

Presents

THE COUNCIL

By:

JUNE
The Council

June Miller

Copyright L. Miller 2013

Published by FourShadough Publishing, LLC at Smashwords

Chapter 1

"Yea baby! Take something else off." Big Lou, the young man with huge tatted arms yelled, slamming two aces down on the table.

"Damn Whitney I thought you had a better hand. These muhfuckas gonna get a free fucking show!" A voluptuous woman named Wendi said as she rolled down the sheer stockings from her thick thighs.

"I think they stacking the deck or something 'cause they ain't lost a hand yet." Another woman named Wanda chimed in as she removed the snaps on her short dress and wiggled out of it, her robust ass making an appearance as the skirt passed her hips.

"You know we ain't stacking the cards baby. I let you shuffle and deal the last few hands. It's just lady luck is on our side tonight, that all." Joe said raising his drink high above his head. He was a little tipsy and slurring his words a bit.

"Lady luck huh? That's some real bullshit!" Wendi said rubbing her thick thighs and eyeing Joe.

Big Lou looked at Whitney and Wanda. "Y'all feeling the same way too?"

Both women looked at each other and nodded their heads. "Yep."

"Aiight, let's do this then." Big Lou said with a sneaky grin. "This the last hand, winner take all. One of y'all deal and if y'all win then me and my man'll get butt ass and give y'all back all the money y'all lost tonight. But if y'all lose, then we get to party with y'all like we in Vegas and still give y'all back all the money you lost tonight." He licked his lips.

The women all looked at each other as a smile formed on their faces slowly. It was a win win situation for them because win or lose they would get all their money back. It was obvious the guys only wanted to have sex with them and it really wasn't such a bad deal because Joe was very attractive and although Big Lou's body was physically scrumptious, he had a face only a mother could love.

"Ok." Wendi spoke up quickly as the other women cosigned with nods.

Wendi grabbed the playing cards and began shuffling then slammed them down on the table for one of the guys to cut. She picked the cards up again and began dealing them out to everyone around the table. The guys focused on the half naked women the entire time and were banking on winning the game and taking the night to the next level. When the cards were dealt, the men looked at their hands and their eyes lit up. Joe had three queens and Big Lou was staring at a straight flush knowing his night was secure with the three women.

"Dammit!" Whitney screamed out loudly.

"Don't let them know what you got Whit! We can still win this shit!" Wanda said.

"We gon' win this shit!" Wendi said looking at her hand. "We have to win at least one fuckin' hand up in this piece!"

"Let's play this hand out ladies. Remember, winner takes all." Joe said licking his lips and staring at Wendi like he wanted to devour her.

"I have a pair of kings." Whitney said.

"I have a two eights." Wanda dropped her cards on the table.

"I ain't got shit!" Wendi cried out throwing all her cards down.

"Read e'm and weep. I have three beautiful ladies." Joe said as he dropped his cards onto the table. "And I'm gon' have three beautiful women!" He stood up and brushed his shoulders off laughing.

"Straight Flush here." Big Lou showed his hand to the women then threw his cards on the table grinning. "Now I wanna flush something straight down the throats of all you fine ass girls."

Wendi stood up and smiled heartily. "Aiight, y'all won fair and square and we're women of our word." She turned around shaking her fat ass making it jiggle and wiggle. "You guys tell us what kind of party y'all trying to have." Her statement was directed to Joe more than Lou.

Big Lou rubbed his hands together and couldn't help but smile as he said, "I wanna have a ménage a four wit' y'all."

"And what about your friend over there. What he gon' be doin' while all us twisted up like pretzels sucking, licking and fucking?" Wendi questioned rubbing her titties while the rest of the girls began to remove their underwear.

"I'm gon' be in there somewhere." Joe laughed out loud. "All those holes ain't gon' be filled, there's enough for me to get mine too."

"All this 'posed to go down right here?" Whitney asked as she looked around the finished basement. "There's like...no bed or nuthin'."

Joe looked at Big Lou and they walked off out of ear shot of the ladies to discuss what they were going to do.

"Yo fam, let's take them bitches upstairs so we can wild the fuck out." Joe suggested, peeking over Big Lou's shoulder.

"Nah Joe. We don't know them hoes like that and we 'posed to be waiting for the drop anyway. I don't want them in my business like that, you feel me?" Big Lou said.

"I hear you but we'll nut four times 'fore the work come. It's gon' be like another couple of hours. He had mad drops to do, we the last one. They don't know shit 'bout what we got in here." Joe said as he walked around his homeboy towards Wendi.

"We can go upstairs and freak out if y'all want. It's not as much room up there but there's a bed so we can be comfortable." Joe told Wendi.

Wendi looked at the girls and they gave her the thumbs up sign.

"Ok. Let's go." She said as they all grabbed their clothes and oversized pocketbooks and followed Joe up the stairs to the next floor.

When they were all upstairs and in the room, Joe and Big Lou took off their shirts and stripped down to their boxers, their mid section protruding outward. Wendi looked at both men and felt warm inside. There was a lot of sexual tension she needed to release and she immediately got on her knees and crawled over to Lou and grabbed him through his boxers.

"I see why they call you Big Lou." She said looking up at him and licking her lips.

She pulled at him softly then slid her hands through the slit in his boxers and massaged his meat lovingly. She licked the palm of her free hand and switched it, massaging his mass with the care of a heart surgeon. Big Lou moaned as he threw his head back enjoying the sensation of Wendi's soft hand. Joe watched them temporarily then laid his eyes on Whitney and walked over to her and palmed her ass. She smiled and held onto his hand and brought it up to the small of her back.

"Hey daddy, where's the bathroom? I want to freshen up a little before we get down to business."

"Me too." Wanda said, I gotta clean this kitty before it gets licked.

"When you go out make a right, it's the second door on the left." Joe directed both women as he walked up behind Wendi and groped her breast from behind.

"Mmmmm." Wendi moaned while she tried to suck Big Lou to his climax.

Joe was fondling her breasts and massaging her wet pussy at the same time as he rubbed his dick on her fat ass. Wendi shook her ass slowly and pushed back on Joe's dick as she continued sucking Lou. She reached behind and grabbed Joe's pipe and pumped it feverishly as he too began moaning. He moved to the front and stood next to his homeboy and let Wendi have full control of him. With one man's dick in her mouth and her working the other with her silky paws, Wendi was in sexual heaven. She was enjoying pleasing men and was turned on beyond imagination as her pussy literally dripped from its own juices.

The door flung open and Whitney and Wanda walked into the room. Joe and Lou opened their eyes and looked towards the door.

"What the fuck!" Joe yelled out.

"Is y'all bitches for real!" Big Lou asked staring at the two women, his eyes bulging.

"It's your lucky day boys." Whitney said as she smiled warmly and walked to them slowly. "Wanda please let these boys know that we're for real and this is how we get down."

Wanda cocked the hammer on her gun and pointed it at Joe's head, the infrared beam steady on the center of his forehead like a Hindu woman. Wendi held both men's dicks in her hand firmly.

"Now fellas, this is real awkward for us. You're standing there looking all good and shit. Got my lil sister turned on but we have some business we need to take care of." Whitney said.

"What the fuck y'all hoes want! We said we was gon' give you back your fucking money! It's not that serious!" Big Lou barked.

"Watch your tone Lil Lou!" Wanda walked over to him. "Before I tell Wendi to do a Lorena Bobbit on that ass for being disrespectful! We are classy ladies dammit!"

Wendi squeezed both men's pipes to let them know she was working in conjunction with the girls. It was a delicate situation for both men and they had no idea what the women wanted from them.

"What y'all want?" Joe asked looking down at a naked Wendi who had a smirk on her face.

"Now Joe, you seem to be the reasonable one of the two so I'm going to tell you why we're here and what we want because I believe you know how serious we are." Whitney said as Joe nodded his head in agreement. "I know that you're waiting on your next shipment of dope." Joe and Big Lou's mouth dropped open at the statement and at that moment they knew they were fucking with professionals and they both became a little unsettled. "I also know that you have the money for the shipment in here along with your profit. That's what we're here for, the money...all of it!" Whitney's eyes turned ice cold.

"Y'all ain't getting shit!" Big Lou shouted vehemently. "You think we gon' let some bitches rob us! Y'all don' lost your fucking minds!"

Wendi grabbed Lou's balls in her hand and squeezed as hard as she could and watched as he screamed out and crumpled to the floor in agonizing pain. Wanda ran over to Joe and smacked him in the face repeatedly with her gun until he fell to the ground in a daze. Wendi stood up and backed away as Whitney pointed her gun at Lou and used the heel of her six inch spike heels to bore a hole in the palm of his open hand. The noise that emanated from Lou's vocal chords further proved to Joe that the women in front of him were ruthless and wasn't playing any games about what they wanted.

"Joe baby. We really don't have time to play with you. Lil Louie here is talking like he got big cojones but I think my balls are a bit bigger. I know you're not a major player that's why we don't want your shipment. You can still get your work on consignment so that you know we're fair." Whitney expression was serious. "Now baby, please tell me where you have that money stashed before my sister gets tired of hearing me ask and makes you a memory." She pointed to Wanda standing next to him pointing her gun at his head. "Your boy here feels a way about getting jacked for his bread but let me be very clear. The only reason I'm asking you to tell me where the money is hidden is, if we have to look for it, that wastes too much time and it's easier for you to just tell me. Now if you refuse and make me look for it and waste my fucking time we're gonna just kill you and your dumb ass friend. Oh and trust me, we'll find it if we gotta knock down every fucking wall in this building! What's it gonna be, tell me and live with some bumps and bruises or not tell me and forget about seeing tomorrow."

Joe looked at Whitney, she spoke carefully and her eyes weren't lying. He gazed at his friend Lou and shook his head. He couldn't believe he fell for the okey doke and cursed himself for allowing his dick to control his mind, he should have listened and been on guard like Lou suggested but it was too late. There was no decision to make because he was literally caught with his pants down and the two guns on him and Lou were pointed at them with steady hands. Nothing short of a miracle would get them out of this. Just then Big Lou jumped up screaming.

"Fuck you bitches! Y'all ain't getting shit from us!" He charged Wendi and quickly put her in a dope fiend head lock.

Wendi struggled with him but the more she resisted, the tighter his grip got and she soon got lightheaded. Whitney and Wanda turned their guns on Lou steadily, Wanda's infrared beam zeroed in on his forehead.

"Let her go!" Wanda shouted.

"You got him Wanda? Whitney whispered to her.

"Dead on!" Wanda whispered back.

"Fuck y..." Lou never got to finish his sentence.

Wanda pulled the trigger and the infrared dot was replaced with a hole that soon leaked with blood. Big Lou's body hit the floor like a felled tree and Wendi dropped and rolled away. Whitney picked up Wendi's clothes and threw them on the floor next to her.

"Go get dressed thre so we can get the fuck outta here!" She said as she checked to make sure Lou was dead. "Yep, he plant fertilizer. Let's get that money so we can be out." She said to Wanda.

While Wendi got dressed she looked at Joe who was shaking like a leaf. Her heart went out to him because she knew he was terrified, who wouldn't be after seeing his friend's brains splattered all over the floor. She finished dressing then crawled to where he was just sitting looking up at Whitney and Wanda in shock.

"Just tell them where the money is so they won't hurt you." She said to Joe.

"I-I-I am." He stammered, fear overtaking him unlike ever before. "The money is in the other room. Go to the closet and there are three floor boards that are loose. Pull up the one closest to the closet first and then the rest of them will come up easily. All the money is in there, the stash and the re up." He looked at Wendi in the eyes. "Please ma, don't let them kill me, please." He shuddered at the thought.

Wendi looked up at the ladies as Wanda walked out the room. "Whit?" She stood up and walked over to her. "Don't hurt him. He cooperated and he's scared. He wasn't an asshole like his friend. Please, let's not hurt him."

Whitney patted her on the shoulder, "This robbery turned into a homicide now sis. He saw our faces and like dad said, if you leave a witness you might as well play the video for the cops. You know he gotta go Wendi." She lowered her head. "I'll make sure he won't feel it or see it coming ok?"

"There's no way we can let him slide Whit?" Wendi smiled nervously.

"Unless you want to blind him or cut out his tongue, ain't no sliding Wendi. This is what we do, this how we get down..."

"I found it!" Wanda screamed from the other room.

Whitney aimed the gun at Joe's head and let two bullets go quickly as his body jerked then slumped to the ground. "...this is what the Council is about!" Whitney said as she dropped the gun to the floor and walked out the room.
Chapter 2

Whitney pulled up in the parking lot and backed into a spot reserved for visitors. She reached into the back seat and grabbed a manila folder then exited her Range Rover Sport. She walked a hundred feet to a gate and pulled out her identification and showed it to the guard. She was buzzed in and entered into the facility where her bag and personal property was checked thoroughly while she was searched physically with a wand. She was then lead to a room filled with mostly women and a few men scattered about. She sat down in an empty seat and waited patiently for someone to call her. A guard called her ten minutes later and she followed him down a corridor as some of the people waiting scoffed at her being seen so quickly. The guard opened a door with a key and she walked in and dropped the manila folder on the table and pulled the chair away from the table that was in the middle of the room. She sat down and crossed her legs then waited. Another ten minutes passed and the door opened to a sturdy built gentleman who walked through the door awkwardly. He was 5'11, coarse hair that was speckled with gray, a full goatee, sharp eyes and powerful arms. He was wearing a beige jumpsuit with nothing on under it, his biceps and chest pushing the fabric to the seams. His hands were in front of him with handcuffs that were connected to a chain around his waist that dangled to his feet which were also shackled. He waddled inside and pulled the chair from the table and flopped down. The guard stood by the door like a sentry and looked straight ahead like the occupants were invisible.

"How are you?" Whitney asked the man sitting across from her.

"Under the circumstances, I'm maintaining and staying focused and sucker free." He said cracking half a smile partially showing his straight teeth.

Whitney looked at the guard, "Can we have some privacy now?"

The guard looked at her and nodded, "Let me get that first."

Whitney pulled out five neatly folded one hundred dollar bills and dropped it on the ground and kicked it to him. He stepped on the bills as they slid close to his feet then kneeled down and picked it up closing his fist tightly.

"You know you only have three minutes before the relief comes so make your time count." The light skinned guard said as he turned the knob on the door and exited the room.

"Trust me, I will. Time is money." Whitney replied turning her attention to the man in front of her.

The guard closed the door behind him and as soon as the latch clicked, Whitney was up and hugging the man in shackles. He removed the handcuffs that were already loosened and returned her hug with his huge arms.

"I miss you so much daddy!" She squeezed him as hard as her medium sized frame would allow.

"I miss you too baby but we only have 180 seconds to chop it up so let's talk business first then make this visit more personal when the guard gets back in here."

Greg Mason was Whitney, Wanda and Wendi's father and had been incarcerated since Wendi was sixteen years old. He was sentenced to natural life for the brutal murders of four people, two were ex-offenders who were community activists, the other was an accountant and the last was the chief executive officer of a very profitable hedge fund company. Before his incarceration, Mason was an up and coming Assistant District Attorney, who after much investigation, uncovered what would have been the biggest scandal in the city in years, a million dollar a day drug ring that included a city councilman, judges, lawyers and top law enforcement officials. He was in the process of contacting the IAD (Internal Affairs Department) as well as the DOI (Department of Investigation) when he received an anonymous phone call urging him to resign as ADA and move his family out of the city. Once he found out about the drug ring and the people involved he was careful not to speak to anyone in his office and was very cautious not to talk about his investigation to anyone outside his office, not even his boss because Mason was slated to win the election and replace him as head District Attorney. The call worried him because he didn't know who found out he was investigating the drug ring, there were too many people involved so he didn't know who to watch out for. His fear prompted him to purchase additional firearms to protect his home and his daughters but when a rock was thrown through the window while he was at work he was forced to take the protection of his family a step further by taking Whitney and Wanda to the gun range to teach them how to fire the guns in the home. He showed them where the firearms were located and told them if anyone ever came into the house unannounced to shoot first then ask questions later. One night on his way home, he stopped to gas up his Porsche and was abducted at the pump. He was knocked out and when he came to he was in the trunk of a car for over 10 hours. When his captors released him, he was dropped to a location close to his home where his car was parked with the engine running. He never found out who his kidnappers were and once he got home he explained his ordeal to his daughters who had looks of awe and sorrow on their faces as he told his harrowing tale. He hadn't been home twenty minutes when he heard sirens and saw blue lights flashing outside his home. He was sure the law was there to help him but when he went outside, guns were drawn on him and he was forced to the ground at gunpoint then handcuffed harshly by the officers. He was sure they were going to kill him and begged them not to hurt his daughters as they all came running out screaming, trying to get to him. The police held them back from him as the SWAT team put him inside their vehicle where he found out why he was being arrested. He was being accused of murdering four people five hours prior and when he heard that, he knew he was set up.

