"When I get to the back door fire off the first shot"
Said Stacy
"You wanna go in there blind?" Moe responded
"And on top of that you're hurt - bad."
"It doesn't matter how hurt I am. I have to do something. I know Kai can make it out. All I have to do is give him a chance."
Moe smirked at Stacy's bravery. "You know, I don't think Kai has ever had anyone more solid on his team than you. And I'm riding with you until this is done and that nigga Cyrus is dead. Let's go get this mother fucker."
Stacy gave him a fist bump, and took the path from the woods that led to the back door of the safe house.
She kept her eye out for sneaky traps or guards hiding in camouflage. As she crept along she inhaled the fresh air that the trees provided.
The sun beamed down on her dark skin.
The morning was quiet and still.
Yet, her anxiety grew knowing it could all be over for her in the blink of an eye.
"Don't be a scary bitch, don't be a scary bitch."
She coached herself. Although her success relied heavily on Moe.
She approached the door quietly taking a quick peek through the window. Cyrus was just starting to exit the room where Kai, Tahj and Amber were tied up.
She pulled out the walkie-talkie and paged Moe.
"You're up." She told him
Moe ended the call and focused his eye on the scope of his sniper. He fired a shot that broke the glass on the second floor. Cyrus' men ran around in a frenzy - grabbing their guns to defend the safe house.
"What the fuck was that?" Cyrus appeared with his gun in hand.
"We're not sure yet boss." Said one guard
"Well what the hell y'all waiting for? Go find out!"
Immediately, a second bullet shatters a different window hitting the guard closest to the window.
The house began to panic as bullets continued to take out the guards one by one.
Once the chaos had started, Stacy found herself hiding behind a tree from the guards who were now searching the area of woods surrounding the house. She could hear their footsteps creeping her way. Her sweaty palms made it harder to hold the gun steady. But this wasn't the time to be afraid. After all the tree was the only thing keeping her alive right now. One wrong move and it was all over.
Seconds crept by adding to her uneasiness. Though killing someone wasn't what she wanted - it was something that had to be done. As quietly as she could, she took a squat and pointed it at the guard who was slowly coming her way but unable to see her.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Two down, one to go!
The second guy was now completely caught off guard by the sudden gun shots. But he proceeded, with caution, thinking he would be the one to stop her.
"I see you." He says in a victorious voice. Rushing towards the tree that he believed Stacy was hiding behind, he was surprised to find no one there.
"What the-"
"Surprise bitch"
Stacy jumped out from another tree and fired three shots into the guards chest with the quickness.
Once he was down she rushed to the back door. Much to her delight and confusion the room was now completely empty.
"Shit they must've moved them." She thought "Or maybe they got out."
Carefully she slid the screen door back and stepped into the basement room. There was no going back now. There was no room for fear.
"Moe, how we looking up there?"
"The whole damn house is running around like chickens with their head cut off. You gotta get out of there."
"I'm not going anywhere until I know they made it out."
"Stacy the house is being surrounded as we speak. There's no way you're gonna make it out alive!"
At that moment, a familiar face entered the room.
"Stacy! Stacy! Hello! Are you still there? Answer me got dammit! Stacy!"
Moe hollered over the walkie-talkie but Stacy was too busy focused on her enemy.
"So nice of you to join us here." Said Diamond
"Cyrus wanted to me kill all of you at the same time but I guess I can start with you since you fucked up those plans."
"Yea well you never were the type to have your own ideas. Seems like you've always been a follower so I wouldn't expect you to understand."
Diamond scoffed. "You know one thing I do understand- Your so called "Man". You would've thought he never knew who you were the way he fucked me that night. I mean there's a reason I keep coming back for more. And he knows he just can't resist me."
"See that's where you're wrong. I've got you all figured out. You're the girl that nobody liked growing up. Or the girl that always got picked on. So you grew up building your confidence until shit like that aint bother you no more. Then you took that same hate and let alllll kinds of men run through your pussy like the subway train just to prove to yourself that you're attractive and wanted. You may have had my man at one point but he left your ass because he could see through your bull shit. Now you're mad cause he found a real one and you'll never have a chance to get him back. You fucked over a lot of people but all that shit ends today bitch"
Diamond was getting heated by the second.
