Take My Breath Away

Just then, some other cars turned into the alley and screeched into a halt behind them. Debbie had to focus on dealing with the immediate threat. She didn't turn her head to see who the newcomers were.

As she was busy fighting, someone forcefully yanked her away from the battle and pushed her into the door of the car she had come in. Luckily, she was quick enough to steady herself. Otherwise she would have hit the car forcefully and been knocked to the ground.

This couldn't have been Carlos. He wouldn't have been so rough on her.

She looked up and saw that some new guys had joined the fight. The main guy wore a black coat. She recognized him immediately. It was Decker!

Before she could give this any more thought, another car tore into the alley. This time it was Carlos.

He was only wearing a white oxford. He must have been in too much of a hurry to get his suit, and raced here as soon as he got the driver's message. "Are you all right?" he asked Debbie anxiously, caressing her cheek. "Are you hurt?"

He was so tender and caring suddenly she wanted to be pampered by him. She held out her hands and said pitifully, "I knocked six men to the ground. Now my hands hurt."

Carlos took her hands in his own, kissing and rubbing them affectionately. "Let's get to a hospital. We'll have 'em X-rayed."

"Actually, I feel better, now that you're here," Debbie refused hastily. The pain was really not that bad.

Carlos' men joined the fight. After cracking some skulls, Decker turned to Carlos and Debbie, who were embracing. He shook his head resignedly.

'Come on! I'm busy fighting, and he's making out with my sister.' After a while, Debbie surveyed the conflict and said to Carlos,

"Maybe we should help him out." The alley was dark, and there were too many people in the chaos. She couldn't see her brother.

Carlos' gaze traveled over the crowd. After a few seconds, he nodded his head in Decker's direction and replied, "Don't worry. He can handle it."

Debbie followed Carlos' gaze and found Decker. He grabbed one man's hair and smashed his face into a bent knee, punched another in the throat, and knocked the wind out of yet another thug, planting a fist in his solar plexus. With every punk he took down, he got closer and closer to the middle-aged man. The reinforcements, the black belts, finally arrived. Spooked by Decker's advance, the middle-aged man ran past them, leaving Decker to deal with the tae kwon do maestros.

However, before those black belts could do more than drop into fighting stance, the sirens of the police screamed in the distance. The sound was getting louder, the police were headed their way. The hooligans panicked. They hopped in their cars and fled in a hurry.

Decker didn't give chase. He turned around and walked over to Carlos and Debbie.

He looked at his sister and asked, "You hurt?"

"No," she answered.

Satisfied that she was uninjured, he turned to leave. "Hey, Decker!" she called out.

Decker looked back at her.

"Just what the hell was that all about?" she demanded. Her brother was too mysterious. She had so many questions about him.

Decker looked at Carlos and replied, "Ask him. He seems to have all the answers."

'Carlos? What does he have to do with this?' She looked at Carlos, who was leaning against the car door. "I want to hear it from you," she said to Decker.

Decker's face darkened. Realizing he couldn't hide it anymore, he promised, "I have to be somewhere tonight. Meet me tomorrow. Your apartment. I'll tell you everything."

Debbie waved at him and said, "Fine. I'll be waiting."

Decker and his men left. Before Debbie could get in the car, the police pulled up. Those injured punks had nowhere to run and were all arrested.

Thanks to Carlos, the police didn't ask Debbie to go to the police station for a statement. Carlos gave her a lift home.

The next day, when Decker came to Debbie's place, Carlos was there too. The powerful man leaned back on the couch, legs crossed and arms extending along the back of the sofa, arrogant as ever. He watched Decker walk into the apartment. Debbie's brother looked wasted.

Debbie also noticed how tired Decker looked. She poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. "Need a rest?"

Decker had been up all night to settle accounts with the men from the night before. Luckily, he had a spare couple of hours to catch some Z's. He gulped down the water and placed the glass on the table. Leaning back on the sofa, eyes closed, he shook his head and replied, "Pulled an all-nighter. I'm used to it."

Debbie sat beside the silent Carlos. Carlos took her hand right when she sat down.

She let him. She was mad at him, but she still loved him.

No one spoke. The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After a while, Decker opened his eyes and looked at Debbie with his head tilted. "Well?" He sounded a little impatient.

Debbie had so many questions she didn't know where to begin. So she started with the first question that popped into her head.

"I gave you some serious cash. What happened to it?"

Decker looked better than he had. She didn't think he had squandered the money.

"Buying people off," he confessed. There was no need to hide it from her anymore.

"Who? And why?"

"My men. To keep them loyal."

"So, you're like Yates?" Everyone knew what kind of business Yates was involved in.

"Yes," Decker admitted.

"Yates is the deputy chief of his organization. And you?" Judging from his outfit and the way Decker dressed, Debbie was convinced he was pretty well off. His outfit was nothing special at first glance. Leather jacket. Tailored jeans. Nice Henley. But Debbie could tell these were all designer clothes. His shoes alone cost $400.

"You don't wanna know," Decker protested. He was afraid that the truth would scare her.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. Fine. If you don't want to tell me, then don't. But don't expect any help from me." Debbie resolved to find out the truth about her brother once and for all.

"If you lie to my wife, don't ever tell people I'm your brother-in-law," Carlos suddenly cut in.

Once, during a gang war, Yates managed to take Decker hostage. To save the lives of his men, not to mention his own, he told Yates that Carlos was his brother-in-law. Wouldn't you know it? Carlos' name worked like a charm. Yates let them go. After that, he dropped Carlos' name every time he was in trouble.

And Carlos lied for Decker every time someone expressed a bit of doubt. On top of that, Carlos would also tell whoever wanted to know that he had Decker's back, so they'd better respect him. Over time, Decker managed to work his way up. At first, it was grudging respect, and then it was true loyalty based on how much the man brought to the table. His men became fairly wealthy thanks to Decker's acumen. He became one of the most influential people in the underworld.

When he heard what Carlos said, his expression turned gloomy. He didn't have the heart to get angry at Debbie. But he was sure willing to mock Carlos. "You keep referring to Debbie as your wife, but last time I checked, you weren't married."

Debbie tried so hard to stifle her laughter she was actually trembling.

Carlos didn't get mad. He squeezed Debbie's hand and retorted, "At least I have a woman. You, on the other hand... But don't worry. She might not be born yet. Or is she still in school? Maybe you should hang out near a school. You'll find yourself a nice girl that way."