Language/Violence Disclaimer: There is violence here. There is also some heavy language here. If this bothers you I suggest you don't read this.
Love/Sex Disclaimer: There is same sex relationship here between two consenting adult women. If this offends you or if you are under age please don't read this.
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Part 2
Alexia had told Casey to go ahead out to the car and wait for her. Apparently, the leather-clad woman had business to attend to within the bar. Casey didn't really mind waiting because it gave her time to reflect on the unplanned change of her situation. If someone had told her earlier that day she would be working for Alexia, the unknown factor, she would have laughed in their face.
The only chances Casey took were the ones she knew what the outcome would be. Working with Alexia made any and every outcome possible. Casey wasn't prepared to change her plans yet. She'd of course have to come up with a plan B but she saw no reason to do anything drastic.
Alexia had a plan she was sure of it, but the blue-eyed woman had no idea as to what that plan could be. Santiago and Alexia were business partners; most everybody knew that. However, a lot of people also knew that Alexia wasn't a big fan of the drug business. She had often preferred to take her business ventures elsewhere. The first thing Casey would have to do is find Alexia's motive, which could almost be deemed impossible. Alexia didn't have motives. She worked for herself and sometimes would do favors for her friend/lover Angel.
Which brought Casey to another thought. How did Angel fit into everything? Alexia had told her that Angel could really help her out, but how? Angel didn't have any ties to Santiago's business. From what she had heard on the street Angel was trying to turn her family business around. It seems she was tired of her family doing the same illegal type of business they had been doing for decades. Angel had no prior affiliation with Casey and they had never met before. Yet, Alexia had said rather confidently that Angel could help Casey out.
The sound of the driver's side door opening brought Casey out of her reverie. Alexia got in the car without a word and started up the engine then drove off. She pointed the car back in the direction from where they came from. Knowing she had a long ride ahead of her she, Casey sat back in the seat and made herself comfortable.
Alexia reached inside her jacket and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number from memory and waited for someone on the other end to pick up.
"Hello?" She heard the groggy voice of Angel answer the phone.
"I told you I was going to be late and I meant it." Alexia said simply.
"Yeah so why the hell are you calling me now? You must have known I was going to be asleep." Angel's voice was still raspy from sleep.
"I'm still coming over, but I'm bringing a friend."
"Can't you go get laid at your own house?" Angel asked annoyed. "I would actually like to sleep the rest of the night away."
Alexia chuckled softly. "It's nothing like that. I'm bringing home Tony's new business associate."
"You stole her from Tony?" Angel's voice perked up. "Since when did you start doing that sort of thing?"
"I don't do that sort of thing Angel."
"Why must you always be so damn cryptic?" Angel asked knowing she wouldn't receive an answer she continued on. "Just tell me how I'm going to be involved in whatever plan you're brewing."
Alexia looked over to her passenger noticing how hard Casey was trying not to listen to her conversation. "I haven't figured out what part you're going to play so just sit tight. This is going to be something you can't prepare for."
Alexia heard a rough sigh being released from over the phone. "There you go being all cryptic again." Angel's voice stopped and she took a moment to collect herself. "We can all talk in the morning."
The dark woman could here the click of the phone signifying Angel had hung up. She wasn't that worried about Angel being upset, because they had gone through similar situations a countless amount of times before. Alexia would never share all her secrets with Angel, she wasn't sure she was capable of doing so. Angel didn't need to know everything anyway; no one needed to know everything. Knowledge is power and no matter how much Alexia trusted her best friend in the world, she couldn't give that power away.
Alexia turned to look at Casey once again and found brilliant blue eyes staring back at her. They were obviously waiting for some type of explanation. They however wouldn't get one. Everything would be revealed on a need to know basis, and Casey didn't need to know anything, at least that's what Alexia thought.
"If you need to know something, I'll tell you about it." Alexia addressed her passenger. "Am I right to assume that you want to do nothing at this moment but take revenge on the Santiago's for what they did to you?"
Casey looked at Alexia for a long time wondering if she should even answer the question. She trusted Alexia, for some unknown reason, but still. There had to be a line drawn somewhere. "Because it's taking you so damned long to answer, I'm going to say I'm right and because I'm right your lust for petty revenge does not benefit me at all. I don't share things with people who are blinded by rage. It's bad business."
