Let Love Guide You

(The Fear of Falling Apart)

When she wakes up, Calliope finds herself sprawled out on a big, luxurious L-shaped couch – Asmodeus's couch, if she remembers correctly. She scans the length of the beautiful living room and finds Asmodeus on the other side of it, pacing furiously. She doesn't think she's ever seen him so angry before. His face is contorted into what looks like a homicidal rage, appearing even more terrifying than she's ever seen.

'He looks like a psychopath,' she thinks.

Dread sets in when she realizes that eventually, he's going to try to kill her. She knows he can if he has a bronze dagger... That must be why she's at the LA mansion that leads to the demon realm.

Her head hurts badly, and when she feels her forehead, her hand comes away sticky with blood. Then, using a tremendous amount of effort, she dons a brave face and forces her aching muscles to push her body into a sitting position against the back of the couch.

She's looking down at her hands, absent-mindedly, when suddenly, there's a shadow looming over her. Asmodeus is there, staring at her. She can feel the intense anger radiating off of him. Though now that he's standing over her, looking down on her small, weak form, the anger is mixing with a kind of lust. To Calliope, it feels like the lust is winning. She's afraid and excited at the same time. Though, as much as she's always wanted one more night with him, this is not what she had in mind.

Asmodeus leans forward and places both hands on the back of the couch, one on each side of Calliope, trapping her in. He's leaning over her, his face inches from hers, staring at her fiercely, and he looks like he's searching her face for some kind of sign.

For a few moments, he doesn't move, and soon, even Lyn squirms under his gaze, becoming more and more uncomfortable. Ember, however, is getting angry inside, and finally decides to say something. When Calliope opens her mouth to speak, however, Asmodeus pounces on her like a predator, growling like a feral animal, and grabbing her by her tiny waist. He presses his lips to hers and squeezes her waist harder in his calloused hands when he hears her cry out. Her pitiable moaning sound is filled with surprise, pleasure, and a lot of pain.

His kisses are passionate and unyielding – clouding her mind. The only thing left is the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, his tongue playing along her bottom lip before forcing her lips open for him. As his tongue dances with hers, swirling around her mouth hungrily, she loses her senses completely. She can feel him letting his walls down, a tidal wave of emotion flowing out.

She gives in, losing herself in him and letting out a passionate moan that he swallows with his kiss. '…I missed this.' She hears his voice in her mind as he says it in his. She moans into him, desire coursing through her body. Her right hand is lying useless and broken in her lap, but she doesn't care. She takes her good hand and slides it to the back of Asmodeus's neck and up the shaved undercut on the back of his head. She grabs a fistful of his hair and pulls him on top of her.

Asmodeus notices her wince as his body presses against her broken hand. He pulls back, takes her bad hand, and gently holds it to the side as he lays her down on the couch. He kisses a line down her jaw to her neck. He relishes the sound she lets out – a needy, insistent moan. He finds himself staring at her luscious lips as she moans – her mouth staying open in that perfect 'O' shape.

Her lip quivers, inviting him to her, and he can't stop himself from pressing his lips to hers again. His left hand tightens around her hip, bruising her skin. His right hand tightens around the wrist of her broken hand, causing an involuntary tear to slide from her eye. He pushes his body closer to hers, driving her deeper into the couch cushions. His desire is controlling him now, taking over completely.

'…Just take her already!' the demon inside of him screams.

She feels him throb against her thighs and she lets out another moan before whispering in Asmodeus's ear, "Yes… Please… I've missed you."

He hoists her up effortlessly the second she says that. She wraps her legs around his waist and her arms weakly around his neck. She notices him pass by a few men she's never seen before – who avert their eyes – in the hallways. She starts to ask about them, wondering if they're new demons or cambions, but Asmodeus picks her up from his waist and throws her over his shoulder, causing her to come down in a harsh manner. She shuts her mouth, pulling her lips together in a thin line, not wanting to make a sound and piss him off now that she can feel that his mood has shifted. He starts walking to the stairs with her, his face determined. She knows what's about to happen and though she tries not to let it, her lip quivers. She can't tell whether it's because of her fear or her lust.

'It's not always fun being a creature made of pure lust."

She lets out a small, guttural moan as they reach the top of the stairs. Asmodeus chooses that moment to bounce, readjusting her over his shoulder. She comes down on his shoulder again, with a force equivalent to getting punched in the gut. She grunts from the pain, but accepts it.

