GUARDIAN

[ C H A P T E R S E V E N ]

Marshall Durham a stern looking forty six year old White Man man swallowed hard as he watched the tattooed six foot eight bare chested, mountain of a man place a SIG on his forehead, he felt cold sweat break out on his brow.

"Pl--please I'll pay you Castro just give me more time " he pleaded scared for his life. The man before him was someone he shouldn't had messed with but then his greed had led him into the Devil's den.

"Shut up bastardo, I've had enough of your s**t Durham, you either pay up or I'll f**k you up so badly you'd wish you died the day you was born" Castro Hernando snarled. A con man and a gambler, Durham had messed with the wrong guys; the Italian syndicate in Sully.

He owed Castro half a million dollars (from gambling) and had only paid three hundred and eighty thousand. Castro had given him a week to come up with his balance and problem was he had lost all his cash gambling the previous night.

"Gimme more time Castro, I'll come up with more I prom..." Marshall started to say but fell to the ground as Castro punched him hard on his jaw.

Marshall cried out loud, spitting out blood and his wife who had been coming in then screamed rushing toward.

"Pl---please let him go" the red haired cried then rushed to Marshall who was wheezing like the most pathetic loser Castro had ever seen. He kissed his gun wondering if he should just end Dunham's pathetic life but then remembers his money and sighs then drags the woman up moaning in satisfaction as the woman hissed at him like a viper.

"I'm keeping her Durham" Castro smirked at Marshall who's eyes widened as he read the intent in Castro eyes and started to protest.

"Please I'm begging you..." Marshall starts to say but Castro interrupt him.

"Shush now Dunham" He traced Tasha's lips with his middle finger "You wouldn't want me to waste your wife"

Marshall shut his mouth while holding himself together but despite his efforts Castro saw through him as his legs shook and his hands trembling like he was epileptic.

"Twelve hours that's all you get and she's toast, I am not patient man and neither is my hermano capiche?"

"Yes.. Yes Castro" Marshall gulped.

"Buen, now when you get to club Caesar ask my boy Alfonso to let you in" Castro crooned and Marshall nodded "And Durham do not disappoint me"

❄️—❄️

Twelve hours later, Marshall found himself at the door of the most exclusive club in Sully, Club Caesar which was heaven for gangsters, gamblers and folks who conducted illicit businesses. It was owned by Lorenzo Salvatore. sighting the bouncer, he added a little bounce in his steps as he walked up to him.

"Alfonso Donatello?" He asked

"Who the heck are you" The heavily tattooed beefy Italian bouncer growled menacingly.

"Marshall Durham" Marshall swallowed hard at the sight of the Bouncer who looked like a two time Mr. Universe ex champion. "I'm here for Castro"

Alfonso spoke into his intercom in fluent Italian and after a minute waved Marshall in.

Taking in the bright lighted club, the scantily dressed male and female s*x workers and waiters who looked like the had step out of a b**m porn video served drinks to the male and female patrons.

A female singer could be sported at the stage, her voice soft yet powerful enough to evoke emotions from her audience as she sang fluently in Italian. Just then Marshall spotted Castro by a corner of the club. He had a tall slim half naked Kim Kardashian wannabe bent over his shaft. He was obviously having her give him a blow job.

"You get my money yet? you pathetic cunt sucker" Castro growled lazily punishing the woman off his lap then took a sip off his champagne glass.

"Yeah, but I wanna meet Don Salvatore first" Marshall insisted holding tight the bag he had to his chest "I know he has my wife"

"Mierda" Castro swore furiously "listen here puta, I call the shots bastardo, make one f*****g request and I put you down" Castro reverts to Spanish surprising Marshall who had no idea Castro was Spanish. A couple of Castro's men pulled their guns out, pointing them towards Marshall.

"What the hell is going on here?" A deep Italian accented voice bellowed halting Castro's men. They all turned toward the man who had spoken. A slim, handsome middle aged man who looked like Antonio Banderas. Marshall recognized him at the spot but before he could say a word Castro started saying something to the man in fast rapid Italian.

The man in question who oozed power looked at Marshall with wonder then a sinister smile curls on his lips.

"Durham, I have heard so much about you. I must say I'm impressed." He rolled his R's, his Italian accent thick" So tell me how did you manage to steal Jiang Wu's shipment? The don asked with wonder and respect for the criminal before him. Somehow Marshall Durham had managed to infiltrate and steal from his enemy. And He needed to keep him close.

"I'm sorry but I don't tell my secrets Don" Marshall answered with a frown on his face.

The don laughed at his response, his men joined to, Castro too despite not knowing why he was laughing. As abruptly as he had laughed, the don turned serious like he had never laughed. All traces of amusement wiped off his face. He motions for one of the scantily dressed barmaid who knew why he had summoned her, produces a Cuban cigar box, takes one and hands it over to the don. Silence descends as they all waited on Salvatore who lits the cigar took a long drag from it then exhales the smoke at Marshall's face.

"Nine pm in my villa and not a second late Durham or I'll have your head. I have a job for you"

______

Shirley waited for O'Reilly in Casa del Caesar. She had been brought in there by Castro Hernando's men the previous evening and now waited for her partner in a cell she had been dumped in. Her Intel had informed her that Marshall Durham, a wanted man who had stolen weapons from the Chinese syndicate had been recruited by Lorenzo Salvatore and she had been instructed to bring Marshall in for questioning and shut down the human trafficking ring Salvatore ran.

A tiny buzz sounds from the micro communicator she wore as an earring. She touched it accepting the call.

