HIDDEN

Chapter Three

He wiped the steam off the mirror in the steamy bathroom, he barely caught a glimpse of his reflection before the mirror was completely covered up with fog once more.He gently moved his head from side- to -side to ease the tension in his neck, he stretched his arms over his head and then he dropped the towel around his waist as he stepped into the shower. He stood under the rainfall shower and closed his eyes, letting the jets of the warm water ease his tense muscles. As he listened to the sound of the falling water on the natural stone floor, slowly his body began to relax. Water sounds have long been used as a form of meditation to create a soothing atmosphere for human minds, it encourages a more peaceful pace of thought. The combination of the sound of the falling water and its warmth, brought Luca to a meditative state taking him away from this loud and crazy world he lives in ,giving him total mental tranquility. A soft knock on the frosted glass door of the shower brought him back to reality, for a moment he wondered who it was until a female voice called out his name.

I have totally forgotten that she was there, now what’s her name again? Is it Nathalia or Nathalie? , he asked himself as he turned off the faucet.

“ Yes Nathalia”, he said hoping he got her name correctly.

“ Babe, someone is ringing the doorbell frantically”, a soft voice answered.

Luca wondered who could it be at this time of the day. He softly groaned as he slid open the shower door. Wrapped up in the silk bed sheet, the petite brunette stood there looking at him with a smile on her face as she glanced at him from head to toe. The look on her face told Luca that she was surely enjoying the view. He grabbed a towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around his waist. The young lady was still standing there and looking at him with hungry eyes as if his presence had suddenly paralyzed her. For a moment he thought that the little brunette had lied to him just to get his attention, but the sound of the doorbell followed by a loud knock made him changed his mind. There was someone at the door and by the sound of it, it sounded urgent.

Luca walked out of the bathroom, into the bedroom and over to the windows. He slightly pulled back the curtains and at the first glance, he recognized who those people were. He looked over his shoulder at the young woman standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He will have to make her leave through the back door, he shouldn’t allow her to see those people waiting for him downstairs. One look at them will make her wonder what was his affiliation with those type of people.He knew that if they were looking for him at this time of the night, that means, his father was up to something dirty and he had got himself in some mess that he needed his help. He ran a hand through his wet hair and told the brunette to wait for him in the bedroom.He walked out and closed the bedroom door behind him. Luca hurried downstairs and opened the front door and saw Mustafa, his father’s right- hand man. His presence confirmed his suspicions and he wondered what had his father gotten himself into that Mustafa was looking at him with this desperate look in his eyes. As Mustafa was about to say something, he put a finger to his lips cautioning him to be quiet as he pointed towards his bedroom upstairs.

“ Sir this matter is urgent, it’s a matter of life and death!”, Mustafa urged him to listen to him and Luca narrowed his eyebrows as he looked at him.

“ Give me five minutes”, he said and closed the door.

Luca hurried back upstairs to his bedroom. He found the young lady sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed up in her little black dress. Luca remembered how she had caught his eyes when he had entered the bar earlier tonight. After his shift at the hospital together with three other doctors, they had gone out to celebrate a colleague’s birthday. Three bachelors in a pub filled with sexy young women, surely they will pick one to go back to their home for some fun. This is what Luca Costa- Lastra looked for, just a little bit of fun that’s it. He wasn’t the type who believed in long commitments. Sorry to disappoint any woman out there who might have set her eyes on this handsome and rich eligible bachelor, he will not be going down on his knees to propose to anyone, ever.

Luca was only interested in his freedom, from everyone including his own family. For that reason, he moved to his own house and visits his family home only on special occasions. He was like the invisible member of the family, no one really knew of his existence. He went to boarding school, never appeared in any magazines with his family members, and didn’t like to take any photos of himself. He has only one photo which means everything to him, a family photograph which he kept hidden in his wardrobe. Whenever he wanted to feel close to his mother, he will take it out and place it close to his heart. So many things had happened in his life that molded him into who he was now and he was glad that his father at least respected his decisions and choices.

“ I’m sorry I can’t take you home. I’ll call you a cab ”, he said to the young lady and she narrowed her eyes and looked at him.

He noticed that she was starting to get upset and he knew this will happen, as it’s not the first time, he had seen this dramatic episode unfolding so many times before. He didn’t know what those women expected from him as he always made it clear that on his side there is no commitment, it’s just a one-night thing and then you are on your way. Don’t expect to wake up next to flowers or love notes, nothing of that kind from him, the only thing you will wake up to will be on a bed all alone.

