Chapter 2 The Hunt

• Eduardo La Rosa De Re sat in the dimly lit room twirling his whiskey glass, reminiscing about his previous conversation on the phone. He stopped to think as he looked at the envelope in front of him.
• “Don Francesco,” he uttered with his deep, resonant Italian accent.
• “What’s with that face, Amico?” questioned Marco, Eduardo’s closest friend, as he wondered how he didn’t notice his entrance into the room, not until he called him. The envelope on the table caught his attention immediately.
• “What is this about?” He questioned sternly as Eduardo stood to adjust his suit.
• “Hunting, Fratello... it’s time to hunt,” he spoke as he tapped Marco’s shoulder.
• “But we agreed not to...”
• “Sí, but this was an order from the higher-ups, Andiamo.”
• Marco quickly made arrangements. One thing he knew was that once Eduardo spoke in such a manner, he needed not waste time; time was of the essence.
• Six hours later they were aboard the La Viva ship, the same ship the Donaldson was hosting their party on, but on the first floor of the ship.
• “Tonight we have two jobs. First, we settle scores with Don Francesco Marino, and we send our regards to the celebrants, and luck seems to be on our side as they’re aboard La Viva tonight.”
• “Killing two birds with one bullet is so you amico,” Eduardo grinned as Marco commented.
• Don Francesco Marino, leader of La Scorpioni, was a member of La Famiglia dei Re, but not until 10 years ago he decided to revolt and break out of the family with claims that Don Massimo de Re, head of La Famiglia dei Re, had grown soft because he was against the trafficking of underage and tried to reform. Since then, Francesco has been a rival and formed Scorpioni.
• The reason for tonight’s meeting was because an intel had reported that there were twelve-year-olds trafficked under the La Famiglia dei Re name, and this wasn’t the first nor the second.
• Eduardo, Marco, and three of his most trusted associates—Luis, Pete, and Eric—entered the meeting room dimly lit with a single disco light. The atmosphere was filled with a mixture of whiskey and smoke as thick as a fog.
• Don Francesco was already seated; his attention was fixed on a pole dancer performing before him, fully oblivious to their presence. Roberto, his right-hand man, leaned in to whisper into his ear as Eduardo took a seat while his men stood beside him.
• Don Francesco finally shifted his attention from the pole dancer to Eduardo; his face showed displeasure with who was before him.
• “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, with anger in his voice. His right-hand man quickly dismissed Rosa, the pole dancer. While Eduardo, with his devil-may-care attitude, winked at her playfully as she exited the room, this act only intensified Don Francesco’s anger.
• “This is not what we agreed on. I refuse to have any discussion with you.”
• “Our father has other important things to attend to...”
• “So this is of no importance to him, sí or no?” He retorted with anger.
• “Our father...” Eduardo continued undeterred by Don Francesco’s interruption.
• “Roberto, come on, this is an insult to me.” He stood to leave along with his gang, but Pete and Eric were already at the door to prevent them from leaving.
• “I see you came prepared.” He motioned to his gang of four to go back to their positions as Marco motioned to Pete and Eric to leave.
• “But you should know I didn’t come unprepared; they aren’t the only ones here.”
• “Francesco Marino,” Eduardo continued
• “You were warned the previous time we met to stop using the family name for your business; Father isn’t happy with it. And you know what happens when father is not happy.”
• He moved closer to him as he spoke, showing just how serious he was. Francesco could feel the intensity of his anger as Eduardo’s piercing blue eyes locked onto him sternly. His gaze darted to Marco and Luis, whose hands were gripped to their weapons, ready to fire at Eduardo’s command.
• “Marco, Luis, leave us,” commanded Eduardo; he didn’t come for war, just to make his point.
• “Signor Marco, are you sure Don will be fine?” Luis asked as they left the room.
• “Chiaro, you should know this by now; come on, we have less than an hour to get off this ship; I’m sure the others are out by now.”.
• Pete and Eric were to meet a client at the party; once that was over, they were ordered to leave the ship. Marco and Luis had another mission to attend to.
• As the ship rocked back and forth in the stormy seas, the meeting between the two rival mafia groups grew tense, and with both of them eyeing each other warily, Don Francesco kept belittling Eduardo, saying he was still a kid, one who was placed in his care as a little boy. Eduardo, unfazed by his words, didn’t utter a word, just left him ranting. His expression was cold and intimidating.
• Though Francesco was cocky and defiant, he was uncomfortable with Eduardo’s silence. Soon the meeting came to an end. With the signal of fireworks, Eduardo knew his members were out safely. He looked at his gold watch and declared the meeting closed as he bid his farewell with a smirk, clearly pleased with the outcome.
• “I don’t trust him, sir. He barely spoke a word.”
• “That’s why I asked the others to watch his minions’ every move.” Don Francesco replied uneasily as he loosened his tie and gulped down the whiskey on the table.
• “Any reports yet?” He asked as his uneasiness increased, taking the whiskey did not calm him. He grimaced slightly, he felt a burning sensation in his chest spreading through his veins like a wild.
• “None, sir, ” Robert answered with concern observing the cold sweat trickling down his cheek.
• “Are you alright, Don Francesco?”
• “That Devil...” his voice was barely above whisper
• Don Francesco clutched his chest, gasping for air, as he remembered the smirk on Eduardo’s face when he left.
• Roberto immediately called for his medication, thinking it was his chest pain, but suddenly he doubled over in pain, clutching his chest and coughing up blood.
