by Mari Sillva
-I owe you a debt, paid at the earliest opportunity.
He saw a small flash of light at the end of the tunnel, seeing that the back of the paper had an annotated address probably the thug did not check both sides of the paper before writing the message.
What if I went there and arrested him? she thought innocently as if it were the easiest thing in the world. The address was from a bar on the outskirts, a place famous for its high danger, where only the "worst of the worst" criminals frequented. She hesitated, but acting on impulse, instead of walking the five blocks to her house, to save money on the bus (she earned a good salary, but had some responsibilities she had to severely comply with at the time), called a cab as he left her in front of the bar, he went out singing a tire, but not before asking if the girl really wanted to be alone there.
She gripped the edges of the coat tightening against her body as a shield for fear, looked back and forth at a frightening darkness. She did not go out much at night, even more alone. Her father was the old-fashioned type, he had not left any of his daughters out of his sight for a long time, especially Jesse who had no sense of judgment and being there was proof of that.
How am I supposed to find a man I've never seen in my life? The chip began to fall, but he had not come here to give up now. In a burst of courage,s he crossed the street and stood in front of the bar. It was a huge establishment with its entire facade lined with flashing lights like a Christmas tree, something common in the buildings of La Vegas. When she came in, she was horrified to see a half-naked woman dancing on the pole dance in the center of the establishment, climbing the end of the iron rod and coming down with her legs spread out. On the left side, there was a small casino set up with tables full of players, probably spending what they might not be able to pay later.
The researcher felt her cheeks burn when she saw a couple in the corner practically fucking in front of everybody, totally at ease. And they were not in the dark the inside of the bar was as bright as the outside, with lights of all sizes and colors. With great difficulty, she practically crawled among the people who were dancing, if she could call it a dance. To the sound of loud music, with lyrics as vulgar as the women present, it was evident that all the customers in that place were marginal. Finding what she was looking for would be like wanting to find a needle in the haystack. Totally lost, Jesse sat at the bar in the despairing bar, thinking how foolish she was going there alone, so she, who was always very brave, saw all her courage dissipate in the wind when a bearded, bald man in motorbike clothes entitled to waistcoat and all, very tall and large in size and tattered tattoos all over his body, looked at Jesse maliciously, looking totally intoxicated. She thought of running away and screaming for help as he came toward her, only she was stronger than that and stood firm in the same place.
-Will you dance with me, kitten? -Did you know you're a hot brunette? - Carter almost got drunk with just the "breath" of alcohol that came out of the mouth of that guy, who because of the loud sound brought his face close to hers to hear.
-I'm on my way, excuse me,- she replied politely, completely terrified at the way the man was staring at her, especially now that prostrate before she seemed much bigger and weirder as well. The fact that Jesse was just over five feet tall did not help much, it was one of the big problems she faced to become a police officer. Discreetly she took the cell phone in her pocket and called her friend Nayla for help, she thought of calling her mother, but she loved her too much to give her more concern, she tried to avoid it. However, it seemed to be a magnet for confusion. At the first touch, she felt his arm being brutally pulled by the man who did not accept the negative response to his invitation. He began dragging her by force into the lane, causing the cell phone to fall to the ground. In an attempt to break free from his hand, the coat eventually ripped open, leaving anyone looking to see the FBI uniform ready.
-Take it in the area, - a man shouted, making other men appear from all sides around Jesse, who easily caught her and dragged her to the back of the bar where the owner's room was, a disgusting, balding, a sleeveless shirt made of very poorly designed floral prints. Her mouth studded with gold teeth, laughing at her in a frightening way.
-You're very brave coming here alone, young lady! - He turned his chair to face her. - Who sent you here? -He asked roughly, almost shouting. She was still being held by two security guards. She looked down in terror, praying to heaven to send a miracle or that her death would not be so painful.
-Is not the frightened little mouse going to talk? - He asked wryly and without the girl's answer, he decreed his fate. One of the security guards slapped her face causing blood to flow in the corner of her mouth, but Jesse remained silent. -I know she does not make you kind of men, but you can play with her at ease before you eliminate her," he ordered quietly, turning his attention to a pile of money on the table, counting a note with an Italian cigar on the mouth.
-Now let's have some fun with you, kiddo, if it's good, we're not going to hurt you too much, - one of the five thugs said as Jesse opened his belt. They kept throwing her back and forth tearing her clothes. It looked, in fact, a frightened little mouse being the toy of four evil cats. Taken by despair, she began to cry and struggle. It was so until she fell down and fell to the floor, all wild and sweaty. He had delivered the points.
-Good girl, - one of them said, lowering his pants. So he took his hand in the poor girl whose face was tearful and a large part of her body exposed by the tears in the clothing that remained in her small, fragile body. She stepped back, startled by what she had just seen.
- Get her hands off! -Blade was standing in the doorway with two unlocked Full M9 guns.
