Close Up: Exposure Book Three (16 page)

“But Natalia, what you’re asking from me is…”

“Do not say that it is not possible, Alexei, because I know that you can come up with something. You’re a very intelligent man, of course. You could not be in the position that you are in unless you were very cunning. I believe in you. I believe that you can think of some way for me to come to America and work for you. I would love to learn about alternative energy.”

Asher just shook his head. “There’s only one thing that I can think of that might accomplish what you need. But it involves bribery and it could very well backfire.”

I was surprised. It sounded like Asher somewhat had an idea on what he could do to help his sister. Granted, it didn’t exactly sound legal, but if there was any chance at all that Natalia could get out of her hell, then it was going to be worth a shot.

Natalia nodded her head. “I am listening, Alexei.”

Asher drew a breath and looked up at the sky. “What am I about to get myself into?”

I was about to find out.

T
he waiter came
around again and brought another bottle of wine to the table. Natalia and I were just sitting there looking at a silent Asher, whose face said that he knew that he had been beat. It seemed like we had been sitting there forever, just watching him struggle with whatever it is he was about to say.

Finally, he started to talk. “This is a plan that might or might not work. It would involve a great deal of danger, really. But….” Then he shook his head. “I can’t even believe that I’m saying this. That I’m bringing this idea to light. It’s ridiculous, really, and it probably won’t work.”

“Well go ahead,” I said. “Natalia and I are waiting. If it’s too out-there, I assure you, we’ll tell you.”

“Ah, well,” he said. “Here’s the plan. We have to remember one thing – when my father got a major health scare, it made him reassess things. It wasn’t just that he thought that he was going to have to retire. But it was also that he faced his own mortality. He had the best surgeons doing his open-heart surgery, but that was no guarantee that he could make it through. He admitted to me that he was afraid that he was going to die, and that made him want to re-evaluate Natalia’s role in his organization.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Okay, so it was more or less some kind of death-bed conversion. Which makes it even more crappy that you turned it down. But go on, Asher.”

Asher’s face showed clear shame. “Yes, I know. I know. I should have had more courage. I plan to rectify that this time around, assuming that this whole plan works. That would mean that I will tell everyone who you are, Natalia,” he said. “Which will no doubt expose my own background. That will be a huge story, considering my stature in America. But it is what it is. It’s time for me to finally own my past in every way.”

I cocked my head. “The media is going to know that you were in the mob and that you killed people? Don’t you think that’s risky?”

“No. There is still far too much secrecy on what I did. But, yes, the media will probably know that I was in the Russian mob. They won’t be able to find out what I did for the mob, though, no matter how much they dig. There’s an absolute code of silence on that, on both sides of the Atlantic.”

I felt myself relax just a little bit after he said that. But just a little. “Good. Go ahead and tell us your plan, then.”

Asher took a deep breath. “This is going to sound like a crazy plan, just a fair warning. But, here is what I’m thinking. I pay my father’s cardiologist to give him a false diagnosis. Something that will make my father believe that he has heart disease. Then I could maybe talk to him about letting Natalia go. Then, when she’s safe in America, my father will get the news that the diagnosis was wrong.”

It sounded like a decent plan, but I could certainly see the flaw in it. “Okay, so he finds out that he’s not dying after all. What will prevent him from demanding that Natalia comes back to him? And how are you going to work it? And what happens if he wants to get treatment right away? I don’t know, Asher, it all sounds risky and like it won’t work.”

Natalia chimed in. “You are on the right road. What is something that would make our father want to retire? It might be a health scare, but it could be something else. And the health scare – CJ is correct. It has to be something that our father would not seek treatment for right away. We could possibly bribe the doctor to tell him that his arteries are clogged again and he needs another bypass surgery.”

I nodded. “That could certainly work. Perhaps your father will be scheduled for surgery in a six week period of time or something of the sort. That would give him time to get his affairs in order, which hopefully will include allowing Natalia to come to America to work for you. But that still begs the question of what will happen when your father finds out that he’s fine? What if he demands that Natalia comes back?”

Asher shook his head. “I don’t see that happening. My father is a man of finality. Once he makes a move, he doesn’t take it back, no matter what. He might feel regret about losing Natalia, but he can certainly replace her. But once she’s gone, she’s gone.”

Natalia was finally looking a little bit hopeful. “Alexei, do you really think that this will work?”

“No,” Asher said. “But I think that it’s the best chance we have so far. I do believe that his doctor will take a bribe, too. I know his cardiologist, and he’s very money-hungry, has alimony payments and astronomical gambling debts. He would certainly be the kind of man who will fake some tests to give us the results that we need.”

We all were quiet, contemplating the possibilities. Finally, I said “okay, let’s try it. It seems to be a long-shot, but if you say that this doctor is open to being bribed, then let’s go.”

I was certainly apprehensive, but I had to trust Asher for once. He knew what he was doing.

At least I hoped that he did.

