POV: Victoria
If only Claire wasn’t with him, I wouldn’t have cared. He can go and screw himself for all I care. But, I couldn’t turn the other way because of my sister. And now I’m stranded in this busy city looking for her. I wonder who he stole from, is the person as scary as the security guard described him?
I drove around in circles until I got too frustrated to even think straight. I don’t know what to do, there is no way I would leave here and go back home to Mom when I have no idea what happened to my sister. I drove back to Kyle’s house and I went back to the security to get more information about the guys that were looking for Kyle. If I knew who they were, then at least I would know where to start from.
“You don’t listen, do you?
I told you to leave, you can’t be here!” he yelled at me furiously.
“What happened to you?” I asked in concern when I noticed the bruises on his face. This wasn’t there when I stopped by earlier it’s not even up to an hour ago that I left him and he’s sporting some bruises on his face and body. His security post looks scattered as well, it’s obvious he had just been attacked and assaulted.
“You see this?
This was done to me by Dominic’s boys because I was caught looking around Kyle’s room. Imagine what they would do to you if they found you asking about him!” he scoffed, nursing his injuries.
“Who is he, and what does he want with Kyle?” I asked him, but he turned away and walked back to his post, putting together his stuff and completely ignoring me.
“Can I look around his room to see if I’ll find anything that could tell me where he is?” I asked him. He finally looked up and laughed at me hilariously,
“Suit yourself, lady!
But don’t blame me if they come for you as well. I just got beat up because I went for a routine check in that damn room. Dominic has his eyes on that room every minute, his boys are hanging around this building like leeches, they will pounce on you the moment you mention his name, let alone enter his room.
That guy is fucked!
He has been getting in trouble with his dealers for a while now. But this time, he fucking messed with the wrong person. Are aware that he stole his heroin and his car?” he asked rhetorically, looking around to make sure no one was listening in.
“Look here, young lady. I’m only doing you a favor because you look like a nice lazy. Keep that guy’s name out of your mouth and stay the hell away from him. You don’t want to mess with this guy!” he warned me sternly.
“This guy!
This guy!
This guy!
Who the hell is this guy, who is this Dominic you speak of?” I asked furiously. He shuddered in fear and pretended to be busy as he saw a few guys walking into the building with their eyes fixed on me and their hands in their jackets as if they were about to pull out a weapon. He was shivering in fear and so was I. We don’t know if they heard our conversation, but they looked so mean and dangerous.
With the way the security guard is shaking like a leaf and dropping his phone and his pen repeatedly, I’m guessing that these are the same guys that had brought him up earlier. They were six guys, all huge and probably armed because their hands were in their jackets, ready to pull out their weapons. They walked over and stood around us, some standing behind me while some went behind him.
For a few minutes, they didn’t say anything. They just looked at us threateningly, walking around the room and throwing things to the floor.
“I heard Dominic, bitch!
Which Dominic are you referring to, and what the hell do you know about Dominic Morell and Kyle?” One guy asked me, a smirk on his face. Hearing his voice made me realize that he is a real threat and this guard is right to be scared of them.
“Dominic what?
Who the hell is that and why should it be my business, why are you asking me about him and that other guy you just spoke about, what’s his name again?” I asked, lying my ass off. I did my best to hide my fears and just act tough before them. But deep in my heart, I was shaking in fear, shivering like a wet chicken.
“Come on man, just point me in the right direction already. You know I’m new in town, I have no idea where to turn to. I’ve been craving Domino’s Pizza all week and I just can’t go to bed tonight if I don’t get it. Just give me the address please, please, please, please,” I told the guard, ignoring the guys as if they weren’t there.
“I asked you to leave already and stop bothering me!” he yelled in frustration.
“Yo! Hey! Stop your whining and give the girl what she wants,” one of the guys yelled at him angrily.
“You see, even these weird guys understand. Why don’t you help me out here,” I told him with a smile. I turned to smile at the guys too, mouthing a thank you to the guy that spoke up for me. The guards looked frustrated and scared. He had no choice but to write down the directions on a paper and hand it to me.
“Now get the hell out of here!” he urged me urgently, trying to hide his fears as well. I grabbed the paper from him and scurried off like a scared little rabbit, hoping and praying that they wouldn’t catch up on my lie. Luckily I wasn’t stopped on my way out and I did my best not to look back as I left.
I made sure I rounded the corner before turning to make sure I was not being followed. When I rounded the corner I opened the paper he gave me and I found out it wasn’t the address to a pizza joint like I asked for. He wrote a stern warning,
“Don’t ever come back here, this place is being watched. And watch your back too, it seems you are now on their radar!” if I wasn’t scared before, well, I am now. I got into the car and drove off in a panic. I drove past the building to check if the guard was okay. I literally yelled excitedly when I saw him standing alone at his spot. I heaved a relieved sigh, but that did nothing to ease my fears about Claire.
I pulled over and held the steering firmly, I have no idea what I’m doing now. I’m way over my head here, I still have no clue where Claire could be and she is still not taking her calls. I called the house and she was not back home either. Panicked and alone, I pulled out her phone and dialed Raphael’s number. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. But I know that I really need his help if I ever want to find Claire.
Raphael picks up the phone, anger evident in his voice as I explain the situation to him. The moment I mentioned Dominic Morell to him, he fell silent immediately. Without hesitation, he asked for my location and ordered me to stay right there and not make any move.
I guess I should be thankful to the thugs for telling me the name of their boss. Dominic Morell must be famous and ruthless like the guard told me. Even Raphael knows him, and from the look of things, I think Raphael is scared of him as well. I have never seen him this way before, it’s as though this guy brings out the sick, scared Raphael that everyone knows him to be.
“Get out of that car, leave the key on the ignition, and take a cab to town, I’ll text you where to meet me.” He chatted with me after a few minutes, sounding tense and suspicious. Now I’m not just scared, my initial panic is turning into a heart attack because I’m finding it difficult to breathe properly. I kept looking around to see if I was being watched.
I got the cab as he instructed and I texted him that I was in a cab and on my way to town already. While I texted him, I kept eyeing the cab driver suspiciously, checking if he was a thug spy.
He completely ignored me and focused on his driving, but I still couldn’t take my eyes off him for even a second. It’s as though everyone around me is a suspect. I couldn’t sit still, I couldn’t think straight. I just kept looking back and forth, checking everywhere as if I was a wanted felon escaping justice.