Chapter 7

Chapter 7 stm 

Hugo was busy these days. Caterina had not seen him for over a week or maybe she missed his presence. He had turned into a ghost. 

Caterina would do her work as per routine but since he wouldn't come home, her work load was far less and that would give her plenty of time to think about the things she didn't want to. 

For instance her father …

She had not heard of him since the day she was taken from him and she would often worry about him. Well not often, all the time, but mostly her mind would be so occupied with the daily chores that she won'pay attention to it but now… 

She was sitting in the living area, aimlessly looking out of the windows when the elevator door opened with a ping. 

She jolted and turned to see Hugo entering the apartment but what scared her was Luca holding a bleeding and unconscious Hugo. 

He must have been hit multiple times or maybe it was the blood. She screamed looking at him but one glare from Luca was enough to shut her up. 

“Call Marco”. He yelled to pull her out of her frozen state while making sure to put Hugo on the couch comfortably.  

She saw how Luca tore his shirt and pulled off his shoes and socks. She was still frozen at her place. Pretty shaken up at the events. She had always seen Hugo larger than life and now he had lost lots of blood and his body was all black and blue. 

“Get me warm water and a washing cloth”. Luca barked another order. Caterina ran to the washroom to get a basin full of warm water, a cloth and an antiseptic, just in case. 

“Clean his wounds on arms and feet”. Luca picked up one washing cloth and started cleaning the blood seeping out of the wounds. 

Caterina was feeling nauseated. Watching the blood so up close was doing things to her. Her stomach was churning from inside and she was afraid she would spill her guts out any moment. 

Thanks to Marco who entered the penthouse just on time. 

“Get away”. He wasn't a soft spoken man either but Caterina was, for once, thankful for being dismissed so harshly. 

She could still hear the men murmuring as they managed to clean Hugo off all the blood and Marco stitched the wounds that needed surgery. 

“Get me a paper bag”. She hurried as she heard Luca calling for a bag. 

One. Two. Three. Four…. Those were four bullets, colored in red. No wonder Hugo was all bloodied. Someone really took a chance on him. 

Luca and Marco helped Hugo to his bed and tucked him in. 

“I am going out. Don't you dare step away from him. He might catch a fever. I have given him fever medicine but he needs to have his medicine as soon as he wakes up. 

Don't leave him alone and call me as soon as he opens his eyes. I will be back soon and I will take over then. You understand”. Luca said with clenched teeth. 

“Ye…yes.. yes sir. I will be here”. Caterina said in a trembling voice. 

“Keep fever patches if needed. Though I assume he won't wake up for another five or six hours, let us know ASAP”. This time Marco spoke and Caterina nodded in understanding. 

It was basic knowledge anyway. She knew Hugo would be burning with fever in no time. By now she had realized why they had not taken him to any hospital and why Marco performed the surgery at home, still she felt the hospital would have been more comfortable and convenient but she was not in a position to say anything. 

She had been in this room so many times but for the first time she was staying in for God knows how long. 

She saw with open eyes as Luca opened the closet and pulled a stash of weapons from inside and attached them to his body at various places. No one could even guess by the way he had dressed up so discreetly. 

Luca checked Hugo once more before he marched out of the penthouse. Caterina made sure that everything was perfectly on spot before she sat down on the carpet near Hugo. 

She didn't know when she fell asleep but she woke up by murmuring sounds. 

Hugo was shivering and blabbering as he had caught fever. She put her hand on his forehead and her own creased with worry because he was clearly suffering with high fever. As if his whole body was set on fire. 

She remembered the instructions given by Marco and went to grab fever gel patches. 

“Sssss”. Hugo shivered when she placed one on his forehead and adjusted his blankets around him. She knew it would take time for the fever to lower down. 

She saw a strip on tablets with instructions written on a paper. But the major problem was how to give him the medicine? She could never pull him to sit properly as he was clearly a foot higher than her and not to mention the weight he had. 

She tried to put him to sit but failed when an idea struck. 

She managed to sit near his head on the bed and carefully pulled him to his side so that she could slip her shoulder under his body. That wasn't much to do but at least it lifted his head a bit up for her to slip the tablet inside his mouth followed by water. 

Hugo was still shivering but she knew the medicine would kick soon and he would fall asleep again. 

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Luca returned to the penthouse in the early hours of the morning. It was still partially dark outside as he strode inside the bedroom.

He saw Hugo was restless on the bed and his mood turned sour to see Caterina was not there as he had strictly ordered her too. 

He wanted to kill her with his bare hands. He had only asked her for one job and she couldn't do it properly. 

He was about to go hunt for her when he saw her entering the bedroom with a bowl of water and towels. 

“Where were you? Didn't I ask you not to leave his side”. Luca all but shouted at her. Caterina cowered at her place. 

“I.. sir… he… he has a fever so I we..went to get water and to.. towel”. She stuttered and only then Luca saw her hands busy. 

He huffed but let her go. He wasn't sure whether to trust her with Hugo’s health and safety or not but he had no option. He had to see the business running until Hugo would see it himself. 

He had caught one of the two men who attacked them and he wanted to probe him for further information but in reality he was worried to his core and hungry too. 

He slumped down on a chair, holding his head in his hands. Caterina saw him with sympathetic eyes but didn't speak a word. 

She wet a towel and placed it on Hugo’s forehead before she stood up and went outside the bedroom. Luca saw her but didn't say anything. 

He didn't have to wait any longer as Caterina returned with a plate that was covered and a bottle of water. Without saying a word she placed them on a table near Luca and turned to sit by Hugo's side to clean his arms and neck to lower his temperature. 

Luca sighed out loud. He didn't know what to think of her. Despite all his bad attitude, she still brought food for him and was taking care of Hugo. 

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Tabby