"Let's see how much you have to say when I unload this clip into your ass."
Stacy dived for cover behind a wall as Diamond began firing shots in her direction.
"Come out and fight you scary ass hoe!" Diamond taunted her
There was a moment of silence where she realized
Diamond was reloading. She took advantage of the opportunity and darted out from her hiding spot. Moving to the far side of the room, they exchanged bullets until eventually she was completely out.
A huge wooden table that had been knocked on its side provided the firing cover she needed to regroup.
"When I finally kill you, I'm gonna make sure I personally deliver you to Cyrus. Then I'm gonna make sure your little hubby gets what's coming to him the same way your father did."
If there was one thing Stacy didn't allow, it was talking bad about her father- the only person that kept her safe since she was a little girl. There was no way Stacy was letting this scalawag ass hoe get away with her blatant disrespect. But she was outgunned and trapped in a corner.
"You must be out of bullets." Said Diamond.
"Otherwise you would've shot back by now."
Stacy knew her time was running out when she heard Diamond moving things out of the way to get to her. She thought of plan - the only plan that could work. It had to work!
"If you come out now I'll convince Cyrus that you joined our team instead. Maybe he'll take it easy on you."
Stacy had heard enough. She grabbed her gun and waited for Diamond to get closer. Then she popped up from behind the table and launched the butt of the gun straight at Diamonds head!
"Oww! You stupid bitch!"
Stacy jumped over the table and tackled her to the ground causing Diamonds gun to slide across the room towards the door.
"Now what bitch!" Said Stacy
Per usual Diamond had succumbed to Stacys blows.
Nevertheless Diamond fought back! This wasn't the same Diamond she had fought before. She was fighting for her life and giving Stacy a run for her money this time.
They tussled, back and forth all over the room - slamming each other into walls and knocking things down all over the room. They took turns getting the best of the other until Stacy found herself at the mercy of Diamond when she was caught in a vicious head lock.
"Talk shit now bitch."
With the tight grip around her neck Stacy was starting to lose consciousness. Knowledge came across her mind. She hoped he had made it out by now and if not - at least he died trying and she was ok with dying with that last thought. Then She thought about her dad and how disappointed he would be if she gave up so easily. She thought about her life and all the events that led up to this very moment. All the pain, laughter, hurt, tears and victories! All the blood shed, the cuts, the bruises, the lies, the money, the drugs and women that she endured! It all made her stronger. That old, scary, shy Stacy was long gone. By no means was she was gonna let somebody as low as Diamond take her life like it was nothing. She just had to remind herself that she was THAT BITCH!
Unexpectedly, Diamond felt a sharp pain pierce her in the side.
"Ahhh!" She shrieked.
Stacy broke away from the choke hold and scurried to the opposite side of the room in an attempt to collect her breath. Diamond sat in the middle of the room holding her hand to her side. By the time Stacy looked up, Diamond was in a pool of her own blood.
"What's the matter?" Stacy asked while she retrieved the gun. "Shocked that I got the best of you?"
The tables were turned and now she was the aggressor. "What you didn't know is that I always keep my little friend for mother fuckers like you that think they got it all figured out." She flashed the small but lethal serrated pocket knife used to stab her opponent. "What you also didn't know was that my father - the one you just talked shit about, taught me a lot about self defense and when to use it. Unfortunately for you, I know exactly where to hit you. One quick shank and its all over for you." She kicked Diamond to the floor and stood over her with the gun aimed between her eyes.
"You wanted to be me so bad you're willing to die for a man that don't even want you. And when I get him home I'll make sure to fuck him real good."
There was nothing Diamond could say. She was in pain and disbelief knowing that Stacy had won again and this time for good.
"Fuck Y-"
POW! POW! POW!
A calming relief came over her. Seeing a dead body didn't seem to bother her anymore. Diamond was just another problem that has been permanently solved.
"Stacy! Please answer me! Stacy!"
Suddenly Stacy remembered that the whole house was in complete chaos upstairs and outside. She found the walkie- talkie and paged Moe
"Yea I'm here. I'm ok!"
"Oh shit! Where the hell are you?"
"Still in the basement. I gotta find Kai."
