Smooth Criminals

I woke up realizing Donatello wasn't under my head and instead my head was on the dirt ground. I could hear murmuring which sounded like Michael's voice. I quickly sat up and propped myself up on my elbows and looked over at Michael who was sitting with Donatello laying on top of his with his big black head in Michael's lap. Michael was scratching behind Don's big, tall ears. Don had his eyes closed and his head was tilted towards Michael's chest obviously enjoying the scratching. I didn't know if either of them knew I was awake now, but I knew I was the only other one awake because John was snoring lightly next to Don and Michael and the girls were no where near.

"Yeah, you're a good dog, aren't you, Don?" Michael said lightly to him.

I smiled. I never really looked at Don with someone else and realized that I must have looked the same way they did. Although I was a woman, of course, and Don came up to my stomach. Don really was a giant of a dog. He truly did look like a black horse.

Michael turned his head to me and his hat was lowered over his eyes. "He has to be the most loyal dog I have ever seen. Especially to you."

I smiled. "Ever since I saved him from a burning barn when he was just a pup."

Michael smiled. "How old is he?" I hesitated for a second not expecting this question, but something more about when I saved him.

I snapped out of it and answered him. "He should be four or five."

Michael tilted his hat back and I could see the faint gleam of his blue eyes from the one lit lantern between us. We were several yards apart and I soon started to feel alone since I was on the other side from everyone.

"Now," Michael said, "if you don't mind my asking, how old might you be?"

I tilted my head wondering where he was going with this. "I believe I am twenty-seven."

He tilted his own head, still petting Don as he pretended to sleep. "You believe?"

"Well, I don't keep track any more. I've been so busy. All I know is my birthday is somewhere at the end of August."

Michael gave a half grin. "So, you could be twenty-seven, or thirty, or fifty-nine, or one hundred and nine..."

I laughed. "I'm not that off track. Maybe a year or so." I thought about it for a second. "No, I am twenty-seven."

"You're sure?" he asked teasingly.

I smiled. "Yes."

"Well," he said, "that makes you and I two years a part. With the exception of me being older."

I nodded even though I didn't really understand what he was doing. Sizing me up, perhaps?

"So," Michael said, "in your early twenties you save a black great Dane pup from a burning barn, kept him and earn his greatest loyalty, and eventually he becomes your sidekick in criminalism. I would have never been able to do it."

I shifted my elbows as the dirt began imprinting my skin. "Well, I suppose that is how it went."

He smiled. "You never know for sure, do you?"

I shrugged. "Never can be."

It was quiet for a while as Michael continued scratching Don. I intruded the silence. "So, may I hear the story about how you and Annie have an encounter or do I have to wait until everyone is well out of their slumber?"

Michael tilted his head back towards me and smiled. "I would be obliged to tell you first. Or maybe just you would even be enough."

He shifted his body and Donatello sat up. Michael eased up from under Don and stood straight on his feet which were still in their slick black shoes. Donatello stood up on all fours and looked up at Michael. He came up to Michael's hips. Don started whimpering and wagging his tail vigorously.

"What?" Michael asked. "I can't attend to every itch of yours."

I smiled. Michael turned to me and gracefully walked over to me. Donatello beat him to me and walked around to my other side and lay down. I edged myself up and had my hands support me. My legs came up with a slight bend at the knees. Michael came up to me and looked down into my eyes.

"May I sit by you while I do my little story telling?" He said with a flash of his white teeth.

I nodded. "You may."

He bent down and sat on the mat next to me. His body faced me as he held one of his knees up to his chest and expanded the other in front of him.

"Well," he said, "where do I begin?"

I waited for him to start. I smiled at how his amazing features almost glowed in the dim light.

"So," he began, "one night before I even knew John, I was running from about six or seven men who were chasing after me because they must have seen me and knew who I was. I realized they were from the mafia and each of them had weapons at their sides. I could easily take them, but with me having one gun, I didn't take the chance immediately. I started running and I ran into an apartment building of about four stories. I climbed the stairs to the top floor and ran into one of the apartments that had their door unlocked.

"Annie's apartment," I stated.

