Eyes So Blue I Drown

14| Clash

ARABELLA

Next day, early in the morning, when I begin to descend down the stairs, I see a discussion going on in the lobby, in the middle of it where couches are placed surrounding the table.

"What's going on there?" I ask to the guard who is standing on the corridor beside me with a gun positioned in his hands.

Why do they need this many guards in this house?

He isn't any celebrity or something who needs protection from his psycho fans.

He isn't some fucking politician either.

"Meeting." I hear the reply from him.

Well, I didn't expect that at all.

I relax my hands on the stairs and loose my body a little at the support, watching them sitting and discussing.

Luca is there, too, seating with his ankle joint placed on his knee. His arms resting on the arm stands of the couch.

Three men are seating in front of him. Are they who Luca was talking on the phone with yesterday?

Kehlani is standing there, too. What is she doing there?

Uh, let's see what I can do to make their meeting nostalgic.

Before I could think of something, they all stand up when Gabriel makes an appearance in the lobby along with two little girls ahead of him.

The girls look... neglected. Yeah, that's the word that can define their appearance properly.

Their modish and brand new clothings matched with their pale, thin and bloated body which seems like not looked after makes me unable to digest it all. They look like the poor kids I see whenever I pass by roads and small settlements.

Who are they?

Luca gives their cheeks a small caress before handling them to the three men standing in front of him.

The look on girl's face can't be defined as usual. They seem to be numb, thoughtless, and petrified.

Are they doing what I'm thinking?

I quickly walk downstairs before the three men could leave this place. "Wait!" I rasp, seeing their back as they're already half way to the exit door.

I walk further and they turn around, "Who are you?" I ask.

"Bella-"

"Who are they?" I cut off Luca, "Who are these girls?"

Renzo, Julian and Fantino comes into my view.

I glimpse at the girls, their hands gripped by these men.

I realise how downcast these poor kids are. Throwing some fancy, branded clothes on their body can't really hide the miserable condition of them.

Their eyes are enough. Their gazes at me with yellowish eyes are enough to tell how down the dumps they are feeling.

The second girl stares fixedly at me with mournful, basset-hound eyes.

Instead of answering my questions, Luca darts at the men, "You can leave, I'll manage here and send you your new friend soon"

"Not unless you answer me who they are and where they are taking the kids" I interject sharply.

What friend he's talking about?

"I told you not to barge into my work" he says calmly.

Is he for real? Does he seriously expect me to not to raise my voice at them after witnessing this sus thing happening?

"I don't fucking care about the deal. I just know these poor girls are not going to leave this house until you tell me who are these men" I say.

Luca keeps staring at me with straight face.

"I can't tell you who they are." he states.

"It's ok, Luca, let her know" one of the men in the middle one says, walking towards me.

He takes out something from his back-pocket and points on my face.

It's an ID card.

Undercover FBI Agent.

"I'm Cielo Bianchi. An undercover FBI agent" he closes it and slides it inside his pocket, "I know what you're thinking, I didn't really have a choice in arriving here in civilian clothes. Luca saved these girls from Girl's trafficking and is now handling to us so that we move them to some safe place."

My mind begins to rush with several thoughts.

"I hope it cleared all your doubts, and you won't let the cat out of the bag" he passes me a smile, his words getting functioned by my mind.

Why they want it to be hidden?

"Well, I've nothing to do with that cat. And as it doesn't really harm anybody, I'll consider it keeping safe inside the bag" I say understandingly and smile back at him.

He nods giving me an astonishing look.

I bend down to the girls smilingly and raise my hand to have a handshake with them, "Hi, I'm Arabella. What are your names?"

They both together shift their gazes at Luca, Julian and Renzo.

My smiles gets small and watch Luca nodding his head slightly while passing a soft smile to them.

They both smile brightly and one by one I shake my hands with their rough, but small touch.

"Ti ha chiesto come ti chiami, diletto" Luca says to them and they beam.

"Silvia." she says.

"Meliore!" another one says excitedly.

I rub their shoulders gently, "Adorable names. You both are so beautiful" I tell. But oh no, they aren't understanding me.

If I knew, I surely would have learnt Italian to communicate with them.

They both leave with the officers and I wave them a goodbye.

Behind them, I see Gabriel grabbing a man's wrists from behind and leaving after them. The guy doesn't seem some ordinary either. When he turns his gaze back at us, I see... dry blood on his forehead and chin. His hair seems wet, covered with sweat. His clothes in a messy condition as his shirt seems to be a slightly torn apart from his arm.

His stares at Luca aren't intended to be called usual. He has anger behind his reddened eyes.

My eyes didn't leave his' until he got disappeared outside.

"I see it's getting harder for you to follow the conditions I told you" Luca's voice creeps in, breaking the silence.

"It had to be broken if these kinds of scenes are what you're going to show me" I say, not meeting his gaze.

Luca laughs slightly before sliding his hands in his pockets and stepping closer to me until he's standing just beside me. He notices me standing here speechless, "Did you really thought I was... selling those girls to some gangster or something?" his voice gets lowered and more like, holding a laugh.

"Do you really have this little trust on me, bellissima?" he bends his head down a little to whisper in my ears.