Grand Theft Auto: The Innocent Rose.
Chapter 13: A New Life, A Fresh Start.
August of 2013, Los Santos: Vinewood Hills.
Having been dreaming of a happier life with both her parents and an apparent engagement to Lucas; Rosa awoke to find herself laying naked in the fine sheets of a bed with Lucas by her side, remembering everything they'd done the previous night: so many positions, the heat of their mutual climaxes, their shared passion for each other, the very memory made Rosa blush and smile warmly to herself.
Lucas lay in the sheets still asleep but his right arm lay under Rosa's shoulders; a smile on his face after their night together, Rosa sliding out from the bed and rising up to her feet where she met a full-length mirror where she saw her naked body and for once didn't turn away from the sight.
Rising from the bed and walking across the room to an enormous walk-in closet that made the one in her old bedroom look pitiful by comparison, the wall was lined with dresses, jeans, t-shirts, shirts, waistcoats and dozens of shoes but none of them were her size as the room belonged to her parents, picking out a silk nightdress that barely covered her modest bust and did little to hide the slender curves of her thin body through the semi-transparent material that showed off her legs and ascending the stairs to be met with the smiling face of Marco.
"Well look who's up! The beautiful princess is finally awake" spoke the voice of Marco; the man himself still sitting in the comfortable armchair with a broad yet knowing smile on his slightly bearded face.
"Good morning Marco" Rosa spoke warmly to her friend; pulling the nightdress over her chest in an effort to cover her chest from view.
"Nice to see you're in a better mood" Marco spoke; his knowing smile ever present on his face while he watched Rosa walk across the room only to check the refrigerator only to find the shelves totally bare.
"Did you buy any food last night?" Rosa spoke blankly as she closed the empty refrigerator door and pouted in hunger.
"Yeah there's some cold Pizza and there's also Chinese Food… there's also Coffee" Marco listed off the food he'd had delivered the previous night after having drank all the Beer and consumed a portion of the Pizza and Chinese Food.
"Rather heavy for a breakfast but it'll do" Rosa sighed but smiled at the presentation of Pizza and Coffee, seizing a slice of Pizza and a cup full of Hot Coffee only to consume them instantly without leaving so much as a crumb or a sliver of Coffee at the bottom on the cup.
"So how was the night?" Marco finally spoke after a long silence while watching Rosa consume her breakfast with blinding speed; even feeling a little impressed with how the girl can practically inhale food and yet be so thin.
Rosa paused for a moment; she realised that Lucas had come to her and acted on his attraction towards her because Marco would have pushed him to do it and likely knew exactly what happened last night thus making any other answer utterly useless, "It was good; Lucas really… helped me with my troubles last night".
She didn't even need to look behind her to know that Marco was grinning ear-to-ear while she helped herself to a second slice of the cold Pizza and pouring herself some more Coffee from the machine atop the kitchen counter.
"I'm guessing the kid is still asleep?" Marco stated bluntly; drinking his mug of Coffee in several small gulps though he never stopped smiling as if proud of his influencing actions last night.
"Yeah; he is… but I was hoping to catch you alone so we could talk" Rosa spoke through a mouthful of her second slice of Pizza; not caring for her manners for there was something dwelling on her mind that involved Marco.
"Oh? What about?" Marco spoke with a humoured tone of voice; assuming the facts and his dirty mind producing thoughts after his provocation of Lucas into sleeping with Rosa might result in Rosa asked for some tips on pleasing each other in the future.
"Your past… you mentioned that You and Douglas Ender have history together and I want to know what that history is" Rosa spoke without even a single breath taken in on Marco's part; her eyes glistening with a desire for knowledge and a resolve that burned strong within her after everything that had transpired yesterday.
"That is a long story…" Marco's smile faded into a frown when Rosa made her request clear; the mere memory haunted him of when he and Douglas ran together and committed crime together until the day everything changed and the two became enemies.
