A Stella & Margarita - Desert Sex Pt. 06

The Major was a little surprised there was no explosion but she didn't let on. "Now turn the key to the left until it can't go any further,"

She did and the door sprung open, inside was a small explosive device that at best would have blown some of her fingers or maybe her hand off. The Major stepped forward and took the two wires out of the small amount of 'Semtex' stuck to the door. Essentially the first trap was disarmed.

She opened the wardrobe and there was a row of coat hooks on the back wall, five. The middle one was on a block and stood out. She showed the set-up to Freddie via the live feed. "What are your first thoughts, Freddie?"

"The Middle one is a set up got the first one on your left, turn it don't pull on it." He told them.

The Major turned to the girl and for the first time, she saw the resemblance to Margarita in her, standing there in just her nightie. She looked at her before raising her eyebrows. "Well, what are you waiting for girly?"

Once again the young girl looked scared. Her hands were shaking, she started to reach for the coat hook but stopped just as she touched it. "He never did the same thing twice," She blurted out.

Freddie jumped in and said, "In that case turn the last one on the right. Major, if it's Semtex he is using, I'd step right back. Either way, there will be an opening for you. Sorry girly, you are on your own sweetheart,"

"Oh fucking hell, I don't want to do this, I can't," She cried out.

The Major cocked the shotgun, more for dramatic effect than anything else. The girl hearing the sound of the cocking gun quickly grabbed the hook and turned it. The wardrobe kicked itself open.

She screamed and burst into tears. She screamed at the world, "You are all fucking cunts, all of you,"

The Major just pushed her aside and opened the entrance into the store-room, for a street gang it was surprisingly well organised. She grabbed the girl and found a light switch. The Major sat her down on a chair and with a finger pointed into her face was told not to speak or move.

The room was full, a small arsenal of guns and ammunition, a suitcase full of packaged white substance, and a travel bag full of money. She grabbed the travel bag and threw it to the girl, she caught it and smiled, saying thank you without actually saying a word.

She sent a text message to Celina, 'Show the Matron this video attached'. The Major then took a short video of the room, showing her the well-laid-out armoury, the drugs and the girl, staying on the young girl a little longer, knowing how the Matron thinks, but didn't include any mention of the money. She started to look through a small desk. A drawer was locked but it was opened easily enough, it contained several books, and she took a photo of each one, the front cover and then an opened page. Mainly ledgers for some reason, all in code. One for drugs, one for his guns, one for his working girls and payments to his underlings. She gathered them up and grabbed an empty bag off the shelf and put them all in there. Keeping the one that told his story about his contact with the Chinese woman. His story was simple and direct. She was to him another street thug, looking to take over his territory, he said there was a war coming and little did he know how much of a prophet he was.

She pointed to the door, indicating the girl should get up and leave. She did and walked slowly, very slowly down the hallway as they went back down towards the kitchen. The Major knew what was coming next. She closed her eyes and knew it was better this way than letting her fall into the hands of the evil Chinese woman, a small spark of humanity, the one part that Margarita had instilled into her, shining brightly still. She looked deep into her soul and saw Mags, looking back at her, shaking her head. She took a deep breath and took the gun from her belt. She had tears in her eyes. The girl stopped in the hallway. She didn't move, she wet herself, and she started crying sensing what was coming. The pee ran down her leg as the Major pulled the hammer back on her Manurhin MR37, her phone rang, it was the Matron.

"Major, ask the young lady if she saw the Chinese woman?"

She eased the hammer back into place. Putting the gun back in her belt. And spoke softly to the girl. Stella took a deep sigh knowing this next answer was either going to condemn her or give her life. "Did you ever see the Chinese woman with your boyfriend?"

"No, he never let me do anything, I had nothing to do with his business, I was just his fuck toy, please don't kill me. You can keep the money I don't want it, I just don't want to die,"

"She said no, she says she knows nothing,"

"She has seen you, she can't be loose on the street," there was a long pause, and then she spoke again. "Do what you have to do Major," and she hung up.

Stella stood there, fighting herself. She knew she couldn't be let loose, she needed to remain a surprise for the Chinese. She closed her eyes again and rested her hand on the gun. She saw Margarita again speaking to her, "Remember what you told me, with every life you take a little of your soul dies with them," her heart was telling her no, her head was saying you must.

She stood there waiting, the young girl was shivering now. Then she spoke, "I know where she is?"

