An Ollie Apple Flash- Nicole

Just an Ollie Apple Novella…

Name: Nicole (Nick) Medina

Age: 32

Relationship: Friend/Wife/ Colleague to Leo Medina

December 24

I stared through the scope of my Walther WA 2000 sniper riffle from the warehouse across the street. It was poorly lit, but I could see the assholes dressed as Santa’s elves waiting around for, what I assumed was the stolen goods. But I wasn’t waiting in the cold on a random rooftop for elves, I was waiting for the big guy himself.

My target was Santa.

And before you get your panties in a wad, No, it’s not the Jolly, rosy cheeked, fat guy that everyone seems to love. Nope, this one was a greasy, fat asshole that went by the name Donnie Diamond.

I don’t ask for much information about the target, just a picture.

My name is Nicole Medina, Nick to the people who really know me, and I was hired to take down Santa and return the merchandise back to its rightful owner, Leticia De Leon. Whether the goods were legitimately hers was none of my business.

My job was to get the merch, kill Santa and disappear into the night. Not a glamorous job, I admit. Some may call me a mercenary…and I wouldn’t disagree. If the money was right, I’d do the job.

I went into retirement not so long ago. Now and days I dabbled in the arts. I was usually busy setting up galleries, selling great works of art to the highest bidder. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my old job. When Leticia called me to take care of business I immediately said yes. The money was very good and I missed the excitement.

My team and some of Leticia’s henchmen assembled around the warehouse to infiltrate the goods once it arrived onsite. I had it on good authority that this was Donnie’s hideout and if the elves were any indication, then the informant was right.

I don’t know how long I’ve been on this roof, but there was no sign of Donnie or his big red suit. I felt my phone vibrate. I recognized the number and immediately picked it up. “Is it done?” Leti’s voice came through the phone.

“No, he hasn’t shown his face. But his red thunderbird is here, so he should be around. The van with your merch is almost here, I have eyes on it now and I have my guys in position to overtake it. I think once we start, Donnie will make an appearance and I can get my shot,” I explained. I kept my voice cool and collected, there was no point in worrying the client. I always got my target, I never missed a mark.

“Nick, your confidence is reassuring. Let me know when everything’s taken care of.”

“For sure.” I ended the call and placed the phone in my pocket.

The earpiece I wore chimed through. “Ay yo Nick, should we start?” My partner was a big giant guy named Jay, with dark skin and tattoos all over, just in case his size wasn’t intimidating enough.

I looked down from my post and saw the van pulling in. “Get into position, the van just pulled in.”

I got back behind the sniper gun and prepared for when Donnie would make his appearance. Hopefully he was the one driving the truck. It was really cold out tonight. Before my semi-retirement, I tracked in any condition, I was young and eager…now I couldn’t wait to get this over with.

I heard my earpiece, “3, 2, 1.” I saw my men begin to pull up on the warehouse. “Nick, Donnie is in the office upstairs, can you get eyes on him?”

I immediately switched positions to look at the other windows, I spotted him!

My adrenaline pumping just like old times.

I aimed my gun. “I got eyes.” I took a deep breath and fired a shot right as a foot connected with my head.

Fuck! That shit hurt!

I rolled just when another foot (Or the same one, from the ground everything looked the same) tried to connect with my body. I yelled into the earpiece. “Check on Don. Is he hit? Some little shit screwed me up.”

“We’re headed up now,” Jay said.

I turned to look to see who the lethal feet belonged to.

I felt a weird sense of affection and hot lava like rage all at the same time!

She walked up to me and pointed her gun in my direction. “Hello Nicole, please don’t make me shoot you.” I’d recognize her curly blonde hair and blue eyes anywhere. She dressed in all black like me; black sweater, black leggings, black boots, black coat. The standard look for a life of crime.

“Vanessa!” I tried to go for cheerful, but the gun pointed at me kind of threw me off. “I guess you’re mad that I didn’t call after the last date?” I asked.

Vanessa and I worked on a couple hits and heists together. She was like my student, I taught her everything about this lifestyle. We had a couple dates and a couple of passionate nights. But she was still new and eager for this mercenary life and I was in semi-retirement, so I tried to distance myself from her.

She really didn’t like that.  

She walked up to me, gun still pointed. “Shut up, I’m here for Donnie, I need the goods and him alive.”

She made a rookie mistake…she stood too close to me and let her guard down for two seconds too long, I swiped her feet right from under her. The gun she held fell out of her hands.

I grabbed her gun and stood up, gun pointed at her. I began to speak but stopped when I heard the voice in my earpiece, “Nick, he’s not here.”

Shit! I spoke into the earpiece, “Copy, what about the truck?” I looked down and saw the truck down below.