"Then start at the beginning!" Rosa answered back with a determined tone in her voice, leaving Marco stunned with how much the girl reminded him of Tommy Vercetti and Mercedes Cortez; she truly was their child.
"I shouldn't… not yet anyways, it's just not the right time yet" Marco spoke carefully; avoiding the topic for fear that Rosa might react badly when she heard exactly what had happened between himself and his former friend and the disturbing parallel of his past and the sudden change to Rosa's jilted friend: Ryder Scottsdale.
Rosa stared coldly at Marco though no words came to her mind for how Marco was dismissing her demand to know the history between her friend and her enemy but that was a story he did not like to recount but Rosa knew that she and Lucas would likely need to know everything there was to know about that evil man if they were to face him again.
"Do you have a plan for what to do next?" Marco spoke; his hand moving for his cigarette box only to remember the box was empty and threw the box into a bin across the room, a shot that made Rosa's eyes widen with surprise at his throwing skill.
"Right now we need to ditch our dirty and tattered clothes" Rosa stated; recalling how their clothes from yesterday were not only dirty with mud, sweat and blood but also water-stained from the escape by boat.
"So you want me and Lucas naked all the time? Alright…" Marco smirked again after the tense moment they'd shared; playfully and sarcastically unbuttoning the top button of his Hawaiian shirt just to tease the girl.
"Stop it Marco; that's not funny… and we also need to stock up on food and basic essentials" Rosa spoke quietly as their current clothes were nigh unusable; his train of thought derailed as the opening chime of Weasel News bared from the television, her old habit of watching the news coming like a welcome relief but the main news story made her heart sink like a stone.
"Good morning and welcome to Weasel News! In breaking news! Gang Warfare on Vice City's Starfish Island as the criminal syndicate The Vercetti Gang was completely wiped out leaving not a single member alive; the bodies of hundreds of Vercetti Gang Members and notorious criminals of The Haitians Gang littered the grounds of The Vercetti Estate though few witnesses aboard fishing boats and casual Jet-Skier's spoke of a Squalo Speedboat was seen fleeing the Island with three unknown persons onboard though the boat has not been seen since its departure, amongst the bodies were those of the notorious Crime Boss: Tommy Vercetti and Heiress of The Cortez Family: Mercedes Cortez; head of the investigation team: LCPD Officer Iain Autumns had this to say…"
Rosa and Marco stood in silence in response to the news story before Rosa seized the remote and switched off the news.
"If nobody has found that Speedboat then either Douglas or that boy: Ryder destroyed it once they found it outside the Airfield" Marco spoke as he slumped back down into the armchair; picking up his mug only to find it as empty as his cigarette box.
"Is there any way they could find out where we flew to? It sounds like they found the Squalo after we left it at that Airport Jetty" Rosa asked though her voice was quivering like she was on the verge of tears; the news having brought back the terrible memory of seeing her parent's deceased bodies.
"Not a snowball's chance in hell! I didn't file a flight plan when we left Vice City and only did when we arrived so we could land here and use the Private Hanger" Marco spoke slowly while pouring himself a third cup of Coffee; sighing heavily for if The Haitians could find out where they were hiding then it was likely that they'd be shot on sight after their spectacular escape.
"Daring" Rosa spoke with a smirk forming in the corners of her lips; impressed with Marco's handling of their escape though risky as it was taking off from an official airport without clearance and their luck in not receiving a military tail or being blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile.
"Quite… but we need to make preparations for the possibility that Douglas finds us" Rosa waited for a full minute before she spoke again; letting out a sigh as she knew too well that Marco and Lucas would need guns.
"We're also going to need guns for that very possibility" Marco stated exactly what Rosa was thinking; shooting her a sarcastic smile when she turned and met his knowing gaze.
"I agree; we should be able to defend ourselves but I'm leaving that to you and Lucas" Rosa nodded in agreement; pacing on the spot but noticed a shadow of a person walking towards the outside of the door.
