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 7
Casey didn't follow Angel back into her home. The need to be alone and evaluate the day was overwhelming, so she answered it. Mindlessly she went on to her home or as it really was the place she resided. It wasn't much of a home and wasn't ever meant to be. The woman's home had long since been lost when her father and brother died before her eyes. 'Why am I thinking of this now?' Casey wondered. 'They're dead and I have plenty to take care without them befuddling my mind.'
The dark haired woman aimlessly entered her home some time later and made her way directly to the facilities. After spending so much time with Angel, had gotten her to thinking about her life and that made her feel dirty. Casey felt the need to bath and she wanted to wash away all the stink that clung to her. The tall woman reached down and turned the water on to the shower full blast to let the water warm.
Back in the bedroom she flung off her clothes not really caring wearing any particular item landed. She could take care of cleaning up the room later. Now, fully nude she stepped into the shower and let the steaming water wash over her. The water relaxed her tightened muscles and made her body succumb to the exhaustion of the past couple of days. It was always different when she had to deal with her emotions. Speaking with Alexia and being in the presence of Angel brought forth the need for emotion more then anything she had ever fought with previously.
Their game was not in hashing it out with fists and blood but with damning words and icy looks. Casey wasn't going to pretend what was now transpiring between the two, because as far as she knew they had made up that morning when Angel had found out Alexia was interfering with her business. Angel really hadn't been that happy about that, but Casey wouldn't be too happy about it either. What was your business was just that, your business. No one no matter how close should be managing anything for you unless upon your own request.
Still, there was a bond between the two. There was love there, Casey could see that, but there was something else too. If she were to take away all the bravado about friendship and caring for each other Casey recognized an antagonistic relationship between the two women as well. She would have identified it as competitiveness, but knew better. No, there was something else between the two. 'None of my business' the woman reminded herself as she washed off her body, 'just none of my Goddamn business.' Like everybody else Casey knew she had a job to finish and fixating on the most complicated relationship she had ever seen wasn't going to get her any further to her goal… the Santiago's.
Angel heard the front door open but didn't bother to get up. She was way too comfortable just lying back on the leather couch writing on her notepad and sipping a glass of wine. There was no written law that made her greet "that" woman every time she decided to make an appearance.
Alexia walked into the den and looked over at the sprawled figure on the couch. Her eyes lingered longer then necessary on the muscular legs that were draped haphazardly over the couch's backing.
"Seriously Lexi, must you always stare?" The figure on the couch asked secretively appreciative of her friend's admiration.
The dark woman smiled and quickly made her way over to her friend. "Would you rather I not?"
Green eyes looked over the leather-clad figure approvingly. "I would much rather you do much more then just stare."
Alexia shook her head and chuckled lightly. "We are friends my Angel, only friends."
"Not entirely by my wishes." The blonde woman responded sitting up from her position on the couch. Alexia saw the space that had been made for her and took a seat. She sat as close as physically possible without sitting on the woman's lap. "Not entirely by mine either."
Angel shivered from the chill that ran through her body. Alexia's voice always set her on edge. "Tell me why you came back before I decide I don't want to talk." The blonde demanded of her companion knowing her control would soon be lost.
The dark woman grinned knowing full well what she was doing to her friend. As much as she would continue playing with her friends more basic nature, she was there for a reason. Alexia stood from her position next to Angel and shrugged off her leather trench coat.
"You spoke to Lindsey today about me." It wasn't a question.
"Ah," Angel reached up and rubbed her eyes. "You wish to speak about business." She lifted her head and looked towards her friend. "I forgave you. Doesn't that mean all this is over?"
"When I left here earlier I really had no intention of coming back."
"Oh really," Angel interrupted. "Please tell me, I beg of you, what changed your mind?"
Alexia gave the blonde an annoyed look but decided to ignore the comment. "Kelly called me while I was driving away and she informed Lindsey-by your order-to cut her off completely from doing any type of business with you. This concerns me."
Angel could tell it was now time to talk shop. "Who is control of the Coletti family now, Lexi?"
