Syndedeménos (Connected)

CHAPTER 15

“Sorry… what were you trying to say?”

Aquila's voice made Keenan realize that he was staring at someone too long to forget the scenario he had simulated during dinner. A girl who had ponytail black hair in a rather messy manner. She’s not exactly pretty, but she’s quite interesting when she laughs. Didn't know how long Aquila's face lingered in Keenan's mind, but surely long enough that Keenan felt he couldn't control his own thoughts.

Returning Keenan's mind to his original plan was not easy. There was a pause of almost half a minute where Keenan drank the water in his glass to the end and was silent for a while. Just thinking about such a long pause made Keenan feel himself suddenly stupid. He was still displeased with his thoughts being distracted by Aquila's charming laugh. It turned out that not only was the current situation but his mind had become uncontrollable.

"Your sister is fine, I feel like I have to tell you myself despite you’re told by someone else."

Aquila's words made Keenan come back to his original plan. A trigger that quickly made Keenan feel alert again was when someone talked about his sister. It was as if the information that Keenan heard was a lighter on the stove that had to be lit first to make the fire start. In an instant Keenan could recall question after question that had been repeated over and over in his brain.

"Who ordered you? And why did you tell me about what happened to Karen?”

“I was only given orders by my superiors to take you.”

Two pieces of information were immediately added to the information line in Keenan's mind. First, Aquila has a boss and it means that no matter how hard Keenan tries to extract information from the person in front of him, he will not necessarily get all of answer he wants. Second, Aquila did not say “we”, but said “I” thus indicating that the one given the order in this kîdnapping was only Aquila. Neither Pygmy, Haylie, Mateo nor the person called Zack were given orders so it was pointless to question them.

"Then?" Keenan asked again because the second question seemed unanswered.

"I just don't want to let you do something reckless for something that doesn't need to be done."

After untying me and assuming that I'll follow your plan afterwards, you're still trying to tell me to behave nicely? What are you actually planning?

“You think that I'm not running away after talking about my sister. Isn't that too naive?"

Aquila raised one side of her lips. Feeling challenged by Keenan's unfriendly words, Aquila leaned closer to Keenan. Her eyes widened and a devilish smile appeared on her lips. Aquila's expression changed 180 degrees from before, as if something had possessed her so that her face became hideous.

“You don't need to plan anything, Keenan Aldrich.” After slowly speaking word by word, Aquila straightened up again. Then she took something out from under his jacket.

Keenan was silent when he saw a f*******n item that was taken out and placed on the table by Aquila. He had even been silent when Aquila showed a smile that he thought was unnatural. Keenan held his breath but tried to look back at the person in front of him as naturally as possible.

“You could just do a trick in public like last week. Or… other manipulations regarding to the mass termination. But right now you are under my control. So you shouldn't have to force me to shoot this at… either your hands or your feet."

It was clear that Aquila's words were a threat. Even Keenan didn't need to hear his intuition to be more careful of his words and actions from now on. Keenan lowered his eyes and nodded slowly. Aquila smiled when she saw Keenan's reaction. A smile that wasn't comforting at all.

“Good… I also don't want to stay here just to watch over you. Mateo!" said Aquila while holding pistol. Then she continued. "I will give this pistol to Mateo. You know, he can't be discussed. And you don't have to guess what he's going to do to you."

Moments after Aquila shouted a name, Mateo came out of the next room and walked to the side of the person who called him. Aquila thrusted a pistol at Mateo while taking another pistol from under her jacket. With a slow motion Aquila côcked the pistol in her right hand, then aimed at Keenan with her index finger which was already in front of the trigger. More precisely, Aquila aimed at Keenan's hand.

“If something happens, you know what to do with this person right, Mateo?”

Mateo nodded as Aquila turned to him. Then the big man hung his pistol that had been lying on the table.

Keenan just swallowed hard and was speechless. There was no weakness in every movement and word that was issued by Aquila. There was not the slightest mistake from Aquila that could be reversed by Keenan. Of all the things that have been analyzed by Keenan, at this time he just feels that his status as a kidnap victim was real.

Seeing Aquila's face that looked very confident, Keenan felt that the biggest threat in his life was the person in front of him. Even Keenan Aldrich once approached and invited the unions to discuss the destruction of one of his father's factories. At that time Keenan just raised his level of vigilance and didn't think that his safety would be in danger. Not like this time. Not many people can make Keenan break out in a cold sweat like this.

It wasn't just the two pistols that made Keenan so scared. In unspoken words, Aquila already knows that Keenan's weakness was his sister and knows that Keenan had been playing an important role in his father's company game because Aquila knows that the one who had played a scandal on the Marygold Hotel and mass termination was Keenan. Two aces that had been held by Aquila and could have reversed Keenan's calm life even after he was able to escape from this building.

Keenan was blaming himself for underestimating the situation that had happened to him. With all the things that were too casual, like the behavior of the adults in this building that were too predictable or the children who were noisy as usual, Keenan did not expect that he would face someone as unpredictable as Aquila.

From the direction of the connection between the dining room and the dishwasher, Pygmy opened the cloth that had replaced the function of the door and immediately looked at Aquila who was holding a pistol. He widened his eyes and intended to return to where he came from but Keenan had already seen him. So he continued walking towards Mateo's side while trying to initiate a conversation.

“Ehem… so… Aquila…” Pygmy's voice sounded stammered and unsure, so Aquila immediately cut him off.

“I told Mateo to shoot Keenan if he ran away. You can help persuade him not to do anything stupid."

After seeing Pygmy's expression, Keenan thought it could be his behavior towards Pygmy that made Aquila have to take out a weapon to keep an eye on him. It was seen that Pygmy felt guilty as he glanced at Keenan and Aquila repeatedly while biting his lower lip. Maybe that kid complained to this leader when I came out before breakfast finished, Keenan thought.

The events that night made Keenan rethink all the plans he had made.