Before Marco could answer regarding the need for armaments there came a knock at their front door, the figure of a dark-skinned man slightly visible through the blurred glasswork.
"Quick; cover yourself with this; your tits are barely covered with that nightgown" Marco shouted; tossing a blue palm-tree-print Hawaiian Shirt that had been left laying on a couch over to Rosa.
"I'll overlook the wording you chose; but thanks" Rosa spoke back; dismissing Marco's crude wording but covering up her partially exposed chest with the shirt.
Rosa hurried to the door while slinging the sheet over her shoulders and pulling it over her chest so her breasts didn't draw so much attention, peering through the spyhole and spotting an African American Man dressed in black shorts and a green Basketball jersey but he didn't look threatening at the slightest; taking in a deep breath as she opened the door and smiled to the man though she noticed that he quickly eyed her slim body through the revealing nightgown and a cardigan.
"Hello; I saw you had moved in at some point last night and thought I'd say hello… name's Franklin" spoke the African-American man; his clothes being that of a simple pair of green basketball shorts and a matching jersey but he was partnered by large Rottweiler.
"Well nice to meet you Franklin; I'm Rosa and he's Marco, my boyfriend is downstairs sleeping at the moment" Rosa introduced herself; gesturing to Marco of whom stood several paces behind her
"Just wanted to say welcome to the city since I recently moved in the house next door; well… umm… good day" Franklin spoke while trying to keep his eyes off Rosa's body; pausing between each word before turning to leave and return to his own house.
"Hold on… you wouldn't know a good place to get some decent clothes and basic essentials that is really close by? We're kinda lacking in… pretty much everything" Rosa spoke up to catch Franklin's attention before making her request but didn't realise that with her leaning out the door gave Franklin a line of sight down her shirt and nightgown.
Franklin glanced back over his shoulder; giving Rosa a noticeable dubious look before giving an answer, "Yeah; I do, I can take you there when you… finish getting dressed".
Rosa tilted her head slightly as she realised the sheet shifted down her shoulder exposing her modest cleavage only to pull the shirt closer to her chest and cover herself and dart back into the house leaving the door wide open.
Franklin couldn't help but laugh to himself after witnessing the stunning beauty that was Rosa dash back into the house leaving only him and the middle-aged man: Marco staring at him, Marco's stare being enough to send a chill down his spine much like how he felt whenever Trevor was present and he was somebody Franklin did not want to get on the wrong side of.
Marco stepped forwards but didn't speak a work to Franklin until he shut the door and turned the lock; letting out a sigh before turning and facing Rosa who was trying to ensure the nightgown didn't expose any more than she wanted to but was having difficulty keeping her bust covered.
"You really need some clothes that fit" Marco spoke up; watching as Rosa shimmied back into the house before slinging off the Hawaiian Shirt and pulling her nightdress back onto her body until it adequately covered her body.
"Yes; I agree… and exactly when is Lucas going to wake up?" Rosa muttered quietly; checking herself in the reflection of the turned-off television as the nightdress barely covered her bust that was considerably smaller than her mother's.
"Not sure; that lad has always been a late sleeper… never known him to get up bright and early" Marco spoke lowly; eyeing the stairway down to Rosa's Bedroom and spotting a shadow of somebody coming up the steps.
"If you're done talking about me… I'm up" spoke Lucas' voice; his barely awake form rising to the top of the stairway dressed in little but a pair of shorts given the summer heat of Los Santos.
"Morning sunshine; how'd it go?" Marco spoke up in his sarcastic tone once again; shooting Lucas with an eyebrow-raising expression of pride in the lad.
"Marco… do you really need to ask him that? You asked me the exact same question" Rosa spoke up; letting her disapproving tone of voice that she'd heard so often from her Mother do the talking for her.
"Of course I do; I'm an asshole" Marco stated bluntly but grinning as Rosa spoke like Mercedes used to talk; causing Lucas and Rosa both to laugh hard at Marco's own blunt description of himself.
