Olivia looked at the food her husband was bringing in a nylon. "I'm not hungry Mark", she said as soon as he dropped the nylon beside her.
"Will you go to the hospital then?", her husband asked her.
"I don't like that hospital. The smell is choking", Olivia replied and he nodded. He looked at the handkerchief stained with a little blood and shook his head.
"You still cough out blood?"
"Just a little", she replied and he stood up to check the cloth.
"This doesn't look a little Olivia. Are you okay?", he asked her and she nodded slowly.
"I will be. I feel great", Olivia said.
"You keep on lying to yourself Olivia. I want you to share everything with me. I want to know your pain and share your cross. Don't leave me in the dark dear", Mark said with a soft voice.
"I'll eat if only you eat with me", Olivia proposed and he refused.
"I ate at the Senator's house. I am not hungry. But I can watch you eat", he said and she nodded.
"If you eat all of it, I won't go to the next meeting. I'll stay here with you", Mark said.
"Promise?"
"Promise", he said with a determined gaze. He helped her to open the food. He then gave her the spoon to eat the rice.
"I also brought you orange juice. You should need some nutrients ", he concluded as she took a spoon of the rice. His mind wandered to his children and he heaved a sigh.
TWO DAYS LATER
"And where is this boyfriend of yours Theresa?", Raphael asked Tessa.
He was drinking hot tea by the door. He held her phone and spoke, "I must guess, Austin isn't the greatest after all. He still hasn't founded this hideout. Maybe" he whispered.
"He's a terrible hacker"
Tessa rolled over the bed. She can't escape even if she wants to. The bastard is monitoring all her moves. He set up CCTV cameras in all nooks and crannies of the house so there is nowhere to run to.
He had the maids bath her when it was time. Ever since the ropes came off her hand, she was being monitored by him.
"Your food is ready. Come to the dining room to eat your favorite food. I made your favorite today. And then, you should be getting ready for our wedding. It will be happening in three days. I invited the designer over already. You can discuss your dress with her while I talk to the event planner", Ralphael said and Tessa was shocked.
"What do you mean by wedding Raphael?"Tessa asked, sitting up straight.
"We are getting married in three days. Get ready for the marriage. That's what I meant", he said.
Tessa gulped her spit. "Mad guy", she muttered but he heard her.
"Or would you like to have your meal here? I'll tell the maid to bring it over", Raphael suggested.
"Bring it over," she replied.
"Thank you", she appreciated his effort. She has to eat in order to remain strong. But then, she was losing hope. Why hasn't Austin or Zavier founded her? She knows that right now Kim is worried. What of Jun ho? He must have known by now right? Luke? Ryan? Samuel? And then, her work place. Her favorite customer - Mr. Edward. Her parents!!
She started sniffing to hold back her tears. If she starts crying, she will be sick and she doesn't want to be sick.
********
Ryan spat out the food Austin prepared for him. Austin was not happy with him.
"This is the right way to make it Ryan. This is baby food that doesn't require any steps. I even watched a youtube video", he flashed the screen of his phone to him. "This is the fourth time I am making this. If you don't eat, you ain't going to school", Austin commanded and Ryan smiled.
"Why are you smiling? Don't tell me that you're happy that you're staying home", Austin raised his brow and he nodded positively.
"You ain't gonna go with snacks", Austin said.
"Miss Felicia will buy me a lot of food today", Ryan replied sticking out his tongue.
"And why is that?"
"I scored the highest mark", Ryan said proudly.
"In that case, I'll instruct Miss Felicia not to buy you anything", Austin responded.
"Tessa told me to get what I want from Wilson's shop anytime I'm famished. She'll pay whenever she comes by", Ryan declared boldly and Austin hit his head. How can he teach this brat a lesson?
Just then, there was a violent knock at the door. The knock persisted and Austin was irritated.
"I am not eating this rubbish. This is not the way sis Tessa prepares it", Ryan said with a huge frown on his face.
