Grand Theft Auto: The Innocent Rose.
Chapter 2: A Bad Night To Ride.
The Streets of Vice City: Five Minutes Later.
"Whoa!" Rosa yelled; she and her dirt bike tearing around a street corner onto the roads of Vice Point and speeding towards North Point Mall at forty miles per hour; she loved the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair so she pulled out her hairband allowing her hair to move freely as she drove, the streetlights giving her all the light she needed to see the road in front of her, sports cars and the infamous white and green police cars passed her by while she drove with little regard for any destination for she only wanted to drive and feel the wind rushing through her hair; letting out a laugh as she passed by a convertible in which she spotted one of the jocks who'd attempted to ask her to go to the beach with them, a tall Latino teenager dressed in the same jacket as Scott but with a a pair of jeans and no shirt and a slight stubble under his chin.
"Rosa?" The Jock spluttered in shock at he saw her riding her dirt bike alongside his car, his girlfriend: a girl with long blonde hair and dressed in a simple strapless dress; suddenly appearing in the car as her head rose up from his lap to stare in shock at the quiet withdrawn girl was tearing around the streets on a dirt bike.
Rosa couldn't help but smile at the couple before lifting her middle finger to the couple; not wanting to see their reaction she pulled back on the bike until she was driving only on the back wheel and taking the next corner on to an underground tunnel passing directly under North Point Mall's parking area: a tunnel that would take her all the way to Starfish Island.
Just a few feet behind Rosa drove a pale blue Sentinel driven by two men in white Bermuda shorts, orange and red Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses but both carried a SMG sub-machine gun in a holster under their left arms but both were well tanned from being out in the sun nearly all hours of the day.
"How far do you think this chick is going to drive?" One of the Gangster's spoke; his figure being that of a young man in his early twenties, having joined The Vercetti Gang a year ago he'd been only assigned to ride-along's or escort jobs.
"Either until she runs out of gas or she decides to head home" The Older Gangster spoke while he had a cigarette in-between his lips; a man with a thick tan and a Cuban accent, he'd been the go-between for The Vercetti Gang and The Cuban Gang ever since the 80's and he liked his current position.
"Why do you think Boss Vercetti is interested in this girl? She's rather young" The Young Gangster spoke again; tilting his shades down to keep a better eye on the girl upon spotting the wind was pushing her dress up.
"No idea… but look who's talking youngster! Boss said he wanted us to tail the girl and keep her safe" The Older Gangster spoke; flicking a cigarette from his lips and out onto the cold hard pavement while they drove.
"A job is a job" the younger Gangster spoke; shrugging his shoulders, tipping his shades down his nose as the wind blew Rosa's dress straight up and he caught a look at the boring beige shorts she was wearing underneath.
Rosa barely even noticed that she was being followed; she loved the feeling of the engine under her hips revving away on the throttle down the orange lit tunnel road until that light faded into a dark night sky with only the streetlights and the full moon, the roads of Starfish Island lined with luxurious houses even bigger and grander than the one she and her mother lived in; slowing down her bike as she passed the largest of all the houses: a house known as The Vercetti Estate.
The two Gang Members slowed to a halt around the corner; peering out as Rosa had slowed and stopped her bike right outside the estate, both gangsters glanced at each other with clueless expressions.
Rosa slowly began to dismount her bike; she'd always wondered what went on behind those tall fences, behind the walls of the estate but the thought of maybe she didn't want to know also crossed her mind since she'd learnt in History that Cartels and Criminal Gangs often had rooms reserved for breaking in young girls before putting them to work on the streets.
The thought was quickly dashed as a Humvee's engine roared in the distance putting Rosa and the two Gangsters on alert as the vehicle rose up over the Bridge leading to Vice City's Downtown District, the vehicle revealing to be painted a deep shade of purple, two men able to be seen through the windshield; both African American and wearing purple jackets over black shirts.
"Shit… The Haitians are coming for another drive-by" The Younger Gangster shouted so loudly that he caught Rosa's attention and earning himself a slap across the head by his partner in crime.
"Shut it! we need to move! And so do you!" The Older Gangster shouted loudly so Rosa would hear, not needing to be told twice; Rosa revved her engine again only for the exhausted to splutter and stall.
"Damn… fuck!" Rosa cursed; trying her engine again only to stall once more, "I swear I filled her up again after my last ride".
