Her leg shook rapidly as she leaned heavily over the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in her hands.
"They want me to bring you back to Venice, mostly they want the dog. If it's not me, they're going to kill you and I don't know what they'll do to Nataio," The dogs ears perked for a bit from where he chewed idly at a toy in the corner of the kitchen, "It's better if you just trust me."
"And my kid?" she tapped at the porcelain.
He stood looming in the kitchen, a hand resting on the counter. The contrast of his metal and tough black leather covering on the innocent, inviting marbling of the quartz counters.
Her kid.
"He'll still be in boarding school."
"There's a huge difference between boarding school and absolutely motherless."
"He'll be actually motherless if you stay."
One hand threw the coffee back while another pushed her hair back, "At least they'll still have a dad, unless you already got to-"
"Ramos is fine, but don't talk about this kid like he's not mine," he gruffed clenching his hand.
She clicked her tongue, "I'm not gonna fucking coddle my kidnapper… Moses is the only dad Gadiel actually knows. Sorry if that happens to make you uncomfortable, you poor fucking thing."
His hand slid off the counter with a scratching sound, "We're leaving."
"I didn't agree to that," she pushed her chair back.
"I know I seemed like I was giving you a choice, but we both know I was actually just explaining what would happen."
He watched her jaw flex.
"Get whatever you want to take with you."
She bent over for a bit, breathing heavily and when she looked back up tears were rolling down her face, "You know the worst part about fighting you? It's that we both know that wasn't real."
Reaper stared into the corner at Nataio, even behind a mask he couldn't bare eye contact.
"We both know that you could have ghosted or misted or whatever you call it, at any moment that you wanted, but you didn't. That's terrifying," she shuttered, her brown face was warm and red, her eyes squinting with tears, "So even if you don't plan to kill me, let's be honest, you could. Whenever you wanted, you could."
"I wouldn't-"
"Everything you do, every move, every time you go silent, it's a threat now… You by default are a threat. You don't have to say it for it to be true. You can protest, but at the end of the day, I could say one thing, just one off thing and you could snap my neck or shoot me or… whatever else it is that you do."
She stood with a heavy sigh and wiped at her legs as if trying to dust off the feelings, "You're just… so horrifying. It doesn't matter how much I don't agree, even if you're lying about everything, about more people coming, I'm just… I can't fight you. But I will, because I don't want to leave my baby."
He waited, allowed her space to say more, but she stayed silent, "I'm not lying about more people, and I wouldn't put it past them."
Reaper moved to stand beside her, and placed a small device in front of her.
The device illuminated, a hologram video began to play. It was black pavement, as the camera jostled around it looked over vegetables sitting out as the camera person handed over cash to the man behind the vegetables
The hand looked old, spotted by age.
"They sent these to me, to keep me in line all the time," Reaper stated, he took a step back as to not crowd her.
In the video, the person moved through some crowding, and into a parking lot. Guada recognized the car he was walking towards even at a distance and she furrowed her brow in anger.
The man lifted the top of his messenger style bag. With some shuffling, he finally got the camera in view to see the body of his gun inside of his bag.
When he looked back up, he was in front of the car.
"Excuse me," the voice of an older gentleman.
The camera angle pointed upwards, but the cardigan, the Tangled Circuits tshirt, even before the man adjusted it, she knew it was her.
"Can I help?" she heard her past self ask defensively.
"I'm sorry I don't mean to upset you, but would you know where the methodist church is around here? I'm new around to-"
The top of Nataio's head came into view as he moved between his owner and the stranger silently and gave a warning gruff.
"You have to go up like 5 blocks for the nearest church, I've no idea if it's methodist or not. Just know majority of this area is farming land. Sorry." she spoke straight and to the point, moving to put her things away in the trunk faster.
Guada cursed herself, she should have been more aware of her surroundings. She shouldn't have given him any time at all. She should have just tossed her things in. She was an idiot. Get out of there! She yelled from within her head, praying for some past mental link.
"It's a beautiful dog you've got there," the man moved his bag in front of him, in front of the camera's view. He shuffled inside the bag as the trunk slammed shut.