Austin paused when he heard that. He took the food into the kitchen and quickly went to answer the door.
He was dragged by the collar by Zavier as soon as he opened the door. "Why didn't you tell me?!!! Why did you fucking keep it from me?", Zavier demanded as he dragged Austin by the collar angrily.
Austin didn't reply to him and removed his hand from his collar. "I was gonna figure it out. The guy is playing with me" he replied and Zavier hissed.
"Hours passed Austin! This is day two. Freaking day two that she disappeared. And you're handling the damn situation", Zavier roared and Austin shut his mouth with his palm.
"Ryan is here. Come with me", he suggested and pulled him inside. They both went to Austin's room and Austin sat in front of his computers.
"See this green dot", Austin pointed to his computer and Zavier looked closer. He then nodded to show that he could see the dot.
"That was the signal I picked from her phone the last time I conducted a search. And that place is freaking far to travel to! What the hell was he thinking when he kidnapped her? You gotta take two planes to the place. I don't think we're gonna reach there early if we even take a first class plane unless-"
"I have a jet", Zavier cut in and he was shocked.
"W-hat?"
"I've got a jet", Zavier repeated.
"That's so cool. When did you-"
"We're talking about Tessa, my girlfriend", Zavier reminded him.
"My sister. She knew me before you came along " Austin argued.
"But then, I got a weak connection recently from her phone. The idiot must have switched it on or something", Austin gave out information and Zavier listened.
"If we move out tonight, we'll get there very early tomorrow morning and get Tessa from the kidnapper. Actually, the description I got from the boss seems like her ex boyfriend", Austin said and Zavier's face got hardened.
"I get it that you didn't tell me because you didn't want the fucking operation to go wrong but then, what the hell were you thinking by keeping it away from me?!", Zavier roared as he ran his hand through his black hair.
"I was gathering more information, man", Austin answered and Zavier sighed.
"Did Cole get anything?", Austin asked and Zavier shook his head.
"The idiot is in the hospital. He's hurt from the operation", Zavier replied.
"Oh! That's bad news", Austin responded as his fingers danced on his keyboard.
"And then, we'll need some backup for security proposed", Austin said and Zavier agreed.
"I can have some of my guys follow me there for security. They are good in that aspect bro", Zavier replied.
"If we leave by eight in the morning, we can get there in thirteen hours time", Austin stated.
"We can leave by six and arrive more early Austin"
"If you say so, I shared some documents and location with your phone. Share them with Cole. He'll know what to do with the information".
Zavier took out his phone to confirm what Austin said. They walked back to the living room and Ryan jumped off his chair as soon as he saw them. He hugged Zavier's leg and looked up with a pleasing face.
"Please, can you take me to school?", he begged.
Zavier wanted to reject his request but Austin nudged him by the shoulder.
"Okay", Zavier gave in to his request. Ryan's eyes lit up in excitement. He quickly ran to the dining room to fetch his school bag from the chair. He then grabbed Zavier's hand as they left the house.
"Woah!!! I love your car", he screamed and ran towards it. He kicked the tires and hopped on a foot in pain.
"Oh! My leg!! My leg!!", he cried out in pain. Zavier watched him and checked his leg for any blood because to him, he was really exaggerating.
'This guy is gonna be a good actor in the future', he said in his mind.
***********
IN ABUELA'S HOUSE
"I'm happy that you've got a man in your life now", Abuela said. Vivian was helping her in the kitchen with the dishes while Raymond was helping her son, Angelo, to make a kite.
"I know mom", Vivian said with a smile.
"Has he asked about Angelo?" Abuela asked.
"No, mom"
"Won't you tell him how he came along? There is no need to be ashamed Vivi", Abuela remarked.
"I will tell him when the time comes mama. Besides, he hasn't asked for the information yet", Vivian concluded.