"Oh, shut up," he says. His tone is cold and uncaring now, and she normally wouldn't challenge him, but this time, she does.

"Fuck you," she responds, whispering in his ear. He growls, brings his free hand up, and grabs her hair, pulling her head up. Her bad arm falls off his shoulder and down to her side, but she ignores it.

She lets out a quiet moan in his ear and he whispers a warning, "Do not… test me… right now. You're gonna get yourself killed, little girl."

"You're younger than me," she whispers back. Asmodeus simply sighs and slams her down over his shoulder, letting go of her hair.

That's when she notices all the demons in the mansion's hallway. 'They must have been here to watch the fight,' she thinks. Amadeo has to fight for going against Prince Asmodeus. If he wins, he gets to keep his life… and his position in the group. If he loses, he dies. Unless... 'Unless Asmodeus pardons him,' she thinks.

'But he won't.'

She takes note of how many demons there are lining the upstairs hallway, each standing outside their bedrooms. Some men are hanging out, staring solemnly at her broken hand hanging limp at her side, some are looking disgusted by Asmodeus, and others are looking at him like he's the greatest person they've ever met. There's two women that catch Calliope's eye and nod to their rooms, offering a hiding space. From all the looks, it doesn't appear everyone agrees with Asmodeus's rule... 'Some are looking at him like they're gonna kill him… some are sizing him up, and there's… Oh.' Calliope thinks, taking in the man coming their way. Asmodeus sets her on her feet beside him, pulling her close with his left arm wrapped around her waist.

"Come to claim your prize from your victory?!" the man yells to Asmodeus. He looks familiar. She recognizes him as Asmodeus's younger brother, Menoetius. He has blood on his hands and clothes, splattered over him… He must have been the one that Amadeo had to fight. "Oh, Calliope… I've always found you beautiful. It's a shame Asmodeus got to you first. I would've had so much fun with you…" His black eyes roam all over her body, and she can feel the psychopathic pleasure he gets when he looks at her broken hand, her cut and bloodied face, and her bruised and swollen throat…

It all makes her uncomfortable, and she starts to squirm. Desperately wanting to leave the situation, her eyes find the demon women, who now look horrified and shake their heads at her. They can't help – not while the psycho is near. Asmodeus wraps the arm holding her to him around her waist tighter, in a possessive way. His hand digs into her side. It hurts, and she realizes he's testing her. She looks up again to see Amadeo – he has a hellhound puppy on a leash, and the adorable hellpup is hyper. The runt must have been his prize from winning the fight. Amadeo resigns himself to holding it in his bloody arms, near his chest. He looks over his shoulder at Calliope and she can tell from the severity of his wounds that he had to have been jumped – not given a fair fight – but at least he's not dead.

'I guess he won.'

"You must be going soft, brother. Maybe her beauty is getting to you? If you give her to me, I can promise you…" Menoetius says with a psychotic grin. "She won't look so beautiful when I'm done. I can see her trying to act tough, but it didn't take me long to break her the last time I had my hands on her. Come, brother. Let's see if she'll hold out longer this time."

Asmodeus's words come out quietly, although there's a deep, seething hatred in his tone. "Shut… the fuck… up." His tone causes Calliope to jerk from fear. Asmodeus stiffens and she feels the anger in him grow as she buries her face in his side, scared. He needs to seem in control around his brother. He lets a guttural, animalistic growl rumble down her ear, tightening his arm around her body even more, until her chest is pressed so tightly against his side that she can barely breathe. His free hand comes over to grip the back of her thigh, digging his nails into it. Calliope's trying to focus on her breathing, not the pain or Menoetius's psychotic joy at seeing Asmodeus direct his anger at her.

She squirms against his hand when she's no longer able to ignore how uncomfortable she is. He immediately responds by pressing his nails into her side and through her dress. He pushes the nails in as hard as he can, enough for the marks he's made to start bleeding. Then she feels his hand on the back of her thigh do the same, puncturing her soft, rosy skin deeply. An unexpected jolt of pleasure courses through her as blood starts flowing freely down her thigh from the punctures.