Rosa couldn't help but laugh to herself; her laughter drawing Marco's and Lucas' attention before they too broke into laughter, the past twenty-four hours had been so wrought with personal revelations, danger, life-threatening incidents and unexpected encounters that they'd forgotten to trust in one another, enjoy each other's company and laugh at each other's jokes; Rosa hadn't realised it under now but she felt an unbreakable bond of trust between these two men so far that she could easily put her life in their hands.
"What's wrong missy?" Marco spoke up; having not once heard her laugh since they'd met and the sound of her laughter felt alarming to his ears.
"Oh? It's nothing… let's just finish eating and get ourselves set up in our new home" Rosa spoke while slipping into a seat and helping herself to a box of teriyaki noodles.
It took less than half an hour to finish the cold pizza and drink all the coffee Marco had had delivered, the trio taking to the trunk of the Fugitive vehicle and finding two briefcases full of clothes in their sizes.
"Would have been nice to have been told about these!" Rosa exclaimed; her cheeks still red after accidently exposing herself to Franklin earlier, seizing a simple plain dress and some underwear before running into a bathroom to dress herself and finally get out of that needlessly revealing nightgown.
"I've just noticed something… this is the longest I've seen you go without a cigarette" Lucas spoke; realising that Marco had not been smoking since they'd boarded their Private Jet back in Vice City or even before escaping The Vercetti Estate.
"Only just noticed that? My pack is empty!" Marc spoke with a slight snap in his voice; like he needed his cigarettes to remain calm but he now looked irate.
"Then we'll have to get you some more while we're shopping for essentials" Lucas spoke hastily; not wishing to see his superior irritated for the last person who did wound up face-down in the dirt and barely alive.
Before Marco could answer; the door to the bathroom swung open as Rosa stepped out dressed in a perfect fit pastel-pink dress with a slight sleeve running over her shoulders with a pair of open-toed shoes, her raven black hair hanging freely and brushed until her hair ran sleek and smooth.
"Dear God… I think The Lord above lost one of his angels" Marco spoke while whistling a wolf whistle in Rosa's direction, Rosa blushing slightly after Marco's reaction.
"Kind of you to say Marco; but you're not the one I wanted to hear that from" Rosa spoke with the same kind tone of voice she normally spoke in; turning her gaze from Marco to Lucas with an expectant look in her eyes.
"Oh.. umm… that dress looks nice on you" Lucas stuttered slightly; forgetting the night they'd just shared when witnessing Rosa wearing a simple yet elegant dress.
"Unbelievable… you're so bad at complimenting a woman" Marco spoke while slumping back into his armchair; his right hand slapping himself in the face in exasperation of Lucas' inability to compliment a woman even after sleeping with her.
"Can we just get a move on! Get dressed so we can explore the Los Santos Highstreet with our new friend" Rosa exclaimed; already opening the door and meeting the gaze of Franklin of whom was waiting with his white Fugitive vehicle in wait for them.
A Ten Minute Drive Later.
The short drive was silent as Lucas and Marco both stared at Franklin with stares of suspicion; nobody got into a luxury home like his by chance and by the looks of him he was clearly involved in something illegal, their drive route leading them into The High Street where all the high end brands had shops and even slightly low end brands for those who didn't have big bank accounts.
"Well here's the place you want; it's not name brand or anything fancy but it'll do" Franklin spoke; flicking a switch on his dashboard and the doors on his Fugitive vehicle opened on their own, allowing himself a smug smile in an attempt to impress the beautiful young woman.
"Thanks Franklin; can you wait in the car for a time until we're finished shopping?" Rosa thanked her driver; patting his hand with her own as she slid out from the car, Franklin pouting slightly as he didn't get a thank you kiss but his thoughts were interrupted by his phone beginning to ring.