"He seems like a gentleman that won't ask for things like that. He must think that he'll be judgmental if he asked for things like that. Anyways, it seems like you two cannot wait for wedding night anymore", Abuela said and Vivian's face turned red.
"You were so loud that I had to increase the volume of the t.v to distract the innocent boy", her mum concluded.
"But mum!" Vivian began "We haven't done that yet!"
"Please do that very soon. I am expecting another grandkid from you next year. Your sister is too old to get another kid", Abuela said and Vivian paused.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing mum. I miss sis", Vivian said with a small smile and her mum smiled.
"I miss her too. She's doing well where she is. I know that", her mum said.
"Are you sure she's doing well mum?", Vivian asked.
"Of course. Or are you keeping something from me?" Abuela asked and she shook her head.
"She's in good health mum. You'll be the first person I'll tell if she's not alright", Vivian replied and her mum smiled. She pulled her into a warm embrace as a tear ran down her cheek.
"I'm sorry mum", Vivian muttered as breathe in some air with a heavy heart.
*********
"Raphael!!!" Eva shouted while climbing the stairs. "Ra-", Raphael shot her shoulder and she came stumbling down the stairs.
"Keep your fucking mouth up!! I never shared this location with you. How did you get it?!" he yelled furiously and descended the stairs quickly.
He searched her pockets fervently for her phone. He took it and furrowed his brows. She was playing with his temper right now. He slapped her hard across the face and kicked her stomach.
"I'm fucking pregnant Ralph!!", Eva yelled as she winced in pain.
"That's isn't any of my fucking business. I haven't fucked you that long and that's my baby?!! You're fucking mad!!", he screamed as he kicked her numerous times ignoring her shouts.
He dragged her hair across the tiles as she screamed. Tessa took that opportunity to escape. Right now, he's not staring at his computer like a fool. He's not watching the CCTV camera. Neither was her hands tied with ropes anymore. She got off the bed with shaky breaths and slowly made her way out of the room.
She went back to look for his room in order to take her phone. As soon as her phone is on, she will call three people: Austin, Zavier and Kim. They are the three people that came to her mind. She tiptoed and ignored the scene Raphael was creating with his so-called lover named Eva.
She found her phone in a room and took it. She quickly switched it on with shaky hands. She quickly turned on her location as soon as it was on. As soon as she looked down the stairs to see the situation Raphael was in, she was shocked to see that he had a pistol. She was more shocked to see that it was a real gun.
Never in her life did she imagine that her ex-boyfriend would have a gun in his custody. But then, Tessa told herself that if Raphael should kill the girl then his humanity is indeed dead.
She did hear when Eva was screaming that she was pregnant with his child.
Should Raphael kill her, she would kill herself rather than have him do whatever he likes with her.
But where did she go wrong? He left her and after what seemed like eternity, she moved on and found her happiness. Why can't he do the same. In the process of looking at what was happening downstairs, Tessa collided against the flower vase, sending it down the tiles with a loud sound.
Raphael immediately looked at the direction the sound came from.
"Theresa!!", he bellowed and shot Eva a glare. She tried to play smart with him in handling the gun. He slapped her hard and shot thrice into her skull. He then stepped on her phone violently, smashing the screen of the phone beyond repairs. He punched the wall and shot at Tessa's place.
Tears ran down her eyes as soon as she heard the loud gunshot. "You're an animal Raphael!! I hate you!! You ain't a human! You just killed her. She's innocent Ralph!!", she yelled and ran away but Raphael shot as she ran.
Unfortunately, the bullet bruised her back as she ran.
She flinched and fell down on the floor. She was weakened. Her heart was thumping in her chest loudly. She could hear her own heartbeat.
"Is this how I'm gonna die?", she muttered under her breath as she breathed heavily.
She was forced to look at the pool of blood the deaf girl had formed on the ground. She still can't accept the fact that Raphael shot at her.
