Ciao Amores,

I hope you its a worthy read. Bare with me. It's intense.

I've been really thinking of a sequel. So here goes:

Introducing→

Dutchman's Chocolate.

The book following Italian Coffee House.

Casting:

Stephen James as Jan Anderson,

Meagan Good as Tionnè Banks,

David Gandy as Niccolò Casimiro

and Lauryn Hill as Adaramola Casimiro

Here's the Thirty-nineth installation of Italian Coffee House.

Please

ENJOY XD. Thank you - everyone of you, for your unfailing loyality, love and support.

XO,

Ang

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9

A gush of air escape me, as he continued in my direction. My heart hammered loudly, sinking deeper within my chest, with each step. While the door was being unlatched from the outside moments ago, my hope was that someone had come to my rescue. Preferably, someone I knew.

This, somber state of inhumane confinement, was beginning to be too much. To the extent that I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy. I couldn't fathom being in this ghastly place for much longer. It was quite some time since I'd eaten. Hunger and frustration were a lethal combination on its own and my raging hormones weren't helping the case either.

The hairs on my skin stood at attention, my final warning that something awry would take place if I allowed it. But what could I do? Shackled to the wall like some unruly pitbull and all? The determined look in his eye seared my soul. A silent prayer crossed my mind as he stood at the base of my feet. Suppressing the waterworks as he examined me, from my toes all the way up to the crown of my head, I analyzed him as well.

His words hung in the air, the promise of his pleasure, in exchange for my demise. Enough tv shows had depicted how easily a situation, like the one I currently found myself in, could go sideways. Law and Order: SVU. Criminal Minds. Homeland. I'd been bing-watching them all, with Krysta and Tey, for the past few months. Whenever they were available. A countermeasure was fortunately in order.

His greeting wandered my psyche. The longer I was processed it, the more unhinged I became. It was almost impossible to miss the glint in his dark eyes as he uttered it. Almost. The threat hidden just beneath, nearly masking his nefarious intentions. He paused midstep, a little way in, extending an arm to close the door.

Earlier, it had been so devastating, being alone in this dark expanse. Quite frankly, it never occured to me that the presence of light might beckon danger. My spidey-sense tingled with urgency. Heaven only knows I didn't want him anyway near me, but I had no idea what to do.

The overhead lights agitated my peepers. A reasonable response considering, the room had been dark going on forever now. I'd been in the twilight zone for however long. It was a struggle to keep them open, but I couldn't close them, for fear of what may occur if I did.

It seemed intentional, their decision to keep my bound. To let me linger in this back of beyond. To discard me in this pit, without regard for the slightest compassion or courtesy. Ignorant of the negative effect, the absence of a viable light source, would have on me. Then again, they weren't exactly my biggest fans.

What made me any different, from anyone who had ever been taken, in their existence since the dawn of time? Nothing.

It was no secret how long I'd endured the pungent lifeless ambiance of the room. Time was relative, yet it seemed to stand still. For the most part, with my hope for survival, on the other side of that door. If this was mere hours, what was an eternity in damnation?

No matter how much I wanted to shut my eyes, even for a brief moment it was quite clear that I shouldn't. This was real. For whatever unknown reason, there was still air in my lungs. I was still here - alive; breathing. Regardless of everything that had occurred, the choice remained mine - to give up or weather this storm. Bow out or stand up for my babies rights to live.

A chilling sensation shot through my body. My heart continue to work up a racket within my chest. His every action seemed delayed, as though he had been allotted all the time in the world. His dark eyes glinted in the light as an amused smile curled on his lips.

He searched for any foreshadow of resistance, before his gaze raked over my form. Nevermind the grime that clung to my body before, I definitely felt filthy now. He undressed me with his eyes, like a starved dog would a slab of meat, the stench of booze preceding him. Desperation flooded his eyes, and I couldn't bare to imagine the crude scenarios that played out beyond them.

He knelt at my feet stretching his hand out to whisper against my cheek. His eyes followed the movement closely before his hand descended. My skin burned like acid under his touch, and I sat still contemplating my next move. The tips of his fingers traced my clavicle, dipping behind the fabric to cup my breast, a groan escaping his lips. Tears glazed my eyes and my lips quivered. I wanted to cry. In all my existence I'd never been so violated.

