Trouble in Town Pt. 01

Just as the car reached its target, he put his hands out and grabbed onto it by the hood. That was the last thing Alma saw as the sharp stop caused her to lurch forward and hit her head on the headrest of the front seat. She blacked out instantly.

*****

Alma was awakened by a pungent smell that sent her into a coughing fit as soon as it hit her nostrils.

Her eyes opened slightly, her brain unable to boot fast enough to determine her location. What was going on? What the hell was that awful smell? She groaned softly as a light throb rose in her head. It was followed by a wince. She tried to adjust her view to get a grip of where exactly she was. Once her view adjusted, the first thing she was able to make out was a burly figure sitting in a chair. Her brows creased, who was that?

As soon as the thought came to her, the answer hit her in quick succession, causing her to sit up with a gasp. She moved a little too fast as the throb in her head intensified, causing her to wince once more. The burly guy in the seat, didn't move a muscle. He just sat there, observing her.

Him.

Alma's gaze studied the man she had thought she never saw, earlier today. It was uncanny that they were once again, coming in contact with each other. He was real, he hadn't been a figment of her imagination, he...he had stopped the car she was in. With his hands. His hands!

She shifted backwards, finding herself molded to the wall as she did, what was he?

"Welcome back." he began, in that deep baritone of his that reminded her of rolling thunder.

She looked around the room. It was bare save for the bed she was in and the chair he sat on. it had an earthy tone and was medium-sized. It gave away nothing. Her gaze moved back to the man- or so she thought he was, "Where am I?"

"You're still in New York, if that is what you're asking." He stated casually

She gulped before asking the next question, "The men who took me..."

"Gone." he said, monotonously

Her face scrounged up in confusion, "Gone?"

"Gone. They couldn't make it."

"Did...did you kill them?" she asked, her voice barely audible. Yes, they were terrible people who probably had some dangerous plans for her, but killing them, would be taking it too far.

He observed her for a short period of time, during which she could feel her anxiousness rise. Those dark eyes were filled with an intensity that scorched her and made her extra conscious of herself. Did he have this effect on everyone, or was this just her?

"They were going to kill you." He responded, in a lowered voice.

Her heart stopped beating momentarily as she held his gaze, "Did you kill them?"

"They were in an accident, they didn't make it out alive."

Alma was unsure of how she was to interpret such a response. Did that mean he killed them? Did it mean they had died in the accident? Then again, wasn't he the cause of the accident? That thought led her to ask another question

"What are you?"

"I'm a man." He replied pointedly

"You stopped the car with your bare hands, no man does that."

He looked genuinely confused by her words, "The car veered off and hit a tree. I didn't stop anything with my hands."

He had to be shitting her! There was no way...she had seen him, she swore she had seen him stop the car with his hands, "You're lying." She said through gritted teeth. She could very well understand Anselm's reluctance to believe her, but she wasn't about to sit here and be lied to by this man.

"I think you bumped your head a little too hard."

"My head is fine!" she shouted. The light pain that shot through her temple at that outburst caused her to clench her teeth in pain, "My head is fine." she said, calmly, "I may have bumped it, but I saw what I saw goddamit and don't lie to me."

He placed his elbows against his knees, leaning closer in the process, his ink black hair fell around his gorgeous face, momentarily distracting her with his unconventional appeal. He was no pretty boy, but he was one of the most attractive men she had ever laid her eyes on, and there was no denying that, "What did you see? A man stopping a car with his bare hands? Is that what you saw?"

She stared at him, unable to speak, unsure of the words she wanted to say. She couldn't tell if those eyes had mesmerized her to the point of silence, or it had more to do with her own self-doubt, but she remained silent at his question.

"I should get you a doctor to check on that head injury you sustained, but I suppose some aspirin will do for now."

Alma watched him rise off the chair and head out of the room, his large frame making the room look much smaller than it actually was. She found herself thinking about what she had seen...was she wrong? Perhaps her imagination had created a scene that never happened? No, even if she was wrong about today, surely, yesterday's events had happened. She didn't have a head injury then. This guy was messing with her head, there was more to him than he was telling and while that was understandable, considering they were strangers to some extent, she refused to be played for a fool. Her intuitions were never wrong.