“We’re trying to take it; these elves are vicious and there’s another team here!”

I looked down at Vanessa. “Do the elves work for you too?” I asked her.

“They work for Dan De Leon.”

I shrugged and spoke into the headphones, “Jay, can you take care of that downstairs or you need me?”

“We got this,” His voice was loud and clear., “You okay upstairs?”

I looked down. “Yeah, it’s just Vanessa, I’ll be okay.”

I could hear Jay groan from the other side of the headset, “Bitches be crazy, you sure you can handle that?”

“Yup, let me know if Donnie pokes his head out, as long as we get the goods to Leticia, I think we’ll be okay.”

“Copy.” Was Jay’s response before the line went dead.

I looked back down at my hostage, “My team is looking for Donnie now, when they see him, he’s dead. Tell your guys to stand down.” Vanessa was a rookie, she was new to the game, I didn’t know if the fact that her skin went white was because she was new to the game or because something was seriously wrong.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. I didn’t want to care, but something was telling me she was in deep shit.

“Do you know what’s in the boxes?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know and I don’t care, I’m just here to do a job.”

She stayed on the ground, closed her eyes and sighed, “There are millions and millions and millions of dollars in the back of that truck that belong to Dan De Leon.”

I was getting tired of the talking. “Vanessa! I said I don’t care! That’s not my problem!”

“It’s both our problem now! I was hired to get it back and bring Donnie back with it!” she yelled hysterically, another rookie mistake…letting your emotions get in the way.

I kept the gun pointed at her. “Okay and how is this my problem?”

“Because Leti hired you! She’s in a bitter divorce battle with De Leon and he hired me to take this money that Donnie stole from him. Leti is just trying to get back at her ex and take all his money,” She explained.

“Again, how is this my problem?”

“De Leon wanted Donnie alive, they’re cousins, things operate differently when family’s involved. Now I don’t have the goods and I don’t have Donnie…I’m dead.”

“Vanessa, I’m trying to see where this is my problem,” I said.

“He’s going to kill you too! You were hired by the ex, who’s trying to ruin him. You’re taking his money too.”

I looked away, this can’t be happening. I didn’t know about the divorce. I thought Leti hired me with the blessing of her husband.

I looked away two seconds too long, Vanessa jumped up, kicking the gun from my hands!

Fuck!

She ran to the sniper gun I had set up, but I grabbed her arm and spun her around, up against the exit door of the roof. “Vanessa! I’m killing Donnie. I was hired, I don’t ask questions,” I explained to her.

I couldn’t go back on my word, even if it means I would have a hit on my head, it wouldn’t be the first time. And they didn’t last very long. Once I agreed to do a job for the person who set out the hit, I’d be alright.

“I’m as good as dead if you do. I didn’t fulfill the contract and I already spent the money.”

Another rookie mistake. I shook my head, don’t care about her mess, just finish the job. My mind kept repeating the same thing but because I knew Vanessa personally, it was hard to listen.

While I tried to figure out what to do, she kicked me in the stomach and punched me in the face. I could taste the blood in my mouth. Now, I was pissed.

I spit out the blood and wiped my mouth.

Game on.

I spun to kick my leg at her head, I felt my long braid whip around behind me, but she blocked the move. And threw a punch of her own.

I blocked it and twisted her captive arm and punching her in the nose.

“Ahhh!” she yelled. Blood began to run out of her nose.

My earpiece came to life, “Hey Nick, Santa’s making his way to his thunderbird,” Jay said.

I ran over to the side of the roof. “I see him! I’m headed down.” There were fire escapes on the side of the building that I was on. I picked up my sniper gun and began to run down them. I barely made it down one flight when I felt a size 9 boot connect with my back, almost sending me over the edge.

I turned to see Vanessa running, passing me on her way down.

This fucking bitch!

I aimed my gun at her and fired. Feathers from her coat began to fall like snow. She went down in a matter of seconds.

That was easy.

I only had time to kick her body out the way. That was my mistake.

Because the bitch grabbed my leg and pulled me! “Why aren’t you dead?!” I yelled.

“It’s called a bullet proof vest! I can’t believe you shot me!”

I looked down to get a visual on Donnie, I saw him crouching, trying to open up the thunderbird amid the chaos of bullets and ass kicking.

“Nick! We got control of the truck and merch, we’re heading out.” Jay’s voice rang clear through my headpiece, we’ll meet you at the drop off.”

“Copy!” I yelled.

I was still struggling against Vanessa’s hold on my leg when I heard Donnie’s thunderbird come to life.

I looked down and tried to kick Vanessa in the face, but she moved and I got her shoulder instead. I saw Donnie’s car, coming closer to our building, so I jumped and landed hard on the hood.

