Caught between a rock and a hard case(Closed)

[GypsyGirl84]

(Character inspired by her)

Name: Natalia Chavez
Age: 24
Height: 5 ft 8 in
Weight: 123 lbs
Measurements: 34C-24-35
Description: A gray eyed Latina beauty with a flawless olive complexion, she keeps her brown hair just past shoulder length, her body fit and her mind and will focused.

=====

The first stop she made was to see Mr. Wilson. Gunny Wilson. He was the reason she had joined the Marines in the first place. She had even donned her dress blues for him. She grinned at how he made such a fuss over her and laughed when he said that she just might the first officer he knew that was worth something. And he made her promise to see and email him more often, which she gladly did.

Then she went back to her hotel and changed into blue jeans and a grayish green T-shirt that read "Join the Marines. Travel to exotic places. Meet new people. Then kill them." A lot of people considered it pretty offensive but, considering who Natalia was planning to meet, she wanted to be offensive.

Eight years ago, sixteen year old Natalia Chavez had successfully sued for emancipation from the piece of shit who was, by an unfortunate roll of the genetic dice, her father. In the eight intervening years, she finished high school, joined the Marines, got her degree, complete OCS, and was starting law school in a couple of months.

Her social life might not have been what she wanted it to be. Men could be and were intimidated by her looks, her drive, and yes, by her being a Marine. That could wait, though. Everything else was on track.

As she walked along the sidewalk, up to the house she had grown up in, she noticed it looked even more worn down than it had the last time she had been here. And when Natalia left, she had indeed planned for it to be her last time. She hadn't given her father any way of contacting her. Somehow, though, he had found a way. He had begged and pleaded and said that it was a matter of life and death. Literally. A part of Natalia's mind wanted to respond that she'd say something nice about him at his funeral, but she bit it back. Maybe this was a good thing, she decided. She'd get closure, whatever that was. And then she'd have a couple of months leave to do something before school started. And the bastard that had provide half her genetic makeup would be out of her life forever.

As she walked up to the front door, she noticed that alongside a late model sedan in the driveway, there was also a new and fairly pricey car.

Can't be in too bad a situation, she thought to herself as she rung the doorbell.

 

[shizzz]

Tony sighed, Carlos was back to begging. He was crying and sobbing. He stank and in every way possible. Worse was that the man was worthless, there was no hope in regaining all of the money he owed. He was an alcoholic and an addict, so no hope in selling his organs. The piece of shit car outside wasn't worth a dime. And as his eyes scanned the room he new it was hopeless.

He nodded to the two lugs he had brought with him. The two stood over 6'5 and weighed over 250 lbs. they were muscle. That's
What he needed

They each took Carlos up, a hand under his arm
And just then there was a knock on the door. Tony nodded to Carlos. They all knew if Carlos ran he would be caught. So tiny had no fear o f that

"Get the door"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Natalia was about to ring the doorbell a second time when the door flew open. Her father was almost immediately on top of her, sobbing and telling her how happy he was to see her and how he needed her help desperately.

"Get off me!" she growled, shoving her father unceremoniously off of her and back into the house. "Damn, when was the last time you thought about bathing?" Natalia stepped into the doorway and immediately spotted Tony and his associates. Her hand instantly pulled out a pistol. "It looks like the party has already started. Good thing I always bring my own party favor. No, please, gentlemen, don't offer me a seat. I'm very comfortable standing in a doorway leading out to a public street in broad daylight. That way I know nothing bad is in the works." Natalia's grey eyes had become steel hard, the pistol in her hand unwavering as she looked around the room. Her eyes focused on Tony as the probable leader in the group. "I'm thinking that you're the reason this jarhead made a trip out here to see her shit-for-brains father, and I use the word 'father' in a strictly biological sense. How can I help you?"

 

[shizzz]

Tony smiled at the whirlwind that accompanied the stranger. He was even more excited by the way the olive skinned beauty easily disabused herself of her fathers attentions.

"Well. You must be Natalia" tiny said with a grin as he rose from the chair and stepped closer

"By all means understand we have no business with you. Ours is with your father", tiny told her cooly

"You are most certainly free to go about your business. But instead I think that we are done here" he motioned to his two cronies

"That is if you wouldn't mind stepping aside. A brandished firearm like that can make my associates impulsive, and rather prefer their actions cool
And calculated. After all, we don't want to put a damper on your reunion. Your father can catch you up to speed " then he produced a card from his breast pocket

"Feel free to contact me if you have any questions" he told her. Then they left, just like that. The shadow of death was removed from Carlos' face. But he knew there was no running.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Natalia put her pistol away, stepped out on the porch and smiled graciously as she accepted the business card. It was a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She kept her attention on three men until they got into the newer car and drove out of sight.

