Fun
1831 Words
“Baia Dei Bucanieri! Come on! Let’s go!” Isaac tries to pull an unyielding Reyna towards the ride.
“I would suggest another ride, Isaac. It’s still far too early to get wet.”
“But it’s warm!”
“Reyna’s got a point- you don’t want to catch a cold.” Lucifer hands Reyna the empty bubble stick.
“And your cast too. That also is a hindrance.” Reyna takes the bubble stick. “Unfortunately, any water related rides will have to be postponed.”
“On our next visit!” Lucifer tries with an enthusiastic smile.
Isaac glares up at his father and Reyna bops Isaac’s head with the bubble stick gently.
“We can have fun without the necessity of getting wet.” Reyna assures. “How does that sound?”
“Boring.”
“We can do that or we can go home.” Lucifer suggests.
“Let’s go to the dumb 4-D theater.” Isaac says glumly, kicking at the floor.
He starts to trudge the way to the theater and Reyna turns to look at Lucifer.
“This is your fault.”
“How’s it my fault?!” Lucifer demands as they walk after Isaac.
“If you had told me where we were going from the start and since yesterday, I would have gotten him some cast covers and brought a set of clothes.” Reyna shakes her head. “So much for being more attentive.”
“Oh, jeez, excuse me for forgetting to notify you of everything. Would you like me to tell you about the next time I go to the bathroom and what I did too?”
“Are you trying to be funny? Because what you’re being like at the moment is insufferable. Sure, I’m the nanny and all, but if I don’t get the necessary amount of information, I won’t be able to prepare accordingly and that could very well be deadly and you know it, Lucifer.” Reyna snaps.
“Well, you’re the nanny, not my new wife.”
“And I’d never want to be your wife.” Reyna replies with venom in her voice.
Up ahead, Isaac’s attention is caught by Project1 and he rushes over excitedly to check out the roller coaster ride.
“Alright, doll face, how ‘bout we do this? We try and be nice to each other, like- like giving each other compliments.” Lucifer sets his hands on her shoulders as Reyna glares up at him. “I’ll start, okay?”
“Very well.” Reyna’s tone is sour.
“Your eyes are like…. uh, two….. bayous that I could….. get….. lost in trying to- uh- find the light in!”
Reyna had to resist the urge to shove the empty bubble stick protruding from her purse down Lucifer’s throat.
“You didn’t like my compliment, did you?”
“Hey, Isaac!” A blonde six year old in pigtails and a very flowy dress hugs the boy from behind.
Her parents right behind her follow, tilting their heads a bit as they greet the boy.
“Veronica!”
“Lucifer- no, I didn’t like it- do you even f*****g know what ‘bayous’ are?!”
“No, but I’m willing to bet you’re about to tell me.”
“A ‘bayou’ is a geographical term used to describe marshy, shallow areas of water. They often contain either sweet water, salt water or a mixture of both that is called ‘brakish water’. And they are basically closely tied to swamps, so your so-called ‘compliment’ was more of an insult because my eyes are blue.”
“Well, at least I tried. Now you’ll compliment me.” Lucifer encourages with a smile.
“You have eyes.”
“We’re not getting any farther than that, are we?”
“No.”
“The good thing is that you at least made an effort.”
Reyna rolls her eyes before turning around to find Isaac gone.
“Lucifer?”
“I mean, maybe if we could work on your complimenting skills-”
“Lucifer.”
“Genuinely, I think it would be much better for you too, if you were-”
“Lucifer!”
“Christ, what now?” Lucifer turns to Reyna with a small frown.
“Isaac’s missing.”
“Oh, shit.”
Reyna looks around, scanning their surroundings. Lucifer does the same before they both spot Isaac with the three member family about three-quarters a mile from them. Lucifer recognizes his business associate, the wife and the daughter and just as he’s about to relay the information to Reyna, she pulls two baseballs from her purse and throws them with scary precision.
“No- wait!”
Sixth instinct, perhaps, makes the wife turn around and dodge the ball but the husband wasn’t as lucky and it strikes him at the back of the head.
“Bullseye.”
“Reyna!”
“What?” Reyna looks at Lucifer.
“Have you any idea who they are?!” Lucifer demands, grabbing her shoulders.
“No. They could try and kidnap Isaac for all we know. That little girl could be a victim too.”
“Those are Iason, Magnolia and Victoria Arizmendi!”
“And they’re important why?”
“They are the family behind Arizmendi Military Manufacturers Inc.!”
“Oh.” Reyna’s eyebrows go upwards before she scowls. “How was I supposed to know?”