The Humvee drove ever closer; picking up speed until the front end of the vehicle turned towards Rosa and her bike, Rosa barely saw the vehicle coming until the pale blue Sentinel slammed into the side of the Humvee; the sound of metal crashing into metal piercing the night sky.
Rosa raised one of her hands to her ears to block out the shredding noise of metal against metal, trying to throttle one more time and the engine roared back into life; the humming engine returning like an old friend returning in a time of need, "Oh thank you god".
Rosa revved the throttle and took off Just as she heard the discharge of a gunshot and something very small and very fast missing her head by only a few inches; realising that the hostile gang members were armed forced Rosa's mind to begin overthinking and a sense of panic setting in.
"Holy shit… they shot at me? They actually shot at me? I felt so scared in this moment; so much so that I might either piss myself or I won't sleep tonight" Rosa thought in the sudden wave of panic that came with being shot at.
Gunshots sounded into the darkening skies while Rosa sped down the roads of Starfish Island franticly trying to not be shot as two more bullets continued to be fired in her direction; each shot missing by mere inches, glancing behind her as The Humvee began moving again only to chase after her and it wouldn't take long for it to catch up.
"Shit… that thing had far more horsepower than my bike!" Rosa muttered to herself; her vision narrowing to only the road in front of her and ignoring all the high-class mansions she was passing, leaning to her left as she took a sharp turning in an effort to get back to the underground tunnel and escape from Starfish Island.
The pale blue Sentinel that had been tailed Rosa roared back into life; its tyres screeching against tarmac as it took off after the Humvee, the younger of the two Gangsters taking out his SMG as well as popping open the glove box and taking a small pouch with a remote detonator: A Sicky Bomb.
"The fuck you going to do with that? You know what the boss will say to you if you fail right?" The Older Gangster shouted; quickly realising what her partner had in mind when clutching his gun and a Sticky Bomb.
"Shit up Marco! Boss told us to protect the girl so I'm doing it" The Younger Gangster barked back at his elder; clutching the bomb tightly as The Humvee was quickly gaining on Rosa's Dirt Bike but he spotted that one of the bullets fired grazed the exhaust pipe right under Rosa's left foot.
The Older Gangster called Marco shrugged his shoulder; a slight grin lighting up his withered features, "Ok Kid; I'll get you in close but you only have one shot with this bomb! So don't drop it on our own car!".
"Like I'm going to do that! I'm not an idiot" The Younger Gangster shouted back; standing up from his seat and priming his throw, his eyes narrowing as they closed in on the more powerful Humvee.
Rosa spotted the entrance to the tunnel at the next junction; but a thought occurred to her since the tunnel was a straight road directly to another Island and she'd be a sitting duck inside a tunnel with nowhere to turn nor anything to hide behind to shield her from bullets, glancing at the opposing road that would take her in a circle around Starfish Island but she'd have more corners to use to shield her; not knowing where to turn until a voice called to her.
"Girl! Turn to the streets!" yelled Marco; driving with one hand on the wheel and the other waving, trying to signal the girl.
Rosa didn't dare glance behind her as another bullet struck her Bike again grazing the paintjob and that annoyed her; taking the opposing turning and darting around the street just as a second bullet that might have struck her head and killed her but instead struck the lamppost and sending electrical sparks flying off into the street.
The Sentinel and The Humvee drove side-by-side for a brief moment before the bigger and more powerful Humvee slammed into the Sentinel knocking the vehicle off course slightly and giving the driver a clear line of sight towards the driver.
"Do it now!" Marco shouted; spotting a pistol on the driver's side being aimed at him, The Younger Gangster tossing The Sticky Bomb with all his might; watching it latch onto the Humvee directly on The Fuel Cap.
"Ha! You fuckers can't do anything right!" The Haitian driving barked while laughing; not noticing the sound of a Sticky Bomb latching onto the fuel cap of The Humvee, gleefully smiling as he had a clean line of sight for the driver of the Sentinel, taking out a Colt 1911 Handgun and firing a shot at The Sentinel's Driver: Marco, a splash of blood struck the windshield as The Sentinel veered off the road and slammed into the side of a brick wall-fence.
The Two Haitians laughed as they left the two Vercetti Gang Members behind and Rosa still trying to keep out of their sights by taking every corner she found; sweating with fear and adrenaline as her dress clung to the front of her body highlighting her slim body and small breasts as she took another corner only to find she'd driven directly into somebodies driveway.