He nodded. "It was dark in the small apartment and I walked to a window that was open to look for an escape back down. Instead, I found one of the men who have been after me for quite some time, actually the man is the one who attacked us back there. His name is Frank Gagliano. He's the one we ought to watch out for. But anyways, he was out on the roof holding Ms. Alanen over the edge with a knife in his other hand. He told me to go back inside or he'd drop her. So, I went back inside."

"Was she being used as a hostage to get you?" I asked. I waited and listened to the rest of his story intently.

He nodded. "She had nothing to do with it. But anyways, I went back inside to the living room and waited for Frank to come back in. He came back in with Annie in front of him with the knife to her throat. He pulled out a gun with his other hand and I held my own at my side. He obviously didn't see mine because he raised his to me and smiled in the most evil way possible. Annie looked at me as if she didn't know if this was real or not. My eyes went back to Frank's gun and he pulled the trigger.

"I quickly dived to the ground and landed on my stomach missing the bullet completely. I pulled out my gun and instantly shot Frank in the leg twice. He fell to the ground, losing his gun, and accidentally sliding the knife down Annie's arm. Annie grabbed at her arm and screamed. I motioned for Annie to run as I stood up quickly and she ran underneath a table in the kitchen. As she hid and I stood, the men that were already chasing after me and who were most likely with Frank ran into the apartment following Annie's scream.

"Three of them came after me and the others went looking for Annie. In a few seconds I knocked two of the men out with my bare fists and shot the other one with my gold plated Magnum. I ran after the other men who had just found Annie and I came up behind them and knocked two of them out with a single punch and kick to the spine. Annie ran away from the last man and went into the bedroom.

"The man ran after her and grabbed her. He hit her two times. He just struck her there by her bed and was trying to kill her by choking her. I came up behind the man and kicked him in the back of his knees. He stumbled and stopped choking Annie. I kicked him again in his back and he fell over letting Annie go. I kicked the man again in his head and blood started coming out of his face and onto her carpet.

"I walked back a few feet and looked at Annie who was just staring at me. The gun in my hand felt heavy for one of the only times since I knew what I had just done and I did it in front of a woman that had never seen that. Not in your case, obviously," he said the last part to me directly.

I nodded and he continued. "Annie looked at me and I told her to say anything. So, she said, 'Who are you?' I told her my name and I told her not to say anything about me or this incident or she would be in danger of getting involved with these men. I then told her I was sorry about the blood stains that would be on her carpet from the men. Then I told her that she should get away before the men regained consciousness and to go somewhere less conspicuous.

"She didn't say anything so I started asking her if she was okay. I asked her for her name and she told me it was Annie. I then asked her, 'Annie, are you okay?' She didn't answer my question, but she said, 'Are you a criminal?' I nodded and then she told me I was one of the smoothest criminals she's ever imagined. I then left her and the half unconscious Frank and his men. Annie obviously got away and became a part of the Matrix whore house. She must have a tendency to be attracted to criminals, you and I alike."

I smiled. "So, that's the story behind the song you sang back there."

He nodded. "I have a thing for creating great songs in an instant and also dancing to them."

"So I've been told," I said.

Michael smiled. "John told you, didn't he?"

I smiled. "Well, I figured it out more than anything."

Michael continued smiling. His eyes began looking me over and I realized that I was still in my under dress. My hair was off to one side of my head in many waves of brown. His eyes stopped at my brown eyes.

His smile slowly faded as he inched his body and face closer to mine. His smooth pink lips moved close to mine and I began moving towards him before I new it. I closed my eyes and our lips almost touched as Donatello barked and woke John up. Michael moved back to where he was before. I stayed where I was which was with my head tilted upwards towards where Michael's head was before.

Both of us looked over at John. "Good morning," he said as he stood up and stretched.

"Good morning, John," Michael said casually as if nothing happened. Michael looked back over at me. He gave me a half grin. "Get ready, we have to get going as soon as the girls wake up."

I nodded and gave a sigh. "Right."