Alexia ran her hand through her braids an easily identifiable sign to her annoyance. "Kelly." She gritted out.
"Did you not hear me?" The blonde responded incredulously. "Because I fear that you may be going deaf." Angel bit down on her tongue to prevent her from saying anything she wouldn't very much regret later. She really was tired of Alexia's games. "Who is in charge of the Coletti family Alexia?" She asked again slowly. "And before you dare tell me Kelly again I want you to know I am far from being the naïve individual you have often confused me with."
Alexia's dark brown eyes narrowed. "I told you before that Kelly is in charge of them. I did not lie."
Angel decided on a different approach. "Then who is in charge of Kelly?"
The dark woman couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped. "I really do like you. You amuse me." Angel gave the woman a false smile but said nothing. "Kelly is in charge of her self." Alexia finally answered her friend. "But currently she is overseeing a project of mine."
"Which is why Lindsey cut off the Coletti family. You know very well that I keep well away from anything you're involved with." Angel responded in her most business like tone. There was a line between her business and her personal life; they were never to be mixed. Ironically, Alexia had taught her that.
"Unacceptable."
Angel couldn't decide if that was an order or not so chose to ignore the tone for the time being. "Why?"
"I need to use you." 'Both figuratively and literally speaking' the dark woman finished in her head.
"Whatever it is you're doing I know must be illegal. What is it I get for helping you?"
"The chance never to be associated with me again." Alexia responded far more serious then was her intent.
The blonde woman focused her green eyes intently into the mahogany ones of her friend. She tried desperately to listen to what Alexia was saying along with what she was not. The woman was brilliant when it came to playing with her words. Angel had often drawn from her friend's wit to help her write. "So would this be the last farewell to our names being associated with each other." She paused for a moment. "Only speaking of business of course."
Alexia sat back down next to her friend, but didn't look at her as she spoke. "It would be the last farewell." Both women realized what was missing at the end of the statement but failed to comment.
"Tomorrow Lindsey will make a call to Kelly." Angel relented.
Alexia reached up and stroked Angel's cheek. She looked intently into her friend's eyes. "No. Tonight."
It was the pounding at the door that woke her up. Right after her shower, Casey had immediately gone to bed hoping to fall into a dreamless sleep. When she realized the pounding sound was coming from the front door instead of her dream, she slowly got out of bed and made her way to the front door. On her way, she picked up her gun, just in case. Normally late night visitors weren't a good thing.
Casey looked out of the peephole of the door and instantly recognized the figure on the other side. She placed her weapon in her left hand while she reached down with her right to open the door. Her left hand rested the weapon the back of the door while she pulled it open slowly. The door was hardly opened an inch before the figure on the other side pushed its way through with such force Casey was knocked back completely the gun escaping her grasp.
Her ice blue eyes stared up at the figure that now hovered over her looking quite upset with her. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked as she stood back up.
"What's going through your head Garza?" The figure was a relatively young man. His features were soft and at first glance he would appear to not be much of a threat to anyone. However Casey knew better then the underestimate the man who stood before her. Under the innocent veneer, baby blue eyes, and good boy attitude laid a very competent man who, when necessary, would and could use extreme force. Especially, when he was provoked, such as with recent news he had been handed.
Not wanting to let the man dominate her, Casey quickly hid her discomfort at the man's presence. "I don't know what you're talking about." Before the words fully left her mouth she found herself being smacked across the face. Instinctively she reached up and cupped her injured cheek with the palm of her hand.
"Don't get smart with me Garza." The man yelled. "The only reason I haven't put your ass in jail yet is because I wish to honor your brother's memory not let it die and get trampled in the mud because he happens to have carried your blood."
His words were vicious stabs to every part of Casey's anatomy and she felt each one profoundly. Still, showing his insult caused any harm wouldn't do her much good. She stood up to her full impressive height and looked down to the man who had presumed such authority over her. "You get one hit that's it. After that, I will make sure that the next time you raise a hand to me you loose it." Seemingly without a care in the world Casey walked over to where her gun had hit the floor and picked it up. Her control of this confrontation was now fully in place. "Now, do you want to tell me what you're doing here this late?"
