Chapter 3 The Morales

"Get the girls to safety!", Mr Morales said, barging out of his home office.

"What does that mean, it's past 5, we just got started with dinner?", Mrs Morales asked as she came face to face with her husband who was breathing rapidly.

"What is going on?", she asked yet again, as her husband bent over on his knee for a short moment to catch his breath.

"The- The Rossi, he's com- coming and he's angry!", Mr Morales said, looking at his wife's face going from confusion, to realization, and finally fear.

Mrs Morales quickly turned towards the kitchen, "Girls! Girls! Come on! Pack up whatever you're doing and go to your rooms. When you get in, you lock the door behind you!"

"But mama, we just started cooking d...", one of the girls tried to interject.

"You do as I say!", Mrs Morales said, banging the table with her hands, causing the girls to flinch.

"Now to your rooms!", she said, grabbing both her daughters and leading them upstairs.

The girls looked at their father wondering what was wrong, but their father's expression made them wonder if they would get an answer.

The man was afraid of whatever was coming.

It was more of a WHO than WHAT!

How much trouble you had to be in to get the biggest mafia Don to visit you personally for the second time.

A domineering man of very few words, Luciano Rossi was the biggest mafia Don in all of Rome, his influence taking roots from the majority of Italy.

Highly revered for his achievements and his prowess, the single mention of his name sends a serial chill down the spine of every other person.

His visits were very rare, and could only result from two things; the first, he respected you and the second, you were owing him a lot of money.

And he certainly didn't respect Mr Morales, thus, he was on his way to retrieve a considerable amount of money from Mr Morales.

~~

"Where's your sister?", Mrs Morales asked her other two daughters as her brain finally processed that her elder daughter wasn't in the room with them.

The two girls looked at each other before one of them had the courage to speak to their mother who looked like she was in a frenzy.

"We we don't know mama!"

"Stay here and lock the door when I leave. Do not make any noises and I'll come knocking when the dust settles!", Mrs Morales said, leaving her daughters.

She started searching the rooms, a desperate attempt to find her elder daughter and bring her to safety.

While she did that, Mr Morales sat in his room, fear written all over his face as he rummaged through his office space.

Out of the heavy feeling of fear, he didn't remember where he kept some of the things Luciano would request upon his arrival.

However, he was lucky enough to find the specific document before he heard an array of tires crush the gravel in his compound.

His heart dropped as he quickly managed to arrange the mess he had caused, like Luciano will see this and have mercy on him.

Mr Morales quickly ran to the front door, opening it to see three black cars driving into his compound.

He stared at all of them, wondering which one Mr Rossi would come out from, as the glasses were tinted!

Mrs Morales came to stand beside her husband, wanting to tell him that she couldn't find their third daughter, Isabella. However, before she could even say anything, Mr Morales said, " Quick, prepare something for the guests "

"But, I can't...",

"Now !", Mr Morales said in finality as his wife scooted to the kitchen to get something prepared for the guest.

Finally, Two armed men alighted the first car, heading to the third car, the last one on the line, where they opened the door for whom Morales suspected to be Mr Rossi.

A Tall, muscular figure stepped out, buttoning his suit jacket. His face looked unreadable, like a blank slate, a considerable contrast to the pair of beautiful emerald colored eyes he had.

It was indeed Mr Rossi.

He stepped away from his car, one of the armed men closing the door behind him.

He looked around the compound, the same way he did the first time he had been there.

Mr Morales quickly rushed to him, as if entertaining his presence would make him forget the reason he was there.

"Welcome sir! Welcome! Shall we...!", Mr Morales was suddenly cut short by a loud thud which came from his open yard.

A girl suddenly appeared from the opening on the floor after she threw a package beforehand.

Curious, Luciano turned to see how the girl was going to climb out of the hatch.

He was rather stunned to find that the girl came out of the hatch with ease, like she was experienced. He watched as she went through the back entrance, her black hair which was in a bun reflecting the rays of the sun.

Mortified, Mr Morales quickly shifted to The Mafia Don, " Please sir, I have the comforts of my office waiting for you!"

"Who's that?!", Luciano suddenly asked, his gaze intense upon Mr Morales.

"That, that's my third daughter sir, her name Is Isabella!"

Nodding, he headed Into the house, Mr Morales following after him.

Four armed men followed him inside the building, while the rest scattered themselves around the compound, breaking themselves up to find possible threats.

~~

"Where were you!?", Mrs Morales asked as she saw her daughter, Isabella coming in through the back door.

"I was in the yard", Isabella answered, wondering what was wrong with her mother, she never really asked what she was up to, thus, she found the confrontation rather weird.

"I have been looking all over for you!", Mrs Morales replied.

She continued, "that doesn't matter! Now, you go to your room and lock the door behind you!", Mrs Morales said, pushing Isabella out of the kitchen.

"But aren't we going to cook dinner?", Isabella asked, wondering what was wrong.

