Author's Note- The chapter title is Latin. Though I am taking French, my English teacher also teaches Latin, hence I
will also be learning some Latin this year (therefore you all will be dragged along for the ride!)
Anyway, don't kill he authoress. No, I'm not so lazy that I quit writing or anything, but I've become quite a bit more active in other things, so my writing time has dropped considerably.
With that in mind, enjoy chapter eleven! And also, I don't think this is particuarly graphic, but keep in mind this story is PG-13, mainly for violence and death....
Chapter Eleven: Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast)
"The good news is that they haven't started to smell yet," Ulrich commented lightly as he surveyed the lower chambers of the abandoned gas station.
"Then what's the bad news," Yumi asked dryly, feeling sick. By her count there were at least twenty men dead for no good reason that she could see.
The bodies of Vinnie's former mob were sprawled out in unnatural positions across the room. They had quite obviously been caught unawares by the attack, as only a few actually had guns clutched in their hands to defend themselves.
Blood was splattered everywhere, the walls, the floor, even the ceiling in some places. It reminded Yumi of a child throwing red paint around, except that she wished no child would ever have to see this, and the stains were most definately not red paint. Yumi forced herself to swallow, fighting the gag reflex and closing here eyes to stop the bottom-dropping-out feeling in her stomach.
"I'm going to check the office," Ulrich broke in, "And by the sickly green color you have turned, I'd say you want to come with me." Yumi nodded and hurried after the flippant bounty hunter, inwardly ashamed that he knew her so well.
Despite the fact that there was a considerably less amount of blood inside, the offic still looked as though a war had been fought inside of it. Drawers had be pulled out of the desk, pictures torn off the walls, chair cushions ripped to shreds, and papers scattered everywhere. Vinnie was slumped over the desk with a bullet hole through his head, laying in a pool of his own blood.
"I think I was wrong." Ulrich's voice was quiet. He didn't seem dissappointed, but more perturbed.
"How were you wrong?"
"I thought Vinnie didn't have the ruby. This office suggests that he did."
"So someone came and took it from him?" Yumi had to be sure she knew what he was saying.
"Precisely. The ruby has traded hands."
"So Vinnie had the ruby, lied to us, and then sombody offed him to get it."
"That about sums it up," Ulirch confirmed, giving a gutted cusion lying on the floor a soft kick.
"Presumably the same person who turned my 'stang into a bomb," Yumi concluded.
"Possibly."
"What do you mean, 'possibly?'"
"There could be more players in this game of ruby chess than we first anticipated."
Yumi blinked at him. "That may just be the closest to philisophical I've ever heard you come."
Ulrich gave her a secretive smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They both wheeled around suddenly to see a hooded figure emerging from the shadows of the doorway. Yumi drew back,
uneasy of the new presence, but Ulrich relaxed.
"Anything to report?"
The figure gave a decisive nod from beneath the hood. "I can confirm your theory. Vinnie did have the ruby, and he was already aiming to sell it when the attack happened."
"He wasn't wasting any time," Ulrich mused aloud. "Anything else?"
A shake of the head. "We have feelers out looking for the ruby, but nothing yet." Ulrich nodded in confirmation and the man faded back into the shadows. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Ishiyama. Though the next time we meet it may be under less pleasant circumstances." He was gone as suddenly as he had appeared.
Yumi fumed after him. "Meet me? Less pleasant circumstances? The nerve!"
Ulrich laughed. "Shadow. My best man, though somewhat of an enigma. He is the operative I have help me the most when I'm after a bounty, or in your case a thief."
"So he's sugesting that he will help you take me down?"
More laughter. "We can only assume. I know nothing about his life beyond that he is an excellent spy and he seems to move with the shadows."
"He's creepy."
"He's good. Now let's get out of here, I don't think we'll find anything of use."
-----
Yumi flopped down onto the couch that had, only the night before, been her bed with a long sigh. "It feels like we are chasing ourselves in circles!"
Ulrich had wandered off to his bedroom, and his reply drifted down the hall. "We're closer though."
They lasped into silence until Ulrich's voice came again. "Hey, Yumi, you haven't seen my bedroom yet, have you?"
The thief blushed. "No...why?" Does he mean what I think he means?
"Then how did this get back there?" Ulrich strode down the hall. Between his thumb and forefinger he clutched a single strand of long, black hair.
"It was caugh on my windowsill," he explained. "It must be yours."
Yumi took it from him, letting her own hair down. She placed the hair to the crown of her head. It hung longer than her own. "It can't be mine. It's too long, there's just no way!"
Ulrich frowned. "Then who..."
He and Yumi hit the ephiphany at the same time. "The bomb was thrown out your bedroom window-" Yumi started.
"-So whoever blew up the mustang must have black hair!" Ulrich concluded triumphantly.
"Unfortunately that doesn't narrow it down to much," Yumi said ruefully.
The bullet shattered the glass on the living room window and wizzed right between them, imbedding itself into the wall. Yumi stared at the hole in shock. Ulrich shoved her down to the floor between the couch and the coffee table.
"Watch out!"