As he went through preliminary processing, he was given a firsthand look at what the criminals he put away went through; the deliberate violation of their human rights, the unhealthy meals and the horrid living conditions they were forced to endure. His treatment was no different if not worse as he was stripped of his title and dignity. He was given the same judge he was investigating in the drug ring who denied him bail and the ability to represent himself stating it was a conflict of interest. His bank account was mysteriously wiped out so he was unable to hire a criminal attorney and forced to settle for a court appointed lawyer. Within days he was indicted, convicted and sentenced in the fastest trial he had ever witnessed in his ten year history of being an ADA. He detested the system he once defended as being fair and became bitter because it failed him miserably. His anger fueled him to right the wrong done to him and he went on a mission to free himself from bondage. While in prison, his demeanor naturally hardened in order to cope with the reality of possibly spending the rest of his life behind bars. He had to prove his innocence no matter what or he wouldn't be able to be a father to his daughters; he was the only family they had besides each other. When he was sentenced, Mason was blackballed and no defense lawyer in the surrounding cities would take on his appeal once they found out who he was; the system had rendered him powerless on the inside. He received numerous death threats and a large bounty was placed on his head and out of fear he made an uncharacteristic move and partnered up with a group of ruthless inmates. The price of security was steep and he had to look to his daughters to help with the payment of that service. He caught a lucky break when an inmate told him about a lawyer that would take his case, Ross Sandstein, a crooked criminal lawyer who was driven by money and held loyalty to no one but the all mighty dollar. Mason contacted him by phone immediately and asked for representation but once he informed him of his charges there was long awkward pause. Ross weighed out his odds and was willing to work with Mason but because it was a high profile case and subsequently a dangerous business move on his part, he demanded all his money up front in cash. Mason didn't have the money but promised he would get him the full amount and Sandstein agreed to work on the case as soon as he had the full amount. Mason's only chance of getting the money was asking his daughters to help him and although he wished they were boys because of the danger, he felt they had an advantage because they were female and had been trained in the art of combat from very young. His daughters had his blood and were willing to do whatever it took to clear his name and bring him back home vindicated. Although he was a wanted man on both fronts, in and out of prison, he still made a few valuable connections that gave him exclusive information into the underworld that assisted him in getting the capital needed for Sandstein as well as evidence to help in his appeal. It was payment for him giving free legal advice and finding loopholes in the inmate's case that they could use in their own appeal. He was taking a risk involving his daughters but their loyalty and love for him was unmatched.

Whitney opened the manila folder and pulled out some papers and placed them on the table and slid them to her father.

"We got over seventy racks for that one, fifty racks on the one before that, and another fifty for the first one. We almost there." Whitney said passing Mason an ink marker. Mason looked over the papers and picked up the marker and circled letters and numbers in the document.

"Anything else you need daddy?" Whitney asked as she put the papers inside the manila folder.

"No Whit. I just need you to make sure you're careful out there. You know how I feel about you and your sisters doing this but you're all I have. You know I can't trust shit in here or out there. Some of the guards are on board but for the most part I'm on my own in here." Mason snapped the cuffs around his wrist tightly then sat back in the chair. "They should be coming in soon. How's Wanda and Wendi?"

"They're fine." Whitney said looking down at the table.

"Whit, you know I can tell when you're holding something back from me. Did something go wrong with that last job?" Mason shook his head. "I had a feeling it was going to be a little more difficult because of the lack of information I had on it."

Whitney's eyes raised slowly until she was looking at her father in his squinting eyes. "Something did happen daddy but I don't want you to worry." She lowered her voice as she continued. "We had to kill them."

Mason's eyes remained steady and spoke in a calm tone, his emotions in check. "I'm sure you had no choice. Did you leave the weapons at the scene and camouflage your fingerprints with glue or gloves?"

"Yes we took all the preventive measures just like you told us in case that ever happened. One of them grabbed Wendi and Wanda had no choice but to splash him." Whitney said softly. "Once she did that I had to do the other one. No witnesses, like you taught us."

"I'm sorry Whit. This is getting more dangerous the closer we get to paying that damn Sandstein." Mason pursed his lips. "How is Wendi?"

"She's fine now but she's not like me and Wanda dad. She doesn't have it in her and I think it has a lot to do with you not wanting to let her visit, she needs to see you. She's misses you terribly and it's breaking her heart and I see it's beginning to break her will. She wants to see her daddy." Whitney stated sadly.

"I can't let her see me like this Whit." He looked down referring to his cuffs. "Besides, it's dangerous for her to come here. I know you and Wanda can take care of yourselves but I'm not so sure about Wendi, she's so fragile and I don't want her to break." He clenched his fists trying to hold his emotions in. "I'm fighting for my life in here Whit. It's hard enough seeing you but I don't have a choice." He clenched his teeth. "I live like a fucking animal! They're turning me into an animal in here! I don't know who I am anymore, all I want to do is get out of here no matter who has to die!" Mason's head lowered and he breathed out heavily and in a whisper said, "I'm sorry Whit."

She touched his hand softly, "It's ok daddy. I know you're frustrated but we're here for you."

Mason's eyes were glassy and he smirked. "I remember when Wendi was a baby, she loved going to the zoo; she loved animals and couldn't understand why they were in cages and behind bars. I remember her asking me why and I told her they were dangerous and would hurt or kill people then she said she understood; zoos were for animals that hurt people but then she asked me what were the zoos for people that hurt people and I told her it's called prison. She told me to promise she would never have to visit me in the zoo and I told her that would never happen because I was the man responsible for putting the animals in the zoo." He forced a weak smile. "I promised her Whitney, I promised her!" Mason lowered his head and tried to control the buildup of salt water in his eyes.

Whitney grabbed his hand, "Daddy, she doesn't see you as an animal. She knows what happened and believes you, we believe you." Whitney squeezed his hand.

"I know but being in here makes me feel like I failed you all; I failed my family. Sometimes I wonder if I never found out about that drug ring, if I just ignored it and concentrated on running for head DA then maybe I would be home with you guys...maybe I would still be alive." Mason allowed tears to flow, it was a temporary reprieve from the pain that devoured him inside. His suffering was deep but what kept him going outside of his daughter's support was vengeance and rage. Vengeance was his vice, it was his battery, the fuel that moved him to stay vigilant and focused. Rage became his armor, it protected his mind from breaking and kept him strong and determined. He was optimistic and knew he'd get his day in court again but not the court of law, he was going to get his justice in street court.

"Don't blame yourself daddy. You had no way of knowing this was going to happen. Let's talk about something else, I don't want to see you cry." Whitney's eyes were misty.

"I'm sorry Whit sometimes I can't hold it together, forgive me." Mason's smile was strained. "So tell me, how did Wanda do? How confident was she or did she need help?" Mason asked changing the subject.

"She used an infrared dad." Whitney laughed. "I'm going to chalk it up to her being a lil nervous, it being her first kill and all."

"Come on now Whit. Remember how you were the first time." Mason raised an eyebrow.

"Yea but I never used an infrared or nothing. I rocked dude to sleep with my sharpshooting skills." Whitney laughed.

"You are so cold blooded, my first born. Make sure you take her to the gun range to build her confidence just in case there is no infrared. I hope you won't need to do that again but it's best to be prepared and be on your A game." Mason schooled.

"Daddy's knows best." Whitney smiled.

"That's the truth. It's not going to be much longer baby. I think I have a line on something really big that should net us more than enough for the lawyer and bail." Mason smiled optimistically. "I'm glad I had strong girls. I love you all, you know that right?"

"Of course we know that. And you know we love you to death daddy." Whitney's heart fluttered.

"Anything else new happening? Anyone met somebody they're interested in? Mason's eyebrows lowered.

Whitney smiled shyly. She knew her father was very particular about who his girls courted and even though he was in prison he wanted to remain informed about their personal lives.

"Daddy, we don't have any time for relationships right now. Our main focus is making sure you get outta this place."

"Come on now Whit. You all are beautiful girls, you can't possibly want me to believe that none of you are in a relationship."

"Yea but not serious relationships. Me and Wanda date but that doesn't always work out well." Whitney admitted. "Guys are so funny daddy. Like, in the beginning, they are so understanding and caring but once the honeymoon stage is over, they transform into demanding and selfish people. They expect you to sit home and wait on them, cook, not go anywhere without their knowledge and make an issue if you do then they want to act like they the boss, then..." Mason cut her off.

"Ok baby." He said laughing. "You about to go in hard. Pump your brakes, not all men can be like your daddy, you only have one of those." He smiled. "Don't get me wrong though, I'm not disputing what you're saying about men and I applaud you for exercising supreme judgment by laying the law down early and getting out the first sign of trouble. Most times we stay in dead relationships to circumvent something we're missing in our lives and that can prove to be disastrous the longer we stay. These young guys today are so clueless to how a woman should be treated because of many factors. Single parent households, rap music, domestic abuse in the home and reality shows depicting women as being weak are some of the reasons. I'm glad I taught you girls independence after your mother passed away." He had a somber look on his face. "Whit, you be a good woman only to a good man. They respect independence but they still crave control, give them the balance of both and your relationship should be evenly yoked. You'll discover the right one through trial and error and once you find the one who understands your role as a woman and his role as a man, you will have found true love." He nodded his head slowly. "Until then, I will help you when you have any questions concerning men and their silly ass antics because I don't want any of my girls to wind up in an mentally or physically abusive relationship, that I put on my life."

A guard opened the door and stepped inside the room and looked at Whitney then at Mason, stood at his post and looked straight ahead.

"Ok, that's the cue this conversation is now being recorded and is officially over." Mason shook his head then pulled an envelope from inside his jumpsuit. " This is for all of you girls but let Wendi be the one to open it up. I'll see you next visit Whit I love you."

Whitney rose from her chair slowly. "What about Wendi?" She walked over and kissed him on his cheek gently.

"I'll let you know about that. Until then, be good and stay out of trouble. You know they watching y'all." Mason winked.

Whitney smiled and walked out the door of the visiting room and waved one last time as she saw Mason get up from where he was sitting and walk toward the guard. She walked down the long corridor towards the reception room. As she was about to make a left turn to exit the building, a man dressed in a suit grabbed her arm forcefully from behind.

"Hey what the fuck you doing!" Whitney screamed as she tried to pull away from him.

He snatched the manila folder and her pocketbook then pulled out a walkie talkie. "Central send an officer to the reception area!" He looked at Whitney. "What's in this folder? Did you bring contraband into my facility?"

"What the fuck you talking 'bout? I was searched before I got in here. Ain't nothing in there but prospects for some property I'm interested in purchasing." Whitney said snatching away from the man and trying to grab the manila folder and her pocketbook.

"Really? Why would you be bringing that with you on a visit to a murderer?" The man said spewing his words as he opened the folder and pulled out the papers.

After scanning over the documents quickly he realized it was exactly what Whitney stated then handed her the folder back but looked through her pocketbook before returning it to her. His face held a scowl as if he were smelling something foul. Whitney snatched her pocketbook and the folder and glared at the man with unbelieving eyes.

"What the fuck was all that about? Was you watching my visit with my father that hard? Who the fuck are you?" She questioned.

"I don't give a fuck about your father bitch! He's an inmate here and I'm the warden, Mr. Greene."

"Ok but why all the theatrics. Why are you treating me like this? Is it because of who he is?"

Mr. Greene laughed. "He's a murderer. I treat them all the same, I don't give a fuck who they are. Your father is no different. He is not the man you think he is and the sooner you know that, the better off you'll be."

Jingling keys could be heard as a guard came running down the long corridor and Mr. Greene quickly informed him it was a false alarm then turned his attention back to Whitney.

"Don't think you're smarter than me. I know you come here to give him something or take something and when I find out, I'll introduce you to the women's side of this facility."

"I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Greene but good luck in your search." Whitney said as she turned around and walked out the prison doors.

Mr. Greene looked at her open the doors to exit the building then went to the guard booth where he watched her walk to her truck.
Chapter 3

The three hour drive from upstate NY was going to provide Whitney with the time she needed to think. Her first priority was to warn Mason they were being watched by the top officials in the prison. They were already aware of the corrupt officials in Brooklyn and Manhattan but it was now apparent they reached out to the facility where Mason was imprisoned. Mr. Greene exposing himself so soon was a grave mistake on his part and Whitney was certain he only did it because he thought he had something solid on Mason. He always taught them that identifying your enemies was the first rule in war, it leveled the playing field and heightened your senses which in turn gave you the ability to see things you may have missed otherwise.

Whitney partially rolled down the driver's side window and let the fresh, cold but dry air circulate through the truck as the mountains whizzed by in a blur as she traveled down the highway. Things were getting a little more dangerous which they anticipated would happen once Mason got closer to obtaining counsel. Whitney understood the risk she and her sisters were taking in helping to clear their father's name and never second guessed taking on any jobs. They were trained and groomed for battle by their father early on in their lives. Since they had no brothers to defend them, Mason made sure they were self reliant and taught them how to defend themselves physically by enrolling them in boxing school and martial arts training. They were all proficient with their hands and could beat most any man in a fist fight. She smiled when she remembered overhearing one of his colleagues complain he was raising them as if he wished he had boys. His response was that he loved his girls more than anything and because he worked in a society where racism was practiced behind the guise of rules, policies and laws, he was going to teach his daughters survival, patience, discipline, respect and humility and at the same time arm them with education, common sense, strength and fortitude so they would be well rounded and independent thinkers.

She swerved around a deer that wandered onto the asphalt of the highway looking for food and checked her speed. The road was smooth and she cruised down the highway in the nonexistent traffic. As she wondered what their next move was going to be, she glanced in the rearview and noticed a dark sedan two car lengths behind her. She wondered if Mr. Greene sent a car to tail her. She continued driving normally, periodically checking in the mirror to see if the car was following her. It was somewhat difficult to discern if it was actually following her because it was a two lane road that stretched over forty miles before passing any exits or intersections. As she cruised along she noticed an oncoming state trooper vehicle coming in the opposite lane. She pressed down hard on the accelerator and the engine bucked then the truck jerked forward increasing its speed. She checked in her rearview and the car behind her didn't seem to be picking up any speed. Her eyes darted forward and she blew by the state trooper doing approximately 90 miles an hour. She looked in her rearview again and saw the state troopers brake lights illuminate as his vehicle pulled to the right shoulder to make a quick U-turn. Once the vehicle turned around the lights were activated and it barreled down the highway in pursuit. She let up off the pedal and never depressed the brake and watched the needle on the speedometer move counterclockwise as her vehicle decelerated. She looked in the rearview and watched as the patrol vehicle swerved into the oncoming lane to pass the car she suspected was following her. She quickly looked at her speedometer and her truck was just getting to the posted speed limit and she lightly pressed the gas pedal to maintain that speed. When the patrol vehicle was approximately a hundred yards behind her, she pulled over to the shoulder of the highway and placed the truck in park and grabbed her Louis Vutton bag off the passenger seat and placed it in her lap. The state trooper pulled up behind her and she shifted her attention to her side mirror and watched as the car she assumed was following her approached slowly. She looked out her driver's side window and identified the car as being a black Ford Crown Victoria and made eye contact with the driver briefly as he drove past. She watched as the car moved on down the road then was interrupted by the burly white state trooper who wore mirrored sunglasses. She rolled her window down all the way and felt the full blast of cold air rush in as he asked for her license and registration. She searched her bag and produced the documents while he asked her why she was speeding. In her sweetest voice she told him she believed the car that just passed had been following her and when she saw his patrol car up ahead she sped up purposely in hopes of getting his attention to help her. The state trooper looked in the direction of the Crown Victoria but it was out of sight. The smirk on his face came off to her as "nice try" as he took her documents in his hand and told her he would be right back then walked to his cruiser. Whitney didn't see the car anymore and figured she was being paranoid and calmed her nerves. The ticket she was about to get was worth finding out if she was being followed and put her at ease.