His hand drifted further south slowly and for a split second, I wished that I had jumped out of that minivan while I had the chance. He leaned in to press an open mouth kiss just above my breast. I didn't think it was possible for me to feel any more degraded, but he proved me wrong. Staring passed his thick dark hair, I forced myself not to give him ammunition. Trembling would only add to his sick fantasy, wouldn't it?

It's too bad some actions could not be programmed. He chuckled deeply, a sinister tale foregoing in his imagination. With his available hand, he was about to touch my baby bump but I couldn't bare the notion, swatting it away. There was no way on God's green earth, that I would allow this bully, to put his hands on my babies. His hand flew up to my neck, squeezing enough that my air passage was constricted. My eyes burned with unshed tears from the pressure.

In one swift motion, I maneuvered my arms interlocking his which had only just gripped my neck, applying pressure to the back of his elbow until it snapped. He wailed in agony, keeling over. With the adrenaline pumping, I somehow managed to wrap the very chain that bound me to the wall around his neck, pulling on it so that he struggled for air. The familiar sound of a metallic door being unfastened caught my ear.

The door was pushed open to reveal a slender female in a red dress. Her eyes widened in shock as she rushed forward slapping me across the face. Slightly disoriented by her brassiness, I stepped back, unknowingly releasing the pressure on the chain. Enough that that abhorrent man was able to pry himself free. He lunged at me, however the woman in red stepped between, cutting off his path.

"Come on baby," she cooed. He looked at me, his eyes burning with fury and his face twisted in agony. He reluctantly spun on his heel, storming out of the room. The woman raked her eyes over my form, doing little to hide her disgust. She followed him, her heels clicking against the concrete floor, before the light went out again and the door was locked behind her.

I stood in place heaving, staring after them, in the pitch black darkness. I was never good at gym in Secondary School, but man did it feel magnificent that that self defense seminar had finally paid off. Too bad that's all I could remember from that class. My jubilee lasted a mere moment, before the terror set in. My persecutors could well be on their way back by now. What would I do then?

My fingers subconsciously traced my abdomen in a circular motion. The sensation momentarily relieving me of the terrible mental image of what had almost occurred. When I was confident enough that they wouldn't return any time soon, I sighed in relief, stepping backward until my back pressed against the wall. My nerves were still on edge, as I crouched down to sit on the floor. Tears pricked my eyes again, and I sucked in a sharp breath, suppressing a cry.

An incessant knocking caught my ear, and my body froze. It seemed to emanate the walls around me, but the longer I listened, the more convinced I was that the sound was in fact coming from beside me. The room had been completely silent up until now. What had changed and more importantly, what could it possibly be?

Scooting to my right, I extended my hand to serve as an antenna. My fingers brushed over the very faint lines that segmented the wall behind me. There was something about the absence of light that made two feet seem like two miles. Upon reaching the other face of this box, I pressed my ear against it, only to hear mumbling in the background. It was muffled. Asian maybe. Either way, it was a mystery to me. Who could it be on the other side of this wall?

"Subhanaka Allahuma, wa bihamdika, wa tabarak asmuka, wa ta ala jaduka, wa la ilaha ghairuk. (Glory and praise be to You, O Allah. Blessed be Your name and exalted be Your majesty, there is none worthy of worship except You)." Whoever it was repeated it, over and over, passionately like some mantra.

It was a while before the intonation died down, and silence befell the cell again. That song signified that there was another beyond this partition. If I was to survive this, I had to know why. Something prompted me to find out. It may offer some clarity as to why I was brought here in the first place? What could they want with me? What did I have to offer them? Mimicking the rhythm that had previously caught my attention, I knocked against the wall.

"Hello?" A muffled voice called. Thick and rich with culture. One I couldn't claim to know an iota about.

"Hello?" I replied.

"You did good in there." The man offered. Just how thin were these walls? "These walls aren't as impenetrabile as they might seem."

"They seemed awfully thick a while ago." Despite the surprise, it was pleasant to hear another's voice, though not given the harsh circumstance under which we'd become acquainted. As much as I could go on talking to myself, I'd rather maintain my sanity for as long as I could. "I thought for sure I was alone."

"So did I," He confessed, "but as you've as learnt, not everything is as it appears. There are two aside from me."

Clearly. Wait ... what?

