Chapter 2 - The Arrangement
2096 Words
Nikita
“I know who you are. I won’t touch you again. I swear.”
Niki stood up straighter, pulling at her short black dress that hung tightly to her body, shaking off his presumptuous touch on her skin. She looked at the pungy man in his late thirties whose teeth were yellow and had a crooked nose, probably due to the many fights he’d been known for. He owed The Crimson Spider money. Blake Flusso’s debt was due and it was her job to keep the fear, to keep people in line. If they didn’t, they met her, and she greeted them with death.
His eyes glanced at her exposed right shoulder. She knew what he saw. Her tattoo has been on her shoulder blade since she was sixteen. A red spider with a black crown above it. It was her beacon, her mark, her curse.
His breath became shaky. “You’re The Executioner. I’ve heard about you.” His breath became shaky. He continued, “You only come out to gather flies in your web to be killed. That if anyone ever meets the Boss’s daughter face to face, you know your times up.”
She took another step forward, while he took one back on the bridge she had lured him to. “That’s right. Blake, and your time is up. Your debt is due.”
He began to stammer. “I…I…I… almost…almost have it.”
She could see the sweat on his forehead.
“Blake, you don’t want a lie to be the last thing you say.”
His gulping became audible and he looked around frantically. He began sprinting from the bridge. Niki huffed, annoyed. She threw the knife into the back of his thigh. He cried out and fell down. She walked forward.
“You can’t escape the web, Blake. You're stuck with the spider.”
She pulled the knife out from his leg and cleaned the blade while he hollered in pain. K, a Crimson Spider underboss, stepped out of the shadows.
“Quiet him.” The two men with K quickly walked forward and gagged Blake.
K was tall and slender with his pants legs always cut too short, stopping at his ankles, revealing his white socks underneath.
He stopped in front of her.
“Nice to see you, Nikita.”
“As always, K.” She replied, drying.
“Only time you’re ever called. Only time daddy’s girl gets to play.”
The man in his mid thirties took a step towards her, picking up a strand of her curled brown hair. Even at her tall height of five feet ten inches, he still towered over her as he leaned down. He smelled her brown hair. Then he dropped his fingers to trace along her low cut neckline, over her right exposed shoulder.
In a flash, she grabbed her knife hidden in her long left sleeve and held it at a point to his throat.
“If you move your finger another inch, I’ll have to explain to daddy why his underboss is dead.”
He removed his finger from her skin and gave her a grin.
“Not lost your touch since the last time.”
She took the knife away from his throat and slid it back into her sleeve.
“You’re late.”
“You’re early.” He threw his cigarette over the bridge into the water. “Didn’t know how efficient you'd become.”
“Well, I have another, more important, target tonight.”
She sheathed the knife and began walking off the bridge as the men began preparing him for his watery death. It was never fun. But what choice did she have? She was a mafia boss’s daughter. If the boss didn’t have command over his children, then how could he have command over his mafia family? She was a statement of the control the mafia boss had, and as long as she stayed within his bounds, she was safe.
She walked back down the road. Still where she left it on her motorcycle, was her black leather jacket. In the corner of her eye, she looked and saw a figure leaning against the tree. She froze, unsheathed her knife, waiting for the figure to move or speak.
He did both. The figure walked forward as he said, “Relax, Nikita. It’s just me.”
Kace Morez stood tall, over six feet, with a strong build, and a quick smile. His light brown hair glistened in the moon’s soft light. It felt as if the moon’s beams preferred to land on him.
Her pulse quickened and her smile widened as she walked into Kace’s arms. He wrapped his strong arms around her, breathing her in. She felt comfort sweep through her. She held him, wanting his warmth to drive away the dark world around her.
“Good to see you too, Niki.” His voice sounded like Christmas music on a dark snowy day.
She looked up from his arms. “I needed this.”
He rubbed her back, pulling her closer to him.
“What’s the matter, your man got away?”
She shook her head. “Operation went as usual, drowned in the Traxton River.”
He breathed deeply. Both hating the world thrust upon them.
“Hey, at least the man got a bath.”
She huffed as she said, “He needed one. He reeked.”
Kace chuckled. “Then you did this city a favor. In fact…” he sniffed her. “I think he rubbed it off on you.”
He took a step away and in the small light offered, his face curled up in a disgusted way.
She batted his arm. “That’s not funny.”
“Oh it’s not. You need a bath.” He quickly lifted her into his arms. “Here, let me help you.”
She laughed and tried to wiggle out of his arms as he started walking back towards the river.
Seeing his seriousness, she said, “Kace? Kace! Don’t you dare!”
“You need it! I can’t let you go around smelling like sewer. This is a service.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and twisted her legs out of his arms. She used her downward motion to bring him down to his knees. He quickly gripped her ankle, pulling it up, sending her flying onto her butt.