• His members rushed to his side, realizing too late that Francesco had been poisoned. There was panic as they scrambled to chase after Eduardo, who had already slipped away.
• As Eduardo tried to escape, he found his way to the elevator that led to the third deck of the ship. Along the way, he switched his clothing in one of the laundry rooms. His walk was composed but quick, and as he tried to avoid attention, La Scorpioni gangs were closing in on him; he didn’t expect them to be everywhere.
• “How many men did Don Francesco put on this ship?” He thought as he walked through the ship.
• Just then he arrived on the third deck, where he met Tessa struggling on the floor. He looked around carefully, ensuring he was not watched and hoping it wasn’t a trap. But on closer look, he could see it was the real deal.
• “Signora, are you okay?” He asked as he bent down to her, observing her keenly.
• “Alex,” she whispered dreamily.
• So many thoughts crossed his mind: should he leave this helpless woman behind, which could actually help him escape, or should he make sure she’s safe and not at the mercy of the Scorpions?
• As he was still contemplating, the elevator door opened, and he heard Roberto giving out command. He instinctively decided to carry her as his fingertips brushed against her lips. She moaned softly.
• Luckily for him, as Roberto and his men moved closer towards him, a concierge came through the elevator.
• “Mr. Alex, apologies, sir. You left the key to your room in your pocket when you changed.”
• He cleared his throat without looking back at Robert and requested the concierge to open the door. He remembered meeting this young man when he went to change his clothes. And he seemed oblivious to who the real Alex was; on second thought, he felt he could pass as Alex; he took her to the room before they could recognize him and shut the door; thereafter, he dismissed the young boy.
• He sat on the bed wondering what his next move would be; certainly, he couldn’t stay there for the night, and he couldn’t leave the room either because Roberto and his men were hovering outside the door.
• Just then he heard a knock on the door. He suddenly became tensed.
• “Room service”
• He didn’t remember requesting room service; the tension was unbearable, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He held onto the lock behind him as he cautiously opened the door. In front of him stood a smiling lady, probably in her 50’s.
• “Wine for the evening, sir.” He signalled for her to come in without uttering a word.
• “Shall I serve, sir?” He looked at her with a sense of doubt, but he needed a drink badly at this point.
• “Of course... I see strange faces in the corridor. Do you have any idea who they are?”
• “No, sir, will that be all?”
• “Yes, you may go.”
• He didn’t hesitate to gulp it down, then poured another one. Once he dropped the first glass, she excused herself and left.
• “Weirdos,” he thought, but currently he was feeling weird.
• Think straight, Ed; he scolded himself, then walked towards the window and checked his watch. He ought to move as soon as it was 12; otherwise, he would d wait till it was 3, and he couldn’t tell when the real Alex would come in. He flinched his head slightly and looked at the glass of wine in his hand. He felt slight dizziness.
• “Fuck, what have I gotten myself into”
• He thought, not after what happened to Don Francesco. But what he felt was different; it wasn’t a deathly feeling but an intoxicating one. One that spiked up his senses and awakened manly desires. He opened the windows, hoping the sea breeze would cool off the heat, but this was no body heat; it was sexual heat.
• Eduardo turned towards the bed, where Tessa was moaning softly. He had forgotten about her ,not until his desires were awaken. He walked towards her, watching her every reaction as she pulled at her dress, caressing her body softly.
• “Seems like we’re in the same boat, pretty.” He smiled, tracing the contours of her lips while she desperately tried to take a bite.
• “But I wonder why?”
• “Alex,” she called out once more as she pulled him down for a kiss. For a moment, he was taken aback; he tried to pull back, but Tessa’s fingers found their way to his ear, teasing and weakening him completely.
• “How the fuck did she know of his weakness?” he thought.
• Eduardo pulled away for a moment and looked at her, observing her every breath, his conscience urged him to stop. He wasn’t the type to take advantage of someone, but whatever it was wanted more of her.
• He made his way to her lips again, which were full of lust, traced from her neck down to her navel with soft kisses, sending shivers down her spine, her head thrown back with a wave of emotions. She wrapped her hands at the back of his neck as she moaned softly.
• He grasped her waist and placed her on his hips while she found her way to his ears and nibbled on it, forcing him to groan in ecstasy.
• “Fuck! This surely will be the death of me, “he thought.
• She gently moved her lips away from his and started kissing him down his neck and along his collarbone. She circled back to his earlobe and gently nibbled on it. He pulled her away and looked at her sternly. He was one to be in control, not the reverse, but he found it difficult, especially now that she found his weak spot. At this moment, he forgot his problem outside the room.
• Eduardo felt a sense of guilt as he watched Tessa sleep. He had taken time to look around the room and found a few things that brought the guilty feeling. As he looked at her, she was so innocent in her slumber that he wondered how he could have done such a thing.
• “An aphrodisiac,” he thought. He was still lost in thought when he heard the sound of footsteps at the door.
• It could be any other room, he thought, but it wasn’t. As he tilted his ear to the door, he could hear voices, and for a moment there was silence.
• He quickly moved towards the window as he observed the sea. It was now or never for him to escape, swim, or die, but he preferred the former. Just then he felt a wrap around his waist. He froze for a bit; he wasn’t aware she was up; probably the effect of the drug was over. As if that wasn’t enough, the door flung open and the light turned on. As they turned to look, there stood Dr. Raymond and a wasted Alex.
• Tessa, on seeing them froze on the spot
• “If her husband was in front of her,who then was the person behind her?”