"Go for it" Tom O'Reilly said through the communcator.

Not needing any more encouragement, he stepped into the cell stalking towards Shirley then punches her on the stomach but Shirley catches his offensive hand before it made any contact to her body, twists it behind his back then throws him down like a ragged sack. She walks out of the cell.

Diego grunts in pain then started screaming for help. The others noticed and pulled out their guns walking towards the cell with caution. However the moment they got near the cell Shirley attacks, her punches one hard in the neck then kicks him down disarming him the same time. she shoots the other two down then hurries down the hall where a great commotion was sounding from.

"Damn it" She swore throwing down the red wig she wore, she runs faster, the guns she had gotten from Salvatore's men strapped to her jeans. she c***s the AK she had on her left hand and burst into the hall.

❄️–❄️

Marshall Durham or rather undercover detective Sam O'Reilly pulled out his gun as he faced Enzo Salvatore and his men. His cover was blown.

Somehow Salvatore had recognized him. Or maybe someone in the precinct was working for the Mafia and had informed them of what to come. He suddenly felt like a fool, he had fallen into the very trap Salvatore him. He only prayed that the hadn't gotten to Shirley or he was screwed.

"Did you take me for a fool Samuel Dean O'Reilly? Did you think I wouldn't know Marshall Durham's in jail" The don spat with fire in his eyes.

Sam gulps as he was surrounded with armed men with guns, He knew he wasn't making it out alive. His gun was grabbed from his hand by Castro who also punched him hard splitting his jaws. Sam grunts, spitting out blood why struggling to stand. From his peripheral vision he sees a flash of short black hair and started to smile at relief of seeing his partner but the later placed a lone finger on her lips then lips the riffle she had up.

Shirley moved soundlessly like a cat, she lifted her riffle and starts shooting. one after the other bodies joined the pile on the ground. Salvatore realising that he had been set up started making a break for it, Castro covering his back and shooting towards Shirley. Sam joins Shirley picking up two uzzis the dead henchmen had dropped, shooting erratically at anyone he saw.

The more the gunned down the more they killed they more they seemed to troop in. There was a lot of them, over a hundred..Her arm arched from the weight of the weapon she held. Shirley would swear she had she gunned down over thirty something of Salvatore's men and she had ran out of ammo. Throwing down the now useless gun, she pulls out the Glock she had picked from the guys back at the cell and starts shooting, ducking behind a statue of a naked man with only but a leaf covering his privates.

"s**t, s**t Leroy I'm hit" Sam cries.

Shirley runs towards Sam, shooting her way through. She drags Sam with her only to see They were surrounded and she had ran out of ammo. To make it worse, Sam who had taken a hit in the leg was bleeding out.

"Well well, they really sent Detective super cop after me, and she's pretty, could make a fortune off you in the black market, too bad I'll have to kill you"

"Don't freak out Sam" Shirley whispers as Salvatore continued on his tirade. Shirley turns fast then punches Sam knocking him out. Salvatore stopped his rant and stared from a passed out Sam to Shirley with astonishment. His men were too. As they should for Shirley's short hair grew longer and turned white before their very eyes, on both her hands were sword shaped ice. She looked like killer Frost's twin sister.

"Well what the f**k? shoot her!" Salvatore yelled retreating quietly

Salvatore's men heeding Salvatore's orders started shooting Shirley who formed an ice shield to cover her partner. she attacks moving faster than normal and cutting down anyone unfortunate to stand on her way. Noting that more of Salvatore's men had joined in she released an ice blast freezing everyone down as the temperature of the room dropped to - 0°F .

Moving up to Salvatore who had his right leg frozen off and who stared at her with horror and fear in his eyes, she smirked.

"Ple..Please don't kill me" He begged as he stared at his now frozen right-hand and back to Shirley "I-- I will give you money anything" he stuttered.

"I'll still getting your money even if you die" Shirley says then raises her sword and chops of his head.

Shirley takes out a tiny flip phone and punched nine-one-one.

"How may we help you?" A robotic voice asked.

"Officer down" she replied ranting off the address.

Satisfied that help was coming,Shirley melts the ice shield that protected Sam, tears off a piece of his clothing ties it around his bullet wound stopping the bleeding, she felt his pulse then smiled when she confirmed he wasn't dead.

Shirley hurries down the hall . A door to the right wing if the manor opens and a lanky tattooed man steps out. Shirley races towards his slicing off his head. She walks through the door to find a stairway that led underground just like her mole had told her. Shirley climbs down the stairway, knowing that the three hundred and five underage girls Salvatore had kidnapped to sell them as slave in the black market a tunnel. walking through the dark caverns , she bursts outside the manor.

Shipping containers which were heavily guarded were the first thing she had seen. There was no ship sitting in the ocean but Shirley knew they would come the next day. Shrugging off thoughts of ships, we attacked the guards, beheading, cutting and leaving a wave of dead bodies at her wake. High with adrenaline, Shirley only slowed down when she had killed all eighteen guards.

Freezing the bolts on the door of the containers holding the prisoners, Salvatore was going to sell off. She closed her eyes and opened them to see her waist length white reverse back to its short shape. Just as she opened the doors to free them, the sounds of sirens got louder and Shirley sighed in disappointment. She pulled the metal doors open and three hundred and five pairs of mismatched eyes stared at her with fear. These girls came in different shapes, races and color.

Shirley stepped back a bit and lifted her hands to show she wasn't going to hurt them.

"You are safe now" She said just as her colleagues came to help them down.

… *…