The trooper returned a short time later and gave her a speeding ticket with a warning to slow down. He also told her in the future if she felt like she was being followed to use her cell phone to call 911 that way she could avoid a hefty fine for speeding. He gave half a smile and walked back to his patrol car as she pulled off onto the highway. She was glad it was a false alarm and drove with more confidence as her mind wandered back to the business at hand. Being the oldest daughter, there was a lot expected of her and she gladly took on the role of matriarch while Mason was away. Her sisters respected her decisions as final although they voted on everything, it was a way to have everyone voice their opinion so no one would feel forced into doing anything and for the two years since doing jobs for Mason, it all worked out.

When Mason found the crooked lawyer to take his case, everything changed. The crimes they were committing before were along the lines of home burglaries, document forging, and spying. Now that he needed close to a million in cash to guarantee his unconditional release, the jobs they were doing escalated into kidnapping, robberies, and murder. The girls were not virgins to danger, they had become battle worn and seasoned to any hazard they were faced with. The unfamiliar territory was trying to fly under the radar not knowing the face of your enemy. Mason's enemies were high powered and highly respected officials in positions of power they abused. They made it near to impossible for Mason to acquire any counsel in his case and used their influence to ensure he was convicted and sentenced to the max under the law. When they succeeded in having him incarcerated for what would be a life sentence, they went a step further and made sure he was housed in the most dangerous prison in NY state. This is when Whitney and her sisters realized their father had crossed some very powerful people; a highly decorated chief of police, the head district attorney in Brooklyn, a Supreme Court judge and a controversial city councilman to name a few. They had so many people in place that carried out all their dirty work that it made it difficult for Whitney to identify who they were. After having their covers blown by Mason they learned never to do anything themselves or leave a paper trail. Mr. Greene's behavior was proof they were watching their every move closely now. She sighed heavily knowing she had to step up her surveillance and be more cautious in executing the new assignments that were coming in.

She was in the city limits and was getting into the EZ PASS lane when she looked to her left and saw the same Crown Victoria that was behind her when she left the prison. She was surprised at first but was now certain she was being followed. She became angry as she thought of how much effort those men were putting into trying to keep her father behind bars for crimes he didn't commit. She went through the toll smoothly and guided her truck through the light traffic in Manhattan. She checked her rearview and the car was behind another car but still in pursuit. She headed for the Brooklyn Bridge and grabbed her cell phone out of her bag. When she was at the stop light near the Mayor's office, she speed dialed the number she was looking for and held the phone to her mouth.

"Hello?" She spoke when her sister Wanda picked up.

"What's up Whit? How was your visit with Mason?" She asked abruptly.

"It was good. Wanda, I'm gonna need your help. I'm having engine trouble."

Understanding the code word 'trouble' Wanda's antenna immediately went on high alert.

"Can you tell me what kind of trouble sis?" Wanda asked in response quickly.

"You know I don't know much about cars but I noticed the problem when I left upstate and it didn't stop. I just want to make sure I can make it home safe." Whitney said.

"You want me to see if I can do something Whit?"

"Uh huh." Whitney mumbled as she turned onto the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.

"What you need me to do sis?"

"I think I might need somebody to take a look at it for me, somebody that has the necessary tools to fix it." Whitney's eyes lowered.

There was a pause in the conversation as labored breathing could be heard through the phone line.

"Is it that serious Whit? Wanda's tone sobered. "Where you at Whit, I'll meet you and we'll take care of this together."

"Ok. I'm coming over the Brooklyn Bridge right now. You can meet me but make sure you call a mechanic that knows what he's doing, I don't want my vehicle messed up."

"I'm already dressed in black and ready to go. Just keep calm and we're gonna handle this shit pronto." Wanda grabbed two automatic guns from her gun case and pulled the silencers out of an attached pouch then screwed them onto the firearms. She holstered them and headed out the door, all while Whitney explained where to meet her.

The truck rolled down Tillary Street and made a right onto Flatbush Avenue. Traffic wasn't too heavy as Whitney cruised past the famous cheesecake restaurant: Junior's. She kept checking to make sure she was still being followed and smiled wickedly to herself. As she approached the Prospect Park helix she was careful to slow down so her tail wouldn't lose her. If she had planned on ditching her follower, the helix would have been the perfect place but that's not what she wanted, she wanted to deliver a strong message to her father's enemies. She pulled into the park and traveled down the road to "Lover's Lane" and pulled up into a parking space in a secluded area in the park. The Crown Victoria pulled ahead of where she parked in a lame attempt to seem like he wasn't following her. She watched as the car circled then exited the parking lot only to sit in the adjacent parking lot facing her entrance. She waited ten minutes then exited her truck and walked into the foliage of the park. When she was behind a big tree she stopped and peeked to see if the person in the Crown Victoria got of the car but he remained in the front seat. She walked deeper into the park until she was out of sight of the car then went east so she could come up behind the vehicle undetected. As she made her way to the back of the vehicle Wanda appeared from behind some thick brush.

"It took you long enough." She whispered with a smile.

"Traffic was a little heavy." Whitney replied as she stooped down and surveyed the vehicle. "That's it right there."

"I figured as much, I saw the car pull in behind you then bust a U and then park in the other lot. They can't be professional." Wanda mused.

"Apparently not if I could spot them soon as I left my visit." Whitney co signed.

Both women advanced on the car cautiously, Whitney was on driver's side while Wanda came up on the passenger side. The windows on the car were slightly tinted so they could only see the silhouette of the occupant sitting in the driver's seat. Whitney walked up to the driver's side window and tapped on it with her nails. The driver, a black male, rolled the window down with a look of discontent on his face as if he recognized the stranger in front of him.

"Can I help you?" His voice held unhidden anger.

Whitney was sure he recognized her so she refrained from playing guessing games.

"Who are you and why are you following me?" She asked plainly.

His eyebrows lowered and he frowned, "Get the fuck outta here!"

"Let's cut to the chase. I know you been tailing me since I left the prison. I wanna know who had you follow me?" Whitney's tone was more aggressive.

"I'm not following you bitch! Now get the fuck away from my car! He spewed.

"You're gonna tell me what I wanna know or you..." She was cut off when he pointed a large revolver at her.

"No, what you're gonna do is tell me what the fuck you and Mason are up to!"

Whitney wasn't expecting to have a gun pulled on her.

"Now we're getting somewhere. How about we do this." She put her hands in the air and backed up slowly. "You tell me who you're working for and I'll give you the information you want. Fair exchange isn't robbery."

"You think this is a toy bitch!" He laughed in his throat as he pushed the gun further towards her. He pushed the car door open and got out and walked slowly towards Whitney.

"Ok, just calm down." Whitney backed up from the gunman taking small steps backward.

"Stay right there! I need you to hold your hands out so I can put these cuffs on you and you're going to take a ride with me." He pulled a pair of silver cuffs from off his belt.

"Where are you gonna take me?" Whitney asked as she held out her arms in front of her.

"You ask too many questions! I'm gonna put something in your mouth to shut your ass up!" He temporarily took his eyes off Whitney to open the handcuffs and in that second, she nodded to Wanda who was crouched behind the sedan waiting for her moment to strike.

Wanda crept up behind him slowly with the silenced automatic pointed at his head. She was about ten feet away when he suddenly spun around and she instantly squeezed the trigger and a bullet lodged into his shoulder. The power of the .45 automatic spun him around and he lost his footing and fell onto the gravel, his gun falling out of his hand. Whitney quickly advanced on the falling victim and picked up the gun and she and Wanda were standing over him before he knew what happened.

"Put the handcuffs on him!" Whitney was holding the gun steady as Wanda picked up the handcuffs and fastened them on his wrists.

"What the fuck you think you're doing?" The pain from his gunshot wound was wrapped around each syllable he spoke.

Once he was secure Whitney searched his pockets while Wanda went to his car and searched it.

"What am I looking for one?" Wanda asked as she looked through the glove compartment.

"Anything that can tell us who the fuck he is and who he's working for." Whitney said as she pulled out a shield from his jacket pocket. "What kind of cop are you?" She asked inspecting it.

"Doesn't matter. Both you bitches going to jail for this. Attempted murder on a government official."

"What you find two?" Whitney asked as she stood up and pointed the gun at his head. She looked down at him and a wicked smirk formed on her face, "Who said attempted?"

A look of terror plastered his face when he heard the words and looked into Whitney's cold eyes.

"I found some papers stamped with some kind of government seal, a folder filled with a lot of shit on Mason's case, and another gun, possibly his back up but it ain't gonna do him any good in here. He was better off carrying it on him." Wanda replied popping the trunk.

Whitney watched the man writhing around in pain and asked, "Who you working for and what information did they want you to get from me on Mason?"

He looked up at her and he tried to act like as if he was still in control but his quivering lips and voice betrayed him. "I'm not telling you shit. You better let me go and maybe I won't press any charges on you."

Whitney laughed, "You think that hole in your shoulder is fake!" Her voice became more aggressive. "Doesn't that tell you I'm not fucking playing? Now tell me what I want to know!"

Realizing the woman in front of him meant business, he conceded. "Look I was told to follow you to find out where you live." He started.

"Who told you to follow me?"

"The warden."

"Mr. Greene? What does he want to know about my father?"

"I don't know. He just told me to follow you and find out where you live and give him the address. That's it."

"That's it huh?" Whitney turned her attention to a young couple riding pass on bicycles. They were unable to see the man laying on the floor because he was hidden by shrubbery. Wanda saw them too and had stooped down out of sight until they passed.

"Yes, I swear."

"What's that file you have on Mason for then?" She shouted to Wanda who was done searching the trunk of the car. "What's in that folder with Mason's name on it?"

Wanda stopped and pulled the papers out of the folder and perused through them quickly. "Looks like his whole profile and the transcript from his trial, I think."

Whitney looked at the man, "What else he wanted you to find out about Mason? Tell me! What information was you supposed to get from me about my father!" Her voice had raised and now Wanda was standing next to her.

"One, we don't have that much time to sit here and interrogate this maggot. Let's finish this shit up and get outta here."

Wanda pulled out a monogrammed handkerchief she found in his car and stuffed it in his mouth forcefully while he protested by moving his head left to right quickly. His mumbling and groans were ignored as both women hoisted him to his feet then dragged him unwillingly to the trunk of his car. Whitney grabbed him by his feet and Wanda by his shoulders. Kicking and grumbling he was thrown in the trunk. Wanda slammed it shut and went to the front of the car and grabbed a handful of papers then pulled out her lighter.

"Not here sis, no witnesses." Whitney instructed.

Wanda looked around and not seeing anyone was about to ask why until she remembered the couple on the bikes.

"Ok, so what we gonna do?"

"Drive my truck and I'm gon' dispose of the car and the body."

There was thumping in the trunk from the man kicking.

"You not gonna be able to drive on the street with all that racket in the trunk. Might as well put him outta his misery." Wanda suggested.

Whitney took the gun with the silencer out of her sister's hand and motioned for her to hit the trunk release. She walked over to the back of the trunk and when it lifted up automatically the man raised his head only to get slumped down into the trunk by two bullets that quietly ripped into his cranium. She slammed the trunk down again and looked at Wanda.

"That should take care of the racket right?"

Wanda smiled and trotted across to the other parking lot and jumped in Whitney's Range Rover Sport while her sister started up the Crown Victoria and pulled out the parking lot to dispose of the evidence of their murder discreetly.
Chapter 4

"Crack four!" The correction officer yelled to the gatekeeper.

The loud mechanical bars began sliding to the right, making a thunderous sound that echoed through the pier. Mason jumped up immediately and stood in the center of his cell as four correction officers wearing riot gear entered obtrusively. He kept his eyes on the four heavily armored guards and bent his knees slightly and placed his right leg behind him three inches then dug in for leverage. One of the guards raised their shield and rushed him and pushed him to the end of his cell. He kept his stance sturdy as he was pushed back and stopped when the back of his right foot hit the wall, he instantly pushed back with his upper body, shifting the momentum of the guard and sending him reeling backwards into the other three guards. He attacked swiftly, diving at their feet and sending all of them toppling backwards into the gangway. He recovered quickly and kicked one of them in the head with the steel toe of his state issued boots then clasped his hands together and swung a fierce blow to the mask of another guard struggling to his feet. Mirrors were visible from inmates sticking them out to see the fight while others hung on the bars screaming approval to the beating it looked like the officers were receiving. Mason ran down the gangway as a siren went off throughout the entire facility and jumped down the stairs. He was racing to the mess hall but was met by a team of heavily armed officers and he stopped midstride and threw his hands in the air. He dropped to his knees then put his hands behind his head, interlocking them. A guard approached him pulling out his handcuffs and when he was within striking distance, Mason duplicated the same move he did in his cell and took him out by his legs. He grabbed at the baton he was carrying and jumped off him like a mountain lion and charged the other guards twirling the baton like helicopter blades. The guards backed up and he connected across each of their helmets then went for their knees, some of them succumbing to the pain while others tried to force a counter attack. He took two steps back and caught one of his attackers with a kick to his knee that sent him flying forward and before he fell he snatched the baton from his hand. He was now armed with two batons and went into a windmill as he charged a second time to the officers who tried to stand their ground. He struck with immaculate precision as each guard fell or attempted to dodge the onslaught. Some of the guards retreated and he concentrated on the fallen ones. He grabbed one and removed his helmet and put both batons across his throat and lifted him off the ground.

"I don't know what the fuck y'all doing but if you came to kill me, I promise you, I'm taking this muhfucka with me!" Spit flew from his mouth as he spoke.

He backed up slowly trying to put his back against the wall but he heard two loud banging noises then in a split second he felt an unbelievable pain in his ribs and he dropped the officer he was holding then dropped to the ground with a sickening crash. He heard two more loud banging noises and more pain ripped through his chest area. The last thing he remembered before everything went dark was a guard on the pier pointing a shot gun at him.

***

"Get the fuck up!" Mr. Greene screamed as he banged on the side of the bench.

Mason opened his eyes slowly and they were out of focus and he blinked them quickly and was staring at Mr. Greene, the warden. He tried to sit up and the pain in his chest and ribs kept him from moving and the shackles on his hands and feet were uncomfortable.

"How am I going to get up when you have me restrained like some game animal you hunted!" Mason hissed.

Mr. Greene chuckled, "I do hunt. I actually got into that since being a warden up here." He walked around a desk and sat on the edge of it. "You hurt a lot of my men when they tried to bring you down here so I could talk to you."

"They came in full riot gear! What the hell did you expect!" Mason bellowed.

"Lower your voice convict!" Mr. Greene spewed. "This is my fucking house! You respect my guards or next time it'll be live rounds instead of rubber bullets hitting your fucking body!"

"Look, I don't know what the fuck was happening. Since I been in here I've been getting harassed by the C.O.'s and some of your staff." Mason informed him.

"Really? I wonder why Mason." Mr. Greene cocked his head to one side and nodded nonchalantly. "I know who you are and what you're in here for. Now I need to know something else from you."

Mason attempted to sit up again and fought through the pain, gritting his teeth as he sat upright.

"You know who I am? Then you should know that I'm innocent!" Mason lips tightened from the pain. "What do you want from me Mr. Greene, what?"

Mr. Greene stood up and walked to the window and looked down at the yard and spoke with his back turned.

"You have a daughter that comes to see you consistently once a month since you've been here. Each time she comes here she leaves with something but I can't figure out what it is. Do you want to tell me or will I have to find out myself?" He rocked back and forth slowly as if the wind from the open window was moving him.

Anger seeped into Mason's speech, "Don't fuck with my family, that's all I have and she's the only reason I still want to live. Don't threaten to harm my daughter!"

Mr. Greene turned around slowly and eyed Mason dangerously, "Are you attempting to tell me what I should or shouldn't do? Because if you are, you are making a fatal mistake. I already had her checked before she left her visit and unfortunately I did not find anything incriminating but I have a gut feeling I must have overlooked something. I figured you might be reasonable enough to tell me what it is you're giving her, you know, to quell my suspicions."

Mason never broke eye contact and responded with clarity, "My daughter comes to see me and we discuss her social life and real estate. That's all, she's a good girl and I would never jeopardize her by asking her to do anything illegal."

