by U. E. Wynn
Malik had Brandon’s full attention now.
“That's right lil’ brother. I had some words with your Captain to help you land a spot in that precinct because that fat powder nose muthafucka owed me a favor.”
“Every accomplishment in your life has been because of me. I set you up so you wouldn’t fail and you managed to do so anyway. Me watching over you is how you remained safe, but no more. You ruined that when you betrayed me. If you know anything about these streets like you claim to, then you should know that stopping another man’s money and interfering with his livelihood is a death wish. But the worst shit to do is to fuck with his family. You fucked up with that shit.”
With those words being said, Brandon heard a gun cock and his eyes locked on Malik’s right hand man Nasir.
“So this is the part where I die now?” he asked as he continued staring Nasir in the eyes. “Is the part where you have to get another man to kill me because you’re too much of a coward?”
Brandon was doing well at keeping a calm outer appearance, but on the inside, he was beginning to panic, wondering where O’Malley, Brock and the rest of his team were. He was running out of time.
CHAPTER 25
O’Malley, Brock, Zane and Vladimir had taken cover behind a few stacks of crates that was pushed up against the walls of the warehouse. After taking out the guards out front, they made their way inside of the warehouse and took out the two men who were supposed to be watching the door. They could hear voices as they got closer to the main room. Brock was about to give the order for the ambush when he heard something that made him stop in his tracks.
Malik had made a statement that confirmed he and Brandon were blood brothers. That was news to him and judging from the other men’s reactions, it was news to them as well. To make matters worse, they had also learned that their own Captain was involved in this fuckery somehow.
Brock began to put two and two together and realized that they were all Guinea Pigs in this so called “mission.”A mission that Brandon conspired and the Captain approved of all for one reason; to kill the one person who could ruin their careers with the information he held.
Suddenly, Brock had a change of heart. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to risk his life anymore. He wasn’t sure if going against what Nasir had told them was a smart idea anymore. He was beginning to think that maybe Devon’s paranoia wasn’t an overreaction.
“Yo, Brock. What’s the plan?” O’Malley asked, breaking his train of thought.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what to do right now.”
“Did I really just hear that guy mention that he and the Sergeant were brothers? Did he mention the Captain’s name too?” Vladimir asked. He was still trying to wrap his head around the news.
“Yeah, you did,” confirmed Brock.
“As fucked up as all of this is Brock, I still say we go in there and finish the mission. We can deal with the Sergeant later, but we mustn’t forget that we can go down too, if that information is leaked.”
“I hear you O’Malley, but can’t you see that we’ve been getting played this entire time? Who’s to say that this wasn’t preconceived. That the Sergeant and the Captain didn’t set us up to case those houses knowing who they belonged to. How do we know that the Sergeant wasn’t aware of those cameras?”
O’Malley shook his head in frustration. “Look, right now is not the time to try and analyze this shit. We’re hiding behind some raggedy ass crates in a warehouse full of armed men who are unaware that we are here. We need to get through this ambush, get the shit we came for, and get out as soon as possible. We will deal with the rest later.”
“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m ready to blow some shit up,” said Zane as he held up his pack.
Brock took in everything O’Malley had said and realized that he was right. Continuing with this mission wasn’t just going to be to save Brandons’ ass, but it would cover theirs too.
“Okay, let’s get this done. But when this is all over, we deal with the Sergeant.”
“Good to go.”
“Roger that.”
“Alright then, on me,” said Brock as he stepped around the men and peaked through the crates to get a visual. He then raised his free hand and silently gave a five second countdown. He paused on one and glanced over his shoulder at the other men. They all nodded in unison that they were ready and then they formed a skirmish as they emerged from behind the crates firing round after round.
~~~~
Brandon was staring down the barrel of a Gold Magnum Desert Eagle desperately trying to figure out his next move. There was no sign of his team and he was starting to wonder if they’d backed out on him. He didn’t have time to give that idea too much thought. He needed to figure how to get out of this mess.
“You got anything to say?” Malik asked. He was standing off to the side with his hands doubled together resting over the crotch of the designer jeans he wore. His expression was unforgiving and unsympathetic.
The silence in the room could be cut with a knife. Brandon started to say something when he heard a round whiz past his head barely missing him and hitting one of Maliks’ men square in the chest. Everything seemed to slow down as he watched one man after another take a bullet to the chest or head and hit the floor. He’d thought for sure that he was going to be a dead man and had almost given up. He finally came to his senses of what was going on around him and charged at one of Malik’s men who was trying to reload his gun.
