Blissful Ignorance

Thanks Sissi, Melrose, Andrea, Morrighan, and AOD!!!

Part 10

Merquise remained in the shadows even as the kid came near enough to grab his collar and try to pin the club owner against the wall. But it took Zechs all of a split second to break the younger man's hold and shove him off. To my growing annoyance, the dim lighting made it hard to see much of their expressions.

"I know what you're doing!" The kid's voice accused Merquise in a loud tone.

Too loud.

"And I can't let you get away with it."

I scratched my head. This kid was no gangster, and he was apparently no gambler, either. What did he mean by he knew what Zechs was doing? And get away with it? What's to get away with? The whole town knew what went on in the back room of The Sanq. Hell, the mayor, Old Man Winner himself, got a cut of the profits from this joint.

Wait a min--

Another roar erupted from that infernal craps table, my partner at the heart of the commotion. I glanced away from the scene in front of me to find Maxwell with my eyes. He was standing in the middle of a sea of gamblers, some of them patting him on the back as he talked and uttered prayers to the gods of dice. I caught his gaze and curled my upper lip into a warning snarl. He rolled his eyes and then rolled the die. By the time I glanced back at Zechs and the kid, I knew I'd missed something.

//to be continued//

Well, this piece was just great. And I just love Duo, for he's got this thing for breaking the ice, or better saying, to interrupt Heero's thoughts. Lol. And well, I'd like to know what happened between the blonde boy and Zechs while Heero had his eyes on Duo, but I don't think this will happen. *sighs*

This story is great, Rose! Keep it coming!

Duo WOULD be having fun while something serious was going on!! hahahaha...this is great, keep it coming Rose!

Ooh...!!! Rose! The suspense!!! Still totally hooked!!!

Great jpb. can't wait to see more soon!!

Oh, Ms. Blackrose, I like this!! Please, post more!

Interesting. I wonder what happens next?

*bookworm, acting WAY older/sophisticated/etc. looks at BR then returns back to HAREM*

Until next time, dearie.

bishies: *sweatdrop*

Thank you, again, to Sissi, and Morrighan; Thanks to bookworm, Alex Sinisterra, and Kaili - to all of you for the kind comments, and most of all, for reading. *hugs* Love, Rose

Part 11

The kid stood in the light, his hair mussed and blood trickling from a cut on his left cheek. His voice rose well above the noise of the crowd.

"I'll clean up this town and take you, my father, and anyone else down that stands in my way!"

I couldn?t help but shake my head. The kid was either brave or stupid. Maybe an equal mixture of both, and flavored with innocence. I admired and pitied him all at once. Los Angeles was run by gangs and crooked politicians. It had been as long as I could remember. And his father, because he was the spitting image of Mayor Winner (only much much younger), was up to his eye teeth in the town?s daily dose of poison. He turned a pretty profit on his illegal dealings, something not as out of sorts for politicians as it should be. They?re all pocketing money that doesn?t belong to them. Some of them are just more overt than others.

But the town wasn't going to change. Not for me, not for anybody. Too many of its citizens were high on the way things were. But I was sure that someday, like Narcissus, the ?city of angels? would eventually meet its demise in the arms of its sins.

The kid with a younger version of Old Man Winner's face rapidly approached, making his way for the door. Lucky for me, he wasn't watching too close where he was going. In hindsight, it might not have been so lucky after all. And maybe I was really a sucker before she came waltzing into my life. It's just easier to blame her. I can't say why I did what I did, only that it seemed the right thing to do at the time. A well-timed half step brought the kid plowing into me. He bounced back a step and looked up.

//to be continued//

Augh! So much suspense! You could practically slice it!

I'm so hopelessly hooked though.

Happy Thanksgiving, you guys! *hugs*

Part 12

"Sorry, sir."

Sir. I must be getting old. I shrugged it off like it was no big deal and leaned back against the door frame. My position made it impossible for him to leave without invading my personal space. "No harm done. But a word of advice, kid. Watch your step from now on."

He frowned at me like I had just insulted him. He made the move to exit the room, but I was quicker than that. I snagged his hand and pressed a card into his palm in the guise of a handshake. I leaned forward over his arm and muttered close to his ear. "And if you run into this guy, you'd best say 'excuse me' if you want to stay friends." I released his hand from my grip.

He was far too wet behind his ears, and would have given my game away to anyone who was watching. Fortunately, no one was. He stared at the card. "Wh-what's this for? Who are you?"

"No one you know," I said and stepped away from the wall, heading back towards the center of the room. I turned around when I was a safe distance away, determined to shoo him off if he hadn't left. But the kid must have had at least some sense, because when I looked, he was gone.

//to be continued//

happy thanksgiving to you too! It's been a day and I'm STILL full... mmm, mashed potatoes....~hug~ and thanks for this lil chapter/part/thingy! :razz: It's goin great!