"Sure thing; …sorry I need to take this call" Franklin answered seconds before his phone rang, Rosa peering at the phone only to spot the name Michael under the Caller ID.
Upon stepping out from the vehicle the sights of The Los Santos High Street took Rosa's breath away, every building was a tall white-wall building with mannequins displaying the latest fashions, young men and women earning money by handing out flyers for store discounts or performing in the streets as musicians with guitars, keyboards, and even localists or in one case a Zombie.
"Quite the locale… Lucas stated as Marco was already accepting several dollar bills from a sixteen year old for the store they wanted to go to in exchange of a quickly-forgotten promise of smokes.
"Yeah… Los Santos has changed a lot since that upstart CJ was running around" Marco spoke quietly; mentioning a name that the street performer dressed as a Zombie glanced over his shoulder at them upon overhearing CJ's name.
"Who?" Lucas asked; his interest piqued at the mention of a Los Santos Contact that they'd might be able to call on provided Marco and this CJ-Person were still in contact.
"Doesn't matter…" Marco spoke suddenly; cutting off his answer and giving a stern look that demanded that the subject be dropped right there and then.
Rosa suspected that this mysterious CJ-person was connected to the dubious past that Marco shared with Ender; though now was still not the time to enquire about his secret connections to her parents murderer she still desired that knowledge.
Entering their target clothing shop; a shop named Bingo that specialised in clothing for people who wanted to blend in with crowds so to go unnoticed, the cashier was a young woman with dyed green hair and eyephones plugged into her ears though her eyes followed the group of a young couple followed by a middle-aged man walking into the store.
"Ok; split up and decide what you want, money is no object right now" Rosa spoke up; wandering away from the men with her family credit card in hand, quickly picking out a pair of dull grey shorts out of habit for when she could go biking again as well as walking towards the display of dresses; some with sleeves, shoulder-strings or strapless.
Lucas smirked as his girlfriend loved her dresses to the point he couldn't help but fantasize about seeing her walk towards him in a pure snow white wedding dress; snapping out of his fantasy when Marco slapped his shoulder, "So; what are your plans for our little princess?".
"Do you need to ask me that?" Lucas stated as he brought the shopping cart to the checkout; setting the cart down so the female clerk could start scanning through the various items they'd picked out.
"Lucas… I'm an asshole; it's what I do" Marco shrugged his shoulders as he spoke; giving a wink to the pair of male and female clerks behind the counter.
"Fine… I was just thinking about seeing her walk down the aisle" Lucas begrudgingly admitted his daydream to Marco knowing that the asshole would get it out of him sooner or later.
"Who she marrying? You I hope" Marco asked; his lips curling into a self-entertaining grin as he teased Lucas.
"Of course me! Who else?!" Lucas snapped; noticing that the woman behind the checkout desk was also smiling at him.
"Well she was taking a shine to that lad named Franklin; you saw how she looked at him once she saw his motorcycle" Marco stated; bringing up Franklin and his Motorbike just to see how Lucas would react.
Lucas wouldn't say it out loud but he did feel slightly jealous of Franklin; the man had given them a hand when they needed to and he owned a powerful motorbike that he was sure Rosa was going to ask him if she could ride it soon.
Marco smirked as he picked out a couple pairs of fine trousers, button-up shirts and shoes for Lucas to wear before turning to find clothes for himself.
"Wait… where's Rosa gone?" Lucas spoke suddenly; noticing that Rosa was no longer roaming around the woman's clothes section as well as no longer in the store at all.
"She's outside worry-wort… you know how much she loved her motorbike" Marco stated upon hearing the familiar sound of motorbike engines; scoping out the Hawaiian Shirts but passing on them due to their need to stay under the radar and instead choosing a simple bowling shirt to go with the Cargo Shorts he'd picked out for himself.
Outside the clothing shop stood Rosa; gazing longingly as a group of Lost Bikers rode through the High Street, the roar of the engines and the swear-filled yells of the Bikers echoed through the air; the bikers followed by a black van with their emblem painted on the side of the van before vanishing around a corner.
