Plague

I stood beside the door, my arms behind my back as the chatter continued in the meeting room. The higher-ups in the company bickering back and forth over useless employees and not getting paid enough. Lucio sat at the head of the table with a bored expression taking the brunt of all the complaints. 

The suit I wore was comfortable but tight, on roughly my first week in Lucio forced me to get new suits. Muttering something about it being covered by company expenses. It still felt wrong nonetheless so he dragged me off forcing me in suit after suit. It was exhausting but it got the job done. 

I was dressed in a blue suit with intricate accents on the material. The men and women at the long table were getting too rowdy for my liking growing increasingly loud and more aggressive. Taking a step, my eyes dart to a small hand motion from Lucio's area. A silent warning to not intervene. 

My foot retracts back to its original formation. Suddenly with swift movements, Lucio stands to his full height. The room goes eerily quiet compared to the obnoxious complaints from before. Each individual remains as quiet as a mouse letting the man speak, "This Sunday our company will be holding a gala. We'll be hosting a dinner with multiple tiers of food and beverages. With each different tier standing at a different price. This gala will be used as a fundraiser to cover the construction costs of this building. Any other issues you must all complain about can be brought up to the HR manager and he will take care of it." 

"I didn't call this meeting for you all to bitch." I flinch at his harsh tone holding back a smile from his bold accusation. "You may all leave before I fire every last one of you." I step away from the entrance as people scatter from their seats. Papers shuffle and whispers carry out. One murmured voice in particular grabs my attention, "When did Mr. Mazza get a damn bodyguard?" I bristle at the snappy voice. 

Fucking dick. I watch as Lucio slumps back into the chair at the head of the table as the last person leaves. The door clicks shut and I approach the redhead. "Are you alright Shadow?" Recently Marcella and I have come up with code names for the immediate 5 men. Nico's name was officially Smoke, Ajax was Luck, Giovanni was Lion, Tokala was Eagle, and last but not least; Lucio was Shadow.

"I'm fine I suppose, just not excited for this gala, business partners and maybe even rivals will be there. I'll need your help the whole time." I nod stiffly, processing the information. My eyes drift to the clock, checking the time. “Shadow I have to leave early today, I scheduled a speech therapy appointment and I really can’t afford to miss it.” I notice the slight twitch of a smile playing on his lips, “That’s alright Noah, I just have one more meeting and then I’m going home, deal?” 

I nod quickly helping the man stand from his previous position. "What is the next meeting about?" The man brushes off his suit thinking over his words. "It's a small business meeting with a supposed rival in the field. Hopefully, it'll be done and over with rather quickly…" 

Our shoes scuff against the floor. My eyes watch as Lucio gathers up the papers from the meeting. The shuffling quiets down as he hands the stack over to me, "Take this to my office and meet me in meeting room 2B." I grasp the sheets and pause in my movements, giving him an unsure look. His eyes meet my hesitant gaze. "What?" 

My head slightly cocked to the side, “I…-” I jumped at the vibration of my phone in my back pocket. Shuffling the papers into my offhand, pulling out the black cased block of technology. “Answer and don’t stall for too long. I’ll make my way out.” The once puzzled man grimaces with one look at the clock and walks out quickly. I checked the caller ID after my dull eyes followed the man out. 

My heart skipped a beat, she never called me outside of video calls. “Mom.” My voice croaked out, uneasy and broken. Throat constricting and crying out in pain. I heard the sound of a constant beep, a hacking cry, and fragmented breathing. “Noah...” Mama’s voice whimpered through the crackling speaker. “Y-Your dad had a seizure last night…” The air disappeared from my lungs, trapping me in an icy prison. 

Her sniffling and shaky breathing slice through my skin stabbing me right in the chest. The beep finally registers as a heart monitor. My dad's heart beeping steadily, slower than the usual heart rate resonated with me. "Th-They said he's got a tumor…–" She cuts herself off with a cry of pain and sorrow. 

Guilt overtook me, knowing I couldn't comfort her with my presence or a reassuring word or two. I was utterly useless as I listened to her suffering. "—The tumor… It’s in hi-his skull..!–" Everything slowed drastically as the air became thick and heavy with despair.