“ It’s ok. I can call one myself”, she said as she grabbed her purse and took out her phone.

Luca could hear her talking as he hurried to get changed. Putting on a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt, he quickly walked back into the bedroom to find the room empty.

“ s**t, she better not see Mustafa and those men outside”, he softly said and hurried out of the room and breathed a sigh of relief when he found her sitting with her legs crossed on the couch in the sitting room.

“ So you don’t need my number so that you can call me ?”, she asked uncrossing her legs.

“ No”, was his answer short and straightforward.

“ You are such a bastard”, the young woman said and Luca smiled.

“ It’s not the first time that a woman has said this to me”, he answered casually.

He could see that she was getting more upset and hoped that the taxi will be here any second. He wasn’t in the mood to have an argument with someone whom he picked up in a bar and now she was thinking that she deserved a little bit more. He made it clear that it was just their needs being satisfied that’s it. He always makes this sort of oral contract with his one night stands at the very beginning and if she doesn’t agree he will just dump her. Some agrees with his terms but then they always want more when it’s time for them to leave. Luca made sure he protected himself in every way, he didn’t want one of his one night date to track him down and tell him that she was pregnant. He knew very well how women were, a baby was their best weapon to keep a guy. He was a Doctor and had seen so many of those cases before, when a patient would come in for DNA test and find himself trapped in a relationship that he didn’t intend to take any further.

Luca heard the sound of a car beeping and he walked towards the front door, he checked outside and he was glad that Mustafa and the others were out of sight.

“ The taxi is here”, he said and the brunette walked towards him. She tried to wrap her arms around his neck but he stopped her and told her that it was time for her to leave.

“ Good night Nathalia”, he said with a soft smile.

“ My name is Nathalie!”, she said as she angrily walked out of the door.

And I got her name wrong! , Luca said to himself as he watched the taxi driving out of the driveway and the little brunette didn’t even turn back to look at him.

“ Luca lets go now”, Mustafa said to him in a serious tone as he came out of his hiding place. Luca hurried and locked the door as he followed the middle-aged man to his car.

“ Where are we going?”, he asked as he got in the front passenger seat of the car.

“ Your father’s house in the countryside”, Mustafa answered.

“ Can you tell me what happened, why are you so nervous. Can you even drive, your hands are shaking!”, Luca said as he looked at the man next to him who looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.

Mustafa ran a nervous hand through his hair and stopped the car.

“ You need to drive us there. I don’t think I can…”, he said and Luca quickly got out of the car and walked around to the driver’s side.

As he got in and put on his seatbelt, he glanced at Mustafa. It was the first time that he saw him looking nervous like that and he wondered what had his father made him do that he was in such a bad state.

“ Mustafa speak up!”, he said raising his voice a bit as they took to the road again.

“ Someone… someone was shot and your Dad wants you to operate on her. We might have wasted time and if she is dead your dad will have my head”, Mustafa anxiously said running a hand over his face.

“ Who is she?”, Luca asked glancing at the man next to him and then looked back at the road again.

Mustafa didn’t answer instead he ran a nervous hand through his grey hair and looked out of the window. He couldn’t even say the name of the person who they shot by mistake tonight. Things were not planned to go down like that, the only people who should have been shot were the Consti’s bodyguards. They were instructed to release the gas, everyone will fall asleep and then kidnap the young lady, but by mistake, she was shot and was now lying lifeless in the small underground clinic at Lorenzo’s residence in the countryside. It will take them another 25 minutes to get there and he hoped that when they will reach that place Mia Conti will still be alive.

“ Mustafa, who is that person?”, Luca asked this time raising his voice a little.

Mustafa turned and looked at him and cleared his throat,

“ It’s … Mia Conti, the daughter of “ The lady”, he softly answered.

At the mention of that woman’s name, Luca applied the brake and abruptly stopped the car. He turned and looked at Mustafa.

“ This is not good Mustafa, not good at all. Why should I save that woman’s life? Let her die get rid of her body so that no one will know that father was involved in this. Because you know what that means if “ the lady” finds out! “, he angrily said but the look on Mustafa’s face indicated that wasn’t what his father wanted and he wondered why he needed that Mia to be alive!