Bella Donna

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The following Monday morning we find Hiccup sitting in his nondescript Towncar that was parked near a small two-storey office building that had the words 'The Berk Ledger' on a sign.

There was a knock on his window not too long after. Hiccup rolled it down to see Viggo, dressed in his dark blue pinstripe suit. The man's hair was combed back and... 'Did he actually use hairgel?!' Hiccup thought upon seeing his appearance. Ryker stood nearby as well, also in a pinstripe suit though he was sporting dark sunglasses. They were here to make a statement. Hiccup supposed that after two years together they considered Astrid part of the Family now. Damian had certainly grown on his enforcers and while Astrid never involved herself with the business side of it all she did help run his household.

"Our target entered the building an hour ago," Viggo stated. "We tailed him through the weekend but nothing suspicious happened. He sat in his tiny apartment playing Call of Duty for hours. Even the twins were bored watching the man."

Hiccup then turned to the other party in the back of his car. "Snotlout are you ready?"

Snotlout who had been busy placing the folders he had out in his briefcase nodded. He too was dressed in a suit. A charcoal black one with a red tie.

"Let's go," Hiccup said as Viggo opened the car door, allowing him to step out. Hiccup too was dressed impeccably. Black pinstriped suit with a dark green tie along with a long black jacket framing his shoulders. This was about making a statement and he certainly did so as he walked into that building with Viggo and Ryker flanking him.

Hiccup didn't stop at the receptionist's desk. He wasn't here to ask for a meeting. He was here to demand it. As he walked past, the receptionist looked shocked and then got out of her chair to chase after their guest. She tried to get Hiccup's attention though stammered at the sight of Viggo and Ryker. The newspaper was small so when Hiccup and Co. entered the bullpen of the office everyone froze. "Where is the son of a bitch that dared to speak ill of my partner?!" Hiccup asked in an authoritative voice and most eyes instantly, though some unconsciously, went to a cubicle in the back. The person who had been looking towards the doors from his cubicle ducked back down as Hiccup approached.

"Sir! Sir! Please you can't just barge in here!" the receptionist who had been trailing behind the group finally worked up some courage.

"I want him," Hiccup said, pointing towards Wyatt "His boss, his boss's boss, and so on in a conference room in 10 minutes or I will make sure this newspaper ceases to exist."

Ten minutes later Hiccup was sitting in a small conference room sipping the tea the nervous receptionist had brought him. Viggo and Ryker stood behind him, flanking him and doing their best to look intimidating while Snotlout adjusted his tie. Wyatt had been dragged into the conference room already and sat on the other end of the long table, clearly looking nervous.

"Just what is going on here?!" A man shouted while slamming the door to the conference room open.

"Andrew wait!" Another man, quite older, followed trying to stop the hotblooded one.

"Sit," Hiccup ordered while taking another sip of his tea.

"Don't tell me to sit in my own goddamn..."

"Sit!" Hiccup said more forcefully now as the teacup clanked on the table. Ryker and Viggo made a motion to move if the other party got more confrontational. Luckily the elder of the men managed to calm the other down enough that he sat down though rather reluctantly.

"Do you know who I am?" Hiccup asked while folding his hands on his lap and looking at the three men in the room.

"Does this look like I care?!" Andrew uttered. "You barge in here and kidnap one of my reporters!"