The papers I forgot I was holding slipped from my grasp and came crashing down on the door flying everywhere. I felt like screaming, punching a wall, dramatically flying out to visit on such short notice. My eyes shook, jittering with fury and suffocating agony.

"I-I should let you go, you're probably at work…" I let out a soft sniffle, "I love you, Dear. P-Please, visit soon." The soft beeping of the hung-up phone calls me back to the present. My body was stiff as I kneeled working at picking up all the scattered papers and sorting them into a stack.

Standing back up I make my way out of the room,  buzzing with anxiety. My heels tapped softly against the floor, moving to the stairs instead of the elevator. I quickly go up a flight and open the door, walking through. 

My mind races, greeting the receptionist with a small wave. I couldn't help the rage and fear coursing through my veins as I fished out the keys to Lucio's office. Unlocking the room and stepping inside to drop off the stack of papers. The room is spotless, annoyingly so. Not a single thing is out of place beside the stack of paper neatly sitting on his desk. 

With one glance at the clock, I'm rushing off, locking the door behind me and racing to meeting room 2B. When I finally arrive I crack the door open. Slowly huddling into the dim room, glancing up at the projected image of a bar graph. My eyes wander to Lucio and our eyes lock. He was furious but didn't let it show anywhere besides his eyes. I had to remind myself to keep my emotions off my face as I creep into a position against the wall close to him. Not too close but a short enough distance, something goes wrong and I can easily defend him. 

The words of the businessman fell on deaf ears, I couldn't bother to truly listen to the conversation. This man rattling on about statistics wasn't a threat. The brute sitting just to the left of me was the danger. His hair was tied into a neat bun and I couldn't help it, he was pretty. 

My body bristled at the thought, what the fuck was I thinking? I shook my head and continued on aimlessly wandering. Lost in my thoughts so deep I felt like spiraling out of control. I had to book a flight to visit my father. My mother's crying sounded through my mind, "Noah." I jumped slightly, looking over at Lucio, I realized the empty room beside him and myself. 

"What are you thinking about, it's concerning when my bodyguard is so lost he doesn't realize the meeting is over." I grit my teeth, "My ma called me, Dad is in the hospital right now. He had a seizure and she called crying." His facial expressions appear indifferent. "I– I'm sorry about that…" I watched the man finnick with the pen he held in hand. "Sorry, I just don't know what to say, both of my parents are dead." I flinched at his blunt tone, watching him stand from his seat. 

"When is the gala again?" Lucio looks at me, "This coming Sunday." With a sharp nod I avert my eyes, "Can I take the next week off? I want to visit Dad." My eyes take in all the basic designs to the damn room, waiting in silence. "Yes, but I'll go with you." I snap back around with wide alert orbs. "What? You don't have to." 

"Nonsense, I'll go and give my condolences as any good employer would do. Plus I'll pay for the tickets and a hotel." My hands move to argue but he shakes his head. "Arguing won't do you any good, my mind is already set. You have the day off tomorrow and I'll be here for the rest of the night."

Lucio pauses before grabbing his keys from his back pocket, "You can take my car, just… pick up Marcella and take her back to the estate. The teacher already knows you're coming."

——————————

I ended up picking her up, dropping her off, and staying for a while. Missing my speech appointment in the process. It was worth it to spend some extra time with the little girl. Only then to check the time and finally, return the car before walking home. The dark house greets me with its cold embrace. The shutters and curtains were drawn to conceal the living room and kitchen from any light before I flick the light switch on. 

Exhaustion sets in as I tear the suit jacket off and loosen my tie. Throwing the pieces on the floor I crash on the couch. Setting my phone and keys down on the short coffee table. I'm hungry but I couldn't care less as my eyes slowly drift. The only thing keeping me awake is the thought of my dad. A tumor in his head lying in a hospital bed, being constantly monitored. Ma sitting to his side heartbroken with a red puffy face. My sisters visiting with tears streaming down their faces. It was unbearable as I finally forced myself to sleep. A dream of fear and sadness plagued my mind.