What frightened the man was not the guns, but those eyes not blue or green, perhaps gray, which shone in the dark like two precious stones, a sneaky fox ready to attack anyone who dared to touch her again. Meanwhile, the rest of the "Men without Fear" team had no idea what was happening to their partner. They were in a bar talking animatedly, Julius drank a double Scotch whiskey with two ice rocks dancing inside, clinging to each other like a couple in love. Li opined with water with gas and gin, while the Englishman Stephen Salvatore was in total trance state tasting his glass of wine of the best and oldest Italian vintage, with the bottle worth one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, a would mix for him. His thoughts were far away, some good years ago.
It was a beautiful November yellowish afternoon autumn in England was never as splendid as it was that year. The floor of the streets covered with a cloak of orange leaves, a climate comfortably pleasant, neither hot nor frosty, to the right measure a perfect day to enjoy the beauty of nature, which was visible from all sides. Less for him ... who lived in a dark dimension, had always been like this since he was a child. To be beautiful, in her opinion, nature would have to have at least ninety-five percent black that green all made her nauseous. It had a peculiar taste for things this was remarkable only in looking at the sixteen-year-old. He was sitting at the back of the classroom, did not like to mingle with his classmates. The truth was that people did not mind their frightening presence around, everyone was afraid of him. They called him "Edward, Scissor hands" because he always wore black, especially a long hooded coat. His skin was snowy white, with penetrating blue eyes, soul readers. Black-haired at night, always held at mid-back with extremely straight strands in a straight cut in half, was a striking, rare-looking young man.
-Greet the new student, Nayla Borges, - said Sir Albertino Hamilton, a professor of Philosophy, a grumpy lord at the height of his early forties. Tall, thin and bald he wore his usual dark green sweater, with a bow tie, all in very bad taste. Drawing the attention of the young man who was looking across the large glass window, a blackbird, a raven, he would have something as if he had been talking to him. Esteban looked at him intently as if he understood. And he understood they were long-time companions. He began a thorough analysis of the new classmate, beginning with the pink-baby shoes that were full of sparkles and sequins brigh
t in the same shade. On the side was a very well-made tie with a white ribbon, which made the girl's small feet even more delicate. He stared at the ripped jeans, though he discreetly noticed how shapely his legs were. A stripped-down white T-shirt with the floral print a jacket also jeans over and a plaid blouse of red with black tied at the waist. On the neck a choker with a pendant with the letter N swaying as it moved on his back a brown leather backpack. The girl was stylish! But what drew Stephen's attention the most was the generous smile on her face, sweet and gentle. Without realizing it the young man admired his big brown eyes and the beauty of his rebellious curls adorned with small white flowers. He was fragile but visibly confident.
- Hello Nayla, welcome to our school! I'm Bryan, you can sit next to me if you like, -said the big star of the school's football team, who was now wearing the captain's jacket because he was the fastest and smartest. She had a striking, tall, strong beauty and golden hair that contrasted with the well-tanned white skin from the vacation she had spent in Hawaii, from a well-to-do family. He was a young man devoid of character, especially since he was the most popular there, and all the girls died of love for him.
-Thank you for the kindness, Bryan, but I've already chosen another place to sit!
Estevão looked surprised she smiled at him sympathetically casting a glance at the empty chair beside him. She would never sit next to the captain of the football team, Nayla had an incredible ability to see the essence of people, after all, she was very demanding about beauty, had to come from the inside out.
-If you'll excuse me, Professor, I do not want to disturb your class anymore. - The teacher smiled at the new student, thinking about how lovely a young woman she was.
Salvatore's eyes widened in surprise as his heart began to pound as the newcomer approached him. To tell the truth, he did not even know he had one. I was averse to feelings, good or bad.
- Pleasure, I'm Nayla! -She moved sympathetically up to Stephen, who simply turned her face in the same position as before, looking out over the garden. He spent most of his time like this. He regretted that the raven was no longer there, he was the only friend he had there.
- Working in pairs! - Said Professor Albertino. - So that there is no choice of partners we will make a lottery and do not want any complaints! He warned the students.
He adopted the draw because he felt an injustice they did with Salvatore by excluding him from everything. Bryan was fingers crossed wishing that the newbie was drawn to pair with him had become somewhat interested in the young woman.
-Estevão Salvatore and Nayla Borges, - the professor announced after sticking his hand into an improvised plaster basket, taking out two small pieces of well-folded paper.
They were the first pair to be drawn. It was from that day that they began something that would go far beyond friendship, something much more dangerous, which scared the young man enough because everything was very new to him. But he felt that she was different and really was. He had an incredible ability to see the inside of the people to observe what was good inside them. So, in a short time, it became popular because it treated everyone equally. Always friendly and mostly polite, and that caught the eye of everyone, especially Bryan, who was not enjoying the approach to Salvatore. Losing her to "Edward, Scissor hands" was unacceptable to his huge ego.
- I think I like you, Estevão! -She declared herself totally ashamed, making the dark skin turn red.
He felt something that he could not decipher. He made no response, held her hand, and kept his gaze fixed on the horizon. During the months they spent together, she knew him enough to know what he meant by that little gesture that also liked her. They were always together, but it was the first time he had let the girl touch him he had problems with physical contact. They were sitting on a wooden bench in front of Green Park Lake the grass was green with flowers growing everywhere, spring at the height of its beauty. -Nay, - he called her, was in a flowery blue dress under a red coat. Her hair was loose, Estevão liked it that way, not that he had told her, but the girl noticed it when he looked at her.
