Chapter Seven

 

The following morning, after a wonderfully steamy, shared shower and a bit of breakfast, Maia admitted that she would have to head down to the practice space in order to speak with her producer and stage manager. A phone call wasn’t going to cut it and she knew there would be an argument on her hands with it anyway. Ignacio insisted he come with her, determined to keep her safe no matter what. As he finished his breakfast, she went to the living room window to check on the truck…and what she saw made her stomach drop.

“Ignacio…. we might have a problem,” she said, her eyes never leaving what they saw out the window.

“What’s wrong?” He said, coming to stand beside her.

“It looks like we might have some company,” she said mournfully, pointing towards the truck.

Johnathan’s truck, beat up and blue in the parking lot, was being looked over by two men in black suits. They seemed to be checking out the registration as they talked to one another and looked around. Maia gave Ignacio a look, she felt sick to her stomach. But he had such confidence in her that the look he gave her in response helped to steel her nerves.

“I think we’ll have to find another way to get around…” Maia said, though she had no idea what they were going to do.

They went about the apartment packing up everything that they would need for an extended trip. They had no idea where they would end up going after Maia took care of business, but coming back to the apartment wasn’t going to be an option. With a backpack each, they left Maia’s apartment…possibly for the last time. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Maia caught sight of a familiar face and smiled.

“Maia!” Celia called as she saw them. “Girl, I was starting to get worried about you! Who’s your friend there?”

“I’m just fine, Celia,” Maia said with a smile before gesturing to Ignacio. “This is Ignacio. Ignacio, this is Celia.”

“Nice to meet you, Ma’am,” Ignacio said with a smile and a nod of his head.

“Ooo. He’s a cute one. Good catch, girl,” Celia said with a grin and a wink towards Maia. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, young man. Where are you two off to in such a rush? Seems pretty important by the looks on those faces”

“Ahh… well, we have to take an unexpected trip for a few days,” Maia said, trying to explain without telling her things she didn’t need to know. “Tricky part is my car is…in the shop and Ignacio doesn’t have one…”

“Oh honey, take mine!” Celia said, fishing into the pocket of her robe for her keys. She fiddled with them to pull her house key from it. “I never go anywhere, so what do I need it for?”

“Celia, no… we couldn’t,” Maia said, glancing to Ignacio. He understood. Too many friends had helped them and they felt guilty accepting more.

“Too late,” the woman said, tossing Maia the keys. “Just leave them in my mailbox when you’re done with it. Oh! And replace the gas you use, sweetheart. That stuff is expensive these days.”

Maia caught the keys, looking to Celia with a smirk before she just shook her head and smiled at the woman. She knew better than to argue with her at this point. She had seen her carry on with that damned cat for hours at a time.

“Thanks, Celia,” she said. “I promise I won’t crash it up too bad.”

“You better not! Now get goin’!” Celia said, waving them off before settling back down into her lawn chair.

They hit the road heading to the dance studio where Maia knew the producer and stage manager would be. Practice would have just been letting out, so she knew they would be there for a while. Parking the car, she asked Ignacio to stay outside and keep an eye out. No sense risking some weird government ambush while they were both inside. Besides, she wasn’t too keen on involving her dance troupe or her bosses in this mess of theirs.

The moment she walked through the front doors, she was cringing. Both Damien, the producer, and Felix the stage manager were standing near the front reception desk chatting. When Damien saw her, the look he shot was enough to make her feel about two inches tall.

“Well, well! Wilson, good to see you!” He piped, his tone dripping in sarcasm. “I was wondering if you were ever going to grace us with your presence again.”

“I’m sorry, Damien,” she said, making a point to watch both her words and her tone. She knew she was already on thin enough ice. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but I didn’t mean to ghost on you. There’s a damn good reason I’ve been MIA the past week.”

“Save it. Whatever it is I don’t want to hear it,” he said, brushing off her apology. “We’ve been scrambling trying to find someone who can replace you and it’s really left us screwed.”

“You don’t need to replace me, Damien!” She interrupted. “You know damn well I have these routines down better than anyone else. Even after a week away, I still remember every count.”

Felix scoffed, which was one of the only sounds he knew how to make. Maia just shot him a look before calling him out on his snide nonsense.

“Come on. Be my spotter for the 3^rd number and I’ll prove it,” she said, goading him with a smirk.

She knew damn well Felix knew the number. He had helped with almost all of the choreography for this show. She was tired of his constantly smug attitude and his infuriating way of making people feel like crap for no reason. Kicking off her sneakers, she coaxed him out with a finger before taking the first position.