"Hell no! You won't make it if you go up there. I didn't see them load anyone into the cars. Kai had to escape."
Stacy reluctantly backed out of the basement and followed the same path back to where Moe was still hidden.
"Damn what the hell happened to you?" He asked referring to the scratches all over her face.
"Ran into a old rival."
Moe shook his head. "Let me guess, Diamond?"
"Yup."
"So we don't have to worry about her anymore?"
"Nope."
"One down. Two more to go."
"Nobody found you up here?" She asked him
"Came close but not yet. I can't get a good eye on Cyrus either."
As they watched the house, Moe could hear the sound of twigs breaking in the distance.
"I think our cover is blown." He held his finger up to his lips telling Stacy to keep quiet.
With the scope on his eye, he scanned the perimeter but was unable to see anything. The sound of shuffling branches and leaves seemed to get closer.
Thirty more paralyzing seconds passed before they were startled by the dead body of a guard that came crashing down from a tree 10 ft behind them.
They remained still and quiet - unsure of what to do.
"You're welcome."
A familiar voice could be heard approaching them.
"Happy to see me?" Said Ron
Stacy almost collapsed with relief. Not only did Ron show up, he came with his own personal mini army along with several members of the King Cartel. As his team went ahead to fight Cyrus and his guards, Ron helped Stacy to her feet and hugged her.
"I can't believe you're here." Stacy cried
"I did some thinking. When you told me how Tahj and Kai had been kidnapped I felt obligated to help. I've basically watched them both grow up and Cyrus is the reason my good friend Mr King is dead. Ain't no way I'm sitting this one out. Let us take it from here."
"Thank you so much." She hugged him again
"If you see him in there bring him back to me. Dead or alive." She said sadly
"I will. But you have to get out of here. It's not safe."
Although her heart ached as she turned to walk away, she knew there was nothing else she could do.
Moe packed up his equipment and followed Stacy back the way they came.
"You did everything you could Stacy. The last thing Kai wants is for you to beat yourself up over something you cant control."
Despite his words being true, she was dying on the inside. On top of that she was still badly hurt from being shot. Time had passed significantly since they showed up to the safe house and the police were bound to show up any minute. As they breached the exit of the path Stacy noticed someone standing near the car they parked.
"I know that ain't who I think it is." Said Moe
Her eyes lit up with excitement and reassurance when it registered exactly who was standing there.
"Is that my baby!" Kai shouted. He hurried down the abandoned bridge to get to her.
Stacy felt like she would drop where she stood. She was entirely frozen in place and overcome with emotions to the point where Moe had to hold her up.
Knowledge came up and scooped her into his arms hugging her like he would never see her again.
"I love you so much Kai!"
Sheburied her face into his shoulder
"I love you more."
The two kissed and loved on each other forgetting everyone else who was there.
"Is that Amber and Tahj?" Moe asked
"Yea that's them." Knowledge answered
"Let me go check on them."
Stacy pulled Moe back and gave him a huge hug as a token of her gratitude.
"Was that you that started all that chaos?"
"You damn right that was me. Well, me and Moe. You didn't think I was gonna actually let him just take you like that did you?"
"Baby I didn't even know if you were alive still."
"Turns out God had other plans for us. I went to Ron and he patched us up then we came up with a plan to get you out."
"That's the most gangsta shit I've ever heard. He smiled. "You almost as gangsta as me now."
"Shit after all the things I've been through since my father died I damn sure am." She smiled. " I guess I can pull up a chair at the head of the table next to you now huh?"
"I want you next to me for the rest of my life."
He pulled her back in for another hug and kiss
"Excuse me love birds but we gotta get the hell out of here." Said Moe
When Stacy saw Amber again, she suddenly remembered what Amber had done to Tahj. The worried look in Amber's eyes as they hugged told Stacy that it was still a secret.
"Wait, where's Vicky?" Asked Stacy
Knowledge dropped his head.
"She didn't make it." Tahj answered her
Even though Stacy despised Vicky she was saddened to hear that she died most likely at the hands of Cyrus.
"So what do we do about Cyrus." Said Amber
"We can't just go back to living normal lives if he's still around."
