Chapter 3:

Pelea

Nicoletta was half way through the meal she had ordered when her mobile rang. She groaned and, putting her knife and fork on the table. She picked up her blue silk clutch bag and, taking her mobile out, answered it.

"Nickie, you've got to get out of there, you're in danger."

Nicoletta paled, it was Morgead and he sounded terrible his voice was weak and harsh.

"What happened, are you alright?" she asked, panicking.

"5 men…looking for you…I wouldn't tell them where you were…shot me in chest…I'm dying…get out…waitress was threatened…she told them where you were…I'm sorry…I told her…couldn't stop them!"

"It's not your fault," Nicoletta told him with a calm voice although she was chalk white ands shaking, "You're not going to die."

"Give them hell, Nickie." Morgead whispered and then fell silent.

"Morgead? Morgead!? Morgie?!?"

"No." Nicoletta was trembling violently as she turned off her phone and replaced it in her bag like a robot, her best friend had just been killed, and now they were going to get her.

For a second she sat there feeling numb, too scared to move, or even think coherently. Then survival instincts kicked in and she felt suddenly calm and in control. This was what made Nicoletta a brilliant gang leader; no authorities had ever caught her gang although they were the most wanted in New York. There had been many near misses, but Nicolettas quick thinking had got them through safely. Nicoletta had no intention of putting a black mark on her record.

Leaving her meal she turned off her mobile and shoved it in her bag. Quickly she stood up, timing was imperative here. The men would be looking for her and they knew where to come. If she got out now then she could return to the hotel, get her stuff and blow this city, maybe even this country. Nicoletta had always liked the sound of Italy.

Unfortunately for Nicoletta, her record was just about to lose the snow whiteness she was rather partial to. A sound of shouting came from the entrance, a piercing scream cut-off abruptly and five men in black came around the corner. They were carrying guns which they instantly pointed at her.

Nicoletta was tempted, in the face of all this destruction, to sit down and calmly finish her dinner, or, to crawl under the table and pretend that she didn't exist; however, she did neither of these things. In a split second she reached her hand into her corset and pulled out a gun which she brought up and aimed at the leader of the men.

He was a tall man with typical Spanish looks and a sneering face,

"! Come along little girl you know that's very dangerous, we might have to hurt you, why don't you just come with us?!"

Nicoletta was seething. Little, fucking, girl was she? He was going to pay!

"Don't worry Senor, I won't give you the trouble of having to hurt me, I'll just get you first!"

The smile on the mans face, disappeared instantly, "! Stupid bitch! You're gonna pay!"

With a sardonic smile Nicoletta ran her tongue over her lips, "Not as much as you, you killed my friend. You're gonna burn. " she said softly, and pulled the trigger.

The second the bullet hit the man everything went mad, the man yelled in pain and hit the floor, dead. There was a moment's silence, and then everyone was shouting, screaming, getting out of their chairs and heading for the exit. The men in black were firing their guns, killing people as they ran and one of them brought his gun up and fired it at Nicoletta.

Surprisingly, the shot didn't hit her, because she wasn't there to be hit. One moment she was standing waiting for imminent death, the next she was lying on the ground by the table with someone lying on top of her firing a gun. For one buoyant moment she thought it might have been Morgead, but the next she realised, it was the man who she had been staring at, who had called her sugar butt.

While Nicoletta processed this information the fight was ending, the last, live, customers of the restaurant had escaped, the men with guns were dead and complete silence reigned. Not for long however, the man lying on Nicoletta looked around checking for anymore men, then put the safety on his gun and replaced it in his pocket. Then he looked down at Nicoletta, she was still quite shocked and was having trouble deciding what had happened so she just stared up at him blankly, the man grinned.

"Thanks would be nice sugar butt." He told her as he got off her and gave her his hand to help her up.

Suddenly what he had said got through Nicolettas brain and, glaring at him she said, "How am I meant to thank you when I don't even know your name and have no reason to thank you anyway?"

