Stephen gasped, unsure whether it was out of shock or relief. Either way, he clasped his chest tightly as he panted.
"Ah, goodness," he breathed out. The feeling was akin to finally removing a splint from his fingertip. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Oh, thank goodness."
Hugo chuckled, watching his uncle through the rearview mirror with a smile.
"Settle down, Uncle. I’m not going to take you anywhere else," he reassured. "I just need to talk to soone for a second."
"Hugo!" Stephen roared, glaring at the driver’s seat. "How could you— you almost gave a heart attack!"
Again, Hugo just laughed, which Stephen didn’t appreciate.
"Goodness..." Stephen exhaled once more, tapping his chest. He leaned back, resting his mind after it had raced with thoughts of survival.
When Stephen recovered, he snapped his eyes at the driver’s seat. "Where’s my driver?"
"I don’t know." Hugo shrugged. "He wasn’t here when I ca to your car."
Stephen’s brows knitted. "What does that an?"
"He wasn’t there when I ca," Hugo repeated. "So, I don’t know where he is."
"That’s strange," Stephen muttered to himself, confused. "He wouldn’t leave hanging."
Not with Stephen’s temper. His driver would never leave the car unless he was driving Stephen ho. After all, Stephen was always out and about, so his driver needed to be ready at all tis, especially when he was heading ho.
"Though I did see soone waiting to drive you." Just then, Hugo’s voice broke through Stephen’s thoughts.
"Soone?"
"Mhm."
Now, Stephen was more confused. "And you told him to leave?"
"Heh." Hugo let out a short chuckle, making Stephen narrow his eyes suspiciously. He cast his uncle a knowing look, smirking. "Uncle, just sit back and relax. Look outside and thank the Heavens for all the wonders he’s gifted us, which humanity is slowly destroying."
Stephen’s face twitched, unsure if he’d heard Hugo correctly.
Since when had this kid turned into this?!
---
Just thirty minutes after they left Global Pri Logistics, Stephen found himself at one of the ports where a few of their ships were docked. He stared out the window, then at Hugo in the driver’s seat.
"What are we doing here?"
"Just a stop point."
"Hugo Bennet, what do you think you’re doing?! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t take anywhere?!"
When those words flew out of his mouth, Stephen felt the car co to a halt. He looked around, realizing that Hugo had parked in what seed to be the old warehouse of the port.
"Uncle, I did tell you I wouldn’t take you anywhere, but I need to drop soone off... and maybe talk to them for a bit." Hugo looked back at him, smiling almost innocently.
"What?" Stephen scoffed, but Hugo had already jumped out of the car. Watching his nephew’s figure, Stephen panicked and followed, jumping out of the car. "What does that an?!"
Hugo, standing behind the trunk, paused. "Huh?"
"Hugo Bennet, whatever you’re doing..." Stephen trailed off, taking a cautious step back as he narrowed his eyes at his nephew. His gaze then shifted to the closed trunk, then back to Hugo. "What’s in there, Hugo?"
Stephen gulped as he held his breath. For so reason, he didn’t like the feeling creeping up in his chest.
"Hehe." Hugo chuckled, then opened the trunk. When he gazed down, he asked, "Say, Uncle, your driver is an old guy with a little hump on his back, right?"
"Huh?"
Hugo snapped his eyes up at him. "I’m just making sure, so I know whether I should apologize or not."
"..." Stephen gulped again, his heart thudding loudly in his chest, echoing in his ears. He mustered the courage to take a step forward, hands clenched at his sides. He didn’t know why he was ducking, but he approached the trunk anyway.
The closer he got, the more he could see inside.
First, legs. Then, torso.
Stephen’s breath hitched, and his steps stopped just before he could see more. Slowly, he lifted his shaky eyes to look at Hugo.
His lips quivered as he asked, "He... is he dead?"
"Huh? Uncle, what do you think of ? A serial killer?" Hugo frowned. "Didn’t I tell you another driver is waiting for you?"
With that, Hugo bent over and pulled the man, tied up and kicked out of the trunk. As the man half-stood, half-sat, he glared at Stephen. A cloth was tied around his mouth.
"It’s this guy," Hugo announced, nodding at Stephen knowingly. "Consider today is your lucky day, Uncle."
Then he paused and looked at the man. "But not for you."
The mont those words slipped past Hugo’s lips, he pulled the man over his shoulder and carried him inside the warehouse, as though he were carrying a sack of flour.
Stephen, anwhile, looked around nervously. The night hadn’t even fallen yet, and here they were, dragging a tied-up man into an old warehouse!
"Goodness!" Stephen whimpered, grinding his teeth tightly. "What is he doing in broad daylight?! Did anyone see us?!"
He ran outside, glancing around to make sure there weren’t any people nearby. Who knew? Soone might have been taking a break in one of the huge containers stacked together, or maybe soone was watching from the ships docked nearby.
"Oh, good Lord!" Stephen panted, stretching his neck to check left and right. When he was sure no one was around—at least, he thought so—he ran back inside.
"Hugo, Hugo, what is going on?!" He winced as Hugo dragged a tal chair from the side, as if this place was where so of the workers took breaks.
Hugo dragged the chair across the concrete floor, unfazed by the salty sll of water, rusty tal parts, and thick dust in the warehouse. Spinning the chair around, he planted it on the concrete with a loud bam, then sat on it with the backrest facing forward.
Resting his arms on the armrests, Hugo glanced at Stephen. "Uncle, what are you doing here? You should just relax in the car."
"How can I relax?!" Stephen gasped in distress. "What are you even planning on doing with him?! Also, who is he?!"
Hugo frowned. "I already told you, Uncle. He’s your driver’s replacent."
"If he is, then why did you tie him up?! What if there’s an ergency, and my driver needs to call soone to take over?"
"Would your driver also ask to plant a bomb in your car?" Hugo’s response shut Stephen down instantly. "Thought so."
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