She frowned deeply and flew off the bed, running to him and blocking his way, "I saw what I saw. If not today, yesterday. You broke my guard's arm and once you left, it was back to normal and nobody else had a recollection of that event, but I know. I know there's something fishy about you." She said as she poked at his hard chest defiantly. She hadn't quite thought it through, and didn't know what exactly she hoped to achieve with this direct confrontation, but damn it, she didn't spend twenty-five years on this earth to be anyone's fool.

A cocky brow was high upon his face, the look instantly reminding her of yesterday. A sly smile grew on his lips and Alma found herself second-guessing her method of approach. What if this man was a serial killer of sorts and she had just triggered him? "The only thing..." He began, stepping forward and causing her to step backward as he spoke, "...fishy here, is the fact that you keep popping up wherever I go. Maybe I should start prodding you on your suspicious ways."

Alma gulped audibly when her back hit the door. Apprehensive blue eyes rose to meet with mischievous dark ones. Something told her she had herself cornered, "I think that is happening because you're following me." She stated, although she felt fairly detached from those words. It was a logical response to some extent, she still needed answers on why he was following her, but that was the most obvious explanation in all of this.

"Am I?" he asked as he placed his hand against the door and moved closer. If she could squeeze herself into the door, Alma would have done that. The closer he got to her, the more aware she became of herself and her own reaction to him. her entire body was tense and it had little or nothing to do with fear...well, she was probably afraid, but that had more to do with her own self than him; she was scared of her reaction to him, scared of the intensity of it. Was it even possible to be this attracted to someone you barely knew?

His hand moved up to capture a loose strand of her hair, entwining it in his finger as his gaze pulled her into endless dark pools, "Am I really following you?" he asked slowly. Alma was unsure of which to focus on between his eyes and his tempting lips. She forced herself to think random thoughts, away from whatever spell he was weaving around her. it was an effort in futility.

If she had any doubts on how useless her efforts were, the feel of his lips against hers did her in. Alma sighed softly at the delicateness of the kiss. For a man so big, he kissed with a surprising level of gentleness. First, teasing her lips and tugging, and when she moaned softly, his tongue snaked into the slight opening her lips provided and plundered the inside of her mouth as the hand that had been playing with her hair, grabbed a fist full. So unexpected was the intensity of his passion, it shook her to her core, forcing her to reach up and wrap her hands around his neck. She had probably lost her mind kissing a stranger in this manner, but if this was what being crazy felt like, she never wanted to be sane.

He wrapped his large hand around her waist and pulled her tighter against him. She felt her nipples harden beneath the fabric of her dress and bra as a familiar throb began at the apex of her thighs. He softened his hold on her hair, cupping her cheek as he slowly withdrew himself from their intense kiss.

Alma's eyes fluttered open to find him bathing her with a lust that heated her womb, "It is best I take you home." He spoke huskily. The unspoken words in the sentence were much heavier than those he had spoken, but she fully understood.

It was truly best for them both.

*****

This was foolish.

He could just see Zeus and Poseidon laughing at his foolishness in this moment. It was probably the chivalrous thing to do, but what did his brothers care for chivalry? Hell, before Alma, what did he care for chivalry?

Alma. Her name was just as beautiful as she was.

It was truly surprising to him, how quickly he had taken to her. it had to be the kiss, that was what was messing with his head. He hadn't even meant to kiss her, but being so close to her, being able to touch her, to smell the intoxicating fragrance that wafted off her skin had messed with his head. It had just happened and boy, had it knocked him off his feet.

Then he had gone and done the dumb thing. He killed off the connection and decided it was best to take her home. Take her away from him and his ravenous appetite. Why? Well, he was still trying to figure that out

She was there for the taking, she was willing, all he had to do was make the move and she would be his. He could have her, get her out of his system even, and that would be that. But no, he wanted to do the honorable thing, since when did he give a damn about honor?