As soon as the men were gone, she stepped back into the house.

"Nice card your 'business associate' gave me," she growled at her father without preamble. "Raised letters, glossy cover, the works. So how much do you owe?"

 

[shizzz]

"50" he said in a hushed, shame filled voice

"I've been promised a long slow end. They want make an example out of me. So poor bastards like myself won't dig themselves in so deep. That's what Tony said" as he finally lifted his eyes up

His daughter was everything he had dreamed for her. Beautiful. Strong. Smart. Steadfast and now he was sucking her back into the shit that was his life

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do....I don't want to die," he began to sputter and sob for several minutes. His grimy fingers sunning through his oily hair. When he finally stopped he looked up again

"Please Nat", a pet name he used long ago,"help me. Talk to them. Surely you can save me. I'll never ask for anything again. I swear. I'll stop. I swear" the last leading to another round of pathetic sobs.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Don't fucking call me Nat," Natalie spat. "I'm making no promises. And by the look of things," she added, looking around the house and then back at her father, "You're doing a pretty good job of killing yourself already. Let me make a few calls, and then I'll call this Tony of yours."

Natalie spent about half an hour on the phone, a grimace permanently etched on her face during multiple conversations. Leaving her father in the house, she stepped outside and made a phone call to the number on the card. When a voice answered, she asked, "Is this Tony?"

 

[shizzz]

Tony was still in the car. He had made another stop after Carols' place and he had spent some time thinking about that delightful Latina, then his phone rang

"Why yes, yes it is", he said with a smile that she most certainly would have been able to hear.

"Look sweetheart. I don't haveuch time so I'm gonna lay it on straight." He said, not giving her a chance to speak. Tony knew people, and he knew if she spoke it would be awhile before he got a word in

"Your gonna work off your fathers debt. Your gonna meet me at Vito's tonight, your gonna wear something sexy and in gonna explain your job. If your not there tonight at 8 I am gonna make an example out of your father." And he hung up

He had made his message very clear, and his smile grew bigger. He wished for a minute he had paused to hear her anger, but Carlos was probably getting all of that right now

He smiled, quite excited about his date. And just how she was gonna work for him

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Natalia stared at her cellphone and muttered "Son of a bitch." She redialed the number. It went straight to voice mail. "Hey Tony, this is Natalia. Or should I say Hey Alex, give me the three hundred dollar box under the category Shit That Ain't Never Going To Happen. You want a chance at recompensing your losses? Fine. There's a little coffee shop at the corner of Third and Birch. I'll be there in three hours, sitting outside, wearing the same damn thing you saw me in at my father's house. I don't see you then, I'm on the plane and heading back to Quantico. You know, Quantico. That's where the Marines and the FBI hang out. I'd rather not see my father made an example out of, but if it comes to that, he made his own bed. And just so we're clear, I'm not going to strip for you and your friends, I'm not going to whore myself to you and your friends, and I'm not going to do porn for you and your friends. See me in three hours and we'll talk. Or not." Natalia disconnected the call and headed to the coffee shop she had set as the meeting place.

 

[shizzz]

After finishing up he took the time to listen to the voicemail. He certainly did not appreciate the implications of her tone. But he was experienced and well connected. Her threats didn't scare him, and he had had time to decide whT he could get her to do, and she was off, not entirely, but quite wide. It was her slink that re affirmed the idea. So he decided he would meet her on her terms, give her the comfort of her own 'turf' as it were.

At the proposed meeting time he was there. And so was she. He had the car parked around the corner, and a few of his goons move
To subtle vantage points, then he strolled up to the small table, his fine suit slightly out of place with the hipster vibe.