“I’ll even do it with no music, just to prove my point,” she said, tossing a bit of attitude at them.

Felix just rolled his eyes and came to join her, clearing his throat as he took his position with one eyebrow cocked in bemusement. Maia began the count to get them both on beat and then kicked it off.

Her movements were fluid, perfect and on point to a level that had both Damien and Felix a little more than impressed. Damien watched them as Felix and Maia danced, his arms folded across his chest in a stance of dominance even as his face softened with a hint of admiration. Maia was good, there was no denying it. The way her body moved with such synchronicity with her partner, how she kept her rhythm even with nothing but the sound of their feet against the floor to help keep time. Not a single move was missed, not a beat skipped as they came to the final position of the number. Her eyes drilled into Damien a moment as she held that position, catching her breath before dropping herself back into a casual mode to saunter back over towards him. At first, she said nothing. Only looking at him.

“Well?” She asked, one brow arched at him as she came to a stop and folded her own arms across her chest.

“Fine,” he said, relenting as he dropped his arms to his sides. “You’ve proved your point. Just make sure your ass is here on time, not a minute late, for tomorrow’s opening night. If you step out of bounds even by a pinkie toe, you’re out.”

“Understood,” she said, glancing to Felix who just gave her possibly the closest thing to an impressed look his face could manage before disappearing off into the locker rooms. “Thank you, both. I won’t disappoint you, I promise.”

She glanced to Damien once more who only nodded his head before waving her off. Trying to hide her proud smile, she slipped back into her sneakers and took off back outside into the blinding heat of the Vegas sun. Ignacio was waiting for her in the still-running car. His warm smile and the cold kiss of the AC were like heaven as she plopped down into the driver seat beside him.

“So, how did it go?” He asked, though the smile on her face answered his question.

“I’ve still got it. Those two drama llamas knew they couldn’t pull this off without me.” She beamed, maybe tooting her own horn a bit. “At least not so close to showtime. They aren’t that stupid.”

She laughed, which caused Ignacio to smile. He was never happier than when he got to see her smile and laugh. She was so beautiful it made his heart ache. Not able to help himself, he leaned across the center console and planted a little kiss against her smiling cheek. The result was more smiles and a little giggle from her.

“Where to, then?” He asked, mainly because he was pretty sure they shouldn’t head back to her apartment. They had, after all, packed themselves bags when they left in Celia’s car.

“Good question,” she answered, taking a moment to think as she glanced around outside the car. “Well, we need a place to stay…” She pondered to herself as she dug into a pocket on her backpack to produce her wallet. Opening it, she thumbed through a few bills. “I’ve got enough to cover a motel for the night, so it looks like we won’t have to slum it too hard.”

She flashed him a smile, feeling far more upbeat and hopeful than she had in almost a solid week now. The fact that no one had come looking for her here at the studio was a relief. Add on to that the fact that she was still going to be able to dance…and she was on cloud nine. Or at least as close to it as she was going to get right now.

Pulling out of the parking lot, the two lovebirds went on a mini adventure to find a decent-enough motel somewhere not far from the Circus Circus venue. Someplace they could feel safe for the night, catch some sleep and give Maia a chance to prepare for her show. Along the way, Maia played tour guide and pointed out the various hotels, casinos, and performance venues that passed by them.

They got lucky, finding a Travelodge Motel almost directly across from Circus Circus. The cost for a single night was less than 50 bucks, which surprised Maia, but they got themselves a room and hauled in their things to get settled. Maia made a point to park Celia’s car towards the opposite end of the parking lot just to be safe. Should anyone find them, at least they would have a better chance at seeing them coming.

When they finally got settled in, it was almost dinner time, so Maia took the opportunity to introduce Ignacio to take-out.  Pizza was too basic and she didn’t think Chinese had enough pizazz to commemorate his first time. She settled on Thai food. It was fun, it was delicious, and she thought he might appreciate the level of spicy it usually had to it.

They had a brief moment of calm as they enjoyed their dinner and one another’s company. Eventually, their quiet little evening returned to reality and the truth of their situation flattened any high and happy moment they might have been having.

“You should rest, Maia. You have a busy day tomorrow,” he said, reminding her of her pre-show jitters. “I’ll keep watch for a while so you can sleep without worry.”      

Just like that, her pre-show jitters didn’t seem like such a big issue. They had people trying to track them down who would probably snatch them right up without a trace and leave them as missing persons statistics. Maia sighed, frowning at the thought of it all. But Ignacio was right, she did need to rest.

