Chapter 2

Chapter 2

          “Papa, what were they talking about?” Caterina asked her father as soon as they all left. She was really upset when her father closed the café and took her to their apartment just above their café.

          “He... uh… he gave me some prepositions.” Her father entered her bedroom and pulled up a bag from under her bed. “You are going to your aunt for a while and don’t tell anyone about it. I will get to you soon and we will get back to work. I will hire Sally to manage the kitchen in your absence.” Caterina stopped her father from rambling. She was unable to grasp anything her father was saying.

          “Wait. Where and why am I going? And what prepositions? Why would you hire Sally?” She held his hands to stop him but he kept on pulling clothes from her closet until she stopped him forcefully.

          “Papa… look at me. What is going on?” she asked in an apparently calm tone. Her mind was signaling her to run away but she couldn’t leave her father.

          “Listen kid, you have to go. He is no good man. He will destroy us. He has promised to visit day after tomorrow and I want you gone before him. Now pack your bag and I will call your uncle to pick you up.” He tried to hurry but Caterina wasn’t satisfied with his answers.

          “But papa, why do we have to leave our home? This is our place right? What does it has to do with him? We didn’t cross his path right?” She asked him but her eyes opened wide in shock as she saw the horror registered in his eyes. “Papa…”

          “Caterina, I… Believe me I didn’t know it will come to this point that I have to let you go. But there is no other way to save you.” He held her hands to make her understand.

          “But what about you papa?”

          “Oh don’t worry about me; your papa is very strong. And now hurry. It will already take more than seven hours of driving for your uncle to reach and pick you up. Now go and pack while I make arrangements.” He hurried to call her uncle while she picked up the abandoned clothes thrown on the bed.

          The situation was beyond her understanding. She couldn’t think of a reason why his father would end up in the Hugo named trouble. But of course she was as helpless as her father and she had no other option but to obey.  So she did.

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          “Do you think old man will agree?” Luca asked Hugo who put the dumbbells on the carpet and went to the bench press.

          “And what makes you think I will wait for him to agree?” Hugo said settling on the bench as Luca stood behind him to spot him.

          “His daughter is quite feisty I must say.”Luca said in a dark tone making Hugo chuckle.

          “What? Did she catch your eye”? Hugo asked.

          “You are saying as if she didn’t catch your attention?” Luca counterattacked.

          “Honestly, it would be fun breaking her.”

          “Only if the old man accepts.”

          “And I don’t care for his blessings. She will be tied to my bed by the end of tomorrow give or take.” Hugo exclaimed before he sat up. He was exhausted and sweating profusely.

          “Boss, the old man is trying to sneak away his daughter.” Suddenly the room to the gym opened and Hugo glared at him before turning towards Luca who was barking orders at the drivers to take out the cars.

          Hugo snuck his guns in the waist band of his slacks that he was wearing and pulled two in the holsters strapped on his naked chest. He didn’t bother wearing a shirt over his sweaty body and who cared anyway.

          They piled up in the cars and this time Hugo took the driving seat because he knew he won’t be able to see Luca navigate through the signals and everything. Unaware of the father daughter duo, they had placed a few mic and cams around the café that could catch a sound of a pin dropping on the floor. And that’s how the men were able to catch them, not that Hugo could let them go anyway.

          The roads were momentarily echoed with the tires screeching as they halted in front of the café and Hugo didn’t bother shutting down the engine as he marched towards the door. It was closed as expected but the gunfire doesn’t see any lock.

          They had just barged in the hall when Luca saw Vittori scrambling inside the café. He was breathing hard not because of running all the way, but the panic that was written clearly in his eyes.

          Caterina was running behind him but she screamed as one of the guards held her arm while Hugo shot Vittori at his shoulder. He knew it was a flesh wound only but enough to terrorize both father and daughter.

          “Papaaa”… Caterina was trying hard to get away from the guard but the iron grip made it next to impossible.

          “Take her to the car and bring whatever luggage she had packed from her room.” Luca barked to his men who ran upstairs while the one who was holding her, pulled her over his shoulder and went outside.

          Hugo calmly held a chair and dragged it to where Vittori was whimpering and crying in pain.

          “It could have been avoided, don’t you think?” He said in a low voice but Vittori knew better to keep silent. He had already lost his chance of any mercy or survival.  He shouldn’t have risked it all.

          “pp… Please sir.” He tried to clasp his hands but Hugo tskd at him.

          “I only asked for a seventy five percent of your business earnings as the repay of the loan due but you chose to run away from me? From Hugo? And that too with your daughter. Oh no Vittori you don’t know what you did or maybe you did know but tried to outsmart me huh? How can you possibly think that I shut my eyes and ignore what’s going on under my nose?” He was snarling and Vittori was shaking in fear.

          “Please sir. I am ready to bear all the consequences of my actions, please spare my daughter. She has nothing to do with it. She wasn’t even aware of the preposition you put forward. I was just scared of her and I decided to….”

          “What? You decided it would be so easy to get her away from me? Now you listen to me carefully if you want to see her alive, though I would make sure you won’t be able to see her ever. But take it as a token of generosity from me, this café will be run by me now and you are just an employee.

          You have the flat with you but you have to pay all the bills and for Caterina, I will make sure she will be reminded of your stupidity every day and every night.” Hugo stood up with a menacing smile on his face and he would have looked so handsome only if they all didn’t know the devil he was.

          “Sir no, please. Please not Caterina. Spare her life please. I beg of you sir.” Vittori crawled to hold his foot but was tossed away with the same foot.

          They all left without speaking a word. The doors slammed open and shut leaving a crying Vittori and screeches of tires behind.

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Tabby