“Are you crazy? An underboss is over there.”
He shrugged, unconcerned.
“Have them find out you are from DN.9? They’d kill you before I have a chance to explain.”
Kace shook his head. “Just tell them that you need a bath.”
“You should be grateful I haven’t shanked you right now.”
He put his hand to his heart. “You’ve known me since you were fourteen. And after all this time, you are going to kill me because I told you the truth?”
He nudged her playfully, “I believe I have done a lot worse to you than trying to give you a needed bath.”
She widened her eyes and pulled her lips in an accusatory look. “Yeah? Like the time you took me grave digging?”
He shrugged. “Better to have killed me then, especially after we dug that hole.”
She laughed.
Kace stood and offered his arms down to help her up. “Since you haven’t done it yet, I can only assume you have a very dangerous crush on me.”
She took his hands and stood up.
“And you keep showing up, which can only mean you have a dangerous crush on me.”
He grinned. “An odd pair.”
She couldn’t help feeling lighter with him. Then she remembered her night was still not over.
“I have to go.”
“Why?”
“Kidnapping.”
“Oh, my favorite thing.” He said sarcastically, “I’ll go with you.”
Niki grinned. “If you want to. You know you’ll be helping The Crimson Spider.”
He gave her a paternal look. “Nah, I’m helping you. We both know you’ll need it.”
She punched him in the shoulder.
They stopped in front of Tov Tech Tower. Kace got off and looked up at the building and looked at her with surprise.
“Who are you getting?”
“Cassius Millbrooks, the young billionaire who is months away from taking over the largest tech industry in the world.” She looked up at the building and the neon lights. “Scelus City’s Golden Boy.”
“Why?”
“Padre wants him. Thinks he can get Golden Boy’s father, the CEO, to make a deal with him.”
Kace huffed, unsurprised.
Niki walked over to the door and walked in. A guard stood at the entrance.
“Can I help you, miss?”
She gave him a sweet smile. “I’m here to see Cassius Millbrooks.”
“He never told me he was expecting someone.”
“I think if you call him and tell him it's the girl he met last night, he will make an exception.”
The guard hesitated and said, “One moment.”
He pulled out his phone and dialed while walking a few feet away.
The guard turned towards her. “He said you could come up, only if you gave your name.”
Niki held back her grin. “Nikita.”
The guard relayed the message, then hung up the phone and walked to the elevator and put his key card in. The doors opened and the guard walked gesturing them in.
Kace stayed quiet and stood at the back acting like he wasn’t there. They went nearly to the top before the elevator slowed and the doors opened. The guard walked them into a large seated area with an empty reception desk to the side. The walls were painted in a light blue and the couches were a gray color. The area looked cozy.
Cassius walked out of the room with a smile showing off his dimples. She could easily see why girls swooned over him. He was considered the city’s most eligible bachelor.
“Thank you, Trevor.”
The guard nodded and Niki noticed that Kace had slipped away and disappeared.
Cassius looked her over with a pleased look. “Didn’t expect to see you ever again, Nikita.”
She said, “Neither did I.”
Niki walked around the couch touching the top of it.
Cassius tilted his head. “So, why do I get the pleasure of knowing your name now?”
“Because I’m going to kidnap you. Seemed only fair.”
His smile brightened, obviously he thought it was a joke. But Niki unsheathed her knife and his smile started to fall as he realized she was being literal.
He nodded slowly. “Which one do you belong to?”
“The Crimson Spider.”
“So is this a come peacefully or else situation?”
Niki was confused by his behavior. He seemed to be teasing her.
“Yes.”
He sighed as if defeated, before he turned and sprinted into his office. Niki raced in after him as he ran around his desk grabbing his phone. Niki ran around after him, but he circled it again. She stopped in front of the door and he paused on the other side with his phone in his hand. He was grinning and the situation was making it hard for Niki to keep her own composure. Cassius was acting like a child with his lips turned upward and a lifted eyebrow beckoning a challenge.
“You have a choice, Nikita. Let me leave, or I’ll call for help.”
She ran at him, sliding across his table, he tried to run for the door, which she anticipated. She threw her body against him and he hit the wall. In a flash, she held her arm against his throat.
“You don’t have a choice, Cassius.” Changing his words on him. “You're going to leave with me.”
Cassius held her eyes as if he saw something there that captivated him, which made Niki uncomfortable.
The lights flickered above then turned off. Soon, the emergency lights flickered on. Niki looked up confused. Cassius watched her.
Kace burst into the room.
“Apparently, the Crimson Spider wasn’t the only one with this plan. DN.9 is in the building.”
Nikita felt all the air escape her lungs.
- Writer
