Chapter - 3 ( Bucks and Bruises )

A lonely figure was walking on the empty, silent street. Her shoes occasionally hitting the pebble then following it with another hit lost in her thoughts. 

The gust of cold air, made Claudia to stuff her hands in her worn out black hoodie as she stopped and titled her face towards the sky, closing her forest eyes puffing out a breath. 

Her poor stomach growled in hunger, trying to catch her attention but she rudely ignored it focusing back on the pebble. 

She lost her job because of those perverts jerk. She does have that much money to feed herself but her mood was sour. Feeding herself was not in her bucket list right now, finding another job was. Because if she didn't paid the rent at the end of this week she will be out on the streets without a doubt. 

Those pigs were the one doing wrong but she was the one who end up being punished. Just because they had money. 

Right, money. 

What a evil thing. It can make people fall at your feet. With a shook of her head she looked down at the cemented road but frowned when her pebble partner was nowhere to be found. 

Giggling voice caught her attention and she turned her head only to look at the girls of her age stumbling and laughing as their bodyguards made them sit in their expensive rides. 

Her emerald orbs looked at the night club across the street and a question popped up in her head. How can someone waste that much of a money to get wasted, on alcohol when in the morning they aren't going to remember anything, except having a nasty hangover. When there so many people out there trying to get food two times a day?

Her lost eyes followed the car before they snapped back to man the who came out of the club, dressed in a fancy white shirt with blue coat and matching pants. Three four people were following him.

 Another richie rich. 

She scoffed but her eyes widened suddenly when he twisted his wrist looking at his watch, it was Rolex, nodding to something man behind him was saying. 

The another one in the black leather jacket tipped the guard handing him a few dollar bills but her sharp eyes saw the hefty amount inside his leather wallet. 

Claudia wasn't the one who stole generally but right now her situation wasn't the best.

" Time to show your skills." Muttering to herself she bit her lips, covering her head with the hoodie. 

She did stole from people sometime when she was younger, but from rich people like them.  It wouldn't make that much difference to them if she took a stone from the mountain of money.

With that thought in her mind, she crossed the street and as soon as she was closer to the black jacket man she tripped over her leg. 

" Whoa, you okay?" The man quickly hold her and this was enough time for her took out the wallet. 

She bolted away from his hold purposely stumbling again and this time she held the hand of the Rolex man and with ease she took it too. 

Growing up in shady neighborhood has its own perks. She had lived a great amount of her life with thugs and theives. 

" So.. so--rry, I wi--ll be going." She slurred out the words pretending to be drunk and quickly spun on her heel. 

She had walked, fake stumbled few steps and sighed in relief stuffing both the items in her hoddie pocket. 

" My watch?" The man whispered his brow furrowing looking at his naked wrist. 

" Hey you! Stop!" Claudia breath hitched as she heard footsteps approaching her and that was her cue to broke into a run. 

" Catch her!" The man barked out, his brown orbs twinkling in amusement. 

Claudia dashed, her shoes hitting the pavement slicing the silence. She stopped panting lightly, her back resting on the wall of the narrow alley before she again sprinted hearing the chaos of footsteps behind her. 

After good ten minutes she huffed out a breath, her vision a bit dizzy because of all the running and her empty stomach was not much of a help either. 

Tightening her ponytail she looked back once more and a smile formed on her lips when she found no one behind her. 

But her happiness was short lived as a car stopped directly in front of her making her crash into it almost. 

" The f*ck!" She exclaimed internally putting a hand on her chest. She opened her mouth to give a good lecture to the one driving but her jaw dropped looking at the man who came out of the car. 

" Hello there!" It was the same man whose watch she had stolen.

" I think you have something of mine." Brown orbs looking at her as he took a step rounding his car.

" This, I presume. " Claudia replied calmly showing him the watch as he leaned on the car door, giving a nod.

" Can't give you back. I need this." With that she stuffed back in her pocket. 

Turning around she had barely taken a few steps when the men chasing her emerged from the other end of the alley panting. 

A loud chuckle behind her made her groan. She turned around, looking at the brown eyed man who pushed his black hair back raising a brow at her. 

" Changed your mind?" He asked, mockingly a smirk plastering on his lips. 

Claudia bit her lips shaking her head, as her eyes scanned the number of men. It was four.  Her forest orbs look around and there was a possibility she could escape. 

" Few bruises, but full stomach and a roof over your head. Come on! Claudia you can do it." She murmured to her own self. 

" Nah! This thing is mine now." She replied, over her shoulder and got an surprise raised brow in reaction. 

" Rivoglio il mio orologio. Nessuno usa una pistola".  She blinked at the foreign language as the man crossed his arms and the men in front of her charged at her. 

( I want my watch back. Nobody uses a gun.) 

Her green eyes widened as one tried to punch her in the face but she moved in the last moment and kicked his feet and then his shin making him fall and taking this to her advantage she pulled her knee on to his nose with full force knocking him out. 

There was a stunned silence for a second except the heavy breathing of her before brown eyed man whistled loudly. 

" Great!" His compliment act as a snapping tool to the rest of the stunned men. 

" So you are a professional their?" a question was heard in bewteen the grunting. 

" Ahh!! No, not really." Claudia answered shaking her head as a punch landed on her face spiliting her lips. 

" In dire need of money or my landlord will throw me out." She answered landed a horse round kick on one man. 

" Desperate times, desperate measures." She murmured loud enough to be heard. 

Brown eyed man nodded looking at her who was punching the shit out of his man and ducked when another one tried to grab her. 

" Why don't you do a job then instead of stealing?" Another question and this time a punch landed on her cheek and as he tried to put in her a choke hold she elbowed him twice before slipping from his hold. 

She had successfully knocked two out, two were left. One was that black jacket, whose wallet in her pocket. 

" I did. Gotten one today and sadly kicked out today too." Just as soon as she finished her sentence, a punch landed right on her cheek. 

She stumbled back, shaking her head as she heard the ringing in the back of her ear, taking a deep breath but winced as she felt burning of her scalp. 

" That's a hard limit. Not my hair." She muttered spitting out the blood, and hit her feet on the man's foot.

Feeling his hold loosen, she quickly spun around hitting her forehead right on his nose with full force that has him staggering back. 

" Why, you got kicked out?" Her green eyes took in the lounging figure of brown eyed man.

She huffed a little, Alec was finding the situation awfully amusing and he was genuinely curious about this girl. 

" Ah! One of customer wanted me on menu.." she trailed off throwing her hands in the air, as she eyed the last standing man.

As soon as he approached her, she took two hits but then suddenly swiped her legs under him making him fall on his side, she knocked him out by hitting his neck. 

" So I served him, with a fork on his palm. But it seemed he didn't like it." She snickered to her own words eyeing the groaning four men on the floor. 

Nodding her head, satisfied she dusted her hand on her hoodie she was about to get up from her kneeling position when she felt a cold metal over her skin. 

Flickering her eyes upwards she looked towards the brown eyed man. Gone the amusement from his voice and his face as he pressed the cold metal to her forehead, whispering out the words.

" Playtime over."