She tries so hard to keep her breathing steady, not wanting to make Asmodeus seem like he isn't in control in front of his psychotic brother. But her lips quiver and she can't stop the small moan from escaping them. Asmodeus takes in a sharp breath at the sound, and she can feel his lust stir underneath the anger.

Without warning, Menoetius snatches Calliope away by her arm, causing deep scratches where Asmodeus had been holding her, blood running down each one. Menoetius holds her arm so tightly above the elbow that it starts bruising a deep purple color. She tries to pull away, but he tightens his hold on her and she winces in pain. He takes his free hand, puts a finger under her chin, and lifts her face to meet his.

For the first time, she notices how much he looks like his older brother. He's handsome, with flawless tan skin and chiseled features like a god. The main difference in appearance is that Asmodeus has unnaturally blue eyes and Menoetius has deep brown eyes – almost black.

"Ah, there it is… the fear in your eyes. Oh, how I've missed that look. I wonder how long it would take for me to make you go from begging for me to stop… to begging for death." His hand goes from her chin to her throat, then starts to roam lower. With one fingernail, he starts to slice a line down the part of her chest that the dress leaves exposed. Calliope lets her lip curl up in pain, but refuses to make a noise, meeting his eyes with a defiant stare. "Curious… I thought you'd be shaking with fear already. Oh, this should be fun. Let's find out if it will be." His hand slides down from the middle of her chest to her right hip. He grabs it and pulls her into him. His other hand releases her arm to grab the back of her neck, twisting his fingers in her hair and pulling it roughly. Menoetius has never felt this attracted to a woman before, and he's certainly never had any woman defy him as much as she has. It infuriates him, but what infuriates him more is that his weakling brother – the man who's supposed to be their prince – won't allow him to take her and break her spirit. He won't allow him to show the little bitch that she's not the one in charge around here.

Asmodeus may claim to want to do it himself, but Menoetius knows that his brother is too weak to her siren charms. He let the little bitch seduce him. If Menoetius could just have his fun with her, maybe Asmodeus would harden into a real leader. And if not, maybe Menoetius should be the one leading.

"You want fun?" Calliope asks, her voice sounding silky and seductive. "Let me show you fun." She lifts her good hand to his face, cupping his cheek. He eyes her, giving her a suspicious look, though she can feel him leaning into her touch regardless. She smiles at him invitingly and watches as his eyes look down at her lips and then back up to her eyes. He smirks and leans into her lips, kissing her deeply… and she pulls back, headbutting him in his nose, breaking it! Menoetius stumbles toward the wall, hands flying up to his nose. A few demons step forward to help him while the female demons, Amadeo, and a few others try not to laugh.

Asmodeus grabs Calliope and throws her over his shoulder, turns away from his brother, stomps into his room – the enormous, extravagant master bedroom – and slams the door behind him, throwing her down in the center of the room!

Calliope lets out a panic-stricken gasp, and she instinctively protects her head, preparing for the harsh impact. To her astonishment, however, she lands on his soft, comfortable bed, bouncing back up a bit when she lands. She takes a moment to gaze out at his room. She's always loved the giant, lavish four post bed in the center of the room, sitting on a raised platform. Half his room has been turned into a sort of study with bookshelves, a computer desk, and a mountain of paperwork. This is probably used for bookkeeping and reviewing their contracts. The other half has a mini bar full of expensive alcohol, a giant tv, and an extravagant gaming setup that looks like it doesn't get much use anymore.

Was he just playing with her from the beginning? Why bother laying her on the bed if he's just planning on hurting her? She takes in the feeling of the giant, soft comforter, pulling on the edges of the dark fabric and enjoying the way it caresses her exposed skin, which she just realizes is very cold with nothing but the bloodied dress from the night before covering her. She smiles a bit, then closes her lips, attempting to mask the pleasant moan rumbling quietly in her throat.

Asmodeus's head snaps around to look at her when he hears it. Sitting on the edge of his bed next to Calliope with his body facing away from her, he turns his head away from the sight of her mostly-exposed body and hangs it in a slight bow, looking exhausted.

'Heavy is the head that wears the crown. It must be hard to have to pretend to be so cruel all the time. But he has to prove he deserves his position.'

Calliope cautiously opens her mind to Asmodeus's emotions, feeling the anger and lust fighting for control in his mind. As if he knows she's there, he slides backwards, his hands lingering close to Calliope's bruised bare arm, just an inch away, his head laying near her. "What did you do to me…?" he asks, his emotions surging as he looks up at her with dark, sad eyes. "And why did you have to piss off my brother? He's still angry at you and me both because he didn't get to have you last time."

