1 THE CALL
Ring ring ring, somewhere I can clearly hear my phone screaming.
I groan and open my drowsy eyes, it is still dark out.
My digital wall clock shows the time 2:00am, my hand lazily sweeps the night stand to grab the phone. Who the hell is it!?
I scrunch my eyes to read the name, My consigliere Leonardo name flashes and I am going to kill that guy if he doesn't come up with a valid reason to call me while I am sleeping.
Leonard is one of the people I trust the most, who is in his mid 50s. He knows more about me than I know about myself. My every step and every thought is predicted by him and he is also my father's best friend.
My fingers hover over the screen whether to decline or to accept the call, I finally give up with a sigh and swipe the green symbol.
"What do--" I am totally cut off by the panic in his voice from the other side of the phone, I have known him for almost from my birth but never have I ever heard him like this.
" I need help, help, save her, save her. Please please" his voice start to break and his cries of agony comes out in a muffle.
Who the hell is this!?
I take the phone far from my ear and confusion fills me, I look at the screen again.
What's wrong with this old man, why is he crying?
He said, save her, didn't he? Yeah, who does he want me to save?
Leonardo's wife was killed two years after their wedding
Every day since then, he never had loved anyone or even cared for anyone except me, his only duty is to be my advisor and I have not known or heard any stories of him with women…..
But….his sobs are breaking a small part of my heart, he also was my part-time father, when the real one was busy building the empire.
I close and after a few seconds I open it, I again place the phone near my ear.
"Now what is the problem, make it clear!" I am frustrated,
"Alessandro, Aless--he, kidnapped"his voice broke between sobs but that is not my concern. That name! Alessandro
"Alessandro kidnapped who!?" I ask, fear slowly unfold inside me
My blood is already boiling hearing that name.
I hate that guy with all my body and my soul. He is a beast, and the unclear thing is why did he kidnap? Who did he kidnap? What power does that hold again?
"H-h-he-he kidnapped my only daughter" the words hit my hear and laughter bubbles from my throat, but I suppress and clear my throat.
"A what? A daughter?" I check whether I misheard
"Yeah, my only daughter. My princess, please bring her back" he says in barely a whisper.
"She is in the hand of the devil" his voice carries fear and pain.
But I still can not come out of my confusion
What nonsense is this guy talking!?
"Is she your own daughter?" I ask him for confirmation.
"Yeah, she is my blood" even in the midst of tears a small pride is shown when he says.
"What's her name and how old is she?" I question him praying to god that his answer shouldn't make me furious.
"She is.." he drags and drags, is my question that difficult?
What if this guy is lying?
"Are you going to tell me or not?" My patience starts to run thin.
"I am so sorry maximo, I am very sorry." he begs me.
What did I ask and what is he telling me?
"Leonardo.. I don't have the whole night..never mind come to my home office. Right now!" unable to hear his sobs I hang up the phone and slam it on the nightstand.
Quickly I got up and dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts, which ended above my knee.
As I descend the flight of stairs from the 2nd floor, I pull out the phone that I pushed inside my back pocket of shorts. My fingers quickly type my second in command's number.
"Ugh…" he sounds as if he is in stomach pain
"What a nice way to greet a CAPO when he is calling!" I say irritatingly, Asshole.
Again there comes an odd sound, useless guy.
"Calvino!" I shout, this guy is pissing me off. Almost all the people near me or work for me piss me off with perfect timing.
"Yes….maxxxiiii max…..what is that you want in the middle of the night!? Look, if you want to kill somebody, I have no energy and...mood. Whatever it is let's do it tomorrow. And bye--" I am done hearing the way he funny pronounces my name, and I want to smash his manly face when he doesn't hear me.
"If you hang up on me, I will hang you on the tree which is right in front of my office's window." I say coolly,
I descended further to the ground floor to my private office which was once my father's,
I twist open the door to my office and sit down on the chair behind a huge table.
Right after 15 minutes my office knob move and Calvino enter my office with a sleepy face, he only covers the second half of his body with shorts like mine, maybe just like mine...
"Now, tell me what's the problem"he sits heavily on the chair in front of me.
"Leanardo has a daughter, who has been kidnapped by...Alessandro" I entwine my fingers and lean back and rested my head on the chair.
Again a laughter bubbles inside me seeing Calvo's confused face, he is frozen from top to bottom
"Kidnapped by who!!!??" after digesting my words, he questions me again.
"Alessandro, that dipshit" I spit the words bitterly.
His eyes flare in anger, to be honest we both will be in fire if we hear that guy's name.
I loathe him for what he has done to us.
"wait...Leno had a daughter!? I never knew that!" he say growing,
"Even i don't know!" I exclaim.
"Woah….so now what are you going to do?"
"I am thinking whether to punish my dear consigliere or to save that girl...maybe I should save and then teach him a lesson."
"So...are you going to help that girl...the one Leonardo hid from everyone's eyes" he says, I don't think calvo is in any mood to save this girl, but the face which is right in front of me has the anxiousness for an unknown girl.
"Can we go to the spot and check?" I say.
"You mean to uncle's home!?" his eyebrows arch up and his lips are turned into a coy smile, when I was 8 after my mom's death my father became metally unsteady for few days so had to stay in uncle Leo's home which was somewhere inside some woods, to be honest it was the most beautiful and modest cottage I have ever seen. After that I have never been there, only Leno uncle used to come to my house and he never took me to his after that.
"Let me call Beto for the address" I say and start to ring him through the telephone on my table.
Beto is my driver and also a loyal friend. Once upon a time it was me, Calvo, Beto and Alessandro. We were best pals. Wherever we go our hands used to be linked until Alessandro's father rivaled against my father right after my mother's death. After that my father forbidden me from going out with Calvio and Beto. Alessandro was out of my father's list and he was chased away from my life. Only after years of begging and proving I got Calvo and Beto back but I still loved Alessandro until he did the worst. He touched my sister.
"Maxi?" Beto's calm voice came through the holes,
"Bee do you know where Lenardo lives?" the name Bee was given to Beto by Alessandro, I was able to remove everything of him from my life but not this name.
"Hm...oh yes I do, but why at this time?" he also sound confused like Calvo did when I called him,
"I want you to take me and Calvo there, I will explain you on the road"
I say and cut the line.
What am I going to do?