"We finish this shit. That's what we do." Said Tahj angrily
"Bro you not finishing a got damn thing." Said Knowledge. "You're in no shape to fight this nigga."
"That's if he's even alive." Said Stacy
"Yea I couldn't get a clear shot of him that whole time." Said Moe. "It's very likely that he got away."
"Nah fuck that He's alive. A guy like Cyrus ain't sticking around if he's under fire. Guys like that always have an escape route. We just need to figure out where he's going next." Said Knowledge
"It's 4:34 pm. If we start looking now we'll have a better chance of finding him around the city before he disappears." Said Tahj
"Tahj baby you're really not in the best condition to—"
"Bullshit! Stop telling me what I'm not gonna do. This nigga killed my mother, kidnapped my girl and my brother, shot Stacy and Moe and tried to wipe out my city with his bullshit. I'm not sitting out for shit!"
Knowledge threw up his hands. He couldn't argue with his little brother on this one.
At that moment, they could hear tires screeching around the corner ahead of them. Cyrus and Arius had managed to escape on a back road amid the chaos.
"Speak of the fucking devil." Said Knowledge. "Let's get his ass!"
Amber started the engine and took off in pursuit of Cyrus.
"Anybody got a gun?" Tahj asked from the passenger seat.
"I do." Said Stacy. "Just get me close enough to use it."
Amber gave a devious smile and cranked the car up to speeds at 70 mph. Even she had a reason to want Cyrus dead.
The chase was becoming more intense and terrifying as Arius whipped the car turn after turn in an attempt to make Amber crash.
"Stay on em sis." Said Knowledge
"I got his ass." She assured him
Pretty soon Amber managed to get along side of them on a empty straight away road. Arius jerked his wheel to the right purposefully colliding into their car. Amber retaliated with the same aggression! It was a dangerous game of back and forth but Amber had a trick up her sleeve.
"Stacy shoot at them. I need a distraction." Said Amber
Stacy almost immediately rolled her window down and let off shots through the back window
"You got this baby." Tahj encouraged her
"Watch this." Said Amber.
She slowly released her foot off the gas letting Arius get ahead by a few inches when all of a sudden she purposely crashed into the side of their car causing it to spin out of control.
"Flip their ass over!" Stacy shouted
Amber picked up speed and crashed into the car again before coming to a halt. They all sat and watched as Cyrus and Arius were thrown into the air and flipped around several times like a rag doll until the car finally crashed up-side down in the middle of the road. Arius was killed on impact
"That's what I'm talking about baby!" Tahj kissed her excitedly
The five of them hopped out of the car and approached Cyrus' car on high alert. Gas leaked profusely from the gas tank. The car was bound to blow up any second.
"Aaugh." Cyrus groaned. He was still up-side down and strapped into his seat.
Stacy kneeled down to his level with the gun pointed at his head. "I guess Arius wasn't as tough as he thought huh? She sighed. "That's too bad. I was really gonna enjoy torturing him in his last minutes."
"You may have killed me but if you think this is over you're wrong." Cyrus began to laugh through his pain.
"Oh no. This is far from over. What do you think will happen when my business partners find out what you did? When they find out how much drugs and money you just cost them. You think they're just gonna let that go? No. They won't. Somebody has to keep paying or all of you will die a slow death,"
This was the kind of talk that made Stacy angry. She was tired of feeling like her life dwindled in the hands of this man. It was time for her to be free. Free of all the death threats and price tags on her head. Free to live her life the way she wanted. Free of it all.
"And your children will reap the consequences of your actions. And their children. And their chil-"
Without uttering another word, Stacy backed up from the car, pointed the gun at the gas leak on the road and fired! Cyrus watched in horror as the spark lead the fire straight to him.
WOOSH! The car was engulfed in flames within a matter of seconds. Cyrus' screams echoed through the abandoned street. But that sound was music to Stacys ears.
"Is it over?" She turned to Knowledge
"It's over baby. We did it." He kissed her
After a minute or two Cyrus had stopped screaming indicating that he was dead for sure.
"As much as I would love to sit and watch this lovely fire, I hear sirens which means they'll be coming this way sooner or later." Said Tahj.
So The five of them held on to each other, got back into the car and drove off - leaving everything that ever was Cyrus, behind them.