"Asmodeus… What do you mean? I don't know what I've done to you. I thought maybe I was making you more cold… but after the way we were together earlier… and how you saved me from your brother… You were so gentle…" Calliope trails off, trying to pick her words carefully, not wanting to start another fight. She opens her mind up to him, and allows him to understand by showing him the emotions that she's going through. She keeps her mind open enough for him to know where each emotion is coming from – a small amount of fear from his rage, comfort from the softness of the bed, and a sliver of sadness for her brother, who Asmodeus dragged into the demon realm – all because her brother didn't approve of him. Then, looking at his brooding expression and his arm muscles, which flex in response to her emotions, she feels the way she's longing for him. It's the same way a captive animal would be longing to run on the grass and through the trees.

She feels a deep sadness in him followed by shock when he learns that she's still into him and that it wasn't just the heat of the moment that had her going for him earlier. Calliope feels the need to have him surge forward. Heat rises in her and it leaves her scrambling to close off her mind. Though she can't just stop feeling it, so she bites her lip hard, accidentally drawing blood, and looks away from him as her cheeks flush with embarrassment. And then she feels annoyed with herself because why should she feel embarrassed?

Asmodeus scoots close to her until they're laying side-by-side, but he doesn't break the uncomfortable silence. He grabs her good hand next to him, just holding it in his as he stares at the ceiling.

After a long, uncomfortable silence... when she can't stand it anymore… She hears a voice inside her head, but it's not hers, Ember's, or Lyn's… it belongs to Asmodeus. He sends her this thought, sounding nervous, even inside their minds. 'I've missed you… so much…'

Calliope turns on her side to face Asmodeus, admiring his chiseled jaw, the way he looks like he was painted on a canvas by the gods themselves. "I've missed you, too. More than you can imagine," she whispers in his ear. Painfully, she pulls up her broken hand and drapes her arm around his waist, nuzzling her face into his neck and kissing him there.

Asmodeus puts one hand gently on her arm, running his hand slowly up and down her peachy skin, making her shiver as if electricity is running through her, energizing her rather than hurting her. "I'm so sorry… about your hand," he chokes out, as if it's hard for him to say. "And for letting Menoetius hurt you before I stepped in." He then slides his other arm under her so that her head is resting on his chest.

She plants a gentle kiss on his lips. "Hey, it's fine, 'Deus. I'm just shocked I haven't started healing yet. That's not normal. I don't know what's wrong with me."

He brushes his fingers along her cheek, careful not to touch the nasty cut across it. "I really shouldn't still care about you, Calli…" he whispers, his voice sounding pained. "I'm supposed to want you dead for interfering with all of our business over here…"

"I understand, Asmodeus. And I'm not going to fight you, or run away… I just don't have it in me anymore. So I'm gonna resign myself to wherever you'd like me to, and I will await your punishment."

"Hell… if you were anyone else I'd just fucking kill you for ever getting involved! …Yet every single time someone asks me what I want to do with you, or asks me if I'm looking forward to killing you… All I can think… is that if you're dead, I'll never get to see you again…"

He carefully removes himself from her arms, and sits on the edge of the bed once again.

It's silent for a few minutes, Calliope's breath coming out shaky. She's terrified of saying the wrong thing. "It's okay, 'Deus... But what are you going to do with me? Are you going to deny what you want from me or can we just agree that…" she sits up and reaches out, taking his hand with her good hand.

But this time he jerks out of her touch immediately, pulling his hand upwards and back, then slams it down, delivering a vicious backhand slap as hard as he can across her face. Calliope cries out in pain, her tears falling and blood flowing out from between her lips.

'What happened? What did I do wrong this time? Please, whatever it was, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry,' she cries, telepathically sending her thoughts to him. Her face stings from the slap, her tears fall, and her ears ring, making it difficult to hear.

When her words fill his mind, he angrily punches himself in the temple before turning his vengeful gaze on her. His eyes are black and when he speaks, the voice is no longer his, and she realizes that her Asmodeus is not there at the moment. "How dare you?!" the deep, ethereal voice shrieks. "Stay out of my head, puta! Don't ever fucking touch me! I only touched you because I needed a release. That's all you are to me. Don't presume to know me," The words come out of Asmodeus's mouth as he walks toward her. As he raises his fist up at her, she has to remind herself it's not really him – it's the demon.

