Where The Law Fails

|:|Angelo Varundar|:|

Angelo expected some resistance at his notion of splitting the two. However, he also knew that it had to be so. Angelo did not want to discuss Kain's future employment in front of her. In his detailed search of the two, Angelo was all ears to drink up the emotional conflict between the two. They were not as bonded as he thought. Either a weakness on his part on convincing Kain to join, or a great asset. A coin flip to bring up. Either way, it was information, and something he could use. Kain was far from pushing himself from Kenzie, though the latter seemed colder to him. Allowing Kenzie inside and barring Kain only prompted a more heated resistance against him, and Angelo had to read his face to understand where to tread. He didn't have much to fear from Kain, being armed and trained, but he needed the man. Can't force him to be the Hand. Keeping the professional tone up, while keeping the gap between him and Kain small, almost within arm's reach, Angelo answered his questions, mockingly as they may be. "We do need to talk, Kain. Out here. And you are going to let Kenzie in, but not alone. Remember, Thalia isn't with us. If anything, my partner on the inside is alone and unsupervised. But, if you are here to protect Kenzie, you'll do well to stay outside. I have no qualms over blowing a hole in both of you after this deal if you don't heed my words. I have no investment in the inheritance myself, but I need it to disappear. Only thing keeping you alive after today is your worth. Not Kenzie's, or Thalia's, or Luca's. He's here, right? Long as he doesn't show his face, I don't give a damn. I have orders to kill him otherwise."

"What I need from you, Kain, is open ears. I'm retiring from this line of work, and Lociato isn't all too happy about it. So, I offered a solution; provide Kenzie and Thalia protection from the criminals around the world, the FBI, who are working against you worse than Lociato, and from financial burden. In exchange, you work as the Hand of Lociato, and live with a thick paycheck every day. A luxurious life, one I can atone for. Still, I want to move on. You think Lociato remembers killing your parents? It's business, one you can take up if you want Kenzie and Thalia to live past tonight. I'll train you in some of the things you'll need, and by next week you'll be ready to be the executioner of Lociato. You'll oversee everything, and when the old man croaks, you can inherit that power. I want to disappear; you? Where do you see yourself in ten years? Kenzie's cold to you now, but, given time, she'll warm up to the idea again. Especially when she's being catered to."

|:|Luca Varundar|:|

With the car dead and the night rolled over, Luca reclined the seat a tad so that he could lay back, hand poised on the door handle so that he could roll out at a moment's notice. Though dark outside, Luca could spot the silhouettes of both Kain and Kenzie approaching the shack, as well as the imposing shadow of his cousin. Every nerve screamed to clock the man where he stood, but Luca resisted the urge. It was a primal anger, one he learned to bite down years ago. Now, it seemed to be at full strength, and it bothered him immensely that there was little he could do. What his eyes caught in the murky dark, however, troubled him. Kenzie entered the building, but Kain did not, halted by Angelo. He could see his partner approach Angelo, tightening the gap. Instinct told him that there was trouble brewing, yet he hesitated to open the door. Only if things go south should he reveal himself. He could only hope that Angelo didn't use the small space between them as a weapon. Still, this was where Sambo was best; keeping people away. It was a direct counter to most forms of Judo, and Luca surmised that Angelo relied heavily on the art. Only now did Luca keep an eye out for any kind of signal from Kain, now that they had entered a critical moment.
 
-(Kain Saunders)-

Though unnerving, soon, Kain realized that separation was necessary. Both Kain and Angelo had assets to protect, and Kenzie was completely defenseless, posing no threat at all. What would happen inside, anyway? If it were an execution, or any sort of attempt on Kenzie's life, it wouldn't go unnoticed, and the ex-cop would instantly spring into action and push Angelo aside just to see what was happening inside. But fortunately, for that first introduction, there was no such noises. No gunshots. No screaming. It was rather calm. It burdened him that he had no idea if that silence was a good or a bad thing, but part of him figured it was a safer bet to stay outside. Angelo, as hinted by Luca, would prove to be a formidable opponent if he had to engage in combat. He remained light on his feet with no weapons on hand. Only his instincts would be there to back him up. Sure, he had Luca not very far away, but at his distance, how helpful could he really be? It was as if he were here alone anyway. So, he sucked it up and stood before Angelo, his fists shut but not clenching, and just listening to the bald man go on about his own proposition. It might've made Kain's heart sink to hear the suspicion of Luca's presence, but surely, the boxer was smart enough to know when it was absolutely necessary to intrude, and not to simply storm in haphazardly.

So this was the point of it all. Kenzie had a deal inside... and so did Kain out here. Protection from all the forces against them, safety for Thalia and Kenzie.... if he chooses to work for the man who ruined his life. Upon the first taste of the idea, Kain was ready to bark out an instantaneous, non-negotiable 'no', but Angelo asked for open ears, so he'd give him just that. Hearing out the details of this deal. It wasn't just any position; he'd be the Hand of Lociato. And executioner. A monster that Kain wanted to rid himself of back in Seattle. Supposedly, Mikael would've been his last kill, the end of his bloodlust. That didn't last long, as the feeling soon returned as he cut Henrikson's hand clean off. Did he truly have the makings of a killer that couldn't be reversed? For Kenzie's sake, he hoped not. Then again, Kenzie wasn't exactly fond of him either way, and the way she'd been lashing out at him showed that. It broke Kain's heart, especially after their declaration of love back in Little Italy when Luca freed him from federal custody. Perhaps he did have some of the qualities the Hand must have. But was he motivated like one? By power and money? Not quite. In ten years? He didn't quite have that planned, especially after he'd been arrested and could no longer serve as a cop. The barrier of working for the man who'd made the last 15 years a living hell for him felt like a stab to the heart. Was this any way to honor his parents? If you can't beat them, join them? No. Under those conditions alone, Kain would've never considered. But then came the strain of pursuit. The US government wasn't coming after him anymore, but what about Lociato, who also wanted him in the dirt? What if Amelia tries to dishonor her end of the deal? It was too risky, a risk he wasn't willing to take on Kenzie.

"Lociato may not remember what he did to me... but I always will," Kain huffed. "My parents were just another pair of faces. Two more out of many he's put down before. Now you're asking me... to take your place, like this is some sort of game. If I were to take this position, who's to say Kenzie would EVER forgive me for stooping this low? I can't tarnish that image of me in her mind. Not more than it already is. Yes, my father himself might've been no better than Lociato, but that doesn't mean I have to inherit this sort of 'family business'. You better also have a good explanation how you'll keep those two girls safe. You may not know... but I've been pardoned for my recent crimes. I don't trust the system, so they might come back to bite me again. You better give me the run-down of how you exactly plan on keeping Kenzie and Thalia safe. You said you're retiring, and I'm sure your boss won't take it lightly. And who's to say he'll accept me, of all people? I'm sorry, but we might be broke after tonight, but at least disappearing will be an option for us."

Was Kain seriously considering this? A new job? He would never get anything reasonable after his past actions and notoriety. Was this his last resort? "That's not a yes.... But like you said, open ears, right? Show me this is real, and I will take it into consideration." A horrible feeling invaded the inside of his stomach. Guilt. There's no way he could tell Kenzie if he accepts. He felt like his parents were looking down on him in disappointment. This wasn't necessary. But if Kenzie runs off with Thalia like they planned on doing from the very beginning... what else did he have to live for?

-(Kenzie Andrews/Angela Parker/Thalia Griffin)-

The caring embrace between the doctor and slave was very quickly broken off by the woman with a gun in between. They could cry into each other's shoulders and share stories of their experiences later, preferably once she and Angelo were far, far away from this torn family. All Angela wanted was the inheritance, after all, and it's where Kenzie was guided to next, a seat in front of the computer set up for the transfer. From the offshore account in which Edward's funds were to the one set up for Angela. There could be no connection for the former FBI agent back to the Brookes family; otherwise, she would've simply asked Kenzie for permanent access. Instead, they would deplete one account and fill another to the brim. To start it off, it needed Kenzie's approval and security check as the legal, and only publicly-known, heiress to the police chief's ill-gotten gains. Who knows? Maybe it would be Angela if things had gone down differently with this Stephanie Parker. She did look more like her father, anyway. The resemblance was almost scary. The taunting on the phone certainly wasn't just all talk.

As the two members of the exchange went on to do their part - Kenzie going through the security check and Angela supervising to ensure that nothing suspicious was brewing - Thalia sat on the sidelines, away from the table, in the corner of the room. She didn't appreciate being used as a prize, not now and not in her time as a slave to Lociato. Would this be the last time she'd be used as 'property'? Now that she could remember how well Kenzie had treated her in the past, Thalia could rely on more than just one night in a hospital six months ago to know who exactly she'd be with. Someone she cared about, and this person cared back, enough to give away all of her riches just to see her again. Money doesn't buy happiness, but to know that someone was willing to be completely broke to see your face? It had Thalia's heart glowing ever so slightly. She couldn't take her eyes off of Kenzie - though scarred much like she was, she was still quite beautiful in her eyes. Better than she could imagine. She'd aged quite well since college. A slight part of her missed the purple dip-dyed hair she had, which she'd enticed her to get, but she could still love the more mature look from her. What was their future, with Kenzie a widow and Kain in the middle? Thalia was aware of a husband from their last confrontation at Eve's Memorial six months ago... but she'd ask about that later, once Angela lets them walk. Or at least, she could only hope Angela lets them walk.

It was a lengthy process, but one Kenzie designed herself, a security protocol to ensure the identity of whoever was trying to access the funds. Something she knew like the back of her hand, so she was breezing through the questions and inquiries. But she was dead silent, apart from the clicking of the keyboard. Angela watched right next to her, to her left. She could only expect so much from a girl now missing her ring finger, so her typing was slightly hindered. She understood, but the silence was becoming bothersome. And like hell did she want to engage in more conversation with Thalia. No, she wanted that redhead out of her hair for good. No, now she wanted to bond with this sister of hers... get that serious look off her face. Get her attention in some way. Angela's left leg crossed over her right one, leaning back in her chair, arms crossed, and, in a smug tone of voice, initiated the conversation.

"I thought you were a much... more bubbly personality, Kenzie-Poo. That's what I've heard from people in your workplace. Friends of yours, yes?"
Not in the mood for conversation, and, likewise, simply wanting to leave, she sighed. "Not a word from you about my past. Or my friends."
"Hm..." Angela thought, moving to a more personal conversation. "You know Herman Kenning is dead?"
His name instantly made Kenzie's heart sink, but didn't halt her key strokes. It also didn't trigger a verbal response.
"He died in an attempt to kill Jackson Cooper, who came close to killing you. He saved your life."
In an attempt not to dwell on the death of her friend, she found a point to change the direction of the conversation, as well as satisfy a mild sense of curiosity. "I heard Cooper was comatose."
Angela nodded. "Still is. He took quite a hit, and from what I've seen, he might be on life support for the rest of his miserable life."
Kenzie gave no response. Cooper had plans to execute her, but did she really wish for him to be better off dead?
"My old boss didn't quite make it, you know. I've already seen the news reports. Was it your precious Kain that did that to him?"
Again, Kenzie refrained from giving an answer.
"Cutting off a hand. Looks like his handiwork considering what he did to Richard Anderson."
"Kain's not a killer..." she muttered. "You're saying that to get in my head."
"I wish I were. Henrikson succumbed to his injuries and was officially declared dead as of three hours ago. You can check for yourself on that computer if you'd like. Kain's name isn't anywhere near it... but slicing a hand off. Only a few men are sick enough to do that. And have the motive to do that to Jeff."

The doctor remained quiet. She'd made a defense, though one she wasn't entirely convinced of herself. She'd seen it herself; Kain had the capacity to kill, brutally. Thankfully, Amelia was cushioning the blow thanks to her bluff about a recording getting to the press. Angela was smarter than that, though. Was it that she also knew about Kain's other deeds under an alias? She didn't dare ask. What if she didn't? She'd be handing her half-sister a way to hold something against Kain. As much as she felt bitter to the ex-cop, throwing him to the wolves wouldn't do anyone any justice. Kenzie only wanted some peace and quiet as she worked her way past each question to fully confirm her identity for the transfer. Having set up the questions herself, she could tell at this point that it was nearing the end. Finally, she spoke:

"It will look far too suspicious if I transfer all of my father's funds into your account with one process. So I will set it up in smaller ones."
"Hmmm... Good to know you're aware of this, sis. Tell me, were you ever made aware of the money Lociato used to pay our father for his silence and cooperation? I mean, when I heard how much he was given to kill William Saunders, even I was surprised. Quite a payday. No wonder Eddy couldn't resist."
Kenzie let in a deep gulp. Part of her was afraid to see that number, literally the price it took for her father to sell out. Money that was more valuable than Kain and Dave's parents' lives. Than the brothers' lives, too. Enough to kill and keep a secret. As she wiped a strand of sweat from her brow, she huffed another reply, "Don't be so full of yourself. I'm sure you saw the live stream, right? You saw his final words. Those words weren't those of a sell-out. They were of a guilty man asking for forgiveness, and a man who would do anything so his daughter wouldn't get hurt. THAT was who he was. It's a shame the people that control the mainstream will just manipulate that to make him seem like a monster."
Angela couldn't help but scoff and shake her head, crossing her legs in her seat and sitting back. "And who's going to change that?"
Taking a few final clicks on the laptop, Kenzie turned in her seat to face Angela, a serious fire-in-her-eyes look that spoke more than any of her words. Inside Kenzie remained a spark of strength and vigor that Angela suspected she lacked after a long two days that costed her so much. "Me. I'm going to change that. In fact, I think it will change. Because before we left Seattle, I struck a deal with the acting governor to have arrangements made for my father's respectful burial and a proper eulogy to highlight all the good he's done for Seattle, and for his country. And slimy individuals like yourself aren't going to stop those words from permeating the ears of the doubtful."
"You think so?" Angela arched an eyebrow.
Kenzie nodded. "You don't have a connection to your father. You never even WANTED one. All you wanted was the money. If it weren't for that, you would've never come forward. And don't try to tell me otherwise."
The double-agent grinned and leaned forward in her place, her face dangerously close to Kenzie's. It almost made the younger half-sister afraid she'd be beaten for her words. "No, Kenzie. I wouldn't have even tried to contact you had it not been for Daddy's inheritance. But there is no more daddy waiting for us or to guide us to what is right. There never will be again. So it's best you shut your trap. We are sisters by blood, but after today, I want absolutely nothing to do with you. I mean it. You go your way, and I go mine. You and your little whore back there can go live your happily ever after, and I will settle on my own, far away from you..."

Fed up with the hateful words to a woman she'd never even met in her full capacity, Kenzie's hands fell to her lap to propel herself to her feet, then quickly reaching forward to hoist Angela up with her. It was an uncomfortable stance for the injured woman, but it was as if her abdomen pain didn't exist, and even if her bionic finger didn't move in the slightest, her other four fingers did the job nicely. Angela had underestimated the potential strength of her younger sister, especially in her physical and mental state. She had a fair bit of vigor left inside her, enough to catch her off guard.

"Call her a whore again, and I'll smash that laptop right in your face," Kenzie snarled, now very close to her rival.

Angela only put on a smug grin as a single hand of hers strayed to the side, out of Kenzie's line of sight, but eventually re-appearing once she felt a cold sting from metal touching her side. A sting from the barrel of a pistol, a distinct one she could tell from a million others. Being in a family of cops, and having guns hidden in her home, truly helped in such a situation. The problem? She was in no state to defend herself properly, and once she felt the barrel touch her hip, her grip loosened from Angela's collar. The grin over the agent's face only grew at her sister's sudden hesitation. There was no need for words to tell her to back off or to think of her next move carefully. It was a clear-cut message, manifested when Kenzie fully released, stepping back and holding her hands out in a form of submission or surrender. The gun remained at hip level for Angela, but pointed directly at her target.

"You were saying?" she smirked. "Don't try a stunt like that again, sis. It might not be good for you. Or the people you love. Well, those that are still alive, at least. Not many, I must say. Now..." She motioned the gun to the side, away from the direction of the laptop. "Step back. You've bypassed the security protocol. I can handle the transfer. You can trust that I will make it quick and discreet. Now... move along. Once it's complete, you and the slave can leave."

"Give me one reason to believe you won't shoot us both when you finish."

She sighed in a rather soft, lax exhale. "You don't. You're going to have to trust me here."

Those few moments of carelessness and eyes off of the trading pawn for a slave, as well as the short stand-off between the two, did a number on the sidelined Thalia. More than either had expected. Just watching Kenzie stand up so suddenly caused Thalia to get up all the same, but remaining in her corner and not getting close. But then she saw Angela's hand reaching for a gun. Her eyes followed the weapon as it made its way to point to her friend. This wasn't how she pictured things, and, though she would've preferred no escalation, she knew she had to step in. A good deal of her memories included her being physically capable. Maybe her instincts would kick in with the heat of an extreme circumstance. As Kenzie backed away from Angela.... Thalia got closer, not laying hands on the woman just yet, but speaking after a long while of silence.

"Not good enough," she growled. "It's the money for my freedom, right? So live up to your end of the agreement... or are you going to lie about that, too?"
Angela didn't expect Thalia to pose a threat, so all she gave in the way of attention was a quick glance over her shoulder, the gun still targeting Kenzie. "Please..." Angela scoffed. "What do you know about my 'lies'?"
"You promised me my family would be safe..." Her voice grew darker, upset, too. "...only for you to call me with a gun to their heads four years later."
Kenzie peeked beyond her sister in Thalia's direction. She remembered that her parents were murdered? But it was Angela? "T... you told me it was The Clan. A last hurrah after you testified."
Thalia shook her head, her weary eyes growing slightly wet from tears. "I'm sorry, Kenzie. I couldn't tell you the truth. I...." Her gaze centered to Angela's face, the latter woman now turning her torso to face the slave. "I worked for her as a spy. To..."
"...watch over me and leverage my father..." Kenzie finished the sentence as her arms dropped to her sides. "I heard the story. Well, it was a theory devised by a... an accomplice." It almost made Kenzie throw up in her mouth to call Jeff a 'friend', even if his actions before his demise were rather 'friendly'. Accomplice... it would work for now.
"I'm so sorry... we didn't meet by luck, Kenzie," Thalia sniffled, nudging her head in Angela's direction. "She stacked us together, said I had to torture you if that day had to ever come. And when I said no... she proceeded to ruin my life. The Clan didn't kill my parents. She did... then she wanted to come after you. That's why I ran.... She's also the woman who got me out of that hospital six months ago... and the one who burned me right after for an attempted escape. She's .... She's a fucking monster, and you can't trust her."

Such a confession would've stung Kenzie much more sharply had it been the first time the idea came to mind. She already knew Thalia was working for Lociato. But... Angela was organizing it? And even played a role in her misery? Her own sister had a hand in it all. Not to mention that Edward's lost daughter was the one leveraging him all along. Quite a realization that the chief himself would never know for certain. But Kenzie remained calm, only nodding to Thalia as a sign of forgiveness. She wasn't going to hold this against her. From the sounds of it, Thalia became a target because she refused to do any harm upon her. And even gave her own life for her to live her own. Just like Henrikson theorized. He was right all along; why didn't this come to Kenzie's mind when she and Dave were looking into the situation at her workplace months ago? Angela, on the other hand, Angela wasn't having any of Thalia's chatter, turning the weapon in her hand in the direction of the redhead, the gun lifted upward towards her chin.

"Wanna rethink what you just called me?"

Thalia's teary eyes met Angela's furious ones. The gun to her head didn't frighten her in the slightest, left her unfazed. She was always a risk-taker in the ring, probably more than she should be. Now, there was a gun involved, as well as the life of a woman she grew to love. All she could do is think fast. In this case, fast meant getting rid of the gun and, despite her weak appearance, fighting Angela. She did recall a fight with this woman on the day her memories drew a blank, one of the instances of voices in her head bringing back fragments of her past... and this time, she intended to win the fight with no backup plan from Angela. Her quick reflexes triggered her right hand to fly upward in a swatting motion, smacking Angela's grip open and sending the gun flying. Rather than flinch, Angela caught Thalia's arm mid-action. Noticing the piece flying right by her, Kenzie squealed in fear and flinched. This would definitely not go unnoticed. But all she could focus on were the dead-serious words of her beloved.

"No. Fuck you."

It went more than just a curse to Angela. This was a declaration for a fight. A rematch, if anything. This time, without Vincent to save her.
 
|:|Angelo Varundar|:|

Angelo found satisfaction in seeing the hesitation in Kain's eyes. Though his own wouldn't reveal his inner thoughts, Angelo was relieved that Kain wasn't outright denying the idea. It was as though the man had opened a door for him. Kain's resolve wouldn't come easy, but Angelo was confident he could coax it out of him in due time. Angela was much better at convincing people, but Angelo would have to do on his own for now. He couldn't reverse Kain's gripes about his parents and Kenzie's loathing, but he could surely explain what he planned to do to hold his end of the bargain. "Your father is nothing like you. I'd hardly call it a business. You're powerful, intuitive. Someone not satisfied with watching the world idle by. I can't vouch for Kenzie's half, and I think you'd prefer that I don't. As for keeping Thalia and McKenzie away from danger..."

"Compare it to the States' Witness Protection Program. Lociato is a master of making people disappear, in both ways. The slaves, for one. Kenzie and you were plastered in the media, so this is no easy task. My partner could easily fake both of your deaths, staple it as Lociato-driven, and the Feds forget you existed. I'm sure this isn't official in the first place. The system is using you heavily, and once they're done, they'll be bound to permanently silence everyone involved. A pardon is a piece of paper and legal text; a bullet is much more final. I, myself, won't be protecting Kenzie and Thalia. Beyond Lociato's army of mercenaries, simple anonymity will do its job at keeping them safe. The Hand is always offered these kind of benefits. My father took it graciously and became a transporter for slaves in and out of Seattle. Until Luca killed him, anyhow." The line of mourning did not convey any emotion from Angelo's stone face, nor was he hiding any. Angelo felt nothing for his biological father after the years of estrangement between the two. He didn't know how his dad felt towards him, but he sure as hell didn't care to look into it. "Luca was given the same offer when Lociato heard of him in Seattle; refused immediately once he learned that it was a cartel giving the protection. His white-knight bullshit is what'll get him killed. You and Kenzie spent enough time around him, maybe enough to start believing his morals, but it's merda. It's a path to a slow death and no progress. He's insane to think that he can get his wife out from Lociato's grasps. I had to move Heaven and Earth to get Thalia, and Lociato's on red alert after that stunt."

"You don't worry about my boss; he'll accept you because I chose you, of all people. Not because you killed before or because you have some superhuman gift, but because you're available. It's one thing to hire a Bolivian assassin to juggle a few knives and silence some journalists, but it's another to find a desperate man with nowhere else to go and give him a life-changing offer. Lociato believes it puts you in debt, but he's dead wrong. Look at me, do I look like I'm in debt to him? You're willing to listen, though, that's why. Otherwise, it's a matter of putting down both Kenzie and Thalia after the deal's done." Angelo spoke his last sentence in a nonthreatening manner, feeling more like an English professor as he delivered the line. It left his mouth as easy as breathing, and only later would he realize the implications. "If you don't accept, and decide that Luca, a man whom you met a few days ago, is in the right, and you DO make it out of here without some bullets in your back, you won't disappear. The Hand is supposed to find people. I can't physically show you how I'd protect them, but...one look at Lociato's compound'll convince you. It's a fortress." The night fell to a silence, cut by a chorus of crickets. At first one, then several. Mentally counting the seconds go by, Angelo broke out of his quiet stupor at the sound of a sharp yell. He'd never heard Angela yell before, and severely doubted it was her. He'd seen her firsthand with Daniels and the assault on the slavehouse; the lady didn't spook easily. It had to be Kenzie. In the mere milliseconds after the sound, Angelo gripped his sidearm and pulled it from his light jacket, aiming it to the door of the shack. "You stay out here. I want to make sure no blood is spilled tonight." Dashing forward, Angelo placed the 1911 in his left hand, using the right to push the entrance inward before shutting it behind him. A quick grope in the dark found the wooden board he needed, placing it over the door in its holder, barricading the home from the outside world. The cluster of people in front of him made him take his finger off the trigger, but certainly not quiet. He perceived Thalia's grip on Angela's wrist, recounting her telling him about Thalia's martial arts training. "Let her go, Griffin." It was a soft line, but demanding.

|:|Luca Varundar|:|

The wait was unbearable, watching Angelo and Kain chatter as the unknown occurred behind closed doors. Grinding his teeth together, Luca fought to hold his promise sincere. What could they be talking about? It was a long conversation rather than a few harsh words from Kain and the chop-block of personality from Angelo. It hurt Luca to see a family member become a robot for Lociato, a burning of hate and malice towards the kingpin boiling inside him like a goblet of sorrow, mere drops away from spilling into something he'd later regret. A signal, anything, from Kain, would take away this burn and spring him into action. The door was unlocked, and the handle halfway pulled. He hated not having the gun from Little Italy beside him, nor his batons. A deft movement in the dark woke his eyes up, watching as Angelo pulled something - undoubtedly a pistol - from his coat and stepped into the shack. Kenzie's scream riled both Varundars, and Luca bolted out from the car like hell on wheels, his feet flying like small airplanes across the arid ground. Barely stopping to talk to Kain, Luca slammed his shoulder into the door, finding both sheet metal, wood, and whatever was blocking the door damaging and breaking. There was pain, like a bruise to the bone, in his right arm, but he scarcely felt it. Panting from the sprint, Luca turned to his partner in the dark, muttering a few words with speed and exhaustion. "What the hell is going on? What did I miss?"
 
