FALLEN | The Devil of Caracas

Chapter 2 | The Offer

Rome, Italy | 09:13 hours

Lexi and Sam sit comfortably in the back of a cab, as they make their way down the streets of Rome. Lexi admires the architecture of the ancient city, while Sam occupies himself with his tablet. He's buried in a new book he discovered just before departing the United States. Sam loves to read. His mother always made sure he had a book in front of him throughout his childhood. 

Lexi peels her eyes from the foreign world outside and turns to her husband. She glances down at the tablet. "Can you put that damn thing away?"

Sam looks up at her. "Why?"

"Look where we are!" She points outside the window. "We're in freaken Rome and you're busy with that stupid tablet."

"If I may remind you," Sam begins, "you're the one who gave me this thing for Christmas. So, it's not really my fault." He smiles.

"Yeah, I'm kind of regretting it," says Lexi.

Sam chuckles as he returns his attention to the tablet. "Oh!" he suddenly says. "I almost forgot. I was supposed to remind you to sign up for that practical shooting competition - the one at, uh-"

"Oh shit. Yeah, the cut-off's today, right?" interrupts Lexi.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Dammit... Yeah, I need to do that." Lexi turns back to the window. "Hopefully it's more challenging than the last two," she mutters.

Sam grins as he looks at her. "It's getting tough to find someone who can do what you do with a pistol. Well... except myself."

Lexi looks back at him, with a smirk. "Yeah, whatever." She returns her gaze to the window. "Sam, this place is amazing."

Sam leans toward his wife to peer out the window with her. Just then the cab pulls into view of the fountain.

"There it is!" She exclaims, pointing at the collection of majestic statues towering over the water. Her excitement is quickly stifled by the waves of tourists crowding in for a better view.

"I hate tourists," she mumbles.

Sam laughs at the irony. "Well, you'll blend in well with that stupid hat," he says, slapping the bill of her bright orange Texas Longhorns cap.

"Hey," she says, smacking the back of her hand against his chest. "I gotta represent my people. And besides, it ain't my fault your Gators sucked last season."

Sam laughs again as the cab comes to a halt. "Okay, let's get going."

He tosses the tablet into his backpack and pays the driver. Then Sam and Lexi step out of the cab and cross the street hand in hand, fighting their way through the crowd.

The couple spends the day enjoying their vacation in bliss. Their phones are stuffed away, as are any intentions of dealing with anything work-related. They've labored thousands of exhausting hours, day and night, building their company. Lexi and Sam have done most of the dirty work themselves and their security firm, Dark Angel, has grown exponentially. Now it's time to ease back and let someone else manage the day-to-day business while they enjoy the money rolling in. 

Once returning to the hotel to recover from their touring, Lexi badgers Sam to take her to a nearby nightclub. The joint was recommended by a local resident they met earlier that day. After finally conceding to his wife's request, Sam procrastinates dressing, while Lexi untangles the cord of her curling iron and prepares the bathroom vanity for battle. Her makeup bag topples over, spilling its contents across the counter. It's a mystery, even to herself, why she insists keeping the bag full of so many products she rarely uses.