Property of the Mafia

[42] Canary

"Stand back." I ordered, gently pulling Rosette to stand behind me as I stood defensively in front of the two children. The blood seemed to be following the current of water from one of the openings in the ground underwater.

"What do you think it is? A monster, maybe?" Silvio asked playfully, clearly enjoying the horrified expression he was creating on Rosette's face. I placed my hand on her head and caressed her hair gently to comfort her. Silvio shrugged in response to the venomous glare I was sending him.

"Trust me, humans are scarier than monsters." I answered softly, biting on my lower lip. There were more important things to think about now. Did guns still work after they got wet? My tazer, too... I wasn't confident that I'd be able to handle fighting someone one-on-one with two kids to look after bare-handed. I had been able to be crafty in previous situations, but unless I became the hulk in the next minute the rocks around me would be of no use. I didn't have the guts to drown someone in water, either. Okay. Just flip the guy and try to knock him unconscious... somehow. Even my imagination wasn't being too optimistic today.

My eyes widened as a dark shadow began to grow ominously larger and more distinct on the surface of the water. Just how big was this hole? Would more than one person be able to fit through it? The murky shape of the shadow gave little indication of the number of people I would have to deal with. Lovely.

A reddish blob of an object emerged from the water with a faint plock sound, like a bubble bursting from underwater.

"What is that?" Silvio scoffed, pointing at the object. My first reaction was to call it a manta ray but they obviously didn't come in red. Moreover, for a manta ray to show up in a freshwater cavern? That was impossible. I narrowed my eyes, hesitantly inching forwards to poke it.

"... Clothes?" Rosette offered weakly, peeking from behind my thigh. I cocked my head to the side in disbelief. Wow. I think she's right. You had to give these kids some credit. They had been cooped up in here for nearly a decade, yes, but their eyes were still unbelievably sharp.

"Aren't those your man's clothes?" Silvio continued, sounding unamused as he mumbled a few things beneath his breath. I felt heat rush up to my face at his words.

"My man?" I repeated, almost choking. Did kids nowadays talk like that? Clearing my throat awkwardly, I tried to steady myself as I answered, "How would you know?"

"Duh, I saw him earlier when we were spying on you guys. You can't even recognize them? You're pretty dumb, aren't you?" Silvio snorted through his nose mockingly. My eyebrows twitched briefly in anger. This kid was seriously just asking to be punched. He brushed his hair from his eyes in a grandiose manner and puffed out his chest next to me in what I believed to be an attempt at 'macho'. I just gawked at him incredulously as he cleared his throat, grinning up at me like some sketchy car salesman.

"W-Well, since you're so hopeless, you know, you should marry a guy who----"

He was interrupted for the third time as were sprayed by a thick wave of water, drenching us like an unexpected downpour. In an almost satirical fashion, the figure burst out of the water like a dolphin propelled by a rocket, his or her back fully arched in a crescent moon shape. I coughed irritably, feeling the water sting inside my nose. It probably was a bad idea to gasp in surprise and inhale a serious mouthful of water via my nose.

"Oh, it is him!" Rosette exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together gleefully like a seal. "See, Silvio, you were right!" She added with an adorable giggle, sincerely praising her brother with pride.

"Oh joy." Silvio responded, dripping with both water and sarcasm. I chortled in response.

Leon coughed loudly and shook his head wildly, spraying us with a light mist of droplets as he tried to shake the water from his head, rockstar style. He was shirtless, as expected, and I couldn't help but ogle him a little (ahem, or a lot) as he tried to steady himself and rub the water out of his eyes. His entire body glistened in the dim lighting of the cave, only accentuating the lines on his upper torso. It almost felt like I was watching something I wasn't supposed to be seeing.