Diavolo

twenty - promise me

Back at the Manor, London 11:23 a.m. (2 months later)

Nothing felt right at the manor, two months after the incident in Russia. The fugitive LeToya De Rosa has gone completely off the maps, no where to be seen. Crime rates are higher than ever.

At the table, where 5 people sat. Gabe, Robin, Theo, Papa and Toni. It was fair to say Gabe took this harder than anyone else, still blaming himself for what happened, the last words she told him would remain imprinted in his mind. 

"Promise me you won't come to find me. I won't remember you and I won't hesitate to kill you." 

The first month Theo felt like a piece of him was left in Russia, he made a promise that he couldn't keep. He promised to protect her with his life but she still slipped through his fingers. 

Robin was terrified, she was the only one that knew what the Red Room was capable of. It was where she met Leti, she called her Hope because she was the only person who had hope of freedom and happiness but even years later she still couldn't escape the demons. 

"We can't give up, she's out there somewhere," Gabe said slamming his fist on the table.

Papa looked up meeting Gabe's furious eyes, his own were cloudy grey coated in his tears threatening to fall. He loved Leti like a daughter, she might not have been his own daughter but he has always treated her like one.

"She said not to find her, she warned you Gabriel. We all know what the outcome will be." Toni said. 

"So what?" Gabe shouted, "we just go on like she's dead?" He shook his head running his hand through his hair, "I'm sorry T, I can't do that."

"I know it's hard Gabe but-"

"Do you Tony?" Gabe beamed glaring daggers into Tony's eyes, "Do you really know what it feels like to lose your best friend?" 

Toni stood up with so much velocity his chair flew back, "This is as hard for me as it is for you!"

Gabe stalked towards Toni, "STOP! Please just stop," Robin cried causing both boys to go quiet, retreating back to their seats.

"I really miss her," Theo whispered refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"Me too son, I miss her too." Papa said placing his hand on Theo's shoulder.

"It should have been me.." Gabe spoke quietly, "She took my place, she would be here right now if I-"

"Don't Gabe." Papa interrupted, "Don't finish that sentence. She has always put her loved ones first, she would have done it again in heartbeat." 

"They used that machine to keep us in line," Robin said, "Threaten to erase our memories...memories of our family, childhood and anything that gave us hope to hold on."

"That's the problem," she paused, "Even if we did find her, she won't remember us."

"Then we make her remember," Gabe replied.

***

The hallways became crowded with students as the bell rang for lunch break, a tanned girl with black hair walked down the corridor towards a boy standing by his locker, he wore a leather baseball jacket.

Without a second thought, she put her hand over his mouth and led him to a classroom shutting the door behind her.

"What the fuck?" He shouted glaring at the girl.

"Dylan right?" She asked with a straight face. 

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

"Not important." She replied, "Where's your father right now?"

"His house? Maybe work? I couldn't tell you, I live with my mother." He shrugged.

She nodded before turning to leave the empty classroom. "Why do you want to know?" Her hand rested on the doorknob as she thought of an answer for the boy. How could she possibly tell him that her mission was to kill his father? She couldn't, "It doesn't concern you kid."

He nodded as though he knew what that meant, "Your Russian aren't you?" 

The boy was shocked at how still her face was, he couldn't read her cold face. "I work for the Russians, that's all I know." She spoke in a monotone voice.

"My dad made a deal with the Russians, that's why you're here right?" He asked as she stood there staring at him. "So where are you from?" He pressed.

"I told you, I just work for the Russians," She repeated getting slightly agitated. 

"Alright fine." The boy said raising his hands in surrender, "Do you at least have a name?" 

"Natasha," She states.

"Why don't you join me for lunch Natasha," He said warily putting his arm around her shoulder and leading her towards the door.

She shrugged, "Sure. I still have 6 hours to kill your father anyways." She uttered the sentence like it was nothing to her, 

Dylan's stifled a laugh as he slowly walked her through the halls to the cafeteria. All eyes were on her as the cafeteria doors swung open, "Why are they all staring?" She said moving her hand towards her waistband. 

Dylan's hand instantly went around her wrist causing her to smack his hand away, "Natasha you can't shoot them." He said sternly.

"Who said I was going to shoot them?"

"You were reaching for your gun?" He said with his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed. 

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you expect me to do? Just let them stare at me?"

"YES!" He said. "Now, let go get food."

The two sat down at a round table with their trays or food, in the middle of the cafeteria. 

"If they don't stop staring I swear I will bomb this place," She said biting into her apple.

"Your new, what do you expect them to be like." He spoke with his mouth still full.

"I'm not staying for long." She paused, "Just here for information."

He sighed, "About my dad.."

She nodded.

"Throughout my 17 years of existence, I've met him...twice?" He took another bite from his sandwich, "He's in the mafia, it wasn't hard to figure out. What do you want to know?"

She tried to feel sympathetic towards the boy but instead, she felt nothing, she wanted to apologise for dragging him into this but she couldn't, "I need to know if I'm walking into a war or a battle, if there'll be any potential threats if I go after him."

"He's at the Parallax Restaurant tonight with 13 of his top men, you kill those 13 and you shouldn't have a problem with the rest."

She nodded, "Should I ask how you know all this?"

He chuckled, "Hacked into his computer, I spy on him sometimes." 

"You can't tell anyone about this," she said glaring at him, "I'm supposed to kill you after I get the information."

"Why aren't you?" He said testing his luck.

"You co-operated." She simply said throwing her apple core 3 metres into the bin. "I don't want to kill you but if you try to stop me I will."

"Will I see you again?" He asked as she stood up from the table.

"I'm the last face your father will see before he dies, you won't want to see me again." She said before disappearing out the cafeteria doors.