"Are you insinuating that I have no control?" The blue-eyed woman asked incredulously.
"Why did you take over your families business Victoria?"
Casey noticed Alexia would only call her by her given name when she wanted information. She made things more personal, pushing the point that she knew more then all the others did. Why not just tell her more? Alexia apparently already knew her so well already...right?
"If you know so much about me Alexia, then you should know the answer to your own question." Casey was willing to play games with the leather clad woman, even if she knew she'd most certainly loose.
Alexia pulled the car to the side of the road and parked it on the shoulder of the mostly desolate highway. She turned her body so she was facing Casey directly and sat there and stared at the other woman. She said nothing and did nothing but sit and stare.
At first, Casey tried to hold the gaze of the other woman, but she got that feeling. That uncomfortable feeling where her skin felt like it was being attacked by a thousand little ants crawling all over her body, exploring every dip and curve. Her first instinct told her to get out of the car and run as far away as possible, but she couldn't run. Alexia was too powerful and already had some hold over her that she couldn't easily identify.
Casey fidgeted in her seat instead. She felt like a young child being scolded for not telling the truth. No one had ever taken so much control away from her. It was unsettling to say the least. Earlier that day she had felt completely in control everything was going as she planned. Within a few months she would be able to get close enough to the Santiago cartel and she'd have her revenge. Now, everything about her situation had changed except for that desire to have her revenge. It was what she was most focused on; she could never loose that. Alexia's control over her could never make her loose that.
"One upon a time there was this young teenage girl." Alexia finally began to speak. "This teenage girl loved her father dearly. He was her hero, and even though she knew he was involved in illegal activities, she still loved him dearly. This girl would do anything to please her hero. She learned his business, even though she really detested it. She learned to be ruthless and have extreme cunning, just like her hero." Alexia shifted her body so that she was staring outside the windshield of the Beamer.
"Her father was very proud of her too. He told all his friends and associates about how good his daughter was at the business...nothing like her brother. Yes, this girl had a brother and she also loved him dearly, but still she strived for her father's approval. You see her brother, didn't like the kind of business their father was doing and even though he loved his sister very much he had to leave. Their father let the brother go away because he had one child who would never fail him, and she was all that mattered.
"This girl learned all she could about the kind of life she had committed herself to. She became the best at everything and worked hard to accomplish all her goals. She never ever would let her father down. Whatever her hero asked of her she would do. No matter what kind of task it was. If he had asked her to kill the president of the United States, she'd do it immediately, no questions asked.
"The girl however after a few years realized her hero wasn't really her hero anymore. She had done too many bad things for him, which had changed her point of view of her hero. He was now a monster. The girl now wished more then anything else she could be with her brother, but her brother was long gone. This was the life she had chosen and this was the life she would live with until the day she died. Now, the girl only hoped death would come soon.
"One day our protagonist got an order from her father to eliminate a certain individual who threatened the family business. When she looked at her target she discovered that the target was none other then her baby brother...whom she loved dearly. The girl, who had now become a very competent woman, called her father up immediately and denied to complete her given task. No one could ask that of her, not even her hero.
"The woman's refusal to carry out his wish made the father very angry. He would do the job himself then. He knew his daughter never really loved him anyway. She would only ever want his power like everybody else. The woman took her father's decree to kill his only son as a purely empty promise. He would never do such a thing, she was sure of it. Unfortunately, the father was so angry (his business hadn't been going well lately) he did do what none predicted he would.
"The father just felt so betrayed by both his children. He would never order his son's death unless absolutely necessary. Why couldn't his little girl understand that? You see, the father had found out that his son was working for the DEA. His son was going to destroy his entire organization. He had to be stopped and like I have mentioned the father did set out to take care of his son.
"The father called up his son and they were going to meet to talk about things at a warehouse the father had part of his operation in. Unknown to the son, he would also be meeting with his father's business partners, the Santiago's. The woman heard about this meeting and predicted nothing but trouble from it. Nothing positive, she was sure, could come from this meeting.