The man swallowed audibly cursing himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. If he wished to accomplish anything he had to do better then that. "I'm sorry I hit you I was just a little upset when I was informed that you were choosing to now spend your time with Alexia."
Casey widened her eyes slightly. She was surprised he had found out such information without her informing him herself. That was how their contacts would usually take place. It was her who would always contact him only telling him what she thought he needed to know. He never needed to know a lot however, just enough to keep his superiors happy. "The prospect of me spending time with Alexia bothers you that much?" She was genuinely curious.
The man sagged his shoulders in defeat. "Just tell me what you're doing."
"What I'm doing is making sure I have a chance to get to the Santiago's." Casey responded pointedly. "Your way wasn't getting us anywhere."
"So teaming up with the man's most lucrative partner is your way of making things go faster?" He asked in disbelief. "Alexia isn't stupid. She'll figure out who you are then she'll kill you and Patrick's death would mean nothing."
The woman couldn't help but blanch at hearing her brother's name. Often hearing it caused a searing pain to rip through her heart. It was amazing what that single name could do to her. "She already knows." Casey told the man quietly.
Now was not the time for emotional outburst and the man understood that. So, it was with great effort that he withheld his initial reaction to this news and decided to remain as calm as possible. The woman before him was very intelligent and if she chose to assume the risk of exposing their entire operation then she had to have had some good reasons to back it up. "Please Garza, just tell me what going on?" He pleaded.
How could Casey answer that question without knowing the answer herself? It wasn't very logical for her to put everything she had been working on for years on the line after meeting a woman named Alexia two days ago. "She'll be able to get me to him." Hopefully she was right about that.
"Fine." He could think of nothing else to say. "But she's dangerous you know. She has no loyalties except to herself. I don't know if you know this or not, but your brother and I once were investigating her."
"What happened?" Casey asked knowing the information she was about to receive could gain her some valuable insight to the enigma that the dark woman presented.
The man's eyes shut and he went back to the time when his former partner had been alive and he had never met Victoria Garza. "There was some heavy trafficking going on a few years back and we were able to apprehend one of the transporters. He cut a deal to testify against some bigger players in their organization and we offered him protection in exchange for a name. That's when I first heard the name Alexia." He exhaled heavily. "He didn't have a last name...only Alexia. It took us months to track her down but we did. That operation was perhaps our greatest failure."
Patrick Garza walked into the bar hoping to get his first glance at the wondrous Alexia. Most everyone around had heard the name, but no one really knew who she was or what she did. Everyone had just told him to stay clear of her and if he was meant to meet her she'd make sure they met. It wasn't his job to just walk away though. He was now determined to capture the woman that had such a reputation.
After months of careful undercover work he had finally been able to procure the information that this bar was one Alexia would frequent. Patrick settled into a stool at the bar prepared to wait the entire night if he had to. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. After spending all his time investigating this woman named Alexia Patrick was given his first glance at the tall dark skinned woman. For a brief moment a picture of his sister floated around in his head. He was reminded of just how much he missed his older sister's company and companionship.
Making his mind focus back on work he gazed at Alexia as she seemingly walked directly towards him. Patrick realized that logically the chances of her approaching him randomly in a crowded bar had to be slim to none, and that voice in the back of his mind was telling him to flee and that voice had kept him alive for a long time. He looked around for escape, but Alexia was now upon him. Any chance he might have once had for escape was now gone.
The tall dark woman leaned down and whispered in his silently into his ear. "Your partner is outside bleeding profusely from a head wound he was fortunate enough to get from me." Her voice caressed every word. "What you're going to do is get up and walk up the stairs in the far corner of the bar. I'll be following close behind."
Patrick knew he had no alternative but to listen to the woman. He was well within her territory and from the looks he was receiving from those around the bar, no one seemed eager to jump to his aid. His thoughts turned to his partner who was most likely now close to death and sent out a silent prayer.
Moments later, he found himself in an office above the bar. Alexia had followed him alone, but for some reason he wasn't too confident in his abilities to overpower her. Patrick Garza was a tall man, but the woman in the room easily matched his height. Physically, Patrick knew he had to be stronger then the woman, but her well-toned body was that of a fighter. Besides, he had heard about Midnight the kick boxer.