"Crap…" Rosa gasped in shock as fear and irrational thought had directed her into a dead-end; it would take too long to wheel herself around and keep fleeing, but the Humvee was already behind her and she could see the Haitian sitting in the passenger side seat eyeing and grinning at her with a six-chamber Revolver in his left hand, doing some quick math in her head and guessing he'd fired either five or all six shots during the chase but that didn't account for the ugly man's smile.
"I'm sure he' fired all six shots at me… two have hit my bike… that bastard… but I'm about ninety-five percent sure he's fired six" Rosa thought in her head; desperately trying to find a way out of her predicament.
Dismounting her bike and raising both hands in surrender; her teeth clenched as she did the math a second time and coming to the conclusion that all his shots were fired but that thought was dashed as she spotted that the ugly Haitian was loading a fresh round of six bullets into his Revolver.
"Hold up… check her out… she's one fine piece of white meat" The Haitian in the Driver Seat spoke; his voice gravelly and snide as he referred to Rosa with such an insulting term but his leering eyes gazed out at her like he was sizing her up.
"Yeah… wanna have some fun before we shoot her? Or take her back for the other guys?" The Haitian in the Passenger Seat grinned as he eyed Rosa up; his eyes lingering on her slim and small body, opening the door of the Humvee and stepping out revealing his tall but very skinny frame; a clear indicator that he was doing drugs often.
Rosa felt a shudder run down her spine; not sure if that was the adrenaline fading from her bloodstream or just fear of the idea of being assaulted or being taken to be used and passed around by a full gang, before either one of The Haitians got out of their Humvee the vehicle burst into flames with a resonating explosion; the force of the explosion threw Rosa backwards and slamming her back into the steel shutter over a garage as well as knocking her Sanchez into the wall too.
Gasping for breath as she saw the flaming wreckage of The Humvee; the burning dead body of the Haitian Driver still in the seat but his gun laying on the driveway after having been thrown from the Gang Members hands in the explosion.
The skinnier Haitian was laying on the gravel pathway to the mansion; having been thrown clear by the force of the explosion but his Revolver was still in his hand, Rosa could clearly see that the Haitian was still barely clinging to life but badly burnt and maybe had a broken rib or a few.
Rosa felt frozen in fear; she'd never witnessed such carnage nor been in such a life threatening situation for her only experience in such events was TV and Action Movies but the real thing was far different, her eyes locked with the Haitian laying on the cold hard ground; his grimacing pained face wrenching as he attempted to lift his Revolver and shoot Rosa, Rosa closed her eyes moments before a series of gunshots rang out but she felt no pain nor anything like a bullet tearing through her body; opening her eyes she only saw the Haitian still staring at her but a series of bloody bullet holes through his chest cavity and his right cheek.
"Fucking Haitians, I'm sorry you can caught in all this missy; these pricks have been after us ever since a major drug deal turned into a death-trap back in the 80's" Spoke a Young Gangster; his Bermuda Shorts and Hawaiian Shirt stained with blood and dirt after dealing with a car crash; crashing into a wall and shooting an enemy gangster but he spoke as if he was used to witnessing such carnage and showed no sign of remorse for killing a man for he was simply smiling.
"So… they can hold a grudge?" Rosa stammered after seeing a real-life dead body spread out in front of her; her nerves visibly shaken as the adrenaline completely left her bloodstream.
"Ha… yeah they do; we've been dealing with these hit and run attacks for nearly twenty years, both sides have lost people" The Young Gangster spoke dropping the 1911 Colt that The Haitian Driver had been using to the floor; the gun charred and damaged from the explosion and had fired its last shot.
Rosa took a quick look around; hoping that a Police Car or the other Starfish Island Residents might intervene in her predicament and maybe save her from these Gangsters.
"If you're wondering where the other Residents are… don't bother; they know too well when guns are fired to stay clear of streets" The Young Gangster spoke with a sly grin; his SMG returned to his holster so to appear less threatening.
"Crap…" Rosa muttered a curse under her breath; pressing her back up against the garage shutter when trying to step away from the strangely young-looking Gang Member though he had yet to make a threatening move towards her.
The Young Gangster chuckled under his breath before extending his right hand out in a friendly gesture; smiling friendlily when introducing himself, "I think I should introduce myself; I'm Lucas… no last name".