She sat beside him in the taxi he had called, taking occasional glances at him. He knew she wanted to say something, but she was holding off. It was almost comical that she was acting this way after just one kiss, for someone who had been incredibly willing to run her mouth to him just yesterday and even today, she went pretty silent following their kiss.

The taxi pulled over in front of a rather large mansion, it was an impressive expanse of land by any standard. The gate was large and imposing, implying a fortress of sorts. This was the abode of the person he was looking for, maybe he would finally get to see the opportunity to see the boss here.

A guard approached the taxi and lowered himself to look inside. His mean expression dissipated as soon as he laid eyes on Alma, "Miss Soldado, you're well. Welcome back, the boss has been worried." He seemed genuinely pleased to see her.

Ares turned to her, she must be a very important person here. She maintained her rather cold demeanor, "Thank you Luis, please, open the gate, I'm quite tired."

"Of course." The man said, and then his eyes moved to Ares, "And who is he?"

"He's a friend." she replied, her tone leaving no room for argument. She once again sounded like he remembered her. He almost smiled at her response

Luis nodded, "Of course, madam." he replied, his face returning to a stoic expression.

He stood to his full height and gave a signal to someone. The gate began to open up slowly and the taxi driver drove into the compound.

"Just, keep driving inside, the house isn't close to the gate." she said

"Yes, ma'am." the cabbie responded.

It took them at least a minute before they finally reached a large building, which Ares supposed was the house, it had a Victorian influence to it, indeed a house to marvel at by earthly standards. As they stepped out of the car and he did the honors of paying the taxi driver, the door of the mansion came open

The taxi drove away and Ares turned around to find up to five guns pointing at him. what in the name of Olympus was this?

"Anselm, no! Tell them to drop their guns." Alma said to a man, who emerged from the group of about eight men.

Him.

This was the guy Ares had been looking for. He was the brains, the mastermind, the architect of all of this glorious violence brewing within this city. He looked to be in his thirties, his dark hair was sleeked back to reveal aristocratic features, he had similar blue eyes as Alma, but there was a coldness in his eyes. It was dark. This man had seen death. Alma was a spitfire, but this guy, he walked his talk.

He ignored Alma's request and walked up to Ares, who maintained a cool demeanor. He looked to size him up, "Are you the motherfucker that took my sister?"

"He saved me." Alma defended and Ares was almost grateful for that. It was cute

Her brother barely paid any attention to her as his gaze remained fixed on Ares, awaiting a response.

The man was shorter than him by about three inches, but somehow, he still managed to erase that difference with his confidence. Now, this was the sort of human Ares could respect.

"If I took her, do you really think I would have returned her to you?"

The man's gaze narrowed and Ares waited for his next move. He could read him, read every thought in his head and every slight move of his body. Men like Anselm responded to him positively. He worked well with them; they were, after all, his spawn.

He noticed a smile dance upon his lips, "Alma, where did you say you found this motherfucker?" he asked, his voice laden with humor

"Like I said, he saved me after the accident." she replied, coldly

"Well..." Anselm began, as his eyes took one more long, look at Ares, "...I suppose you deserve a drink then." He grinned.

Ares knew instantly that he would get along with this guy.

*****

Ares spent the next couple of weeks in and out of the Soldado house. A lot of times, he went on the invite of Anselm, who had requested his input in some of his plans after he found he had a history with planning turf wars. Anselm was very thorough with his job, it was an admirable trait for Ares. He left no stone unturned, he dotted his 'I's and crossed his 't's and his men were drilled with a similar sense of purpose. The more time he spent with Anselm, the more he found that he was a talented man. Perhaps, he would have been an asset in time of war. He wasn't ruled by his emotions. Alma was the only family he had and since the attempt to kidnap her, he basically kept her on lock down in the house

She was another reason Ares never turned down an invitation to the house. It was a win-win situation, doing what he loved and seeing the woman who had captured his thoughts all at once. He got the feeling though, that she wasn't in agreement with his new-found partnership with her brother. He had tried to see her a few times, when he was in the house, but she made conscious attempts to avoid him.