He sat down without a word, his eyes settling on her comply and calmly. He waited to see how she would open this negotiation

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Natalia gave Tony a sly, secretive smile over her coffee cup as he sat down. This particular coffee shop had a lot of good memories for her. For one thing, it was just right across the street from a Marine Recruiting Station, the one she had originally enlisted in six years ago. Afterwards, her recruiter had taken a very young, very different Natalia Chavez to lunch at this particular coffee shop. As luck would have it, she knew one of the current recruiters at this office. He was a sergeant who had, at one time, helped run counter-surveillance operations out of cities like Tikrit and Fallujah. And that was against true believers who could blend in with the population. She was fairly sure Tony had backup, but two hundred and fifty pounds of enforcement muscle weren't exactly going to blend in to suburbia. And goons who were used to dealing with gambling addicts like her father weren't going to be a problem for her or her brother and sister Marines.

Natalia set her coffee cup down and straightened up in her chair. "Let me get straight to the point, Tony. My father owes you quite a lot of money, and is no position to pay you back. I'm a first lieutenant still living in BOQ and the most valuable thing I own outright is my Jeep Rubicon. And that has a lot of miles on it already, so I can't guarantee a high resale value," she added with a smile. "No bank in the world is going to lend me fifty thousand dollars, not with my lack of assets. So unless you offer a program of low monthly installments, I can't pay back what he owes you. I'm the closest thing he has resembling family or friend, and I can't stand the asshole, so no one else is going to step up to pay you back. I don't particularly want to see the man die, but I'm not going to ruin my life or well being for someone who even the courts said was an unfit father. I also know that if I tell the authorities that my father has 'run afoul of criminal elements,' that my father won't cooperate out of fear of you, and that when he does have an untimely demise, you'll probably make sure that you're covered. So, yeah, there's a part of me that wants to be a decent person and do something to help out the guy whose name is on my birth certificate. But there's a big line I won't cross and if I can't save the life of the man who made my childhood a miserable experience..." Natalia leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee "...I won't have any problems falling asleep at night."

 

[shizzz]

Tony sat back and listened. Once again admiring her straight forward spunk. She was certainly way too overbearing for his tastes

"It's funny you should mention an installment plan" he said with a grin as he took a cigarette from a coat pocket

"You strike me as a very put together person and I have a problem outside of the standard realm that the family operates" he paused lighting his cigarette," my son makes no sense to me and at 19 he still has yet to even show interest in shedding his childhood games and such. I want you to help accelerate the process " he told her as he paused to take a long drag

"In every facet." He said quite clearly

"Your right about everything you said about your father and your finances. But your too good to simply walk away. But I'll still give you that option. Just meet the boy and let me know if your fathers life is worth giving another life a little kick in the ass and a taste of what's out there" he said finally pausing to wave down a waitress and get a cup of coffee

"To sweeten the deal beyond forgiving your fathers debts I will ensure he is not allowed to gamble. I will personally see that he is black listed from anything remotely resembling a wager". He paused as the waitress gave him his coffee

"I assume your training has taught you the value of life. I want you to impart that in my son. And I will impart that in your father, not that you care though"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Of course you smoke," Natalia wryly remarked when Tony pulled out his cigarette.

"Of course I'm a good person," chuckled Natalia at Tony's observation. "And the reason I'm a good person is because I got the courts to cut me free of my father eight years ago. Because I knew I was this close..." Natalia held her thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart "...to being pimped out to support his addictions. If I had stayed, instead of being who I am right now, I'd probably either be a crack whore or dead. So I'm ready to make a reasonable deal, but if that can't happen, it's because of the choices my father made, and the choices you're making. I learned a long time ago that guilt belongs to the transgressor, no matter how they try to turn the facts around. If I walk away, Buddha still gives my karma a clean bill of health."

"But since we're talking about philosophy and manipulative dirt bag fathers, let's say for the sake of argument that I agree to be your son's life coach with benefits." Natalia paused and took a sip of her coffee before continuing. "And let's say that, in the process of making him a man who can stand on his own two legs, he decides, like I did eight years ago, that he wants to cut ties permanently with his amoral paterfamilias. What's your reaction to that?"

 

[shizzz]

He smile at her concern

"Oh no no. If he chooses a different path I will be sad. But I will not be mad. As long as he does something. Becomes something a father can be proud of....I mean if he refuses the family to go run a fucking Burger King I'll be pissed. But if he follows a passion, well that I can understand" he said, then paused to take a drag off his cigarette, then a drink
Of his coffee

"You do this over the summer and he gets off his ass and goes
Somewhere to become somebody that's all I ask. I ask him become his own man." He said as he glanced long at her

"Help him become a
Man. And we are straight"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Natalia bit her lower lip as she thought things over. Finally, she nodded slightly to herself and looked Tony straight in the eye.

