her phone in her hand, and dialed Gilford's number.

The phone only rang twice, before her boss picked it, "What is this madness I received this morning, Rivers?"

"It wasn't me." Sunny responded, as though those were the first words she had been waiting to utter.

"I know it wasn't you, you would never throw away this opportunity, you stalked me for this job. So, who was it?"

Sunny took in a deep sigh, "Are you somewhere private? I have something very important to tell you."

"Just...give me a few seconds." Eric responded.

Sunny heard some shuffling in the background and then the sound of a door opening and closing, followed by a lock, and she had to stop herself from smiling at how careful Gilford could get.

"Okay, I'm in a private place. Talk to me."

"I'm at Sergei Lavrov's place."

"Jesus, Rivers! You're where? What does that man have on you? Are you okay?"

"He has my brother, and he wants me to trade myself for his safety, but that's not why I'm calling you, so, don't try to bust me out or anything."

Gilford was quiet for some time, "Okay, so, what is this about?"

"I was just thinking today, that you always said you need something solid to bust Sergei, but you could never get an insider. What if...what if I could be that?"

The silence from the other end was deafening, "Jeez, Rivers! I'm trying to get Sergei locked up, but not at the expense of my best intern. Are you trying to die?"

If that was what it took to bring the man down, hell yes. After the mental and psychological torture she had been subjected to since yesterday, Sunny was just about ready to bury herself, and she would love nothing more than have Sergei's coffin right next to hers, "I'm inside Gilford, I'm in his house and I think I can get in his head too if I play my cards right."

"Are you sure about this, Sunny? You know, I would never want you to endanger yourself in this manner."

Sunny smiled, the fatherly instincts the man had for her could be heard in his voice. Gilford had always been much like a father to her, even from the time she started stalking him for the internship job, he would scold her in much the same manner her father would, and tell her to get lost. And when she finally got in, he made it a habit to check on her, and when she was in a bind, she knew she could talk to him. of course, most of the time, he liked to act detached from the staff, but in the oddest of moments, that caring side of him would pop up.

"I'm already in sir, and I'm not coming out empty-handed. I promise, I'll get you what you need and we'll bring him down once and for all." she said with a resolve that strengthened as she spoke.

"Well, I trust you. Just...come out alive, okay?"

"If you get my corpse, make sure an autopsy is done, cuz the evidence you'll need will come with it."

Gilford snickered, "I always knew you were a good choice."

Didn't seem like it when he told her she was too soft for the job, "I'll keep you up to date, sir." she responded.

The line went dead, and as if on cue, a light knock came at the door to her room.

Sunny got out of the bathroom just in time to hear Linda say, "Miss Rivers, Mr. Lavrov has requested your presence for dinner tonight."

Sunny opened the door, a smile on her face as she thought of all the ways she would manipulate Sergei, "Tell him, I'll be there. It's not like I have a choice, right?"

Linda smiled, "I'm glad you're taking this more lightly, you'll see that Mr. Lavrov isn't such a bad man."

Sunny returned her smile without another word. Sergei would learn that she wasn't such a helpless woman either.