"The woman raced to the warehouse where she found her father pointing a gun at her brother's chest. His hand was shaking violently and his face was covered in sweat and distorted in deep emotional pain. The father couldn't bring himself to actually pull the trigger of the gun. Richard Santiago, seeing his business associate being so weak, took the gun from the father and shot the woman's brother immediately. He then turned the gun on the father and shot him down as well. The woman just stood and watched. Her feet were glued to the floor.
"She could do nothing to help either member of her family. The Santiago man saw her, but he wouldn't kill this Garza. No, he had plans for this incredible woman, who had served her father so well. He had decided long ago that he wanted this woman to work for him, and would give her the chance to join his great family. She would become a Santiago.
"He offered her a position right there in the warehouse where her brother and father, once hero, were lying dead on the cold cement floor. What on earth could this poor woman do? At first she wanted nothing more but to kill the man right there, but what pain would he really suffer that way? It was only his life he would loose. She wanted him to loose everything. She wanted him to suffer for years not knowing she was the one killing him softly until the exact moment of his death.
"The woman accepted his job offering, that's where she was given the name ice bitch because she had taken a job from the man who had killed her brother and father before the bodies had even gone cold. She worked for Richard a few years and eventually gained her father's holdings from the man. She became the leader of the Garza drug cartel still seeking her revenge on the man who had murdered her family. One day this woman suddenly disappeared...her loyal subordinates swore she had been killed. But let me ask you this, after all the woman had been through do you believe her rage would be stopped by the threat of death? Do you think her need for revenge would not be enough to keep her alive for a very long time?"
"STOP!" Casey yelled not able to take any more of the monotone voice in which Alexia was relating her story. "JUST STOP IT!!!"
Cold mahogany eyes met that of ice cold blue. "What is it you want me to stop Garza?"
Casey ripped the door open and jumped out of the car. She could not take this anymore. She began walking away from the car, mindless of where she was going. Alexia stepped out of the car with much more grace. She slowly stood up to her full six three frame and walked towards the direction Casey had took off to.
Throwing all caution to the wind Alexia caught up to the angry dark haired woman and grabbed her by the arm to turn her around. Casey threw a punch at her, but Alexia easily stopped it. She grabbed Casey's cold fist into her hand and held it steadily in the air. "Your rage and want for revenge are strong and for me that's bad business."
The leather-clad woman threw Casey's fist out of her grip as if it were a piece of paper. "I'm not the one to take that rage from you and I won't use it to my advantage either."
Tears fell down her face and Casey couldn't help but allow them to continue to fall. She couldn't remember the last time tears had fallen from her sapphire blues. "Why is it you know everything about me, but I know nothing about you?" She asked her voice surprisingly clear. "You must have a story?"
"Everybody has a story Victoria. I am no different." Alexia sounded saddened by the thought. "I know about everybody and no one can know about me."
"Even Angel?" Like everyone else Casey knew about Angel and Alexia. She knew they were lovers. She knew they sometimes were business partners and like everyone she knew of all the people in or on this world Alexia was closest to Angel.
"Every person only knows so much about me. Angel knows the most, but even her knowledge of me isn't enough for her to claim she knows anything about me." The dark woman said sadly.
"And Angel is content with that?" Casey asked curiously.
Alexia turned away from Casey and lowered her head but even though Casey could no longer see her face she could tell the darker woman had her eyes closed. "Angel has no choice but to be content with that."
Angel hung up the phone and stared at it for a few moments. She was well used to Alexia's attitude and secrecy, but she didn't much ever like it. Sometimes she was frightened for her friend. Actually, she was more then frightened sometimes. She was terrified all the time. Lexi just kept so many secrets and dealt with so much stuff on her own, Angel was afraid that one day her best friend in the entire world would just snap. All the pressure she put upon herself would finally make her crumble.
No one could keep all the secrets Lexi did and remain sane. Angel only knew so much about Lexi and her secrets, but that didn't even tip the iceberg. She could remember when she had met Lexi so many years ago. They were both very young and Angel was just a mob boss's daughter at the time. She had no significant power of her own. She shouldn't have had anyway, because she was only ten at the time.
Angel was in her backyard playing in the pool that only occupied a fraction of her huge yard. She was wearing her favorite bathing suit. It was the one with the yellow flowers in the front. Her mother and her had gone to the mall one day and Angel was able to pick out her own swimming suit for the summer months.
