Rita Ch. 02.3: Angels Take Wings

The usual legal sounding crap about original story, strictly fiction, consenting adults. Blah, blah, blah...

The following events took place about two years prior to the incident at Club Phantom in Marseille.

Rita Ch. 02.3: Angels Take Wing

The Chrissy Woodhill Incident

Agent Miguel "Toro" Martin-Garcia sat in his pickup at the end of a long straight road of broken pavement. After a short wait, his GMRS radio beeped on channel five. He turned on his lights and flashed high beams.

"Eres tu, Toro?"

"Si amigo. Halfway down the road, bad potholes. Do a hop over them." Toro said.

He got nervous when he saw the familiar Cessna 172 on a low approach to the old road. The pilot dropped the flaps, throttled back and flared. The plane was equipped with big tires for landing on grass or dirt and bounced a few times. The pilot kept the ground speed up until he saw the washed-out gully that Toro called a pothole. He pulled back sharply on the yoke. The plane had just enough velocity to lift up and glide over the obstacle. A short taxi into braking near Toro's truck and kill the engine. The pilot and female partner hopped out and quickly pushed the Cessna off the road tail first.

"Hola, Toro. I am Charlie Brown. This is Lucy."

"The Peanuts Gang, funny. Welcome to Mierda de Perro. I'm sorry about the washed-out road, best around."

"It's OK. That is why I got here before dark. Now we wait." The pilot put out his hand. "Tony, call sign Charlie Brown. Thank you for the intel getting us here."

"Mierda de Perro? The town is called Dog Shit?" Rita asked.

Long ago it was named for a little desert flower. Now the town is occupied by packs of stray dogs and smells like "Mierda", so they call it that way."

"Dogs will be barking at us." Tony said in a thoughtful tone.

"Just promise me that you will not leave a blood bath to be cleaned up." Toro said. "If that is the case, I could have shot these assholes yesterday. They have made us all angry. They kidnap a girl and bring her into Mexico to make it look like Mexicans did it."

"If we do this fast, nobody gets hurt, and everyone walks away. Only, we will be walking in Texas with the girl."

"Tony, I'm going to set the lights out." Rita said. Rita pulled a box of cheap solar yard lights they had charged, from the plane.

"OK, Put two about ten meters this side of "Toro's Canyon." Tony said. "Then some at the end." Rita walked back up the road.

"I know this plane, Senor Brown. It has been here before with a pilot called Lord Byron. He works for 'The Company'."

"We are not CIA. We are private security. I got some help from a friend in that company." Tony said.

"Your partner is very pretty. This would be a great distraction to me." Toro said and took out a sheet of paper and spread on his truck hood. "Let me show you a map I made for you. This is a ghost town. The wells dried up and everyone moved away except two families and they are packed to leave. Keep a stick with you; hungry stray dogs are everywhere." Toro pointed out features on the map. "This is where my little duck blind is, I watch this area. This is the house where they are holding the girl. They have some twelve-volt lights and fans rigged, charging a battery with a solar rig. One of the men will be at this corner standing watch. He can see both the street and alley."

"If I want to get the man away from the corner, I need a great distraction." Tony said and smiled.

....

"Gatotito-tito-tito! Gatotito-tito-tito! Kitty, kitty, kitty." Rita worked her way up the street by the light of a half-moon. She moved randomly pretending to look under abandoned cars and in garbage cans. "Gatotito-tito-tito! Gatotito-tito-tito! Kitty, kitty." Rita kept the stray dogs barking. She did not carry a cudgel to fend off dogs so that she would appear more vulnerable. The lookout must surely have seen her by now.

Rita heard dogs barking loudly behind a nearby building. She took steps toward the ones following her to get them going. The street outside the house was a cacophony of barking dogs. 'That should be enough cover noise for you de Palma.' She thought. Rita turned and looked behind a car as a cover for checking her watch. Two minutes. "Gatotito-tito-tito! Kitty, kitty, kitty." She was almost there.

Suddenly a big heavy man with a beard stepped out of the front door. "What the fuck is with these shitty dogs?"

"Some bitch on the street looking for her cat." The lookout stepped out from behind an old refrigerator.

'There you are motherfucker.' Rita thought.

"Run her ass off. Somebody needs to shoot all these mangy cur." The big man grumbled as he went back inside.

Rita walked quickly to a spot near the cars used by the crew. "Gatotito-tito-tito! Gatotito-tito-tito! Kitty, kitty, kitty."

The lookout walked up to Rita. "Look lady there is no cat here. No gato! If there was a cat here the dogs would kill each other over it."

