". . .And then they made me their chief," Viper explained to the girl he'd just met. She giggled at his story, and he was about to continue when he heard the splash as Rachel fell into the pool. "Oh, not cool . . . " he muttered. He jumped up and walked quickly over to Chris. "So. Ya gonna save her or not?" he asked calmly. Chris just stood there, terrified, staring into the water. Viper rolled his eyes. "Well, someone's a few pink bunnies short of a Green Day concert." He took off his jacket, his gun, his compass, and his sword. He did this so fast, it seemed like all one motion. He handed his possessions to Chris. "If you lose any of that, no one will ever find your head!" Viper threatened, and dove into the water.

Viper swam down and grabbed Rachel around the waist. He couldn't bring her to the surface of the pool. The water-soaked dress was too heavy. He tugged at the zipper, and Rachel's new dress drifted to the bottom. He surfaced and laid Rachel on the side of the pool. Everyone gathered around. Viper kneeled next to Rachel. "C'mon, Sweetheart. Breathe," he prayed quietly, patting her gently on the cheek. Then – knowing more about girls than a young man should – he realized the problem. He grabbed his switchblade and cut the side of the bustier. Rachel turned over, and started coughing up water. When she stopped, Viper took his jacket from the floor – Chris had dropped Viper's possessions to go get help – and put it on Rachel's shoulders. He reached over to help her up. When Rachel went to grab his hand, he glanced at the medallion on the chain around her neck. "Where did you get that?" he asked, astonished. She couldn't answer. Rachel's mother and half of the high school kids walked in, led by Chris. Mrs. Lark was petrified. A boy was kneeling next to her half-dressed daughter, who was lying on the floor. The boy held the bustier, had apparently cut it open with his knife, and they were both soaked. Rachel and Viper looked at each other a moment, then suddenly jumped up. Viper tried to explain what had happened, but he knew it looked bad. "Ma'am, I swear, it's not what it looks like," he said. He quickly dropped the bustier. Sheriff Jones stepped forward, along with a few officers.

"Mom, he saved my life!" Rachel told her mother. No one knew what to think.

Sheriff Jones reached out. "I guess I should thank you," he said. Viper began to reach out, about to shake the man's hand. Sheriff Jones grabbed his wrist and yanked off his leather glove. There was a tattoo of a red hourglass shape on his hand between the thumb and index finger of his left hand. There was a "B" and a "W" tattooed in it in black ink. "From the Black Widow?" Sheriff Jones asked. Viper cringed. Sheriff Jones saw the tattoo of a snake wrapped around the gangster's arm, from the tail at his forearm to the head at his shoulder, with the word "VIPER" in the darkened scales across its back. "Zach de Marco!" announced Sheriff Jones, roughly letting go of Viper's wrist. Viper knew he had been found out.

"Call me Viper," he grumbled, kneeling to get his glove. There was a collective gasp from every girl in the room.

"So, where's the rest of the gang?" Sheriff Jones asked sarcastically, looking around. Viper stared at the floor.

"Probably already on their way," he said, glancing at Rachel's medallion again.

"What?" asked Sheriff Jones.

Viper looked up. "Probably around Santa Fe."

Sheriff Jones looked down and saw Viper's possessions lying on the floor. As he picked them up, Viper moved forward anxiously. Sheriff Jones named off the items as he went through them. "A gun with only one bullet . . . a compass that doesn't point north . . . " He gave Viper a strange look. "A sword?"

Viper looked at the floor, but switched his gaze to Chris when he heard him laugh, "You have to be the worst gangster I have ever heard of!"

Viper's impulse was to punch him, but he thought it would be more fitting to make a smart remark. "Ah, so you've heard of me?" he said, smiling. Chris glared angrily, but before he could do anything, his father nodded to one of the police officers. He walked toward Viper, who acted quickly. He snatched his gun out of the sheriff's hands, shoved the cop into the pool, put his arm around Rachel's waist, and aimed the gun at her head. The officer that had been knocked into the pool climbed out, and was sneaking up behind Viper. He quietly took out his gun. "I suggest you put that away, pal," Viper said without turning around. The policeman did what Viper said. "Nobody do anything stupid," Viper warned. "I'd rather not use this bullet." He turned around and started walking toward the gate in the fence with Rachel still at gunpoint. "I'm really sorry about this," he said to her.