-(Kain Saunders)-

It didn't take more than a few minutes for Kain to see that Angelo and Luca were nothing for comparison. Now, these two worlds that the two thrive in were going to be in a constant tug-of-war battle for the middle man who, before a few days ago, was nothing more than another face passing by. For so long, he'd firmly stood by Luca's vigilantism and morals. Add on the fact that Angelo is a part of the system that had his parents killed? It almost made Kain neglect any words beyond the offer, just give a solid no. But there was still the issue of protection. How well could a pardon keep him safe? Then again, how well could Lociato keep him and his loved ones safe, too? For starters, Kain didn't doubt his physical capability in killing. He'd seen it in himself on three cops, nearly on Richard Anderson, on Vincent Mikael, and he came all too close with Jeffrey Henrikson. He may not have been a master of different manners of fighting, no more than his police training on his belt, but he had the lack of emotion to kill. Sure, he wasn't discreet, but that would be a skill to acquire later. He had a killing gene in him, one he could never shake off. Was now the opportunity to finally control it if he couldn't rid himself of it? Even if it was for a cause he didn't necessarily care about.... one that ruined his life. But Angelo could guarantee him safety and money for life... and without Kenzie's inheritance, he'd need that direly. He gulped... about ready to ask more questions... maybe even ask to talk to Lociato personally before he gets started...

But the shriek of a female from inside the shack stung his ears. He had never met Thalia nor Angela to hear their voices, but he didn't need to in order to recognized Kenzie's distinctive scream. Kain wanted to follow along inside, just in case she was hurt, even if he could tell her yelp was simply one of fear, not pain. Angelo insisted that he'd go alone, and blocked off the door for good measure. Why? Was this some sort of plot? Was Kenzie in trouble? Was this even an exchange for her riches? And the girl in there... was it really Thalia? All sorts of doubts, figments of Kain's imagination, soared in his head, all while he had to wait outside facing the door and waiting for Angelo to return..... contemplating the deal. If there was no better option, would he ACTUALLY take it? What would Kenzie think of him if he accepted that cruel fate as an executioner. He'd be just like HER father. No better, honestly. Maybe even worse.

After testing and confirming the door being fastened shut, he'd given up, waited outside pondering over the situation. What was next? Before he could even plan a break-in, his thoughts were quickly cut short by the sight of Luca, almost out of nowhere, charging straight into the door that Angelo had barricaded and bouncing right back. The blow looked painful, but if there's anything he knew of the Italian, he was tough as nails. He'd come running from his distant position, out of breath and panting. Now was the time to explain the strange offer he'd been given, his voice in whispers as to not attract attention.

"Kenzie. I don't know what's going on in there, but it sure doesn't sound like a deal for her inheritance. Now Angelo's going in there to stop whatever went wrong in there. Blocked off the door so I can't get through." He sighed and let his back fall against the wall of the run-down shack. "He wouldn't let me in to keep watch because he had an offer for me. By far... the creepiest thing I've heard. Your... your cousin is retiring. And now he wants me to take his place. This was a job offer. My services and loyalty to Lociato, and he keeps Kenzie and Thalia safe. The man who ruined my life and ordered the kill on my parents... now wants to hire me. Use what HE created to his advantage." His eyes slid shut as the pain of Angelo's words sunk in as he ran them through his head again. "He went on to say that I'd be safer with Lociato than with the pardon. The girls would be safe. We... we all would. Even as far as to mention that you were given the same offer. To work as an executioner for Lociato. Is... is that true?" If there was any answer Kain wanted, it was that one. Did Luca once have this very same offer? How did he handle it?

-(Kenzie Andrews/Angela Parker/Thalia Griffin)-

A fight was just about to break out between the slave and master, right in front of the one thing that tied them together in the first place, but the scream from Kenzie was enough to trigger the attention of the men outside. Angelo was the first face they'd see coming after them to bring the argument to a resolution. Caught right in the act when Thalia was about to lay her hands on Angela. Bad choice with the bald assassin in the room, armed. Her eyes shot out at the sight and she froze in her place. Just hearing her companion's voice gave Angela the reassurance that she wasn't a dead woman just yet. Her grin reappeared over her face, confidence returning to her with her love saving the day. It felt demeaning to have him come to her rescue like a damsel in distress, especially with a scream that could've been any one of the three. For now, she stood her ground and gave Thalia a glare that spoke for itself: back off.

And the redhead did exactly that: out of fear of punishment from the man or from Angela, she threw her hands back and stepped a good meter away from Angela, slowly letting the distance grow with each passing step until she was a safe distance with her arms laced behind her back.

"Good. So you haven't forgotten the routine just yet, slave."

Thalia gave no response, nothing more than eye contact.

Kenzie remained completely silent next to the desk, keeping her distance from the brawl that nearly broke out and trying not scream again at the sight of her half-sister and college sweetheart get into a fight right in front of her. God knows it wouldn't end well if Thalia tried anything grievous, she'd pay the price with her life. Part of her wanted to charge at her and restrain her, keep her from trying anything too dangerous. Talk her down, just like she used to do back in their college days. But with a gunman at the ready, she kept her hand elevated and didn't say a word, nor move a muscle.

"Excellent," Angela nodded, darting her eyes back and forth at the younger girls. "Now... neither of you are going to do anything further. Not another keystroke or uneasy breath, until I finish with my partner. You don't even get close for a comfort hug. Agreed?"

Kenzie nodded hesitantly.

"Like I said... fuck you," Thalia repeated herself.

Angela took their responses lightly - even Thalia's - and turned her back on the two, taking Angelo to the side, whispering her progress into his ear so that the girls couldn't listen in. "Kenzie is nearly into the account, in which we can make the transfer. Then they can walk. Just a minor complication here, but nothing I couldn't handle..." It was to protect her own integrity, claiming she could hold her own when she had the slave up close and in her face. Not professional at all. "They're under control. No worries. How are things with Kain outside?"

As Angela discussed her plans, Thalia had her own. Now distanced from the duo holding them hostage for the inheritance, her mind could devise a plan in private. Something she and Kenzie could plot from afar. And it wouldn't even take long to do with the hints Thalia had picked up. A window not far away, an opportunity to make a run for it with all of her value... and not far from the leg of the desk, Angela's gun that she'd swatted away just moments ago. The girls made eye contacts, Kenzie's eyes telling nothing short of sorrow, that their relationship had taken this drastic a turn. It would be fitting now that Thalia remembers things from her past. Thalia herself, however, wasn't thinking so much about the negative. No, she had a positive to chase after, shown when her head jolted downward ever so discreetly, but Kenzie noticed. She looked down in that direction casually while Angela was distracted and noticed the piece that she squealed about earlier. She'd held guns before, but in her physical conditions, she'd never be able to put up a fight. But Thalia could. Maybe that was the basis of the plan. Their eyes met again for Kenzie to see her friend mouthing something. She could only understand it having to do with the gun, being careful, and an 'I love you' towards the end. Kenzie shook her head in disapproval. Pulling risks now would get them and Kain killed.

But Thalia was too stubborn for that, as Kenzie could recall. This plan was happening, shown by the redhead's steps backwards towards a wall, feeling behind her as if to find something to use as a weapon. This would not end well, and clearly, she'd need that pistol, no matter how risky it'd be.
 
|:|Luca Varundar|:|

Luca retracted his breath, releasing it in small gasps longer than drawn out pulls of air. Angelo obviously heard the door get broke in, but he didn't need to hear him and Kain talking. It was hard to hold this silence as he stepped closer, visibly showing his shock at Angelo's offer. It rang bells of years past in his head, and immediately felt another surge of anger roll through him towards Angelo. A calm man by nature, Luca found himself growing a shorter fuse as the days go by. Part of it was to blame on Angelo, finding a way to derail Luca even as the boxer wanted to bring him back. Retiring did explain what Angelo was doing with the Brookes' inheritance. Based on the kind of pay he learned of, Angelo only needs the inheritance because he won't be getting payed anymore. But what about his partner? What did she have to do with it? A trusted member? Unlikely in the crime ring. His mind couldn't linger on Angelo's situation, instead focusing on Kain's. Kenzie and Thalia's safety wasn't enough to even penetrate Luca's admittedly thick skull about the idea. Part of Luca wanted to outright deny Angelo's claims, but could only stomach answering Kain's question about his past. Pulling in a last breath to steady himself from the sprint, Luca recurred his grace with evil.

"Not...exactly. I wasn't like Angelo in position, at least on paper. Lociato doesn't need another killer. It was one thing to silence someone. It's another to make them talk. Lociato wanted me to act as a torturer. Blond guy came to me awhile ago, maybe when me and Sarah first came to Seattle. I still think denying the offer contributed to her disappearance...I said know soon as I figured out who sent the invitation. Goddammit, Kain, no amount of money and protection will get me to sell my soul to the Devil." Luca pulled in a breath, realizing that Kain didn't trust the pardon, he might consider the deal, if only for Kenzie and Thalia's sake. "You said no, right? You can't take that deal. No telling what Lociato really wants. Now, step back quick, I need the room."

|:|Angelo Varundar|:|

Angelo's attention was sharpened, honing in on Angela's words in his ear. It was unnerving to see Thalia already moving against the two of them. It stubbed his ideas of the future a small bit, nodding his head at the fact that they were nearly done. "I know, I trust your abilities. Kain's breaking. He doesn't trust the U.S. government, so working with Lociato wasn't an outright 'no'. He's still on the rails about it, based on the rough past between Lociato and Kain, but I'll convince him. Long as Luca doesn't get involved." As though summoning the man with the fickle use of his name, Angelo turned his head to face the bent door, seeing the wood splinter and bend, nearly off the hinges. The barricade held, but it was nearly snapped in half. One more move like that and he'd be in here. With the M1911 still in his hand, Angelo pointed the barrel towards the door. "I have a predicament of my own. Watch these two, I'll stay here. If the man has any sense, he'll stay outside."

|:|Luca Varundar/Angelo Varundar|:|

Turning away from Kain, Luca could see through the cracks into the lit room, seeing Angelo's marksman posture. Grudgingly, Luca stepped back from the door, feeling blessed that it was dark enough outside that Angelo's eyes, still near a light source, couldn't see him well enough to guess his actions. Whispering, Luca spit a few words. "Kain, check on the girls as soon as you can." Without any further hesitation, Luca drove himself forward, pulling his head back and tilting his torso to aim a shoulder at the door once more. Like a battering ram, Luca kept going, the door fragmenting around him. His body was lowered to the ground in the crouching sprint, his body slamming Angelo in the waist. Like a boa constrictor, the assassin's thick forearms wrapped around his neck and tugged, lying under Luca's body. The boxer placed both feet on the ground, lifting both of the men's weights with his legs. He sprinted forward, using the small gap from the doorframe to the ground outside as a propellant. Dragging Angelo in a pseudo-piggyback, Luca turn and fell as he hit the ledge, slamming Angelo into the dirt with gravity and momentum. The single arm loosened, enough for Luca to weasel out of the iron grip and stand. There was immediate pressure on his chest as Angelo drove a solid fist into the ribs, sending him reeling a few steps. Angelo raised his 1911 with lightning speed, and Luca responded in kind, driving a thick-knuckled hand into the hand that held the gun, sending the firearm drifting across the dirt. A quick knee from Luca met Angelo's ribs, pushing air from him like a deflating bag. With instinct, Luca found himself in the Orthodox boxing stance, his feet aligned and tilted to the forty-five degree margin. Angelo, on the other hand, was in a stance of his own, bent at the knees with the hands formed into chop. His body was leaning forward slightly, reminiscent of most karate postures. Luca swung, the hand pushed down by a darting parry from Angelo, and found a boot in his chest, threatening to bruise some bone. Luca dropped his back right hand, gripping the ankle and flipping the man up and back. Angelo sprung his hands out, pushing off of the ground into a handspring to regain his footing. It dawned upon Luca that Angelo was a gifted acrobatic, and would not fall for simple trips and stumbles. Angelo swung a hooking fist, getting the hand caught in Luca's hand. The boxer pulled the arm towards him, swinging his shoulder forward to meet Angelo's face. It instead hit open air, Angelo ducking the blow to wrap his free arm around Luca's waist. Angelo drove his left knee up, slamming into Luca's gut several times before receiving an elbow to the spine. Luca responded with his own knee, hitting Angelo's hunched-over body once before they disconnected. Pivoting his back heel, Angelo swung out a Teep kick to put space between them. It propelled Luca back, giving him time to switch his stance. The hands lowered, opening wide in contrast to boxer's fists. The several meters between them gave Angelo time to speak, asking a rather serious inquiry.

"Odd. When'd you pick up that?"
"Learn some things when you spend three quarters of a decade fighting criminals."

Luca dashed forward at the end of his words, sticking his leg out to wrap around Angelo's. The assassin hopped over it, driving a curved elbow into Luca's jaw and face. He could feel one of his gums begin to bleed, and bruises forming on the skin from the impact. Luca threw a jab forward, hitting Angelo in the nose before curving his own hook to follow up the jab. Flesh and bone collided with his knuckles, rotating Angelo's skull to his right. Immediately turning his torso, Luca followed the stun he delivered to Angelo with an uppercut, sending Angelo a few inches into the air before he came back down. A flurry of jabs, crosses, and other miscellaneous punches struck one after another onto the assassin, Angelo finding no time to strike back. The bald cousin finally accepted the fact that Luca's pure standup fighting was far too strong. The tactical, calculated injuries Angelo inflicted would've slowed most men, but he supposed Varundars were built of tougher stuff. Blood flecked Luca's knuckles from Angelo's spouting nose and the several cuts on his face, even dripping to the dirt beneath. Angelo found a light respite, ducking the next foreseen blow and driving a killer punch into Luca's stomach. The force put the taste of bile in Luca's mouth and drained the energy from him momentarily, giving Angelo time to swing a head kick up, cracking into Luca's temple. Rotating a full circle, Angelo chopped forward with blade-like hands, smashing into the side of Luca's neck and into the cheek. Angelo's right hand drove against Luca's nose, reciprocating his own broken nasal cavity. The sharp pain started in both of their noses and spread to the head, blurring Luca's vision at the fresh impact. Instead of directly firing back a blow, Luca tightened the muscles in his neck to steady his skull, accepting a direct blow into his cheek, but staying unwavering. Before Angelo could pull his hand back, Luca darted his open palm forward. The spiderlike fingers wrapped around his cousin's throat, pushing into the windpipe as Luca walked forward, Angelo reeling back to keep the pressure off his neck. Luca had a superior reach, so Angelo couldn't reach the core of his body. However, Luca's arm was outstretched and his legs were free. Luca stepped close, in an attempt to slam Angelo on his back, but instead found the man wrapping both legs around his arm and tightening, releasing his hands to place on the ground. The handstand allowed him to lower one leg, placing it under Luca's armpit as the other curled around the shoulder. Angelo pushed, his back flat on the ground and the muscles in his right thigh screaming with fury as the ball in Luca's shoulder threatened to dislocate. Grunting, Luca's first show of pain was smothered by a fighter's anger as Luca used the one arm to pull Angelo from the dirt, lifting the two hundred plus pounds up like a sack of flour. The muscles in Luca's entire arm and back contracted, releasing their strength to slam Angelo back into the ground. Luca lifted his leg up before driving the limb into Angelo's skull. The assassin, used to taking severe pain silently, nonetheless mentally screamed as his already-battered nose got damaged even more. Luca pulled his arm up with more force, forcing Angelo to release his grip. Luca's shoulder burned as though red-hot pins were inserted around the shoulder, driving their heat into the bone. Rolling the shoulder, the boxer could feel the ball find its proper spot in the socket. It was nearly a full dislocation, one that would've cost him dearly. Stepping back, Luca let out a panted breath, finding himself exhausted from the fray. Angelo let out similar breaths, wiping the blood off his face before looking to his cugino.

Luca broke the breathing silence, speaking from his toiled heart. "Why, Angelo? Why this life? Put this behind you!" Angelo didn't immediately respond, running a thumb under his nose to take away the congealed blood. Luca himself had some deep gashes on his face, but he wasn't taking any strides to remove the stains. The assassin thought out his answer, finding that he couldn't quite explain it. "You wouldn't understand. We're different people, you and I."

Luca stepped forward, some built-up anger seeping into his voice. "No, not that! You chose this!"
Angelo shook his head, muttering some hidden obscenities. "I was dying on the streets at sixteen in the American Midwest. Lociato saved me. I didn't have a choice."
"You could've stayed! Your father wasn't a good man, but I could've given you a roof over your head!"
Angelo bated his words, hiding his own aggression under the mask of robotic professionalism. "I never wanted that. I needed to be my own person."
Luca gritted his teeth, questioning if Angelo was salvageable. "People like you took my family. Took your's. Took Sarah. And now, you're trying to take Kain. I won't stand for it, Angelo! I'm not leaving until you're crippled and blind!"
"Get back in your car, before I really take the only ones you have left."

Luca instead stepped closer, speaking with fury. "You won't lay a DAMN hand on either of them." And with that, he charged forward, raising his hands to deliver more blows, Angelo getting ready to react. Both swung, Angelo connecting a solid chop to Luca's temple, Luca punching Angelo directly in the left eye. Luca dropped to a knee, Angelo hunching over to place his hands on his knees. Both were beaten, bruised, and nearly broken. A fight that had gone on too long. And one that wasn't near its end. Once more, both charged, ready to deliver crushing blows.
 
-(Angela Parker/Thalia Griffin/Kain Saunders/Kenzie Andrews)-

So Angelo wasn't bluffing when he said Luca had been offered a position in the ranks among Lociato - a torturer, much like Thalia would've had to do to Kenzie if her father didn't comply. At first, Kain assumed it was a tactic to convince him to take the job. To show he had impressed the kingpin. Now, after years of chasing after his parents' killer, days into the manhunt for a slave-driver alongside a man who he saved the life of, he was offered to join forces with this figure he'd been pursuing, whether he knew it or not. And what was equally horrible? He was considering it. Angelo made a point by specifying the failure of the US justice system. Even if Kenzie had prepared a fool-proof agreement, there was still a chance for failure. One he wasn't prepared to accept. Prison wasn't an option... but was the life of an assassin the alternative? A source of evil that he'd let consume him... it was tempting. Only so it could ensure the safety of the woman he cares about, even if she didn't plan on being with him any longer. Never had she been this bitter with Kain through all of his faults. This was different. Seeing him for the monster he knew he was all along changed her perspective. Nobody was on his side after all. In search of an ally, would he keep his enemy closer than ever?

"I didn't give him an answer," Kain responded, leaving out his slight chance of consideration. As he shook his head, he didn't get much of a chance to elaborate as he saw his partner backing up to take another ram at the door. Kain would've never dared try that knowing Kenzie's life might be at stake. Luca was more experienced after all, so he left the invasion to him. The actual break-in part, at least. He would follow inside shortly, or at least peak to ensure the safety of the girls.

...

Inside, Angela nodded at the instructions from the bald assassin by her side. He'd take care of Kain, finish up settling him into the mood, and maybe even finish off his cousin, who she could only assume was the man forcing himself entry. That was Angelo's duty. Angela's would be simple: complete the transfer, and with Kenzie just about ready, it was coming to a close. Before the break-in, she turned away from her partner and back in Kenzie's direction, who'd been standing there watching over her sister just recently, trying to analyze her actions, her words. What exactly was going down with the two partners? Was something wrong? Certainly, there would be with Thalia's plan to strike back, but rather something outside? What was Kain being held up for? As much as she showed him bitterness, it didn't negate any sort of care she once had for him. The first jolt on the barricaded door did tell something more from the likes of Luca... was that it? It was confirmed with Angela's first words.

"You lying bitch," she snarled, clenching her fists by her sides. She had no pistol at the ready, but that didn't stop her from presenting a physical threat.. "We specified from the start: No. Luca. Why do I have a hunch he's here?"

Kenzie froze, unsure of how to answer. If this really was Luca, she was surprised he chose to strike so soon. Instead, she played innocent, eyes widening in fear, and leaning back into the table behind her. "I-I don't know. Kain and I came here alone. We hitched a ride from our pilot after we touched down, and he stopped us a distance away before driving away. I swear, Luca has nothing to do with this..."

Their conversation was interrupted by, just before Luca's break-in, the sound of shattered glass not very far. Kenzie's fragile heart sank. Did Angela and Angelo have a sniper in place, saw Thalia try to leap the window, and take her out? She was afraid to let her eyes stray to the right and see her body dropped then and there. But Angela did first. And her eyes stayed there at the slave's figure climbing out the glass she'd broken herself and out of the shack. It wasn't Kenzie that had anything to fear. She trusted Thalia's instincts and physical capabilities. No, it was Angela that had everything to fear. Because her leverage was gone and on the run, leaving Kenzie with no incentive to hand over the inheritance. It fell apart, all by one tiny distraction.

"That pathetic bitch..." she growled, turning away from Kenzie and storming off in the opposite direction. Not out the window, no. There was a back entrance to the shack, one that she could use to her advantage. Maybe bump heads with Thalia again while she circles the building. Because if she knew the slave well, she knew that Thalia wouldn't just run. She needed Kenzie, first. So she had to be close by, waiting to strike. "You move a muscle, and I'll end you!"

A final threat, but it wasn't like Kenzie was in any condition to run or attempt anything. She was still in pain and uncomfortable with her body to try anything as severe as running or getting physical. She was still afraid of what would happen when the two fight. Considering Angela came close to killing her beloved before, was this going to be a rerun? Were two events of betrayal enough to end the deal, and their lives? It might've been when Luca broke through the barricade and began his own brawl with Angelo. A one-on-one standoff between cousins to put one or the other in place. More of a reason for Kenzie to stay clear of the brawl. Her hands remained behind her, clinging to the table with the laptop not far away. Nobody was going to dare touch a defenseless, injured woman. At least not torture her externally - she'd endured enough of that. But killing a loved one would be a different kind of pain she could suffer. More hurt in the course of these few days.

As the Varundar cousins stood off, Kain kept his eyes on the fight, but also brought himself inside, hopping through the broken door to the shack and towards Kenzie, even if she wouldn't be too glad to see him. On the flipside, he was glad to see her still in decent condition. It wasn't enough to bring a smile to his face, but it was enough for him to be relieved. Now, she was his priority, stepping forward and holding her by her shoulders firming, staring into her eyes in a frantic attempt to ensure her safety.

"Kenz... did they hurt you?"
She shook her head slowly. "But Thalia made a run for it. Angela didn't take lightly to that. Top it off with Luca showing up? Neither of them are happy about this, Kain."
He growled. "Shit... So what's the plan? Did you give them the money?"
"Not yet. But I was about to."
"Don't."
Her eyes shot out. "W-What?! And risk Angela killing Thalia - "
"She can't kill someone she doesn't have. She doesn't have her bargaining chip anymore, so we scrap OURS."

Kain's eyes flew to the laptop by her side. This must've been where the money transfer would've taken place. And still no confirmation, as the message was on the screen waiting for the final go-ahead to transfer was still there. Kenzie wasn't touching that until things settled down... but Kain had no intention of it ever being sent. The deal was a bust in every way it could be with no correcting or making peace. Fights and chaos had ensued, and at this rate, there was no chance Angela and Angelo were getting a penny out of Kenzie's lifeline. He reached forward for the lightweight computer, holding the top half containing the screen by a single hand, and, with a fair amount of his strength, flung the device at the wall across the room, snapping the laptop in two. The screen went dim, and the deal was now void. Kenzie's heart was racing at the intensity of the moment. Was this really how things would play? Just a back-and-forth tennis match of breaking the rules?

"What if Thalia and Angela settle?" Kenzie shivered.
"They won't. They're criminals. Settling means 'when the other dies' to them."
Kenzie flinched at the sound of that. But if that really would be the case, then she knew what would have to happen next. Her head lowered down by here feet... where the handgun that Angela had dropped was. Kain's gaze followed hers, and once he saw the weapon, it was as if the two had thought the same thing: go after Thalia and Angela, make sure the former doesn't die, and ensure the safety of their crew. Kain simply nodded at the thought, leaning forward and scooping up the weapon into a single hand, keeping it lowered with the barrel to their feet. He flipped the safety off, and responded:

"I'll keep her safe. Don't you worry."
 
|:|Luca and Angelo Varundar|:|

Luca was the first to reignite the fight, darting a fist out against Angelo's face. It lacked the proper force of a jab, but it was exceptionally quick. It was a blinding maneuver, and the little time it took Angelo to blink was enough for Luca to wind up a hook from his right arm, driving Angelo sideways. The assassin deftly sprung his hands out to scuttle across the dirt on all four limbs. Awaiting the next heavy hand, Angelo sidestepped the left hand, driving two swift punches into the exposed ribs beneath the arm. He followed the two-hit combo with a right stomp on the knee, Luca turning his leg to take the blow in the back of the knee rather than the side. As he fell to the lowered knee, Angelo raised his own to collide against Luca's temple, sending a flash of white light into the boxer's eyes. The bright light threatened to turn to darkness and shut him out, but Luca fought with ferocity to stay awake, springing to his feet and driving a shovel-digging uppercut into Angelo's ribs. Air pushed from his lips, brushing Luca with the force he had delivered. Gripping Angelo by the shoulders, Luca pushed his cousin into the shack wall, laying in a few forearm-based swings of his arms into the man's face. Deep gouges were on both cheeks and forehead, giving a bit of blood with each blow. Luca himself was battered, with bruises and cuts centered in his jaw. He could few caked blood on his chest as well. Catching the latest swing from Luca, Angelo placed his hand on Luca's shoulder and spun him around, placing his face against the wall with Luca's back facing outward. He gripped Luca's full head of hair, subconsciously proud of his choice to go bald as he slammed the boxer's face into the wood and metal that framed the outside of the shack. Pulling back for another slam, Angelo was stunted by a swift elbow from Luca backwards, slamming into his already-swollen eye once more.