Rosa eyed The Young Gangster revealed to be named Lucas of whom stood nearly a foot taller than Rosa though she was only 5.4 but she was uncertain of the man's intentions but as she eyed him she noticed that through his smile his teeth were clean and neat, his eyes were a pleasant mossy green like her bike, and his raven hair was matted back with a hair-gel that made his hair glossy.
Lucas withdrew his hand; keeping his smile while making the judgement that even though he'd just saved the girls life she did not trust him though he did not need an introduction for he already knew the girls name, but his train of thought was quickly dashed by Marco's accented voice.
"Lucas?! Girl?! Anyone survive that fucking blast?!" Marco shouted; limping down the pavement from his Sentinel that still sat half buried in bricks and foliage from somebodies back garden.
"Over here Marco!" Lucas called out loudly; waving his arm to signal his partner but the damaged Dirt Bike caught his attention, walking over and crouching down to examine the damage.
Rosa felt even more tense than she possibly could have thought; first a desperate attempt to escape a gunner, then the notion of being kidnapped and being used for gang sex before being ransomed and now she'd survived an explosion and her only means of getting away was about to get scrapped.
"Lucas! You done good you little shit… oh; you're alive too little miss" Marco spoke in his Latino-accented voice; grinning and showing his own dirty unclean teeth likely caused by smoking for literal decades.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?! My name is Rosa! Don't forget it!" Rosa wasn't sure how she felt by being little miss but she spoke before she meant to and clasped her hands over her mouth as soon as she realised she'd spoken out of turn to two armed and dangerous men.
Lucas and Marco both glanced to one another before bursting out laughing; neither one seemed to care that two men were not dead and the neighbourhood was just privy to a life-threatening chase ending in an explosion and two men lying dead on somebodies driveway.
"What's so funny?" Rosa asked; deciding to throw her caution to the wind and speak more openly; believing that her situation couldn't possibly get any worse.
"Nobody outside The Vercetti Gang has talked to us like that in a long time; its pretty funny for such talk to come from somebody like you" Marco spoke though a fit of laughter; wiping a laughter-induced tear from his eyes.
"Besides that… your Sanchez is still functional; she'll get you home but I suggest taking her to a mechanic" Lucas spoke up; rising back up to his feet with a clap of his hands after examining the damage and the engine's condition, half-heartedly hoping Rosa might give him a little reward.
Rosa's body just moved without thinking; darting over to her precious bike and kissing its speedometer before she'd even given her thanks, "Thank you; this Sanchez is my baby… she's my only thrill in life".
"I suggest taking better care of her; she's nowhere near her top speed from what we saw during the chase, and she's taken some damage" Lucas spoke after giving the bike a once-over; patting the beauty of a Sanchez on its seat before watching Rosa straddle the seat and instantly mentally picturing the attractive girl straddling him instead.
Marco lifted an eyebrow as he spotted the smile of Lucas' face; fully aware of what he was likely thinking when gazing upon Rosa's straddling of her bike.
"I will; thank you for your advice" Rosa gave the first genuine smile she'd given anyone all day; offering her hand to Lucas in a handshake gesture, a gesture that did not go unreturned by Lucas though he'd hoped the kiss that Rosa gave her bike had been directed towards him.
With the humming engine under her hips and the familiar feel of the throttle in her hand; Rosa revved the engine with a wave goodbye before her tyres screeched against the tarmac and tore off around the corner from The Vercetti Estate and back into the Underground Tunnel on route to her home.
Lucas and Marco both watched as Rosa left as she'd only left the trail of exhaust smoke behind in her wake; both turning as Marco's phone rang, Marco answering before the third loop of his simple beeping ringtone.
Marco answered and braced himself for the likely cuss-heavy chat he was about to have; a harsh voice bellowing out through the receiver, "What the fuck happened? I told you to follow a girl and I see a fucking fireball lighting up on my Island?! You know we don't need the Police sniffing around with what's coming up!".
"Yes Boss; I'm sorry Boss… there were some Haitians and they were chasing the girl in a Humvee" Marco spoke quickly; glancing at Lucas and spotting how alarmed he was after hearing the initial strong language.
"I see… is she still alive?" the harsh but slightly calmer voice of The Boss made his enquiry; pausing in wait for an answer.
"Yes Boss" Marco answered quickly and made his answer short but to the point; he knew The Boss wouldn't accept anything except a positive answer.
"Fucking-A" The Boss spoke again; sounding slightly more chipper than before.
