Chapter3
1035 Words
Jerry’s Café was empty and dark.
The efflorescent light which had always brought radiance to the cafe were all sniffed out, leaving the whole place empty and unfamiliar.
The chairs were empty, not even a single customer occupied any of it.
That alone was enough to answer all the questions swirling in my head.
It had never been dark and empty at this hour.
The little paper sign taped to the glass door now looked stupid, oddly out of place
Tessa yanked me aside before I could reach for the handle.
“Two men came an hour after you left,” she said quickly.
“They barely said anything or talked to anybody.Then five minutes later, some inspector showed up with two officers.”
“I have no idea of what transpired between them in Jerry's office but after a few minutes, Jerry started yelling. They started checking things, inspecting machines and ransacking Jerry's office.Next thing I knew, everyone was outside.”
I stared at the paper sign.
“It is them.” I murmured under my own breath, careful not to let anyone hear me.
My own voice sounded distant to me.
Tessa grabbed both my arms. “Who are these people, Abigail?”
I looked at her.
Could I tell her?
Could I drag her into this too?
But one look at her face told me she had an idea.
“They say my father owes them money.”
Her mouth parted. “Your father?”
“Yes.”
“I thought…”
“I know what you thought.” I cut her short, looking outside.
“I thought the same.”
I watched as cars drove past, the sound of distant laughter echoing.
It was strange how normal the world could look while your life was being crushed in its fist.
Tessa lowered her voice. “How much?”
“One hundred million.”
Her grip on my arms loosened.
“What?”
“That’s what he said.” I murmured.
“That’s insane.”
She laughed sharply in disbelief.
“He could have just sentenced you to death.”
My eyes burned from tears.
She cursed under her breath and dragged me farther from the café window.
“Listen to me. We will go to the police.”
“No.” I said sharply.
“What do you mean no?”
“These aren’t men the police fix.”
“Men like Michael did not close down a business just to prove a point.
“They commanded authority.”
“They had power, they had money.” I said lazily.
My vision was already blurry with tears I could no longer hold back.
I looked down the street and saw a black car parked across from the café.
The windows were tinted and the engine was still running.
My stomach dropped.
Tessa followed my gaze. “Is that them?”
Before I could answer, the back door opened.
Michael stepped out like a shadow walking into daylight.
Everything in me went rigid.
He crossed the street with the same measured calm he had worn that morning like the city itself moved aside for him.
Tessa took a step in front of me.
He stopped three feet away.
“Miss Monroe,” he said politely, “I need to speak with Abigail.”
Tessa folded her arms defiantly.
“No, you should go home and in fact, go to hell.” she blurted.
His expression did not change.
For the first time, I saw the faintest curve of a smile at the corner of his mouth followed by something like amusement.
Like he had expected that from her.
His reaction lasted for only a couple of seconds, then it disappeared.
“Abigail,” he said, looking at me now,
“The time remains seven o’clock.”
I swallowed. “You shut down the café.”
“No.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I expect you to understand that when people ignore opportunities, consequences arrive quickly.”
Tessa snapped, “We have heard enough of your dull threats”
“You can now think outside the box.”
Michael ignored her.
“I’m offering you a meeting,” he said to me. “My boss is giving you that courtesy because of who your father is.”
“Then tell your boss to go find him.” I snapped.
“He intends to.”
“Good.”
“But until then,” Michael said, “you will answer for blood.”
That made me flinch.
The word had come too naturally from him.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
His gaze held mine for a second too long.
“Come tonight and ask better questions.”
Then he turned to leave.
“Wait,” I called.
He stopped.
“Who is your boss?”
There was a beat of silence, then he answered without looking back.
“Charles Rinaldi.”
The name meant nothing to me
But the way Tessa inhaled deeply beside me told me it should.
After Michael got back into the car and drove away, I turned to her.
“You know him.”
Her face turned pale.
“Everyone knows him.”
I frowned. “Who is he?”
She looked at me like she didn’t want to say it out loud on a public street.
Then she leaned close and whispered, “He’s the devil himself.”
“The only man who both the rich and poor dread.”
I let out a dry laugh. “That explains nothing.”
“It explains enough.” Her voice shook. “Abigail, his name is tied to evil doings.
People have disappeared by his command.
“He have made orders and people vanish without a trace.”
I stared at the road where the black car had disappeared, my head spinning with different thoughts.
“I have to go,” I said.
“To where?” Abigail asked.
“Home.”
I squeezed her fingers once and let go.
“If I don’t go, they’ll hurt her.”
“And if you do?”
I had no answer.
That was the worst part.
- Writer