Angelo stepped back, getting away from Luca's dangerous cloud of lightning-fast swings. He adapted quick, if nothing else. Before he could get his bearings, Angelo found himself being tackled by Luca, his arms wrapping around his waist. Luca hoisted him up, running several yards with the two hundred pound man in tow before being whipped to the dirt, Angelo wrapping his arm around Luca's head and falling backwards. Both of them fell to the ground, Luca on his stomach, Angelo on his back. There was a pause in the fight as both regained their breaths, the hard impact driving the energy from their weakened bodies. The major differences in the two began to show, Luca inspired by a die-hard will to find his wife, and Angelo being pulled into a fight he never expected. The severe pain in Luca's skull and nausea in his stomach slowed him down, but he nonetheless began to stand up, using both hands to push himself off the ground. Angelo was fueled by a different passion, one Luca didn't know of, or anyone for that matter; Angela. If it was just him doing the transaction, the money wouldn't have pulled him from the near-unconscious state he was in. No, Angelo knew that if he fell under, Angela would be outnumbered. The image of her in danger burned in his memory, formed back in Seattle when the kill order was placed on her. Angelo sprung to his feet with a ninja-like move, jumping from his back to standing in one movement and pivoting to face Luca. His vision was tilted, his right eye being fully shut. A look at Luca reminded him that neither was winning. His cousin's face was just as battered. The only aspects were that Luca's nose was broken long before the fight began, and several times over. The bone was hardened and bent already. Angelo was trying to take Luca out with methodical movements one would keep for a lesser opponent. Luca had a long line of fighting people of similar experience to him, in comparison. It wasn't a lack of experience or skill that hampered Angelo; Luca was simply in the best environment he could be in. Once again, he had to adapt, shifting his feet and hands to represent a pure Muay Thai stance. Luca recognized the move, nonetheless stepping forward and swinging another electric jab. Angelo ducked, swinging a side kick into Luca's right side, then following with a full spin leading into a roundhouse, slamming Luca in the skull. Angelo capitalized on the stun, darting forward to seize one of Luca's arms and placing it behind the boxer's back. Like a childhood bully, Angelo bent the arm up, but with much more force than a middle-schooler. Luca could feel the tendons around his elbow twisting and bending, threatening to tear. Since the fight began, Luca let out his first groan of pain, low and mumbly, but enough for Angelo to know he was doing damage. Confident in the move, Angelo was shocked when Luca gripped the hand around his wrist, using his free arm to grab Angelo by the jacket. Luca bent at the knees, crouching and pulling his arms to yank Angelo over his head and drive him into the dirt. An audible slam shook the immediate ground with the force of Angelo's body hitting dirt. The assassin let out his own mutter of pain, pulling in the wind that was knocked from his lungs. Luca crawled forward, laying on Angelo before sitting up, his full weight on the assassin's chest. Luca placed a hand on Angelo's throat, using his other to drive a heavy fist into the man's face several times. Angelo fought to instinct to pull at the hand choking him, instead using his training to fight the reaction off. He used both hands to block his face, gripping Luca's hammerfist before turning. Luca immediately felt the sprain in his right wrist, letting out an exclamation similar to "agh!" before standing up, driving his shoe into Angelo's chest before stepping back. Luca rotated his wrist several times, finding the points of pain and the intensity. It wasn't the first time he sprained a wrist in a match, and won several with the injury. This was light, since he didn't give Angelo too much time. Raising his fists, Luca used a balled hand to wipe some of the red liquid off his face. Looking down at his hand, Luca realized that there was a lot. Much more than he expected, at any rate.

Angelo took the time he was given to look at Luca in detail, beyond the injuries. The man wasn't lying when he said he was fighting for nearly a decade; Luca's overcoat did little to hide his large frame. However, the moonlight glinted off something on his cousin's arms. Metal. Angelo, shrewd as he was, deciphered the meaning of the armbands quickly. They protected against anything sharp, but they were also great weapons. It explained his deeper-than-expected gashes on his face. It also meant the pocket knife he had on him was useless. Hell, he wagered that Luca spent a lot of time taking knives off of criminals. Stepping away, Angelo twisted and dove to the dirt, his hands wrapping around exactly what he needed. Luca ran forward, perhaps within a few feet before he caught the barrel of Angelo's M1911 pointed at him once more. It was center mass, no chance of dodging. Angelo slid the gun back, speaking. "I swear, Luca, one more step, and I'm dropping you here, then killing the blondies inside." His cousin remained silent, the look of resolve in his eyes lost in the darkness. Luca stepped forward once, then twice, and on the third step, heard and felt the blast of the 1911 hit him in the ribs. Angelo lowered the gun even as Luca stepped forward once again, now a foot from Angelo. Instead of dropping as he expected, Luca placed both hands on Angelo's neck, tripping the assassin back and pinning him to the ground. Lifting the gun to fire again, Angelo felt the firearm lifted from his grasp by one hand, the other leaving his throat to pull the gun apart. Luca went through the motions of disassembly like a well-trained soldier, the gun in pieces before Angelo could strike back. Yet, Luca was propelled off of Angelo as the man stood up, kicking and punching his cousin in repetition. Strikes were blocked, strikes were thrown, and both sides couldn't penetrate the stalemate of fists and defense both exhibited. Eventually, Luca stopped his onslaught, taking a few blows from Angelo as he placed his entire hand over the assassin's face, pushing him back a few feet. They both breathed heavily, cutting the night air like butchers.

"Stop, Angelo, just...stop."
"Luca, this was your fault. You didn't need to come out here."
"I heard Kenzie! Didn't know what the fuck was going on."
Angelo gave him respite, before replying back. "Yeah? And you think I did? Griffin had to make a scene and put my partner in danger."
Luca snarled, resenting holding a conversation with his cousin. "Since when did that matter to you? Your partner, the money, retirement."
Angelo stayed silent, Luca picking up the ball again. "Exactly. No Goddamn purpose out here." Neither could read each other's faces in the dark, but Luca picked up the tense shoulders of Angelo and knew the hidden anger, the first sign of emotion he'd seen from the man in years.
"No, it does matter, Luca. For the first time in twenty-odd years I found something that mattered. And here you come, stumbling in and throwing shit into the fan. I don't need to tell you why I'm doing this, it doesn't concern you."
Luca was admonished, taking in the force of Angelo's words. "It does concern me; we're family. You're thinking beyond Lociato. You want a better life."
Angelo didn't immediately reply, and Luca was glad that the man didn't outright deny anything. "I...I don't know. I finally found something to believe in. Not some religion or philosophy."
"Her?"
The lone word cut Angelo worse than Luca ever could physically. Luca could see the sting, nodding his head as though agreeing to an unspoken statement. "Should've known."
"What do you mean? I didn't bring her up once."
Luca let out a laugh, even as his entire face hurt. "So? I've been in love before. The only reason you bothered sticking around when things got hot was because of her. You can't tell me that's about money. But why retire? You're both Lociato agents, and you don't have any problem with being a criminal."
Angelo debated whether or not to tell the man, weighing each option carefully for what felt like a full minute. "Not her. After Brookes and Seattle, Lociato figured she was far too much of a liability. I had to kill her. And...I couldn't. Why in the Hell can't I? I can't think beyond that moment, and it clouds my judgement. She scares me, not because she endangers me, but because I'm afraid of doing something to harm her. And you come in, breaking everything apart."
There was a lot of emotion buried in the man, and Luca could feel the weight coming off of Angelo. No fiber of his beam forgave the man, but there was a newfound understanding. "You see why I'm here?"
"Sarah."
"Precisely. What would you do if Angela was in Sarah's position? You'd be right where I'm standing."
Angelo shook his head, his dark silhouette moving in the dark. "No, half of this country'd be littered with Lociato goons' corpses."
Luca felt like an old sage, delivering his own philosophy. "You can't go back from that. You know. I want to bring Sarah back to our old lives, not new ones. Right now, you're starting a new one to leave the old life behind. But don't you want to go back even more? Before this all started?"
"Frankly, I hated life before all of this. Now, I hardly feel life."
"And what about your partner? She's probably used to killing, but isn't there a brighter future for the both of you?"
"Maybe. But you're stopping us from reaching that point."
Luca took a turn to shake his own head. "Heh, I'm just trying to get my wife back." Luca sat down on the dirt, resting his battered bones. Angelo stood for a moment longer, then reluctantly dropped as well. It was time for a breather, and neither felt a purpose to fight any longer.
 
As Luca and Angelo engaged in their emotional and physical brawl, the shack itself turned into a game of hide-and-seek, in which Thalia was hidden away somewhere nearby, Angela was hunting her down to end her life once and for all, and Kain hot on her tail with her weapon at hand and one endgame goal: ending her life, a goal Kenzie wanted to avoid, prompting her to follow in her weakened condition, holding the walls as she trailed behind her foster brother. It was all about who finds and stops who first to tell how things would end for the four of them. The circumstances proved to be quite in Thalia's favor for the initial breakthrough, Angela distracted as she silently planned out with her college sweetheart how she'd make her escape. All a trap to lure her out into a location where Thalia could get the drop on her opposition, be it Angela or her male accomplice. Fortunately, the bald man that assisted her escape from the compound earlier was engaged in a fight with another man she'd never seen before, so it only left Angela for her to duel it out with. A rematch, of sorts. Perhaps this time, a fair one. The last time Thalia and Angela had a physical encounter, it looked as if the former would've come out victorious, and even held enough over Angela to keep her off her back, as well as off Kenzie's back. They could've lived the happily ever after that she'd promised her loved one.... if only SHE wasn't the one who'd been outsmarted and double teamed.

-(Six Years Ago)-

Refusing to torture young Kenzie Brookes came at a price for 22-year-old Thalia Griffin. Parting ways from Lociato and his organization came at a price, and she knew it long before hell came to their doorstep. Which is why, for Kenzie's own good, she knew she had to escape and get out of Boston as soon as she could. It was heartbreaking on both ends of the separation, Kenzie left in tears over a good-bye note filled with apologies and vague words, Thalia weeping over how she could possibly leave the girl she'd just proposed to... but what kept her going was the sort of 'greater good'. They couldn't elope until they officially graduated, but once that event was behind them, they intended to disappear. Unfortunately, only one of them would do that. Thalia couldn't put Kenzie through the trouble of THAT drastic a change in her lifestyle. She envisioned a peaceful life for the two. They couldn't have that if they were constantly looking over their shoulders. She preferred one life be ruined instead of two. She could handle this lifestyle... but Kenzie probably couldn't.

Even if she ran off early, Angela still managed to be hot on her tail and in close pursuit, even if Thalia had taken longer routes than needed to navigate from city to city and kept a black hoodie on covering her red locks and the shape of her head. No major airports, bus stops, or train stations. A lot of her travels were on foot or by kind strangers willing to give her a ride. And that kept up for a few days up until Thalia noticed she was being followed. She lured her stalker out into a more isolated area, over a bridge to a river she couldn't even identify. Hell, she hardly knew where she was from how lost she'd become. As long as it was distanced from the one person she loved to keep her safe. But someone had followed her, and it didn't take long for the clanswoman to notice. Which is why she lead her into isolation on a rainy afternoon...

Then Thalia froze in place at the center of the bridge, just waiting for Angela to notice. As if the two knew exactly what the other was thinking, Angela stopped in place as well, five feet away from her prey. She spoke, "So the road ends here, carrot-top."

Thalia turned around slowly, her hands buried in the front pockets of her hoodie. The younger one stood at an angle, peeking at Angela from the corner of her eye. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't do what I was paid to do."

"It was so simple," Angela shook her head in disappointment, tisking at the sound of Thalia's submission. "You just had to stick a few needles up her fingernails on camera, enough to make that geezer of a father she had squirm in his place. Maybe even shit himself. It would've been entertaining to see, you know. You could take pride in it."

"I don't want to be that anymore."

Angela sighed in dismay. "College changed you. It made you soft. A snitch. Would you do the same thing to my employer if it had come to it?"

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt Kenzie."

"Hmmm... Fair enough." Angela's hands came out of her pockets to reveal her federal-issued pistol, now placed in both hands and directed between the girl's eyes. "It's unfortunate you never got to give her a proper good-bye. But don't worry. When Federal Agent Angela Parker delivers the news to the roommate of the deceased... she'll know for certain..."

But Angela wouldn't finish her words as a bullet hole appeared in the corner of the hoodie pocket at Thalia's core. The bullet that came from the pocket out of her hidden weapon, which she soon pulled out to point at the woman, struck Angela's belly, skimming by her stomach, causing her to, not only drop her weapon, but scream and drop to her knees, clenching her wound from the spike of pain inflicted. She did everything she could to not let Thalia get the drop on her, but even if she tailed her the entire way... she didn't anticipate the possibility she still had a weapon ready and concealed. Now, the tables were turned, Thalia approaching ever so slowly, looking down at the woman who she was once under the mercy of. Now was her chance to take her life back. Her life with Kenzie. Perhaps she could go home, where her heart belonged.

"This is what's going to happen..." the redhead snarled, gripping the pistol in both hands and directed at Angela's forehead. Her face that once showed fear now showed fury, displaying how serious she was about her backing off. "You and whoever you work for, the blond guy? You are going to leave me and Kenzie alone. No more spying on us, no more calling on me to torture her. It's not going to happen, as you've seen."

Groaning from soreness, Angela tried argue back, "What made you feel so strongly about a girl you couldn't stand four years ago?"

Thalia didn't respond, only stepping closer with the weapon at hand.

"You have feelings for her... don't you?"

Her eye twitched briefly, the physical sign of her stricken heart disguised by a drop of rain falling over her eye. "That's none of your business. What IS your business is that you're not going to hurt her. Or her father."

"I'm afraid that's not my decision."

"Then make it your decision, damn it! Because I swear, if something happens to her, her father, or her brothers, I will find you and make YOU pay for her losses."

Angela let out a loud, rough cough of blood dripping down the side of her lip as she looked up to the younger woman before her. All of these threats... all the opportunity to end her with no one ever knowing. Her injury hurt like hell, but she knew she'd be okay in the longrun. Just as long as Thalia doesn't end her. Would she? "The only way you can make sure of that is to kill me, sweetie. All you have to do is pull the trigger one more time. It's so easy."

A mind game that toyed with the changed morals of this girl. Her hands wrapped firmly around the gun as she stepped closer, the barrel pressing against Angela's forehead. It felt cold, especially with the rain over their heads. But it was odd; Angela didn't fear her. Could Thalia do it? End her life, then and there? It's like she said; nobody would know. She could toss the gun and be done with it. All a matter of hesitation. "I'm not you."

The double agent shook her head. "No, young lady. And you never will."

The hesitation continued, Thalia's trigger finger around the lever, ready to pull again... but she still couldn't. It was hard to tell if those were tears dripping from her eyes, or just the drops of water from above, but it was a hard decision to make. "You'll never leave us alone."

"Never. Now and forever, you will be a slave to my word. You have no parents. Your brother will be in the foster care system when you abandon him to be with your precious girlfriend... you know, if poor Kenzie-Poo lasts..."

Thalia cut her off, her voice showing the emotion in her voice, her left hand falling from the gun, leaving her tatted right hand with the gun to Angela's forehead: "DON'T SAY HER NAME!"

"Awww... what's wrong?" Angela's voice faked in sweetness. "I struck a nerve? Poor thing. You would never kill me."

"Oh yeah?" she arched an eyebrow, stepping forward, clenching her teeth. "Watch me."

Before that trigger could be pulled, a hand covered by a black leather glove covered over her mouth to suppress the incoming scream from the redhead, the other looping around her abdomen and swinging her away from Angela, the weapon out of her face, taking a shot into the distance. The man behind her was larger, muscular, clearly stronger than her as he swung her in the air. As she attempted to scream and kick, only coming out as muffles and futile blows, the voice of a Luxembourgian man with a thick accent whispered in her right ear. "Allow me to show you, kid."

It was a spur-of-the-moment struggle between the smaller girl and the larger frame of Vincent Mikael. As expected, it was mostly Vincent swinging Thalia around to tire her out of her flailing arms and legs until she submitted completely. Her movements became slower as he kept her in a steady grip. She was far away from Angela, her weapon releasing from her grip, as he carried her tiny body towards the edge of the bridge, right over the barrier that only stood a few feet high. It was high enough for it not to take a lot of strength to toss her over. As his partner watched from her weakened position, he carried her closer and further over the edge to meet her demise in a drop from a high bridge. Her muffled screams didn't make the middle-aged man hesitate in the slightest. Completely hardened by his life of crime, that right before he dropped her, he whispered,

"Rest in hell."

She was released from her lower body and hand, kicking and slipping from her place under the rain, defenseless, and now screaming at the top of her lungs as she tumbled from atop the bridge to her doom. Vincent watched her collapse down into the running water below until she had completely vanished by the sheer distance. And once she was gone? He smiled. A smile of relief. He didn't get many chances to kill. This was a first in a while, and it brought a sadistic sense of glee to his heart. He turned around to get a good look at his partner, clenching her wound and keeping her head held high. She was still conscious, which was a good sign. The blond man stepped forward and knelt before her, a rather blank expression over his face as he looked her in the eyes. He seemed proud of his actions. But Angela? She was rather disgusted at the rash move. Something that could've been handled better... No, this was exactly what they DIDN'T want.

"Moron!" she barked, driving a single hand across the tall European's face, her nails leaving a scratch as they slid over his cheek. As weak as she was, she could still pack a punch. "You fucking moron! The boss wants proof of death! How the hell do you expect to do that if you tossed her over a BRIDGE?!"

Vincent went quiet, feeling over the newly-formed red spot on his face. He peeked over the bridge to his side, realizing the mistake he'd made and the debt to pay for it. With a gulp, he returned his sights to the double agent. "We must retrieve her from down there."

"Retrieve her?" Angela scoffed. "You must be mad. She's probably splattered to pieces, you know, depending on where she fell."

"Then we find what we can from her body. Shouldn't it be enough?"

"Lociato wants her face in the picture. Confirmation that it's Griffin. We can't do that with a lock of hair or a finger, or whatever sick form of proof you had in mind."

The recruiter groaned, turning away from his partner, standing up, and glancing back down at the river beneath them. Thalia was down there, somewhere, probably dead by the fall alone, if they were lucky. All they needed was the proof of death, and he and Angela would be through of this headache. They would lose their foothold into leverage over Brookes, but with a loose cannon like Thalia, she would've been better off dead. She'd already testified against one gang she'd participated in. Having her do the same to Lociato might not damage the kingpin himself apart from the minor limelight, but it would put Angela and Vincent in a tough spot, probably to end up offed by their employer. Of course, not delivering proof of death might yield the same result. So going back down there was a must. With a huff from his lungs, the blond man turned to the wicked woman once more, and told her,

"Help is on the way. I'll find her. Leave it to me. She couldn't have survived..."

Except by a strange miracle... she did.

-(Present Day - Thalia Griffin/Angela Parker)-

Things were going to be different in Thalia's mind. She lost six years ago, despite her efforts and nearly pushed to the degree of killing a woman to ensure her safety and the safety of her beloved. Once again, she was going to take the opportunity of running first to get the drop on Angela and catch her by surprise. It was all a matter of anticipation, thinking in the mind of the opponent and striking at the right moment. Would Thalia finish what she couldn't six years ago and kill Angela? She wasn't sure. But she needed to neutralize the threat and find a way to get Kenzie out of here. She wasn't going to let her pay a large sum of money for her head. She wasn't a slave, never meant to be. Nobody should be. She knew there were many other girls that were in the same ditch that she had fallen into six years ago. Most of them weren't cursed with amnesia in the mix. But thanks to Kenmore, that was no longer a problem. Thalia remembers everything... and now? She was going to take back what she once had all of that time ago. She had no clue if she had a chance to have Kenzie for herself once again, but it was worth the shot. The way they acted together.... it showed the passion was still there. Maybe there was still a chance. And the good times were what drove Thalia to stand behind the shack, a slab of stray wood with a few uneven nails sticking out the back. It would be enough to stun Angela and Kenzie to follow up behind with the weapon, as she planned. Using Angela's strategy with Vincent against her. Things truly would be different.

Or would they? As Thalia's eyes kept peeking over the corner of the shack, as well as behind her, the blast from Angelo's 1911 caught her ears by surprise and made her crawl out of her concealed position behind the shadows and step around from the shack, out in the open after such a long time of remaining hidden. She had the plank at the ready, held like a baseball bat, and looking in the direction of the shots. Her instincts as a clanswoman never truly faded, and she feared the worst. Did the bald man find out about the escape and hurt Kenzie? It brought a quick lapse of fear over the redhead's face, slowly stepping forward to the direction of the gunshot.

"Kenzie?"

It was in this moment of weakness and not checking her 6 that Thalia was caught off-guard. From behind came a quick blow to the back of her head, dropping her face first into the dirt before her, dropping the plank to her side. She hit the floor rather hard without her hands to cushion the fall, bringing back many of her past pains from within the ring that she didn't feel in the moment. Now, she ached more than ever, shriveled on the ground and slowly noticing her vision dimming from the initial blow. She had enough energy to roll over to get a look at whoever it was behind her. How did they know her location? She could've sworn she was as stealthy as ever after the first break from the window. And there was no chance Angela had followed her. The thing was, what if she wasn't followed?

Because she wasn't. Angela had found her on her own accord by sneaking out back, as she planned. It was a game of outsmarting after all, and in the end, an ex-federal agent had the power to think faster and catch the amnesiac fighter in her own movements. Thalia's eyes peeked over her shoulder to see Angela standing right by her side with a smaller handgun. How? She could've sworn she swung her weapon out of her hands from the start to a position she wouldn't think to see, somewhere by Kenzie's side. But that didn't look like the same weapon. She had a spare? It had to be. But Angela's smug expression as she lowered the gun loosely to her side, swinging forward and back, as she let out a light snicker. The tables had turned quite significantly compared to six years ago... and all Thalia could wonder, where was Kenzie? Was she affected by the gunshot? Was her paramount concern... now gone?

"What?" Angela scoffed, "Didn't think I had a spare weapon on me, slave?"

Thalia answered with a simple groan as she held the back of her head in pain in an ongoing duel to fight off the tunnel vision. She coughed out a quick "Fuck you" to acknowledge her words.

"Nice language, kid. Guess you forgot that Vincent trained us both. We know all the same moves, meaning I know what you'll think and where you'll go after this is all over. You know, if you live..." The barrel of the gun rose slightly to face her body curled up on the ground.

All that was left for Thalia was to beg. As fragile as she was, she could still use her words. "Please... Do what you want to me. I have nothing to go back to. But don't hurt Kenzie. She's just a girl trying to live her life, as I knew her. I bet she hasn't changed. But now, she wants to... just, throw it all away for me. But she's not going to like it if she hands over the money for my corpse. I'm begging you. As a dying wish, if you kill me, let her walk with her money. She doesn't deserve any of this. Please..."

It was so satisfying to see Thalia submit. After all of these years of rebellion within the ring and standing up to authority, she now stared death in the single eye of a barrel of a gun with no escape. That fall to the ground left the weaker woman in a fragile physical state and could not put up a fight. It's what Angela had expected. And with a gun to her head? She wouldn't try anything. "Oh, sweetie... I can promise you whatever you want now. But you'll have no way to confirm I'll keep it. You will die only THINKING I'll do it. Which I could give you. Dying knowing your precious fiance lives happily ever after with Kain Saunders. But hey. I have a heart. Heart enough to give you THAT as your dying wish." Angela took a few steps closer, the gun right above Thalia's head as she glanced up, her blue eyes right down the barrel in what seemed like her final moments. "You see, F-783.... This is how you end a life."

Boom. The sound of another gun pierced the ears of both of the women, enough to make Thalia clench her eyes shut for one last time... This is the end, she thought to herself.... but it wasn't from Angela's weapon. that discharged, as her continued breaths proved to show... as well as a drop of blood flecking her nose. If history truly repeats itself, it sure as hell was now, because a bullet from behind Angela crept right past her at her gun-toting hand, cutting through the flesh of this hand and even severing her index and middle fingers from her right hand. It caused Angela to, not only shriek in pain, but also drop the weapon without even getting a shot off, holding her right hand in her left in light of the harsh spike of pain she'd felt. She looked to the dirt beneath her to see her two fingers shot off and right by Thalia's face. The slave opened her eyes a crack... the drops of blood, one of which touching her face, could only mean someone was injured. But it wasn't her. Her pupils fell to the side slightly to catch the two dismembered fingers not far away from her face. Her eye shout out as she looked forward. Was this Kenzie, at long last? Coming to her rescue with that degree of precision? She was trained to use a gun with her father as a police officer, sure, but this well?

In her screaming fit, Angela spun around on her heels, her face distorted as a result of the pain of chopped limbs, even if they were small, even tears leaking down her eyes without even realizing. Her breathing became heavier, too. Who shot her? This couldn't go completely unnoticed with Angelo having her back. He'd come for her eventually, but to what opposition? Kenzie?

No. Kain.

Not far away was the vengeful Saunders brother, Angela's primary weapon at hand and slowly getting closer. His weapon was held forward lined up with his sights and pointed in Angela's direction. His precision managed to disarm her, perhaps in an unorthodox manner, but at least she couldn't hurt anyone if one hand was shot and the other was holding it in pain as she was whimpering and sobbing from the pain. His facial expression was dark, unforgiving, vengeful. Angela was a huge part of the organization that killed his parents, but considering that she was too young to have anything to do with the ploy, torturing her for information would be useless. But she did intend to do harm and extort Kenzie... he didn't save Thalia for the sake of saving a life. He saved her so he could have Angela under his mercy. And shooting off two of her fingers was an accidental but great start to his past routine under an alias so long ago. Maybe this was something he was born with, a cold-blooded killing gene that made him crave the misery of others. A bloodlust he could never truly escape. So why not embrace it?