"But I think the youngster: Lucas might have taken a shine to her" Marco commented with an off-handed tone of voice; smirking as Lucas turned to him with a look of shock.
"No I didn't! you're making shit up!" Lucas shouted so loudly that even The Boss heard him; his expression one of embarrassment and shock that Marco had known what he was thinking.
"Well he better fucking stay away from her" The Boss barked back with his harsh tone once again.
"May I ask why Boss?" Marco spoke again; cracking a sly smile though he and Lucas both were wanting to know why Rosa was a person of such great importance that they'd be assigned to tail and protect her much less why Haitians would attempt to kill or kidnap her.
"None of your fucking business" shouted The Bosses harsh voice once more before the line went dead.
"C'mon kid… I know that you thought she was a little hot" Marco joked; slipping his phone back into his shorts, jabbing Lucas in the ribs with his elbow.
"Ok maybe… if she ditched that crappy shorts I'd make a move" Lucas commented nonchalantly; noticing that Marco nodded his head in agreement proving that he'd also noticed the ugly beige shorts preventing her underwear from being seen while riding her dirt bike.
"Yeah… right Mr never had a girlfriend" Marco verbally jabbed at Lucas once again; finding a tremendous amount of enjoyment in Lucas' moments of obvious attraction to Rosa.
"Hey! I've had girlfriends… I just never went all the way" Lucas snapped back impulsively; realising what he'd said after he'd made his confession.
Marco burst out laughing so hard that he had to lean against the wall to prevent himself from falling down while Lucas mentally debated whether to punch Marco or not; Lucas merely pushed Marco onto the ground while the old man kept laughing and rolling on the surprisingly soft lawn.
"Come on youngster; I'm taking you to Pole Position for a lap dance… I'm paying" Marco gave Lucas and pat on the back; his breath stinking of cigarettes when in close proximity to the old man.
"But what car are we taking? The Humvee is flaming wreckage and our Sentinel is still half buried in bricks and bushes… speaks of didn't you get shot?" Lucas turned to get a good look at the two wrecked cars; but remembering why their Sentinel got half-buried.
"HA NO! Those two Haitians can't aim for shit; bullet narrowly grazed me" Marco laughed before speaking showing a tiny mark on his right forearm where a bullet had barely touched him.
"Glad to hear; but which car are we taking?" Lucas felt himself returning to a calm state of mind after Marco felt an impulse to embarrass him; opting to enquire as to how they were going to travel to The Pole Position Club.
"Well you better get digging; your back is stronger than mine and besides… the dancer I pick will treat you better if you work for it" Marco smirked as he lifted a box of cigarettes from his other pocket; tilting his head towards their half-buried Sentinel.
Lucas opened his mouth to protest but thought otherwise; grimacing as he slogged over and began tossing brick after brick off the Sentinel's bonnet while Marco just lit up another cigarette and enjoyed watching his compatriot work.
Ten Minutes Later: El Swanko Casa.
In her bedroom; Rosa's bedroom were fitted with a fine bed carved out of mahogany with a starry sky bedspread, a work desk where all of her books and folders still sat from hours of late night study sessions, a twenty-four inch television set into the wall with a games console sat on top of a chest of drawers with a stack of games neatly organised by genre sat next to the console, her walk-in closet laid just next to it but bordered by a linin sheet rather than a door, and posters of various bands and movies adorned the walls.
Thankfully Rosa's Mother was already asleep and wouldn't ask about that night's events until morning where Rosa could some up with a convincing ruse as to how her Sanchez would need a couple thousand dollars' worth of repair work and a tune-up, but what concerned her most as why those two Gang Members had saved her; she was nobody important but they'd risked their own lives to protect her from an awful fate.
Peeling her sweaty dress from her body and dropping down her beige shorts before standing in front of a full-length mirror and examining herself; miraculously she'd suffered no major injuries except for a bruise under her left shoulder blade after being thrown backwards by an explosion and her hair needed washing but she'd not even been hit by a single bullet, standing in front of the mirror in only her sakura pink floral undergarments.
Thinking of her encounter with Lucas had made her feel some unusual heat inside of her body; a tingling feeling in her lower proximity and she felt like she may know what she was feeling, attraction… and to a Gangster.
Rosa bit her lip as she touched her underwear; feeling a moist wet spot, "Dear god… my Mom is going to kill me if she finds out I like a criminal".