The man smiled lazily, "My names Sands and I think you do need to thank me sugar butt, I just saved your life. Unless of course you don't value your life that much," he grinned slyly, and moved his eyes from her feet back up to her eyes, taking, Nicoletta noticed disgustedly, a rather long time over her breasts and the slit in her dress where her thigh was. "But looking like that, I can't see that as being true."

"If you're trying to compliment me then you're not doing very well. Also, I don't need you to save my life, I'm not some blonde bimbo with more bleach than sense, or some spoilt princess that only knows how to solve problems with daddy's plastic. I can take care of myself and I don't need your help!" Nicoletta told him with a cold voice, though her eyes were ablaze with a blue fire. Glaring at him she turned away, and picking up her handbag, she replaced her gun in it. Without looking back, she proceeded to exit the restaurant.

However, Sands followed her, as she walked out the door he grabbed her tightly by the arm and spun her around to face him, "Sorry sugar butt, your not getting away that easily." He told her, all smiles gone from his face and his voice hard.

"You see your going to be helping me with a little investigation I'm doing about the Bartulo cartel."

Nicoletta inwardly winced, he was holding her arm far too tight to be comfortable, but outwardly she left on her coolly unaffected mask.

"The Bartulo cartel? You've got the wrong girl, I've never even heard of them!" she exclaimed, trying to hide the pain she was feeling.

Sands squeezed her arm tighter and this time she couldn't help but let out a tiny gasp of pain, "I find that slightly hard to believe sugar butt as the cartel don't send hit men after unimportant people."

The pain in Nicolettas arm was increasing and she was sure her arm was going to break; she managed to gasp out desperately "Believe me I don't know anything about the cartel I've only just moved here from New York!"

Sands frowned, he hadn't realised he had been hurting her so much, he loosened his grip on her arm but didn't let go, "Alright sugar butt, I'm not saying I believe you, but, whether you know it or not, the cartel want you, and that isn't a good thing. Believe me, I wouldn't want to be you." He said with a sardonic smile. "Smug bastard!" Nicoletta thought viciously as she glared at him. To think she'd actually liked him!

"So you're coming with me, I get information and you get protection, savvy?" Sands asked, smiling confidently.

Nicoletta desperately wanted to ask what kind of person said "Savvy?" However, she decided that wasn't a good idea, so she thought about his question.

She honestly didn't think he would give her a choice anyway, and he was right, if they were coming back she did need protection. She couldn't fight them on her own. Not to mention she didn't have any job of her own, or any way to buy a flat or keep paying for the hotel room on her own. So, she decided she would stay with him, but on her terms, she didn't think it was a good idea to mention that fact to Sands though.

"Alright I'll come. First, though, I want to know. What kind of name's Sands? What's your first name?" she asked him curiously

"You tell me yours I'll tell you mine," Sands said with a lazy smile.

"I'm Nicoletta Storms." She told him, expecting him to make some kind of joke, but surprisingly he didn't,

"Nice name sugar butt, I'm Sheldon Jeffery Sands." He glared at her, like he expected a joke but she didn't say anything, she just smiled and nodded; now she understood why he hadn't made a joke about her name.

"Shall we go then?" she asked.

"Sure sugar butt, we'll take my car." He said, then his smile changed to an evil grin, and Nicoletta found herself wondering what the hell she'd got herself into. "You know sugar butt. You can see right down the front of your dress from there, nice view!" He grinned at her and walked off to his car.

"Stupid, cocky, bastard!" Nicoletta snarled under her breath as she gazed after him with narrowed eyes. There was no way he was going to win this fight between them. Nicoletta had never lost before and she wasn't planning on starting now.

"Come on sugar butt! I wouldn't want to leave you behind."

"Sure Shelly!" she snarled under her breath before walking faster to catch up with him. This was going to be interesting.

deppalicious: Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like it. I will update soon!

quick29: Yay! 3 reviews so far! I'm very happy! 3 is a very special number! Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you liked it!

The lady of the shadows: You are the best reviewer ever! You're so nice to me! This chapter is dedicated to you! Please keep reading and tell me if I get my Spanish wrong! (Which I probably will!)