"Kain..." Angela panted, recognizing the face immediately, even if it was the first time they'd ever faced off or conversed together. She'd have to make a convincing argument to save her life. She was aware of Kain's doings in the past, and even what he did to Henrikson. She could get herself fingers similar to Kenzie's... but she'd have to live this ordeal first. At least she was a decent negotiator. "Kain, you don't have to kill me. Or do anything to me, really. We can all walk away. Peacefully. Angelo and I won't pursue the inheritance. W-We'll give Thalia back and be on our way. I give you my word."

The ex-cop huffed as he stepped closer, his hands quickly dropping to Angela's feet, and taking a shot at her left ankle. Another bullet charged out of the barrel and penetrated flesh and bone. Through the ankle, it caused Angela to collapse to the ground on her back by Thalia's side, accompanied by another scream. Thalia could only look to her side, scooting away, and eventually sitting. Angela had never looked... afraid, before. This Kain figure was the first person to genuinely scare her out of her own skin. The name was familiar. Was this the foster brother Kain that Kenzie would often bring up? It was an uncommon name, so it had to be. Her eyes darted between the injured Angela and the heartless gunman before her. Judging by his two shots, he didn't want her dead. His goal seemed like he wanted her to suffer. He only got closer, step by step. As much as Angela's misery pleased her... this was enough. She didn't need to bleed or scream any more than this. And how long could he keep this up with her wails and moans of pain before Angelo caught up? And what would Kenzie see if she was still around?

"Your word means shit," Kain snarled. "You held Kenzie hostage and took away someone she cares about."

His head nudged in Thalia's direction to reference her. But she found this the opportunity to speak as she sat herself up on her rear. "Hey... you don't have to do this. Whatever you plan on doing, torturing her, shooting off all of her body parts... You don't have to do this. She's suffered enough." Even Thalia's breathing had grown uneasy due to the stress of the situation. Was she about to view a cold-blooded execution right before her eyes? Not even her as the victim... but someone else. "We can go. You, me, Kenz. We can just leave as we are and never come back."

"Shut up," Kain growled, channeling Thalia's voice out of his mind as he focused on Angela once more, who wouldn't stop screaming from the pain in hopes Angelo would come as her saving grace. Between screams, she'd let out a few words.

"She's right, Kain... you don't have to kill me. You and Kenzie win. Just take your slave before Angelo gets here and you will have won. I'm sure the mighty champion Luca Varundar can hold his own."

Those words alone were enough to trigger a memory from Thalia, but not one from her past life. One from a day ago. That slave, Sarah? The older, blonde one. She mentioned a fiance by that very first name, Luca. Could it be the same? How common was the name? If it was the same man, what a small world this was, that Kenzie and Sarah's fiance knew each other. Slowly, Thalia made her way to her feet, fighting off the pain she'd felt for the past few minutes. "Kain, right?" she held a trembling hand out forward, also afraid of what Kain would do. "You can stop. Just hand me the gun... and we can leave. We'll get Kenzie, and..."

Thalia was getting too close for his own good. The monster inside him had taken over as he saw Angela bleeding in the dirt beneath. He didn't want to shoot Thalia for Kenzie's sake, so instead of firing another bullet as a waste, he swung his arm back and returned it at full force over Thalia's forehead, the sheer force bringing her back into the dirt into an unconscious state with a cut over her forehead. She lay there out cold by Angela's side, Angela's heart skipping a beat as she saw the brute-in-the-making put a woman down without a second thought. Had he no heart? And she thought men like Angelo and Vincent were cruel. Kain might be a step worse. Perhaps she made the right choice picking him as Angelo's successor. It was enough to bring a smile over her face through the pain, her arms spread out in a relaxed manner, ignoring the two separate pains in her foot and hand. She had a few last words, as she knew her time was very limited.

"You know..." she snickered, keeping her eyes locked on to Kain's passed his weapon, "I was the one who convinced Angelo to give his place to you, Kain. And if you kill me now, you'll only prove that you're a heartless son of a bitch who will continue alone, much like Angelo was for so long. You won't be winning Kenzie's heart over by killing her sister, believe me."

Sister.... was that even true? Kain shook his head at the snake of a woman. "Liar."

"Is that so? You may never know..." she let out a quick groan to fight off her pain, then continued, "But believe me... Kenzie will come back out here and see your deeds, and she will be sickened by the beast you are. Because I know it was you that killed my other partner, Vincent. You know you have no use for me... Or you could leave me alive, and hope Kenzie chooses you over Thalia, so think about that..."

At this point, it would be a chance for Kain to duel with his unpleasant thoughts. Had he still been the new person he promised that pastor to be, he would've left her be and walked away. But at this point, after feeling the pleasure of cutting Henrikson's hand off.... at shooting her twice and watching her blood spill? Begging for mercy? It reminded him of those three cops... and with Kenzie feeling so bitter towards him, now more than ever did he want to feel something. Even if it was bloodlust. Ignoring everything she'd said, Kain fired another bullet at her left forearm as she was spread out like a starfish in the dirt. He grinned at the sight of the quick burst of blood that came from it, followed by Angela's scream in pain. This wouldn't kill her, but she'd be miserable.

"BEG FOR MERCY!" Kain screamed at her, tightening his grip on the weapon at the screaming woman.

"AAAAGGGHHH! FUCK YOU, KAIN SAUNDERS, JUST KILL ME!" she howled.

Another bullet came out of the gun, this time, directed at the right side of her hip. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"STOP! JUST KILL ME, PLEASE!" Angela's face dripped in tears and sweat from the heat of the situation, slowly feeling weaker due to the blood loss. The last shot probably struck her intestines, and it was bringing her to a breaking point. She wouldn't survive. Kain said nothing further, worried that, at any moment, Kenzie or Luca would come out and find him.

And it was confirmed when he could hear a distant voice calling his name, frantic as it could be and worried for the safety of her friend. "Kain?"

Kain's heart sank. She was about to see his handiwork firsthand, and fresh. He felt his own sweat leaking from his skin, pondering over what to do next as he looked left and right, then back down at Angela, barely moving. He also saw Thalia to her right, still unconscious but very much alive. He probably didn't have many bullets left, so whatever rage he had? It had to be let out now.

Boom. Boom. And boom. The last three bullets were emptied out, one into Angela's right shoulder, one into her left knee, and the last one into her left lung. Her movements came to a standstill, as well as her heartbeat. Kain had to escape, and fast. He took one last look at the gun in his hand, clenching it for one last time, then giving it a quick toss to Thalia's side. He couldn't come back to this scene or see his friends again. Kenzie and Luca would never forgive him. Sure, it was going to take a while to get to the back of the shack to their location outside, but time was running out. The gun was out of his hands, and all he had to do was make a run for it. His regrets could wait for later, but sure enough, Angelo would see what sort of executioner he really was. If he was still interested, he'd find him in due time. But this job, as the Hand? It felt more fitting for Kain than ever now that he'd realized the true love for his bloodlust.

He turned away from the bloodbath he'd left behind, and bolted. He'd get a headstart at this rate, but he could only hope he'd get away and out of sight without being seen.
 
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|:|Luca and Angelo Varundar|:|

"So, tell me about her."
Angelo turned his head, facing Luca from his gaze into the night sky, both of the men finding a calm amidst their fighting. Luca couldn't forgive Angelo's past, but knowing that the man was changing gave him hope. Angelo was still a bit fazed by how Luca knew exactly how to dig under the skin and find answers. He supposed it came with knowing a woman for so long. If anyone could give love advice, it was him. Not the professional, statistic advice. Advice for dangerous men like him, for lives that were far from statistical. "Tell you what?"
"What do you really like about her?"

A man gifted with quick thinking on his feet and situational awareness at all times, Angelo found himself in uncharted territory. It was unnerving and yet relieving, finding someone to talk to, about Angela. "I...she's used to people like me, I guess. Between Mikael, me, and the whole slew of killers out there, Angela didn't have time to find us monsters. I know you don't see it that way, and all criminals are scum to you, but...it meant something to me. She took care of me, patched up a bullet hole I got not too long ago from one of the assassins on her trail. I can't stand the idea of her being harmed by me, or anyone, and took some risks in doing so. I couldn't give less of a damn about the inheritance, but we need that money. Thalia's a loose cannon, and that's why I ran back in there."

Both men missed the broken window in their fight, and couldn't see it in the darkness. There was a large distance between the car and the shack. Luca found himself debating his own answer, about morals, about life, and about love. "Yeah, I know those kind of people. The ones who see pass the bad and find the good. Sarah always saw me as her guardian, not some delinquent who talks with their fists. They take the thought right out of your brain, people like that. Right?"
Angelo widened his eyes a bit, finding Luca's description spot on. "Exactly. Make me stupid. In a good way, though. Rather be straight up handicapped and with Angela than alone. Don't need all of my faculties to appreciate her being with me."
"Heh, that's pretty. That's how Thalia and Kenzie are, too. That's why she moved Heaven and Earth to get down here."
"Kind of odd, though."
Luca questioned the statement for a moment before finding the implied meaning, chuckling a bit to himself. "Yeah, I thought that too, at first. Just old-fashioned thinking. You'll get used to it."
Angelo scoffed, finding no proper answer.

The first shot immediately brought Angelo from his opening mood to the field of professionalism first, and then realization. Both of the men were severely battered - Luca reckoned a few of his ribs were busted in -, but it did little to slow either of them down. Angelo cut through the night like a knife, his sprint sharp and poised. Luca's applied the muscles in his arms and legs together, trudging forward like a train. He could almost feel the blood flowing through both of them, several more of the loud bangs burning through the night. Angelo's very fiber began to shake as he recognized Angela's voice, turned into a high-pitched yell. He'd never heard it before, but recognizing it was simple for him. Colliding into a stack of excess building supply on the corner of the shack, Angelo stumbled forward, his hands pushing off the ground to ready himself, face upright, and look to the scene before him. Luca was behind him, halting as his cousin stood stone-still. Angelo's analytical mind threatened to break, tracing the fleeting steps and upraise of dust in the air as Kain himself flew across the ground. Angela's weapon was empty, her Baby Glock still close. Sprinting forward, Angelo swooped the gun up and unsheathed his knife, yelling at the figure in the night with force. "I'll kill you, you sonofabitch!"

Luca was caught between stopping Angelo and stopping Kain. He couldn't convince himself that Kain was too far gone, for Kenzie's sake. The details were lost on Angelo other than that Kain put Angela down, but Luca was looking beyond that. Thalia was knocked cold, and Kenzie was close. Luca grabbed Angelo by the shoulder, throwing out a few words to Kenzie in the process. "Stay with Thalia. I'm gonna ge-"

Luca's words were cut off by a hard elbow in the lip, swelling the skin up like a balloon. Shaking his head, Luca put both hands on Angelo's jacket, pulling the article of clothing off. Underneath, Luca saw the webbing of holsters Angelo had. His M1911 was gone, and the knife was pulled out, but Luca recognized a cheap phone and a submachine gun, empty and without a clip. Angelo had an armory on him, which was luckily lacking ammo. There must be more inside the shack. Regardless, Angelo kept charging forward without his jacket, holding the Baby Glock and knife up together. Luca finally made his choice, wrapping his cousin in a headlock. The knife flew to his ribs, Luca instinctively using the metal guards to deflect the blade. Sparks flew off of the metals colliding, and the blade was stuck inside the metal folds for a moment before Angelo yanked it back out. The assassin knew Luca's coat was resistant to most calibers of handgun ammo, and the little Glock was useless against the material. Holstering the firearm, Angelo let out a yell before driving the heel of his palm into Luca's chest, swinging a quick cross over to slam against Luca's face, sending blood and spittle out from the cuts on his face already. It was as though the damage Luca had done meant nothing to Angelo, finding that the assassin was even letting a few tears loose as he swung the knife again. Luca stepped back from the swing as Angelo pivoted his shoulder, unholstering the Glock and shooting blindly into the night at the dark figure of Kain. Turning back, Angelo felt the gun fall from his hands as Luca pulled it away, slamming the slide of the gun into Angelo's forehead. Luca grabbed the man by the arms, using his own head to collide against Angelo's nose, the headbutt battering the cartilage like a hammer. Luca did so several times before pushing the man back, darting a leg out to trip him over. As Angelo fell on his back, Luca grabbed him by the ankles, pulling the legs back and over Angelo like a scorpion's tail. Angelo, limber even in a blind rage, lifted his torso off of the ground and gripped Luca by the neck, pulling his head down before flipping his body over, placing Luca on the dirt. Angelo slammed the knife down, Luca barely catching the hand holding the blade. It was a struggle of strength, Angelo placing a hand against Luca's face and pushing down as Luca fought with both hands against the knife. In a strained voice, Angelo let out a few words that resounded the tears Luca saw earlier. "He took her! He took her from me!"

In the critical moment, Luca found himself in Angelo's shoes, eight years ago. At the time, Luca did not know where his wife disappeared to, or if she was alive, and was desperate for answers.

.........................

Todd was hardly a man of violence. His life revolved around managing someone else's finances. Didn't touch a gun or drug in his days. But, he had an impulse that all men shared; money. Money was a gateway to sex and pleasure for a man like him. A man who was maybe putting on too much weight, or was losing their hair. One phone call and a few numbers on a check shifted Todd's straight-edge lifestyle to the white-collar class of criminals. He didn't need to shoot anything or kill anyone. Just needed to move some money from one anonymous account to another. Send an email of confirmation when the transfer was complete, and he received his own split of the wealth in the mail. Within two months his life went from apartment-dwelling alone and sad, to his own home, with his own woman. Whether or not she was in it for the money as well didn't matter to him; let whores be whores, and he'll gladly accept his pay.

Todd DeShaw never expected enemies, or aggression, in his line of work. If someone had a problem with his employer, they took it to him. And end up in a ditch on some backcountry road. Still, he couldn't tell it to the guy slamming his face against chainlink at any rate. "What the fuck, eh? What I'd do to you?"

His angry conversationalist pulled Todd's head back, rearing the ugly and rather terrifying black mask an inch from his face. "You've done a lot. I want to know who the hell you've been working for, who's been paying you, and why I found you at a corner with some slave."

Todd found it hard to think through the fear, feeling the chainlink fence being engraved into his pasty, puffy skin. A cold October breeze swept through his bare legs. It reminded him that he had no pants on. "What slave? That's my wife!"

"No, that's a victim of kidnapping. I need to know who sent her to you." The black mask turned away, pulling Todd back before driving him into the fence again, feeling the metal threatening to pull off its post. Todd valued his wife well, and knew giving out names was a good way to put that life to rest. Still, the black face wasn't doing him any favors.

"Alright, I'll be talking! Just don't let anyone know where you got this."

A gloved, heavy hand gripped his shoulders, spinning him around to face the man. The to-be Sesler stepped back, nodding his agreement. "Blond man, heavy accent hired me."

"Not him. His employer."

Stuttering, Todd retraced his steps. "Y-yeah, no, yeah. Some Mexican name, only the last name. Lociato."

The man behind the mask briefly questioned whether or not Todd DeShaw would lie to him. Maybe he would, but not when the alley he found himself in only had one way out. "Alright. How often did you have to make transfers, and to how many accounts?"

Todd was confused by the question. What importance were the transfers to the masked man's goals? "Eh...big sums, maybe once a month. Smaller ones were handed to different accounts at times, mostly deposits."

"You mean a payroll."

"Yeah, along those lines."

Sesler sighed, stepping forward to twist the man's head and drive it against concrete swiftly, dropping him into a near-unconscious state. Stepping away, he resigned to enjoying what he had learned. A name, something to ask those connected to the ring he had stumbled upon. His wife wasn't the first to be taken, but she'll be the destruction of Lociato's ring. Luca swore to it.

...................

Luca saw the familiar anger and questions in Angelo's eyes, peering through his fingers at his cousin's face. Twisting the hand holding the knife, Luca felt the wrist threaten to tear and break under the strain. Angelo pulled back, yet Luca held on, twisting it further. Angelo swung the hand previously on Luca's face down in a hammer, slamming into his forehead. The assassin stood up, peering into the darkness. Kain was out of his sight. Luca pushed the man off, standing and raising his fists into a familiar boxing stance. Angelo turned, questioning whether or not to continue fighting. There was still anger in him, but not at Luca. The rational side of him told Angelo that chasing Kain in the dark was a good way to be ambushed. No, either he hit Kain with a stray bullet, or he looks for prints in the morning. That kind of speed left a messy trail, but he'll decipher it. "Get out of here, and take Kenzie with you."

Luca, who wasn't even quite sure whether or not to help Kain, nonetheless replied back, his hands still raised. "Don't go after him, Angelo."

"Why not? I have no reason not to."

"You wanted to retire! You can, now."

Angelo, moving like water, gripped Luca by the neck and pushed, yelling. "I didn't want to retire, Luca! I wanted to be with her!" Twisting his cousin's head, Angelo pointed at the still frame lying in the darkness. "Look at her! Kain doesn't deserve to live!"

Pushing Luca down to his knee, Angelo stepped to the side and drove a kick into Luca's back before stepping away, facing the black SUV that was his ride to the shack. "Go. Kain's gone. There's nothing I can do." And yet, a little piece of his brain formed a plan to find Kain. If not here, tonight, then someday. Luca was aware that Angelo would not drop such a case so soon, and yet backed away, afraid to jeopardize Kenzie and Thalia's safety if Angelo ever got the upper hand. Walking back to the shack, Luca heard the much larger car start up, the keys to his father's car still in his coat. Closing in on the shack, Luca spoke up, apprehensive of his words. "Angelo...lost Kain in the darkness. I don't know what to say, Kenzie. Are...you alright? Is she?" Luca flicked a thumb to Thalia at his last words. The pain in his face began to appear now that the adrenaline was leaving his system. There were a ton of bruises, slams to his nose, and deep cuts from Angelo's knuckles on his face as well as his body. Still, Thalia was out cold and he was conscious, so his worries traveled beyond himself.
 
-(Kenzie Andrews)-

Though, of the six of them, she was the least familiar with combat, gunshots meant all the same to Kenzie: something went sour, be it to her advantage or otherwise. From her position inside, after the first gunshot, she had to make her way to the direction of the sound. She'd finally found where Kain had run off to. Was he shot? Or did he shoot someone? Or neither? Maybe both? It was why she called out his name out loud. Maybe she'd get a verbal response from Kain, giving her confirmation that he was at least alive. But perhaps he didn't hear. The screams of pain did give a hint as to who was hurt. Female. There's no way Kain was injured. And she's heard Thalia's screams of pain before, especially when she came home with a bullet in her. So that left one option: Angela. One of them must've gotten the drop on her and caused her quite a world of pain from a bullet. Those howls of pain, in her experience, were probably that of a severed limb, as she'd experienced a few days ago. What on Earth was Kain doing to her? Was he about to torture her for information that she probably didn't have? Or did he just want to make her demise as horrific as he could? She knew he was capable, remembering his past crimes under an alias. It was beyond unnerving for her to imagine that, after he'd promised to never do it again, he went out of his way to kill someone over his sick path to revenge...

And when she finally made her way out the back door, it was a double shocker for the price of one: her beloved unconscious and bleeding from the corner of her forehead, and her half sister shot multiple times in a way to make her final moments the worst and most agonizing of her life... and no sign of Kain. But it wasn't Kain that she was primarily focused on, anyway. Angela's dead body was nothing more than another sight after having seen many other horrors that very day, all starting from when Kain slit a man's throat over her head. She didn't have to see it, and as a doctor trained to work at her best in emergencies, she knew she had to prioritize. Seeing Angela's lifeless eyes just gazing upward to no end, as well as the large amounts of blood leaking beneath her, there was no saving her. But Thalia's injury looked rather minimal, only to have her struck unconscious with a cut over the head as a souvenir. But she needed to make sure. Shivering with each slow, passing step, she kept stepping forward at the scene of the crime, just as Angelo and Luca had returned. And the bald assassin was nothing short of... crushed. In that moment, Kenzie got the clue that Angela was more than just a partner in crime. If this were any partner among the ranks of Lociato's organization, he wouldn't have reacted so emotionally. But instead, he began in an outburst, swearing he'd come after Kain and end him. Those weren't the words of a partner... but of a lover.

The cousins broke into another close-quarters brawl, causing the doctor to flinch in her place. Her priority was in place, though: Thalia. She was close enough to the two women laying in the dirt to let herself collapse to her knees comfortably and tend to her friend. Carefully, just in case of any sort of spinal injury upon impact, she rolled her onto her back so that she could face upward, making it easier for contact. She placed her hands over the pale, weary face of her companion, slowly letting her hands fall to her neck to feel for a pulse. Nothing. Her head leaned a bit closer to try to feel or hear a breath. Also nothing. She called out her name frantically in hopes that she's wake if her sudden slumber was not that deep. "Thalia? ... Thalia? ... T, answer me!" Nothing. She was out cold, and clearly not that long ago. Stress began to overwhelm Kenzie, fearful that she'd lost the last person she's ever cared about after just getting her back. Her hands fell over her chest, palms flat one over the other, as she began to perform compressions. Even with her injuries, the adrenaline rush that had sparked from the circumstance was keeping her going and preventing her from feeling any abdominal pain from her sudden movements. Her strong feelings for Thalia had taken over in an attempt to keep her head above water. The cut over her head looked superficial, nothing too deep, but the blow was enough to knock her out cold. She continued to 30 compressions, only to see no change. She was afraid this was more serious than she'd originally anticipated as she began to give her a rescue breath. Between the first and the second, she murmured to herself in the heat of the fight nearby, "Please don't leave me, T... I don't have anybody left..."

It was as if Kain was dead to Kenzie if she were to make a bold statement like that and actually mean it. Had he gone too far? Killing and torturing after he'd promised not to, after all of the chances Kenzie had given him, standing up for his innocence and putting him in line every time he'd fallen off the wagon. Had she had enough? Was she going to leave Kain for dead now that he'd run off on his own accord? Was he ashamed of his actions to just abandon the murder weapon and charge off into the horizon? Her eyes got a quick glimpse of the disturbed dirt marking his trail. They could follow him if they needed to. But she never wanted to see him beyond this point. Murdering Angela was unnecessary, especially given the difference in timing of the gunshots, and the fact she was alive for a moment. This was an execution. The shots were point blank judging by the blood patterns. He wanted her dead for his own sick purposes, for some personal vendetta... and for that, she couldn't forgive him.

After the second breath into Thalia's mouth, Kenzie felt over Thalia's neck for a pulse once again. Every second seemed like an hour, so seeing her like this felt endless. After the first round... a stroke of good luck. A pulse. A weak one, but there. She kept her hand over it for a few moments just to confirm, a smile appearing over her face as she looked into her closed eyes. She could've sworn she'd seen them twitching ever so slightly, as if she were trying to fight off the feeling of weakness. Thalia was tough, that much Kenzie knew, and to see that that rigor never left her solidified that love for her even further. She wasn't going anywhere. "Hey...." she whispered, lowering her other hand to Thalia's tattooed right one, interlocking their fingers hand in hand. "It's me.... You... don't have to move...." Her voice was a bit shaken at the heated situation, but it was slightly hopeful now. "But just.... squeeze back if you can hear me."

Thalia's head rolled to the right ever so slightly, that twitch in her eyelids still present. It took a moment for the words to register in her mind but in the end.... a tightness in Kenzie's hand showed that she was coming to. That was enough for Kenzie to shift her focus off of the body not far away and grip her companion's hand back, nearly ready to shed a tear of joy for her, even more so when Thalia's eyes slowly cracked open and her head lifted up every so slightly.

"Oh, thank god..." Kenzie cheered to herself. Success, at long last. "You're gonna be okay, T. Just hang in there."

With Angela dead and the computer damaged, there was probably no way to hand over the inheritance to Angelo alone if he even wanted it. And what reason did he have to take Thalia back and throw her back into the ring? Hell, if that were happen.... Kenzie might just follow her just so she doesn't lose her again. Besides, Luca would never stand for that. Not a chance. It might've been a victory. A bittersweet one, though. Kain was gone, physically and emotionally. Whatever heart he might've had was shattered, and he'd run off to pursue whatever life he had planned for himself, if it lasted. Would he pursue Lociato alone? Or just try to settle and make peace in a new life under a new name? It wasn't Kenzie's business any longer. No... Kain was on his own, now.

Luca returned to Kenzie with word of what had happened. Kain ran off into the night, and he was speechless. That was Kenzie's half-sister after all. And worse, it was only after seeing her dead for that long did she begin to see the resemblance. She really was a part of the Brookes bloodline. She truly was her father's daughter. They were blood, and someone she once put her trusts in just ended her life, just like that. Kenzie was willing to pay the price to get her off their backs, even with the complications like Thalia's escape plan. But murder? That she couldn't condone. "You don't have to say anything," Kenzie began. "I'm fine...." Her eyes fell down to Thalia's as the former amnesiac slowly regained motion in the rest of her body. "She's going to be okay. The inheritance was never transferred, and probably never will be without her..." She took one more look at Angela's corpse, still deep in regret. "She didn't have to die. But.... nothing we can do now. But Luca... the three of us can just... go? Angelo isn't going to stop us?"

Would he stop Thalia from coming along now that the deal was off? Or did he understand Kenzie's will power to get her college sweetheart back after all of this time thinking she was dead... with that, would he let the two live their bittersweet ending?
 