I
was
happy that we had a plan, but I wasn’t entirely happy with it. There were just too many variables for this to work. If it did work, then I could perhaps kill two birds with one stone – maybe my father would not only allow Natalia to come to America, but perhaps, if he thought that he was facing another health crisis, it might make him more likely to accept my marriage with CJ. Facing that type of issue sometimes caused people to rethink their previous positions, and, hopefully, that would be the case here.

The first thing I had to do, of course, was to track down my father’s physician there in London. That was the doctor who was open to being bribed, I knew, and that was also the doctor that was local at the moment. I therefore just had to make an appointment and see what I could do.

I called his office and got his receptionist. “Dr. Wyatt’s office, may I help you?” a friendly voice inquired when I called.

“This is Asher Sloane. I need an appointment with Dr. Wyatt as soon as possible.”

“What is this regarding?”

“I’m having a blood pressure issue.”

“Can you come in two weeks?” she asked.

“No. Could you please call me in the event of a cancellation? I need to see him as soon as I can.”

She got my number and informed me that she would call me back.

About two hours later, she did call me. “Mr. Sloane, I just received a cancellation. There’s an opening tomorrow morning at 9.”

“Thank you. I’ll take that.”

I turned to CJ, who was sitting across from me at the table. “It’s arranged. I’m going to meet with him tomorrow.”

“Good,” she said, nodding her head. “Although I have to admit that I’m very nervous. What if he isn’t bribable? What if he turns you into the police instead?”

I smiled. “He’s pretty corrupt. At least he used to be. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, as I can offer him as much as money as he wants. That’s not the problem. The problem is simply whether or not my father will allow Natalia to go when he finds out that he has another health crisis.”

CJ took a deep breath. “Asher, what about you? If your father retires, how are you protected?”

“It’s pretty simple. I’m protected as long as I’m alive. Even if my father retires or dies, my protection doesn’t die or retire with him. Members of his organization as entrenched even in America, and, since my father was the founder of the group, the men in America still know not to mess with me.”

She nodded her head, but said nothing.

I put my arm around her. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing. I’m just nervous.”

“Understandable.” I put my arms around her, and she put her head on my chest. I could hear her heart beating. “It’s going to be okay.”

She nodded her head and wrapped her arms tightly around me.

I hoped that I didn’t let her down. Because I not only would be letting her down, but also would be letting Natalia down.

T
he next day
, I went down to see Dr. Wyatt. I was prepared to offer him any amount of money that he desired in exchange for him telling my father that his heart disease had recurred and he would need another surgery. I had to give him the money that would cover him in an inevitable malpractice suit, plus he wouldn’t have my father’s business anymore, so the money would have to cover him for that as well.

I got into see him. He was a balding sixtyish man who was short and squat and wore glasses.

“Mr. Sloane,” he said, looking at his chart. “What can I do for you?”

I drew a breath. I didn’t want to beat around the bush, yet I felt strange just coming out and telling him what I needed. Yet, that was what I had to do. “Dr. Wyatt, you have a patient by the name of Sergei Pushkin.”

He looked at me suspiciously. “I’m sorry, but I cannot confirm or deny that.”

“Dr. Wyatt, I’m a very wealthy man. I also happen to know that you have enormous gambling debts and you owe alimony and child support to several ex wives. You’re about to lose your house. Am I correct about all of this?”

Dr. Wyatt cleared his throat and feigned outrage. “What is the meaning of this, coming in here and throwing these things in my face? How did you find these things out? Is there not a right to privacy anymore?”

“Relax. I’m not here to throw these things in your face. I’m here to help you. I can help you with all of these issues and more. I can help you so much that you not only can get out of all of your financial problems, but you will never have to work again if you don’t really want to. I just need for you to do one thing for me.”

Dr. Wyatt got very quiet after that. “What do you mean?” he finally asked me.

“I mean that I need for you to do something for me that is very important. It has to do with Sergei Pushkin’s health.”

He shook his head. “You can't just come in here and expect me to take your word for what you’re trying to say to me. I don’t know you from Adam. You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“Okay, fair enough. My name is Asher Sloane. I’m the CEO of Sloane Industries. Go ahead, do your research on Sloane Industries and on me. I’ll wait.”

He still looked at me suspiciously, but he called his assistant in. She walked through the door, and Dr. Wyatt asked her to do research on me and on Sloane Industries.

In the meantime, he and I just sat there and stared at one another. He obviously was trying to size me up, and, I confess, I was doing the same. One thing was for sure, though – the man was desperate. I could see it in his eyes. I could also see that he had a note of hope in those eyes. Hope that I might be the answer to his prayers. I could practically see him imagining himself retired on an island somewhere, sipping pina coladas for the rest of his days. I knew that he was ripe for a bribe. He was just trying to figure out if I was really good for it.

In about fifteen minutes, his assistant gave him a file folder that presumably had information about me that was gleaned from the Internet. Dr. Wyatt studied the dossier for a few minutes, flipping through the pages and saying nothing. Then he finally looked at me. “Well, Mr. Sloane, it appears that you are who you say that you are. You’re apparently one of the wealthiest men in the world.” His face had changed now to one of eagerness. “What can I do for you?”