Three more load shots rang out, and then a car could be heard peeling out of the lot.
-----
That's as good a place as any to end it!
Anyway, don't kill he authoress. No, I'm not so lazy that I quit writing or anything, but I've become quite a bit more active in other things, so my writing time has dropped considerably.
With that in mind, enjoy chapter eleven! And also, I don't think this is particuarly graphic, but keep in mind this story is PG-13, mainly for violence and death....
Chapter Eleven: Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast)
"The good news is that they haven't started to smell yet," Ulrich commented lightly as he surveyed the lower chambers of the abandoned gas station.
"Then what's the bad news," Yumi asked dryly, feeling sick. By her count there were at least twenty men dead for no good reason that she could see.
The bodies of Vinnie's former mob were sprawled out in unnatural positions across the room. They had quite obviously been caught unawares by the attack, as only a few actually had guns clutched in their hands to defend themselves.
Blood was splattered everywhere, the walls, the floor, even the ceiling in some places. It reminded Yumi of a child throwing red paint around, except that she wished no child would ever have to see this, and the stains were most definately not red paint. Yumi forced herself to swallow, fighting the gag reflex and closing here eyes to stop the bottom-dropping-out feeling in her stomach.
"I'm going to check the office," Ulrich broke in, "And by the sickly green color you have turned, I'd say you want to come with me." Yumi nodded and hurried after the flippant bounty hunter, inwardly ashamed that he knew her so well.
Despite the fact that there was a considerably less amount of blood inside, the offic still looked as though a war had been fought inside of it. Drawers had be pulled out of the desk, pictures torn off the walls, chair cushions ripped to shreds, and papers scattered everywhere. Vinnie was slumped over the desk with a bullet hole through his head, laying in a pool of his own blood.
"I think I was wrong." Ulrich's voice was quiet. He didn't seem dissappointed, but more perturbed.
"How were you wrong?"
"I thought Vinnie didn't have the ruby. This office suggests that he did."
"So someone came and took it from him?" Yumi had to be sure she knew what he was saying.
"Precisely. The ruby has traded hands."
"So Vinnie had the ruby, lied to us, and then sombody offed him to get it."
"That about sums it up," Ulirch confirmed, giving a gutted cusion lying on the floor a soft kick.
"Presumably the same person who turned my 'stang into a bomb," Yumi concluded.
"Possibly."
"What do you mean, 'possibly?'"
"There could be more players in this game of ruby chess than we first anticipated."
Yumi blinked at him. "That may just be the closest to philisophical I've ever heard you come."
Ulrich gave her a secretive smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They both wheeled around suddenly to see a hooded figure emerging from the shadows of the doorway. Yumi drew back,
uneasy of the new presence, but Ulrich relaxed.
"Anything to report?"
The figure gave a decisive nod from beneath the hood. "I can confirm your theory. Vinnie did have the ruby, and he was already aiming to sell it when the attack happened."
"He wasn't wasting any time," Ulrich mused aloud. "Anything else?"
A shake of the head. "We have feelers out looking for the ruby, but nothing yet." Ulrich nodded in confirmation and the man faded back into the shadows. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Ishiyama. Though the next time we meet it may be under less pleasant circumstances." He was gone as suddenly as he had appeared.
Yumi fumed after him. "Meet me? Less pleasant circumstances? The nerve!"
Ulrich laughed. "Shadow. My best man, though somewhat of an enigma. He is the operative I have help me the most when I'm after a bounty, or in your case a thief."
"So he's sugesting that he will help you take me down?"
More laughter. "We can only assume. I know nothing about his life beyond that he is an excellent spy and he seems to move with the shadows."
"He's creepy."
"He's good. Now let's get out of here, I don't think we'll find anything of use."
-----
Yumi flopped down onto the couch that had, only the night before, been her bed with a long sigh. "It feels like we are chasing ourselves in circles!"
Ulrich had wandered off to his bedroom, and his reply drifted down the hall. "We're closer though."
They lasped into silence until Ulrich's voice came again. "Hey, Yumi, you haven't seen my bedroom yet, have you?"
The thief blushed. "No...why?" Does he mean what I think he means?
"Then how did this get back there?" Ulrich strode down the hall. Between his thumb and forefinger he clutched a single strand of long, black hair.
"It was caugh on my windowsill," he explained. "It must be yours."
Yumi took it from him, letting her own hair down. She placed the hair to the crown of her head. It hung longer than her own. "It can't be mine. It's too long, there's just no way!"
Ulrich frowned. "Then who..."
He and Yumi hit the ephiphany at the same time. "The bomb was thrown out your bedroom window-" Yumi started.
"-So whoever blew up the mustang must have black hair!" Ulrich concluded triumphantly.
"Unfortunately that doesn't narrow it down to much," Yumi said ruefully.
The bullet shattered the glass on the living room window and wizzed right between them, imbedding itself into the wall. Yumi stared at the hole in shock. Ulrich shoved her down to the floor between the couch and the coffee table.
"Watch out!"
Three more load shots rang out, and then a car could be heard peeling out of the lot.
-----
That's as good a place as any to end it!