Luca was never good at reading the room. Sarah was one of the few people that he could understand without speaking. He couldn't tell if Kenzie was distraught over Kain's act, or numb at the moment, only to be hit later. She didn't ask about it, which really meant either path. The boxer could understand, for he had his own buried emotions. Kain rocked him, as Luca thought he was helping Kain to a better life. He didn't wish death upon him, and hoped to high Heaven that the tussle with Angelo bought him time to move. Like Angelo said, there were prints and maybe blood. Even if the bald assassin said he wasn't going to chase, Luca knew damn well he would. Kenzie didn't want to pursue, either, but was also worried about Angelo. Luca felt some kind of victory in that they still had the inheritance, which would be an asset in Mexico for sure. There was empathy in Luca's heart for Angelo, for the first time since they met in Eve Memorial. Angelo lost a partner like Luca lost Sarah, except this time, there was no way to get her back. It was weird putting it in words, but Kenzie was right. "Yeah, we can leave. Angelo told me...a lot, after putting some dents into my face. He didn't care for the money; said he needed it so both of them can escape. Angela was marked for death by Lociato, and Angelo was supposed to put her down. Said he couldn't, for a reason he couldn't describe. Man never felt love before, not from his parents, or anyone. So, from my understanding of what he told me, they came down here together and took Thalia. They knew Brookes was dead, and coincidentally Angela was related to you. But now...I don't know what he wants. I don't think HE knows what he wants. There was a lot more going on here than I thought. So no, Angelo won't stop us."

Stepping over to Thalia, still on her back, Luca cradled her head by wrapping his arm under her neck, swooping the legs up with the other. He turned to Kenzie, picking up his conversation once more. "Head out to the car. I'll put her in the back, and then I'm going to search through this shack. You're welcome to come along, but I'm sure it's just firearms and weapons." There was also an unfulfilled curiosity Luca needed to sate, if what he was thinking held true. Walking through the shack, moving Thalia's head away from door frames and furniture, Luca spied a few of the weapons, but with Thalia taking up his arms, he couldn't grab them yet. His face and chest hurt, but Luca had all of his faculties well in check to carry her. Thalia was light, both from being small and the rigors of the ring. Would he find Sarah in this state? The answer hurt to agree with. Luca leaned against the car, sticking the arm under her legs straight to grab the door handle and pull, the lights turning on inside the car. Leaning forward, Luca placed her in the back, with her head facing away from him at the other end of the seats. The car wasn't big, but her small frame fit enough that Luca could close the door. The boxer placed his hands on the roof of the car for a moment, pulling in a few deep breaths. The fight probably lasted several good minutes, and unlike boxing matches, didn't have rounds. It put a toll on Luca's stamina, but he could regain it easily. Thank the Heavens Luca stayed fit through the years. Turning once again to the lifeless shack, Luca began his slow plod forward, his mind on other things.

The shack was truly not a permanent home. There was a change of clothes for Angelo, visibly dirtied, and a powered refrigerator, but no plumbing or cooling. Luca remembered what he had mistaken for a shed outside. It was an outhouse. It was obvious they weren't here long, and Angelo wasn't planning on coming back anytime soon, so Luca took his time to scrutinize the home. There was a Remington 870 above the door, though with the safety on. Angelo must've disabled it before they arrived. It was intended to fire a blast straight down at whoever opened the door, easily lethal. Luca didn't need guns, but he took it nonetheless. He also removed the magazine, pushing out the shell left inside. Propping it against the door for when he leaves, Luca also searched through Angelo's large coat, unsuited for the weather. The pockets were bare, but inside, Luca felt his fingers close around a small piece of metal, shaped for a finger. Pulling it out, Luca spotted first a small, pure red ruby held in a bracket of gold. The boxer verbally showed his shock quietly in the shack. "No way in Hell, Angelo..."

Placing it inside the pocket he found it, Luca shook his head to rid himself of the shock. He suspected it, but couldn't confirm it. Angelo really wanted a life away from Lociato. Gripping the shotgun by the chamber, Luca exited the shack, walking back to his father's car of age. The trunk was capable of being opened without using a button inside the car, so Luca propped open the storage, looking for the first time in a long while at the various wares. His father was also a pacifist when it came to guns, as not one firearm or clip was in sight. There were, however, two iron poles stuck together, a vintage version of the batons Luca had back in Seattle. He even suspected that Li Juan also made this set. A brass ball with a fitted handle also had an obvious purpose, and Luca swept it up, sliding it into a zippered pocket on his overcoat. He really believed his ribs were busted from the bullet's impact, but thank Li, wherever he was, for the coat. It saved his life. The two batons fit snugly into the holsters Luca had for his old ones as he split the poles apart, solidifying the fact that Juan made them, as he also made the holster. Closing the trunk, Luca placed his lumbering frame into the driver's seat and started the engine. Turning to Kenzie, Luca spoke once more. "Found a ring in Angelo's coat. Man was dead serious about her. But...what do we do now? Find a hotel room, rest up? It's obvious Thalia is in no position to go anywhere. And we still have the coordinates to Mal Cielo. Not like the warehouse is moving anywhere. And I still have all my teeth, though I think my rib might be busted. Angelo shot me, but the coat is a goddamn lifesaver. I'll...leave the choice to you. Thalia can rest in the car in any case."

|:|Angelo Varundar|:|

Inside the SUV, Angelo lined up a high-powered hunting rifle, finding Luca's back in his sights as he approached Kenzie. And Angela's corpse. Part of him wanted to fulfill the order given by Lociato. But then, a little rebel said otherwise. Lociato, like Kain, was at fault for Angela's death. The order didn't need to be placed. Angela knew it, he knew it, but Demetri couldn't have known. Completing this assignment and finishing the job for Lociato didn't feel right anymore. Angelo now understood why people drank. It filled a void in the heart. Angela left behind a large void, one that threatened to suck the life out of Angelo. And he let it, draining away his humanity bit by bit, until finishing Kain was all he cared for. Luca was waste at this point. Lowering the gun, Angelo stuck it beside him and turned the car around, facing the prints he saw earlier. Pursuing at night was deadly. In the morning, when Kain was tired and thirsty in the desert, Angelo would be rested and with a bottle of water. He couldn't fully sleep, lest Kain figured him out and came to the car, but he could easily let his body rest, his mind alert. Tears threatened to breach through his eyes again, thinking of the hotel room where Angela patched his bullet-ridden shoulder up. How he could use those healing hands now, his face an array of breaks and cuts. To think of the time he kissed her, and found a truer bond than he had ever felt. For the first time in his life, Angelo found someone. Leave it to the world to take that away from him. Was it fate? Destiny? If so, Angelo felt a resolve in knowing he could change his destiny. First was Kain. Next, Lociato. Angelo can walk right to the man easily. So be it if he died afterwards. Angelo would play the long game, calling Lociato, confirming Luca was dead when he in fact wasn't. Explain Kain and how he singlehandedly broke the slavehouse open. Or, he could track the man here, and worry about Lociato later. The latter sounded much more comfortable.

Getting out of the SUV, Angelo found himself with a different purpose. The shack was quiet now that she was gone, and he noticed Luca took his Remington. Kain might've, but Angelo knew he was out of the area. His coat was untouched, thankfully, and Angelo took out the ring. He felt a breeze wave through the empty door frame, pieces of the wooden door on the floor around him. The metal burned his hand, though not physically. It mentally left an imprint. A bond he would never cement. Not a religious man, but he did believe in the power of weddings, formal or not. Professing a bond to each other and whoever witnessed it. Someone like him didn't need to keep many things in life, so promises came easy if he wanted them to be. For Angela, he was ready to drop his old life and start anew. Luca was right in that regard. A shovel used to create the outhouse was left by the fishermen who had built the shack, swept up in Angelo's hands. Angela deserved a deep grave, not the shallow ones Angelo was so used to digging. It took about an hour, but Angelo dug a thin grave several feet deep, carrying Angela inside. The assassin looked to her eyes again, closing them before feeling an emotion that had never touched him before. It hurt him worse than any gun, any knife. Placing the ring on her finger before setting her down, Angelo found a name for the feeling as he placed the dirt back over her.

Loss.
 
-(Kenzie Andrews/Thalia Griffin)-

The brutal reality of Kain's actions really didn't sink in directly for Kenzie. She was well aware that the unconscious redhead by the side of the deceased couldn't have done something this tragic, but, at the same time, the only logical possibility about who DID do it simply didn't stick with her, and it helped to believe otherwise. It helped her keep going, stay with Thalia in her time of need, to just completely and unconsciously block Kain from her thought process - as if he were dead to her. Had she spent these past minutes moping about the dead body she couldn't save, kicking the grains of dirt beneath her in rage, cursing the ex-cop's name and everything he once stood for, she'd have left behind the one thing in her life that was still there and true to what it was six years ago... Thalia. Forsake the uncertain past in favor of the more surefire future, because now that she was back, Thalia wasn't going anywhere. Could they go back to where they left off six years ago, leaving it all behind to get married like they'd promised? Maybe not now. Kenzie made a promise to Luca to stay with him. Sure, part of her wanted to take her beloved and step away. She had what she needed, and enough money to never have to work again. She and Thalia could live like queens in some remote part of the world and live in peace. But no... it was as if both of them were meant for something more before they could lay down their arms. All starting from the next question: where do we go from here?

From the looks of it, Angelo wasn't going to pursue the trio. He might pursue Kain, rightfully so, but he wouldn't be reclaiming Thalia and tossing her back in the ring. What reason did he have for that? It was Kain that murdered Angela after all, and Kenzie didn't seem like she approved of the execution, given her glances of dismay at the body before she got the energy to stand up. Moreover, it seemed like Angelo understood the type of pain Kenzie had felt after all of those years of assuming Thalia was killed. Why would he make her endure that agony all over again when, at least she rather than her partner, had come in peace with selfless intentions in mind? Perhaps it was true that anyone and everyone has the capacity for change. Thalia did. Angelo seemed to be a work in progress upon losing a woman he'd felt something more for - a woman he disobeyed orders from his boss for in order to keep her safe and live in peace with. They could certainly relate, and Kenzie wished no malice upon the bald assassin. Hell, she rarely wished harm upon anyone. Not even Angela. She didn't have to die.

The plan? Leave Angelo to mourn over his loss, give Angela a proper burial rather than a shallow grave. It was best for the girls and his cousin to get out of there and leave him to grieve. Luca assisted with moving Thalia as she walked by his side in the direction of their ride from before. She was given the choice to come along to give the derelict shack a quick sweep. She shook her head to decline as she boarded the back seat with Thalia. "I'll pass, Luca. I need to check Thalia out, make sure she doesn't drift off again. I'm sure you can handle it alone, after all." Very true. Luca was more than capable, whereas Kenzie would only supervise and observe. She would be of little help, so she opted to stick around and stay with her friend for her own valid reasons. Thalia had no issues staying awake, though, leaning her back against the door opposite to Kenzie and keeping her head held high. She felt the stream of dried blood on the side of her face, but the bleeding did die quickly. A superficial wound, as Kenzie initially diagnosed. The alone time between the two girls was a time to... catch up, if anything. Just looking into each other's eyes and exchanging quick smiles was entertaining enough. But words would come eventually. Starting with the former slave...

"I never thought you'd get a glimpse of the action, doc-to-be," she smirked, trying to brighten the somber atmosphere.
Kenzie cracked a faint smile at her old nickname, though invalid now that she was a true doctor now, a single hand falling over Thalia's burnt arm, feeling over her wound that wasn't there when they met at the hospital six months ago. She wasn't kidding about being burned. She kept her synthetic finger out of sight as best as possible, as she spoke, "Same old Thalia. Your sassy remarks never cease to... entertain me."
"Oh, you know that wasn't the only way I'd 'entertain' you." Her quick giggle brought a bit of glee into Kenzie's heart. Words didn't need to be said about the body of Angela they'd left behind, even if Kenzie wanted to confirm that it wasn't Thalia. But they both knew this was Kain's doing. And she didn't want to burden her friend with thinking back at horrible details.
"True... very true."
Kenzie's touch over the scars that were months old felt a tad more than just an examination. Not that she was trying to seduce her, but it was simply the attraction, the bond they shared so long ago, that left her careful touch so meaningful with every trace. Unfortunately, the two had to speak about the unspeakable soon enough. "Kenz, I didn't shoot her."
Caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation, Kenzie lifted her chin and nodded lightly, her temporary smile also fading. "I know, T. You're not a killer. You never were."
Thalia nodded back. "That guy with the shaggy hair. Kain? Is that the same Kain that was your..."
"Yeah," Kenzie cut her off, anticipating the rest of the sentence. "Sad to say... that's my foster brother."
The redhead froze in her tracks. Kenzie didn't like speaking about him and his despicable acts, so she tried to shift the discussion. "Sorry... you said you had another brother? Dave? How is he?"
Yet another touchy topic, unbeknownst to Thalia. Kenzie released another sigh as her hand traced down Thalia's arm and falling into her hand as her head bowed in shame. "D-Dead."
"Oh, my god..." Thalia's luck with discussing what she could remember was off to a bad start. Her tatted hand reached forward to gently stroke over her cheek. "I-I'm sorry. I had no idea."
"It's fine. You'd find out eventually. This day, T.... I don't think I've lost so much in so long. I lost two brothers, my father, a colleague that pretty much saved my career.... my husband, even other close friends from my father's work. I think the only silver lining in all of this is that.... well, you're alive. Not to make it a bad thing. But this just... isn't a good time for me." At least Thalia's returned touch brought her some comfort in its attempt to heal her unseen, emotional wounds. Her heart could warm up to a strong, independent partner in her life that would never leave her side. One who promised never to leave her.
"Well, while we're on the bad news... I think you deserve to know the truth about what happened six years ago...."
Kenzie already knew what was about to hit her. "You ran away to keep me safe. Apart from The Clan, you used to work for a Mexican kingpin named Demetri Lociato, and you were hired to watch me and live with me while I attended Yale. Because my father also worked for Lociato, as sad as it was."
Thalia froze, shocked that the doctor knew this much. "Damn. How could you possibly know that much?"
Kenzie's left hand rose from its hidden position to lightly tap the side of her skull. "I didn't skip a grade without a good sense of reasoning, you know. The evidence came forward... and I put the pieces together, with a bit of help..." As unpleasant as working with Jeff was, it did bring her to the conclusion. And now, she'd heard from Thalia firsthand that her guesses were spot-on.
But the left hand exposed the bionic ring finger, which caught Thalia's eye instantly. Her eyes widened instantly and her head leaned inward, her voice showing the appropriate concern. "Kenzie... what happened to your finger?"
A bit shy at the realization that she'd exposed that part of her life, she quickly buried the hand beneath her thigh, her head hanging low once again, still in Thalia's hand. "It's a long story."
Thalia slowly lifted her head back up to face her. "Hey. You can trust me, right? ... Who did that to you?"
Kenzie gulped. "You're not the only one who suffered."
"I can see that."
She sniffled, nervous and nearly shaking at the tale. "His name was Nathan Wells. He had a grudge against Dave, and...."
"Say no more.... say no more..."

Without even letting her go on, Thalia, now with more energy than before, pull her friend into a meaningful embrace. Kenzie responded accordingly, holding her friend as if she were the last good thing she had in life. She truly was, which made the emotion all the more real. All in time for Luca to return to the vehicle to see. Once he shut the door, the two girls parted, but remained close. Kenzie's hand was still interlocked in Thalia's, and odds are, would not let go. Now more than ever did the two need each other. But now, she had to go back to business. Kain was gone, and not part of their discussion. Angelo was about to propose to Angela? It caught both girls by surprise, both showing confused facial expressions at the idea of the two ruthless criminals even recognizing the feeling of love. But one was gone, the other damaged. No need to rain on Angelo's parade further, and to leave Angela to rest in peace. The choice of going for Mal Cielo or resting was obvious after hearing Luca was shot, though protected.

"Find a hotel. If you were shot, I wanna check you out...." Her eyes drifted over to Thalia as well. "You, too. I want to make sure you're both okay before either of you keep going. Just a precaution." The focus of her words returned to Luca. "I can't risk that you have anything life-threatening. Just let me examine you quickly so I can warn you about how severe your condition is. You were shot, and even with protection, it's no laughing matter. I'd recommend resting tonight, but if you find it THAT time-sensitive... well, not like I can stop you. Just let me make sure you're not a ticking time bomb."

A fight on the horizon? Thalia was unaware of the specifics, but the fighter in her didn't want to sit idly by. Perhaps once she was cleared and rested... she could help? Surely, Kenzie could vouch for her... but would she allow it?

-(Kain Saunders)-

Kain was no juggernaut; he couldn't possibly keep running several miles of desert in hope of finding an oasis and surviving. A good two miles in, and he was already stopping and panting for dear life, dehydrated and exhausted. He needed to rest, at least get some water into his system, but, at the same time, he couldn't just... stop. He might be pursued, be it by Luca or Angelo, and he was a dead man in either case. He couldn't possibly go back after his past crimes. After what he'd shown he was through Angela's demise. Luca would beat the crap out of him for an explanation, talk some sense into him like a preschooler, as childish as he was acting. Angelo? He would kill him, maybe put him through the same misery as his beloved. No, neither were a possibility. Not until he could get to Lociato. Maybe he could still meet peacefully with Angelo? Put Angela's death in a different light - more like proof of his worthiness than a reason to be killed. But how? Lociato needed discreet assassins, not someone as messy and obvious as Kain.

But what scared him more? Kenzie. She must've seen the display by now. He hit the woman she once loved... and now, he murdered someone who might be her sister. She would never forgive him for that. Top that with the initial bitterness? What else did he have to live for? All he knew now was to run, escape the past... push forward.

No turning back. He would find some safe haven eventually. The desert couldn't last forever. A minute's break was enough. He continued on, treading the desert sands in hope of a miracle. Or getting shot. It could've gone either way.
 
|:|Luca Varundar|:|

Luca's shack escapade Kenzie and Thalia time to catch up. While it wasn't the main intention of leaving, Luca later realized that maybe it should've been. Like he told Angelo, it was old-fashioned thinking. Luca was able to look pass it. There was even a bit of humor between him and Angelo at that point, and Luca found that both of them could talk for a very long time on things. No one gained anything from their fight, and Angelo was correct in saying that it was Luca that brought the fight to him. What other choice did he have? Leave Kenzie and Thalia outgunned in the little room, or give Angelo time to solidify a deal between Kain and Lociato? Not a chance. It explained why he was forbidden from entering the transfer, and why Kain was. Part of him strove to attack the slavehouse tonight, but the rational, clear-thinking side of his mind said otherwise. Kenzie was, par for the course, right in that he needed a professional set of eyes on his wounds. He doubted there'd be much rest tonight, but for Thalia's sake, he'd agree to it.

"Yeah, a hotel." Gripping the overcoat by the collar to remove the first button, Luca worked his way to pull the garment off, the thin and white T-shirt underneath slicked with sweat, blood, and torn in several locations. The boxer evaluated himself mentally for a moment before continuing. "No concussion; had enough for a lifetime. I'll be fine to drive, though I wish there was a suture kit in here or something." Looking down at the shirt, Luca pulled it from him with one hand, rubbing his left pectoral with the other lightly, using two fingers to touch the spot. It was where the bullet impacted, and Luca realized that if not for the coat, his heart would've been hit. Angelo was a hell of a marksman. The bruise underneath his fingers was large and spherical, maybe three inches in diameter. Lighter bruises formed trails around it, spiraling in trails that looked like rivers on a tan-skin map. There were various other bruises from where Angelo punched and kicked Luca, farther down the abdomen. Several cuts also took place there, and Luca tapped some of the areas around his ribs, letting out a statement. "The top two ribs on my left side are definitely busted, but I'm breathing fine, so my lungs are alright." Turning sideways, Luca felt a lance of pain closer to his hip on the right. "Here, you take a look." It was far from the first time Luca was shirtless in front of people. Boxing was a shirtless sport. If Luca could, he'd walk around town like this. Still, he was sweaty, grimy from the ground outside, and bloody, the red fountains on his face slowing a bit.
 
-(Kenzie Andrews/Thalia Griffin)-

Kenzie wasn't expecting to have to get a look at Luca's injuries just yet. She figured this was something that could wait until their arrival at the hotel, especially if Luca felt well enough to drive. Had he looked off and uneasy now, she would've halted him in his tracks. However, considering neither Kenzie NOR Thalia learned how to drive through their time in college, the boxer was their only real means of transportation for any of them. She probably wouldn't get a look at Thalia just yet, as her injuries were probably less severe than Luca getting shot; that would be a job for the hotel. It would be a burden to conduct any sort of assistance without a proper first-aid kit or materials of any kind, but for now, it would mostly be a visual diagnosis. It worried Kenzie that she'd probably expect a gunshot wound on Luca, something she probably didn't have the capacity to give much help for. But when she was directed to where he'd been shot.... she was amazed. That coat she'd seen him wearing this entire time came to save his life. Especially in the location he'd directed her to: just over his heart. If that coat weren't there, he'd be a goner. Her jaw dropped in awe at the miracle, leaving nothing more than a bruise in its place. His ribs were probably broken, sure, but that had the potential to be a fatal injury.

"You are a lucky one, you know that?" she smirked, reaching forward to feel over the sizable bruise that the bullet left behind. Her eyes also got a look at the rest of the bruises across his body, obviously not from bullets, but clearly from something blunt like punches or kicks. Fortunately, nothing broken apart from his ribs. Once again, all a testament to how lucky Luca was in terms of his injuries. "From stab wounds to bullets, nothing seems to put you down, huh?" It triggered a quick grin from Kenzie's lips, giving him some reassurance in his condition as she felt over the wounds and across his ribs for any other abnormalities. "Just don't think you're invincible just yet. You've DEFINITELY broken ribs, but nothing too life threatening if your careful. Which... is probably going to go upon deaf ears, because the night you were stabbed and I told you to take it easy, you fought off three men in my living room. So to hell with that, right?" She paused for a moment before allowing her hands to retreat. "That bad boy from the bullet IS scary, and you definitely need some proper attention for that. But I'm guessing Lociato has men in hospitals, and the second you're there, you're a dead man. I can recommend icing down your other bruises when you finally decide to rest, but someday, you're going to need that fixed up. I know a few homemade remedies, but given our limited resources, those may not be readily available either."

She couldn't take her eyes off the larger mark, that three inch one that the bullet left behind. That was a lucky miracle he'd pulled off there. If the circumstances were different, she figured she could've smuggled him into Eve Memorial and have Herman treat him properly. Alas, the old good doctor was gone, and they were miles away form home. So this had to do. "Get us to a hotel, and I'll see what I can do for you there. If you feel so confident to go after Mal Cielo now, you better keep your distance. Stealth your way in, Mr. One-Man-Army. Don't pull any Rambo-level moves out there. You're good, but you're not THAT good." Her eyes returned over to the redhead sitting in the backseat, watching over the doctor at work. She knew saving lives was something Kenzie always wanted to do, and finally seeing her live her dream was so... satisfying. "And you, Missy, I'll get a look at when we arrive. I would recommend you rest though... those black marks under your eyes.... God, it looks like you haven't slept properly in years."

Thalia was entertained just by watching Kenzie at work. It's not like she felt jealous that she was feeling over Luca's body or anything like that - it was her job, after all, and she knew this wasn't anything more than professionalism. Part of her knew her turn would come, but that wasn't her focus. Kenzie's words, the sarcasm in her voice, the playful name-calling.... that was the girl she'd fallen in love with so long ago. She hadn't changed a bit, and it was all the more satisfying to know that. Maybe she'd get more of that later. For now, a nap would do her some justice as she slowly tilted her head over to the seat cushion to her right, her eyelids shutting ever so slowly as Kenzie crawled back to her place in the vehicle, carefully watching herself and her own injuries. There was no doctor to watch over the doctor, but it was clear she was aching and suffering in her own right. In reality, all three of them - Kenzie, Thalia, and Luca - were all in pain in one way or another. Maybe the night's rest would've been the proper way to go.
 
Luca knew his good fortune for a long time, finding it as some kind of compensation from a force greater than himself for the disappearance of his wife. Someone knew it'd be put to good use with him. Now, with a bruise that could leave a bump on his skin as a pseudo-scar, Luca felt that luck was getting short. It wasn't superstition that made him believe in it, or even his faith, but rather a thankfulness for the friends he was given. Li Juan's cunning hands and mind, Kenzie's medical expertise, and, though he'll never be able to thank the man in his life, Herman for his heroism and keeping Kenzie alive. Lucky indeed. The major pain moved aside at his and Kenzie's touch, now finding the minor breaks to his health. His left wrist was definitely sprained and both ankles were sore from the pivoting and leaping he had done. His face was a confused maze of hurt, ranging from the sting of cuts on either side, to the sharp slice in his mouth when his teeth slammed into his upper gums. The few places he weren't sore ended up being the parts he used the most, ironically. His knuckles felt brand new, though he attributed that to boxing. The knuckles on both hands were thick and bronzed from calluses. It did reassure him that he was alright other than the ribs, nodding at the sentiment. Leaning back gently, Luca did have a retort, absentmindedly looking at the stab wound, now a scab and scar. "Kenzie, I WAS taking it easy that night. One of them was definitely conscious. As for this?" Luca pointed to the bullet mark at the question, waving his hand as though pushing away the gesture. "Not gonna slow me down, like you said. Though you are right about the hospitals; big part of why you convinced me to let you down here. Before we learned about Thalia, I mean." His good humor was perhaps a direct result of being alive and functional. It brought his mind to good spirit knowing his quest didn't end prematurely.

At her mention of limited resources, Luca did have to let himself think. Booking a hotel room near an airport was easy; two forms of currency ran the town anywhere looking for international business. Finding some useful things for his and Thalia's treatment would be tougher. "I'm definitely not shooting for Mal Cielo until tomorrow. Going at night means more security, since they expect activity then. In American slavehouses, the cameras weren't on until the night as that required manning a crew to watch the monitors all day otherwise. They send mercenaries in for a few months, stock the food and water, and then cycle them out four times a year. Seeing as to how I'm not waiting for next cycle, going in the day, - when the cameras are off and the patrols are lessened outside but more are inside on slave watch - is a lot easier for me." Gripping both hands on the wheel and starting the engine, Luca turned his head to face the windshield before speaking again. "Don't doubt my Rambo expertise. The guy was Italian, too. It's in our blood. Thalia, when you're fully alert and awake tomorrow, we're gonna talk over the details of those slavehouses, see if Mexico has different policies than America on how Lociato manages his victims." The old car was reliable above all else, and the engine started with nary a hassle. Thank the Virgin Mary Li changed the oil beforehand, otherwise Luca'd be running with a coughing hound of a car several miles on backroads to a hotel.

