NADINE

Boxes stuffed full are hauled out by men cladded in plain jeans and t-shirts. The cartons are full of cannabis tied in plastic wraps. They've been tasked with transferring it all to a different location, somewhere remote and away from the authorities.

The leader of the bunch barks a command to one of his four men before turning to his fifth. Except this is no man, but a girl who has been tasked with a job she has little interest in. Thick, curly hair has been tied behind, along with skin the color of cinnamon.

She's in a conversation over the phone that seems to be proving more stressful than the mission. She spouts words in English and Spanish - insults, mainly - and watches Beefsteak stare at her through it all. He's a buff man with way too many tattoos on his body, and so she thought it wise to dub him so. But from the way Beefsteak eyes her, she can tell he's not in a good mood. Not that that's any of her business.

The phone call finally comes to an end. Beefsteak motions towards her direction, but doesn't look at her.

"You. Grab the bag." He points at a sack full of more cannabis.

"My name is Nadine. Not 'You'."

Beefsteak pauses and turns to her. This is not the attitude he should be receiving as their commander. But Nadine hardly cares. He's just a foot soldier who was put in charge of this one-time mission. He has no other authority.

He gets all close and personal and stands in front of Nadine's face. She's shorter than he is, smaller as well. He's trying to use this as some intimidation tactic. "Watch that fucking mouth of yours before I rip if off, girlie."

Nadine just stares at him, thinking. Surely, he couldn't be doing what she thinks he's trying to do. Threaten her. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Beefsteak clearly does not like her tone. He grabs her by her neck. "I told you to watch that fucking-" He doesn't finish, because Nadine slides a dagger right into his gut and leaves it lodged.

There goes comrade-turned-enemy number one. Before the rest of the group think to crucify her for this atrocity, she seeks them out first. Once they all reenter the warehouse, Nadine puts a bullet each in their heads. They would have done the same if given the chance. Too bad it ended this way.

Nadine surveys the bodies. She nudges Beefsteak's corpse to make sure he's dead. A useless attempt, considering there's a knife sticking out of his gut. But she does so anyway.

"Well, shit." Nadine sighs. This was not how things were supposed to go. Does this count as a mission failed?

"I see you haven't changed."

Nadine's gun goes up at the sound of the new visitor, but stops when she realizes who it is.

"Dami?"

Dami flashes a smile. "It's been a wh-"

Nadine aims her gun at her and pulls the trigger. But the bullet wasn't intended for Dami. It flies past her head by a mere inch and hits the last of Beefsteak's men who only just sauntered into the warehouse.

Dami turns to see the bloodied man before looking back at Nadine. "I thought you were trying to kill me again."

Nadine sighs. "Ay Dios mío, I told you those days were over a long time ago."

"Yeah? What about that time when we were on a mission in Florida and you stabbed me?"

"My hand slipped. It was an accident."

Damj points an accusing finger. "Then why were you smiling?"

Nadine says nothing. She thinks up an excuse to give, but can't seem to find one. "Okay, fine. But I don't actually want to kill you anymore. That was all before then."

Before she tried having Dami killed, she means. There were countless trials. Nadine had once locked Dami up in a room and had attempted to blow her up with a grenade. But it'd proved futile. There were more traps, several more ambushes. Nothing proved fruitful.

"Anyway, what brings you back to Maryland?" Nadine heads for Dami, but is stopped in her tracks.

"Hold it. Empty your pockets."

"Do you really have so little trust in me?"

"Yes."

Nadine stares at her a second longer, then finally obliges. She pulls put her guns and lays them on the floor. "There."

Dami still is not convinced. "Everything, Nadine."

Nadine releases an exaggerated sigh. For an ally, she sure does distrust her. She pulls from within her cleavage a switchblade. "Are you happy now?"

Dami smiles. "Very."

Nadine is finally granted freedom to get in close proximity to Dami. She gives her a hug, then plants a kiss on her cheek. "I missed trying to kill you."

"That makes one of us." Dami says. She scans the warehouse along with the dead bodies on the floor. "Is Charles going to be okay with all this?"

Nadine goes silent. She'd forgotten about Charles. ". . . It'll be fine."

Fine is far from the truth. Charles won't let this one slide. It's not the first time Nadine's ending up with a botched mission. She'll tell him she made a mistake, and he'll lose it all over again. But if she can keep this a secret for now, it would buy her time to think up a solution.

"I really missed you, you know."

Dami heads over to Beefsteak's body. "Don't get too comfortable. I won't be here long."

"Don't tell me you're on another mission. And here I thought you missed me."

"Get used to disappointment."

Nadine frowns. Then in Spanish, "Selfish son of a bitch."

"I can understand you, remember?" Dami tells her, while in the midst of confiscating Beefsteak's handgun.

Nadine watches her do so in silence. Her first encounter with Dami was on an expedition to take her life. She was a client's target, and like all targets, Nadine sought after her existence. It was a simple mission given to her by Charles. That was, until Charles hired Dami. Now she's been forced to treat her as an ally. Though Dami's partnership with Charles ended some time ago.