The Major slowly took a step forward taking the gun from her belt once more, she pulled the hammer back, it made a distinctive sound, a sound that is unique, a sound that no person wants to hear. She put the end of the barrel to the head of the young girl. She screamed, "AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH please, no. I know the place where she is hiding,"

The Major quietly asked a simple question, "Why did you say she was hiding there and what are you going to tell me?"

"It's the one with the big lion on the front door, around in Hargrave Street, warehouse number 3 is on the roller doors."

The Major pushed her forward once more, stepping over the pool of urine in the hallway and into the kitchen, she turned around, and her tear-stained face, her slim child-like body, brought Margarita rushing back to her, she was remembering the first day they met. A faint smile appeared briefly on her face. It must have looked evil and wicked to the young girl. She stood there shivering. Stella put the gun down on the table, rested her hands on either side of it as she leant forward and then said.

"If you are bull-shitting me," The Major took a deep breath and a swig from the bottle. Hesitated before continuing, "Because if you are I will come back for you and you won't like that. I can assure you of that. But if you are telling me the truth I will let you keep whatever your boyfriend is hiding in this dump, his money, his drugs, his guns, everything," The girl's eyes lit up, she even raised a smile of sorts.

The Majors' phone pinged again as another new message came in. It was from Celina again 'Clean up crew eta 20 minutes'.

She looked at the young girl and told her straight. "I have some friends coming to clean this mess up, if you are still here when they get here, they will put you in a body bag with your boyfriend. So, I suggest you get some clothes on, gather what you can, or what you want, and take off. But here is some advice for you, it took me less than 3 hours to go from nothing to where we are right now, I could find you a lot quicker. So for your sake, I hope you aren't fucking me over,"

"I'm not, honest to god that was where she set up the place, she had around 15 people with her, but this was 3 months ago, maybe more." She told the Major.

"You have 10 minutes if you are lucky, and don't come back to this place. I will know if you do,"

The girl ran past her into the bedroom, still clutching the bag of money, she may be stupid but she wasn't silly. The money would be her way out of and off of the streets. She changed her underwear, and put on some jeans and a T-Shirt. The Major heard the screen door slam as she left. She hoped like hell she would never see her again.

The Major took out her safe phone and sent both Celina and Freddie the same message. 'Eyes on warehouse 3 in Hargrave Street. Group 15+ strong.'

She then stuck the gun in her belt and left the house. At a brisk pace, she headed back for her bike.

Margarita

She lay awake in her big empty bed, she shivered, feeling a sense of doom. Her dream was so real, Stella was hurt, she felt her pain, her shoulder, then her head and her heart, she was crying. She is torn, in two minds, then in a split second, she was gone. She had to go to her.

She got up, put on some fresh underwear and pulled on her gym pants and a tight singlet when there was a knock on her door. She froze. Bianca hardly ever knocked on her door. She answered the knock by asking "Who is it?"

"It's just me Mags, coffee is on," Bianca replied.

"Is everything OK?"

"Sure, why do you ask?" They were speaking through the door. Margarita opened the door suddenly and looked at Bianca, who was already dressed, but not in her casual sitting around the house clothes but her 'I have something to do," type clothes.

Mags looked at her and asked forcibly, "What's, happened?"

"Nothing," She replied but not making eye contact, as she sat at the table very formally.

"Then why are you dressed for work?"

"I have a meeting this morning, nothing special just an assessment, a normal military thing," Bianca stated.

Now Margarita knew when she was being lied to, and she was being lied to at that moment. She poured herself a cup of coffee, put two slices of bread in the toaster and then turned to face Bianca.

"OK, what's going on?"

"Nothing," She replied, "Just a normal routine meeting that's all,"

"Bianca, you and I were getting along fine, you were starting to trust me and I you. Now out of the blue, you have to shoot off somewhere and you are trying to cover it up. So that isn't normal and routine." She then put up her hand to suggest she didn't need an answer. "I know whatever it is you aren't or can't let on, so I will go to your boss." She then raised her voice and spoke to an imaginary microphone in the ceiling. "Matron, I want a meeting today and don't put me off, or piss me off,"

Bianca smiled and was about to laugh when the toaster popped and Margarita turned her back on her and grabbed the two slices from the toaster using two fingers and quickly placed them on a plate. Went to the fridge and got the butter, not margarine, and tried to spread the rock-hard milk by-product onto her toast. She grabbed the vegemite from the cupboard above her head, standing on tippy toes.

Then said that the next place she gets is going to have cupboards at a normal height.

Bianca laughed with her. Then explained. "The next place will be ready before you know it and you can set it up how you like,"

They sat at the kitchen table, just looking at each other not saying a word. Margarita sipped her coffee and took a bite out of a piece of toast, Bianca watched her closely.