...................

It was a delight for Luca to sit in a lone armchair again, carefully laying back as to not disturb his sides. Leaning would be tough until he could get the puppies wrapped in a blanket, but for now he could sit in shaded light, looking beyond reality. The room was discreet, nearly spartan in luxuries, but it had plumbing and a rattly air conditioner. Much better than the car or the shack. There were two queen beds, and Luca found himself comfortable in the chair, thinking about the past heavily. Kain made him both sad and bitter. Both had saved each other from death, and maybe more times than either realized. And Luca would be lying if he said he didn't see Kain as a friend. But now, with the wrench in their gears after Angela's death, and the souring of Angelo, Luca could no longer hold that sentiment. The carpet beneath his feet was the only tether holding Luca to the physical world as his mind drifted, thinking of different ways the night could've ended. If Angelo was closer, the bullet would've done more than bruise. Maybe not pierce the coat, but break his skin. Or do some long-term muscle damage. It hurt like hell to roll his left shoulder or lift anything with that arm seeing as how it pulled on the pectoral, but Luca didn't let pain stop him from working. In the morning, he'll train it like any hurt muscle; exercise. He was an early riser from both nature and training, but on this occasion he had to choose long sleep. It was a bit past midnight last time he was in the car, and after the hassle with currency and bad English in the motel lobby, Luca was sure the night was growing old. His eyes felt alive, awake, and his body said otherwise. The adrenaline left him long ago, but it spiked his mind into working overtime. Kenzie and Thalia could easily share a bed, but he didn't want to lay down. An untold reason spurred him to watch the door, knowing that neither Angelo nor Kain would appear. Lociato had no idea where any of them were at the time, and yet Luca couldn't shake that paranoia. Perhaps it was the idea that an ex-slave was in their midst now, and Luca didn't want to see another condemned to that fate. An idea did hit his head, though, breaking the illusion of floating in space for a moment. "Kenzie, I have some American money on me. Do you think it'll be enough for those home remedies you mentioned? I'm gonna need something to keep these cuts shut and aspirin. Bandages to hold the ice against the bruises and to brace my ribs, too."

The aspirin was never really helpful for headaches, but Luca found it beneficial when his mouth hurt. He put trust in Kenzie's remedies ever since the first night he met her and she treated his rather bad wound, and tonight only strengthened his trust. Standing up with a groan that was similar to disappointment in his body than pain, Luca smacked the wad of cash in the coat on the provided table in the small kitchen area, a bit sad that there was no beer in the fridge to ease the pain or his mind. He stepped gingerly over to the sink, extending his arms far to turn the cold faucet sideways without stretching forward. Luca ran a dish towel under the cold stream, wiping the caked blood from his face. The stains on his body could wait until he took a hot shower, which he'd take after his ribs were wrapped. Under the towel, Luca felt a minefield of swollen and hardened skin, feeling the familiar dent in his nose from long ago. Angelo's quick and methodical chops couldn't break the cartilage that was now essentially bone, but Luca did feel a line under his right eye. Not from a lack of sleep but from an excess of force. Luca placed the towel aside after stemming the flow of water, now thickened with blood in the fiber. "You don't need to go looking for supplies tonight, Kenzie. One, travelling in Mexico alone, at night, as a young woman, is a guaranteed way to meet Lociato firsthand, even with your wounds and finger. Second, I'd prefer if you rested."
 
The hotel the trio managed to get a hold of was quite a jump from the luxuries that Kenzie was formerly used to. Sure, she had all the money in the world to get them a five-star penthouse if they ever so wanted, but it was also risky in case Lociato was monitoring the Chief's funds. Obviously, they'd be passed down to his lone daughter, who would have to spend them sooner or later, and with no way to ensure encryption, spending the money out in the open in large quantities would make them a moving target. Besides, Kenzie had plenty of money before her father's death, and didn't even care for it as much as her husband did. She only lived somewhat lavishly because of him. No, at this point, she wouldn't mind settling in a quiet cottage with Thalia in some quiet part of the States. It would make for a better happily ever after than what she saw out of her first wedding. Maybe that dream from six years ago could come true after all? Well, once she wasn't being gunned after by a slave-driving kingpin. She owed it to women like Thalia, Sarah, and the millions of others to stay by Luca's side as his medic to stick around for the ride, even if, now that she had what she wanted, she could easily walk away. Her lifelong goal of making a difference could finally be fulfilled, not necessarily for her medical expertise, but for some greater good. If only she didn't have to lose everything she once held near and dear in order to reach this endgame. So many friends and family members no longer on this earth, and Kain, who she thought she could trust, now running amok in Mexico, though chasing the same person, was going about it all wrong. But he was gone, too. Mentally, at least. After having killed a woman in cold blood, sister or not, she could hardly see him the same way ever again. It pained her to know that now, Luca would have no partner to watch his back when he goes out into the heat of a fight, but she would do her best to advise him not to do anything too reckless.

Two beds in the hotel room made it obvious who sleeps where. No way would Kenzie let Luca take the couch once again. Although she was nervous about attempting any sort of advancement that Thalia might not be comfortable with given her memories had only just begun to return to her, and gaps still existed, she would accept to share the bed with her simply so Luca could get a good night's rest. Not a couch or on a hospital bed or through the discomfort of sleeping on a flight. A proper way to sleep on a bed, even if conditions could be better. He deserved it. As she was given the money for the medical supplies, she nodded. "I'll do what I can, don't you worry. I'll stock up on basics, too. If we were still in my house in Seattle, I could've prepared what I had in mind now, even a bit more. Can't tell you how many times Dave took a beating back in his time on the force and just.... needed some time away from his apartment and came to me to treat him. He didn't like going to the hospital, because he knew the Chief would find out if he was logged in. So... I did him that small favor from time to time, always kept more than enough to treat him at home. Guess that's why Kain took you to my place." With the exception of his final moments, Dave's life was full of merits. He was offered numerous promotions in his time on the force, declining every single one of them. He was happy as a cop and didn't want that to change. A part of her heart even reached out to him, especially after he stuck his neck out for her when she was arrested, then helped her hunt for clues as to where Thalia might've gone. He would be happy to hear that she was finally found.

"The best thing you can do now is sleep," she went on. "I'm not leaving the hotel in the middle of night, especially not like this, and definitely not alone. I still need to see what Thalia needs in the way of treatment, too. Tomorrow morning, I'll get to that. But the best thing I could ask of you is to sleep. Comfortably. Take the second queen bed. Thalia and I can sleep together in the other one. You shouldn't have to sleep vertically or in another couch, no matter how comfortable. Again, this is all about your own recovery, and I'm sure you'll be more refreshed tomorrow if you actually lay down properly and get some shut-eye. Really... we won't mind. I don't think we'd say no, either..." Her cheeks immediately went slightly red at the idea of being intimate with Thalia again. Surely, Luca could notice that bond between the two from the time in the car, the way the two talked. It might've been a bit old-fashioned, but it was that old-school feel that'd brought the two together. She wasn't going to act shy about it towards the man who was basically their protector now. If she didn't openly tell him about their relationship... he'd probably find out soon enough by observation.

Her eyes traveled towards Thalia, who was simply looking out the window at the world outside. Freedom... at long last. Maybe that cheesy sunset that she opened up to Sarah about wasn't so far off now. Kenzie continued to vent, "She's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. When she... died, six years ago, I was crushed. But she's back, and I don't plan on losing her again. Here's hoping, very soon, you and Sarah will be like that, too. Reunited. Then you can finally rest. I know my heart can rest knowing she's here with me." The smile over Kenzie's face couldn't be hidden as she wrapped her arms over her stomach and simply watched. The way she looked and acted... it was all typically innocent from an amnesiac, even if her memories were returning. She still had the misguided nature of one who still didn't have everything together, but it was clear that she felt as happy and as complete as her better half.
 
|:|Luca Varundar|:|

"Sleep, yeah." It was as though the few words the two exchanged flicked a switch in Luca, for he began to really feel the fatigue of the day setting in. Luca hardly slept through most of the flight, as he had never taken an airplane anywhere before. It unnerved him the whole way down to Mexico, but now that his feet were on the ground, Luca could enjoy a full rest. Kenzie's words about Thalia and Sarah stuck with him, chiseling at a once-tough interior. Turning to Kenzie with his freshly-washed face, Luca shared the sentiment. "Yeah, I know that feeling...Sarah's disappearance broke me for a long while. You, Kain, and Dave are the only people I've truly talked to these past few years. Left a lot behind when I lost Sarah. Things I want to reclaim someday. And Kain was right to bring me to you, Kenzie. I was dying that night." Luca looked to Thalia as well, taking in her figure, her being. It had to be Hell to know nothing but the ring after she lost her memories. Part of him wanted to avoid asking about the ring altogether, to protect himself from knowing what his wife is going through. But he had to, at some point. His clean face was a creature comfort now, reminding him of being in the Federal headquarters not long ago washing his face. He could use a shave. Hell, he could use a plastic surgeon. The little mental remark was enough to make him grin, taking a seat on the end of the hotel bed before slowly laying back, his head buried into a rather comfortable pillow. Then again, anything was comfortable after awhile. Luca was elated to know that Kenzie showed no sign of leaving thus far, even after getting Thalia back. She was risking a lot to save these women. Not just her life, but Thalia's as well. The boxer wouldn't have stopped her from leaving if she wanted to. Gripping the pillows, Luca tucked one on each side of him and flattened himself down to keep his ribs where they ought to be. It could take weeks for them to mend properly. Luca had days, at most. The boxer did have a few last things to share, however. "Thank you, Kenzie. For all of this."

It didn't take long for Luca to sleep, finding that physical fatigue beat out mental wear any day. Soon, the pain dulled and disappeared as his mind disconnected from his body, peeling over the events that had transpired like several sheets of paper, thumbing through the documents and making bizarre conclusions. There was a long tunnel, wetted with what looked like blood. Lines depicted faces of people Luca once and currently knew; Angelo and Kain appeared several times, and the mask of Sesler was visible. It was dark, and even in the dreamscape Luca could feel himself squint to see in front of him. However, at the end of the seemingly infinite pathway that was hardly wide enough for Luca, there were flashes of blue and white light, faint but clear at the same time. There was no pattern to the movements, and Luca found himself planting a foot in front of the other towards the occurrence, trying his best to avoid the horrific images on the walls touching him. There was an odd sense of claustrophobia as the pathway seemed to narrow the further he went, fearful to look back. It was as though something warned him to look behind himself, feeling its breath touch against him at times. Luca had to turn sideways to get through the tunnel, for it had become so narrow that he could scarce breathe. Eventually, Luca stumbled and fell on his side, noting dimly that his ribs were in good health. Somehow, he was out of breath, unable to rise to face the lone figure in a cheap chair, facing a box-set television displaying nothing but static. The blue and white flashes painted both of their faces, and Luca couldn't tell who he was seeing. Familiar, yet new. Even their voice did not give the identity away, as they spoke in a near-demonic tone. Flat on his back, Luca could do naught but listen. "There is reason for a lot of things. Some lack it. You, perhaps, bleeding and dying upon my floor, have a reason. Does Kain? Angelo? And yet you seek to save them, a hopeless cause, for they lack purpose."

Luca didn't understand what the figure meant by his death, but Luca felt a weight in his side, in his rib. It was a kitchen knife, buried several inches to the handle. The boxer didn't try to pull it out, understanding his reason. There was a purpose for everything that has and will transpire, and yet Luca found himself revolting against the philosophy. A hearty tug pulled it from himself, sending a stream of blood from the wound as he stood up. Slamming the knife into the back of the unknown figure, Luca felt the man's tar-like blood roll across his palms, down the knife. It was dead silent as Luca pulled back the head, looking into the eyes of Arlo, a hand of regret in Luca, only to die in the figment of imagination in the same way he had died before. It was the shock of this realization that jolted Luca awake, sitting in the dark hotel room with a heavy breath and sweat, his ribs shouting in pain. For a moment, Luca thought the physical protest was the knife once more, but rationale saved him from the break in reality. He had no clue of the time but it was very early morning, enough for the sun to creep up. Kenzie was right; the hours of rest on his back did do good. Already the nightmare was fading, filtered by his rejuvenated mind. Throwing aside the blanket, Luca rolled his left arm several times to flatten the muscle against him before doing a set of push-ups with the arm separately, putting the force against his pectoral as he pushed down, up, extended the arm sideways, and caught himself before hitting the floor. After twenty of these, where Luca's arm was starting to get the familiar burn of work, he switched to the other, balancing the regime. Luca once had a physical trainer, long ago. Once he knew what to do to keep himself match-ready, Luca dropped the guy. His broken ribs did stop him from doing abdominal crunches, but Luca was content knowing that he'd be toning the muscles in the coming days, especially with the crouching profile he fought with. His arms, however, wouldn't be worked out from simply punching meatbags. It took effort from his body against the floor to build and maintain the muscle, feeling his arms tighten around the bone as they once again felt hard exertion. It wasn't enough to break a sweat on Luca, but for Kenzie's sake he didn't go any further, keeping his left side ginger and fit to reduce the soreness.
 
-(Kenzie Andrews/Thalia Griffin)-

With Luca in agreement to get a proper night's sleep for once after their almost-victory, Kenzie found herself equally ready to call this a day. Most of it was spent on a jet, and the end was all to approach the scene of a murder. It all made for one less loved one in her life, unfortunately. She thought she'd be crushed if they were both killed in some tragedy on patrol. Instead, one was shot dead by an FBI agent, and the other took a life-changing decision and now traveled a road with no return. Part of her was absolutely sick of being Kain's babysitter, having to look after him and catch him whenever he falls off the wagon. She'd given him so many chances and had hope in him when nobody else did. But it all went for nothing, as if he didn't learn a thing from her, and that was the saddest part. A life dedicated to helping people? Maybe some are simply hopeless cases. Perhaps others, like Thalia, are more than meets the eye. Kenzie was always aware of her roommate's criminal activity, but somehow, after that one day of getting drunk and smoking on the floor of their kitchen... made her change perspective. It made her see the good in Thalia. She would oftentimes refer to that 'other side' as the reason that she fell in love with her in the first place - because she'd broken through to that part of her, and she inspired change. Kain? For a while, they had a special connection very similar to what she once had for Thalia, but time and time again, Kain had proved to her that this bond meant nothing to him, and he continued on his corrupt ways. No change at all, and killing Angela proved it. She could still remember the wounds, a severed pair of fingers. She could hear him yelling at her... she could've sworn she'd heard the words Beg for mercy coming from his lips. Now that he'd run off into the desert, she could care less what happens to him. Live or die.... he made his bed.

Now for a long-awaited talk with someone she deeply missed. Thalia was there, at the window, just watching outside. Living as a slave must've deprived her of basic liberties like this. She could only imagine her desire to just sit back and look into the horizon. Six years ago, the world was her oyster. Now? What was there for her besides Kenzie? What did she remember from before? Kenzie stepped forward, standing by Thalia's side and watching out the window with her. A smile came over her face as she tried to forget the woes of the past day. Her right hand slipped into Thalia's left one to get her attention, and she spoke.

"Beautiful night?"

Thalia nodded. "I never really got to just look outside at the stars when I was a slave."

"I could imagine."

"I, um... I remember our nights on the rooftop together."

If anything could strike Kenzie's attention, it was that. Her head rotated inward to get a good look at her friend. "Oh?"

"It... really just came to me now. It wasn't even our rooftop. It was at a diner I worked part time as a waitress for on weekends."

"So you do remember things."

"Mostly..." she sighed. "There's a lot of gaps. Things that aren't very clear as to why they were important. I was... kinda hoping you'd do the honors of trying to help me out?"

Kenzie's grin stretched from ear to ear, and she noticed that Thalia was getting closer to her, inching her way side by side. It brought up a thought she was meaning to discuss, but didn't want to drop any major bombshell just yet. "I'd... be honored. But, T... Just so we're clear, I know that you .... probably know what we were back then. Maybe you don't, but I'm sure you'll catch on soon enough. I don't want to pressure you into something you don't remember..."

Instantly, Thalia's right index finger flew over Kenzie's lips, stopping her words in their tracks. "Shhh. You don't have to worry about any of that." Her steps got even closer, soon, nearly in contact and face to face. It put Kenzie in a state of confusion, but also uplifting. How much did Thalia really remember? Was it enough for her to remember the intimacy they once shared? Her heart fluttered in place, slowly lifting her hand up to Thalia's and lowering it from her lips ever so gently, but never losing eye contact int he process. "I wish I could go back to those days when we were young. But you've lived your life. You've probably moved on and all..."

"No," Kenzie shook her head, near the point of shedding a tear in the moment and even responding positively to the proximity. "No, as much as I wanna deny it, part of me never really did. Part of me... always felt something for you, even if I thought you were gone."

"Even in the hospital in Seattle... I knew something was different about you. Like, I felt whatever you were feeling but couldn't exactly determine that it was, well.... love."

It only made Kenzie even happier at heart. She might've lost a great deal in her life, everything she once knew as true a few days ago, but perhaps one of the best things she'd ever come across was now back, and slowly recovering. Love... they both felt it, and now it was coming out in words. A relationship forged in friendship as well as pain, the scars evident on both of their bodies, but it wasn't going to stop the two. Kenzie was simply worried this was all out of obligation rather than true love. "We can move slowly, if you want."

"No. I want us to continue right where we left off. You and me, against the world. Maybe we could follow up on our plans? Again, at your own pace, seeing your husband...."

Briefly wincing at the thought of her husband, she nodded. "I was going to leave him. It just wasn't working out. He... wasn't the same."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I went in expecting something like what we had.... and I guess what we had isn't something I can share with anyone else."

Thalia ran a single hand through Kenzie's bangs, clearing her face for her to see. Even the with the scars beneath her eyes, she could still see happiness in her. "Ever since I started getting my memories back... most of them were about you. So, I guess you could say, for as long as I can remember, I've been thinking of you."

Kenzie felt a warmness in her heart from the mere touch of her companion, even blushing slightly. She stepped closer, nearly in body contact, taking their joined hands at waist level and lifting them to her face. She took the backside of Thalia's hand near her lips and left a quick but sweet kiss for her, her eyes nearly shut in bliss. "I never thought I'd get a chance to be with you again."

"Well... you'll never have to anymore. I'm here to stay."

Thalia no longer wanted to waste time. She knew what the two of them wanted, even needed, and she didn't want to hesitate. She knew Kenzie was in pain and probably weaker than she remember, so she handled with care as her head fell inward. Kenzie wasn't that much shorter, but enough for her to bend a bit. She could still remember that distance difference when it came to touching her, to kissing her, as her lips met her friend's. Kenzie, in the heat of the situation, met with an equal and opposite reaction, neither of them focusing out the window any more, but on each other. Thalia's hands rose over Kenzie's cheeks, keeping her held close, while the shorter girl reached up to keep her hands at her lover's elbows. This would escalate, and they should probably get some privacy. Kenzie felt the urge to address that she needed to handle her injuries with care, but by the cautious actions of Thalia, she felt there was no need. She simply submitted and let her lead.

...................

Morning came, and the sun made its entrance through the cracks of the window and thin, cheap blinds and brought Thalia out of her slumber. Her eyelids flickered open slowly and comfortably after the best sleep she could remember. It'd been so long since she'd slept in a proper bed. Not one from a buyer, or in the dark room, or in that shack in the desert. This hotel was nothing of quality, but it meant the world to Thalia. For once, the good dreams she'd have in the past meant a lot more. The desire to run off into a lame sunset that she'd expressed to Sarah were more concrete than ever, except this time, it was a bit different: with Kenzie by her side holding her hand each step of the way. For once, she could see this actually happening, and with someone she knew she could trust. Even if she only had two days of recollections from a span of six years, she still felt a resurrected connection with Kenzie... one she planned to restore and fully understand. After they had their fun, all she could do is listen to Kenzie talk about their past in college, simply to trigger some sort of memory. Some were successful, others not, but it was a joy to hear about the good times she had in a different time. All.... so perfect. And sleeping by her side again? She couldn't ask for more. Relaxation was a foreign concept to her, but one she truly enjoyed as she rolled over to her side, her undressed body wrapped in the sheets of the bed, in hopes of seeing her beloved waiting for her by her side. Her arm even extended in that direction to stroke her face if she were still asleep, but unfortunately, she was nowhere in sight. No sign of Kenzie in the bed, nor her clothing at their feet. She moved herself against the back of the bed, sitting up properly with the blanket still around her, and found a small card with a note left behind.

"Went to get medical supplies and breakfast, already told Luca, will be back soon. Love you"

Thalia took the card into her hands and clenched it between her fingers. She trusted that Kenzie would be back. Why would she run after such a great night? Certainly not in a million years; she was overjoyed to have her back. What she worried about was the scarred Italian man that was protecting them: Luca. Was he watching them while they had their late-night fun? At the secrets they'd shared? At her waking up, even? She didn't bother look. He was probably just protecting her, after all, keeping the girls safe. Her back slowly slouched against the back of the bed, her head thrown back as well, a smile wide across her face and a hand holding the sheet over herself.

At long last... freedom.
 
Lukewarm water was subliminal, but Luca toughed through it as he did for the past near-decade. The shower was still a relief, albeit one he wished was performed better. The breaks in his skin from Angelo's attacks scabbed up, and the blood rinsed off his skin, making the bruises the only real signs of damage. The boxer couldn't remember the last time he shampooed his hair, wringing out a slew of dirt and grime that had caked up for a long while. His hair was getting a bit long, coming down to his ears and curling, though his forehead was clear. Luca didn't grow bangs. As long as his hair didn't get in the way, Luca was fine. While in the mediocre shower, Luca clipped at the hair on the sides of his head, shortening the length a bit. Turning the water off made Luca realize how indifferent the temperature really was, finding no difficulty in readjusting to the rest of the bathroom. An old habit of his, Luca immediately shaved after showering, running a disposable razor across his jawline and upper lip to remove the stubble that had thickened into a beard over the past week. Kenzie wouldn't be back for a bit, so Luca had time to clean himself up for a decent breakfast. Even had time to brush his teeth, feeling the built up material scrubbed off forcefully. His ribs still pinged with pain at times, forcing Luca to keep slow and deliberate in his movements as he dressed, pulling cargo pants on. There was a time where he wore jeans when he was fighting for Sarah. He found them restrictive, but hated the idea of chasing someone in shorts. His baton holster, now laden with the old iron beams, was strapped to his left side. Pulling over a tan T-shirt proved difficult as raising his arms straight up bothered his broken ribs, but pulled through with gritted teeth. He was clean, dressed, and worked out. Luca felt prepared for the day.

Luca didn't bother asking questions about last night; felt it wasn't his business. Kenzie and Thalia had a long past together, and Luca kept up his indifference to it. Stepping back into the main section of the hotel, Luca found himself pondering where Kenzie planned to find breakfast. Even daylight wasn't safe in Mexico for any of them, and Luca had his fair share of paranoia to worry. He could see the outside view from the window Thalia was at last night; the desert had an odd charm to it, he had to admit. Still, the dry air able to make bread stale in minutes gave Luca an iron resolve to never find a home in this country. The looming evil of kingpins like Lociato was too much, anyhow. It made him want to keep fighting long after he secured Sarah, but for her sake he couldn't. Thinking of Thalia made Luca question where she was, until he darted his head sideways, looking to the rest of the room. Thalia's bright hair was a contrast to the duller colors of the room, and Luca looked at her for a moment before comprehending what he was seeing. He wasn't oblivious to the sheet around her, and had more than once found himself in similar circumstances. Scratching his newly cut head, Luca carefully sat down in the armchair he resided in last night, already finding it comfortable. The man liked a chair, nothing much to it. Propping his head up to face Thalia, Luca broke that icy silence with an introduction, becoming self-conscious of his lingering accent, dropping an 'a'-like sound at the end of words ending with S. His 'R's rolled naturally, and sounded more poignant in his own ear than they really were.

"I...I'm Luca. Kenzie's friend. I learned a bit about you from her, a fair amount, actually. Figured it'd be fair if you knew a bit about me; I'm a stranger to you, and I can't blame you for being a bit cautious around strange men." Luca looked down for a moment to his hands, his mind working on a proper beginning. Like he told Amelia, he was no wordsmith. "I'm a retired boxer, champion of heavyweight Seattle for awhile, had a stint back i-in New York." Luca stuttered, questioning whether or not to continue his story. It was still a bit tender, and telling Kenzie and Kain was brought out with pure trust in them after the experiences they shared. "That's where I met my wife. Fiancee, actually, but we were working on a wedding. I met Kenzie through Kain, after he got me off of a Lociato slave barge back in Seattle. Had a knife wound several inches deep in my abdomen." Luca pulled up the side of the tan shirt, revealing the elongated white line across his hip. "Kenzie saved me that day, and Lociato's goons seized her house that same night. Used an escape route she had as well. I owe her a lot. Even more now that she's still here; I wouldn't stop her from leaving. Hell, you have all the reason to, the both of ya. But she wants to stay, wants to help me here. I'm...looking for my fiancee. Lociato took her eight years ago, and I've been working every lead ever since that day. I'm a God-fearing man; I resent the idea of killing. At one time, I didn't, and was lost. I'll tell you about that sometime, maybe. But Lociato is certainly an exception; I can't sleep at night knowing my wife was taken, knowing that blood will have to be spilled to get her back." Luca clasped his hands together, looking down at them for a second before looking back up. Reiterating took a bit out of him, but he found himself regaining resolve again. "I never made it past middle-school; wasn't an intelligence problem, it was an availability problem. My dad was like me, but on a smaller scale. Boxed, fought some local thugs at night. He died when I was a boy. Started working at a lumber yard before I hit twelve; couldn't attend school working five days a week. That's not to say I chose boxing because I can't find a job anywhere else. I chose it because it was a passion of mine. It didn't matter whether I was Italian, Irish, black, white, dumb, smart, or poor and rich. Only my opponent mattered in the ring, and I was the only thing stopping him from winning. The only things I really missed out from school was reading; can't spell worth shit and needed half an hour to get through a newspaper. I'm exaggerating, but barely. Sarah...was different. Met her when I was an adolescent in New York, like I said. Few boys jumped her as they did, maybe three or four of them. I was close enough to do something about it, ended up screwing up my one knuckle for awhile because I hit one of 'em in the jaw. Heh, at that time, I thought they were the bad ones. Hell, they were just the icing. Sarah had a smart man of a father, who could do math like a damn computer. She worked on being an accountant while in Seattle, and kept on doing so after I proposed." The distant memory made him sentimental, sighing and looking beyond once more before snapping back to reality. "That's enough about me, though. How was college, with Kenzie? I learned about you putting away the clan. I want to know a bit about you. Kill some time while Kenzie's coming back."
 