-Would you like to go to the spring nail with me? - The words slid from Salvatore's mouth without his realizing it.
-It would be a pleasure, Este,-she said smiling, by the nickname he invented, which he hated. Nay was surprised when a chill wind blew. Salvatore pulled the hood on and pulled her into his arms so he would not feel cold. She was startled to see how cold his skin was, more than the wind itself!
On the day of such a dance, Nayla was radiant in a salmon dress it had taken her to fall, long and faithfully following the curves of her body to the base of the waist, then opening giving a beautiful effect to the play. To give it more charm, she put on little gloves above her elbows. She made a loud coke with a few loose curls and a very soft makeup completed her look. He entered hand in hand with Stephen, who was impeccably elegant in a very well-fitting black suit. After many years, it was the first time he had left without the cape. After meeting Nayla, he no longer had to hide from the world.
- would you like to dance? -she asked with a smile so big that he could not say no, it was only to please her because her sixth sense told her not to go. Incredibly, he knew how to dance very well, whirling her like a princess all over the hall. He came from a noble family, the Salvatore had blue blood. They had an untold fortune, owners of a Castle and the County all around him.
-I've never liked anyone so much as I like you, Stephen, being by your side only makes me feel good!- Her head was lying on his chest, listening to his heart beating quickly.
-Being with you makes me feel good, Nayla, it makes me feel human! - This time he was not silent, what he felt was too strong to keep for himself. He took the girl's hand and twirled it in the air it was such a beautiful scene to see that if he was the kind that smiled, he would have given a big smile. But it was not, never smile, in fact. They stopped dancing and stared at each other for a long time, their lips moving closer and closer to each other. They were panting at the same time without touching each other, both parties longed for this to happen. Neither of them had kissed anyone before, they were waiting for the right person. In fact, Stephen thought that there was no one for him, who was born to live alone.
-Nayla, could you come here for a minute? - Chloe, Bryan's sister, appeared out of nowhere to stop their kiss it seemed to be on purpose.
-Sorry Chloe, now I can´t! I'm busy! -she looked at her partner in a malicious, innocent way.
-Please, really, it's very important, -s he begged, and to get it over with, Nayla decided to go. She laid a kiss on the young man's face, loved the naturally cold temperature of his body. - Wait here, I'll be right back! -She winked and left. As soon as she was out of sight, the lights went out and the music mysteriously stopped.
-Edward, Scissor hands, - they shouted in a choir of laughter and laughter. When the lights came on they were all with bladders full of paint of various colors, which began to fling into him. The first was Bryan, hitting naughty well on the young man's face. There were so many that he could not even stand, the most frightening was the sound of laughter. They were having fun at his expense, but why had he never hurt anyone? He asked himself, still fallen. What Stephen needed to learn was that he did not have to do anything against anyone to be hated it was enough to be different. He looked at all the faces present trying to find Nayla, but he did not find her. She had abandoned him, or worse, she was in the middle of it all. The lights blinked twice, the third he had simply disappeared. No one else ever heard of him, let alone Nay.
- No! - Shouted Stephen after waking up another nightmare.
Lately, he had been having the same dream over and over again. He disappeared into the world to see if he forgot what had happened, but no matter where he went, he always brought with him the memory of this horrible day. He went into the crime scene after that, it was easier to live hiding like that. The night was rainy, sweaty and breathless. He heard knocks on the windowpane, got up and walked over to her.
/> - Hello boy! -He said to the crow how like the memories followed him wherever he went.
Chapter 3
Jesse flashed his eyes like an arrow toward Blade's, intrigued. She had never seen such expressive eyes in her life. The color was indecipherable, which made them even more attractive. The pure leather boots, serving as a hideout for faded jeans, shaping well-defined legs in gym years, she guessed. White shirt with short sleeves glued to the body, making evident the muscles of giving envy to anyone. Although Carter loathed his beard, Blade seemed to be overwhelmingly beautiful. He was perfect, even more so powerful with two guns of pure gold in hand, giving it tremendous power. But he was also the most serious and distant man he'd ever seen. He could be gorgeous, but everything in him said, "Do not touch me." He was perfect, but "untouchable." Especially for someone as insignificant as her, he would not let her near.
-Release your weapons and get away from her, that perhaps I will not hurt you too much - he threatened with a perverse voice, making the men tremble with fear.
- Good evening to you too, Maldonado!
Jesse's eyes widened in terror as he heard the bar owner speak his last name. He was in front of the last of the Maldonado´s! Yes, she was! The Mafioso men had paid attention to the amount of hundred-dollar bills on his office table, he had known Blade for a long time was a frequent customer, came here to vent his anger quite differently from normal people. He had come to the bar for this, but his plans were ruined when he saw the clunky policeman who had saved his life being dragged to the back of the establishment by two security guards. On another occasion, he would not mind, except that when you owe something, the payment should happen.
-Did you know that little bitch is a cop? - The bar owner asked mockingly.