"So here's what I'm willing to do. First thing I'm going to do is get my father to sell his house and car and put him in a rehab center. Don't worry, you'll know where he is at all times, in case karma needs to take its due. But it doesn't do him any good to save his life from his gambling addiction if he's still got an alcohol and drug problem."

"Next, you'll get me and your son a two bedroom beach condo for the summer. It doesn't have to be fancy. In fact, I'd prefer it was just something plain in a safe community. But I want him removed from the things that are taking away his ambition. And I want to be able to run his ass off in the morning in sand and through the surf."

"On that final facet." Natalia paused before continuing. "I'm not going to whore myself. That's non-negotiable. But I'll allow that if I can help your son get his act together, the opportunity to address that final facet might be met. So what I'm asking is that if I get all the facets fixed but that last one, it earns my father a quick death rather than a slow one."

"And last condition. Your son meets me at the Mexican restaurant on Kirby and Hearst, Buena Comida, tonight at eight. It's not upscale, but a jacket wouldn't be out of place. He's to be wearing a jacket. Tell him I'll be the Latina sitting at the bar, waiting for a table, and wearing the red blouse with the globe and anchor on the left pocket. He and I'll talk, and I'll tell you if it can be done or not. If not, you and I will go our separate ways, and karma will take its due course. Work for you?"

 

[shizzz]

"You have a deal" he told her quite plainly. He saw no issues with her desires or parameters. He was fine with rehab and a quick death if she did not fill the last of the bargain.

But the thought of her whipping his sons ass to shape was a delight

"He will be there. But don't be surprised if he is combative. I will simply tell him I want him to meet a friend of a friend. That wil put him on his guard, but he will be there. I'll leave the rest to you and provide the beach house and transportation once you are ready" he told her then stood up, pulling a $50 bill and placing it on the table

"For the coffee" then he turned and began to walk away

"I look forward to hearing how the meeting goes and the timeline for your departure". Then he was lost in the crowd

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Natalia watched blankly as Tony left and disappeared. Part of her had been hoping that he'd turn down her offer. Then she could walk away without a tinge of guilt. Instead, she found herself obliged to at least attempt her compromise.

Natalie finished her coffee and left the fifty dollar bill on the table untouched. Someone would be in for a hefty tip.

-----

That evening found Natalia sitting at the bar of Buena Comida, waiting for a table and for Tony's son. She was wearing a long sleeve darkish red blouse with the Globe and Anchor on its left breast pocket, a knee length black skirt and matching black low heels, with her hair down. It wasn't exactly the sexiest outfit in the world, but Natalia liked it because she thought it made her look classy and feminine, and the Globe and Anchor let her first dates know that she was her own woman. Of course, this more often than not led to no second date, but as long as she lived up to her principles, Natalia could live with that.

Was she still living up to her principles, she wondered? She had all but told Tony she'd sleep with his son if his son got it together. Did she actually mean that? Or was she subconsciously never planning to sleep with the son, and had given herself an excuse for not doing so, to assuage even the hint of guilt over her father's fate when she didn't take care of that 'final facet'. She mentally shrugged and decided to leave that particular internal discourse for later.

As had been observed earlier, Natalia's outfit wasn't the sexiest possible, but neither was it a sackcloth. Her figure and general good looks got her more than one look from the customers at the bar, particularly from a middle-aged man sipping whiskey who had a barrel chest and even bigger stomach. He thought that it was 'cute' that she was a Marine and tried to talk her up. Natalia ignored him, but she didn't shut him down. She might have a use for him, later on. Marines never wasted anything. Instead, Natalia nursed her soft drink as she waited for Tony's son.

 

[shizzz]

Marco was pissed. His dad was an evil ass, and all of this was horse shit!!

He was fuming as the car pulled up to some dive he had never heard of

Earlier~~~~~~

"Marco. Your fucking goin or in cutting you off of everything. Credit cards, wifi and all your damn online bullshit" tony raved as his son. And of course Marco sat there and took it

30 mins and his son was folded and scamper off like a little bitch


Marco headed
In, his slender lazy 6 ft frame was clothed in a button up shirt and a pair of khakis. He stumbled into the restaurant/bar and found her

His dad had described her, and though the bar was crowded with Latinas, the emblem gave her away

He walked up to her, and with no sense of respect anything remotely close

"My dad said we gotta talk" and he sat down

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"And good evening to you as well," Natalia said, a hint of a smile on her face, reacting as if Marcos' had been the very epitome of good manners. She waved at the waiter to take them to their table, and then turned back to Marcos. "I hope you brought you appetite. But forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. Natalia Chavez," she added, extending her hand.