"Patrick Garza." The woman sounded out the name carefully. "I would think your father considers you a great disappointment."
The dark haired man could not hide his astonishment. "How do you know who I am?"
Alexia looked at the man for a long time obviously deciding whether she should answer the man. "I make it a point to investigate those who insist on investigating me." The woman walked past the man and took a seat in the chair behind the desk. "You've been asking a lot of questions about me lately. Frankly, I'm surprised your agency has even allowed you to continue your investigation."
"Why wouldn't they?" Patrick stood in the middle of the office knowing his life was most likely forfeit. At least before he died he should be allowed to get a chance to have all the questions he had for this woman answered.
"That's not really important." The woman reached down and opened a drawer of the desk. Patrick recognized the weapon she pulled out immediately. He had taken it from the man he had arrested a few months back. It just happened to be the same man who gave Patrick Alexia's name. "I don't really like people who speak so much." She said upon Patrick's recognition of the weapon. "It's unfortunate you have to die."
Alexia stood up and pointed the gun directly at Patrick's chest. The man closed his eyes and thought of his family. There was a knock on the door, which made him jump a few feet in the air to Alexia's great amusement.
"Come in." She yelled through her laughter.
In stepped a short blonde woman who didn't seem to be that fazed by the fact she had walked into a room where a woman was pointing a gun directly at a man's chest. "What the hell are you doing?"
Alexia gave the blonde woman an incredulous look. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
The woman turned to face Patrick and he got his first view of the emerald green eyes that for some reason gave him an inkling of hope. "Who are you?"
"Patrick Garza." He saw no real point in lying.
"And?" She asked expectantly. "Lexi just doesn't point guns at guys named Patrick for no reason."
"I'm an agent for the DEA." Patrick answered succinctly.
The blonde turned her attention back to Alexia. "I'd really hate to have to start this night out with you killing a man for just doing his job."
Alexia groaned. "You've got to be kidding me right?"
"Did he find anything out?" The blonde asked logically.
"No." The dark woman reluctantly admitted.
"Can he find anything out?" Again the answer was no and Patrick knew he now had the chance to live. "Then let him go."
"Dammit Angel." Alexia grumbled. She looked at the man standing in the middle of her office and rolled her eyes. "Patrick Garza you can leave now."
Not sure if he was really supposed to leave or not, Patrick stood still. There was no reason she should just let him go. If she knew anything at all about him she had to have known he would try again to apprehend her. It just wasn't in his nature to accept defeat so easily.
The woman he now recognized as Angel turned to him and guided him out the door. "Your partner has been taken to the hospital and I'm sure he's going to be ok. Alexia obviously didn't want to kill him."
Patrick looked down at the woman who had for all intents and purposes had just saved his life. "Why wouldn't she kill him? She was obviously ready to kill me?"
Angel's green eyes looked over her shoulder to the woman who looked mildly perturbed by the conversation going on. "You're lucky your last name is Garza. I don't think she really wanted to kill you either, but I wasn't going to just leave it to chance either." The woman looked up into the agent's deep blue eyes. "Just leave all this alone or she will kill you." Then, with a gentle push she forced Patrick out of the office and locked the door behind him.
For a moment, the agent lingered and listened in on the conversation taking place on the other side of the door. He couldn't help but be afraid for the petite woman who had basically told the notorious Alexia not to kill him. Briefly, he wondered what would happen to her and if she would instead feel the dark woman's wrath.
"Lexi, what the hell is going through your head?" He heard the blonde's voice yell. "You know very well if you were to kill that man you would be hunted down and killed by his family. Have we forgotten about his lunatic sister?"
"Victoria is a woman to admire." The other woman wistfully responded. "If she wasn't such a daddy's girl I would have had her working for me a long time ago." Patrick held back the urge to rush back into the room and defend his sister's name. "I however, am not afraid of the Garza's."
"You're not afraid of anything." Angel said annoyed. "Still, why would you want to kill him?"
