Chapter 6

=Fabricated Fancy.=

When Negaduck returned with their drinks Nat had pulled out her revolver and was playing with the loaded cartridge.

Six bullets, and each one whirled past the barrel.

He smiled as he sat down and handed her the scotch. 'You know, you should probably be using something a bit more up-to-date in a town like this one.'

She smiled and pulled out another gun, an automatic pistol. 'I have my back-up, but I prefer my revolver.' She put the pistol away and gazed to the drink as she put her revolver on the table next to it. 'It's occurred to me, even though we just fabricated an alibi together, that we're not exactly "friends".'

He rose an eyebrow.

'How do I know that you haven't put something in this?'

He rolled his eyes. 'As if I'd do something so lame as that.' He gazed at her. 'If I wanted to kill you I would, I wouldn't mess about with slipping you something.'

She looked at him for a moment and nodded. 'Yeah... I guess so.'

'What you're taking my word for it?' He asked in surprise as she picked up her drink.

'No...' She took a sip and smiled at him. 'I'm from Miami!' She said to him bluntly. 'I know how to tell when a guys a kook.'

He cocked his head. 'And I'm not?'

'Well, like you said...' She took a long drink and Negaduck rose an eyebrow. 'You wouldn't mess about.'

He shook his head and took a sip from his glass. 'So... Gnat..'

She rolled her eyes. 'Yes?'

'Why'd you move from Miami?'

She scowled and shook her head. 'Family troubles.'

He blinked and gazed at her, of all the reasons that he had thought she'd have had that was not one of them. 'Family troubles?'

She glared at him. 'Don't go there...'

'Why not?'

She sighed. 'Like I'm going to go around telling people things like that.'

He shrugged. 'Well whatever the reason was.' He down the entire glass and put it down on the table, gazing at her seriously. 'You showed up in the wrong town.'

She rolled her eyes and rested her arm on the table as she continued drinking her scotch calmly. 'Oh come off it.' She smiled at him. 'I've been here for three weeks.'

'Yeah, so?'

'If you really wanted me gone you'd have done it by now.'

He blinked at her and made to argue, but there was nothing to defend himself with. 'Yeah, well... I'll admit it's been amusing having you here.' He leant back moodily and looked at her for a moment. 'But this is my town.'

She shook her head. 'Well aren't we the territorial one?' She sneered at him.

He glared at her. 'Don't mess with me woman.' He warned.

She smiled and shrugged. 'Well it's a nice place to live.'

He blinked 'What are you crazy or something?'

'If you want a fight...' She said calmly. 'It won't only be your funeral.' She warned.

He smirked. 'Ha!' He picked up his drink. 'Refill's on you.'

She shrugged and reached into a pocket pulling out a note and put it onto the table, he reached out and took it.

'You might as well keep the change.' She said sweetly. 'There's plenty more where that came from.'

He glared at her, so smug, so confident... but money was money. 'Same?'

She nodded.

He stood and headed back to the bar.

Trying to convince her to leave was even getting annoying to him, she was so stubborn.

They walked out of the back-door together and back to the Troublemaker, it was the weirdest night of his life, showing up with her in the bar, drinking with her for several hours and then leaving with her... from the public view it was a date, from theirs it was merely a cover-up for the failed bank robbery.

Saving face with some kind of romance? That botched bank robbery really wouldn't work well for his reputation, but suddenly dating the second biggest criminal in the city would have the gossip going from here to Idaho.

There was something in that, having people think she was that close to him would have them reconsidering standing up to him.

He looked around to her as he hopped onto the seat and she got on behind him. 'So where are you staying?' He asked as he started the bike up and headed for the main road.

'Oh no...' She laughed. 'Nice try, you're dropping me off at my car.'

'What you don't trust me?'

'It's nothing personal... I don't even trust my own mother.'

He shook his head. 'Who does?'

'What?'

'Trust their mother?'

'Et tu Negaduck?' She asked.

He looked back to her, the accent that plagued certain words had snapped into something recognisable, it was Italian, he looked back around to the road, she continued to be unpredictable, a family in Miami with roots in Italy? He geared up through the red traffic light and she had to tighten her grip on his waist.

He smirked, sure having his competition sitting here like this had a feeling of wrongness to it, but the cheap tricks were always fun.

'You're sure you don't want a lift back to-'

'Yes!' She growled at him.

He shrugged. 'Fine...' It was odd not having to give her that full lift... what was with this woman? She was so different to all of the others he'd ever met.

She hopped of the bike and headed into the alley.

He took her arm and she turned back to him pulling out her revolver.

He smirked and stepped up to her. 'I'm serious.' He said darkly.

'I don't give a damn.' She said cocking the revolver and pointing it at him.

He gazed at her for a moment and shook his head. 'You don't know who you're messing with here.'

'Ditto plane boy.' She growling.

'From what I've seen of you you're not much to be threatened by.'

She smiled. 'I prefer to do things my way on my own... but.' She wrenched her arm free and glared at him. 'If I have to I'll give them a call.'

'What that family you're having troubles with? I'm so scared.'

'You should be.' She said darkly. 'I'm a Mashinda.'

He blinked, now she made a bit more sense. 'You're way out of line here though.'

'So what if I am?' She said coolly. 'You're by no means scary.'

'Scary.' He snorted. 'As if I'd waste my time with that.'

'You're one of the most egotistical men I've ever met!'

'Yeah, well how many of them did you end up dating?' He asked smoothly.

She blinked at him and rose an eyebrow. 'Get real, as if I would-'

'Hey.' He shrugged. 'You just did.'

She scowled and looked away. 'Honestly, you'd think it was the first time you'd ever made up an alibi.' She grumbled.

'I don't usually need to, I normally stick around and have it out with them.'

She looked at him. 'You really are insane.'

'Oh you can talk sweetheart.'

She gazed at him for a moment. 'I've been in this game a lot longer than you have.' She said warningly. 'I know all the tricks.' She said giving him a point.

'Yeah, so? I've done more than you.'

'Yeah right Mr This-Is-My-City.' She rolled her eyes. He was about to reply when she stepped forward and kissed him. 'Goodnight, Negaduck.' She said sweetly and turned on the spot, heading into the alley.

He smiled and looked around, those damn policemen again, he turned on the spot and walked back to his bike, the sound of the Ferrari engine starting up cut through the night. 'Women.' He sighed as he hopped onto his bike and headed for home.