-(Thalia Griffin)-

A shower might've been Thalia's first idea of what to do with her morning. It'd been too long since she'd had a proper shower that wasn't in some slaver's filthy bathroom, under pressure, and especially with the lingering fear of what was to come after she was done. Getting clean was one relaxing feeling, only for the relaxation to be swept away when she comes out. Was it finally time to stop being afraid? Kenzie at least reassured her of that last night. She was also told that Kenzie would remain along Luca's path for justice, and Thalia didn't mind. It would give her chance to prove herself as a fighter and show how dedicated she was at keeping her beloved safe from harm. It couldn't last forever, after all. One of these days, she'd make good on her promise to forge the bond between the two like she wanted to do six years ago. Her lame, less-than-satisfactory proposal was still ringing in her mind. Maybe this time, she could actually buy a ring. Even if it wasn't up to the standards of a wealthier girl like Kenzie. It didn't seem like the doctor even cared about the money. She was ready to give up every last penny she had just to see her face again, and that spoke greater than any other gesture money could buy.

When Luca appeared and began to speak, Thalia was startled and hopped in her place with a quick gasp, especially in her position, undressed and using her sheet to cover up. It wasn't exactly rocket science to know what she and Kenzie had done in their alone time. But this man didn't seem to mind. He must've been briefed on what she and Kenzie were so long ago, anyway. His curled hair and skin texture looked like he'd just taken a shower, and decided to have a word with her in private before their mutual friend comes back. It would make sense - Luca was risking life and limb for two girls, one he knew, one he didn't know quite well. Only by name. So he began with introductions, talking about himself and his past. He seemed nervous, unsure of how to tread with his words. In all seriousness, so was Thalia, a single hand over her chest to hold the sheet up and another reaching forward to grab the top she'd been wearing yesterday, anything to cover up. She was, quite frankly, embarrassed. After having been violated for years, even before her time as a slave, it made sense she was uncomfortable in a situation like this. As she pulled the shirt on, she listened in on the conversation starter from the Italian. Just hearing the name again, Luca Varundar, reminded her of the blonde slave that triggered the return of her memories. She had to tell him.... soon. Maybe this would give him hope his fiancee is still alive. This can't be a coincidence of another Sarah and Luca. A lot of what Luca described about Sarah and her backstory, how he met her, about his boxing.... if it wasn't, at least the hope would boost his morale. His nervousness seemed to fade as he asked for her story. He knew about The Clan, about her and Kenzie meeting in college. It would be quite a contrast for a graduate from an Ivy League university compared to Luca without a middle school education due to his position in life with his family. It might be a bit dominating, but she nodded at the request to explain her story.

"Thalia.... Griffin. Would you believe me if I told you I spent six years not even knowing my real name? Yeah... Amnesia does that to you." She huffed to herself, now with a top on and letting the sheet fall to her lap and sitting up properly. Her hands wrapped around her lower body for the sake of comfort as she vented about what she could remember. "I remember a lot, though. Maybe not everything. There's a lot that's still kinda cloudy in my mind, but I can tell what I know. I was born in Philadelphia under a religious family. Kinda.... very religious. I felt myself choking under everything they wanted me to be. I guess it sorta.... pushed me to be someone else. At the age of... 13? 14? It's a blur. I would go to.... 'sleepovers' with friends." She made a quoting motion with her fingers alongside the word 'sleepovers'. "Well, that's what they'd think. But it only started the first real highlight in my life. I joined a gang of thieves on Philly that only called themselves 'The Clan', that you spoke of. It was headed by some Middle Eastern greedy perverted brute that seemed to have a legion of brainwashed minions at his disposal. God, the amount of followers he had that believed he was a god among men... I was only in it for the thrill. The adrenaline rush. Nobody ever saw my face anyway, but...." she lifted her right hand to show off the ink that she'd gotten on the back of her hand. "I did get this...." Her head tilted slightly to the right to expose her other tattoo on her neck, hidden by her vibrant red locks. "This, too. My parents FREAKED OUT. I told them it was a style choice. It's actually ink belonging to the organization I was once loyal to. There's.... all sorts of symbolism to them, but that's a story for another time. You'd think the tattoos were the worst of it? Huh. I wish. That creepy god-king leader had a sick obsession with me. A... sexual obsession..." This was probably the most painful of her memories, recalling every time she'd been violated by the man in question. It was one memory she wished she didn't remember. She avoided a breakdown in the process, dropping her hands to her lap and fiddling with them as a distraction. "For a while, I actually started believing that he was doing it all out of love and that we were made for each other. But with time, I realized I didn't love him. All I was doing was giving him what he wanted. The bastard wanted to marry me, too. Once I turned 21, at least in his eyes, that was what he considered 'coming of age'. He would never get a chance, though. We'll get there..."

"When I was 17, I was approached by a blond man, heavy accent. European or something. Name was Vincent, and he worked with that woman that was killed yesterday. Angela, right? Vincent offered me a chance to get a fully-paid college education as long as I kept an eye on one of their assets and, as they said.... torture upon request. But they told me they didn't think it'd come to that. The asset was Kenzie. I was just supposed to live with her, keep her in line, make sure she doesn't get wise. Apart from that, they'd pay for my education in a degree of my choosing - I went for computer science - all making it look like a scholarship for my parents to not get wise, and not get in the way of my loyalties with The Clan. I mean, watching over some entitled rich girl, how bad could that be? At first, Kenzie couldn't stand me, and I couldn't stand her. We'd always fight about what was allowed and what wasn't. I'd go out of my way to make her angry, she'd go out of her way to make me miserable... a mutual hate. But I guess, one day.... we found common ground over our taste in music, oddly enough. She and I actually sat down and got to know each other over a beer and some smokes. It turned out..." A smile came over Thalia's face at the talk about how she grew to know Kenzie. "She wasn't what I expected at all. She wasn't an entitled brat like I thought in the beginning. She was actually... really sweet. A good heart and wholesome intentions. She and I grew close as roommates. We had our fights, sure, especially after I got arrested.... but eventually she got me to quit The Clan. She couldn't stand the thought of me possibly coming home dead, and eventually gave me the cold shoulder. And I realized she was right. I couldn't keep doing what I was doing forever. I quit. Broke off my engagement with the leader, only to get a bullet for it. And since we're showing scars...." Thalia lowered a hand down to the end of her shirt and gave it a slight lift to expose the bullet wound near her skull-and-crossbones tattoo. "This hurt like hell, but it was a sign of me leaving. I wasn't supposed to live, but Kenzie got me help in time." She dropped the shirt back down to normal length, continuing to talk. "Soon enough, our friendship became stronger. Really strong. I kinda had this.... embarrassing girl crush on her. Everything she'd do, say... it had me taken by storm..." She felt her cheeks slowly growing red as she spoke about the things she loved about her roommate. "Her intelligence, generosity, humbleness.... her smile, her sense of humor, how she was more open than meets the eye. I talked her into getting purple dip-dyes for her hair. Dunno if she ever talked to you about that. Almost talked her into a tattoo, maybe one like the one you saw under my shirt. But she didn't budge in time."

"So, how did she find out I was in love with her? Simple enough.... a guy I thought was dating me... he was using me to get to Kenzie. I mean, I was only dating him to try and get over my feelings for Kenzie, but once we both found out that he was an ass and just using us both, we both broke it off with him.... we got kinda shitfaced on the roof of this diner....." She let a quick smirk and giggle, a bit shy about this part of her life. "I.... kissed her. And she liked it. One thing lead to another.... And once we were sober, we talked about it. And we realized that we both sorta felt the same way for each other. From there on went the next three years of us living under the same roof, dating, getting through college. Quite a blast, you know. College parties, the people, the environment... I liked it more than I ever expected. Things were chill... up until near graduation, when I was arrested on campus. The FBI finally linked me to The Clan and hauled me off to be locked up for god knows how long. Kenzie was.... horrified. But she had faith in me. She got me a deal, with the help of her father. Testify against The Clan and lock up their leader, and I get immunity. As much as I hated doing that and getting people I was friends with arrested for a long time.... I took the deal. Because I couldn't put Kenzie through the pain of coming to visit me in prison. Seeing her face when she came to the interrogation room to talk to me.... It kills to see that, really. It killed to know I almost lost her. And after I walked out a free woman, I realized how... fleeting, things can be. With no ring or special arrangement, at some random bus stop, I popped the question. I asked her to marry me once we graduate, and she... said yes. Didn't even think twice. And it was that instant response that made me know that things were perfect for us.... So I thought."

She sighed, coming to the more painful part of her story, one Luca might've been familiar with thanks to Kenzie and Jeff's conversation back in Little Italy. "That organization that Vincent brought me into... Angela called. She wanted me to make good on my promise to torture if need be. Her father was being disobedient in Seattle. They..." She gulped. "Wanted me to tie her up and start tearing fingernails out of her on camera for her father to see. I knew her father might not approve of me just for being a part of The Clan, but after doing that to his daughter? And would Kenzie ever forgive me if she knew that's why we met? That I was supposed to do that to her? I refused, and openly quit. In response.... She started some sort of massacre at my home in Philly. She... killed my parents for my little brother to come home and find...." She shook her head, clenching her eyes shut. "God, I should've never accepted to work with them. It was a risk I shouldn't have taken. And they said they'd come for me and Kenzie if we tried to run. So to keep her safe, I made myself a target and ran. Let them kill me, but let her live. And from the looks of it, they did exactly that. They came for me, Angela and Vincent. They found me, cornered me... almost killed me. I apparently fell off of a bridge, hit the ground pretty hard, but lived. Bad shape, but I lived. Lost my memories, too, only to land myself in a slave ring, knowing nothing but that. Not even my name. I heard a rumor that Vincent is dead, and now Angela is, too. I guess karma was a bitch, right?"

"Apparently, I ran into Kenzie again six months ago in a hospital in Seattle. What are the odds, right? I thought she was familiar, like I should know her. But I didn't. Kinda... sad. That trip to the hospital got me this burn, apparently..." She moved her left arm into plain sight for Luca to see. "Vincent fucked up, apparently. I got punished for it. Swiped away when Kenzie was fast asleep. I guess they drugged her so she wouldn't be awake when they pulled it off. But she was so good to me back then, and as one of the few good people I remember... she stuck with me when I went back into the ring. It seems she's always been that kinda person, seeing how she helped with you without even asking a single question. "Then came... well, the event that brought my memories back. I met this girl in the ring. Blonde, older, her face was pretty badly burned. Her name... Sarah. B-492. A lot of us knew her...." The name and number would be a hint enough for Luca to realize that the Sarah Thalia was droning on about was his own. "She spoke to me about.... hope, at one point. By whatever stroke of luck, after sharing stories with her, it sparked this.... recollection. I started remembering things, but by sound. No images, sadly. But if it weren't for her, I don't think I'd ever remember a thing about who I was.... Then came the break-in. Angela and that bald guy from yesterday stormed our slave home, took me.... and I think you know the rest. They called Kenzie, told her to come here for a trade. And... here I am."

It felt quite liberating to vent about her past to someone. This was the most she could remember in a while, and she was surprised she'd spoken so long about herself. Maybe she was proud that she could remember these things. But thinking more into Luca's predicament, she realized.... was this REALLY his Sarah? "You know, Sarah spoke about a boxing champion of a fiance named Luca. I don't remember much about her besides what I mentioned. But she was a tough one. You think.... she's your Sarah?"
 
Luca, in his quiet and thinking manner, was a good listener. He expected Thalia's story to be rough, and even then had to find room in his heart to feel empathy for her. The small bout of memory loss he went through was terrible; years of it had to be killer. She spent what she knew of her life in the ring, and if she had only just begun to regain her memories, there was still a lot of pain to go through. Her criminal past, alienation from her family, and especially the clan drew interest from Luca, the Italian placing his large forearms on the rests of the armchair. Her criminal thoughts was similar to the ones Luca had seen before; a thrill-seeker. The idea of theft was much better than the monetary value. A religious group of fanatics were a tough crowd; Luca stumbled into one long ago in Seattle during his hunt for Lociato. Not nearly in the numbers that Thalia brought up, but he found that subduing them was impossible if they had a strong belief. The ink jobs brought Luca back to that time, imagining the dark red lines in his mind's eye once more that traced their faces. It looked like dried blood then and strongly resembled the liquid that poured in his dreams. Luca felt the tendons in his hands tighten as Thalia detailed her relationship with the Clan Head. Long before Lociato, Thalia was already an object of another's lust. It set a precedent, one that Luca saw firsthand in his day-to-day life. A tall and large man walking behind a woman on the streets was a suspect. It was unavoidable in Seattle and New York, and Luca grew all the more furious knowing why it was so; the rotten spoil the good. Luca wanted to comfort her in the moment, but didn't know how.

Thalia's description of Vincent in voice and appearance brought the hard memory that he shared with Kain back; the man was truly a recruiter, connecting Thalia and Luca together long before either knew each other existed. It matched Lociato's MO, placing a pair of eyes and ears anywhere he was interested in. He was interested in keeping Brookes on a leash, and knew where to target. Learning about Kenzie and Thalia's initial dislike for each other did surprise Luca; a part of him assumed they always liked each other. He could envision the two in a smoke-filled dorm, almost tasting the strong chemicals in the air. Luca's temples pounded as they formed the vivid image, still groggy from his night terrors. Luca nodded in a form of agreement over Kenzie's kindheartedness. She patched him up long before they knew each other. Doctor or not, Luca held that with respect. He leaned forward to look at Thalia's circular scar, wincing as his ribs retaliated before reclining back to his dormant position. The injury had left his mind during Thalia's talk, but made itself known once more. With experienced eyes, Luca could see Thalia's appreciation of Kenzie. Beyond that respect Luca had for her for saving his skin. It was something that didn't need admittance; there was a strong love for Kenzie radiating from Thalia. Luca knew well that it was reciprocated. A chuckle left his debilitated chest at the thought of Kenzie with purple in her hair, sounding like a wet drum in Luca's deep voice.

Any pair of lovers had a tale of discovering each other. For Luca, it was simple; Sarah knew the kind of things an immigrant went through in New York, being Irish. Her acceptance of him, even uneducated and with no real potential in a working world, filled a void in his heart that was left after his father passed. She was a friend when he had none. Thalia's story had layers to it, involving more than the two of them. They had a background together long before and escalated with a first move from the redhead. Until that very moment, it had never occurred to Luca that he and Sarah never properly dated. They shared dinners and stories, and spent nights together in ways both platonic and intimate. They simply were, and if he was asked to describe their status back then, Luca would draw a blank. In the experiences Luca had with Kenzie and her mind, Luca could easily picture her working a deal out in law to protect Thalia; the pardon she had won a day ago was a crowning achievement in a could-be politician. Knowing that Thalia threw away her outlaw past for Kenzie warmed Luca internally. He prayed that Kain could have the same revival in time before he either dies or disappears. He could associate with that blessed feeling of a rapid response to a lifelong proposal, remembering with detail the feeling in his soul when Sarah agreed to marry him; the boxer felt like he lost a hundred pounds and filled the gap with helium. It was an odd, yet amazing experience. Unique, something that he would never experience again.

Luca knew something propelled Thalia to leaving Kenzie for her sake, but knowing the grisly details of Lociato's preferred torture method made Luca realize the scope of the situation Thalia was in. She had true strength to quit on the people that could orchestrate her own painful death. As an orphan himself, Luca emphasized deeply with her knowing that she also lost her parents. It reminded Luca that Lociato was no different than Bruno, albeit on a larger scale. She was lucky to be alive after the altercation on the bridge. In a way, all of them were lucky to still be breathing after all these years. Luca knew Kenzie's side of Thalia's stay in the hospital, but learning about the other set of eyes' experience was enlightening. It surprised Luca that Demetri didn't kill Vincent after the big shit-show at the hospital. The nodding to agree and relaxed posture of Luca's body tightened and rose up at the mention of Sarah's name, and then her serial number. His hands crinkled into the ball of flesh and knuckles he was so used to once again, picturing the beauty that was his wife's face scarred with burns. Thalia already had a similar scar on her arm. The unnerving was at its peak, declining as Thalia relayed Sarah's words to him. About hope, and a future. Standing up, disregarding the flame growing in his left side, Luca found his words once more.

"B-492 was her number. I..." Luca paced back and forth, subconsciously rubbing a hand over his aching ribs as he looked out of the window for a moment, pivoting back to face Thalia once more. "She's here in Mexico. Scarred, but alive. Dear Lord, you don't know how much of a relief that is. Not more than a few hundred miles, maybe less, separate us now." Luca's quick adrenaline spike was ebbing, causing him to slow in his movements before sitting down once again. "I've been searching for so long...it's finally here, in my hands." The hands Luca spoke about was the object of his focus for a few moments, Luca looking down at the callused limbs on his knees before looking upwards once more. "She's the only woman other than mamma I've loved. There was no woman before her, nor after. You found a piece of my soul in this small, small world. The one who saw me as who I am." The elation was in his voice, bringing a new shine to his eyes and drowned the pain they had shown earlier. "I crave action, and yet I know my next actions must be delicate and precise if I want to see her in this lifetime. All of us have been connected by this terrible force, Thalia. Vincent tried to hire me nearly a decade ago as a torturer for Lociato. Not any specific target, mind, but as an on-call. I wonder to this day if my denial sparked her kidnapping. I once found blame in myself for losing her, as she came to Seattle with me after...New York." Luca had paused on the precipice of continuing his story. The graphic images of his mother's skull blown and his little, prepubescent brother soaked in blood caused him to hesitate, pushing away the brutal past. "I realize now that there was no stopping her. It makes me glad to know that she helped you, but I still strain to free her, and every other slave in Lociato's grip."

"That bald guy you mentioned earlier. He's...my cousin, actually. His father was a terrible man as well, and my father and him were close. Hell, I was as well until I found him driving slave barges under Lociato's name. He's dead now, but Angelo-my cousin-is not. He's deadly, and nearly killed me at the tradeoff last night. He's going after Kain now, no doubt. He found some kind of perverse love in Angela, which is very odd considering how the Hand of Lociato is supposed to be; cold and tied to no one. I believe I could've helped the man reform until Kain took away his object of affection. Lord show mercy on both of them. But they're not our problem now; I need you to tell me about the layout of these slavehouses. Nothing in detail, just numbers. How many men are stationed in the day, and how many at night? Do you know how many trucks they have in the depot, and how many slaves they can move? Ballpark numbers are all I need."
 
-(Thalia Griffin)-

Though her story was still rather incomplete, telling it in its near entirety did help Thalia piece together a life that she'd had prior to the ring. A better one. One she might not be able to go back to now, but one she could at least recall and think back to in times of distress. The difficult part of her life wasn't quite over yet, seeing that the woman she loved and this partner of hers were still going after the man who'd employed her years ago, and subsequently enslaved her. Never had Thalia witnessed a braver moment from Kenzie, or at least not towards anything of this magnitude. When she proposed, it wasn't like she ever expected them to be vigilantes. Once she parted ways with her criminal life, she'd expected to lead a peaceful life, not one that involved chasing murders and slave drivers. And after seeing the scars across Kenzie's body, it only made Thalia want to pull her out of this lifestyle even more. But as sweet as her roommate once was, she was also stubborn. Even with her scars, there was no convincing her to just... leave this. By now, she was probably also fueled by vengeance. Thalia let her locks drop over the burns on her arm, gripping her left bicep in her right palm, listening to Luca's words, partly of appreciation, partly of story-telling. That Sarah she'd met was indeed his. It truly was a small world. But the work wasn't done, and Sarah, among thousands of others, was still enslaved. After realizing the full effect of B-492's actions, it was then Thalia that felt a slight obligation to keep going.

"I ask you just to... watch for Kenzie. It's just a single request. Don't let her get too close to anything dangerous. I don't know if you've seen... I saw her scars," she gulped rather nervously, still unable to process what'd happened to her. "Not just the finger thing. Her body... she lost a child, too. I'd hate for her to accidentally be too close to a firefight. If it comes down to it, I'd rather be the one taking that bullet. Kind of like I did six years ago. She's... everything to me, as you've kinda seen." It didn't take a genius to see that the feelings between the two girls were genuine. Would Thalia put herself in harm's way once again for Kenzie's sake? Probably. Not like either Luca or Kenzie would allow for it directly, but that wasn't going to stop her from intervening on her own time. Like hell would she stay home while the two approach another one of those holding warehouses. Which came to the next part of their conversation: Luca's next step in his plan. He wanted specifics about where she was held.

"Sadly, I can't give you an exactly location of where I last was," she sighed. "Moving from place to place has become a blur to me. And in Mexico, everything just looks the same to me. A bit of desensitization, if you wanna call it that. I wish I could be of more help than just a few particulars. I... was brought along in smaller shipments. Something about me being of 'high demand'. Hell did I know. But I did end up in... warehouses. In Mexico and out. For the most part, slaves like me weren't allowed in many areas of them, unless we were being punished. Most of the time, we would survive in a dark, dungeon-like room while we get our food delivered through an opening from the ceiling. Maybe a conveyor belt? But we wouldn't be alone. We would always have guards watching over us. A lot of them... kinda looked the same to me. Pretty big, armed, well trained from the looks of it. God, I took quite a few beatings for getting up in their faces. Oddly enough, there was some order to keep me alive all of this time. So I could've killed a guard and be spared. It's... strange. Might've been for Angela and Vincent...." Her thoughts returned to the specifications of the warehouse. "The locations were big. So at the front door and garage, there'd be about... 10 men? And in the dungeon, maybe a little less than that. Again, they all look the same, so I might be counting twice, or missing a head. But that's a rough guess and a little warning for you.... Trucks? At the last warehouse I was in, there were a couple. I think some girls were shipped off not long before Angela and your cousin came for me, so they must've been.... lacking, to say the least."

It must've burdened Luca to know his cousin had this much hate in his heart, and that partner of his, Kain, too? Even Thalia could tell that wasn't what he had in mind. Things could've ended better had Angela lived the ordeal. But thanks to Kain, Angelo was loose looking for vengeance, and the killer himself was in the wind. Someone Kenzie once admired. She could remember the stories that were told to her about Kain during their time in college. It must hurt the young doctor, too. "I'm... sorry, Luca. About your family. It seems so divided, as it is. I'm... glad I could give you hope that your wife is still alive. She lasted eight years, they say. She's a tough one. And she only left that warehouse... two days ago? She can't be too far, unless they got her to the shore. But..." Would Kenzie appreciate the next words she'd utter? "If you are in need of any help invading.... get Kenzie to clear me to join you. A few nights of proper sleep has me... reinvigorated. And as you know, I used to fight when I was with The Clan. So I can hold my own. And I mean... if you don't think I'm up to it, talk to Kenzie. She'll clear me, and just... let me help you. No way you're gonna take out those warehouses alone, right?"

Kenzie's reply would obviously be a no. She lost Thalia once before, and she'd never risk it again. But was it worth letting Luca run off alone after cheating death twice? Especially with two rivals on his back? One for sure - Angelo - and the other being Kain, but he was a true maybe. What was for certain? If Kain and Luca were to butt heads again, it wouldn't be pleasant. At the moment Luca could've made peace... Kain threw it all away.
 
Luca almost immediately nodded as Thalia asked him to look out for Kenzie. He had been doing it so far, but Thalia embellished Luca's worries about her physical state. The man wondered if she kept up on the medications Herman gave her. Luca picked through her subtle statement, registering the fact that Thalia preferred herself to be hurt over Kenzie. "I'm doing my best to make sure she doesn't have to be put in harm's way; I know your worries, she's in rough shape as is. Between Kain and his brother Dave, her father, and her child, I'm afraid for Kenzie's emotional well-being, coupled with the stress we put ourselves under staying in Mexico. I would prefer if both of you fled, but I think that'll do more harm to her. Neither of us are getting shot at if I pull this warehouse down right."

While Luca would have preferred to know which warehouse Thalia was in, and therefore, his wife, he also didn't expect her to know. Mal Cielo was certainly not the place as it was close to the shore of the Mexican Gulf. However, both of them might have been through there at one point. The idea of being desensitized to one's own environment to preserve their sanity frightened Luca, wondering what else has been numbed in the slaves' struggles. Her description of the Mexican warehouses was a twin to the buildings in the United States, other than the refurbished derelicts in Seattle like the factory. Thalia's immunity from death, as he was told was given by Angela and Vincent, was less of a gift and more of a bane. There was only one good reason to do so regardless of Thalia was a nuisance or not; punishment. His mind drifted beyond, focusing on the revelation that he was dealing with twice the men as he had in the States. It was likely due to competing dealers in Mexico, but 20 men overall was much harder than the nine through twelve in America. The trucks were synonymous and the least of Luca's worries, but it did indicate that his wife was likely shipped out of the warehouse, or was going to be. Once they moved a few, the rest were getting documented.