"Why don't I believe you Mason? Are you lying to me?" Mr. Greene taunted as he bent down and flopped his head left to right slowly. "You're lying to me and I don't like being lied to. I'm glad I had someone follow her, maybe she'll be more cooperative."

Mason jumped up and charged at Mr. Greene but the agonizing pain and shackles crippled him as he lunged and he hit the floor face first. He grunted loudly as the pain enveloped his entire body.

Mr. Greene laughed sinisterly, "I must have hit a nerve Mason. I can assure you that if you don't tell me what I need to know that I will get it, one way...or another!"

Mason turned over on his back slowly and breathed out heavily as he stared up at the fluorescent lights flickering. He moaned his response, "If you hurt my daughter, I will kill you!"

"You ain't gonna do shit convict!" Mr. Greene walked over to Mason and kicked him in his head.

"UGH!" Mason grumbled loudly.

"I'm tired of your fucking mouth. Send me out another threat and I'll finish you right now!" Mr. Greene boomed. "Now tell me what the fuck you give her when she comes her every month or I'll promise you the next time you'll see her will be in a casket!"

Mason's mind whirled and his chest heaved up and down quickly. He bit down hard and his jaws got tight while his eyes rolled up in his head and his eyebrows lowered. His body stiffened and the pain increased two fold as he turned his head around to face Mr. Greene. He could taste the thick salty based flavor of the blood in his mouth.

"Ok." He managed.

"I knew you would see things my way. With a little persuasion, anything is possible. Now let me help you back to that bench so you when you speak I can hear you clearly." Mr. Greene went to help him and heard a knock on his door.

Mr. Greene left Mason on the floor and walked to the door and opened it. Mason recognized the man as being one of the captains of the correction officers. Mr. Greene blurted out, "What!" then got quiet as he glanced back at Mason who was straining his ears to hear what was being told to him. The warden and captain exchanged whispers but it was evident something was wrong. The captain came inside the warden's office and Mr. Greene closed the door and instead of helping Mason to his feet, he left him on the floor and went back to his desk.

"Tell me what the fuck you've been giving your daughter when she comes here!" Mason bellowed.

Mason noticed the change in his attitude and his tone, being a lawyer he was very good at reading people's emotions and he was about to practice his expertise on the warden.

"I give her...I give her...I give her all my love." Mason said softly.

Mr. Greene ran over to him and snatched him up by his shoulders and threw punches to his exposed face so viciously he knocked Mason out cold. The captain pulled him off of Mason as he slumped to the floor.

"Warden, you have to get a hold of yourself. You can't do that, have one of the officers take care of him."

Mr. Greene straightened out his clothing, "You're right. He's such a wise ass." He kicked Mason for emphasis. "I was sure he was about to tell me what he gives his daughter when she comes for a visit and then this asshole fools me!" He was irate. "I thought he was going to give me a hard time that's why I had that bitch followed and now you're telling me you can't get in contact with officer sent to follow her. I need that information!"

"Don't worry. We'll get him to talk." The captain said.

"Wake his ass up and get him the fuck outta here! Keep contacting that fool, he should have had her in his possession by now. Shit!" Mr. Greene's frustration showed.

The captain grabbed Mason by his feet and pulled him to the door, opened it then pulled him into the hallway then let him go. He got on his walkie talkie and radioed for one of the officers to escort him back to his cell. Mr. Greene came to the door and told him to leave Mason there so he could come into the office and call the officer that followed Mason's daughter.

The captain's cell phone rang and after some minutes of talking he addressed the warden.

"He was found burned up in the trunk of his car. The NYPD is going to treat it as a homicide." The captain stated.

"Why?" Mr. Greene questioned.

"He was shot in his head." The captain affirmed.

"Fuck! Call my people and make sure they know that it was my man and that I don't want any negative publicity behind this. Make sure you let them know he was sent to help us get the information they need."

"Ok boss. I'm on it." The captain said as he started dialing numbers on his phone.

Mason, laying in the hallway, squirmed and smiled weakly as he heard the devastating news for Mr. Greene. He laughed and whispered to himself, "They don't know they fucking with Mason girls, The Council."

Chapter 5

Whitney and Wanda pulled up to the parking lot and pushed the garage door opener then slowly drove down the ramp into the underground garage of the condo the sisters shared in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill section. Whitney backed her Range Rover Sport expertly into her assigned parking space then got out. She grabbed her pocketbook and manila folder from the backseat while Wanda walked over to the elevators and waited for her. They never spoke in the vehicle about what happened, they didn't speak while in the garage, not in the elevator or in the hallway as they approached their door. Once they made it inside, Whitney fell backwards on the couch, arm and legs outstretched. Wanda closed the door behind her slowly then walked over to the couch and addressed Whitney, eyeing her seriously.

"Now tell me who was that muhufucka we just had to take care of Whit? You got people following you from prison visits now?"

Whitney breathed out heavily and matched her sister's concerned stare, "I think he was a correction officer sis, real talk. Right before I left my visit with Mason the warden hemmed me up and checked through all my bags and shit. Then while I was driving I noticed that dickhead following me."

"Word? You ever been searched like that before?" Wanda asked.

"Nope, never but that move right there exposed his hand. If they woulda never searched me I probably woulda never even noticed that dickhead following me." Whitney sat up straight. "I did have a funny feeling they was getting suspicious of my visits because they started rotating different guards in the rooms with us." Whitney ran her hand through her long tresses. "And I doubt Mason knew about this shit because he woulda warned me before I left."

Wanda turned around and paced the floor. She pulled out the gun she was carrying and placed it on the center table. She licked her lips and turned to Whitney.

"What now Whit?"

Whitney, at 25 years of age was the oldest of the sisters but her age wasn't the reason she was in charge of the family affairs; she was ruthless, cold-blooded and very calculated in how she handled business. She was the glue that held them together and took after her father in keeping her feelings in check by exercising complete control in the most dire of situations. The incident that happened added substantially to the danger they were already facing doing jobs for Mason and it was only going to intensify feelings of fear and concern from her sisters.

"We become smarter, we pay more attention, and we become more vigilant!" Whitney's lips were tight. "That means we must remain sharp as a butcher's knife."

Wanda sighed heavily and Whitney picked up on it immediately.

"What's that for?" She questioned.

"Can I be honest without you tripping?" Wanda asked, her tone filled with emotion.

Whitney sat up straight and gave Wanda her full attention as the answer.

Wanda cleared her throat and began, "Ok Whit, you know I love Mason to death and I'm down for whatever it takes to make sure he gets outta prison but I have to question this shit we doing after what just happened. We doing all these jobs for Mason to get money and information he needs for the lawyer. When we had to kill the muhfuckas from the last job I thought shit was starting to get funky but when you offed that C.O. I knew shit was worse than I thought." Wanda paused and took out a cigarette and lit it then continued as she blew smoke out her mouth. "I'm not scared but I'm nervous. It's like we wading into deeper water and I want to make sure we don't drown. On top of that, the money not right all of a sudden. We was short $40,000 on the last job and we had to body them. I feel like if thing keep going in this direction then we may end up getting hurt or put in the same place we're trying to free Mason from."

"Neither of those things is going to happen because we're good at what we do." Whitney countered.

"There's no guarantee of that Whit. Stop trying to pacify me." Wanda replied seriously. "I love Mason so don't get this shit twisted. He's our father but we have to know when to put an end to this thing. We need to let him know that we can't continue risking doing these jobs unless he don't care if we go to jail or get killed trying to get the key to open his cell."

"I understand what you're saying Wanda and I agree with you but I feel there is no cost too high to free dad. He's all we got." Whitney started but was interrupted.

"No cost too high?" Wanda eyes opened wide. "That shit sounds suicidal and that's something I'm not! My life has been on hold since we started doing these jobs. I haven't lived yet Whit and you haven't either! I think you're missing what I'm saying. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get daddy out but this shit needs an expiration date."

"You're right Wanda, I can't argue that point. We're close to having the money needed to pay for the lawyer so I'm thinking we may have one, maybe two more jobs, tops." Whitney revealed.

"Two more huh? Aiight Whit, two more and that's it. I'm ready to live a little, you know what I mean?" Wanda cracked a smile.

"I got it Wanda. Now let's call Wendi so we can find out what this next job is." Whitney said as she got off the couch scooping up the manila envelope before heading to the dining room.

Wanda followed behind her and bypassed the dining room table and headed straight to the liquor cabinet.

"Wendi! Wendi!" She screamed as she pulled out a bottle of Remy 1738 along with three glasses.

Wanda was the middle girl and was always second to Whitney. She always got her hand me downs from clothes to her shoes. She couldn't be the first at anything because Whitney always had to get it first or do it first. Wanda's identity was lost early on because she was always overshadowed by Whitney. Then when it came to Wendi, she was totally overlooked unless Wendi got into something she wasn't supposed to. She had to pretty much babysit and make sure nothing happened to her. Wanda began to feel like the forgotten daughter and became more outgoing to stand out and get from under Whitney's shadow and more adventurous to separate herself from being ignored because of Wendi. Although she was the black sheep of the family, she loved her sisters unconditionally and learned how to live with being the second child through other means.

Wanda placed the glasses on the oak desk then she pulled the cork out of the cognac bottle and poured the copper tinted liquid into a glass and filled it up a third of the way. She picked the cup up, tipped it up to her lips and emptied the contents in one gulp.

Whitney looked up at Wanda and shook her head slowly, "Straight no chaser huh sis?"

"Absolutely. You want me to pour you a glass?" Wanda asked as she poured herself another shot.

"Yea but I need a few ice cubes to take some of the bite off it." Whitney insisted as she pulled papers out of the manila folder and spread them across the table.

Wanda downed her drink then got up quickly and went into the kitchen to retrieve the ice tray from the freezer.

"Bring the UV lamp for me when you come back in sis, thanks." Whitney yelled to her.

Wanda came back and placed both items on the oakwood table then Wendi walked into the dining room wearing a tight sundress that revealed all the curves in her voluptuous body with a blunt hanging from her robust lips.

"Damn Wendi! Why you always smoking that loud in the crib?" Wanda remarked as Wendi smiled warmly at Whitney then took a seat next to Wanda, waving her hand at the smoke in the air around her.

"I'm sorry sis but you know I like to smoke that stink when I'm watching that bullshit Miami Basketball Wives reality show. Them bitches so dumb with all that whack shit they do. I don't even know why the fuck they named it Basketball Wives 'cause ain't but one bitch on there married and she 'bout to get a divorce from Cyclops. They need to rename the shit Basketball Ex-Wives and Whores." Wendi quipped.

"You know how they make us dumb ourselves down for a little bit of money and some flash media time." Wanda pulled out a Newport and lit it off of Wendi's blunt. "They not built like us, we go out and get ours like real women. Fuck that made for tv shit, this shit we do is the real reality tv, no scripts!"

"I gotta co sign that!" Whitney chimed in as she dropped two cubes of ice in her glass then held it in the air. She took a generous sip then announced, "Now that you're here Wendi we can start this Council meeting and get down to business."

Wendi and Wanda grabbed a pen and yellow pad and waited as Whitney put papers under the UV light and called out letters and numbers. They both wrote down everything and once Whitney was done calling them out, the words spelled out names, addresses and instructions. Whitney took the time to read aloud all the information and explained in detail what the job was, how it was going to be carried out and what each girl's part was in executing it properly. Wendi volunteered for one particular job because she was familiar with the mark.

A light haze of smoke from the strong smelling marijuana Wendi burned hovered over the heads of the ladies as they all sipped their drinks quietly.

"Whit, what happened when you went on your V.I." Wendi broke the silence.

Whitney was gathering all the papers Mason wrote on with the invisible ink so she could burn them up and not leave a paper trace of evidence. Even the pads they used were burned so there could be no proof of anything. She looked up at Wendi when she asked the question and could tell alcohol and weed was having an effect on her.

"Nothing much happened baby sis. It was the usual business, we went over the next job briefly and he told me to let you and Wanda know how proud he is of y'all and how much he loves and misses us."

Wendi smiled heartily and her lips parted slightly as she responded, "Did he say anything about me coming up to visit him?"

Wendi missed her father terribly and hadn't seen him since the day he was sentenced. She understood why he didn't want to see her because Whitney explained it to her millions of times but she couldn't help but to wonder if he had changed his mind. She was sure if he did Whitney would tell her immediately but she couldn't hold back from asking.

Wendi was the baby of the Mason girls and was compassionate, dependent and gullible at times. She was daddy's little girl, spoiled rotten and pure but her innocence was not to be misinterpreted as a weak characteristic because it was unmatched by her ability to negotiate and get whatever it was she wanted using whatever means available.

"Wendi, you know how he feels about you seeing him in there baby. Besides that, we're close to getting him out so there's going to be more pressure on him and that makes everything more dangerous." Whitney looked over at Wanda who was nodding her head slowly. "Here babygirl, he wanted you to have this." Whitney pulled out a white envelope from her pocketbook and slid it across the table to Wendi.

Wendi placed two fingers on the envelope and slid it into the palm of her other hand. She picked it up slowly and as she opened the flaps, her eyes darted from Whitney to Wanda then to the envelope. Her eyes filled with tears as she pulled out a picture of Mason holding a cardboard that had the words "I LOVE YOU ALL!" emblazoned in beautiful bold red letters. Wanda's eyes got misty and Whitney stood up and walked over to her sisters and hugged them tightly.

Mason showered all his girls with love since the passing of their mother and instilled strong family values they each followed and believed in. He kept the family together and now that he was in prison, they were all dedicated in freeing him and clearing his name, no matter what.

"Thank you big sis, thank you. I miss him so much!" She held the picture in her trembling hands.

"He's coming home sis. We gon' bring him home, all in one piece." Whitney gazed at Wanda. "Right?"

"You already know Whit, I'm down for my family." Wanda agreed.

Whitney stepped from between her sisters and gazed in their eyes steadily.

"We have to get him out of there y'all, we have to be ready to do whatever it takes too. Slow thinking and slow deaths to anyone who gets in our way. We have our own way of handling things and it works...for us! Mason prosecuted criminals in the courtroom, we're The Council, we hold court in the streets!"

Chapter 6

The quick rain shower cooled down the sweltering day but threatened more heat from the sun rays that baked into the damp asphalt making it shine like black diamonds in a coal mine. The city's heat index was close to breaking a new record as people fought the high temperatures by wearing the thinnest fabrics, lightest colors and least clothing they could find. Wendi enjoyed this weather because she got to show off her assets without being judged as dressing too promiscuous.

Her hair was pulled up in a bun to keep her neck open and free from perspiration. She donned a halter top that her full bust line totally obliterated. The black shiny liquid mini waist band skirt stretched to its maximum elasticity because it was bought a size too small. The outfit screamed 'whore' or 'ride down' but Wendi could care less, she was on a mission. She strutted to the end of the street and waited for the light to turn green so she could cross. As she did, the male occupants in stopped cars gawked, whistled and made obscene noises as she sashayed across the street where she entered a bodega. She went to the counter and asked for a loose cigarette and peeked at the video surveillance cameras behind the counter as the young Arab pulled a cigarette out of an open Newport box. He placed it in a small brown bag and pushed it to Wendi as she pushed a loose dollar bill in his direction.

"Are your waters cold?" She asked him.

"Of course they are." He answered.

"Which is the coldest?"

"Try the Dasani, I think they're the coldest."

"I'll see. Thanks." She smiled at him as she made her way to the back of the store where the large glass refrigerated coolers were.

The young Arab boy's mouth dropped as Wendi walked to the back of the store along with every other male standing in the store. He dialed a number on his cell phone and spoke into the receiver, "She's on her way up."

Wendi grabbed a cold Dasani water out the back of the cooler and twisted the top off and drank from it. It was hot as bacon grease outside and the cold beverage provided temporary relief from the heat as well as quenching her thirst. There was a door next to the large refrigerators and Wendi made her way to it, digging her hand into the paper bag and pulling out a single key. She used it to unlock the door and pulled it open. A burst of cool air immediately invited her up the narrow dark stairwell. She pulled the door close behind her and climbed the stairs until she reached the top landing where another closed door faced her. She turned the knob and pushed the door open easily and stepped into an air conditioned room. There was strange xylophonic music playing softly in the background as she ventured inside slowly. She wiped remnants of her perspiration from her neck and sideburns as she walked over to the air condition unit in the window. She bent down in front of it and put her face directly in front of the vents letting the cold air splash her in the face, instantly cooling her down. She felt hands on her waist and she ignored it momentarily enjoying the fresh cold air. She knew who it was and the strong scent of onions invaded her nostrils as she turned around, the top of her breast spilling out of her halter top.