"We can have dinner later, we have very unwanted guests! Now go to your room!", Mrs Morales said in finality as she shoved Isabella up the stairs.

~~~

The temperature in the Morales' home office seemed to drop minute by minute as the renowned vicious Don and the debtor, Mr Morales remained in the room.

Standing by the window sill, Luciano's jaw tightened hearing what Mr Morales reported to him after six months.

"You could only raise twenty five thousand euros out of a sum of five hundred million euros?", Luciano asked, confirming he heard what Mr Morales was saying.

"Yes, uhm, sir, I know, I'm aware it doesn't justify anything. However, if you give me more time, I'm sure...", Mr Morales suddenly kept quiet as Luciano turned to stare into his soul with his eyes.

"You had six months!"

"Yes, yes, I'm aware, but the investment failed sir, and I tried to salvage it, but it it wasn't possible sir. I'm sorry !!" Mr Morales said, quickly landing on his knees.

"If I could just have more time sir!"

"Nonsense!", Luciano Bellowed, walking towards the table.

"We signed a contract when you took out the loan. You requested six months Morales! Don't act like you don't know that part!", Luciano said, taking a seat.

Shaking from fear, Mr Morales had that fact at the back of his mind, and he had desperately hoped Luciano would not remember.

He started to sweat profusely at Luciano's words.

"According to the contract, I'm going to have to take whatever I want!", Luciano said, his eyes scanning the room.

"Now let's see, your house isn't worth much!", he paused, wondering what he could have.

"So I'll have the girl from earlier! I'll have her as collateral. You get her back as soon as you finish paying the sum of two hundred million Euros!", Luciano said .

"But sir, she doesn't know anything about the loan! You can't take her! Please!"

"You doubt me, don't you!?", Luciano asked, crossing one leg over the other on the chair he was sitting on.

"No, no I could never!", Mr Morales refuted in desperation.

"Good!, it's either the girl and that method of payment, or I take this house, all your properties, and everything you hold dear!"

Hearing this, Mr Morales gulped, his eyes widening, aware of just how ruthless Luciano can be!

Not waiting for his acknowledgement, Luciano continued...

" I have a meeting around this axis in three days, I'll come pick her up then!" Luciano said, leaving no room for an argument or a plea.

He stood up and exited the building the same way he had come In.

Hearing the sound of the ignition of all three cars, Mrs Morales peeped through the kitchen window to find the convoy leaving the compound. She was still confused to see some men, a group of 6, still in the compound.

Leaving the kitchen, Mrs Morales inhaled the heavy cologne that still lingered in the house. A quick reminder that the Italian Don was in their house moments before.

She hurried towards her husband's office, surprised to see her husband sitted on the floor, sweating through his shirt.

"What happened!", Mrs Morales asked, helping her husband to a chair.

"He wants Isa!", Mr Morales said under his breath as if still in disbelief.

His wife however wasn't quick to catch on to this!

"What did he want!", she urged, curiosity eating her up.

"He wants Isa!", Mr Morales repeated in a louder voice as he looked at his wife.

Said information hadn't been processed by his wife until after a few seconds.

"What? Why?", Mrs Morales asked, her eyes wide from said information.

"Why does he want her?!" She asked again.

"He's going to hold her hostage till I'm able to provide two hundred million Euros!"

"How are we going to tell Isabella ?!", Mrs Morales wondered.

"Whichever way we have to tell her, she has to be ready in three days as he's personally coming to pick her up himself!", he replied, speaking very slowly, as if trying to digest the information.

"What of the men still in the compound?!", Mrs Morales asked.

"He probably left them to ensure we don't do anything funny!"

"He's really going to take our daughter away!? Can't we come to another agreement?!", Mrs Morales asked curiously.

"It was either that or everything else!"

Gasping, Mrs Morales looked into the distance as she heard the staircase creak.

"We have to tell her as soon as possible! Go fetch her!", Mr Morales said.

~~

"Mama! What's going on? We saw some cars drive in and some men, they're still in the house! What's going on!?", Isabella's sisters asked as soon as they saw their mother.

"Come girls!", Where's your sister?", their mother asked as she led them towards the living room.

"Your father facilitated a loan sometime ago, but the investment plan didn't work out as expected. The men from earlier just came to make sure everything's alright! Go on, go prepare dinner! I'll be there shortly!", Mrs Morales said.

She gave them a watered down version of what was going on, considering the fact that she felt the details were too gory for them.

She headed up the stairs to fetch her daughter, her middle child, the one Luciano had requested.

"Isa! Isa! Isabe...!", Her mother was suddenly cut short by the door of her room opening.

"Mama what's going on, why are there men in our house?!", Isabella asked, confused.

"My daughter!", Mrs Morales said, stroking her daughter's face, as well as her hair, as if memorizing her details.

"Come with me! Your father wants to see you!, Mr Morales said, Pulling Isabella gently by her wrist.

Utterly confused, Isabella wondered why her mother wasn't giving her any answer, she wondered why her father requested her presence, but most of all, she remained curious as to why the men in black suits were still in their house.

The atmosphere of the house felt different, it felt weird, It felt off to be precise. It felt as if there was tension in the house.

"Isabella!", her father called as soon as she stepped into the room alongside her mother.

She looked at the room, wondering why her father's office was slightly disorganized.

"Father! What's going on, why isn't mama saying anything?, Isabella asked, searching her father's face for answers .

She kept looking between her mother and her father, in sear

ch of answers. However they were too busy wondering how best to break the news to her.

Silence ensued, only the sound of cutting, boiling and chatter could be heard coming from the kitchen.

"You have to go somewhere!"