Sunday, February 28, 2010

Angel of Death

Cole Lassiter/Nick walked slowly into the church with Carlos’ man hot on his trail. This job had turned out to be more than he expected; an impending feeling of doom loomed large since the day he started this assignment. Cole crossed himself and headed to the alter. He hadn’t set foot in a church since his mother’s funeral. He hadn’t felt the pain of her loss, of his parents in years; now it was just a dull ever present ache. He lit two candles and held the cross that hung around his neck. Cole was deeper undercover than he had ever been and if all was going as planned Jack was here at the church. He’d been stripped and searched more times than he could count. He wanted to laugh at the sight of Jack dressed like a priest but things were too serious for that. If they hadn’t taken his phone he’d have taken a picture for use at a later date. He found some small measure of comfort in Jack’s presence.
“Forgive me Father for I have sinned,” Nick said solemnly.
“From the looks of you my son that is an understatement. I see you have company.”
“I’m half expecting him to crawl in the shower with me. “That my son is a sin for another time,” Jack said smiling. He shoved a small piece of hardware between the confessionals. Nick took off his cowboy boot and it’s heel and slipped the device inside.
“It’s getting close now. Thank God for GPS. I’m meeting Carlos tomorrow. This one is calling for extreme measures. He’s well fortified and armed to the teeth.”
“We’ve got your back but be careful Nick.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling, Father.”
"You always do."

