午后的阳光斜斜地透过半拉的百叶窗，在硬木地板上投下长长的金色光斑。拉蒂娜推开前门，庭院里飘来的茉莉花香依然萦绕在她身上，但另一种更刺鼻的气息却冲淡了这股味道。那是尘土翻动后淡淡的金属味，一丝不属于这里的皮革和汗水的气息。

有人来了。

拉蒂娜动作轻盈无声。她刚转过拐角，就看到一个身穿黑色紧身连体衣的纤细身影正在翻找她的东西。是小偷，小妞。拉蒂娜毫不犹豫。一步，两步——然后她一只手捂住了小妞的嘴，另一只手将她的双臂紧紧地反剪在背后。

“你胆子真大，小妞，”她低声说道，语气里带着一丝戏谑，“但你不该擅闯我的房子。”

莉莉·米西还没来得及咬人或尖叫，拉蒂娜就把一块布塞进了她的嘴里，女孩的下巴拼命地抗拒着这突如其来的异物。唾液已经浸湿了布料，拉蒂娜从胶带卷上撕下一条，紧紧地贴在小偷的嘴唇上，堵住了她的嘴。

接着，她拿出了绳子——那是她特意留着以备不时之需的粗麻绳。她把莉莉·米西翻了个身，让她趴在地上，女孩倒吸了一口气，手腕被猛地拉到背后，脚踝也被拉了上来。捆绑得既紧又有效。

拉蒂娜蹲在她身边，歪着头欣赏着自己的杰作。“好了，好多了。”

莉莉·米西扭动着身体，她被压抑的咒骂声越来越高，被捆绑的身体在毯子上无力地摇晃着。拉蒂娜只是轻笑一声，起身去拿厨房的椅子。她把椅子拖到房间中央，然后揪住小偷的腋窝，把她拽起来扔到椅子上。莉莉·米西胸口剧烈起伏，被绑住的双腿悬在椅子边缘，手腕也被另一根绳子绑在椅背上。木头在她挣扎下发出嘎吱声，但绳结依然牢固。

“乖乖待着别动，”拉蒂娜轻声说道，像对待一只调皮的宠物一样拍了拍莉莉的头顶。然后她转身离开，留下莉莉·米西在寂静中怒火中烧。

绳子勒进她的手腕，粗糙的纤维摩擦着已经因挣扎而变得湿滑的皮肤。莉莉·米西咬紧牙关，试探着胶带的弹性，呼吸急促而有控制。椅子随着她的扭动摇晃，被绑住的脚踝在地板上寻找着着力点。加油，加油——绳结很紧，但并非不可能。她在更黑暗的小巷里撬开过更难的锁。她扭动着手指，手指火辣辣地疼，拼命地寻找着绳索上哪怕一丝丝的松动。

绳子火辣辣地疼，但她没有停下。一只手，接着是另一只手，她几乎就要挣脱束缚了。

她还有时间解开腿上的绳子，开始朝门口跳去，但一只手突然抓住她的肩膀，把她转了过来。站在她面前的是拉蒂娜，脸上带着一丝诡异的笑容，让莉尔·米西心头一沉。

“要去哪儿？”The late afternoon sun slanted through the half-drawn blinds, casting long, golden stripes across the hardwood floor as Latina pushed open her front door. The scent of jasmine from the courtyard still clung to her skin, but something else, something sharper, cut through it. The faint, metallic tang of disturbed dust, the faintest whisper of leather and sweat that didn’t belong.

Someone was here.

Latina moved smooth and silent. She rounded the corner just as a slight figure in tight black catsuit snooping through her belongings.A thief, Lil Missy. Latina didn’t hesitate. One step, two—then her hand clamped over the Lil missy’s mouth, the other holding her arms tight behind her back.

“You’ve got nerve, chica,” she murmured, her voice low, almost amused. “But you should’ve known better than to break into my house.”

Before Lil Missy could bite or scream, Latina stuffed a cloth between her teeth, the girl’s jaw straining against the intrusion. Saliva already dampened the fabric as Latina tore a strip of tape from the roll, pressing it firmly over the thief’s lips gagging her.

Then came the rope—thick, rough hemp she kept for just such occasions. She flipped Lil Missy onto her stomach, the girl’s breath hitching as her wrists were yanked behind her back, ankles dragged up to meet them. The hogtie was tight and efficient.

Latina crouched beside her, tilting her head as she admired her work. “There. Much better.”

Lil Missy twisted, her muffled curses rising in pitch, her bound body rocking uselessly against the rug. Latina only chuckled, standing to fetch the kitchen chair. She dragged it into the center of the room, then hauled the thief up by her armpits, dumping her onto the seat. Lil Missy’s chest heaved, her bound legs dangling over the edge, her wrists secured to the chair back with another length of rope. The wood groaned under her struggles, but the knots held.

“Be a good girl and stay put,” Latina purred, patting the top of her head like she was a misbehaving pet. Then she turned, leaving Lil Missy to seethe in the silence.

The rope bit into her wrists, the fibers rough against skin already slick with effort. Lil Missy worked her jaw, testing the give in the tape, her breath coming in sharp, controlled bursts through her nose. The chair wobbled as she twisted, her bound ankles searching for purchase against the floor. Come on, come on—the knots were tight, but not impossible. She’d picked worse locks in darker alleys. Her fingers ached as she contorted them, searching for the faintest loosening in the binds.

The rope burned, but she didn’t stop. One hand, then the other she was almost free.

She had to time to untie her legs and begins jumping toward the door but a hand clamped onto her shoulder, spinning her around, and there was Latina with a smirk that made Lil Missy’s stomach drop.

“Going somewhere?”