"Aah, Wendi. You are so soft to the touch." The man from Yemen whispered as he groped her body tenderly.

"Stop Haakim. You so nasty. What's up baby? You missed me?" Wendi asked as she moved his hands from her waist onto her soft ass.

"You know I missed you Wendi. Why would you ask me such a foolish question?" He turned and walked to a small couch and sat down, patting the cushion for her to come over and sit down next to him.

Wendi went to the couch and stood in front of him rubbing her thighs seductively. Her smile was inviting and her loins burned for sexual satisfaction as she licked her lips. Haakim pulled the zipper down on his jeans and kicked off his sandals as he grabbed his britches by the loops and yanked them down below his knees.

"Let me see them Wendi. You know how much I love your breasts, they're beautiful and so full." Haakim breathed out.

Wendi pulled her left breast out and held it in both her hands and leaned over and traced her nipple around his lips as he lapped at it like a thirsty dog. She watched him and his eagerness made her middle wet with want. When he finally latched onto her hardened nipple she gasped as her mouth instantly watered and her head fell backwards. His wet tongue moistened her nipple as his warm mouth sucked it gently. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him to her like she was breastfeeding a newborn and he wrapped his hand around her soft body as moans of enjoyment escaped his mouth. Wendi pulled her other breast out and instinctively Haakim massaged it with his left hand, twirling the nipple softly between his thumb and index finger.

"Uuum Haakim. Suck it baby." Wendi spoke in labored tones as her lower body moved in circles.

"Let me take you to heaven Wendi. Let me make you feel good like I always do." Haakim said in his broken English.

"Shhh. Don't talk Haakim, just please me." Wendi purred as she fondled the breast he was massaging.

Haakim pulled her closer to him and parted her legs with his knees. Her skirt was so tight she was unable to spread her legs so he released his hold on her breast and let his hands rest on her thighs. He rubbed and massaged them as his hand travelled up her legs to the tight shiny fabric where his fingers slithered and found their way to her middle. She wasn't wearing any under clothes and his index finger slid over her glazed lips and found its way inside her gooey center. She winced and fell forward slightly, trying her best to spread her legs, stretching the fabric until it threatened to rip. Haakim wiggled his finger quickly while sucking her breast, enjoying the moans and squeals coming from her mouth. Her body twitched momentarily and he pulled his finger out and searched for a zipper to bring down her skirt. Wendi helped him by pulling the tight mini off her waist, her hips and fat ass exploding when the air hit it. She stepped out of the rag when it hit the floor and finished by pulling off her halter top, temporarily unlatching Haakim's lips from her breast. Once all of the skimpy clothing was off, she stood before him in her nakedness and he salivated, breathing heavily as his mid section strengthened. She stood back and touched herself softly, rubbing, pinching and massaging all the intimate exposed parts of her body. Her level of lust increased as she watched Haakim completely disrobe and grab himself with intense desire. Her body reacted as the juices from her pussy began to drain from her, slowly running down her chunky thighs. She used her finger to wipe the secretion then deposited it in her mouth, savoring her own flavor. Haakim yanked himself repeatedly as he watched Wendi pleasure herself; his manhood was throbbing and he was ready to insert himself inside her. She rubbed her clit slowly as their eyes locked then slowly stepped to him. She grabbed a fistful of his stringy hair and pulled his face to her shaved pussy. He resisted, not wanting to mouth her wetness but she forced his head into her cunt.

"Suck my pussy Haakim. Suck it before you stick your big hard dick in!"

Haakim relented and lapped at her pussy with no real interest, he didn't like this part of sex with Wendi. His unenthusiastic actions did not go unnoticed and Wendi slapped his face with her right hand.

"Suck it muhfucka or you won't put that dick inside. Please me and I'll give you my goodies!" Her tone was sexy but demanding.

Haakim showed more enthusiasm as he inserted his tongue deep into Wendi's cavern like a hissing snake. She grabbed his head with her other hand and thrust her pelvic area forward and grinded hard. Haakim was being stifled but her hold was like a vice grip and he could do nothing but suck and lick at her feverishly, unknowingly turning her on to a climatic explosion. Wendi fucked his face hard and fast, grinding herself onto his tongue while pulling his hair. She shook her head left to right from the buildup inside her belly, she felt something erupting inside her like a volcano, she stiffened then spasm after spasm caused her knees to almost give way and she leaned forward and screamed as liquid leaked out of her pussy like a burst water balloon. Her legs shook violently as a tremendous amount of liquid exited her vaginal area and Haakim tried to remove his face from being rained on. Wendi kept his face stationed on her center and continued screaming in pure delight.

"Suck it up muhfucka! All of it!" She demanded as tears fell from her eyes from bliss.

Muffled noises and gurgling sounds came from Haakim when Wendi's full body orgasm ended. He wiped his mouth then spit on the parquet floor trying to rid his chops of her sexual fluid. Wendi flopped down onto the couch, her legs spread wide rubbing her shaking thighs from the aftershock of her orgasm. She was drunk with passion and waved Haakim to her, she was eager to feel friction from his hardened mass. He walked over to her, his member bobbing as he straddled her.

"Get a condom Haakim. You know I don't fuck raw." Although she was warmed up for sexual pleasure, she still had her senses about her .

Haakim jumped off her quickly and walked over to a bureau that was situated in the corner of the room and grabbed a bag that contained multicolored condoms. Sitting on the bureau was a picture of young boys holding AK-47 assault rifles and one with a young boy, who was an amputee, holding an assault rifle in one hand and hand grenade in the other while he balanced on one leg. Haakim ripped open the condom rapper and went back to the couch where Wendi was rubbing her clit and titties. He pulled the condom on as he stood over her and lowered himself into her snatch, guiding himself with his hand. Wendi yelped when he first entered and then wrapped her legs around his torso and pulled him to her as she gyrated her hips quickly and humped him hard. Haakim kept pace with her as their bodies slapped against each other. She wiggled her ass as she squeezed her vaginal muscles periodically trying to feel all his thickness. He breathed in and out quickly as he used his arms for support as he pounded away in her pussy. He was on the verge of his climax and quickened his pumps while Wendi matched his intensity.

"Don't cum yet Haakim! Wait baby! I wanna come with you!" She begged not knowing her voice and demands increased his impending explosion.

"I can't hold it Wendi. It feels too good." His voice trailed off as he moaned with pure pleasure as the prophylactic filled with his hot jism.

He pumped slowly until he was completely limp while Wendi clawed and pulled at him to give her another orgasm before ending their romp. Haakim pulled out of her breathing heavily as she shoved two fingers inside herself and rubbed her clit with the other. She closed her eyes as her fingers flickered inside of her like a battery operated vibrator until she inadvertently started jerking up and down in anticipation of her orgasm. Haakim watched lustfully and became hard again as Wendi caressed her middle. She suddenly screamed out again, pulling wildly at herself then pulling her hair as she shook uncontrollably. Haakim pleased himself as she came to the end of her climax and her pussy collapsed. He ran over and relieved himself on her breasts as he cooed and she wiped it all over her stomach and pussy.

"Whoo! Damn!" She breathed out after a minute passed. "That shit was good as a muhfucka Haakim. You always make me feel right, I swear I love you!" She stood up on wobbly legs and they kissed passionately then she made her way into the bathroom to clean herself up.

Haakim stared at her voluptuous body as her ass jiggled on the way to the bathroom. He had to admit to himself that he had fallen in love with Wendi because unlike the submissive women he was used to in his country, she identified with her sexuality in a way that didn't offend him. Her hunger for sex was by far more extreme than he had ever experienced but that alone was not what made him fall for her, it was her authenticity. Wendi didn't mince words with him, she let him know she had a white liver and had a high sex drive that was fueled by being in the presence of a man that loved her unconditionally. She told him she had a few partners in her past she was involved with sexually but promised him she was faithful to him now. He was in love with her without question. Their relationship was full circle, they enjoyed the real love of a couple and emotionally charged sexual encounters, a perfect match.

Wendi looked at herself in the mirror and turned on the hot water faucet and grabbed a white washcloth and wet it. White steam rose from the cloth as she scrubbed her face for some seconds then scrubbed her neck in an up and down motion then scrubbed her entire body roughly as if she were trying to wipe away what she had just done with Haakim. Her eyes pooled with tears as she whimpered, looking in the mirror at her nakedness. She grabbed the ends of the porcelain sink and held her head low trying to fight the emotions she was feeling. She sniffled then looked up into the mirror once more and forced a smile then gauged the water to a comfortable level. She grabbed the soap and lathered up the washcloth and began to cleanse her body while her mind drifted.

When Mason went to prison, her life changed dramatically and the perfect family she once had was shattered into pieces. It took time for her to understand what happened but Whitney and Wanda explained it to her in a way she would understand. It was overwhelming and she needed to talk to him but she was forbidden to visit him and it pained her to no end. He was whisked out of her life right after her mother's passing and it left an empty space in her heart where love once dwelled. He sent verbal messages and letters to her through Whitney but written words of love did not cure her longing to speak and see him. Not seeing him prompted her bitterness and resentment and she searched for his love through sex with random men. She subconsciously chose older men who reminded her of her father, men who took care of their families, men who were in positions of power or men who satisfied her emotionally through affection. There were men she slept with that were confused with her sexual appetite and thought she was a prostitute or stripper for sure but when she declined any offers of gifts in the form of money, jewelry, trips, or clothing they became curious and wanted to wife her. In the beginning she stayed away from anyone like that because she wasn't looking for a relationship, she just wanted to release her anger and disappointment. She began to realize she was doing herself a grave injustice by denying herself the opportunity to feel loved again by avoiding love. When she was sleeping with men for pleasure she always felt ashamed as if she were disappointing her father, a man who didn't even want to see or talk to her face to face. Of all the men, Haakim was the only one who accepted her unconditionally and that's what she was looking for. What bothered her was now that she found true love it was about to be tested. One of her jobs involved Haakim indirectly and she was the one to carry the job out. She didn't want to betray Haakim but at the same time couldn't betray her father or her sisters. When Whitney first announced the job and Haakim's name and address came up, she instantly volunteered for the handling of that part of the job because she didn't want Whitney or Wanda to hurt or kill him.

There was a light knock on the bathroom door.

"I'm not finished yet Haakim. I'll be out in a minute." She yelled as she looked at the image in the mirror and breathed out heavily.

"I need to use the bathroom, can I come in?" He asked from behind the door.

"Just one second and you can take a shit if you want." Wendi wiped away tears that had inadvertently fell from her eyes then opened the door to let him in.

She stepped out and to the side so he could enter. He tried to touch her waist but she moved his hand abruptly and he stopped and looked at her.

"What's wrong princess? Is something bothering you?" He asked.

She walked to the couch and picked up her skimpy clothing then turned to him.

"No baby, nothing's wrong." She looked at him, her heart breaking on the inside. "I enjoyed it, I enjoyed you...as always." She squeezed into the waist band skirt and pulled on her halter top.

Haakim smiled then turned around and went into the bathroom and when the door closed she went over to the Digital Video Recorder and erased the time she came into the bodega. Then she went over to an antique dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer slowly and moved clothing and papers out of her way until she found what she was looking for. She picked up a key ring with a number of keys on them and took one funny looking key off and quickly placed it between her breasts. She closed the drawer quietly and stood up and turned around and walked to the door just as Haakim was coming out the bathroom.

"You leaving me already princess?" Haakim asked as he made his way over to her.

"I gotta go downtown and pay a bill. I'll be back when I'm done." Wendi smiled.

"I keep telling you to give me your bills so you don't have to worry about running downtown and paying anything." Haakim told her as he grabbed her hand in his.

"I can pay my own bills baby and I love that independence. I appreciate it though."

"That's why I love you. You are a real woman with real value and loyalty." Haakim replied as he fondled her breast.

Wendi grabbed his hand as he grabbed her breast and held it firmly in her own. The key shifted and she didn't want it to be exposed in her cleavage. She kissed him quickly then turned around, moving his hand while holding her bosom so the key wouldn't fall down any further.

"I'll see you later on tonight baby." She purred as she opened the door and felt him smack her ass as a gesture of good bye.

When the door closed she put her back against the door and breathed out. She felt terrible because of her deceit and prayed everything would go right.
Chapter 7

The streets were deserted and at this time of the night only night crawlers - druggies, dealers or street walkers - were out. The three women pulling up in a blacked out Dodge Charger were parking near the front entrance of a rundown house in the seediest part of Brownsville in hopes of taking their victim by surprise.

Whitney had watched their mark for almost three weeks trying to pinpoint the best time to attack but it proved difficult because his daily movements were much too random. He didn't have a steady routine and kept two guys with him at any given time throughout the day which made getting close to him hard. She was getting discouraged and was on the verge of giving up then decided to check out his nocturnal habits and to her surprise he was just like any other guy, he kept company with women in the wee hours of the night. After watching him for four nights consecutively, she figured that was the best time to hit.

"Is that him?" Wanda asked as she sipped out of a flask filled with vodka.

Whitney squinted her eyes as she peered through the windshield and shook her head, "No that's not him. He's much shorter and lighter skinned." Whitney looked down at her watch and tapped the glass face with her nail. "He should be pulling up in about five minutes. Let's go."

The women exited the vehicle and followed Whitney to the back of the building. They were all dressed in black and melted into the darkness in the back of the two story home. There was no light to see where they were going so Whitney used her cell phone's light to navigate through the littered backyard. She found the cellar door and pulled it but it didn't budge and she sucked her teeth.

"Shit!" She whispered out loud. "This shit was supposed to be open." She pulled at it again but it didn't move.

"Why don't you go through the front and open it from the inside?" Wanda suggested.

"Alright, y'all stay right here." Whitney said as she stealthily went to the front of the building.

"She kills me. Where tha fuck was we gonna go?" Wanda lisped to Wendi.

"I know." Wendi chuckled under her breath.

Whitney approached the side of the building and looked left to right before running up the stairs to the front door. She turned the knob and the door was locked, she peeked behind her back and pulled out a screwdriver and jimmied the lock then pushed the door open quickly and closed it shut behind her. She pulled out a large magnum and walked slowly into the vestibule of the building looking for the entrance to the basement. The hallway was dimly lit as she walked towards the back her gun held in front of her. She saw a door off to the side at the end of the hallway and figured it was the door that lead to the basement. She grabbed the knob and was about to turn it when she heard the locks of the front door opening.

***

Wendi noticed car lights pulling up in front of the building minutes after Whitney left.

"You think that might be him?" Wendi asked Wanda in a nervous whisper.

"I don't know I'ma go see." Wanda said as she pulled out an automatic gun and snaked alongside the building.

"Wait Wanda!" Wendi called out in a whispered scream. "Let me go, he supposed to be with a bitch right?"

Wanda knew there was no time to bicker over who was going because if it was the mark it meant Whitney could be in trouble.

"Ok, go 'head but be careful. I'ma watch your back." Wanda agreed reluctantly.

Wendi pulled the black hood off her head and walked cautiously to the front of the building. When she made it to the sidewalk she noticed a blue Tahoe XLT parked with the engine running and the headlights still on. She stood silent watching and waiting for someone to exit the vehicle. The passenger side door swung open and a thick dark skinned woman wearing booty shorts and wife beater dismounted from the SUV. She turned and pulled out an oversized handbag then slammed the door shut. Wendi pulled off the hoodie she was wearing and threw it down behind her when a short guy wearing a blue Yankee fitted, an NBA jersey, oversized jean shorts hanging off his ass, stomped in construction Timberlands towards the dark skinned woman. Although it was late, the guy was loud and boisterous as he walked up the stairs to the door of the building. Wendi approached slowly from behind and followed the couple to the front door. The girl turned around and noticed her before she got to the top of the stairs and tapped the guy who quickly turned around.

"Ay, ay! Who you looking for shorty?" His voice was deep and sexy.

"I'm supposed to be meeting somebody here." Wendi replied licking her lips.