The sun was high in the sky and the water was warm, but not too warm. The pool temperature was just right for the ninety-five degree weather. It cooled her small body off nicely. Yes, this was the summer life of a happy go lucky ten-year-old blond haired green-eyed mobster's daughter.
While Angel was swimming taking laps in her pool a lanky teenage girl walked out into her backyard uninvited. The dark skinned girl took a seat in one of the pool chairs not taking any notice to the body in the pool. Angel however, did take notice to the older girl who was invading her space.
"Who are you?" The blond child asked bluntly.
"Your father told me to come out here and wait for him." The dark haired girl answered flatly sounding very bored.
"Do you work for Daddy?" The curious child lifted herself out of the pool and walked over to stand next to the stranger.
The other girl looked at the younger blond curiously but continued their conversation. "No, your father is speaking with mine."
"Who is your father?"
"Who knows it seems like he changes everyday." The young girl with mahogany eyes sighed heavily and dropped her chin in the palm of her hand.
"You don't know who your Daddy is?"
The dark girl looked over at her young companion again. "What's your name Blondie?"
"I'm Angel Marie Collins." The green-eyed youngster flashed a toothy grin to the older girl. "What's your name?"
"Alexia." The darker girl answered flatly.
The younger girl scrunched up her face oddly and her green eyes studied the older girl carefully. "Is that your whole name?"
"No, but does my full name really matter. You'll only ever call me Alexia."
"No, I think I'll call you," The blond tapped her chin with her index finger. "You're going to be Lexi. To me you'll always be Lexi." Angel boldly grabbed the older girl's hand and pulled the girl from her seat without much resistance from her charge. "We're going to go swimming now." Her green eyes traveled up the other girl's tall form. "How old are you anyway? I'm ten."
"Fifteen."
"You're really old." Angel exclaimed in awe. "I've never met a teenager before besides my cousins, but they don't really count because they're my cousins. They're all older then me you know. I'm the youngest in the family but that's not going to be true for very much longer. My Aunt Penny is going to have a baby." The young blond chatted contentedly and the older girl just listened. She even got into the pool with the younger girl and played around with her a little bit. It wasn't as awful as she thought it might be.
From that day forward Angel was attached to Lexi. The older girl had quickly become the younger girl's idol and Lexi didn't mind all that much. She would make time each week and spend time with the blond. Alexia learned all about the young Angel and was there for the girl all through her pre-teen and teenage years. She would be the best friend Angel ever had and she knew everything there was to know about Angel, but Angel hardly knew anything about her friend. It took her ten years to just learn her best friend's last name.
Angel's father would never speak of the girl Lexi either. Whatever business he had with the girl's father was only amongst them. Angel always seemed to be left out when it came to learning anything about her dark companion. If she were asked to write a list of ten facts about Alexia's life, she could probably only come up with five.
She knew where Alexia lived, but Alexia didn't really have a permanent residence. She knew Alexia had a soft spot for animals. The dark woman couldn't stand to see an animal harmed, but she didn't own any pets herself. Well then, Angel knew Lexi loved to swim just like she did. Yet, Angel couldn't remember the last time she saw Lexi swimming.
'I'm tired of being left out of everything Lexi. When you get back here we're going to have to have a serious chat,' Angel told herself. It was time she finally got firm with her friend and set out some strict new rules. Angel was trying to get out of doing all the illegal shit, and she'd be damned if Lexi would put her back in that type of situation.
An hour later Alexia and Casey arrived at Angel's home. Alexia led her companion into the house and led her directly to a guestroom that contained a bathroom and anything else she would need. She bid the woman goodnight and walked up the stairs towards Angel's room.
She carefully opened the door and had every intention of being as quit of possible, because she was sure Angel had just gone back to sleep after their phone conversation. So, Alexia was surprised when she found Angel sitting up in her bed looking rather perturbed. Her emerald green eyes were alight with fury.
Alexia saw no other choice but to see out the storm. She walked into the room and sat on the farthest corner of the bed away from Angel.
"We have to talk Alexia." Angel said very seriously.
The dark woman sighed heavily. "Go ahead Angel."
"You know I'm trying to get my life together Lexi. I've been trying really hard to remove the family from all the illegitimate business we're in. This has been a goal of mine for a very long time." Staid green eyes turned to tired mahogany. "I don't want to get involved with anything that might jeopardize that Lexi."