I looked up and saw Vanessa falling through the air and landing on the roof! Donnie was startled. “It’s raining bitches!” the asshole cried.

She was like the terminator! She just wouldn’t give up! She looked like a mess with blood all over her face and her curly blonde hair sticking out in all directions, she looked a little like medusa.

I lost my gun somewhere when I jumped off the fire escape, and I began to reach down in my pant leg, where I stashed a gun. I grabbed it and pointed it at Donnie. Before I could shoot, Vanessa kicked at my hand and I fell off the car and onto the muddy dirt road.

Donnie, in his astonishment, veered off and crashed into a tree. Sending Vanessa sliding down the hood of the car.

The car died, only one light flickering.

I groaned as I got up from the cold, muddy road. I reached for another gun that I had attached to my other leg. I walked over to the car, where Donnie was out cold.

I looked to where Vanessa laid still.

Finally!

I let out a silent prayer that the bitch would stay dead.

I pulled Donnie out and laid him on the ground I aimed my gun for what was hopefully the last time when my phone rang. I picked up Leticia’s call, “Hey Leti, what’s up?”

“Did you finish?” she asked.

I looked down to where Donnie laid. “Almost.”

“Don’t kill Donnie.”

“What?!” I asked in surprised.

She sighed into the phone. “I was going to kill Donnie to spite my husband, that’s his cousin and all, but we decided to reconcile.”

I closed my eyes in frustration, looking at the damaged car, tree and bodies. “What do you want us to do with the merch? My men are taking it to the drop off.”

“My husbands men will pick it up, they’ll be dressed as elves. They’re coming from my family’s Christmas party.”

I wanted to scream and yell but tried to remain professional and refrain from showing my true emotions. I remained silent and she quickly added, “You would still be paid for your trouble.”

I kept my eyes on the scene, “It was no trouble at all,” I reassured her. “I’m going to plant a tracker and send the tracking info to your men, they can pick up Donnie at this location, he’s having some car trouble.”

“Great! Thanks so much Nick.”

She hung up and I lowered my gun. I kicked Donnie and he groaned. I grabbed a device from the inside of my coat and activated it. I put it in Donnie’s Santa costume and took my phone out to send the tracking information to Leticia’s men that were helping me tonight.

I heard Vanessa stirring, why am I surprised she’s not dead?

I took my phone out and called Jay. “Hey, Nick, you alright?” he asked.

“Hey, I’m going to send you my location, scoop me up.”

He remained silent for a good ten seconds before asking. “Will you live? Or is this a rush you to the hospital kind of situation?”

“That’s a silly question, just come scoop me up. Leticia changed her mind on the plan, Donnie lives but I need to get out.”

“Copy, I’m on my way.”

I hung up and went to check on Vanessa. I rolled her over, so she laid on her back. Blood covered her face, she probably broke something when she jumped off the fire escape, “Hey sleeping beauty, you alive?” I asked.

She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. But she didn’t move, “Hey, so Leticia called, she’s working things out with her husband, so you’re off the hook.” I informed her.

She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, showing that she was missing a front tooth, “Thank God, I didn’t want to die tonight.”

I snorted. “No shit. You were like a robot.”

I held out my hand to try to sit her up, she coughed and said, “You know it wasn’t personal, right?”

I put my hand on my hips, “Do you know who you’re you talking to? Of course I know that.”

She gave a small laugh and began to cough, “How’s Donnie?” she asked.

“Sleeping, but he’ll be alright.”

I stood there starring at her sitting on the hood of the broken thunderbird. “It’s Christmas eve, you have plans for tonight?” I asked.

We looked crazy, she was a bloody mess and I a muddy mess. But there was a spark there, you know?

She eyed me cautiously, but answered anyways, “I was supposed to go see my parents, but I bet I look crazy.”

I nodded. “I’m not going to even lie to you but yeah, you’re a fucking mess.”

She laughed and Donnie began to stir. I saw headlights coming down the road. “Come with me, Jays here. Spend the holiday with me.”

She gave me a toothless smile. “Okay, sure.”

“And in the morning, I’ll have Doc come and take a look at your tooth.”

Her hand went to her mouth. “My tooth?! What’s wrong with it?!”

Jay pulled up and I looked at Vanessa. “Can you walk? Or do I have to carry you?” I asked.

“I think I can walk.” She answered.

She slowly got up from the car and limped her way to Jay’s SUV. “But seriously Nick, what’s wrong with my tooth?” she asked.

“It’s nothing, we’ll fix it in the morning, my gift to you, Merry Christmas, Vanessa.”

She groaned climbing into the car. “Merry Christmas, Nicole.”

 *To read more about Nick and other characters, pick up, “The Lawyer and the Thief”, available in ebook and paperback on amazon.com. Click the link below.