His demon half can come out on its own sometimes – usually when Asmodeus is feeling conflicted. Essentially, it's the supernatural equivalent of having a split personality.

"I'm sorry, Asmodeus, I truly didn't mean to mess with your head. I wish I could fix it, but I can't, so… I understand. Do whatever you need to," she looks him in the eye as she says this, hoping her Asmodeus is watching inside… then his fist comes crashing into her jaw, sending her flying off the bed and into the wall.

She pulls herself up with a grunt and looks up at Asmodeus's handsome face. He's angry, worse than she's ever seen. He's hurting on the inside, and it makes him want to hurt her. He wants her to understand how he feels.

His face softens for a second when he looks down at her. All the demon can think about is how beautiful she is lying in front of him broken and beaten like this, exactly what he's always wanted. He knew he'd get her to break eventually, and looking at her now with those bruises all over her amazing body, the blood all over her, and his handprint already making a giant red and purple bruise on that gorgeous face of hers…

"Asmodeus, I know that you're… conflicted. And I know you're hurting… I'm sorry. Maybe I did that to you, caused that pain... So if you need to hurt me more, it's okay… You can. I won't pretend I'm not terrified, but I'm done fighting you. Everything will be okay." Blood comes out of her mouth and she has a hard time breathing, yet she's only thinking of him… of what he needs and wants…

'She really loves me… doesn't she?' he thinks.

The demon answers, 'No! She only loves the human part! She could never accept both of us, and you know it! She'd never accept you for who you are!'

"Fuck you!" He yells out loud to his demon, once again punching himself in the side of his head.

Calliope watches, horrified, as he wages war on himself… She's still sitting against the wall, afraid to make a noise or move and upset the demon again.

But he rounds on her anyway, furious at her for causing all these emotions. "I don't need your permission!" The demon voice yells out, the sound deep and penetrating, reverberating in her mind as she sits there shaking with fear. She's never been scared of Asmodeus – not like this. "I'm the Prince of Demons! I don't need anything from you! Don't you get it? I was using you the whole time we were together, tu puta perra ingenua! I was using you so I could break you! All while I was there with you, kissing you, taking you on romantic dates, and fucking you, seeming to be the perfect boyfriend. Did you honestly think it was a coincidence that all your friends dropped you? Or that they just disappeared without any trace? Even your brother? Though, you at least figured out what happened to him eventually. After all that, I was planning to lead you on a bit more… I was thing to give you the time of your life, the best memories you could ask for, and ride you harder than you've ever been ridden before. Then right when you thought you were fine, I was going to tell you everything just to see the look on your face when you realized that you had not only been fucking the enemy, but that by doing so, you allowed me complete access to do all of that. Pobre, inocente, confiando…" The demon voice starts to sound strained, and Asmodeus's sorrow-filled voice comes out. "Hermosa…" Then the demon takes control again. "¡Increíblemente estúpida pequeña perra!" He spits the last few words at Calliope, causing her to flinch and press her body into the wall…

When he steps toward her, saying, "I should have just given you over to Menoetius. At least he would have some fun with you… and even more fun with this part. But I'm just doing what needs to be done," she cowers, putting her face down into her knees because she's too afraid to look at him. Whether she looks at him or not makes no difference to him. He starts beating her, hitting her over and over… and she's terrified that if she looks up and meets his eyes… he'll try to kill her. That's when she realizes that he's going to try to kill her anyway, which isn't something she would normally be worried about, but she is terrified of it now that she realized she isn't healing…

He pulls out a bronze dagger and she understands now. She hasn't been healing because he's had it on him since he's been hurting her.

After a moment of hesitation and getting brutally beat, Calliope decides, 'Fuck it. I'm a literal siren! I can do this! Ember… Lyn… blood of fire and thunder… Please give me strength.'

She hesitates another moment, debating, but when he punches her again, she finally gets enough nerve to stand up, staring right at him. His eyes are still dark, but he stops hitting her and his eyes start to lighten, searing down on her with an intense hunger written all over his face.

She doesn't know if she can even help him, but she knows she needs to try because if she doesn't, he's going to kill her.