Alexia stood up from her spot on the bed and slowly removed her jacket. Angel tried not to be distracted from this action. Alexia then sat back down on the bed and removed her boots. Once she was fully resituated on the bed she turned to Angel. "I would have thought you knew me a little better then that."
The blond angrily shot up from the bed. "What the hell do you mean you thought I knew you better then that? I don't know a damn thing about you. No one knows a damn thing about you."
The dark woman ran her hand through her braids and released them from the band. "You know my personality Angel and you know how I treat you. I would never do anything that would hurt you intentionally. I don't have it in me to do that."
The words seemed to deflate the blond completely. The fight that was so strongly a part of her was now gone. "I worry about you Lexi. You're my best friend and I want you to confide in me. I want to be able to help you out." Angel positioned herself on the bed next to Alexia and took the dark woman's hand. "I can't follow you blindly all the time Lexi. I especially can't do that now."
Lexi looked deeply into the only eyes she had ever known that truly cared for her. "This is going to be the last time Angel. It's almost all going to be over." She caressed Angel's hand with her thumb. "I can feel this is it." The dark woman whispered under her breath, but Angel was still able to hear her.
"What is it with Tony's associate Lexi?" The blond asked trying to fit in all the pieces.
"She's the one Angel."
"What do you mean the one?"
"It doesn't matter now Angel. It doesn't matter." Lexi lowered her head and stared at their joined hands. "I've never asked you really for anything Angel. I've never asked for your help or even your cooperation. I'm asking...no no I'm begging for your help this time."
Angel's eyes widened in shock. She wasn't sure if she had heard her friend correctly because Alexia never begged for anything.
"I'm begging you to do what I ask and I'm begging you to not ask any questions." Lexi placed her finger over Angel's mouth to forestall and comment. "When all this is over I promise you you'll know it all."
Not knowing what else to do Angel turned her brain off and listened to her gut instinct which had always told her before to just follow Lexi no matter what. It was yelling at her to do no differently this time. She would once again be completely in the hands of her best friend. So, Angel simply nodded her head in agreement. She would do what Lexi asked of her.
"I'm tired of all these secrets Lexi, but you've never led me astray before so I'll follow you to the edge of the world I just don't want to fall off."
Lexi leaned in and wrapped her friend into a firm hug. "Keeping secrets has always been the best thing I've been able to do, but I hope that you know deep in your heart that I'd gladly let my own life be taken before I'd ever let you fall."
Angel pulled back from her friends embrace and maneuvered herself to where she was laying in Alexia's lap. Lexi immediately began to stroke Angel's hair and basked in the silent peace of the moment.
"Tell me again why we aren't together Lexi?"
Alexia looked down into sincere emerald green eyes and for a brief moment allowed herself to wonder the same thing. "You know why."
The smaller woman turned on the bed and rested her head on her hand. "Lindsey was talking to me about you earlier and I gave her all the reasons of why we weren't together, but as I said them I discovered I don't really believe them anymore." Angel searched her friend's face for some kind of response, but saw none. "Do you not love me?"
Lexi exhaled heavily. "I love you Angel. I love you more then I've ever allowed myself to love anyone."
"There's a but in there somewhere." The blonde said annoyed.
"But I will never allow myself to love you like you deserve to be loved." Lexi softly stroked Angel's cheek. "And I won't ever let you settle for that."
"I will be very lucky if I ever find another woman who loves me as much as you do." Angel said with only a hint of defiance in her voice. "And you'll be very lucky if I ever let you go." She added coyly.
Alexia couldn't help but smile. "We've been friends for a long time Angel, and I think we make great friends. We even make good lovers, but we can't be partners." Lexi looked into her friend's eyes and with great seriousness said, "We've grown up too much."
"But I don't ever want to grow up." Angel said playfully. "We're gonna be young forever and ever and ever."
The dark woman grinned. "Sometimes when I look at you I still see and hear that same bold little ten year old girl I first met." Lexi quickly moved to where she was looking down into her friend's face. "Don't ever loose that."
Angel crossed her heart in promise. "I won't ever loose that."