"Hate those types… Biker Gangs" spoke a woman dressed in a simple yet modest pair of hot pink shorts and a white shirt that gave away the outline of her bra, her eyes following the gang of bikers from behind a pair of sunglasses.
"Well they are here for that big Motorcycle Race in a month" spoke the man stood beside her; dressed in knee-length shorts and a vest but with an obvious wedding ring on his finger whilst the woman did not have a ring.
"I'm sorry… but the what?" Rosa cut into the chat between the two strangers; her interest piqued at the notion of a big motorcycle event.
"Hmm? Oh; it's a big event that is taking place next month, about a hundred motorcycle enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies are taking part; a million dollar prize, TV Crews, major sports network coverage… the whole shebang" the woman spoke to Rosa; her tone one of dismissive annoyance that some random girl intruded on their conversation.
Stars lit up in Rosa's eyes at the very idea of competing in a major sporting event that involved her passion for motorcycles; instantly recalling that Franklin had that stunning green motorcycle on his driveway and hoped that he'd let her ride it in exchange for a share of the prize money.
A sudden hand from behind brought Rosa to alert; swinging her arm around and instantly slapping the man hard in the face before realising she'd just slapped Franklin, "Oh my god… I'm so sorry".
"That is one mean slap…" Franklin muttered while rubbing his cheek after Rosa had left him with a slight bruise; his mind racing with thoughts as to why she'd react with such an attack.
"I'm sorry… I… I mean we had some trouble before coming to Los Santos" Rosa stuttered as she tried to find the words to explain their arrival last night and why she'd been so jumpy; but failed to come up with any solid idea to throw him off the truth.
Franklin glanced at Rosa like he was examining her for information; his eyes leering at her not like the hostility in how Ryder or Angelo did when they'd held her at gunpoint nor how Lucas looked at her with affection or Marco's sarcastic brand of affection.
"You aren't from Vice City… are you?" Franklin asked out of the blue; getting an answer from the realising expression on Rosa's face.
"How'd you know?" Rosa's smile sank from her normally pretty face; realisation taking hold of her eyes emotional display.
"You and your friends… people don't just show up in Vinewood Hills overnight" Franklin spoke with a smirk; having watched them arrive while staying at home and watching the basketball game.
Rosa stood silently; waiting for the demand Franklin was likely to make in exchange for his silence.
"Don't worry your pretty head… I'm not going to tell anybody dodgy but you do have to do something for me" Franklin spoke carefully so not to scare Rosa off; choosing his words differently when he'd normally be cursing and swearing.
"Here we go… his demand" Rosa thought to herself; bracing herself for whatever demand he was doing to issue.
"I saw you listening in on that motorbike race… I'm entering it for the money to put towards a certain upcoming jobs and I want you to race me" Franklin broke out in a cocky smile; gesturing with his hands as the gang of Lost Biker Club members rushed around again with their own brand of noise and curses, Franklin seeming unfazed as if he'd been in noisier situations.
"What's this job you mentioned?" Rosa cocked her head; curious as to the job Franklin just mentioned.
"We're going to need some skilled motorcycle rider's for an important job and I'm taking part in this race to test some candidates and I thought you might be an option after seeing you eye up those bikes" Franklin spoke up again; recalling Rosa's reaction to the motorcycle gang and the look of longing in her eyes when witnessing the gang's bikes.
Rosa swallowed hard; an actual challenge… she'd wanted to properly race somebody ever since she first rode her beloved Sanchez motorcycle but that vehicle was likely either being destroyed or used as a trophy by some Haitian bastard thus leaving her with no ride to enter the race with.
Author's Note: readers might notice Franklin's speech patterns are a little different as because I greatly dislike the excessive use of the N-Word in the GTA V Script, I hope readers don't mind the change too much.