There was a long pause from the dark woman but when she answered it wasn't something Patrick expected to hear. "If I wanted to kill him Angel, no matter what you would have said, he'd be dead by now. Never presume you have that much power over me, because if I really wanted you'd be dead too."
Patrick took that as his clue to leave as quickly as possible. He had a partner to see in the hospital and he was sure that if he got caught eavesdropping he would most likely be killed for sure this time.
The man had taken a seat on the solitary couch in the living room. "When your brother told me what happened we first agreed to try and get her again because she was obviously dangerous. I wanted to go after that Angel woman as well, but your brother said we should leave her alone. I just deferred to his judgment."
"But you didn't continue the investigation did you?" Casey asked from her spot against the wall across from the couch. She wasn't quite sure how she had remained standing during this man's story.
Clouded baby blue eyes peered at her. "As soon as we returned to the office we were given another assignment and every single file we had on Alexia had been destroyed. Someone had even gone to my computer at home and cleaned it out of any material they could find over the woman." The man stood with the weight of the world on his shoulders. "This is the woman you're involving yourself with Garza. I know who Angel is and if she'd kill her then she'd kill anyone."
Casey had felt the headache coming long before the man had finished his tale. She wasn't sure if she should confront Alexia, Angel, both, or either. Any action she was going to take would have to wait and she was willing to not think about it now. That was what tomorrow would be for. "I'll be careful."
The man walked over to the door and opened it to leave but before he stepped through he gave Casey one last warning. "Your brother and I were careful Garza."
After the man left Casey stared at the door for a moment. 'How can I be underestimating Alexia so badly,' she thought. 'I need to talk with Angel.' She looked over at the clock hanging alone on the wall and realized it was too late to see the blonde woman. She would just have to be satisfied with seeing her as soon as possible tomorrow.
"You can call your girl Kelly now and tell her she can conduct business as usual again." Angel told her friend snidely as soon she got off the phone with Lindsey.
"Thank you, but I already informed her the matter would be taken care of by tonight when she informed me of our problem." The dark woman responded evenly.
Angel looked at her friend her green eyes alight. "You got what you wanted so what the hell are you still doing here? I'm sure you have business to attend to." There was a slight pause. "You always do."
Alexia moved over to her friend and looked down devouring the woman with her gaze. "I've always admired your fire."
The blonde woman stepped back from her friend. "Leave."
The dark woman pulled away and turned towards the front door of the house. "I'll be back in a day. Don't try to reach me tomorrow, and the only thing I want you to do with Casey is to keep her alive."
Green eyes ran over the leather-clad figure. "Keep her alive?"
"One day and I'll be back." Alexia answered then walked out the exit of the expensive home. Angel couldn't fully contain her anger. She picked up a glass vase resting on the table nearest her and threw it at the door. It shattered immediately upon its contact with the door. For moment, Angel jus stared at the mess. Alexia was acting differently. Something was going on and as usual Angel had no idea what it could be.
Alexia never really made any sense to her and she gave up long ago in trying to understand her. Like everyone else, Angel would be a pawn in whatever game the dark woman had concocted now. The blonde woman decided to just leave the mess on the floor and wait to pick it up later. She went into her study where her computer sat silently sitting on her desk. She went over to it and turned it on. As soon as it was done booting up she opened the file that contained her new book.
Angel had been working on it for over a year. This was going to be the first novel she released when her business was finally legal. It was going to be her way of celebrating how far she had come over the few years she'd been in charge of her father's "business". The only thing that was missing was the end. The final chapter.
Each part of the novel had been written during certain points in the woman's life. The first chapter was written when her father had just passed away. She remembered when Alexia had come into the study after she had heard the news and watched her just type the hours away. The woman hadn't said anything to her, she just watched. Angel guessed Alexia just knew to be there and offer her silent support. People dealt with death differently and if Angel wanted to write away on her PC then who was she to tell her she couldn't?
The dark woman had been different then, Angel remembered. Somehow she was more human then she had ever appeared to be before. At that time the weight of a thousand decisions weighed on her and for some reason she allowed Angel to see more of her human soul. It had given Angel hope that their future could be different. That was the first time Angel seriously considered changing her relationship with Alexia to a more intimate one.