Rita saw Tony move behind the fridge where the lookout had been hiding. "Gatotito-tito-tito! Kitty, kitty, kitty. Mimi, mimi, mimi!" She called out.

Mimi was the name of Isabella Renard's prized Siberian cat. "Mimi" also started a ten second countdown in Tony's brain. He eased out from hiding. Seven... six... Tony stepped quietly. Five...

"Kitty, kitty, kitty." Rita called again.

"Fuck off, bitch, there is no cat."

"I know that..." In a flash, Rita's hand was at his throat and her double-edged boot knife was reflecting moonlight in his eyes.

The man tried to take a step back and reach for his gun, but he backed into Tony and found that another hand was already on his holstered pistol.

"Buy your life with silence." Rita said and continued to menace the man's eye with her blade.

"The lady means that if you make a sound that we don't approve of her knife will go in your chest. Now I need you to silently get in the boot of that Chevy. Your friends will get you out in a while. We only want the girl." Tony whispered and zip tied the man's hands behind him. He guided the man to the back of a Chevy Caprice and opened the trunk. He was not surprised to see it was set up for transporting the girl. There were cushions and a pillow and blanket. The emergency release was gone. "Looks comfy." Tony said putting the man in and gently pushing the deck lid shut.

Rita and Tony knelt in the dirt behind the car and whispered. "The door is not locked. I didn't hear it latch when the big man closed it." Rita sheathed her boot knife and slipped on a tennis visor she would need later. She also took a small, bright flashlight from her small pack.

"I was thinking you could run in naked and distract them." Tony said and gave her a quick kiss. He unloaded the lookout's pistol and discarded it. He put on a baseball cap with a mega-bright headlight affixed to it and drew his Glock 23 from a holster behind his hip. "We look like we are going frog gigging."

"Your nude ass would really blow their minds." Rita kissed him back. "Do the knock anyway and open it. I will go low and find the female abductor. The big man is more your type."

"OK, Two rooms to the left. The client is in the first. If that door is closed, pass it and clear the back bedroom. Front door is into a big room, couch on the right. Ready? Ten... nine..." Tony started a countdown.

"Sharpen your mind, eyes wide, Sara-Dina. Think fast. Move faster"

Rita's bare feet were silent on the front steps. Tony's sneakers provided the proper sound of one man. He used the 'secret knock' that Toro showed him. They did it so loudly that everyone around knew it. Rap... Rap-rap... Rap...

"It's open, dumbass." Came the voice from inside.

Rita nodded and opened the door as Tony turned on his headlight. Rita darted in staying low. Tony entered, 'slicing the pie' from right to left. He scanned the whole room in a second then focused his attention upon the portly felon on the couch rolling a marijuana cigarette.

"Woah, big fellow. Don't move and we will all see the sunrise." Without looking away from the man, Tony plucked his pistol from the coffee table. He punched the mag release and the magazine fell away. He braced the grip-frame against his hip and racked the slide with his palm. He shook the open gun and heard the live round hit the floor. Tony tossed the weapon aside having never looked away from the man and the front sight of his weapon. "Son, I am a professional. You are an amateur. Go for the shotgun and I will end you."

Eighteen seconds earlier...

Rita moved in quickly with caution. She saw the big man blinded by Tony's light. She used her visor to keep the light from her eyes. Look left, door closed, go on. Chair is empty. Light on, kitchen clear. Deep breath. Bedroom door...

"Hey! What the fuck?" A skinny girl with greasy black hair rolled off the bed. She looked away from Rita's light and made a move for the bedside table.

Back with Tony...

"You just keep holding that rolling paper with both hands. I'm going to move your shotgun, so you won't have to worry about it..."

"Gun!" Tony heard from the back room. He didn't flinch. A couple of thuds and a rumble, then click, click, thud. "Gun is clear, Charlie Brown." Some more thuds. "Stop it! Stop, I do not want to hurt you! Stop it!" Rita led the girl through the door. "Sit!"

But the girl ran past the kitchen chair and to the kitchen sink. She turned back with a boning knife in her hand.

"Calm down, silly bitch! Charlie Brown, she pulled a gun on me, now she has a knife. I might have to hit her." Rita said.

Tony nodded to the man. "Is that your girlfriend?" Tony dragged the shotgun away from the big guy.

"No, She's with the other guy. She's a pain."

"Lucy, greenlight on use of force. Start wrapping things up in there."

Rita had the girls knife wielding arm pinned, but she refused to drop the knife. "Drop it. Drop it. Drop it. Don't make me break your arm!" Rita barked and released her right hand and slapped the girl's cheek. "Drop the knife or I will hurt you."