Bianca spoke softly when she told her, "The Matron doesn't dance to anyone's tune but her own, I would suggest in future you ask politely to see her not make a demand, she doesn't respond well to being told to do something, not even by her superiors,"

Margarita had a grin on her face. Took a big sip from her coffee cup and swallowed the now-warm elixir that gets her morning off to a bright start. She looked at Bianca, staring into her eyes. "You've never been in love have you?"

"Hhhhmmm, I've had my fair share of heartaches," She told her.

"I mean really deeply in love with someone, like you can't think straight when they are mad at you, or you get anxious when they don't ring, or you don't know where they are?" Margarita asked her, not leaving her eyes.

"No, never that bad, but that's just me,"

"That is the sort of love that Stella and I have," She told her. "Right now, today at this very moment, she is hurting. I can feel it in my soul, you may not believe me but I know," For such a young person little Margarita was a powerful woman.

"I would do anything to help her, I mean anything. If you get my drift," She held her gaze. Her eyes were strong, dark and full of meaning. She was sending them a clear message.

Trying to break the hold that Margarita had over her at that moment Bianca, looked down at the table and then back to Mags before saying, "In that case, you should get down to the shooting range and get some more practice in, as good as you are, getting a little better won't hurt you," Bianca informed her. She then took out a notepad and wrote down some information, folded it in half and then handed it to Mags.

"Give this to the instructor," She instructed her.

Margarita took the note and tucked into her waistband and then asked Bianca, "Can you find out what Stella is doing?"

"NO! And neither can you. Please don't ask,"

Margarita finished her coffee and toast before putting the cup and plate in the dishwasher. "I really need to know about Stella,"

At that moment and to Bianca's relief, her phone started to ring. "Good morning Matron."

"Let me speak to Margarita, please," She asked. Bianca also knew that when the Matron asked you for something and added the word please to the end of the sentence, Bianca knew she was not at all happy.

"Yes Matron," Bianca handed the phone to Margarita.

"Good morning Matron," She said.

"Good morning Margarita, I hear you wanted to speak to me?" She told her in a direct tone.

"Yes, I need to know about Stella, she is hurt right now and needs me and ....," She started before being cut short mid-sentence.

"Margarita, the Major is on a mission right now, she is not hurt, we had a message from her earlier, and she is fine. In fact, I spoke to her directly, she is in no pain. I can assure you of that." The Matron took a deep breath before continuing. "I will tell you this, she needs to concentrate on what she is doing, and hearing from you unnecessarily will only put her at risk. But I will tell you this one time only, if you need to know something I will tell you face to face. There will be no meeting with me today or any other day unless I want one. So stop you're your child-like behaviour and behave like the adult I know you to be. Is that clear enough for you?"

Margarita gritted her teeth, two strong personalities butting heads.

"Yes, it is clear,"

"Good, now put Bianca back on," Her tone was stating who was in charge.

"Get her down to the shooting range for an hour and then bring her to the gym I want her to meet someone. And Bianca, get back in control, if this happens again you'll be back in uniform doing guard duty at night indefinitely, do I make myself clear!"

"Yes Matron, crystal ma'am," She had stood up and almost at attention.

"Good girl, now get back to work and no more fuck ups. Remember she isn't your girlfriend and you're not her mother. Your job is to keep her alive until this Chinese bitch is in the ground," She was told in no uncertain terms. "Forget about the meeting with the promotions review board. I've cancelled it,"

Margarita looked at her and was biting her bottom lip as she finished the call. She watched as Bianca's expression became darker with every second.

"Are you in trouble?" She asked

"Forget about it," She snapped, "It's not the first time nor will it be the last time she has laid the law down," She told Margarita. Her tone had gone a touch colder. Their relationship had changed, Mags could sense it.

"I'm sorry," She said and went to hug her friend. Bianca moved away before they made contact and gathered her things from the table.

"Can I have that note back, my meeting has been cancelled," She told her. The look on her face sent a chill through Margarita, she was feeling a little sad. She took the note from her and tore it up into small pieces put it in a glass and set it alight. Watching it burn, once burnt out she tipped the ashes into the sink and flushed them down the drain. Her chin jutted out, she was angry, really angry, Mags could tell.

"OK, shooting range missy, for an hour and then to the gym,"

"I was hoping to do some shopping today, can I do all this tomorrow?

"No, you can't, shooting range and gym today and shopping tomorrow,"

Margarita was used to getting her own way, making her own plans and fitting in the other bits and pieces around her own plans. This was a definite change in attitude.