Guada's heart pounded, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and opened them as he pulled out a biscuit and tried to wave it in front of Nataio's face.
"He's on a strict diet. Please leave my service dog alone."
She remembered this, how odd it had been for this stranger to offer him a biscuit form out of his bag. At the time she had assumed him to be a dog owner himself or maybe he had just come from the treat shop maybe anything, but not this. This had been nowhere on her radar. Clearly not as she watched her past self turn her back to the stranger.
"Have a good day."
"Thank you, honey," he walked off and looked back into the bag, stood behind a tree, motioned to the gun, looked up, and pointed his finger in a gun shape in her direction. In the distance she could see herself inside the car, absorbed into her phone.
"Idiot," she whispered to herself in the present day.
"It was like a ritual," Reaper's warped voice filled the space, "Almost monthly. Another video, another man or woman talking to you. Saying good morning, walking their dog behind you, sitting in the restaurant with you and Moses… They never tortured me but they didn't have to."
She got up from her chair, "I don't want to take anything."
"Can we take the pictures of him, please… of Gabriel."
"His name isn't Gabriel, it's Gadiel. I'm sure it must be very difficult to understand the subtleties for someone like you."
He could feel his face heat up from the remark, but he followed her like a shadow as they moved to gather the picture albums of hers. He demanded she bring them all, and so she did.
She moved into the child's bedroom to take a couple stuffies, grabbed her dogs old working clothes and off they went into the night.
Around houses, into a vehicle, she was blindfolded for much of the commotion but eventually allowed to see once she was meant to get onto an airplane. She curled up in her seat, Nataio laying in front of her. As they flew over the island she placed a hand on the glass.
I'll come back. I'll get you back. I'll keep you safe. Please don't hurt, she chanted the words in her head like a spell.
Reaper sat at a distance trying not to watch her. Part of him was in disbelief that she was finally back in front of him, knowing he was there, unlike all those holidays spent ghosting behind her. The other part of him was full of anger, it was his fault she was here, she deserved a good, peaceful life.
He clenched his claws into a fist as he sat back watching the world pass outside.
The plane landed, Guada hadn't slept the entire flight. Nataio had been in and out of sleep, waking only for a short-lived patrol of the small space and to follow Guada to the bathroom.
The landing area was dark, but the strip was lined with colorful lights.
Gabriel walked ahead of her down the steps, and ahead of them was a large man in a suit, with a lanky pale woman beside him, behind them a row of what looked like military personnel. The woman stuck out to Guada however, she seemed oddly familiar.
"Guada Ramirez, finally, you've come to join us," The man opened his arms as if asking for a hug.
Gabriel stopped short at the last step and Guada looked from around him, Nataio's leash held tightly in her hands. She watched as the large man slapped his hands heavily onto Gab's shoulders.
"So defensive, my friend, don't worry, she is in good hands."
Gabriel refused to move until the man backed up. As Guada came down the steps, the lanky woman stepped forward towards them. Nataio walked closely behind Guada, close enough she could feel him tense up.
She adjusted her hand on the leash, tightening her hold in a stern grip.
"Welcome to Venice, I hope you find your accommodations comfortable," her voice gave Guada goosebumps.
"Moira? How am I not surprised…" Her brow furrowed so that her eyes were slits, "What happens now," Guada asked over the loud slapping wind blowing through the stretch of land, daring Moira to step in closer.
"Now, you relax, and later we find out what your strengths are," the large man repeated his hands clasped together near his lanky partner.
The man stepped forward again, Gabriel reached for Guada's hand but she moved it away from him on contact. The large man reached his palm out to her, and after staring at it for a moment, she reached back.
"Akande Ogundimu," he introduced himself and squeezed her hand tightly as he went to kiss the back of her hand.
"Guada Ramirez, but you already knew that," she attempted to pull her hand back from his, but he held on tightly.
"Glad to have you," Nataio growled from beside her and several of the personnel stepped forward.
"Let go of me." She attempted to jerk her hand back again.
"Don't panic," Akande stated firmly.