There was a clattering sound when the knife fell into the sink, followed by a soft "oof" and some moaning.

"Good grief, Charlie Brown. Knife is clear."

"Lucy, I'm sure you ladies are having a grand time. I need a status on the girl, ASAP. But first I need you to help with 'big red's' situation." Tony kept his handgun pointed at the big man's face, where it had been since he entered the room. "Just chill, dude. Tension levels in this room are about to drop."

"Charlie Brown, you blockhead!" Rita said and laughed. She made quick work of lashing the girl to a kitchen chair with zip ties.

"She's been waiting to say that all day." Tony said.

"There has been this guy poking around. I think he's with the cartel." The large said.

"He is a cop. He felt sorry for you idiots. His attitude will change when we leave with the Woodhill girl." Tony said, fighting the temptation to look at his watch.

"Our guy outside, where is he?" The man asked.

"He's in the trunk of the Chevy, where you had the girl." Tony said.

"Jimmy is locked in his own car." The big man laughed. "Not much air flow if it's not moving."

"We will open it in a few minutes. Lucy, I need you to unload that shotgun and toss it outside. The slide release is..."

Shuck. Shuck. Shuck. Shuck. Click. Crash! "Oops! I didn't open the window." Rita said and laughed maniacally.

"Take a breath, Lucy. Come around behind me. This big fellow is left-handed. He had a pistol on his left and the shotgun was on his right. He has a small pistol in his left pocket that he doesn't think I see."

Rita took over. "Lace your fingers on top of your head and lean back." She pulled her knife and held it between the man's huge legs menacing his genitals. "We are going to move in slow motion. I'm going to take that pistol out of your pocket and then I'll get that big knife off the back of your belt. I saw it when you came outside."

"Good catch, Lucy. Now son, that knife of hers is so sharp that it won't hurt much going in, you'll just be cut and bleeding... down there."

Rita defanged the big cat and searched his area. "I think it's clear, Charlie Brown." She grabbed the man by his red beard. "That girl better be in good shape, big man. You are terribly obese. You will never see fifty like this," Rita headed for the closed door. She plucked some new-looking keys from the coffee table. "You boys relax and play nice. Charlie Brown, make him roll me a joint." Rita went into the bedroom.

"Put your hat on to keep my light out of your eyes. You heard the lady. Get rolling, Red. Looks like you have plenty."

"Local guy sold it to me for almost nothing. I had a feeling the dogs were barking at someone. So, what next, Mr. Brown?"

"We are taking the girl home, period. We are not law enforcement or military. We are private security with one job. I'll just leave you here with your weed, but the policia and Federales could be here soon. You will need to bug-out. These guns alone will get you thirty years in Mexico." Tony explained.

"How do you work with that hot chick?" The big man asked. "I'd want to bang her all the time."

Tony couldn't resist. "I bang her all the time."

....

When Rita saw the room, she closed the door behind her. "Chrissy Woodhill, my name is Lucy. I am here to take you home."

After a silence... "Really?" Chrissy began crying. "I didn't think anyone would come for me. I thought I was just another lost puppy in Dog-shit-town."

"Hiding under the bed must have made it seem safer for you." Rita said in her pleasant, nursing voice.

"I know it's silly, but I got more sleep down here. Love the accent. It sounded like some party in the other room a minute ago."

"The woman was not cooperative. She is better now." Rita said, lifting the blanket-wall of Chrissy's bed fort. "Chrissy, I am a nurse. Let me get that chain away from your ankle. Come out and let me see how well you can travel." Rita tried to help the girl get up.

A medium brown arm and the leg came out from the bed. "Easy! Don't pull my right hand. My wrist is cracked, and I turned my ankle. That big fucker grabbed my arm. The little bone on the outside cracked. I felt it. I rolled my ankle going to pee."

Rita gave the girl a quick exam. "I have a few supplies. I will wrap your ankle and make a splint for your wrist. On the way out, we will break his arm." She said half joking.

"No need to go 'old testament' on him. He didn't mean to. He has been OK. It's that bitch that I have issues with."

....

"Status on the girl." Tony said firmly as Rita came out with Chrissy.

"She has a sore ankle. I have it wrapped, and she can walk with a limp. She also has a non-dislocated fracture of the right radius."

"A cracked wrist, she has a cracked wrist." Tony said.

"Like a I told her, a cracked wrist." Chrissy said.

"Let her use her big medical words. She doesn't get to often."

