Chapter 41 —Just for Sasha

Narrator:

Days later...

Roman sat in his office, the glass of whiskey untouched in his hand, his jaw clenched with dangerous tension.

“Tell me you have good news,” his voice was a steel edge.

On the other end of the phone, the contact he had secured inside the detention center exhaled uncomfortably.

“We did everything we could, Mr. Adler. We used every contact, every resource... but it's too late.”

Roman felt a void open up in his chest, a void he hated to feel.

“What does that mean?” he asked, even though deep down he already knew.

The silence on the other end was more eloquent than any words.

Finally, the answer came like a sentence.

“It means she's no longer here. They took her away two days ago.”

The whiskey spilled over his fingers as Roman gripped the glass tightly.

“Two days, two damn days.” He had been moving heaven and earth to get her out of that hell, and she wasn't even there anymore. “Why didn't anyone tell me?”

"Because the process is quick, Mr.