"Think you got the wrong address ma." He said admiring the obvious curves of her body.

"I don't think I do pa." She looked past him at the numbers on the front door. "This is 5015 Blake Ave. right?"

The guy chuckled, "This is 5015 but I know you at the wrong place 'cause this my shit and I don't remember getting a call about somebody coming through tonight, you feel me?"

"Hmm. You sure 'cause I am." Wendi purred.

The dark skinned girl was getting upset and rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth.

"Can we go inside Kurt, the air out here is hot and thick and I want to get under some A.C." She rushed him.

"Chill bitch! Stop being so rude!" He turned his attention back to Wendi. "I'm sorry shorty sometimes bitches get jealous. You know how that can be." He gave the girl the key so she could go inside then told her, "Just wait for me upstairs."

The girl sucked her teeth loudly and took the keys then unlocked the door, never noticing the scratches on the lock and door jamb Whitney caused when she jimmied the lock open.

"Now that she's gone, why don't you tell me why you really came up here." He looked at Wendi with a gleam in his eyes.

***

Whitney turned the knob in desperation but it was locked. She pushed her body into the frame of the door trying to conceal herself. The front door opened and she heard the footsteps approaching her slowly. She slowed down her breathing and watched the silhouette make its way to the staircase. The wooden stairs creaked as the dark skinned girl started climbing then Whitney's hand slipped and hit the door with a thud. The dark skinned girl stopped walking up the stairs and listened intently. She didn't move for about thirty seconds then proceeded up the stairs to the second landing. Whitney blew out a sigh of relief once she heard a door close. She didn't know if it was her mark or not but it was no use trying to get into the basement to let her sisters in through the back. She tucked her firearm in her waist and headed for the front door to get her sisters.

***

Wendi blushed as she and Kurt spoke on the stairs of the building. When she didn't hear any commotion after the dark skinned girl went inside, she figured her sister was in the clear.

"Maybe I do have the wrong address daddy." She said turning to descend the stairs.

Kurt grabbed her shoulder gently, "You don't have to leave shorty, you already here."

Wendi turned her head and looked at his hand then shifted her weight, "I know but you already got company and I'm not the type to share. Maybe another time."

He tucked his lips inside his mouth and nodded his head slowly. He would have loved to have both women at the same time but they would have to be in agreement and the dark skinned girl's claws had came out soon as she saw the thick voluptuous woman. He would have to take a pass but not too easily.

"Ok love, another time but in the meantime let me get your math so we can set our next meeting up the right way."

"That's what's up." Wendi was going to give a fictitious number until he pulled out his phone so she gave him her real number.

He pressed the call button like she figured he would and the late Notorious B.I.G. classic "Warning" began playing into the empty night.

Who the fuck is this?

pagin me at 5:46 in the mornin crack of dawnin

now I yawnin, wipe the cold out my eye,

see who's this pagin me and why...

"That's my shit! Ole Skool B.I.G. What you know 'bout that shorty?" Kurt said just before the front door opened.

He turned around and was shocked to see Whitney standing in his door way with a hood holding a gun pointed directly at him. He moved to the side and reached for his own weapon but he felt something hard poking him in his back and when he turned his head, Wendi was pushing him into the vestibule of the building behind Whitney.

"Ah you really was here to see me huh bitch!" Kurt spewed venomously.

"Shut the fuck up!" Whitney said and smacked him across his jaw with the handle of her gun. "Open that hole again and I'm gonna put a stopper in there. Got me Too Short?"

Kurt nodded his head as he was relieved of his firearm when they got inside the building. Whitney pulled out plastic handcuffs and pulled Kurt's hands behind his back and tied him up then tied his mouth with pantyhose.

"Face the wall and don't move!" She said as she pushed his face against it.

"There's a girl upstairs." Wendi informed Whitney.

"I heard her. Go get two and I'll hold him here until y'all get back." Whitney directed.

Wendi left out the front door and returned with Wanda in less than a minute. Whitney was ushering Kurt up the stairs but he was resisting every step of the way. Wanda casually walked up the stairs then slammed her elbow into his vertebrae as he let out an agonizing whimper then hit the stairs with a thud.

"No time to play. Let's get this done. In and out!" Wanda said stepping over him and climbing to the second landing.

Wanda reached the door before everyone and put her ear against it. She heard music playing in the background but couldn't detect any movement inside. She waited for the rest of them to come up and took the key Whitney had taken from Kurt. She stuck it in the lock and turned it then pushed the door open slowly. It was dark inside the apartment except for a glimmer of light coming from a room off to the back. Wanda inched in slowly and was almost fully in when she saw the shadow of a person ready to attack and she dived on the floor just as the dark skinned girl swung a bat where she was standing. The bat hit the door instead and slammed it shut locking Whitney, Wendi and Kurt out.

Wanda rolled over and jumped to her feet with feline quickness. She focused her eyes in the darkness and saw the dark skinned girl charging her, swinging the bat. It was too late for her to dodge the attack so she turned sideways and the bat landed firmly against her forearm. She winced from the pain, the force from the hit backing her up into a bookcase, knocking books to the ground. The dark skinned girl was winding up for another swing when she slipped on a paperback and slid into Wanda who used the opportunity to her advantage. As the dark skinned girl stumbled toward her, Wanda grabbed her in a bear hug and head butted her with such power her forehead swelled immediately. She released the dark skinned girl and watched her fall to the tiled floor in a heap. She could hear the door banging as her sisters feverishly tried to gain entrance. Wanda wobbled towards the door a little disoriented from the head butt and the dark skinned girl grabbed her by both ankles sending her to the floor face first. Wanda broke her fall with her hands and kicked her feet wildly at the girl and scurried backwards. She got to her feet slowly and shook the cobwebs out of her head then ran over to the girl and snatched her up to her feet by her shoulders then hit her with a flurry of combinations that sent her back pedaling into the book case. Wanda turned around and went to the door and opened it. Whitney and Wendi rushed in pulling Kurt behind them.

"You aiight two?" Whitney asked with a concerned look when she saw the Flintstone knot on Wanda's head.

"I'm good." She turned and pointed to the dark skinned girl sprawled about the book case with books on the floor. "You need to ask that bitch. I woulda bodied her but she not why we here." She turned her attention to Kurt. "But he might get it if he don't cooperate."

"Tie her up three." Whitney told Wendi. "And stuff her hole too." She focused her attention on Kurt. "Where is your safe?"

Kurt mumbled something incoherently. Whitney pulled the pantyhose loose from around his mouth so she could hear him. When it was off he looked at Whitney with evil eyes.

"Where is your safe Too Short?" Whitney asked again.

"Ain't got no safe bitch!" He bellowed.

Wanda pulled her gun out and smashed it against his head as blood instantly spurted from the open gash.

"Not in the mood for your bullshit homie! I'm gonna split your shit until it opens like a pumpkin if she have to ask you again and you say some more slick shit!"

Kurt moaned in excruciating pain as he leaned up against the wall then slid down to the ground, trails of blood smearing the wall as he hit the floor. Wanda grabbed him fiercely as Wendi subdued the dark skinned girl with a vicious slap across the face to keep her squirming to a minimum. Whitney headed to the room where the light was coming from while Wanda asked him where the safe was located.

"In the bedroom." Kurt gurgled. "Y'all gonna rob me." Kurt shook his head in disgust. "Robbed by some bitches!" He whispered under his breath, making sure Wanda didn't hear him.

Wendi headed to the bedroom just as Whitney screamed out that she found the safe.

Wendi entered the bedroom and was in awe of the size. There was a 78" leather round bed in the middle of the room and a 80" flat screen mounted on the wall. Hanging from the ceiling was an imported hand crafted Rina crystal globe. Whitney was standing inside a huge walk in closet. She had thrown clothes that was in the closet on the floor outside by the door entrance. When Wendi walked over the clothes and into the closet she noticed the medium sized safe sitting in the far corner of the closet in plain view.

"I need Too Short to give up the key to the safe." Whitney told Wendi. "Like Wanda said, this one is in and out."

Before Wendi could leave the room, Wanda was pushing Kurt into the room.

"I heard you one." Wanda said shoving him into the room. "He said the keys are in the bathroom toilet."

Wanda went into the bathroom and lifted the porcelain top off the toilet and stuck her hand inside and grabbed a small black pouch out of the water. She opened the pouch and pulled out two keys then went into the bedroom and gave them to Whitney while Kurt whined to her about his clothes being thrown all over the floor. Whitney opened the safe and pulled out three kilos of dope, a gun and heaps of money neatly rubber banded in $10,000.00 stacks. When the safe was completely empty Whitney turned to Kurt and her eyebrows lowered and her face turned to a scowl.

"Where's the other safe muhfucka!" She said through clenched teeth.

When Whitney asked that question, Kurt immediately realized the women were not there for his money as he thought, they were professionals which meant danger.

"Who do you work for?" He asked Whitney.

"That's none of your business. Now where is the other safe."

He nodded his head to the wall furthest from his bed.

"On the digital thermostat punch in the code 631." He said quietly, there was no use for him to put up any resistance at this point.

Whitney pressed the numbers on the thermostat and the wall opened up, revealing a large safe that resembled a mini bank vault. The girls' eyes were wide with amazement as the vault automatically moved forward.

"Open it!" Whitney crowed as Kurt walked over to the safe.

"You have to loosen these cuffs so I can open it." He said weakly.

Wendi cut him loose from the cuffs while Wanda kept her gun pointed steadily at his blood soaked head. Kurt wiped his hand on his shirt and placed his fingers onto the biometric panel, waited for a green LED light to illuminate and a click could be heard alerting the vault was open.

"Tie his ass back up." Whitney instructed as she pulled out her gun and pulled the lever down on the safe and pulled the handle. The heavy metal door opened slowly, a breeze could be felt as the door slowly swung open. The vault was completely empty when Whitney stepped inside. "Where's the key?" She asked Wendi.

Wendi pulled out a set of keys and handed them to Whitney. She took the keys in her hand and walked to the back of the vault and placed her hand against the back wall, palming it as she moved it up and down until she felt a small bump. She took the key and put it in a small slot in the wall and turned it. There was a faint clicking sound and the wall suddenly cracked and cool air rushed through it. Whitney pushed the wall and there was a small room inside illuminated by a black light. She ventured inside and felt the cool breeze from the silent overhead fan built into the ceiling of the vault. Inside the room there were numerous shelves filled with large black velvet boxes that were almost invisible in the darkness. She picked up one of the boxes and was about to open it.

"Yo, please don't fuck with any of the shit in there. It's not mine, I'm like a bank. I just hold shit for a monthly fee. If you take anything outta there I'm a dead man!" Kurt begged and explained at the same time.

Whitney ignored him as she opened the velvet box and about fifteen shiny diamond rocks rolled around. The stones were flawless and illuminated the darkness like a full moon on a cloudless night walking on the beach. Wanda gasped when she saw the sparkling diamonds. Whitney grabbed all the boxes and passed them to Wanda who took them out of the vault and placed them on the circular bed. When the last box was out Whitney bent down and pulled out a mid-sized 19th Century Middle Eastern hardwood chest decorated with brass close nail studding. There were three small drawers at the bottom and a clasp with an antique lock. Whitney put the key in the lock and opened it.

"Wait!" Kurt bellowed peering inside the vault. His voice boomed in the room and echoed into the vault, startling the women momentarily. "Hold up! That's my word, if you take anything out of that box I'm gonna get killed for sure!"

"Who you so worried about Too Short?" Whitney asked from inside the hidden room.

"You don't know who shit you robbing?" Kurt shook his head slowly.

"Nope and I don't give a fuck!" Whitney screamed.

"I don't know who you bitches are but y'all fucking with the wrong muhfucka! You can take my shit but I'ma keep it real with you, I'm dead once you violate and fuck with that shit but y'all definitely gon' be dead too, trust me on that. Haakim ain't your regular sand monkey, this muhfucka the truth. He's the leader of one of most notorious rebel armies in his country and got mad connections here. He made of money. Shiiiit, he the one that built all this shit and has access to any fucking thing he wants in the U.S., he proved it to me when he paid me just to hold his shit in here. I don't know why he picked me but he did and had some muhfuckas rearrange my whole crib just to put that fucking vault up in here. I couldn't be here when he did it and didn't give a fuck as long as I was getting paid. All he said was that if anything ever happened to his vault, he would have no choice but to kill me but he also said whoever robbed him would be writing their own death certificate. I wasn't worried because I figured if I was to get robbed, they would take my shit, not his. So all I'm saying to y'all bitches is I hope y'all know who you fucking with!" Kurt stated seriously.

"This dude is a real bitch! If he don't stop talking he ain't gon' have to worry about Rakim bodying his ass!" Wanda said, undeterred by Kurt's fear.

Whitney pulled the clasp up and opened the chest and pulled out some documents, pictures, a cd and flash drive. There was another antique key inside and she grabbed that as well, emptying everything out of the chest.

"That's it, we're outta here." Whitney announced as she smiled inwardly and walked out the vault. "Check the boxes on the bed two." She told Wanda.

Wanda was too happy to check the boxes. She opened all the boxes and they all were full of precious stones of all colors. There were black diamonds, rubies, amethysts and jade inside the boxes. She put them all into a bag she bought with her.

"This the mother load!" Wanda exclaimed. "We might as well take his shit too!" She suggested to Whitney about Kurt's money and drugs.

Whitney shrugged her shoulders as she put the things from the vault inside the bag she brought with her.

Wendi was guarding Kurt and keeping an eye on the dark skinned girl as she watched her sisters take what they came for. The fear in Kurt was unnerving but she didn't want to dwell on it. When Whitney and Wanda were done, they handed her the bags silently.

"Three take these to the chariot and we'll meet you in a blink." Whitney told Wendi. "Leave out the front door but make sure you keep your head down."

Wendi knew what was going to happen and wanted to protest but knew it would fall on deaf ears. This was the part of what she did that she hated although she never had to pull the trigger herself. She gathered the bags off the ground and headed out the door, giving a quick glance to the young woman who she knew was never going to see her loved ones again. She looked at Kurt who, if it had been under different circumstances, could have bed her but now he would never bed another woman because his life was going to be terminated. She shook her head as she headed out the apartment with the bags.

Whitney and Wanda waited for Wendi to leave then stood off to the side and talked amongst themselves.

"You wanna leave any one of them breathing? Whitney asked Wanda.

Wanda looked at the dark skinned girl and Kurt then back at her sister.

"Before I answer that do you think with the take tonight this will be our last job?" Wanda quizzed.

"All that shit in there was a bonus. I'm not sure what the total amount is with the cash and the diamonds but the cash alone is not enough. We may have to do one more just to be sure." Whitney stated honestly.

"There are at least twenty of those velvet boxes with so many stones in them. They gotta put us over and the drugs too." Wanda reasoned.

"You right but we have to move them in order to find out the cash value. We don't have a fence for the jewels and don't know anybody off hand that will move those drugs."

Wanda stood silent for some seconds, deep in thought about what Whitney said.

"We have to make a move soon sis, we been here too long as it is." Whitney pressed.

Wanda rubbed the knot on her head and sighed, "Let's do 'em both and get this night over with."

Kurt and the dark skinned girl were standing together. The dark skinned girl had a look of horror plastered on her face when she saw Whitney and Wanda staring at her. Wanda pulled out a silencer and began screwing it onto the front of her pistol. Whitney had already fitted her weapon with the attachment because she didn't plan on leaving witnesses anyway. Wanda's face was emotionless as she watched the trembling dark skinned girl soil herself. Wanda wanted to do her quickly to prevent the girl from further humiliation and fear.

"NOOOOOO!" The dark skinned girl let out an ear piercing scream as she slid across the wall until she was trapped in the corner. She slithered to the floor and bowed her head, shaking uncontrollably as Wanda walked over to her and placed her pistol right over her head and pulled the trigger three times in succession. The first bullet wisped as it slammed into her head, dropping her to the floor awkwardly. The other two silent bullets entered into her cranium jerking her body until there was no more movement. Wanda turned around with a blank expression and watched as Whitney advanced on a terrified Kurt.

"You don't have to kill me. I'm not gon' say shit to nobody 'bout this. That's my good word." The tone of his voice was low but audible enough for Whitney to hear.

"And I'm gon' make sure you keep your word." Whitney said raising her gun to his face.

