It's Not A Request

Lorenzo tiredly massaged his temples; he was exhausted and needed to rest; he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before because he spent it interrogating that jerk who was busy selling them out to the cops, and now his mind was preoccupied thinking about that girl. There was something about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

A soft knock on Lorenzo's door jolted him out of his reverie, and when he looked up from his desk, he noticed Jorge peering in, "have you taken care of that bastard?" As Jorge walked in, Lorenzo inquired. He was referring to Peter, the mole.

"Yes, boss," Jorge confidently replied.

"I don't need to remind you what would happen should his death be traced back to us," Lorenzo cautioned.

"I made sure that they won't be able to trace him to us," Jorge assured his boss.

Jorge, Lorenzo's right-hand man, had been part of the family business since he was eighteen when Lorenzo's grandfather took him off the streets and into his home. He was two years older than Lorenzo. Jorge was practically a member of the family, and he oversaw their security. No one dared to cross his path because of his massive physique; not only was he skilled with a gun, but also with his fist.

"What would you like me to do with the girl?" Jorge asked, referring to Elena.

Lorenzo thought for a moment before he spoke, "Peter said he has a flash drive containing some incriminating things about us, which he was supposed to go give to the district attorney. We need to find a way to get it back as quickly as possible before someone else get's their hands on it."

"I'm already working on getting it back, one of the boys…,"

Lorenzo interrupted Jorge before he finished speaking, "we need to act fast. For all we know, the district attorney could have to access those files and started working on a warrant to arrest us," Lorenzo winced as he massaged his temple. He was coming down with a serious headache. Then an idea came to him.

"What is it?" Jorge asked when he saw Lorenzo's lips curled up in a smile.

"The girl is light-fingered, right?" Lorenzo asked, referring to Elena.

"Yes, she is. With our findings, she is quick on her feet," Jorge replied, wondering what the girl had got to do with their discussion.

"Then, she is just what we need," Lorenzo's smile widened. He could use a girl like her to his advantage. How come he never thought of this before?

"How?"

"She will be the one to steal back the flash drive."

"You think she would be able to pull it off?" Jorge asked, not looking convinced with the idea.

"There is only one way to find out, and that is to ask her to do it. If she is as talented as your findings indicate, she should be able to pull it off."

Jorge followed Lorenzo as he stood up and exited his office.

Elena's back was starting to hurt from sitting for so long. She stood up and started to walk around the room. She approached the door and attempted to open it again, but it was still locked. She had decided to stop shouting because she realized it was pointless because no one would hear her. How long do they plan to keep her? Something told her they weren't going to kill her because if they did, they would have done it a long time ago. Then, what do they want?

She heard the footsteps approaching the door, and she quickly went to sit down.

The door opened, and Lorenzo entered, accompanied by Jorge. She noticed he was no longer wearing the blood-stain shirt but had changed into another shirt.

"Hello, girlfriend," Lorenzo said in a very sarcastic tone as he came and pulled the chair opposite Elena and sat down. He looked at the untouched food and back at Elena.

"You do have a hard time following instructions, don't you?" Lorenzo hates being disobeyed.

Elena took a deep breath and said, "I already told you that I wasn't hungry. Surely you don't expect me to have an appetite after you and you man," she threw a glance at Jorge, "had me locked in here."

Lorenzo was taken aback by her sudden bravery; where was the terrified girl who had been begging for her life only a few hours before? He leaned back and looked at her, and she didn't seem so scared as she held his gaze. He enjoyed it. He despises weaklings. This demonstrates that she is a good fit for the position.

"Jorge takes the food away," Lorenzo said without looking away from Elena.

"I see you have suddenly grown bold. Maybe you've forgotten who you are talking to," Lorenzo said to her after Jorge had left with the food.

Elena wanted to say something, but Lorenzo stopped her, "Carlos's men are still out there looking for you, and from what I hear, they are out to kill you for stealing from their boss."

Elena immediately shrank back in fear. For a moment, she had forgotten about Carlos and his men being after her.

"But I'm willing to help you escape him," Lorenzo said in a lazy voice.

"You want to help me?" Elena asked in surprise; a while ago, it seemed like he wanted to kill her, and now he wants to help her?

"Yes, but it comes with a price."

Elena kept quiet, waiting for him to give his conditions.

"I need you to steal something for me," Lorenzo said.

"What is that?" Elena asked him in shock.

Lorenzo proceeded to tell Elena how he wanted her to steal a flash drive from Peter's house. And when he was done talking, Elena burst into laughter.

"And what the hell is funny in what I just said?" Lorenzo asked in anger.

"Surely you overrate me; I'm not a burglar. I can't just break into someone's home to steal from them. I think you would have to...."

Lorenzo hit the desk in anger, and Elena immediately stopped talking; the smile on her face quickly disappeared.

"I wasn't asking you. That wasn't a fucking request!"

He leaned closer to the table, their faces only inches apart, and then he said,

"it's either you get the flash drive, or I'm going to hand you over to Carlos myself!" his eyes held a promise of wickedness, and Elena knew he wasn't bluffing.

Jorge walked into the room, and Lorenzo stood up to leave, "Jorge will give you the details. You only have two hours to get the job done!"