I cleared my throat. “I need for you to convince my father, Sergei Pushkin, that he is in need of another open-heart surgery. I need for you to tell him that he is going to have to have another bypass surgery, and give him the survival rates for such a surgery for a man his age.”

Dr. Wyatt looked interested, too interested. “What happens when he asks for a second opinion?”

“I know my father. He’s never asked for a second opinion on anything in his life. He lives his life by going by his gut instincts, so he’s always been one to believe the first instinct, if you will, and not try to question it. That’s the way that he has become so successful in his business. While other men waste time agonizing over the right decision, my father pretty much puts things into action without much thought. As you know, the first time he got this diagnosis, he didn’t get a second opinion. I don’t anticipate that he will do so here, either.”

“But if he does….”

“Then he’ll know that the diagnosis was wrong. That’s it. With the money that I’m willing to pay you for doing this, you won’t have to worry about that. You might be investigated by the medical board, but I daresay that you won’t care about that, because you’ll be retired in comfortable style.”

Now he was looking even more excited. “How much money are we talking here?”

“I understand that you’re taking an enormous risk here. I’m willing to pay you $10 million to do this. I’ll transfer $1 million now, and the rest when you deliver the diagnosis.”

He nodded his head. I could tell that I had hooked him completely. “He’s not scheduled for his annual for several more months. Is that a problem?”

I had actually thought about that, and decided that it would be best to have Natalia slip something into his drink that would give him some kind of chest pains. Ephedra, which was a banned diet pill substance, would be the best bet for that. Since my father was a bit of a health nut and shied away from caffeine and other stimulants, Ephedra, being a heavy stimulant that sometimes caused panic attacks and chest pains, would be just the drug to make my father seek medical attention. He would go to Dr. Wyatt, too, because he trusted him and, since my father was in a position where he didn’t trust many people, he sought Dr. Wyatt first for any kind of medical emergency.

“He’ll be coming to see you within the week. I’ll make sure of that.”

“And when do I tell him that I made a mistake in his diagnosis?”

“I will let you know.” I wanted to tell Dr. Wyatt that he couldn’t tell my father the truth until Natalia was allowed to go to America, but that wasn’t Dr. Wyatt’s business. If he asked me, however, why I wanted to do this, I would tell him.

He nodded his head. “Transfer that $1 million, and I will do what you ask me to.”

That was easy.
I knew that this doctor was bribable. From the look on his face, I was doing him an enormous favor and probably saving him. He could pay off all his debts and retire. I knew that he was only thinking of this.

Of course, if he didn’t seek help for his gambling problem, he probably would end up broke again, but that wasn’t my affair.

I walked out of his office, and called Natalia. “It’s arranged. You have to do what we talked about, and then the good doctor will do the rest.”

“Thank you, Alexei. If my father agrees that I can leave, then I will talk to him about Sophie and you. I think that he will believe me. At least, I hope that he does.”

My heart quickened. It was still going to be tricky, even if my father found out the truth about Sophie. Basically, he would have to quickly agree to protect CJ, or else CJ would be in grave danger the second that Sophie found out that I told my father the truth. It was going to be a game of finesse and had to involve a lot of praying. Not that I was a religious man, but sometimes prayer was in order.

CJ

The plan was in motion, so it just became a waiting game. I was on edge, constantly, for I was terrified on what was going to happen. I knew the stakes. I knew that if everything didn’t go perfectly, I could very well end up dead. And there were any number of things that could go wrong – perhaps Sergei would ask for a second opinion. Asher said that he wouldn’t, because he was a guy who went with his first instincts, but that was far from settled. Considering the fact that having a second bypass surgery at an advanced age meant that there would be a high chance that Sergei couldn’t survive, I would have thought that he would for sure try to get a second opinion.

So, that was one thing. Then, even if he believed the diagnosis, that was no guarantee that he would let Natalia go. Then, even if he did let Natalia go, there was no guarantee that he would believe her about Sophie. Then, even if he did believe her about Sophie, there was no guarantee that he would approve of my union with Asher.

Everything had to come together just right. It was a tightrope, I knew this, but Asher and I were trying very hard to get pregnant. That would make things easier, according to Asher, because Sergei was old-fashioned at heart. He believed in the man doing what was right when a woman became pregnant.

So, we tried every chance we got.

I wanted something to start happening. I needed the plan to start coming together. There was just so much as stake, and I was nervous as hell.

F
inally
, about a week later, something did happen. Sergei called Asher and asked to meet with him. It was a matter of great importance, Sergei had told him, which could only mean one thing – he had found out, again, about his “heart condition,” and he was going to make some new plans.

“Here’s our chance, CJ,” he said. “You stay right here in the hotel room, and I’m going to meet with him. Natalia is going be there, too, of course.”

I nodded and said nothing. I was trying very hard to tamp down the panic that was rising in my throat, but it was very difficult. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I said a little prayer that everything was going to turn out all right.

It had to. Otherwise, I was not going to be long for this world.