They both got under the covers of the bed ending the discussion for the night. At least Alexia thought the conversation was over until Angel began to speak again.
"You're never going to allow us to be together again are you?" She asked seriously.
The room was quite for moment while Lexi contemplated her answer. Angel didn't feel the need to rush her friend's answer considering she pretty much knew what it was already.
"No I'm not." Alexia finally answered.
Angel didn't feel the need to respond. She knew whatever the dark woman was doing, she was doing it for some ultimate good. The least Angel could do was try and understand that even though she had failed many times before in trying to understand her friend.
"I love you Lexi." Angel said through a yawn.
"Love you too Angel."
Downstairs Casey lay in the bed of a foreign room. She had never seen this house before and had never even met the owner of it. Yet, because of some Amazon woman by the name of Alexia, she was in this foreign house willing to sleep in this foreign room on this foreign bed.
Of course though, Casey couldn't sleep. She was sure adrenaline was still pumping through her veins from when she had angrily stomped out of Alexia's BMW. She was actually surprised she was able to sit and listen to as much of her own story as she had been able to. Maybe it was the way in which Alexia had told the story, or maybe it was just the fact that Alexia was the one telling it. Deep in her mind, Casey hoped maybe that if someone else like Alexia told the story the ending would somehow miraculously change.
The past doesn't change though. Only the perception of the past can change. Casey's perception hadn't changed even in the slightest. Everything the dark woman had told her was true. The way she described things was true. The emotions Casey had felt were overwhelmingly true. Her basic emotion of rage and need for revenge was very well explained by Alexia.
The woman seemed to know Casey so thoroughly, and that honestly scared the shit out of the tall blue-eyed woman. No one was supposed to know her especially if she didn't even know herself, but Alexia did know her and she had no clue why that was. The most plausible reason Casey could come up with so early in the morning (or late at night whichever preferred) was that Alexia had the same basic emotion of rage as her driving force. Then again, maybe the dark woman was just a really good judge of character and had some type of sixth sense about these things. That sort of thing was possible.
Whatever the reason for her knowledge, Casey knew just like Alexia did, that they were the same. Their basic fiber of being was the same. The only difference had to be in their very souls. Maybe one of them had the shot of redemption 'or maybe I'm just getting way too damn philosophical in my old age'.
Casey decided not to think about Alexia any more until absolutely necessary. She was now asking questions she had never dared asked before and too much was happening too quickly. So, instead of letting her mind fixate on the dark woman any longer she changed her thoughts to the woman who owned this house.
Angel Collins. It was a name most persons involved with mob families or drug traffickers knew. Casey a.k.a. Victoria, like everyone else heard of the great Collins family. All her personal business dealings had never involved the Collins clan, but that was because Angel was turning her family around, and getting involved with the Garza cartel wouldn't be conducive to reaching her goal of legitimacy.
Casey respected that of the Collins woman, and wouldn't push her for a deal. She kept their contact to none existent. Some other Collins' family members had called her up and asked if they could strike some type of deal, but she refused to deal with anyone. She had told them all that the only person in a family she would deal with is the head of the family and they all knew there was no way Angel would being calling Garza anytime soon.
Of course there was that little issue of Casey faking her own death that also contributed to her not meeting Angel. At that time and since that time, Casey was forced to become faceless. Their had to be no record that Victoria Garza was actually still alive and she couldn't accomplish that if she was still actively running her drug cartel. The perceived person of Victoria Garza had to completely die and she did. For all everyone knew now the drug cartel was being run by some of the late Ms. Garza's trusted employees.
Now that Casey was actually in the house of the woman she had only ever heard of, she wondered what Angel was like. If she hung around Alexia she couldn't have been really that serious about getting her family to go legit or maybe because Alexia hung around her that cemented her plan for her family to go legal. Casey was sure she would be given the opportunity to find these things out later on. At least she hoped she would find these things out, but in order for her to do that Angel had to be ten times more forthcoming than Alexia. If Angel were anything like Alexia she wouldn't be given the chance to know a damn thing.
'Now I'm thinking about Alexia again.' Casey thought to herself. She turned over on the foreign bed and exhaled heavily. It was just time for her to go to sleep now. Her brain was being overworked and maybe if her dreams were nothing but a dark oblivion she could find a few hours of peace.