Unfortunately, that really didn't work out. It was as if Alexia had become conscious of the fact she had let Angel in and that changed everything. The dark woman became distant and Angel was forced to decide how much she was really willing to work to be with her friend. In the end she had decided she didn't have the strength to try and save her friend's soul while she tried to save her own. They each had dismissed their intimate relationship as if it never really happened. There wasn't a big announcement that it had ended, but there hadn't been an announcement that they had one either.
People would often just assume they were together. Angel never saw a reason to correct them and she guessed Alexia just didn't care. She would let people assume what they wished. They would often think Angel had the power of Alexia and they wouldn't be entirely wrong by that assumption. Sometimes Angel could sway Alexia from doing something she thought unjust or wrong. It didn't happen often and when it did it took more energy out of Angel then it would to climb a mountain. Every time Alexia let Angel influence her she would kick herself for being weak.
Weakness. It was probably the word that Alexia feared the most. Often she would repeat to herself, "weakness is failure and failure is death." Angel never knew how the dark woman had came up with that sick mantra and she never really bothered to ask. If Alexia had been inclined to answer Angel was positive it wouldn't be something she wanted to deal with.
Of course, Alexia had a lot of odd habits. If Angel weren't so sure Alexia had never been in the military, she would have bet the woman was a soldier. Alexia wasn't the type to take orders though. She was only the type to give them.
Angel looked through the chapters of her novel amazed those words had actually been able to come from her. All she needed was the final chapter. She had attempted to write it at least a hundred times, but it would never come. On this night the words still wouldn't come. The blonde had to be content that when it was time, truly time, she would write the final chapter to her book. It was like she was subconsciously waiting for something to happen. Of course, Angel was always for something to happen.
Often, she thought it would be the other shoe dropping. During all her years living the life she had, and being involved with all the people she was involved with, she had been incredibly lucky. Her body adorned no bullet holes and her skin was relatively free from the horrid scars that covered Alexia's bare skin. Angel assumed they most likely would also cover Casey's skin as well.
It would seem that the dark haired woman and her friend were two of a kind. 'It's that a disturbing thought' Angel wondered. The last thing she needed was to deal with another personality like Alexia's, but then again she enjoyed the challenge her friend presented her. Casey would be different though. For some reason, Angel knew if she were to become friends with Casey their relationship would lack the games that had often almost overrun her relationship with Alexia.
The blonde contemplated that for a moment. What would it be like to have a friendship with someone devoid of the emotional games people tended to torment each other with? Angel had never had a relationship like that before. Every one of her friends were mostly her friends do to careful planning. Every person who had stepped into her life had been placed there for a reason. 'I did have a goal to meet didn't I?' The blonde couldn't decide if she should feel pride or shame over what she had accomplished.
Even her long-term friendship with Lindsey had formed because Lindsey was the best damn lawyer Angel could find. She also happened to be a person she could trust to handle some of her business. Lindsey was often discrete and didn't ask many questions. If anything had ever happened to Angel, Lindsey would be the one to take over. That is of course if Alexia would allow it.
Angel wasn't a stupid woman. As much as she hated it, despised it, and often tried to deny it she knew Alexia was deeply involved in her business. Normally the dark woman was so covert about it that she would never know Alexia's presence within her family's circle, but Angle knew. It was the feeling deep within her gut that allowed her to know. It was the look in Alexia's mahogany eyes which the truth. It also happened to tell her that Alexia knew she knew and dared her to do something about it.
This was a game that Angel knew she would never have to play with Casey. Casey was different in deep down Angel welcomed that difference. She craved it to some extent. If her world wouldn't be changing so drastically in just a couple of short days, Angel might have even pursued the conversation they had started in the park earlier that day. There was always the chance of getting to know her when it was all over, but Casey belonged to Alexia. The dark haired woman's time might soon be up. 'Another reason to pretend she doesn't exist'. The blonde thought idly. 'Even if Alexia wants her alive.'