HE'S GONE

El Russo woke with a start. His deep set amber eyes surveyed the room he was in.

The last thing he remembered was being on his way home from the airport, when he and his driver were attacked by strange men.

He held his head in pain. An IV injection was stuck to his hand. That too made him uncomfortable.

A bandage was wrapped round his bare torso, and his ribs burnt with pain when he tried to move.

A memory of a girl flashed through his head. Green eyes, trembling hands. He pressed his head to ward off the pain that came with thinking.

Still surveying the room, he turned to find his clothes and gadgets on the table. His phone was charging on the stool beside the bed.

He unplugged it and turned it on. Not bothering to note what was different about it, he dialed a number, and placed the phone on his ear.

"Hello? Who is this?" the coarse masculine voice asked.

"Come pick me up immediately. I'm sending you my location." El Russo replied in a raspy voice.

With that he combed back his brown hair, that was when her felt the plaster stuck to the middle of his head.

***

The Madrigal house was still in a state of consternation, following the disappearance of Mr. Madrigal's most prized possession. The careless banging on the gates of the mansion drew the attention of the security guards.

They rushed up to the front of the building and found Irina outside the gate.

Mr. Madrigal was immediately alerted and in no time he was outside the house, rushing towards the gate.

At the same time, her brother, Antonio held Irina by her waist, supporting her as they walked. When Padre Madrigal saw his daughter, a wave of relief washed over him.

She looked waned and tired. "Take her inside."

Hours later, Irina woke up in the comfort of her bed, dressed in a long white night dress. It was late into the afternoon, but her mouth still tasted sour.

She tossed around in bed with thoughts of the strange man she had rescued. His strange aura. Those deep amber eyes which had looked up at her in the darkness.

There was something really strange about him that settled somewhere in her stomach, like a boulder.

Something about his mysterious nature, and the way he held onto her the night before, as though he knew her.

At the same time, her heart and brain conflicted with her reasoning. Why did she feel that way?

She was worried. She had left him in the hotel to return home so that her Father wouldn't worry.

Picking up her phone, she noticed how strange the interface looked. It was the same phone, but it wasn't HER phone.

And it had a password. "Oh no! This must be his phone!" Irina slapped her forehead.

The knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in." She groaned out. The door to her room pushed open and Cathy walked in. She looked humbled and sadness filled her eyes.

"Cathy!" Irina exclaimed with excitement, and the other girl's face brightened. She rushed up to her friend and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Irina. I heard what happened to you. I am so sorry. I feel like this is all my fault. I should never have left you alone, and I should definitely not have abandoned you in the middle of the night at the center of nowhere."

Tears streamed down Cathy's eyes as she spoke. Irina pushed her glasses up her nose. "It is fine, Cathy. I understand that you couldn't have known. Neither of us knew what would happen." Irina replied.

She cast her eyes down to her fingers, and watched them twist with the sheets.

"Hey, can I use your phone for a minute?I need to make a phone call." Irina asked her friend.

"Sure. What happened to yours?" Cathy asked.

"It's down." Irina pushed the phone which she had thought was hers under the sheets.

She got out of bed and walked to her room's balcony. Putting some distance between herself and Cathy.

"Bartholomew, have you been able to go back and check on the man? Is he okay?" she asked.

"There's a problem, Miss Madrigal. The receptionist at the hotel said he checked out this morning.

"What? How come?" A frown creased her forehead.

"I have no idea Ma'am."

"Alright. Pay her for his stay and come back immediately." Irina whispered.

"She also said the person who picked him up cleared the tabs, and made all the necessary payments before they left."

"That too? Did he leave a message, a note or something?" she persisted.

"Not at all, Miss." Bartholomew replied. Irina heaved a sigh and turned to see if Cathy was listening, but she was busy watching the television.

"It's okay. You can come back home now. Thank you."

The double doors of the El Puerto mansion pushed open, and everyone's eyes froze in fear. Shock rendered across the faces of several men who were seated in the living room.

Especially that of the man who sat at the head of the table. His face faltered between a smile and a frown, as he looked at the man in front of him as though he were a ghost.

"Paso! would you all not move to welcome the Boss?" the voice of the man who stood behind him said.

"Mr. El Russo! y-y-y-you're home!" the man trembled. Although he regarded him with a look of confusion, and horror at the same time.

El Russo had a frown carved in his forehead. He raised his eyebrow at the shaking man. His gaze intimidating as he stared piercingly at him.

"We heard you were in an accident, boss." One of the men said to him.

"Where is Carlos?" El Russo asked of his driver.

"I'm sorry boss, he did not make it." the man who guarded him replied in a melancholic tone.

El Russo shut his eyes in mourning.