She saw Moira nod at Reaper and felt him move in close behind her.
"What are you doing?" she continued to tug at her arm harder, but Reaper's superhuman arms wrapped around her from behind before Akande finally let go, "Gabriel, stop!"
It pained him to hear her beg this way, but he knew this was necessary.
Nataio was in a frenzy now. A handful of personnel closed in on him, but it was the fiery-haired woman stepping forward that made him flash. He darted, leaving rope burns on Guada's hand and hurting her wrist.
She yelped in pain.
Gabriel leaned in closely, the material of his mask cold against her ear, "It's gonna be okay."
"Leave him alone!" Guada screamed as she watched one of the personnel suddenly dart after her dog.
Her eyes widened in horror, she'd never seen someone keep up with Nataio, but more to it, it sunk in she'd never seen Nataio behave this way without commands. He was afraid.
"Call him back to you, dear, no reason for him to get hurt now," Moira sighed crossing her arms.
Guada bit her lip. If the person could keep up with Nataio, who would tire sooner? She'd never seen these people, she'd no idea what they were capable of. She swallowed hard.
"Nataio, to me!" She screamed desperately over the sound of the lashing winds.
She saw the dog stop in its tracks midfield. The person hovered over him, but visibly relaxed as they noticed the dog wasn't attempting to run anymore.
This was the first time she had ever had to call more than once, her voice shivered and was weaker the second time, "To me, Nataio."
The dog unfurled and slinked back towards the crowd. It's tail curled between its legs as it walked back to its mother.
"Get him in the cage," the red-haired woman commanded, and again the crowd closed in on the dog.
Guada reached out a hand to Nataio, but as the pup lapped at her hand, another rather large man wrapped his arms around the dog's waist and hoisted him into the air.
"No!" Guada wailed.
Reaper still held her tightly and whispered in her ear again, "Calm down, it'll be alright."
She wanted so badly to kick him, to fight back against them as they hurt Nataio, but she had no choice. Reaper was so much bigger than her, there were so many more of them.
"Please, just… be careful. H-h-he needs me," she broke down.
The space beside her suddenly felt so empty. She watched as they slammed the back of the car closed behind Nataio who poked his snout out from the cage bars snorting rapidly.
"I love you," she whispered at the dog as he pawed at his cage, his high pitched whines filling the night.
"Get her relaxed, too much stress won't be good, it'll alter the results, make things take longer. I don't have that kind of time," Moira waved her hand and climbed into the passenger side of the van.
"You heard the doctor, you two, back to the romantic getaway. Relax. Get to know each other," Akande laughed as he flexed his wrist.
Reaper weakened his hold and Guada shook him off harshly, but 'relaxed,' defeated as he pressed his hand into her back, ushering her away. She held her face in her hands sobbing, unable to look up at what was happening.
"Just cool it, you're going to be fine. Just do what they say."
Guada crawled into the back corner of the limousine they had waiting for the pair. Reaper stepped in after her.
He watched her curl up, shaking. He wanted to help her, apologize, reassure her, but he also knew after the way he had grabbed her up at Akande's command, he was likely the last person she wanted anything from.
Time ticked away, the windows were blacked out, and so they only had the overhead light from the limo.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled.
"I'm sorry doesn't get me back home, now does it?" Her voice was hard to hear as she spoke from within her ball form, "It doesn't reassure my baby, or tell my husband where I am. It doesn't solve anything. Far as I know, it's not even you under that mask... It definitely doesn't feel like it."
Reaper looked down at his claws, why did he have to wear them for this mission? "It's me."
"Oh yea? That's exactly what I'd say if I was lying to someone about who I was too," She scuffed, she leaned her head back with closed eyes as the limo turned again.
"Stop trying to keep track, they're just going to keep doing circles to throw you off."
"Thank you, I hadn't noticed since they did an entire three figure eights in the last hour."
"They'll keep going for another hour or so, just-"
"If you tell me to relax one more time, don't even worry about threatening me, I'll kill myself out of annoyance."
He smiled from underneath the mask, he'd missed that attitude.