Carlos, Angel and three other men led Nick into a room off the garage. Blood stains splattered the walls and floor and it smelled like death. Nick steadied his breathing unsure what all this meant. This was a place of death and he wondered if it would be the place of his.
Nick/Cole turned to Carlos. “What the hell,” he asked.
“You’re reputation as a fighter precedes you. We want to see if it’s deserved.”
“I don’t fight for sport,” Nick said as he turned to leave the room.
“This isn’t a game Cole if you want to do business with me that’s the price.”
“I don’t want to do business with you that badly.”
Nick heard the sound of a pistol cock and spun back around to face him. “It’s too late for that, you’ve seen too much.” Things kept getting more and more bizarre with this lunatic.
“It’s simple two go in one comes out. You can take your chances in there,” he said motioning to the blood stained walls. “Or you can try and outrun my bullet. If you live we’ll talk.”
Nick nodded, he was screwed either way. Nick and one of the men with Carlos walked into the room. Carlos threw in the knife and closed the door behind him. The knife skidded across the floor and landed at the feet of the other man. He gave a jagged tooth smile as he took the knife from the floor. Nick readied himself for a charge, his opponent was large but slow and predictable. He trapped the man’s arm when he lunged and brought the man’s face down hard on his knee. The man howled and dropped the knife as blood poured from his nose. Nick picked up the knife and waited.
“Only one of you comes out alive. It’s your choice,” Carlos yelled.
The man looked at Nick with both rage and fear in his eyes. He charged again but was no match for Nick’s cat like agility. He snapped the man’s neck quickly and he slumped to the floor at Nick‘s feet. Nick was staring at the body when Carlos returned. Nick’s breathing was clam his mind focused. Kill or be killed was a concept he knew too well.
“That wasn’t much in the way of entertainment it was over so quickly.”
The two men took the body out of the room. Angel stepped from behind Carlos her face ashen.
“Are we doing business or what?” Nick said petulantly.
“The next one wont be so easy.”
“What the fuck. Does Ramos know what you’re doing?”
He pushed past Nick and walked into the room he was big and well built.
“Just to make it interesting.” He pushed the third man in and threw the knife back in.
The second man stepped forward and took the knife from Nick’s hand and gave it to Carlos. “Now this should be a show.” Carlos said, “I did it for you chica. I see how you look at him.” Angel turned away but Carlos grabbed her face and turned it towards the monitor. “He’s going to pay now and you’re going to pay later.” Angel shivered at his words. Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of this man dying because of her.
Nick wasn’t sure what the rules were in this ménage a trios. But he was determined to be the one who walked out of there alive. The larger man moved hard and fast like a street brawler. Nick needed to take him out first and it wasn’t going to be an easy task. The other man grabbed him from behind while the big man lunged. Nick’s body became fluid and he twisted out of the other mans grasp. The blade plunged into the belly of the man holding him but caught Nick in the side as well. The man screamed and crumpled to the floor moaning. Nick elbowed the other man in the face and twisted his arm behind his back. The man head butted Nick and knocked him off balance. “You’ll have to do better than that,” Nick said.
“Carlos don’t’ do this,” Angel pleaded. “I could never want anyone but you,”
“It’s my fault chica I turned you into a tigress in bed. I can’t blame you.”
Nick moved quickly as the man slashed at him with the knife. Nick did a round kick and connected with the man’s head. He flew into the wall dropping the knife.
“Son of a bitch,” Carlos yelled. “It’s like a Kung Fu movie. No” Carlos ran from the room. Angel stared at the man on the screen she wanted him now more than ever.
Nick got him in a choke hold and tightening his grasp.
“No,” Carlos yelled as he opened the door.
Nick squeezed harder until the man gasped and gurgled. Nick let go and the man twitched a few times when he hit the floor.
“Son of a bitch,” Carlos said running his hand through his hair. “How am I going to explain this to my cousin, You killed her husband.”
Nick stood panting sweat dripping down his face. His side burned like fire and his hand was red when he pulled it away from his side. Carlos pulled out a .357 from under his shirt and aimed it at Nick.
Angel whispered “No.” from the other room if anyone could have saved her from Carlos it was this man. Nick stared at the gun he’d been in Vice almost nine years and he’d beaten the odds many times. He saw Carlos’ finger twitched.
The sound was deafening Angel jumped back from the monitor waiting for the man to fall but he didn’t. She smiled, looked to heaven and said “Thank you.”
Nick closed his eyes and waited. The gun shots reverberated in the empty room and then silence. Nick swallowed hard and opened his eyes. Carlos stood in front of him smiling.
“Scared the shit out of you didn’t I.”
Nick grunted his reply. He felt like he was going to puke but fought the urge. He looked past Carlos and saw the young woman standing in the doorway smiling. She looked so young and innocent how did she end up with a bastard like Carlos.
“Angel,” he yelled. “Take care of him.” Angel moved to Nick’s side, he placed his arm around her. Angel led him to the guest house. He didn’t start limping until Carlos was out of sight. Showing weakness was like was like blood to a shark. Nick sat down at the table and winched when she removed his shirt.
“I’ll take care of it I’ve done it before. I‘ve got something for the pain.”
“No,” Nick said. “Just give me the bottle.” Nick motioned to the bottle of whiskey on the counter. She poured him a glass and dissolved some pain killers in it. Stitching him up was going to hurt and she remembered what Carlos had done to her when she had hurt him. Nick finished off the glass and she poured him another. Carlos came in and sat at the table with Nick and poured out some coke he snorted a couple lines then handed it to Nick. Nick did a line and washed it down with whiskey.
“No hard feelings,” Carlos said. “We have to be careful in a deal this big. I know no cop is as crazy as you, man.”
Nick just shook his head. “I think I’ve earned the right to meet Ramos.”
“We’ll see. It’s good shit you could cut it keep some for yourself no one would ever know.”
“I’ll test it tomorrow.” The buzz told Nick it was very pure.
Carlos stood and headed to the door. “My Angel will fix you up,” he said smiling. He pulled her aside. “ You do whatever that crazy son of a bitch wants. Understand?” Angel bit her lower lip and nodded. Nick’s head was swimming from the coke, whiskey and the pain killers. His adrenaline rush was fading fast. Angel brought a surgical kit over and soaked it all in alcohol. She sat down beside him at the table and examined the wound. “It’s not to bad But it’s going to hurt.” She had a light touch he barely felt the stitches until the last couple. Nick winced and Angel moved away quickly.
“I’m sorry,“ she said.
Nick grabbed her arm. “I wont hurt you. I’ll never hurt you,” he said.
Angel nodded and finished the stitches. “Take your jeans off I’ll wash them.”
Nick steadied himself on the table while Angel unzipped his pants. She stood there admiring his body, it was hard and muscled, not soft like Carlos. He rested his hands on her shoulders while he stepped out of the jeans. She wondered what he’d be like. Would he be rough and brutal or would his touch be soft as it was now.
“We need to get you to bed.” Nick stumbled and pulled her down on top of him. His eyes reminded her of hot chocolate deep and rich. She let her fingers twine in his chest hair she played with the cross around his neck. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s a Celtic cross.” It was the only thing left of his father. He never took it off.
“It’s brought me good luck.” She pulled herself up to kiss his lips. He wrapped his hand in her long strawberry blond hair and kissed her back, his body responded to her touch.
“No,” he said rolling her off him.
“Don’t you want me?” she asked. Her innocent blue eyes stared into his. He couldn’t remember wanting anyone more. It had been almost two years. He hadn’t made love since he broke off his engagement to take this assignment. He couldn’t leave her waiting and wondering when and if he’d come home. He wasn’t sure if he was going to make it out of this mess alive. Nick had never felt such overwhelming doom before. This one was so young probably twenty going on forty and she belonged to a man he couldn’t afford to piss off. She ran her hands over his body. Nick pushed it away struggling to stay awake and in control.
“Why Angel?” he whispered.
“Because when you’re with me you’ll think you died and went to heaven.” He smiled. She did look like an Angel