The Thunder of Silence

Somehow they got word on the streets of a major deal going down. That meant Santos would be involved somehow and she was to find out the how. Nikki woke Bret up the next morning and told him he had to go. Bret said he wanted to take the day off and spend it with Nikki since he passed out on her the night before, but Nikki told Bret he had to go. He wanted to see Nikki that evening, but Nikki told him she meant what she told him the night before, when she said she wasn’t attracted to him in that way. Bret told her again she didn’t know what she was missing, but Nikki didn’t care, she wanted him to go. Ricco and Dustin arrived as Bret was leaving, he wanted to know what the hell was going on, but Nikki told him, it was best if he didn’t know. Bret said if she was in trouble he could help her, but Nikki assured him she wasn’t, she was helping a friend and pushed him out the door. The officers put a bug in Nikki’s purse. It looked like a make-up compact and told Nikki even if he searched her purse he wouldn’t know what it was if he found it. She waited in the parking lot, so Santos wouldn’t go to her door and wondered how he knew where she lived in the first place. She also knew she was in too deep to turn back. When Santos pulled up Nikki got in his car and asked where they were going when she spotted the detectives and knew she wasn’t alone, she felt safer knowing they were close, but not close enough, as far as Nikki was concerned. Santos said, “You like the wild side of life, so let me show you how wild life Santos said he liked mystery, and time would tell. Nikki told him that she was seeing someone else at the time, but that didn’t sway Santos from his mark. Nikki agreed to see Santos the next day after she can be. Today you’ll meet the under world and tomorrow you’ll never be the same, you will become my princess and the world will know, I possess you.” Nikki stared out the window with no response, but thought that day would probably be her last day on the earth. When they arrived at a small villa in the countryside, Santos told her to get out and follow close behind him. He told her to stay behind him at all times and if anything went down she would be protected. They went in a small, a frame house where three men were waiting inside with suitcases and a man bound by ropes on the floor. Santos turned to Nikki and asked her what she thought should happen to traders that betrayed him. Nikki was pale and flushed, she thought she was going to faint, but said, “Let him go?” Santos looked at the big guy standing by the door and told him to cut him loose. He looked at Santos like he had lost his mind, but Santos yelled, “You heard the lady, cut him loose.” The man walked over and took a hunting knife out a holster on the side of his leg and cut the man’s hands and feet free. He got up, took off the gag and sat on a dirty sofa in the room. Santos lead Nikki by the hand to the sofa and sat her about two feet from the man. The man sat on the sofa trembling, he spoke nervously and told Santos he was sorry, he had gotten in trouble and the pigs; but Santos raised his hand and asked him if he was confessing, but before he could finish speaking. Nikki’s ears were ringing, she couldn’t hear and something warm was running down the side of her face. She lifted her hand to wipe her face and turned to the man on the side of her. She couldn’t hear but she realized the man standing by the door had pulled his gun and shot the man before he finished his confession. Nikki also realized the warm wet feeling on her face was the man’s blood that sprayed her face on impact. She looked at Santos and saw his lips moving, but she couldn’t hear a word he was saying. It was like everything was going in slow motion, a warped slow motion. Santos stood up just as the swat team burst through the door. The man by the door raised his Uzi and was taken out by the first officer that entered the room. Nikki hit the floor and covered her head. The other man and Santos were detained face down on the floor when Nikki looked up. Nikki was in shock when Ricco the officer that put her in this position entered; hand cuffed her, read her, her rights, and dragged her out the door.