"Charlie Brown, we need the crazy bitch's phone. She has taken nudes of Chrissy trying to bathe." Rita went into the second room and found the phone on the table.

"You better not have sent any of those to anyone!" Chrissy screamed.

"Just a few to your daddy." Crazy Bitch said just before Chrissy's left fist slammed into her right cheek.

"Chrissy stop. Don't do that. She is defenseless." Big Red said.

"How sweet! Being protective of this crazy bitch and she won't even give you a hand job." Tony turned off his blinding light and took off his hat, momentarily. "Miss Woodhill, I am Charlie Brown. I'm here to fly you North. If you cannot walk, I will carry you."

Chrissy took a long look at Tony, admiring his handsome face and firm jawline. She liked his neatly trimmed black hair and professional manor. "I'm sure you will need to carry me at some point, but I'm OK for now."

"Good grief, Charlie Brown! What is this shit?" Rita barked. She was getting antsy about the length of time in the house with no backup outside.

"I was running low on ties, so I tied him to her. He can break these things, but not without hurting the chick."

"That might not bother him. They need to free themselves later. Free her arm and leave them a dull knife. I'm going to make some ice packs with 'The Dudes' plastic bags."

"I'm supposed to cut my arm off to get free?" Crazy Bitch asked.

"God no! Cut the ties. Damn, girl!" Tony said. "Don't watch movies like that."

"Charlie Brown, they have lots of ice."

"That's great, babe. Throw some in a bag and let's get the hell out of here."

"Charlie Brown, you blockhead. They have fresh food and milk that has not been opened and bunch of fresh ice."

....

Tony's heart leaped to pounding when he saw that Toro had blocked the road with his pick-up. The headlights shown into the brush to the right so as to not backlight Toro who was on the left. He held a rifle across his chest, thumb on the hammer, finger on the trigger. Tony rolled dead slow twenty paces short and then rolled slowly past Toro and killed his lights.

Tony got out of the car with his sidearm holstered and his heart in his throat. "Que es esto, Toro?" (What is it)

"I am afraid that I must change your plan, Senior Brown. I need the girl to come with me. You and your partner may leave. Where is the girl?" Toro demanded.

The figure in the car with 'Charlie Brown' lowered her shawl. "Estoy agui, senor." (I'm here)

"Where is your partner, Senor Brown?"

....

Three minutes earlier...

Tony brought the car to a stop around a curve a short distance before the plane. "Be careful. Stay in the shadows. If he points lights at us, you may have to stay behind the car."

"I will be fine. Watch out for other people that may have come to the party. Stall for me some time."

"There are six ways this could go and only one of them is good. Lucy, I love you."

"Of course, you do. What's not to love?" Rita said and slipped out of the car. Tony had rigged a loop of seatbelt for a grab handle. Rita used it to ride on the rear deck of the Chevy with her feet on the bumper.

"That sounded so sweet, and she had a smart-ass answer. That's cold, Mr. Brown." Chrissy shook her head.

"English is her third language. I tell myself that it lost something in translation. Put that blanket over you like a shawl. That's how he saw Rita last."

"Rita, huh? Smooth Mr. Brown. She's in your head so bad. Please concentrate on getting us home." Chrissy said with her voice shaking.

"Whew! I'm glad somebody is thinking straight." Tony chuckled and held Crissy's hand, calming her.

Rita found a good position to ride the car. She wished Tony would speed up to look more natural. She had a good view over the top of the car and swallowed hard when she saw Toro's truck blocking the dirt road. Rita strained her eyes searching for unexpected guests. She saw the white of the plane through the trees.

Then she saw Toro with a rifle at the ready, not menacing just ready. He was doing the same trick with the bright headlight. Tony must keep his attention. The car rolled slowly, and Rita slipped off the car. She walked, bending over, in a spot between the taillights.

"Speed with caution, my Sara-Dina. You must quench the ember before it all goes up in flames. See your path. Think fast. Move faster!"

Feet on the dirt. Follow the car... wait, follow, follow. Lights off! Freeze, step, step, step. Freeze. Step, step, freeze...

....

Tony got out of the car with his sidearm holstered and his heart in his throat. "Que es esto, Toro?"

"I am afraid that I must change your plan, Senor Brown. I need the girl to come with me. You and your partner may leave. Where is the girl?" Toro demanded.

The figure in the car with 'Charlie Brown' lowered her shawl. "Estoy agui, senor."

"Where is your partner, Senior Brown?"

"They told me that you are a good cop, Toro." Tony said. He boldly stepped forward forcing Toro to watch him and his hands.