“You-” Lucifer lets her go. “You make a good point.”
“Well, let’s go check up on the man, I suppose.” Reyna decides.
They both make their way to the family and Isaac. Isaac and Victoria look at Reyna with wide eyes.
“Iason, wake up!” Magnolia violently shakes Iason.
“You’re going to give him brain damage.” Reyna smacks her hands away.
With her expert hands, she probes gently at the back of his head, kneeling down to have easier access.
“It’s not that bad, the force of the ball wasn’t that grand.” Reyna picks up the baseball that made contact with Iason.
She examines it and finds flickers of blood on it before probing again at his head to have her fingers come away with light flecks of blood.
“Mild concussion.” She looks up at Lucifer.
“Get away from my husband! You’re the reason he’s like this!” Magnolia snaps.
Reyna obliges and stands up, turning to Lucifer.
“You could have said something.”
“I was going to but you threw the balls already!”
“What else do you have in your bag?” Isaac asks curiously.
Reyna opens her purse to check the inside contents.
“Pocket knives, pen knives, flares, syringes, medications, stethoscope, blood pressure machine, two more baseballs, empty bubble stick, three gum packs, four packs of licorice vines, a peppermint bark bar, flashlight, wallet, forged papers, three pistols, four bullet packs, smelling salts and a lock picking kit.” Reyna lists off.
“That’s a lot of things for a small bag.” Victoria says.
“It’s not that small, contrary to what your mother carries.”
“My bag is not big!” Magnolia scowls. “I don’t have unnecessary items in my bag, at least!”
“I’m sure excessive makeup and makeup removers aren’t ‘unnecessary’ items.”
Lucifer snickers as Magnolia opens her mouth to protest.
“Don’t try to deny it.” Reyna says dryly as Iason slowly starts to move. “Oh, look at that. He lives. Bummer.”
“Daddy!”
“Victoria.” Iason smiles as he sits up with Magnolia’s help.
“This rambunctious woman was the one who threw that stupid ball!”
Iason turns to Reyna whom Magnolia points at and smiles sourly.
“You again.” He says simply.
“Me again.” Reyna confirms.
“You didn’t dance with me the first time and now you will?” He gets up.
“You know my protocol for that; children are spared such a sight.” Reyna replies in a curt tone. “We settled our dispute.”
“And now you hit me with a baseball.”
“Accidental.”
“Woah, hold up.” Lucifer interrupts the conversation. “You two know each other?”
“We’ve had our fair share of ‘unconventional’ encounters.” Iason smile looks strained.
“Iason, explain! How do you know this- this monstrous woman?”
Iason’s eye twitches as he looks at Magnolia and Lucifer. How was he to explain he not only asked for Reyna’s services, but was a target at some point too?
“He required my services as a business accountant, analyst and project manager.” Reyna lies convincingly.
“You said you didn’t know him.” Lucifer looks at her skeptically.
“I deal with a lot of people, Lucifer, I don’t memorize faces or names most of the time.”
Lucifer was convinced with that and Magnolia had been convinced at the first lie. Iason lets out a sigh he didn’t even know he was holding in. And the children were wrapped up in their own conversation. A mutual felling of gratitude passes between the two.
“Well, even if she does know you, she hasn’t apologized.” Magnolia looks at Reyna.
“Apologize? Me? He should apologize to me!”
“Why?!” Magnolia and Lucifer demand.
“Because I didn’t make it fun for her.” Iason chuckles. “I do apologize for that.”
“Accepted, I suppose.”
As Lucifer apologizes to Magnolia and Iason on Reyna’s behalf, she walks over to the children discussing the cast Isaac now has.
“Isaac, don’t ever walk off like that.” Reyna chastises the boy.
“I know, I’m sorry. But that was pretty funny.” Isaac grins.
“You have scary aim.” Victoria adds. “You hit daddy from all the way over there.”
She points back at the line for the Baia Dei Bucanieri.
“Yes, I practice a lot.” Reyna averts her gaze to the side.
She catches movements and, although the men try to be discreet about observing them, Reyna has more practice in the art of figuring out if she’s being tailed or not.
“Isaac, are you hungry?”
“Huh?” Isaac frowns a bit as he looks up at Reyna. “But we ate before we came.”
“Special treat,” Reyna assures as she takes his hand and Victoria’s. “I’ll buy you two something.”
Her strategy is to guide the kids away from the other three to determine who is the target; the adults or the children. The two children follow her without question and movement catches Reyna’s attention. The silver of the revolver glints in the sun as the three gunshots are heard.
Time to have some fun.
- Writer