Did he really do it or she's dreaming? The same Raphael told her that he can never hurt her but would rather kill himself than to see her get hurt. That Raphael is shooting at her. Now, she's the stallion that Tory Lanez shot. Helplessly seeking help and safety from the beast.
She couldn't call anyone unfortunately but she did put on her location. She cried and shouted as Raphael approached her. She has spent days in this freaking house.
The house was beautiful but ugly because she was with him. He dragged her hair as she kicked the hair.
He slapped her face and pulled her up. She bit his hand and pushed him away with the strength that she has. She ran as far as her feet could take her.
She didn't know how the doors worked so she was stuck with the door. She dragged the handle and pulled and pushed and turned the door knob but nothing happened.
"It seems like you're stuck with me my love", Raphael chuckled but the door was opened forcibly by someone.
"Not if I can't help it", Jun ho stated and Tessa hugged him tightly. Her hand was sliding off his body as she fainted from the anxiety and stress. Raphael was shocked to see her so-called friend at the door. A gun shot was heard immediately and he raised his gun at Tessa's back.
He looked at his hand in horror and shock. Who the fuck did this to him? His hand was shot and blood gushed out of it without control.
A blonde-haired guy stepped into the house with a shiny gun. He shot again and Raphael staggered backward spitting out blood.
He dropped the gun and rushed at him with heavy punches till his face got bloodied.
"That's enough, Zavier. Do you want to kill him", Austin asked as he grabbed Zavier from killing Raphael.
"He'll be dead pretty soon anyways. The bastard is gonna pay a sudden visit to the devil soon enough", Zavier said as he kicked Raphael.
Raphael landed him a punch in the stomach with his other hand and Zavier retaliated. Austin's plan to separate them proved abortive as the remaining members of the sevens helped Zavier to beat Raphael.
Unknown to them, Raphael had guards come in to fight for him. They came in holding rods, batons and clubs. Austin left them alone and helped Trevor attend to his sister.
As soon as he saw a bullet in his sister's body, he grew mad but he had to make the right decision. He helped in talking her to the car to administer first aid.
Zavier was wise to take some medical practitioners with him. They knew what to do. He was just there to hold his sister's hand and look at her tired face.
Her eyes remained closed and her lips were chapped. A side of him wished Raphael would be dead but won't he be heartless if he wished for that?
Like every person, Raphael will have families, friends and community but then, who was that dead girl earlier?
She seemed familiar but he couldn't remember where he had seen her. Maybe, oh yes, his new girlfriend but why is she dead? Perhaps, he killed her or perhaps, something happened in the house.
That's not his business right now. Right now, his business is his sister and he's there to help her. He looked at Jun ho who was silently crying in a corner. Maybe, he thinks that she will die. But, she won't die. That can't happen.
IN THE HOUSE
Drake managed to collect a baton from a guard. He combined martial arts with the baton swinging in directions to keep the guards away. The baton hit one down in his groins and Drake felt bad.
"Sorry for that man", he said. "Don't worry. Your wife will still feel satisfied", he added and Cole slapped his head.
Fred accurately shot a guard that was coming for Matthew who was in combat with a sturdy guard.
"I got you bro", Fred patted his chest and Matthew smiled.
"Watch out Drake ", Zavier shouted but it was too late. The guard kicked Drake sending him to fly in wrong direction.
Drake gritted his teeth and had a comeback on the guard. He swiftly grabbed a banton from a guard and hit the guard in the ribs. The guard fell down straight. He was dead.
Damon and Simon used their agility to outsmart the guards.
"They're bunch of idiots. These aren't guards. They are women in special uniform", Simon teased and Damon laughed.
Zavier cocked his gun multiple times and shot without missing his target. When the guards saw that they were losing, they began retracting and scampered away for safety.
Zavier grabbed Raphael up and handed him over to Simon. "You know what to do. I'll be back pretty soon. Let me go and see my girl", he said wiping his sexy lips that was stained with a little blood.
He was also hurt while fighting but that didn't matter. His girl mattered more to him.