The phone rang at 6:00 AM, ripping Davina from a fitful sleep.
She fumbled for it, her eyes crusted with exhaustion. "Hello?"
"Davina, it's Dr. Coleman." The doctor's voice was grim, lacking its usual bedside manner. "I'm calling about Daisy."
Davina sat up, the blanket falling to her waist. "What's wrong? Is she okay?"
"She's developed a pre-operative complication," Dr. Coleman said. "An infection. We need to start aggressive treatment immediately, or we lose the window for the surgery."
"How much?" Davina asked, her voice cracking. She already knew the answer.
"Fifty thousand. Upfront. By three o'clock this afternoon." The doctor paused. "I'm sorry, Davina. Hospital policy. Without the payment, we can't proceed."
"I'll get it," she whispered. "Just give me a few hours."
"I'll do what I can, but the board is strict. Three o'clock."
The line went dead.
Davina dropped the phone on the bed. The room spun around her. Fifty thousand dollars. In nine hours.
She grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She called everyone. Distant cousins, former coworkers, acquaintances from school.
Voicemail. Rejections. Laughter.
She threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall and bounced onto the floor, the screen cracking further.
She buried her face in her hands, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. There was no one. Nothing.
Her eyes fell on the coffee table. The supplementary agreement lay next to a black-and-white photocopy of a credit card. Kash had left it there last night, a reminder of his control.
Sign the paper, and the money is yours.
Her phone buzzed from the floor. A voice message from Daisy.
She crawled over and hit play, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Aunt Vina," the little girl's voice was weak, barely a whisper. "I had a bad dream. Can you come hold my hand? I miss you."
The sound broke something inside Davina. A tear slipped down her cheek, then another. She pressed a hand over her mouth, choking back a sob.
Dignity. Pride. They were luxuries she couldn't afford. Not when Daisy's life was on the line.
She picked up a pen from the table. Her hand was steady now. The fear was gone, replaced by a cold, hard resolve. She would not let Daisy die because of her pride.
She signed her name.
She stood up, her legs shaky. She grabbed her car keys from the counter and ran out the door.
She drove like a maniac, weaving through the morning traffic, running yellow lights. The trip to Manhattan that usually took forty minutes took twenty.
She pulled up to the high-rise apartment building, her heart pounding in her ears. She pressed the buzzer for the top floor, her finger trembling against the button.
A crackle of static. "Yes?" Kash's voice was irritated, rough with sleep.
"It's Davina. Let me up."
A long pause. The buzzer sounded, and the glass doors clicked open.
She rode the elevator up, watching the numbers climb. She caught her reflection in the mirrored walls. Pale face, wild eyes, hair a mess. She looked desperate.
The elevator doors opened onto a quiet, carpeted hallway. She walked to the end of the corridor, stopping at a heavy oak door. It swung open before she could knock. Kash stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He wore a black silk bathrobe, loosely tied. His hair was wet, droplets of water trailing down his neck.
He looked dangerous. And he knew it.
"Change your mind?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
Davina stepped out of the elevator. She reached into her purse and pulled out the signed agreement. She held it out to him, her hand shaking.
He took it, glancing at the signature. The smirk widened into a cold smile. "Smart girl."
He stepped closer, the heat of his body radiating toward her. He reached out, his fingers brushing her jaw, tilting her chin up. "So, you're finally ready to earn your keep."
Davina flinched away from his touch. Her eyes burned, but she forced herself to look at him. She had come here for a reason.
She raised her hands, her fingers trembling, and wrapped them around the back of his neck. She pulled him down.
Kash froze for a second, surprised. Then his eyes darkened, and he took control.
He backed her up against the wall, his hands gripping her waist. He kissed her hard, punishingly, his teeth grazing her lower lip.
Davina closed her eyes. A tear leaked out, sliding down her temple into her hair. She thought of Daisy's pale face, and she let the darkness take her.