"That chameleon or whatever has you all over the place again, huh."

Dami pauses. "Uh . . . yeah. She wants me to look for someone."

"I don't know how you do it-working for someone so entitled." Says Nadine.

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's a bitch. Always making you do her work. She thinks 'cause she's big, she can boss people around?"

Dami grips Nadine's shoulder and gives her a smile. "Let's go have something to eat."

~《¤》~

DAMI

"Domenico Ontario?"

Dami nods. "He went off the grid a couple months ago. Ran off from the Toulour family for reasons that have to do with classified info."

Nadine swallows down a forkful of spaghetti. They're in her apartment having lunch as per Dami's request. This trip to find Domenico hasn't been so easy. The last healthy meal she had was weeks ago, and since then it's been some fast food joint or the other. Thank God for Nadine.

"And you're looking for him, why?"

"The Caméléonne's orders." Dami's tells her. "She wants something from him."

This is one of many ways Dami disguises herself. She leaves an identity solely for the purpose of investigating. It's how she found a spot in Charles' circle, how she got him to hire her. She has them believe she's The Caméléonne's front man. And though that choice comes with perks, it also has its drawbacks. Nadine was one of them.

Dami clears the table once they're done with dinner and gets back to explaining. Tracking Domenico down has landed her one step closer to her goal. She reveals a file and lays it flat on the carpet where she's seated with Nadine.

"Domenico part one." Dami holds up a photo for Nadine to see. The man doesn't look to be young, but his age states otherwise. Domenico Ontario is a thirty-one year old mafia escapee who currently goes under a different identity. He has low cut brown hair in this picture, with a wide set of green eyes. His face is chubby, nose narrow and straight. But the wrinkles on his forehead give him the illusion that he's miles older. That and the hoard of beard that surrounds his face.

"Domenico part two." The man in this one is thin and has no beard. His nose has even been altered, and there's a dark brown where a clear green used to be. He looks nowhere close to his original profile. Upon further investigation, Dami had found it to be the work of a very gifted plastic surgeon. "Roland Bardot. I tracked him all the way from Manhattan and I'm quite certain he's here in Baltimore."

Nadine studies the photo for a little while. "I've seen him before."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

No other reply is given. Dami has to dig for it. "Well, where did you see him?"

"I don't know where he lives. But I do know who to go to."

Silence again. Dami frowns. "You're going to keep making me ask?"

Nadine nods.

Dami sighs. "Who?"

"Charles. But he's out of the city currently. He'll be back soon."

"How soon?"

"Very soon. Today, actually."

This news makes Dami relax. She lays down on the carpet with a lollipop, still studying Domenico's new profile. It's been well over a month, but she's found her final piece to the puzzle. She'll find Domenico and have him give her what she wants. Then she'll head back to New York where all the action currently is.

Nadine climbs and sits on top Dami with legs astride, then pulls the candy away from her mouth and places it in hers. Dami looks offended, until Nadine pulls out a blade and holds it up. "Remember Arturo?"

A blade drenched in ink black with a polished silver to its rugged edge. How could Dami not remember Arturo when it almost put an end to her life numerous times.

"Hope that son of a bitch is having the worst time of its life."

Nadine gasps, though Dami can tell it's fake. "What did Arturo ever do to you?"

Dami frowns, which makes Nadine smile in turn. She drags the blade from Dami's abdomen all the way up to her neck. The blade is sharp enough to cut through Dami's shirt despite how light Nadine's pressure was. It even cuts through her neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

The two don't say a word. Dami doesn't even bother moving the dagger away in spite of it being in a lethal spot. One slip and it's game over. She lays still instead and runs her fingers through the ends of Nadine's hair. "You'll never be able to kill me."

The faintest hint of a smile appears on Nadine's lips. "Sadly."

That's how it will always be. Nadine closes the gap and kisses Dami who had been expecting it for a while now. Her grip around the blade loosens, which serves as an invitation for Dami to take things a step further. She sits up with Nadine now on her thighs and kisses her even harder than before. Her lips grow swollen, partly due to Nadine's lethal bites. But Dami loves the pain most.

Nadine wraps her legs around Dami as Dami helps her with her shirt. The pleasure from the kiss alone is immeasurable. It's the thing Dami knows makes Nadine come back for more. That peculiar thing that makes her yearn for Dami's touch, all while fantasizing about the possibility of taking her life. None of the two have been able to describe it, but perhaps not everything needs an explanation.

The doorbell rings. It puts a pause on the action and cements the disappointment in the air for them both to come to terms with. Nadine grabs her shirt while Dami heads for the door.

The person on the other side is a man with a frown. He has dark hair with light brown eyes, and is buff in shape. When he sees Dami, however, the frown quickly turns to horror.

"Dimitri?" Dami smiles. "How's it been-"

Dimitri grabs the handle and slams the door shut.

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