Sighing, she holds her good hand out to him and maintains eye contact, trying not to show her fear.

"Let me help you 'Deus… please."

Finally, after a few agonizing minutes, Asmodeus takes Calliope's hand gently, as if he doesn't even know how to interact with her anymore. He lowers the dagger before putting it away, then he quickly and quietly guides Calliope out of the mansion, talking mostly to himself as they sneak through hallways and hide behind furniture so the other demons don't see them. "Ella nunca te va a perdonar. No volverá a confiar en ti."

They finally make it to the garage, where his motorcycle is, and he hands Calliope a helmet before putting the second one on himself. "I'd hate for you to survive all this just to die in an auto accident."

Calliope laughs. "Unless the road is a mortal resisting my song or that dagger of yours, I think I'll survive. Even if I'm not healing right now."

"You got hurt pretty badly tonight. I… I thought I was going to kill you."

"Honestly… I thought so, too." They hop on his motorcycle. Calliope hangs on tightly with her one good hand, gritting her teeth against the pain in her elbow, while her other hand is tucked protectively in her lap. Asmodeus drops Calliope off at her apartment while he goes to get things ready for them. He may not have a plan yet, but he knows he isn't going to leave Calli tonight. He's going to stick around to take care of her.

"Nagaveni!" Calliope yells, then runs up and hugs her fiercely. Nagaveni tends to Calliope's wounds, and as she does, Calliope explains exactly what happened to her since the opening of Tartarus, from Dysnomi knowing the truth to Asmodeus losing himself to the demon and how she brought him back. "…Anyway, past tonight, I honestly have no idea what to do next."

Nagaveni is pacing now, thinking… "Oh! Call Salem! She's gotta have a few things you can use, right?"

"Nini, you are a beautiful genius!" Calliope jumps off her bed and calls Salem immediately. A hulking black figure comes into her room then, ruby-red eyes shining with excitement, but too scared to get close. Calliope sits back down and pats her bed. Nanook whines and puts her head down, then carefully climbs up and lays next to her.

Calliope sits there petting Nanook until Salem comes barging in, her pale-white skin looking flushed, making her freckles and her long, fiery-red, wildly curly Scottish hair look brighter, especially against her black leather jacket and the rest of her punk clothes. "I brought everything I had on hand that might help!" she says in a rush. "You've got a Blade of Light from Dysnomi, right? Well, this-" she pulls out a dark, reddish-black dagger. "This one is the Hell's Scream. Complete opposite. And this here," she says, pulling out a stainless steel chain with an amulet on it. It almost looks like Nagaveni's Serpent Tamer but it has a heart on it instead, with rubies outlining it. "Is the Amulet of Lust. You need it, it sounds like. It'll direct some of your powers when you need it to, so maybe you won't end up in situations quite so dangerous…" The last thing she pulls out is a plain, gold ring with some elvish inscription on the back. "This is the Hand of Restoration. Put it on, you need it now."

Calliope slips it on, and immediately, her smaller wounds start healing. "Thank you, Salem. You've never let me down," Calliope says, then she hugs the woman.

"Anything for my favorite customer. And hey – these are on me. You just worry about finding whoever's decided to fuck with your life. Good luck, Calli."

Asmodeus comes back with supplies – and flowers – as Salem leaves. He eyes Salem suspiciously, and she just grins and gives him a two-finger salute before ducking out the door.

"You're so sweet," Calliope says when he gives her the flowers.

"I just have a lot to apologize for… I don't deserve you in my life," he says quietly, looking at the ground.

Calliope laughs and touches his cheek. "Maybe not… but I want you in my life. All parts of you... asshole demon included, assuming he can learn to use his words now and then."

"Well... He's gonna try... but I've gotta admit something to you... Someone left me a message telling me where you were going to be. The message said a lot of things about you, saying you were laughing at me… that you thought I was a joke. It fucked with my head. With the demon and Menoetius whispering in my ear, I acted on my anger. I swear, I didn't randomly decide after three years to find you and assault you. Amadeo tried to reason with me. He tried to tell me that letting you leave me back then – when you found out what I'd done to your brother – didn't make me look weak. He tried to tell me I could still be a good leader to the demons if I let you live," Asmodeus says, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to Amadeo, however. But someone wants you dead… or at least severely hurt. We need to find out who… and why."