She pulled the trigger and a bullet entered into the center of his head with precision. His mouth was left open but his last words were silenced with the slug that cut through his brain. His body fell backward onto the wall then slowly slid down to the floor, his eyes wide open. Whitney and Wanda surveyed the room thoroughly making sure they didn't leave any evidence before making their exit. Once they were satisfied everything was clean, they walked out the apartment closing the door behind them, leaving death in their wake.
Chapter 8

Mason was on the chow line waiting to get his tray of powdered mash potatoes, canned corn and something that was supposed to be meatloaf. The mess hall was packed with inmates and noise. Mason heard some guys behind him beefing loudly and turned around to see what was going on. Two young inmates broke out into a fight and everyone moved out of their way as they swung wildly at one another. Mason backed away as other inmates joined in and the mess hall erupted in a brawl. Correction officers assigned to the kitchen called for backup before engaging. Fights broke out all around Mason and he looked left to right quickly trying to get his back against the wall. He was pushing inmates off him as he backed away and then someone grabbed him by his left shoulder and pulled him forward sticking a shank into his side and whispered in his ear, "Die slow you fucking snitch!" then disappeared in the sea of inmates after dropping his shank. Mason felt a sharp pain and grabbed his side and stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. He didn't see who hit him in his side but heard what they said and figured it was the warden and he was now playing for keeps. He yelled out amongst the pandemonium in the mess hall, "C.O.! C.O.!" hoping to get some medical attention but with all the commotion going on his pleas of help went unheard. He used all the strength he had to make it to the entrance of the mess hall while inmates continued fighting. He leaned up against a wall because with each strained breath, his energy was being sapped from his body. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he instantly went into combat mode with what little power he had left. Grabbing the hand on his shoulder by the wrist, he bent his knees and arched his back and pulled the body over his shoulder. The man landed on the ground with a crashing thud and rolled to his feet quickly as Mason prepared to attack again.

"Hold on! Your name is Mason right?" The muscular gray haired man asked.

Mason didn't answer, he eyed the man cautiously and scanned the mess hall for another ambush.

"Be easy man! I'm here to help you! You got a hit out on you!" The man explained.

Mason remained silent and kept his eyes peeled but paid attention to the man in front of him.

"I know you feel like you can't trust nobody right now but you gotta take a chance with me homie or you not gon' make it through the rest of your bid here." The man stated matter of factly.

The gray haired man was right. Mason knew there was a hit on him so he had to take a chance and his wound was going to prevent him from defending himself. If he was going to take a chance he was going to have to roll the dice and hope the gray haired man was on the up and up.

"Ok, I'm Mason. Now tell me who you are."

"I'm nobody. I'm just here to make sure you stay alive, that's all you need to know about me." The gray haired man didn't blink as he spoke. "Now come with me so I can get you stitched up."

Mason followed the gray haired man out of the mess hall and down a long corridor. He didn't know where he was taking him but he kept his eyes moving so he wouldn't be caught by surprise. The gray haired man walked up to a guard and spoke to him briefly then they followed him to the infirmary. The guard spoke to the nurse and pointed to Mason and she waved him in and lead him to an empty bed. She immediately began to work on his stab wound while the gray haired man stood by the door and spoke with the guard. Mason was mildly sedated, stitched up then bandaged in fifteen minutes.

"Come on, we have to get back to the mess hall before anyone realizes you're gone." The gray haired man said as he headed back quickly.

"Hey, you have to explain something to me." Mason said as he followed him down the hallway. "I need to know who is so interested in keeping me alive and why."

The gray haired man turned his head at looked at Mason and shook his head.

"Why you care about that as long as you being protected?"

"Wouldn't you want to know who became your God?"

The gray haired man laughed out loud, "Yea sure! I wanted to know that ever since I landed in this fucking place!" He continued walking then stopped again and turned to face Mason. "I don't know who the exact person is that wants to keep you alive. All I know is that he has a lot of pull in here and pays well. You are going to be well protected in here until he feels like pulling the plug." The gray haired man shrugged his shoulders and kept moving until they entered the cafeteria.

"How many people in here do I have looking out for me?" Mason asked as he followed the gray haired man onto the line for chow.

The gray haired man pointed to different groups, "You're covered by the five percent nation, the Muslims, the Independents, the Latin Kings and some of the C.O.'s." He nodded his head. "Like I said, the muhfucka that want you alive got a lot of fucking pull in here."

***

"I don't believe that shit!" Wanda screamed as she stared at Wendi with her mouth wide open. "How come you never told us?" She was livid.

"I'm sorry but how could I know he was going to be one of daddy's jobs. I didn't know he even had money like that." Wendi apologized as she explained.

"Why didn't you let us know you was fucking with him like that? We ain't know you was that close with him." Wanda stressed.

"Ok Wanda that's enough. She's right, there's no way she coulda known Haakim was going to be a mark. It's not her fault." Whitney butted in.

"I'm not blaming her for anything. I'm just asking why she didn't let us know she had pillow talk with that muhfucka once she found out he was a mark. That shit can blow our fucking spot up!" Wanda went on.

"Oh my God Wanda! Let it go already! I didn't know he was connected like that and I can't help who I fall in love with. Damn!" Wendi was getting aggravated.

"You right sis, you can't help who you fall in love with but you can help what the fuck you tell them." Wanda said sarcastically.

"What you tryin' to say Wanda? I ain't tell him nothing that could lead him to us and y'all killed the witnesses anyway so they not gon' tell him shit!" Wendi shot back.

"They not the one's we shoulda been worrying about." Wanda cut her eye at Wendi.

Wendi jumped up, knocking down the chair she was sitting in and pounced on an unsuspecting Wanda.

"Don't call me no fucking rat Wanda! I would never do anything to hurt my father!" She cried out as she threw heavy punches at Wanda's head.

Wanda covered up and blocked a few of the blows then threw two of her own that sent Wendi reeling backwards. Wendi caught her balance as Wanda charged her like a raging bull but Whitney intercepted her and pulled her back.

"Aiight, y'all put your claws back in. We don't need this shit right now." Whitney screamed at the top of her voice.

Wanda and Wendi were staring daggers at each other but didn't make another move towards each another. They respected Whitney not only as the matriarch of the family but she was literally able to beat both of them at the same time if they didn't listen to her. Whitney pulled Wanda to the side.

"Sit down Wanda." She pointed to the chair then looked at Wendi. "And you sit down too." Whitney was still standing when she lay both her hands flat against the table and looked at her sisters and leaned forward over the table.

"Wanda, I understand your concern about what we just found out about Wendi and Haakim but you can't act like she knew she was sleeping with the enemy." Her gaze went to Wendi. "I do agree with Wanda 'bout you not telling us how close you was with Haakim. You know that Mason is wanted dead by alot of people so whenever you get romantically involved with anyone you should tell us just so we can at least check their background to make sure they are who they say they are." She stood up straight. "The damage has been done Wendi and there's no reason to blame you for anything unless you're holding back something." Whitney stared at her with piercing eyes.

"Whit, I swear to you. I don't talk to him about y'all or Mason. I never did." Wendi said sincerely as Wanda sucked her teeth loudly.

"Do you have any info on him you could tell us, other than what that dude told us?" Whitney asked.

"I don't know anything about him that could help you. We never talked 'bout shit like that."

"So what shit did y'all talk about?" Whitney pushed.

"Damn Whit, not you too. You act like you don't believe me." Wendi's feelings were hurt.

"That's not what I said Wendi. I'm just asking you a question and all I'm looking for is a straight answer."

"I gave you a straight answer, what else do you want from me?" Wendi's eyes were beginning to water.

"The truth!" Wanda blurted out.

"The truth? The truth is that I love him. I been fucking with him for years and I know as much about him as he does me, which is absolutely nothing! He cares about me and would never do anything to hurt me, Haakim loves me and that might just be the real problem." Wendi eyed Wanda dangerously. "You just don't have nobody to love you the way you need to be loved." Wendi stood up from her chair. "I'm not gon' let y'all sit here and make me feel guilty about loving another man other than Mason. I give one hundred percent when it comes to any job we have to do without question. When you told me Haakim was the mark, I never flinched, I got the key you needed to get into the safe with no problem so for y'all to question my loyalty to Mason is real fucked up!"

"Your loyalty is not in question Wendi, or your love for this dude. What is in question is what you might have told him and don't remember because of your emotions. You hid your true feelings for him when I told you about the job and you said you knew him. You didn't tell us you was fucking him until after everything went down. That's what's in question Wendi, your honesty." Whitney clarified.

"See what she don't understand," Wanda directed her attention to Whitney, "is that he ain't no regular mark and I doubt he just gon' take a lost for all that shit we took from him. Don't nobody care about her being in love, I'm worried about what the fuck he know about us! I'm worried about how he gon' retaliate 'cause I'm sure he will!"

Whitney looked at Wendi, "Do you understand our concern now sis?"

Wendi nodded her head as it lowered on its own. She felt like shit and now had to try and remember if she ever told Haakim anything about her family. She knew she never told him about Mason but may have told him something about her sisters and if she did, she didn't think it was anything that could spark curiosity about them having anything to do with the robbery. She breathed out from frustration and looked at her older sister and could see disappointment. She wanted to leave right then to avoid anymore distress and to be done with the situation for good. It seemed her sisters didn't care about how she felt for Haakim, the only thing they seemed to care about was doing the jobs for Mason which was resulting in people getting killed. She didn't want to be cold hearted like her sisters, she wanted to love and be loved.

"I have a headache, I'm going upstairs to get some rest." Wendi said walking pass her sisters on her way to her bedroom.

Whitney grabbed her by the arm just as she passed. "You can't see him no more. I'm sorry Wendi, not until we figure out who he really is."

Wendi paused then nodded her head slowly and continued up the stairs.
Chapter 9

The news was devastating and Haakim couldn't contain himself. If his valuables had been compromised he was going to kill everyone involved. He pulled up in front of the building and to his surprise there was no police activity. He pulled a snub nosed .357 Bulldog from the glove compartment of his vehicle then stuffed it in his waist. He exited the '67 silver Ford Mustang muscle car and quickly walked up the steps to the house. The door was ajar so he pulled his pistol out and pushed it open slowly as he peered inside. It was eerily quiet as he walked up the stairs to the apartment door. He cocked the hammer and pushed the door open and saw two bodies twisted on the floor. He stepped over the male body and went to his safe that was left wide open. His teeth gritted as he walked inside and noticed the secret compartment had been discovered. He went straight to his antique chest and was shocked to see it open, he searched inside thoroughly and was convinced the person or people who orchestrated the robbery knew exactly what they were looking for because the lock wasn't broken. He looked around inside then walked out the vault. He stood over Kurt and noticed the bullet to the head, it wasn't a sloppy job at all. He walked over to the young woman's body and noticed the same killing style, they were professionals. He began searching the apartment in hopes of finding a clue or anything that would point him to the culprits. The only thing he found were the shells from the firearms they used. He kneeled down over Kurt and rifled through his pockets taking his keys, wallet and cell phone then went over to the girls and emptied her of any identification and left the apartment. On his way down the stairs his cell phone rang and he paused to take it out of his pocket, dropping the items in his hand down the stairs.

"Hallo?" He answered in a frustrated tone as he went to retrieve the fell items.

"Haakim? We have a problem." The voice on the other line said.

"I know this already! I have witnessed it with my own eyes!"

"Where are you?" The voice asked.

"At Kurt's house and my vault and valuables have been stolen!"

The voice paused, "I'm sorry to hear that but that is not what I'm talking about Haakim."

"What problem are you referring to then?"

"Mason, he's still alive. The hit wasn't a success."

"So what's the problem? Set up another one."

"That's the problem, he has protection now."

"Protection from who!" Haakim barked into the phone.

"That's what we're trying to find out."

"Don't try! Find out who the fuck is protecting him and eliminate them immediately then finish Mason! Make sure he suffers."

"Ok Haakim. It will be done."

"It better!" Haakim disconnected the call and walked out the building.

He made his way to his vehicle and threw the items on the passenger seat of the vintage car and leaned on the hood and thought to himself.

"Whoever did this must have a connection with Mason or with the rebels in my country. The person responsible for this has to be a close associate, someone that knows the importance of those papers in my vault. I have to get to them before they cause me problems."

***

"I've taken the liberty to put some things in order when you called and told me you had the balance." Ross Sandstein said as he sat in his swivel chair in his swanky upper east side office.

"I appreciate that Mr. Sandstein." Whitney said as she placed a briefcase on his desk then sat in a chair in front of him.

"It's all in here I presume?" He asked as he tapped the top of the briefcase.

"Yes it is, down to the nickel." Whitney responded with a smirk.

Ross pushed the brass buttons on either side of the briefcase and the clasps flipped up with a loud clacking noise. He was about to open the briefcase when Whitney stood up and placed her hand flat against it, preventing it from being opened. He looked up at her with a bewildered look.

"Before you open this briefcase I need your guarantee that Mason will walk out of prison a free man. No parole or supervision of any kind." Whitney's eyes were steady and direct.

Ross chuckled, "I guarantee he will be set free with no parole however I cannot guarantee he'll walk out of that prison."

It was Whitney's turn to have a baffled look on her face, "What do you mean by that Mr. Sandstein?"

"My dear, you know Mason is a wanted man. He has made many enemies on his climb to becoming Assistant District Attorney, he has prosecuted many high powered criminals as well as politicians. In the prison where he's housed, he has locked up approximately thirty percent of the prisoners and he is circulated in the population which was not by mistake, it was more by design." Ross explained.

"Are you saying my father is in danger?" Whitney questioned.

"Of course, he's been in danger since he went up against his own and when he's released the danger will follow him...and you." Ross stated seriously.

Whitney breathed out, "Is there anything you can do, maybe get him transferred to another prison while you work on his case?" Whitney asked sincerely.

"I told you earlier when you called me and said you had the full balance for my fee that I took the liberty to protect my investment." Ross' smile was one sided.

"So my father is safe from danger now?"

"I have people looking out for my investment, yes he is safe. Now may I open the briefcase so I can smell the money?" Ross chuckled.

Whitney removed her hand from the briefcase and sat back down in her chair as Ross opened the briefcase and removed the neatly stacked bills and flipped through four or five stacks and made an estimated count. He was satisfied then peered up at Whitney.

"There's something missing. Don't you have something else for me?"

"I do." She pulled out a folder and slid it across the desk to him.

Ross opened the folder and sifted through the papers and nodded his head approvingly.

"Mr. Sandstein, I need to ask you something very important."

"Go ahead." He answered not lifting his eyes up from the documents he was reading.

"I've looked over those documents and I keep seeing the name Haakim on some of them. I wanted to know is there anything you can tell me about him and his connection to my father."

"Hmm. Where did you get these documents? You need high security clearance in order to get these."

"I found them Mr. Sandstein." She answered quickly. "I'm curious to know who this man Haakim is." She prodded.

Ross looked at Whitney and smiled, "This is not part of my fee. You will need to give me something additional." He looked at her bustline and licked his lips seductively.

"Just to find out who this guy is? Are you serious?" Whitney was disgusted by his sexual implication.

"Information is not free Whitney, you should know that." He proclaimed.

"How much then?"

"The question is, how much is it worth to you?" Ross eyed her hungrily.

"Just tell me a price Mr. Sandstein."

"I'm gonna tell you this instead Whitney. The man you ask of, Haakim, is a very dangerous man. He is a man that you nor your father wants as an enemy. He has power beyond what you will ever understand and is connected in every aspect of the word." He smiled. "That bit of information was free but if you want any further assistance you will have to pay. One way or another."

Whitney shook her head slowly and stared deep into the corrupt lawyer's eyes. She needed him to make sure Mason got out of prison without any mishaps and alive but she wasn't going to sell her soul to the devil. The information he provided just confirmed what the guy Kurt said about Haakim. When they did the robbery no evidence was left for him to suspect The Council so she wasn't too worried about that. What did worry her was the connection Haakim had to her father and why, but her biggest problem was Wendi because she claimed to be in love with Haakim and she wondered if he knew she was Mason's daughter.

"Thanks for the free information Mr. Sandstein. You have cleared up my questions about Haakim. Now can we get down to my father's business?"

"Sure can Whitney. With the information you've just provided I'll put in an appeal and start gathering all the evidence I can for this case. You do not have to contact me anymore unless you have something you believe that can help in your father's case."