"Don't worry about it. I was dead bored," Rachel replied calmly.

"Y'know, you don't sound very scared," said Viper.

Rachel shook her head. "No, I'm terrified. And being . . . less than dressed doesn't help," she said, pulling Viper's jacket closer around her.

"I'm sorry about that, too," Viper said. "So, tell you what. You can keep the jacket until I see you again." He stopped in front of the gate and looked at Sheriff Jones. "Sheriff, my effects please." He hesitated, but offered them out when Viper pressed the muzzle of the gun under Rachel's jaw. Making sure Chris was watching, Viper swung Rachel around to face him and nodded toward Sheriff Jones. Rachel knew what he wanted, and she glared daggers at him before reaching over and taking his possessions. She slid his sword into its sheath and clipped the compass onto his belt. As she reached around him to put his switchblade into his back pocket, he looked over her shoulder at Chris and gave him an insolent smile. Chris only scoffed and looked away. Then Rachel leaned away from Viper, still glaring. "I owe you one, Kitten," Viper vowed, then lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, watching in amusement as her angry stare faded. Chris's jaw tightened and friends had to restrain him from charging at Viper like a wild bull. But Viper only smirked and let Rachel go, keeping his gun aimed at her the entire time. "Kids, parents, various authority figures," he addressed, "you will all remember this as the day you almost caught Viper deMarco!" He kicked open the gate and took off running with the police chasing him.

Viper ran across the town sliding over car hoods and hiding in parking decks. He burst through the door of a pub called "The Four Seasons." Everyone stared at him as he jumped over the bar. He grabbed the bartender by the front of the shirt and said, "Viper's not here." The bartender nodded and Viper ducked down and hid behind the bar. Soon, Sheriff Jones and the police came in.

"We're looking for an 18-year-old gangster named Zachary Miguel deMarco. I'm sure many of you have heard of him and know what he looks like." Everyone stared at him blankly.

"Who?" someone shouted.

Sheriff Jones replied, "Zachary deMarco." Silence. "Viper?" he tried.

"Oh . . . " the people recognized.

"Nope. Haven't seen 'im," a woman said.

"Yes you have," Sheriff Jones replied. "He came in about five minutes ago."

Shoot. He saw me, Viper thought, realizing he couldn't hide anymore. "Alright, Sheriff," he said, coming out from his hiding place and jumping on top of the bar. "You caught me. Would it help matters if I said I'm sorry?" He strode across the counter, his boots making a hollow clunking sound on the wood.

"Define 'sorry,' " Sheriff Jones said, looking up at him.

"Okay," said Viper, pretending to think. "It took me moments to get over it."

"Wrong answer," the sheriff said. "Why don't you come on down from there?"

Viper shrugged. "Whatever you say." He jumped off the counter and landed on Sheriff Jones's toes.

He started hopping around on one foot and shouted to the officers, "Why are you just standing there? Get him!" The officers charged at Viper, aiming their guns at him. Viper went back with his hands on the floor and simultaneously kicked two officers in the worst place a man can be kicked. They dropped to the floor. Viper stood back up. Two down, seven more to go, he thought. One officer charged at him. Viper calmly stepped to the side and watched as the man ran into the wall. The policeman who tried to tackle Viper to the ground and handcuff him suffered a similar fate. The only difference: When he went to jump him, Viper moved, and the officer fell to the ground. Viper jumped forward, taking two policemen by surprise, and rammed their heads together. They crumpled to the ground, unconscious. One of the last three ran up behind him, but as he grabbed Viper's shoulder, the gangster grabbed his arm, pulled him forward, and the officer landed on his back. Viper turned around to the last two and crossed his arms. The policemen looked at him, then at each other, and ran out the door. Viper tuned around to the sound of the bar patrons clapping. "Thank you! I'll be in Las Vegas on the 24th!" Viper responded. As he walked for the door, he stopped by a girl standing at the jukebox and whispered, "Seriously. I'll be in Vegas on the 24th. Look me up." He gave her a wink and left out the back door.

When Sheriff Jones returned with backup, he looked at the police lying on the floor, and asked, "Where'd he go?"

"Where'd who go?" asked a man as he set up a game of pool.

"You know exactly who!" the sheriff said.

"Oh, Viper?" the man asked. "Trust me. You can search this place up and down, and you'll never find him."