The flat white wall of the hospital hallway offered no warmth or comfort to Connor as he waited on the doctors to emerge from the room where they were treating Andre. He replayed the hit he inflicted on Andre over and over again in his mind. He couldn't remember exactly where he hit Andre or why he decided to put such a vicious hit on him. Connor's soul was racked with pain, regret, and remorse. He sat down against the wall and let out his emotions into his huddled arms. Andre was already responsible for ending Veloz's life in the arena and now he felt like he was about to end the life of someone he deeply cared for by means of the same violent sport he had intrinsically refuted.
He briefly looked up to see a nurse leaving the room. Connor jumped to his feet to see if he could find out what was going on. The nurse apologized in Ukrainian to Connor multiple times before he gave up communicating with her. He watched her walk down the hallway. She quickly faded in with her surrounding, but someone familiar stood at the far end of the hallway. Connors face sank as his heart took courage. She walked quickly and with purpose, by the time she got to Connor tears were pouring out of his eyes.
She warmly put her hand on his shoulder and then embraced him. "You had no choice Connor, he would have killed you if you didn't stop him."
"He wasn't himself Lena and I thought you'd be dead." Connor let go of all inhibition.
"I'm fine, it's you who needs to be careful." Lena warned.
Connor looked up with a red face and puffy eyes. "What do you mean?"
Lena looked at him sadly. "Billy wants you dead."
"How do you know?" Connor's tears and red face were suddenly attentive.
Lena quietly tried to get the words out. "When his men came to capture Andre, I heard them talking."
"What did they say?" Connor's senses heightened.
Lena looked around the hallway and with a sallow face let it out. "After they shoved a needle into Andre's arm they started wagering against his odds of killing you. Then they said if Andre didn't kill you it wouldn't matter because Billy had another way to get rid of you. They said this was just a bonus and that maybe he get rid of you both on the same night."
"Did they know you heard them?" Connor's mind was scrambling to sift out the details.
"I was hiding behind the house, but I heard everything they said." Lena said.
"How do you know about the needle?" Connor inquired.
Lena reached into her hand bag and pulled out the needle. It still had a small amount of liquid in it. "When they took Andre, they left the needle behind on the floor."
"Do you think we can get one of the doctors to tell us what it is?" Connor examined the syringe and liquid even though he didn't have the faintest idea what it could be.
"It's why I am here, when I heard what happened I came as quickly as I could." Lena offered.
Connor turned to the door and slowly opened it. Two doctors were tending to Andre who had his head wrapped in bandages and was hooked up to a ventilator to assist his breathing. Lena started speaking in Ukrainian. One of the doctors turned and listened to her. He took the needle from her hand and then pointed for them to leave. As Connor looked at Andre his feet froze, he felt like he couldn't move. The doctor walked over and guided Connor out of the room. The empty hallway felt even more cold and sterile than it did originally. Connor's face was now pale.
Lena looked at Connor's transformed countenance. "Are you alright Connor?"
"I'm fine... I think I need to sit down." Connor slowly slid down the wall until he was in a seated position.
"The doctors said they would look into it." Lena motioned to leave. "We should probably go and let him rest."
"I can't leave." Connor protested.
"We have to leave Connor. The doctors don't want us here. We can come back in the morning to check on him." Lena nudged.
Connor stared blankly at the floor. "What if he needs me tonight?"
"We've done all we can." Lena empathized. "Come back to the house with me."
"No. I have a room in the city... It's closer to the hospital and I should probably check on Maria anyway." Connor slowly stood up. Lena helped balance him as he got up. He slowly walked away from Andre's room with his head hanging low.
Lena accompanied him all the way back to the hotel. Connor offered her the bed to sleep on as he was certain he would be up all night, but she politely declined and left Connor to go into his room alone. Connor went in and sat on a chair in the room. His mind raced around the events of the day over and over again. After he had replayed the day in his mind three or four times he realized he was alone.
Connor felt startled; he realized Maria wasn't back in the room. He alertly leapt to his feet and started looking around the room. It was left in the same condition as he had left it in except for one minor detail. An envelope was positioned upright on the hutch in the room addressed to Connor. Connor picked it up and slowly examined it. It was plain white and sealed like any envelope might be sealed. He opened it and pulled out a letter. He looked around the room and then looked down to read it. The letter was typed and did not contain any stationery, heading, or ending. It read.
It's truly sad what happened to your friend this evening. No one knew you had so much animosity toward him. I wish him the best for a speedy recovery.
You might be wondering where your girlfriend is. I have decided that she is too valuable to me and I am holding her for safe keeping until the end of the tournament. Everyone close to you is disappearing and I wouldn't be surprised if you were feeling incredibly lonely right now. You might find it interesting that someone who was once close to you is even closer to me.
After my demonstration in El Djem, I was bequeathed an American gem. She has more knowledge of the stick fighting world than any woman I know. Her treachery runs deep, but she has one weakness. Her weakness is you. She wants to meet with you. I have granted her request to meet with you, but I must insist that I remain present during your meeting. It should be a unique reunion.
Come to my suite tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock. I will have further instructions about your role in this tournament at that time as well. Goodnight.
The letter was left unsigned, but Connor knew exactly who it came from. Billy was burrowing his ugly head deeper and deeper into Connor's life and it was clearer than ever that Billy needed to be disposed of. Connor took in three deep breathes, sat on the bed, and closed his eyes. It would take plenty of rest and a balanced mind to make it through the next day.