V & V - Rageous Rageon Rise

Shifts Upstairs

Mateo POV:

I sit in thought until Dom returns. Even just his presence is different. His energy is... hostile, yet he's displaying no emotion to outright get you to think he's upset.

It's a little scary, but it will come in handy later when we deal with Hugo.

Dom: "I found his address and workplace. I located where he got coffee this morning after he posted about it on his private Facebook."

Mateo: "Okay. So... what do you think we should do?"

Dom: "How... far are you willing to go?"

His question scares me... yet also intrigues me.

How... far would I go? Or rather, how far will I go?

Mateo: "He and his brother stoled from me. They taked the money from me... and threatened."

I look at Dom and slowly hold my hand out to him as he stands before me.

Mateo: "You'll... do anything for me. I'll... do anything for you..."

Dom nods, his bright eyes trained on me.

Mateo: "I think... we... should take Hugo out if talking doesn't work."

Dom nods, his grip tight.

Dom: "You'll... want to pay him a visit now?"

I nod, using his arm to help me stand. He walks slowly with me out of the patio and to his car.

He helps me inside; then we drive away in silence from the ranch. The whole way there, Dom keeps his hand on my knee, making me feel safe.

Eventually, we pull off into the lower section of Mount Rageous near the Rocking Rager Hotel.

I keep quiet as Dom weaves through the streets, not checking his phone to see where we need to go.

Eventually, he stops in front of a house. I just notice how cold it is inside the car.

I see the frost lining the windows and our breath appearing in small puffs.

Dom: "I'm going in."

Mateo: "You'll... be careful? How will you approach this? I should come."

Dom: "He threatened you. I don't want you in danger's way."

Mateo: "Let's think this through. What do you do if he puts up a fight? Kill him? Let me come with you and talk."

Dom stares at me, then nods. He helps me out of the car, and we approach the door. I lean on my cane as Dom rings the doorbell, his touch leaving frost on the button.

We hear nothing, so Dom knocks. Again, no answer. Dom doesn't seem to like this and knocks again.

I hear someone shuffle around inside, which indicates they're ignoring us. Dom doesn't like to be ignored.

Dom: "I'm going to unlock the door."

He stares at the lock, and I hear a clicking noise before it swings open. Inside the hallway, there is a semi-dark space with stairs leading into darkness.

I get terrible vibes and look at Dom.

Mateo: "What if it's trap? He could be waiting to strike..."

Dom nods, his eyes glowing brightly.

He surprises me, turns around, and leaves the house, prompting me to follow him.

I hobble after him, stopping as he does at the end of the street. I go to question him, yet stop as he holds his finger to his mouth.

He wraps his hand around my waist and walks me down the street. We continue to walk until we reach the other side of the street, with the house behind Hugo's now before us.

Dom looks around, then walks us through the neighbor's backyard and into the back of Hugo's backyard.

I hear as someone walks around inside, getting the vibe they shut the front door.

Huh, so Dom didn't plan on entering from the front. We hide in the bushes for so long that I sit down.

Dom doesn't say anything, his eyes trained on the house. He doesn't move, barely breathing, it seems, until he flinches and then crouches.

Dom: "You ready?"

I nod, taking his help to stand. He holds my hand and walks us up the back porch.

Silently, he unlocks the door and lets us in. The back of the house is dark, and as we creep around the bottom floor, we don't find Hugo.

We stop as we hear creaks from overhead. It sounds like he's upstairs walking around.

Dom goes to the kitchen and returns with sharp, thick knives. It makes me sick to look at, as the images of him slicing at his family hit my mind.

Yet, I push down the sickening feeling and walk forward after Dom to the staircase. We stop at the bottom step and then look at each other.

Dom looks back up the staircase, then silently starts to walk up. I follow, keeping my breathing to an all-time low.

We get to the top of the landing, silent as we trek the dark and quiet hallway.

We reach a room and stop as we hear shuffling from inside. Dom's eyes glow so brightly that they seem like they could burn holes into the door.

He takes a deep breath, looks at me, then at the door.

Slowly, it swings open... revealing Hugo Gardensa looking out the window.

He doesn't seem to hear the door swing open, his attention focused outside.

Silence falls as soundlessly as Dom approaches Hugo. I watch as Dom creeps directly behind Hugo and lunges out at him.

He swiftly grabs Hugo, wraps his hand around his mouth to silence him, then muscles him to the floor.

Hugo fights yet stops as Dom holds the knife to his neck. His sick, dark brown eyes glare at me as he breathes heavily.

Dom stands still, like a statue, unmoving and cold. I slowly hobble my way up to Hugo, staring into his ugly, dull eyes.

I inspect him, taking my time with looking into the eyes of a man who fucked me over without me ever knowing he existed.

Mateo: "Hmm. Dom?"

Dom looks at me, his eyes slightly hard to look at since they're so bright.

Mateo: "You know what I think of him?"

Dom: "What?"

As I stare at Hugo Gardensa... something deep down within me...

Shifts.