Michael reached over me and grabbed his jacket which I must have tossed off of me earlier in the night. He smiled at me and stood up while putting his jacket on. I saw a flash of silver at his side as he straightened his jacket. I pursed my lips in an unsatisfied smile. I wondered if it was the same gold plated Magnum he had used the night of the incident with Annie. Why did it even matter? What I was most concerned about is finishing that kiss some time in the future.

For my entire life I have never had a relationship with anyone. If I had to choose someone to be with for the rest of my life right now, I would most likely choose Michael. He was an incredible human being and I wanted to know what had drawn him that close to me. Did he really feel something between us this fast? I didn't know about him, but I felt a connection like I never have before with anyone. It was amazing. I also thought it was pretty fascinating that he was twenty-nine and looked like a man with much more experience, which he most likely has.

I snapped out of my little daze and stood up brushing my under dress off. I grabbed my dress up off the ground and put it on over the under dress. I took the matching heels and slide them on my feet. I found the clip for my hair and quickly piled my hair on top of my hair and clipped it in place.

Michael and John were standing next to each other several yards away. Donatello got up and walked up next to me. I pet his thick black head. He looked up at me with his large black eyes. I looked over at Michael and John. Michael moved and began lighting the other lanterns in the cave. John moved over to the bend in the cave to the where the girls slept. John came out soon after with the girls not too far behind him. Michael finished lighting the lanterns and came over to us.

"Alright," he said. He looked over at me and smiled and then quickly looked away and at the others. "What we have to do now is to get away smoothly."

I smiled now knowing Michael was the smoothest of the smooth. He continued.

"What I need from you two girls is for you to stay here and let the men find you. I set up a blockage in tunnel so the wouldn't be able to get in here, but I have to take it down for us three to get away," he said.

Diana looked at him as if he were insane. "Stay here and let them find us?"

Michael nodded. "That is what I said."

Annie pursed her lips and looked at Diana. "He knows what he's doing, Diana."

I rolled my eyes now knowing Annie's secret. Michael looked over at John and then at me.

"We three," Don growled, "four, will go back through the tunnel and turn to our rights and come up through the sewage pothole and enter back through the city. Then after that, we will make our way to finding Mr. Gagliano and see what he wants from us."

"Or," John said, "we can stock up since we are indeed broke."

Michael nodded thinking about it. "Sure," he looked at me, "lets have the Masked Ghost's first real appearance doing something big. Do you still have the bandanna?"

Donatello nudged my side and I looked down at him. He had the black bandanna in his mouth. I took it from him.

"Yes, sir."

He nodded. "Put it on now and then we won't have to bother later."

I did what he told me to do and once again he helped me tie it in the back. I turned around after he finished and looked at him. He was smiling his great smile and his eyes almost seemed to smile along with his mouth.

"Are you ready?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Ready when you are, boss."

He tilted his head. "What makes you think I am the boss?"

I smiled. "You have the features."

He smiled and I walked past him towards the ladder that led back to the tunnel. Donatello followed me. Michael came up behind Donatello and picked him up and lifted him over his shoulder with a grunt. I motioned for him to go up the ladder first since he was holding the dog. He nodded and went up the ladder with what looked like ease.

John came up next to me and looked up at him. "How heavy is that dog?"

I looked over at him. "About 120 pounds."

John looked at me. "Did you want me to carry you up the ladder so that him and I are even?"

I smiled under the bandanna. "I'll climb up on my own."

He smiled. "Just making sure. Ladies first, then."

I nodded and pulled up my dress a little and began climbing up the ladder. When I reached the top I saw Michael sitting against the side of the tunnel with Donatello beside him. John came up not too shortly after me. Michael moved past us and looked down at the girls.

"If they ask what this cave is for, tell them it's your home since you were kicked out of your apartment or something. And if that doesn't work, you can just tell them to come and find us," Michael said.

I looked over at him. "Just find us?" I said through the bandanna.

He smiled. "Alyssa, we can take anyone and anything with the skills we four contain. I don't doubt much."

Michael turned around with a smile and began crawling down the tunnel into the blackness. Donatello followed after him. I began shifted to start crawling myself and then looked at John.

"How do you live with him?"

He smiled. "You get use to it after a while."

"Well," I said raising my eyebrows, "this should be fun."

"Always is," John said.