At first, he knew it was because she questioned herself after sharing a heavily passionate kiss with someone who was more or less a stranger, but after some days, it was just her avoiding a man who shared her brother's ideals. For all her bravado, she didn't believe in her brother's ideals. She was only tough because that was the only option she had, being born into a mafia family.

Ares allowed her play her games, bidding his time, until a day came when he had her on a platter of gold.

Anselm had a business meeting out of town and had asked that he stay in the house while he was away. it was a request that had surprised Ares at first, but Anselm was gracious enough to explain his motive to him when they were alone in his study.

"You know why I asked you to stay here while I'm away?" he asked casually

"I cannot say I do." Ares responded

"There is this saying I learnt from a friend when I was much younger. He told me, that if you kept your property in the care of a thief, he wouldn't think to steal it, because he would know, he'd be the prime suspect." He stated. Ares met his gaze, unflinching, a wry smile played upon Anselm's lips, "I see the way you look at my sister, Ares. I might be a lot of things, but I am not blind to the sight of a lust-ridden man." he stated. There was no threat in his voice, no anger, instead, he seemed genuinely amused by the topic, "And the tension when both of you are in a room together, is palpable. Alma always told me she'd never end up with a guy like me, she calls me these names; criminal, heartless bastard, killer, especially when I chase away one of the wimps she likes to gallivant the city with, oh, she gets livid when I do that. She tells me how she could never end up with a guy like me, but look what she brought home the fourth time around."

Ares cocked his brow, but said nothing still as he watched Anselm chuckle, "I've never seen her so smitten with a man as she is with you. I've never seen her try to avoid one as much as she tries to avoid you. It's adorable." He walked up to him, "I figured, I should leave the mouse with the cheese and see what happens when the master's gone. Although, I don't know which of you would be the mouse and who would be the cheese." he laughed.

Ares watched him do that for a short period, and then his face turned serious.

"Just don't fuck with my sister, or I might have to cut off your balls." he placed a hand on Ares' shoulder and said to him, "I like you a lot Ares, I'd hate to have to cut off your balls."

That was three days ago.

It had been two days since Ares moved into the Soldado residence temporarily, and in those two days, he had barely laid eyes on Alma. So much for the mouse and cheese analogy. The cheese was doing a darned good job, hiding from the mouse, he was reaching his wits end with her.

Ares was not used to this sort of behavior from any females, it just had to be the human ones who were so extra. Goddesses were nothing like this, if there was a mutual attraction, they would be waiting for him in his chamber at the first flirty look, this human woman was running away from him like a chaste virgin...for all he knew she was one, in which case, that would only prove to worsen his situation. He wasn't known to be filled with any sort of patience, all of this with a woman, it was all strange to him.

Done with being the object of some human's entertainment, he waited till the wee hours of the morning on the fourth day, to accost her. He noticed that she would wake up some time by 2 in the morning to rummage around the kitchen. It was on one of such visits to the kitchen that he decided to leave his room and go to her. He had given her enough space, the sooner he forced her to be an adult and face whatever it was that was going on between them both, the better for his own sanity.

He listened keenly through her rummaging, she had a time period; she was never there longer than twenty minutes. He waited for the fifteen minute mark before leaving his room, he stood at the threshold of the kitchen, observing her movement as she washed up the items she had used for her midnight snack. The room was dimly lit, but he noticed that she had on a short and see-through negligee, fuck! Why would she walk around the house dressed in something so utterly provocative? From his vantage point, he noticed her delectable rump jutting from underneath the light fabric. One could say the humid weather was responsible for her outfit, but if she wanted the house cooler, she could have just turned up the air conditioning and forgone the risk of walking around in that...then again, no one in this house was insane enough to lay a finger on the boss' sister...except the mouse.

She finished her task of cleaning up and turned to leave the kitchen. It was only then she spotted him. she gasped and jumped, startled by his presence, "Shit!" she spat as she placed a hand to her chest to still her racing heart, "Why the hell are you up?"