"What? How long have you been here? How do you know that?" It was a dumb question but one I had to ask. If this situation wasn't puzzling before, it definitely was now. Two others? What on earth was going on? None of this made any sense.

"Two weeks, one day, sixteen hours, five minutes and thirty-three seconds." The stranger supplied. How on earth was he abled to keep track of the time whilst I, on the other hand, struggled to get passed the darkness?

"How were you able to keep up with the time?" It was a task, just to track the beats of my heart. How was he able to bypass the superficial, and with such precision?

"Well, this isn't my first rodeo." His only response. He didn't offer up anything further. He seemed very calm and collected for a man in his predicament. It appeared as though nothing phased him.

"What? You've been kidnapped before?" I blurted out before I was abled to stop myself.

"No. I spent a lot of time in the dark as a child." His tone was even, never betraying any emotion that might have been tied to such an event. How could that be? Was he even telling the truth?

"That's awful!" That must have been some childhood.

"That--and they aren't foolish enough to turn the lights off in my room, if that's what you mean. They want to surveil me—to make sure I don't do anything they'll soon regret." It didn't escape me that he ignored my comment.

"Why are we here?" I asked, though I was afraid of what my question might reveal.

"We have yet to figure that out, but if anything, it's obvious they're keeping us alive for monetary gain." He replied, his voice low as he spoke. "That's why it's important that, no matter what they do, you don't give in."

Why did I get the sinking feeling that the worst was yet to come?

"Hello?" He called again. "Are you there?"

"I am," It was barely a whisper but he seemed to catch it anyway.

"Take heart, by what I've heard you pack quite the punch." He urged. "You can never stop fighting. That's how we all come out of this alive. They need us."

"How long?" I asked.

"For as long as you are in this place." He supplied.

Suddenly, the door was being unlatched again. In a panic, I crawled on my hands and knees to as close a position as I'd originally been. The door opened to reveal another figure in the threshold. Taller, gruff and more muscular than the last. The light was switched on again. That barbaric imbecile.

He charged towards me heaving. Anger radiating off him, like heat would molten lava. His eyes held nothing but hate and disgust. Reflexively, I shielded myself from any blows he might offer. The subtle sound of a jingling caught my ear. Keys. Soon, he hauled me unto my feet with a vice-like grip at my arm. We emerged from my cell in a narrow underground tunnel. The dripping water from the walls and distinct scent of cement, caught my senses as Clyde shoved me forward.

Before long, we entered a room illuminated by bright fluorescent lights as opposed to those in the tunnel. I was scarcely able to see a window, from which I might learn of our location. Clyde forced me onward passed the guy who tried to take advantage of me in my cell, pass the woman in red who'd struck me and to the man whom I recognized from as the driver of the minivan.

He eyed me briefly before pressing his hand to my shoulder, enough that I dropped to my knees. A phone in his hand, alive with static. He pressed a button on the phone enabling the speaker so that I was abled to hear faint breathing. Emotion flooded me as I struggled to keep my wits. There was only one reason they could've brought me here, especially in light of recent events. Terror gripped me. Mostly, because what had to be done, would probably hurt the person on the other end of this call. In more ways than I could possibly imagine.

My new next door neighbour, mentioned there being others in this facility. He spoke of monetary gain. How would I be able to live with myself if I got out and they didn't? How would I be able to live with their deaths on my conscience. I wasn't a fan of being left behind, so how could I justify doing that to someone else? Somewhere deep inside, I found courage to do the right thing.

"Nicky?" I breathed out, afraid more than anything else.

"Ada!" God knows how amazing it was to hear his voice again. It was so strained. So rich with emotion. It almost dissuaded me from achieving my current goal.

"Nicky, don't do it." Just as the last word left my mouth, another ear-ringing blow registered at my jaw. My hands reflexively braced my fall, allowing me to catch my bearings before I was struck again from behind. "Don't make a deal with them!"

A hand gripped my locs, rousing me from my position on the floor, until I was back on my feet again. Whoever it was lead to another part of this ridiculously large facility. There were more rooms and doors than they probably knew what to do with. I fought against the tight grip on my arm in an attempt to get free, but that only served to rile the situation. We entered another space, dim lights casting a soft glow over the area. The rim of a very large basin of water was the last thing that came into view before my face was thrust into it.