The tension Luca felt within himself was untwined when Thalia offered her sympathies for his family, or what remained of it. It did gouge at the old scar of his brutal past, and the mental gouge had some blood within it still. Closing his eyes and grimacing, Luca folded his fist into the open left hand, tightening the palm around his knuckles. He was divided on Thalia's part, for in his eyes she was the reason why Kenzie came down. To put her in harm's way - or worse, to be harmed - made him hesitate for an answer, letting the silence linger for a moment. Twenty men were a monumental challenge to fight, and the automatic division in his mind occurred before he could stop it. Looking up with wetted eyes, Luca let out a sigh of both fear and indecision before answering. "I don't doubt you in the field...I fear putting you in danger knowingly. You're right; Kenzie won't go for it. These are twenty men with weaponry, and I have a pair of batons and a shotgun." Luca tapped the two beams of metal on his hip for a moment before resuming. "Also, I'm not a fan of guns. Though I doubt I'll get much farther than the grave without them. Warehouse is much closer quarters, but there's more men. My wife is short on time, Thalia. Eight, almost nine years. She's either getting sold permanently or turned into a mindless drug pusher. It's likely that she'll be sold. The high demand thing is definitely a thing; you're not blond, you're short enough, and the tattoos. That alone is a market. Though, none of that is unique. Your eyes, I believe. They have some light left in them from before, perhaps from your criminal life. Some people don't like a submissive victim like the majority of the slave population. I've seen Lociato market this kind of thing before. Angela and Vincent kept you alive as a message; fuck with Lociato, leave the service, and you're dealt with. Dropping family members and removing ears and teeth are one thing; indoctrinating a person's mind into subordination and despair is another. Not too many male slaves in Lociato's ring, but they exist. Young, mostly."

Thalia's offer to help him meant a lot. It helped close the emotional gap between him and her, and built the foundation of trust in another's heart in Luca's mind. It was enough for him to throw what he had kept from her earlier on the table. She didn't deserve his hush-hush and mysterious past; she put her's out for him to decipher. "If Angelo's family, then we're pretty damn divided. Otherwise, there isn't anything to separate. After my father was killed, my mother used what funds I pulled in and what she made to gamble and keep her throat wetted with cheap booze. You'll find all kinds of penny-wine in Little Italy. She was a woman with morals as I grew up and instilled those onto me, but I truly believe after they killed my father that she cracked. Little Antonio and me watched ourselves around her, what we said and did had implications. I was earning dirt working at the lumber yard, so all of us learned to love the taste of pinto bean casserole at twenty-five cents to make. What I did save was spent with Sarah, rather recklessly. I knew my mother was going to burn it on alcohol and whatever cards and slots she could find, so I tried to make me and Sarah comfortable. I never lived a life with financial comfort, but I loved it."

"Mamma needed money all the time, and found that no bank would take her credit for a loan. New York has tons of sharks willing to shell out some dough for an interest rate that grew over time. There's been some scary guys at our door before, but threats and demands didn't stop her. I was practicing my boxing routine with my uncle that night, and if I hadn't, I'd be dead. Gunshots go off like firecrackers in New York once you get used to them, but when you're afraid for your life every day and scouting for a few Anglo-Saxon boys looking to rough up an immigrant all the time, those firecrackers meant a lot. I was maybe a block away when I heard the first one, then the second." Luca's hands started shaking, and he struggled to pull them apart and place them on the armrests, forcing them to still. "I...I killed two men that night. I was moving up the stairs in our tenement as we lived on the third floor, and I ran into one of the guys I recognized from Bruno, the shark. His gun was still in his hand but jammed into his waist, so I broke the thug's face in with the brick wall beside us and used his gun to plant three rounds in his a-abdomen. Our apartment door was left open, and a part of me wanted to leave now and never return, but the dread forced me to move forward. My Mamma, Nina, died while running away. She was shot in the back. My young fratello had the strongest and most pure look of fear on his face when he died. I have never seen a human being in such a state. Oddly, I didn't feel depression or proper sadness just yet; I felt this hot feeling of anger I have never touched before. I was used to keeping my head down in Little Italy. I sought a life after that night, so I used my dad's mask and the Mossberg 12 Gauge he owned and stormed the laundromat where Bruno kept himself at. Terrified the owner of the dry cleaning operation, but I wasn't worried about him. Bruno was upstairs, and after a discussion between me and him, I blew him nearly in two with that shotgun. First gun I had ever shot. Somehow, after all of that, Sarah was willing to flee with me, leaving a comfortable life and education to hop across the country. If she hadn't, Lociato would have never taken her. You and me, we're both orphans. Bruno was brought to justice; it's time Lociato was, too. I don't know if Kenzie will let you, but I appreciate the sentiment." Luca dropped his gaze after the ordeal, finding himself shut-eyed after opening the old well of hurt inside.
 
-(Kenzie Andrews)-

Going out without the supervision of a more skilled and capable guardian might've been the stupidest move a supposed genius like Kenzie could pull. Especially in streets she's never walked before that were probably under the watchful eye of Lociato's men. It was no news to them about the exposure in Seattle by a man by the last name Brookes, and surely, in the chief's death, a perfect form of suffering would be to drag his daughter into the hell he once protected. No doubt that would doom Kenzie if she were to ever land her way into the wrong hands. And it haunted her - every face she passed by, she saw the worst in. Any of them could be a pervert waiting to kidnap her, or a Lociato sleeper supplied with her description, in either case, just waiting to grab her off the side of the road, never to be seen or heard of again. Not an unfamiliar story, but not one she was waiting to become of her. Not now, at least. Part of her might've had that suicidal risk-it-all angle, back when she realized that everything she cared about was ripped out of her life in the course of a few days. But as it turns out? Everything from her current life was gone, but a part of her past life, a better one, was back, and here to stay. Though she still felt an obligation to push forward in the manhunt, she would proceed with extra caution. She lost Thalia once; she won't let it happen again.

But there was a nearby market, enough for her to collect whatever the trio needed to last - first aid gear that she didn't have in her bags, some food that wouldn't spoil for their troubles, and even a warm breakfast for them to enjoy. It's not like Kenzie would give the green light for either of them to charge into action. Not in their condition. Luca had a bullet injury to let ease up, and Thalia had an assortment of long-term injuries she wanted to get a better look at. Today might be a break. At least she could hope. But as she was out and alone, her mind was plagued by a memory from two months ago. One of an altercation between herself and her deceased husband about what kind of person Kenzie had become in the hands of the people she loved. It was a fierce exchange of words that happened right after the party that her father had hosted when she pulled Phil out of the room after he and Kain exchanged fists. Harsh words were thrown at Kenzie... ones she might believe to be somewhat true.

--Two Months Ago-- (Continuation of that long flashback I did a while back)

Before her husband had pulled out of that driveway, it was Kenzie that initiated what would be an explosive argument when the married couple reached home: "You kind of deserved it", referring to when Kain had nearly slit her husband's throat. Phil and Kain never saw eye to eye, probably due to their shared affection for Kenzie, which sparked an everlasting sense of jealousy between the two. It was a rivalry that made its way to the woman in the middle, and began to bother her, her disgust coming out to both men after that incident. Not speaking to Phil the entire ride home, she channeled her mind elsewhere, avoiding any and all conversation... up until they reached the bedroom. As she prepared herself for bed, she could hear the footsteps of her husband creeping up behind her. Not in the mood, she refrained from saying anything, but Phil did the honors.

"You have no right to be angry with me. Yes, I provoked him, but he's the one who put a razor blade to my throat."

Sighing in annoyance, Kenzie knew she had to speak sooner or later, and turned to face him. "I think you're forgetting that he's sensitive about this past, and all you do is hold it against him."

"He's not making it easy to forgive and forget."

"Then at least extend an olive branch in his direction. Show him you're not his enemy, because that's how he thinks of you."

"Well, at least he's not living in an illusion where we can be friends."

"But why CAN'T you be? For me, if not for anyone else?"

Phil had a killshot loaded in his mind, about to open fire. "Tell me, Kenzie. What is drawing you to that man so much that his friendship matters so much to you?"

She scoffed in disbelief. "I lived with him in childhood. I saw and helped him and Dave cope with every step of the way. That's a part of me, and now that they're adults, I'm supposed to pretend that never happened?"

"Dave is an adult. Kain is a manchild looking for someone to warm up his milk and put on his bib."

"Shut up..." she scowled, stepping forward slowly. "You're crossing a line there."

"A line? What line? He has no line, himself! He's just some lowlife with a violence fetish and mommy issues, and you give a damn what happens to him?"

"He's not a lowlife..." It was clear Kenzie was on the brink of tears in this conversation, not far from an eruption.

"Maybe you're just in denial. Or you're into that, huh? Into the bad boy type? The helpless criminal who cries that they want to change, but never do? But you love that. I bet you do."

"Shut up..."

"Hell, from what I know about you, it doesn't even have to be bad boys. I hear you were also into bad girls, too. Maybe that's all you were. An adrenaline-seeking thrill junkie who will hop on whatever joyride she can with whoever she can find..."

Rather than scream at him to shut up again, Kenzie extended a hand forward, flying straight across Phil's face, immediately stopping halting his tirade. The slap came harder than he'd ever experienced, striking a sensitive nerve in his wife, now in tears before him, and hurt by his words. "You don't get to talk about her."

Phil maintained his composure, calming himself and continuing. "I respected how you didn't tell me much about her. Only that she was less-than-respectable."

"At a time. I admired her above all else towards the end. But nobody would ever believe that."

"Then help me believe it."

"No. I don't trust you with the truth about her."

No trust... that could only mean one thing in the husband's mind. "If you can't trust me enough to know about you past, then what are we even doing here, Kenz?"

She remained silent in that moment, just staring him back in the eye. In her mind, the solution was quite apparent, but not one he wanted to bring forward to her husband until she'd given it deeper thought. It would've been a talk to have with her father as a trusted figure, if she and him were on good terms. No, Kenzie wanted to make this decision by herself. "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight..." she whimpered.

Huffing in disappointment and annoyance, Phil merely turned his back on her and exited the room, as tempting as it was to try to talk Kenzie into making up before he leaves in the morning. But there was no making it up. Which is what brought Kenzie to her earlier decision she'd addressed to Kain: divorce.

---

If it weren't because she was recognized, Kenzie had expected a few unusual stares due to her appearance. She didn't look Mexican, and her Spanish certainly sounded broken when she spoke to the cashiers and others around her. But it wasn't just her voice that would attract a few strange eyes. A woman with an immobile bionic finger, scratches on her arms and face, and walking slowly and carefully was a spectacle on its own. She'd been offered help by a few good Samaritans, but she kindly declined. She couldn't trust anyone, and couldn't let anyone know where she was heading. That also prompted her to keep an eye behind her back at all times. If anyone looked like they were tailing her for too long, she'd make a detour and find a new way around. It couldn't be too hard to navigate the streets, and she didn't get too far away from the hotel. It made things far too easy, something even a non-professional like herself could do. The only two things she had to duel with were her thoughts and her physical pain... Phil's words from the last conversation she ever had with him in person stayed with her. Adrenaline seeking thrill junkie... is that all she was? Is that what was driving her to stay with Luca when she could easily run off with Thalia into the sunset? Just a shot at being the hero and proving herself? It was the personal goal to save people that she chose to become a doctor in the first place. But was this her true calling to do just that? Help a lone vigilante get his beloved back, even when the road came at the price of losing every last ounce of her past life? At least running away with her college sweetheart would happen as well.

But worse... what will happen when Kenzie's injuries become a problem and stop her from doing what she does best? The meds could only help her so much, and by making her friends her priority... she may not last long.

Entering the hotel, and so far so good. Nobody tailing her... which was as perfect as she could ask for. At this point, she could at least say she was out of the woods with her two hands filled with groceries and food. Her hands hadn't given out, and she wasn't extremely tired just yet. It even brought a confident smile on her face when she arrived to the right floor, looked over her shoulder, and saw that nobody was there. Once again... perfect.

That was until she placed her groceries on the ground and reached in her pocket for the passkey to the room. As she dug through her tight pocket, she felt a cold metal blade press to the back of her neck, just missing the bandaged area where she'd been injected various sedatives a few days ago. It'd been a while since she'd been at knifepoint, honestly. That didn't make this any more horrifying. At first, she assumed the worst: Lociato found her and was going to sweep her away right under Luca and Thalia's noses. Literally at the door. Her eyes stayed focused in front of her, her limbs brought to a shake, as she heard the voice... a familiar one?

"Don't scream."

She whimpered in a stutter. "H-H-How..."

"I have my ways. I only found you by chance, but I do need something from you. From Luca."

She shook her head, not facing the man behind her, and her voice dissolving to bitterness. "No. How could you do something like that?"

The male voice didn't answer her question, and only gave orders. "Pick up the bags, and I will knock. If asked, you say that your hands are full, and you keep your cool. Understood?"

Kenzie nodded as she knelt down ever so slowly to retrieve the belongings. "You can come forward in peace, you know. I'm sure Luca will find room in his heart to forgive you."

"There is no chance of redemption. I've lost it all thanks to Lociato, and I need to make him pay."

She sniffled. "And you don't care that I'm hurting because of this, too?"

"Hmph... It's not like you care about me. With HER in the picture."

"Not true...."

"Shut up. Remember what I said, or this will get messy."

...

-(Thalia Griffin)-

Luca's story of his family was one of a divide, one which Thalia understood in the vague fragments she called her memories. Angelo was hardly family, and when it came to his closer family - parents and little brother - it was a much darker tale of loss. Deaths. Murders. And even a tale of vengeance. Thalia had never taken up arms to defend her family, as she never imagined them to be at risk. She never expected the end of her romance with Kenzie to play out as it did. College was behind her, meaning her work for Lociato would've been complete. It seemed not. But at least she could protect her loved ones now. Kenzie was here and in arm's length for her to keep safe. And if Luca mattered enough to stick around, she'd help him as well, the reasoning behind her taking up arms and offering her assistance. And all of this time, despite having slept together, they hadn't spoken much about the future. Would they get married like they'd promised each other six years ago? Run away when this is over? Would they both live? How long would this road be? Where would it take them? At least Thalia knew herself to be a natural born fighter. One to defend her allies. Luca was now one, one she could relate to.

Would Kenzie even approve of her running back into the way of gunfire? "Hell no. Kenzie's not gonna let me get close to weapons, not at first. But I'm sure she knows you can't go it alone. I can convince her to let me. I'm sure you might be able to, as well, if you explain the circumstances. She's no fighter, and even if she were, she's in no position to even stand behind you with a gun to have your back. I may be... damaged..." She sighed as she looked at the burn scar across her arm. "But I'm not broken. Not yet. And I'll be damned if I ever will be."

Both orphans... it went a bit deeper than that. Both fighters, survivors, victims to the cruelty of Lociato's reign. In reality? Many others were. Kain and Dave were for 15 years. Just recently, Kenzie's family had become one, too. It was time to bring the larger threat down. It didn't make any past woes better, not Thalia's past criminal identity, nor Luca's encounter with Bruno, but it's encounters like that that made them stronger, even at their respective expense. "I'm... I can't even, I don't wanna imagine," She winced at the mere thought of a young boy shot dead by a man clearly with no heart or mercy. "It's sick, right? How many people like that are out there. Enough to kill innocent people. Children. Ruin lives that easily. I still remember in the ring... There were 11 or 12 year old girls being dragged into all of this. Taken from their parents, that is if they weren't already thrown under. It's a scary pill to even dare swallow. And I feel disgusted even thinking back at it. I'm sorry to hear of your family, really. I feel the pain. I really do. Even if I don't know where my brother is now, I'd hate to imagine that Angela and Vincent had caught up to him after having me taken.... We can't bring back the dead, but we can ensure nobody else has to see what we have... am I right?"

The conversation would've gone longer had the sounds of a door knocking not echoed the hotel room. Thalia enjoyed talking to Luca, but she wanted to be the first to greet her beloved at the door. To ensure her safety. Decent enough as is in a shirt and underwear, and comfortable enough to let Luca see, she tossed the sheet off of herself and threw herself out of the bed. Surprisingly, she still had a bit of energy in her despite her past ordeals. It helped to get a proper night's sleep, too. "That must be her." In a burst of excitement, she marched to the front door, rather light on her feet. She was expecting to see Kenzie, hands full with belongings, ready to help her. Boy, would that've been a picture-perfect moment had the two made good on their plans to run away and live away from their pasts. A dream come true, starting in a rather darker time of their lives. It was still positive thinking, which was exactly what they both needed.

Except what awaited at the door was anything but positive thinking. Thalia only opened it a crack, just in case it was room service, in which she'd explain that she'd not decent at the moment. But what she saw? It froze made her freeze, erasing her gleeful expression instantly.

"Y-You..." she tried to say, but was cut short.

"Open the door. All the way."

Thalia gave a faint nod as she allowed for the door to be held wide open. A bit ashamed of herself in no pants at the moment, she kept herself halfway hidden behind the door as she allowed Kenzie and her captor inside. Kenzie looked petrified, holding the grocery bags in both hands against her will with a knife at the back of her neck. "At least let me help her with those..."

"Shut up," the man snapped, keeping his voice down as he and Kenzie entered completely. "Lock the door. We shouldn't be disturbed."

Once again, Thalia obeyed, shutting the door to the room, and binding it shut with the knob lock and the chain hanging by the door's frame. She turned back to the familiar man, larger than Kenzie, his legs covered in sand, the sleeves of his shirt cut clean off, his hair a complete mess and hanging over his face. But it wasn't a face she hadn't already seen. She stepped forward to face him, her hands up in a form of surrender. "Please don't hurt her."

Thalia could see a slight tear down Kenzie's left eye, her hands shiver, slowly letting the groceries touch the ground to relax herself. Surely, her captor wouldn't mind. She tried to communicate with him, despite her failed attempts before. "Kain... please, don't do this. It's not too late to turn this around."

Kain shook his head as his focus remained on Thalia, who he saw as a threat int he room. He knew she was trained to fight, and didn't want to take a risk. But would she if her loved one had a knife to her throat? "It is too late. I tried to let the darker side of me out, and I couldn't. It's... a part of me. It always will be, thanks to Lociato. And I'm going to show him what he created."

"You don't have to..."

"Yes I do!" he yelled, unable hold back his temper. Thalia even stepped back in fear, afraid he'd do something terrible to her to disarm her. He'd already taken a swing at her once before. But it wasn't Thalia or Kenzie he was here for. He'd already mentioned to his foster sister... he was here for Luca. And when he saw the Italian boxer who he once considered an ally, he let out a sigh, one of half disappointment, half of relief. Luca was here. Meaning it was time to get down to business. Would Luca try to disarm him here and now? Not with Kenzie in the middle. After the sigh came a smile, one of confidence, as he gave his greetings.

"Been a while, right, partner?" Partner... a strong word for Luca, who was once a friend to Kain before he gave into the depraved thoughts in his mind. Perhaps Angelo was right about him being a worthy successor. That is, if Angelo would even step down now that Angela was gone.
 
|:|Luca Varundar|:|

It was an unsteady consensus of Luca to agree to letting Thalia with him, torn between the hard fact that fighting solo would only get him killed and the potential danger that he put all of them in by letting Thalia help. She was fighting the same people that kept her locked away for six years, and Luca would sleep uneasily at night knowing he stopped her from doing so by denying her. He did find it easy to talk to her, being relatively just introduced a night ago. Luca thought about his parents a lot, but Antonio was a whole other layer to his past. Luca pulled his weight as an older brother; he vividly remembers his early teenage years, Antonio's pre-double digits years. When two German kids got on Tony after school (Luca admired his young brother's resolve to continue his education), he had intercepted the conflict and put two skulls together. At the time, Antonio was piss-pants scared, but it was a humorous joke for the duo in the coming year. Thalia had seen what he had in the ring. No true age minimum in the business and no restraint on plugging a parent or two. The loss of his family might've given Luca his easy attachment to Kenzie and Kain at the time, and now Thalia. The first people to throw some positivism his way in over a decade had a spot in his soul. In response to her question, Luca heaved himself up, the muscles in his legs growing taut as they were put to work once more as his voice found its place. "Yeah, you're right."

There might have been more to talk about between the two. In hindsight, nothing major but something to hold them over contently. Rather than hearing Kenzie open the door, he heard a knock. Perhaps she was too laden with bags to reach the handle. Still, it sounded like a solid knock, one from an open hand. His sensitive ears left questions in his mind, and as soon as the suspicion crawled to his legs to send him forward in a dash, the door was open already, bearing the portrait of Kain and Kenzie, framed in the doorway like a kind of picture. Angelo was close, he had to be. Kain was dirtied and his clothing was in tatters, telling of a hard night in the desert country. With Kenzie locked in a hold with a knife, Luca could do little but watch, feeling the pulsating vein in his neck grow tight like a rope. He saw two potential allies in Kain; himself, and Angelo, who was starting to fall at the seams, ready to turn on Lociato. Now that Angela was gone, Luca couldn't see that being a possibility any longer.

In the efforts Luca had tried in the past few days to remedy Kain, he was blind to a lost cause. Now, placed directly in front of his face, he had to admit so. Kenzie was no longer an object Kain fought to protect. Hell, nothing was. Luca used his foot to push the chair he had sat in aside, giving him a clear way back and forth without stumbling. Almost subconsciously, he fiddled with a lone baton until he slid it upward into his left palm. His hand was lowered, like he was preparing for a duel with the beam. With his eyes on Kain, Luca spoke, his fingers twirling the baton between his fingers like a coin. "The hell do you want, Kain?"

|:|Angelo Varundar|:|

Angelo had awoken as the sky turned pink in the very early dawn, his fingers carefully tracing the prints Kain's feet left in the sand. His shoe size wasn't important, but his trained eye could pick out where the force was mostly delivered with each step. At the rapid sprint he delivered through the night, Kain would've burned a ton of calories. He had to slow down at some point, otherwise he'd be a corpse in the morning. He was still dirty from the night before, finding grave digging to be extremely filthy once you got over two feet deep. A woeful final glance to the marked grave was all he left behind, the shack now deserted and cleaned out. He would revisit this place someday, maybe read what he put down as a headstone over her. It wasn't poetic by all means but it strained the limits of his imagination quite well. For now, his addled mind was on other matters. It felt good to be driving again, darting a glance to the prints in the sand every once in the while. Hard winds over the night covered some of them, but an observer like Angelo was used to that kind of treatment from nature, finding the little dips in the ground through it all. It was a restless night, but he could see where Kain slowed down at times. It was of little consequence where Kain slept, as Angelo suspected the man found a way to civilization once again.

Unlike Kain, Angelo was well fed, feeding himself granola bars every once in awhile to keep himself prime. The loose parts of his beloved handgun were strewn in a Ziploc baggie, collected in the morning before he had departed. Carefully, Angelo reassembled it while driving, his knee on the wheel to steady it while his fingers aligned each individual piece and stuck them into the proper place. It gave him time to clean it well, and by the time his gun was ready to shoot it looked brand new. A magazine of .45 ACP was loaded and a bullet was struck into the chamber, then holstered. He had a few magazines left that carried the rather uncommon ammo type in Mexico, but wished for a restock soon. The suppressed Heckler and Koch on his back was also loaded, something he wished was done the night before. Kain would've been riddled with bullets at the range they were at, but a pistol could scarcely make it. Luca was also one hell of an accuracy downer, he realized. They were family, and could reach other like an open book. Angelo saw the dilemma in Luca's head; did Kain deserve saving? Even as Luca yanked at his arm the man questioned it. Now, with the SUV on the road once more, Angelo believed that Luca was going to become a strong opponent in the coming hours as he hunted for his lover's killer.

The city, for lack of a better term, was terrible. Angelo hated the thick crowds and easily-bought tongues. Ironically, he would rely on these same tongues to find Kain, for prints were useless somewhere this big. An unmarked door on an unmarked street was familiar to Angelo, stepping in to the incense-burning den his contact frequented. The man was - like the locals - heavily Latino and with a hearty accent to bear. Still, he knew enough English and Spanish to serve Angelo's needs. The bald Italian approached the desk of the building, the lighting giving everything a reddish tint. "You willing?" The short question was coupled with a wad of pesos. His lone operator took the money, darting a glance to Angelo before counting the bills, replying while doing so. "I'm willing, ja. Who it be?"

Angelo wrote down the number of his current phone on a piece of paper, sliding it forward before continuing. "Kain Saunders. I doubt the name is important right now. Covered in sand, dirty all over, blonde hair. He's not wearing sleeves at the moment and he's penniless."

"Varundar, you describing half of the city."

"He's white as a fucking ghost, Mateo."

The Mexican gave a small chuckle before nodding. "I'll keep my eyes open. You be looking for him youself, ja?"

"He's looking for his friends. Luca Varundar, Kenzie Brookes, or Andrews, and Thalia Griffin. I doubt they used those names at wherever they are staying, but if you do see the names, let me know where."

Mateo crossed his arms, about to nod before stopping himself. "Luca Varundar? Brothers or sum'thin?"

Angelo paused himself, before asking a question typical of cynics like himself. "Why that matter to you?"

Mateo stifled another one of his laughs, meeting the dagger-like stare of Angelo. "He be a boxer, ja? Check some of the hotels near the airport. We's be just talking 'bout him this mornin'. One o' my lads on de street saw 'im. I use'to watch him, y'know."

"You're shitting me. Thanks, Mateo." Angelo lacked the energy to ask who 'we' was. Mateo kept an eye and ear out for ANYONE in the city. Feeling as though victory was in his grasp, Angelo got into the SUV once more and drove off, navigating the streets with memory to find the airport he had used many times before.
 
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