Blood Lust
His car was not in the lobby when she got out.
She swore underneath her breath, rubbing both her arms simultaneously because of the chilly weather outside and how underclothed she looked in her pale pink nightwear.
Still standing in the hospital's driveway, she ordered an Uber.
She almost was about shedding tears when the Uber driver finally arrived. She entered the taxi and with her head down tried calling Xavier as she headed to the mansion.
She had felt alarmed in her heart before it had happened right in front of her. Two masked men waited in ambush for them in a factory bus.
All she could hear was cussing and for sight, her driver fidgeted.
The passenger seat was opened and before she could even have the opportunity to scream, a hard hand was over her mouth and she felt the sting of a needle.
She fell limp on the kidnapper's body and with her in their possession and the driver's head obediently down, hands up they sped off.
Meanwhile
Xavier eyed Gotho, he didn't know his real name. Nobody did. But he had been next to his father ever since he was a child that was why the piece of information coming out of his mouth was a bit hard to trust.
"What do you mean by he is not home and he hasn't been home ever since yesterday night?" His eyes were hard on Gotho's who held his gaze unflinchingly.
"I'm telling you all I know. He is not at home and currently, I have no idea where he can be. He had just hastily told me to keep an eye on this place," Gotho rose to his full giant-like masculine frame, a tactic made to threaten or intimidate Xavier, "And that is what I intend on doing fully."
Xavier closed his eyes, not believing he was about to condescend to such a level to get his bastard of his father.
He brought out his phone from his pocket and showed him a picture of his mother's bruised battered body.
For the first time since he had seen Gotho even as a 17 years boy, his father had saved him off the street, he winced. Though even Gotho himself could tell now, that he had been no savior. He had seen an asset and he had grabbed it. Acquired it. Just like everything else in his life.
Xavier made sure he was on eye level with his father's big burly giant of a man who appeared invincible to the world. But every man has a weakness right, he did too.
"Heard about your daughter," Xavier whispered, his lips curving into a smile, "I think Madeline. Studying at Harvard and now coming back to practice law because she wants to be close to her father is the sweetest. All it'll take me is just one sweet long call and she'll be looking exactly like this woman in this photo, who by the way is my mother if you haven't recognized." Xavier glared at him maliciously "and with a cherry on top, there will be a knife hanging out of her stomach."
Gotho readjusted the lapels of his jacket and Xavier couldn't help but admire how cool he could be even when someone threaten the most precious thing he had in this world. He had expected some screaming, shouting, even a punch but the big man was so composed.
"What do you want?"
"Where is my father? and this time I need answers. Real answers."
He sighed, unsuccessfully trying to lit a cigarette twice. On the third trial, he threw the cigarette on the floor and then matched it with so much spite, Xavier could tell he wished it was his head.
"He didn't give me an answer when I had seen him packing hastily that night. But he had mentioned something about going out of the country. Berlin I suppose for a while." His face was flustered, he couldn't maintain eye contact and he kept on crushing the cigarette.
"Last opportunity Gotho. Someone is already keeping an eye on your daughter as we speak." He saw the man's eyes meet his, scared. "Be careful of your next answer Gotho because I'm the monster your boss, my daddy," He snarled, the title soured in his mouth "Had made and I can stoop to all levels. Think of your next answer carefully before uttering a word."
He saw fierce loyalty and fatherly affection war in the man's eyes for hours.
"He is in for some shitty assignment. Getting your mother to the hospital was one of the milestones he had thought will aid this assignment of his," Gotho snickered, "Your father gives a whole new level to stopping low."
"So he had wanted my mom to leave to do this so-called assignment?"
"Seems so. Heard him say it was an important part of his execution and everything depended on it."
"So he is still in the country?"
Gotho nodded. "But I have no idea, where."
Xavier scratched his neck, "You do know, I only know about your daughter through Google. The best graduating student in her class. I'd seen the news pop up once on my laptop and I know how proud you are, that you got her out of the street completely."
"I didn't want to leave anything to chance Xavier and you had gotten me the moment I saw that picture. That is just total brutality." He rubbed his hands over his face.
Xavier readjusted the scarf in his neck, he had bought it in a hurry because of the cold as he made his way to the car.
"Son."
Xavier turned tempted to say his normal phrase that he already had one filth as a father he didn't need another but he restrained himself.
"Stay away from your father. What I saw in his eyes last night is pure madness, blood lust even."
Xavier nodded.
"I will. Going back to get my mother a bouquet of daisies aye. She still loves them right?" Xavier shouted.
"I think her love for those is eternal."
Xavier chuckled, revved his engine, and manoeuvered his car back to the road trail then sped off to meet his mother but with more polite words this time and less questioning glare in his eyes.