“Yea, I suppose you’re right,” she agreed, her eyes meeting his with a faint smile. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He just smiled at her, going so far as to tuck her in and rub her back for a while until she managed to slip off to sleep. It was a sleep she desperately needed. A sleep where she knew she was being watched over and kept safe, even if the threat still loomed.

When she woke the next morning, she found Ignacio curled up beside her. She chose to just lay with him a while before ruining the moment of peace with the chaos of getting ready for a show.

Once they were packed back up and ready, they made the joint decision to leave Celia’s car in the motel parking lot and walk down to Circus Circus. It was a short walk, but even in mid-morning the heat in Vegas was intense. When they made it through the front doors of the casino, the air conditioning was more than welcome, the cool air kissing their warm skin. The frontal assault on their senses didn’t end there, however.

Circus Circus was an intense experience to be had. The circus theme ran deep in every fiber of the place from the décor to the fact that a full-blown carnival existed within the building. They cruised down the fairway, taking a note from every crime moving and hiding out in plain sight. Circus Circus was bustling, and they blended right in. They killed a few hours before the show was scheduled to go on, each moment that passed leaving Maia feeling more and more anxious.

When it came time for them to part ways before the show, Maia felt herself unable to leave Ignacio’s side. The past few days had left her gun-shy about being away from him. Something deep in the pit of her stomach told her that if she left his side, she might never see him again and that was something she was not willing to gamble on.

“I don’t feel good about leaving you here, Ignacio. What if something happens,” she said, realizing just how paranoid she sounded. Even it if was totally warranted.

“Everything will be fine, Maia. I promise,” he said.  “I’ll find somewhere close to the stage to watch. You’re going to be amazing.”

He gripped her shoulders, those amber eyes of his taking her in as he smiled. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss to her forehead and then brought his own down to rest against hers. She closed her eyes, trying to close out the chaos of everything that had been happening even for just a moment. She felt his lips brush against hers and she leaned forward into his kiss. It was short, but oh so sweet. She opened her eyes again to see his smile and a slight sense of calm washed over her.

“Thank you.” She wanted to say so much more, but her voice caught in her throat and she just smiled.

With one last peck to his cheek, she took off to join the rest of her troupe to get dressed and ready. The process took roughly an hour before the call for the audience to assemble was given. Ignacio did just as he had promised and managed to sneak in alongside the stage where he could see her the best. When the lights went down, and the music began, all eyes were on the show.

Maia was one of many dancers throughout the exhilarating and awe-inspiring show that was a Cirque du Soleil performance. Throughout the hour long show, Maia danced in a number of routines. Each time she graced the stage, Ignacio was overcome with emotion. She moved like water, so calm and certain of herself. She was beautiful and all others around her melted away into the background. His heart swelled as she danced, and he realized just how much he cared for her. He loved her.

As the final number swelled and drew to a close, they were both beaming. Maia from the rush of a performance well-done and Ignacio from the joy of seeing the woman he loved doing what brought her joy. The number came to a strong finish and the audience erupted into applause, rising to their feet in ovation of the performance. In that moment of exhilaration, Maia and Ignacio’s world came crashing down.

Neither of them saw it coming until it was too late. One moment Ignacio was standing there, roaring in applause with the rest of the audience, his eyes locked on Maia as she took her final bow with grace, and the next he felt a sharp prick in his neck before the world went dark around him.

Maia, for her part, witnessed it as her lover was ambushed by three men in dark suits. They came at him from behind, one hitting him in the neck with a syringe while the other two hooked Ignacio under the arms and began to cart him away. Maia stood there in shock for a moment until everything burst inside of her all at once.

“No! Ignacio!” She screamed, though it was drowned out by the crowd as they continued their applause.

As they began to drag him off, she left the stage, racing to follow after them. She refused to let Ignacio be taken from her and as she fought against the flow of people in the audience she called out his name. It was all such a blur that she didn’t realize everything that was going on around her, but in the end…she did most of their work for them.

Even in her show costume, it seemed no one much cared about a dancer running through the casino after a man, who looked to be knock-out drunk, being carted out by what could have easily been security. What happened next was so swift and unexpected that Maia was unsure of what was going on until it had all already happened.

As they reached the front doors of the casino, two more men came up behind her and took her arms. She began to fight against them but suddenly she found her hands cuffed behind her back. Out into the blazing heat they took her, carting her towards a van while their companions continued to drag Ignacio towards another.

They tossed her in the back of the van, closing the doors to leave her cuffed and alone on the cold steel floor of the cargo bay. There was no window in the cab and no light filtered through into her new prison. In the dark, she struggled against her bonds, screaming out Ignacio’s name as tears streamed down her face. What would they do to him…what would they do to her…