Bodyguard

2009

2009
New Orleans, Louisiana

"Cugino, dove hai preso questo bambina?" The man exclaimed. The job had gone wrong, and sure enough, they would pay for it too.

(Cousin, where did you get this child?)

They had simple orders; get in and get out unnoticed. It was a routine job, but for some reason, everything had fallen through. The Haitians decided last minute that they wanted an additional ten million, upfront, on top of their initial deal.

The duo were blindsided by this, and soon found themselves surrounded and outnumbered by their business partners.

Thus, they were left to renegotiate with their weaponry. "Mi ha visto con la pistola. The Don said no witnesses."

(She saw me with the gun.)

"Put her in the back, we'll handle this later."

—

Present Day
New Orleans, Louisiana

A few more weeks had gone by before Dove felt truly ready to meet her parents. Knowing they were just mere blocks away made it harder for her to stay away. The weight of the wait was getting to her.

So, after much encouragement on Devon's end and his promised presence beside her, today, Dove was going to visit her childhood home.

The walk over was quite lovely. Devon mentioned that they'd done it a million times before. Going back and forth to visit one another was their daily routine growing up.

"Do you think we should have called first?"
She asked nervously. That would have been the respectful thing to do, right?

But, in that case, what would be a proper explanation? Perhaps that your missing daughter of several years is home now, surprise? "Dove, I promise it'll be alright. Take in a deep breath, and relax for me, okay?"

With his reassurance, she felt a bit better. Overall, she was just happy to have a family waiting for her.

However, there was something else on her mind. Dove was unsure how to approach the mystery of her disappearance. Maybe reuniting will help bring the puzzle pieces together.

The two had arrived at a grandeur, classic Southern style home. Dove was in awe, taking in the corinthian pillars surrounding the large, white house.

Out of nowhere, two full sized dobermans came barreling towards them.

"Argo! Zephyr!"

The dobermans were incredibly excited to see Devon, as their tails wagged, and drool lapped down their tongues. "Such good boys," they nuzzled into Devon's arms as he reached down to pet them.

"Dove, meet your parents' dogs, Argo and Zephyr." He pointed out who was who as he introduced them to her. Argo had a striking red-ish, chocolate brown coat, while his brother Zephyr was characterized by his shiny dark, midnight one. They were stunning.

With her hand held out, Argo had approached first, and Zephyr circled her. Eventually, sensing her calm and gentle spirit, they too began to nuzzle into her and show their friendly side.

"They're such sweethearts!" Dove began to pet both dogs as they jumped onto her, unable to contain their excitement at her presence. "I'm sure the mailman would beg to differ." Argo and Zephyr were highly-trained guard dogs, Devon couldn't help but chuckle to himself at their behavior.

"Ar, Zeph, come on, let's head back to the house," and with that Devon led them up the driveway and towards the double, oak doors at the front of the house.