 

[shizzz]

He reached out and took her hand, eyeing her skeptically. Not at all what he had expected

"Well nataly what the hell is my dad up to" he said trying to shake her again. Obviously this woman was a professional. But a professional what? What was his dad up to? He had no patience for this shit.

"Seriously. Why am I here...with you?"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

The waiter gave Natalie a nod and escorted her and Marcos to their table.

"I really love the queso here," Natalie told Marcos as the waiter left them with a pair of menus and a promise to come back and take their drink orders. "They use yellow cheese, not white. As for what you're doing here, it's a restaurant. We have some food, get to know each other, maybe even share some of our ambitions and dreams. For example, have you ever given thought about what you want out of life? Not just treading water, but what you want to do, where you want to go, who you want to be?"

 

[shizzz]

This was just about as atypical of an experience with one of his fathers 'friends' as you could get

"Wait. What?" He asked as he picked up his own menu

"What do I want to do? I don't know. I know more about what I don't want to do, and that is stay in the city and get stuck living my dads life " he said as he opened the menu and began to look through it, quickly deciding on some quesadilla guapa thing

"And why do you care? I assume my dad put you up to this. What's his angle now, because let me tell you. Whatever it is. I'm not doing it"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"I always want to get the Camarones Tijuana when I'm here, but if I do, I'll be bloated for the next two days," Natalia replied, as if Marcos had asked an entirely different question. She puffed out her cheeks to illustrate the bloating effect of that particular dish. "I'll probably just get one of their grilled chicken taco salads."

"And why do I care? Partly because your father is in the position to do me a favor I want. Not one that I need, mind you. It wouldn't even be a speed bump in the road if I didn't get this particular favor. And partly," Natalia confessed, both to herself and to Marcos, "I was in a position when I was a couple of years younger than you are now that I had a father I wanted to put as many miles as I could between him and me. So I did. And I wanted to meet you to see if you were in the same frame of mind as I was then."

"And as for your father's 'angle'..." Natalia shrugged. "You know what he is as well as I do. But for all his faults, lying isn't one of them. I just met the man, and I know this. You've lived with him all your life, and you know it too. If you were somebody who could take over his business, he'd be thrilled. But if you walked away from him like a man, on your own two feet, he'd live with that as well. Probably even have a certain amount of grudging respect for you when you walked away. What he wants me to do is help you become someone who can live their own life, on their own terms, and on their own power."

When the waiter came back to take their drink and appetizer orders, Maria ordered a coke as well as chips and queso. She looked over at Marcos and asked, "So what are you having?"

 

[shizzz]

Her response was far from what he had expected. As she spoke, he paused, finding himself looking her over closely to decide whether or not this was just some line of bull shit.

Everything she said made sense. Of course everyone could use an assist from his dad, but he wasn't sure he would be so easy to get away from as she implied, but he couldn't deny his interest in the hopes of getting away. He had resigned himself to becoming some murderous thug some time ago, and his laziness was his way of putting that off as long as he possibly could. Was this a way out from that future

"I'm gonna have a quesadilla. I love a good quesadilla" he told her in response. Then he looked the lovely Latin woman over, not in that young male forever horny way, but in a way that implies just how much he wanted to believe her, and just how much he thought it all a facade.

"So then. Let's say I am interested in getting out from the family business. What is it that has to be done?" He asked as he reached into a jacket pocket and pulled
Out a cigarette.

"I mean this has been setup by my dad. So what is the setup exactly" he asked giving her a skeptical look and debating about whether or not this might be a trap.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Me and you share a beachfront condo for the summer," Natalia replied. "I enjoy the waves, the sand and the sun. You...not so much," she added with a smile. "I get you for three months. You run when I say run, you jump when I say jump, you drop when I say drop. And no smoking," she finished, taking the cigarette from his hand.

"And at the end of that three months," she continued. "I make you a man who can go out in the world on his own. Your father does the favor I want, and you...you decide what you want out of your life. Maybe you follow your father's footsteps. Maybe you do something different. But that choice will be squarely in your hands. Interested?"