Ricci Russo, swiped the key card on the door, he smoothed his dark hair. When the door opened up, he walked in. He took in the luxurious room, the pristine white sheets. There was a table and chair on the other end. Every accessory was plated in gold. There was a large glass door with the balcony on the other side. Then he turned to the tall blond man who was standing with his head bowed in front of him. “Good day sir.”
“Why did you pick a hotel room for our meeting?”“I figured you needed privacy. I signed the register under a fake name.”Ricci did not respond. He crossed the length of the room and walked up to the glass doors. Just beyond the hotel was green vegetation, there was no building within sight. It was indeed private. He loosened his tie, “Tell me you have some good news at least…”The man walked up to the table, opened up the briefcase and pulled out his laptop, “It was almost impossible at first, we were able to pin down his location“You’re tensed” Celio observed.Ricci opened his eyes. “Now is not the time, Celio. I need you to get back to work. This is important to me.”Celio scooted closer to him, his lean fingers moved Ricci’s unruly curls away from his face.Ricci’s whole body tensed from the small contact. His touch was light as a feather.“Definitely, not as important as how you feel right now.” His voice was barely above a whisper.Ricci shuddered as his soft breath caressed his neck, goosebumps spread across his skin. “I…I...I need to find the Doc, I need to do it for my father…” He stuttered.“Shh” Celio placed a finger on Ricci’s lips. Then proceeded to unbutton his shirt. “Did it turn you on when I called you sir?”Ricci swallowed but he did not answer. His whole body felt lax, he couldn’t protest.“Did it turn you on when you lost your temper and shouted at me?” he unbuckled his belt, “Did it? Did it make you excited to bark orders
“Can I ask you something?”Orlando looked up at her. He did not hear her walk in.She was barefoot, dressed in a cotton floral nightgown that was much bigger than her. She was fresh-faced, like she had just gotten out of the shower, her long dark hair tucked behind her ears, her deep blue eyes evading his gaze, and she was biting her lower lip…Orlando willed himself to look away from her and back to his laptop. “Yes.”“I want to know how Camila, my nana, is doing.”He drummed his fingers on the table, contemplating whether to tell her the truth or not.Elena stared at him. He had not answered. “Luca told me she was in really bad shape,” she blurted out. “I just want to know how her health is, how she is faring. Is she okay?” She rushed the words.Orlando had been itching to know what Luca had discussed with her a couple of days ago. “Your nanny is in good health, she has been cooperative.”“Can I speak with her
Her chest was heaving, her thoughts were running wild.“Your father is yet to make contact.”“It has been two days,” she interjected. She took a while to steady her breath. “I just, can we call him?”“With how your father arranged it, it would be impossible to reach him.”She closed the distance between them without giving it a thought. She grabbed his hand.He was surprised, but he did not let it show on his face. He looked down at their entwined hands.“Please…”He swallowed. He had never been more tense about anything in a long time. “There are rumors that your father, well, that he is dead.”Elena stilled. It was like time stopped, everything halted, she stopped breathing. When she caught her breath, she was exhausted. She doubled over and fell to the ground, gasping for air. Her world was crashing before her, everything she had held dear, every dream she had, every hope she had felt. Her eyes welled up in tears,
Orlando tapped his feet rhythmically against the marble floors. “The Doc is dead,” he announced in a flat tone. The words hung in the air as his eyes moved from one face to another. There was no distinct expression on their faces that he could pick up on. Silence filled the room for a moment until Colombano broke it.“Have you at least recovered the briefcase?”At first, when he had met them, he had been taken aback by their lack of sympathy, but not anymore. He was used to it.“Sadly, no, Colombano…” Romano answered. “I fear my briefcase is still out somewhere in the world, or worse, in the hands of some lowlife thief.” The distaste was clear in his voice.“How are we to recover it?” Luca questioned. “Do we know Doc’s last location?”“I am on it.”“It is taking longer than expected,” Luca’s tone was curt.Orlando’s piercing gaze was met with the same from Luca.Romano looked between the both of them. “Finding the briefcase is primary, see to it that it is done…”“Or we put an end to t
Orlando peered at the house across from where his car was parked; the blinds were open, so he had a clear view into the house. It was a small house in a nice suburban neighborhood. The people in this neighborhood were nice and friendly, and the police actually cared about checking crime.A woman in her sixties came into view. Her dark curly hair was tied atop her head in a messy bun, with streaks of silver on the side. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at something someone said. Her eyes were tired, but they still managed to gleam when she smiled. She moved away from the window and emerged again, this time her laughter was a little loud. He could hear the faint sounds of her laughter, and although he did not hear what was said, his lips cracked into a smile of his own.All his life, he had never seen her carefree; he did not remember what she looked like when she smiled. Although she still bore the telltale signs of what she had been through in the past, he could tel
(FLashback Scene Continues...)“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I did not kill anybody…”Orlando hated this dance; he wanted to be done with it as quickly as possible, “I took your phone at the bar. I could have killed you then if I wanted and gotten all the information I needed somehow, yet I spared you…” He dipped his hands into his pocket and brought out a transparent ziplock bag.Evan’s eyes widened in recognition.“I got this from your dealer,” Orlando continued. “You moved houses a lot, so it was somewhat hard to find you, but it turns out you’re best buddies with your dealer, so he was more than happy to lead me to your house for an extra wad of cash… fool,” he shook his head. He stood to his feet. “So, this is what is going to happen: I am going to load you with a ton of drugs, little by little, by the way…” He leaned forward and whispered. “All of the good, bad, and ugly stuff.” He stood erect again and began pacing. “Now, I don’t know for sure, but it is going to do r
“Ricci Russo!” Orlando called out as he casually strolled into the master bedroom. The man ducked behind Ricci. “What the fuck?” Ricci yelled. “What in the actual fuck!” he cussed.Orlando walked up to the large sofa facing the big bed and plopped down on the chair. “I knew I would find you here…” He leaned backward and exhaled. “It has been a somewhat stressful week for me...” He looked up at their terrified expressions, then he began to remove his gloves, “Don’t fret, I don’t think there would be a need for this…”The sigh of relief from Ricci’s companion was audible.“Unless, well unless you give me a reason to…” his grey eyes bored into Ricci’s.“What are you doing here and how did you get here?”“I have a few questions to ask and I got here in my car. Anything else?” he answered.“How did you get past the guards…” Ricci walked towards the door to take a peek, the man clung to him tightly, his head bowed. Orlando recognized him, He interjected, “Now you have asked a few question
Elena knocked on the door. She kept peering behind her, unable to ignore the irrational fear that Orlando would show up behind her and whisk her away again. The fear wasn't irrational; he had done it before, so what was stopping him this time? The door opened, and Imani's head popped out, her eyes widening like saucers as soon as she saw Elena."Okay, I want to be pissed and cuss you for abandoning me, but you look really tired and scared, and..." her high-pitched tone decreased with every word she said. "Are those tears?" She asked, with concern etched on her features. "Honey..."Elena was tongue-tied, feeling the bile rise in her throat. When she ran away from Orlando's house, the first place she thought to go was home, but she knew it would be the first place he would look, so she opted for Imani's house. On her way there, she had crafted a nice explanation of everything that had gone down and what needed to be done, but as soon as she laid eyes on Imani, the look of concern on her