"How long do you think it's going to take before he's actually is free?" Whitney questioned.

"The judicial system is a slow process however, I have friends who can push the appeal up on the calendar for me. With the information I have I can form a solid defense and have him this case in court within two months top."

"That sounds reasonable but how long for everything, his release included?" Whitney pressed.

"Whitney, I cannot guarantee an exact date but a case like this one will take about six months to a year before he can be exonerated."

"That's another year in that hell hole for him. Will he be safe during that time?"

"You want me to guarantee you something that I cannot guarantee. I have him under the protection of some very reliable people but there is no way I can be sure nothing will happen to him. Remember, he's a wanted man so there is a chance he will still be in danger especially once they find out about his appeal."

Whitney shook her head in dismay. She was glad she was finally getting Mason his appeal but the time it was going to take worried her. She needed a way to ensure his safety while he was in the prison but didn't know how she would accomplish it.

"Thanks Mr. Sandstein. Please keep me updated every step of the way." Whitney said as she stood up and reached over the desk to shake his hand.

Ross stood up and shook her hand then placed his other hand over hers and smiled one sided, "I will keep you abreast of everything I'm doing where Mason is concerned." He lifted their hands to his mouth and kissed the top of his own hand as he peered up at her. "If you need me for anything, please don't hesitate to call me on my direct line."

Whitney pulled her hand from him slowly and responded, "I might just do that Mr.Sandstein. I might just do that." She sneered when her back was to him and shook her ass as hard as she could as she walked out the door knowing his eyes were glued to her.
Chapter 10

Wendi stared up at the ceiling while she lay in her full sized bed deep in thought. She was confused and was at a crossroad with her feelings about the loyalty to her family and the love she had for Haakim. Going against her family would be the ultimate betrayal and she knew she couldn't live with herself if her actions caused any additional harm to Mason. She sucked her teeth loudly as she sat up and threw her down filled pillow across the room. Wanda had already ripped into her pretty bad without hearing her out, accusing her of cloaking like she had a hidden agenda when it came to taking care of business for Mason when all she was doing was trying to look out for both the men she loved. Her love for Mason was paternal, he was her father, the man who raised and took care of her until the day he was taken away and sent to prison. He spoiled her and gave her all the attention a young girl could desire but once he was gone there was void. Her love for Haakim filled that void and became more intimate. What she felt for him was mental, physical and spiritual. Haakim expressed his love through caring words and gestures, he showed his love with affectionate touches, tender kisses and loving hugs. As a Muslim, his teachings was to have a woman submit to his love through her own will and he accomplished that with her. Haakim loved her as a man loved a woman; as a husband loved his wife. He taught her how to be submissive but outspoken in their relationship, he showed her how a man made love to a woman instead of just fucking her and he treated her like his queen. She sighed heavily as her heart fluttered as she thought of Haakim. It bothered her that her sisters didn't seem to be happy she found someone that she genuinely loved although she didn't divulge how serious the relationship was when the job was announced. Wanda made it painfully clear she didn't approve of their relationship for whatever reason and Whitney forbade her to see him like she really had the power to do that. It wasn't their business who she saw, who she fucked or who she was in love with as long as it didn't interfere with their personal lives. In all fairness, she honestly didn't have any idea Haakim was the person Kurt described because he never disclosed that side of himself. He lived over a bodega in East New York, drove an old car and didn't have a truck load of money, at least that's what she thought until she saw all the stuff in the vault but regardless of it all, she still loved him and that wasn't going to change.

Wendi's cell phone alerted her of an incoming message. She picked it up and a smile grew as she saw the words - I need to see you princess - across her screen. She hurriedly text back - I'm on my way baby. Need to see you too - then sat her phone down on her nightstand. She opened her room door slowly and peeked down the hallway to Wanda's room. Her room door wasn't closed all the way so she tip toed to her room and peered inside and was relieved to see she wasn't in there. Earlier she heard Whitney asking Wanda if she was going to ride with her to the city to take care of some business so she figured Wanda must have went. She smiled hard and rushed back to her room to get ready so she could meet Haakim. She knew she wasn't going to be able to stay too long just in case her sisters came back and questioned where she was.

She pulled open her dresser drawer and chose a fire red halter top then went to her closet and found a pair of tight riding pants and pulled it from a hanger. She grabbed her towel and left her room heading straight for the bathroom to take a shower. She pulled the door open and rushed inside blindly and bumped into Wanda, almost knocking her down to the ground.

"Damn! What's the fucking rush Wendi! You almost knocked me the fuck down!" Wanda bellowed.

"I'm sorry Wanda." Wendi apologized with a shocked and disappointed look on her face. She hurriedly continued pass her and slammed the bathroom door.

Wanda stared at the door rolling her eyes then paused and scratched her head. She wasn't stupid, her sister was moving like she was on rollerblades for a reason. She heard the shower running and turned and went to Wendi's room. When she pushed open the door she noticed her cell phone on the nightstand and picked it up and looked through her messages. Seeing the message from Haakim cleared up her suspicions but she became infuriated when she read Wendi's response because it meant she totally disregarded what Whitney told her. She put the phone back down and was about to into the bathroom and drag Wendi out the shower and beat some sense into her but quickly decided against it because she knew Whitney would not approve of her beating Wendi's ass since it wouldn't do anything but make matters worse and they didn't need that. Wanda pulled out her cell phone and made a call to Whitney.

"What's up sis?" Whitney answered when she recognized her sister's unique ringtone.

"Your lil sister got a hard fucking head." Wanda blurted out.

"Oh God what happened now! I hope y'all not fighting Wanda."

"Nah but I think she needs her ass pounded out!" Wanda crowed.

"What happened Wanda?" Whitney cried out.

"That stupid bitch is 'bout to go meet up with that muhfucka you told her she better not see until we find out more about him."

"What!" Whitney screamed.

"Yea. I checked her phone and he just text her telling her he needs to see her and her simple ass gon' text him back that she need to see him too so she'll be on her way. That bitch done lost her fucking mind knowing that muhfucka ain't who she think he is."

Whitney gritted her teeth and balled her fists tightly before she spoke, "I just finished speaking with the lawyer Wanda and he knows Haakim. He said this muhfucka is a major player and practically untouchable. He's the real fucking deal Wanda and the worst part is, this muhfucka got it out for Mason."

"Aah shit!" Wanda groaned.

"I know sis and the problem is we don't know if he knows Wendi is Mason's daughter." Whitney shook her head as she steered her truck over the Manhattan Bridge.

"I can tell her but I don't know if she gonna listen to me after that beat down I gave her 'bout the muhfucka."

"Her eyes are blinded by love so she not gonna wanna hear shit bad 'bout him." Whitney paused. "Where is she right now?"

"In the shower cleaning out her funky ass cat box." Wanda quipped.

"Ok, that should buy me enough time to get there. I'm just getting into Brooklyn and the traffic isn't too heavy so I'll be there in about ten minutes. Just keep her there and watch her until I get there."

"Suppose she just leaves?" Wanda asked.

"Follow her."

"That's bullshit Whit! I'm not her babysitter no more. She's grown and knows what the fuck she doing." Wanda argued.

"Look Wanda. I know you're frustrated with Wendi's attitude but she can be in danger if she goes see Haakim."

"I know." Wanda relented after hearing of the danger. "I'll keep her here. I'm not gonna let her leave so hurry up Whit."

Whitney knew by Wanda's tone that if she didn't get there fast she would hold Wendi there by any means possible.

"I'm five minutes away now. Thanks sis." Whitney disconnected the call as she stepped on the gas.

Wanda didn't want Wendi to get hurt but she was tired of her being so naive like a love struck teenager. After what she and Whitney told her she should have least given them a chance to prove they were right but she was so sprung she couldn't see the forest because of the leaves. She stepped into the hallway and could hear the shower had stopped. She walked to her room and stood in the doorway until she heard the bathroom door open. Wendi came out with a towel covering her partially and was moving quickly as she whizzed by Wanda leaving the scent of rosemary and mint in the air. Wanda followed her and before Wendi could close her door Wanda stopped it with the palm of her hand.

"Where you 'bout to go Wendi?" Wanda asked standing in the doorway.

Wendi turned around and gazed at Wanda suspiciously, "Why, you wanna come with me?"

"Do I need to?" Wanda's lips were pursed.

"Only if you want to Wanda." Wendi sucked her teeth and let the towel drop to the floor.

"I'm just asking 'cause you damn near floored me going into the bathroom like you late for an appointment or some shit."

"I am late. I have an appointment with destiny." Wendi said as she slid on her shoestring thongs.

"Is that his name now?" Wanda challenged.

Wendi connected the snaps on her bra as a smirk appeared on her face, "Yea, his name is destiny. Do you have a name for yours? Oops, you don't have one to name."

Wanda's blood pressure began to rise as she tried to hold her anger. "Nope but you just buying yourself some time with the one you got now and then you'll be back to fucking random dudes like you're used to doing!"

"You're just hating 'cause I got a man and you can't keep one with your mannish as ways. Try being more of a fucking lady and maybe you'll get the chance to have somebody at least fuck you so you'll stop being so uptight. When the last time you had a muhfucka even breathe on your shit Wanda? Your shit probably like a damp moldy basement right now."

That's all it took and Wanda dived on top of Wendi. She hit her with a terrible right cross that spun Wendi around and sent her flying to floor with a crash. Wanda advanced and straddled her on the floor holding Wendi's hands above her head and sitting on her breasts. Wendi bucked, kicking her legs and midsection wildly as Wanda held her tightly. Frustrated, Wendi hock spit and the slimy spew landed on Wanda's eye and slithered down her face and instinctively Wanda head butted Wendi. Cries of pain escaped Wendi's vocal chords as she continued bucking like a wild bronco until Wanda's balance was off then Wendi flipped her over and jumped to her feet and swung both fists, connecting on Wanda's jaw sending her stumbling back to the door. Wendi didn't let up her assault as she went airborne with a sidekick that knocked a falling Wanda into the hallway. Wanda tried to get to her feet quickly but Wendi's speed fooled her and she felt blinding blows to her head and face that she couldn't cover.

"I'm not that lil girl no more bitch! You can't beat me no more Wanda!" Wendi shouted as she pummeled her sister.

Wanda balled her body up in a tight defense position and absorbed most of Wendi's hits until she was punched out and then rose to a squatting position and took Wendi out by her legs. Wendi hit the floor winded and breathing hard out of her mouth. Wanda stomped her in her diaphragm, further impeding her breathing.

"Negative lil sister. You still the same inexperienced dumb lil girl you always was. You haven't learned shit! Always conserve some energy until you know your opponent has no more fight left." Wanda preached as she smashed her fist into the side of Wendi's exposed face then secured her again by sitting on her chest and holding her hands above her head.

"Get the fuck off of me bitch!" Wendi cried out in desperation. She had no more fight in her and wanted it to end.

"I will when you tell me who you going to see." Wanda said between breaths.

"It ain't none of your fucking business who I see. Get the fuck off me Wanda!"

"Why you can't just chill the fuck out and leave this dickhead alone until we find out what the deal is with him. You act like he the only dick out here for you to suck!"

"I'm not going to see him so get the fuck off me!"

"You so full of shit Wendi. I know you going to see the muhfucka, I checked your phone."

"I'm under surveillance now? Y'all really taking this shit too far." Wendi bucked her body again. "Get the fuck off me Wanda! AAAAAHHHH!" She screamed.

"Just like your spoiled ass to try and throw a tantrum. That shit worked with Mason and mommy but it don't work on me. Scream 'til you get horse bitch!" Wanda chuckled.

Wendi stopped kicking and stayed silent, her anger reaching its peak. Wanda noticed after some minutes passed that Wendi seemed to be calming down. She hoped Whitney would hurry up so she could take over babysitting her spoiled brat sister.

"You calm now?" Wanda asked.

Wendi's eyes were closed and she didn't respond.

"If you don't say nothing I'm not gonna get off of you so you better tell me something." Wanda reiterated.

"Just get off me Wanda. That's all I got to say to you."

"Are you calm though?" Wanda pushed.

"I'm good, just get off of me."

"Aiight, don't get up and try and steal on me 'cause I'm not gon' play with you the next time." Wanda said as she carefully released her grip on Wendi then got off her.

Wendi got up slowly as Wanda backed up and watched her closely. Wendi turned around and walked into her room and slammed her door shut, locking it behind her. Wanda shrugged her shoulders and went into the bathroom to clean her face. While she washed and scrubbed her face she heard Wendi's door open and she turned around and went into the hallway and could see Wendi rushing down the steps.

"Where you going Wendi?" Wanda yelled after her but didn't get any response.

Wanda heard the front door slam and screamed out, "Fuck you! I ain't running behind you, you fucking traitor!"

***

"I no longer want him to perish in prison and suffer like I have over the years. I want him to die slowly! Do not let him live another day, end his life immediately!" Haakim spewed venomous words.

"I will carry out your orders Haakim, consider it done."

Haakim knew he had to kill Mason now because the documents stolen from his vault could be used to help him and he didn't want that. His plans of making him die breathing by making his life a living hell was not working according to his design. He knew if those documents ever made it into Mason's hands he would be able to use it to free himself from bondage and Haakim wasn't going to allow that to happen, if there was a chance of it happening he preferred killing him first. He wouldn't get to see him suffer but knowing his demise came from his hands would be suffice enough.

Haakim was mad as a bull seeing red because he couldn't believe he allowed someone to get close enough to him to burglarize his property. It bothered him immensely because just as he made alliances with good trustworthy people he did the same with his enemies through shady business deals and disloyal intentions. He was fully aware of who was his friends and who were his enemies so letting someone slip through his fingers had him seeing red. He checked his security monitor briefly then heard rap music playing. He looked around to see where the music was coming from and his eyes fell onto the bag of items he took off the dead bodies where his vault was installed. He sifted through the bag until he came across the cell phone singing the verse from the Notorious B.I.G. He looked across the screen and saw the name 'Pedro Connect' across the screen. He knew it was Kurt's drug connect and shook his head at how obviously stupid he was in giving information that could send him and his connect to prison for a long time. He didn't answer it and began looking through the bag to inspect the rest of the items. When he found out about the robbery and went to the apartment, the dead bodies didn't faze him, he didn't care about Kurt or the young lady that were murdered, he was only interested in who violated. Had Kurt still been alive, he would have killed him anyway.

Haakim kept checking his own cell phone, waiting on Wendi to come and becoming impatient the longer she took. He soon got a text from here saying she would be there shortly and really needed to talk to him. He quickly text her that he too wanted to see her and couldn't wait, hoping that would get her there quicker. He grabbed the bag to discard all the items inside because there wasn't anything in there that gave him proof of what he already knew. He threw the bag in the garbage next to his room and when the bag hit the bottom of the garbage the cell phone flew up and dropped back down in the garbage can. Haakim stared at the phone for a minute and felt a strong urge to pick it up. He didn't ignore the feeling and bent down and took the phone out of the garbage can and sat down on his couch. He scrolled the menu not knowing what he was looking for, just searching through the phone aimlessly. Then it came to him, he would check the outgoing calls and incoming calls he took the day of the robbery. He checked the phone's call log and scrolled through until he got to the exact date the robbery occurred. There were so many numbers and names that he didn't know what to do. He saw the connect's name a few times, there were a slew of women names in there multiple times and there were some unknown numbers but what caught his eye was 'New Shorty w/Fatty'. He didn't know why it stood out the most but the call was made late in the night and only lasted a couple of seconds. He was thinking Kurt had to have met that girl that night and got her number because every other contact that was female had a name attached. Haakim shook his head at how American men were weak for flesh, allowing it to run their life and ultimately ruin it in the long run. His video intercom rang and his eyes went to his security monitor and he could see Wendi on her way up as the young man at the counter in the bodega announced her arrival. Haakim got up from the couch and unlocked the door for her to come in and went and took a seat back on his couch. He focused his attention back on the phone and studied the number because it seemed so familiar to him. He pushed the green button on the phone just as Wendi was entering the modest apartment. He got up to greet her and was about to hug her when he heard her cell phone begin to ring. He looked down at the cell phone in his hand and then at Wendi who pulled her ringing cell phone out of her bag and looked at the number. She didn't recognize it and was about to abort the call when Haakim yelled out, "NO! Answer it!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

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