Nasir was distracted by the unexpected ambush and had turned his gun away from Brandon and started firing at the attackers. Brandon tackled another man to the ground, wrapped his arms around his neck, and broke it in one swift move. He picked up the dead man’s gun and started firing at the other flunkies. He fired until he had a clear path to make it over to his men.
“Glad ya’ll could finally make it,” he yelled over at O’Malley, who was off on his right firing away.
“Yeah, we ran into a little trouble.”
The sound of gunfire had consumed the warehouse. Men were dropping left and right. Some dead; others badly wounded.
Brandon took cover behind some crates and scanned the room to locate the others. Brock was held up behind a wall having a shootout with Nasir. Vladimir had made his way around the warehouse and was squatting behind some more crates scoping out the staircase that led to the second level. Zane was shooting at Malik and a few of his men while he was planting explosives in different areas at the same time.
Brandon zeroed in on his brother, who was being guarded by his flunkies. Every time he tried to come up and take a shot at Malik one of the flunkies fired at him first.
“You niggas are going to die tonight!” Malik yelled. “Y’all picked the wrong muthafuckas to mess with. Kill them all!” he ordered.
More bullets flew rapidly throughout the warehouse. Zane fired back until he hit one of the men guarding Malik. O’Malley fired off several rounds while Zane took cover to reload his gun. When Brandon peeked out from his cover he saw that Malik’s men were trying to get him over to the stairs that led to the second floor. Brandon yelled for someone to cover him as he emerged from the crates and took out two of the five men guarding Malik with fatal shots.
“Leaving so soon Malik?” Brandon called out from behind the crates.
“You’re a dead man Brandon!” Malik yelled back. “You just don’t know it yet!”
“We’ll see about that.”
Meanwhile, Brock was waiting for the perfect moment to catch Nasir slipping. Nasir was hiding out behind a metal pillar.
When Nasir showed up at Brock’s place that night and threatened to kill everyone he loved, as well as ruin his career, Brock knew that he would have to kill him. He told Brock that Brandon had screwed over the wrong person and there was a price on his head. He warned Brock that if he or any of the other officers running with Brandon interfered that they would suffer terribly.
To prove his point he rattled off a few addresses that Brock
instantly recognized and that was all he needed to hear to get the picture. Brock gave his word that he wouldn’t involve himself, but he knew he couldn’t abandon his partners. Now here he was in the middle of a shootout in some abandoned warehouse trying to take down the man who threatened his and his family’s life.
“You can’t hide forever mutha’fucka!” Nasir yelled out at Brock.
“Who said I was hiding?”
“I knew you wouldn’t listen to my warning. You want to die don’t you? Did you say goodbye to that family of yours yet?
“Only person dying here tonight is you.”
“I doubt that,” Nasir said as he came from behind the metal pillar and started shooting his way over to Brock. Brock came up to send some bullets back and was hit in the shoulder. He retreated and slid down to the floor grabbing at his shoulder. He grimaced as he pulled the neck of his shirt down to check his wound. The bullet had gone clean through.
“That’s only a small fraction of what I plan to do to you,” Nasir called out. He had moved from his original spot and was now crouched down behind some crates that weren’t too far away from where Brock was. “What’s the matter? Cat got ya tongue bitch?”
Brock remained where he was. He ripped the sleeve off his shirt and did his best to use the ripped material as a temporary bandage. He wanted Nasir to keep talking so he could get the drop on him. It was as if someone was on his side, because while Nasir was running off at the mouth, he backed into the crates and gave away his position.
Brock stood up with no hesitation and fired at those crates until his clip was empty. There was no movement for a while, but Brock wasn’t taking any chances. He listened closely until he could hear the sound of someone gasping for air. With his gun still drawn at the ready, Brock took slow and deliberate steps towards the fallen crates that once stood as Nasir’s cover. When he looked over the crates, he saw that Nasir was lying flat on his back wheezing and grabbing at his chest. The shots hit him twice in the chest and once in the leg.
Brock grimaced down at the dying Nasir and kicked the gun lying next to him to the side. Removing a fully loaded clip from the pocket of his cargo pants, Brock reloaded his gun, cocked it back and aimed it at Nasir’s head. His eyes were bulging out of his head as he still tried to breathe. Brock showed no sympathy as he pulled the trigger. The wheezing stopped instantly and Nasir’s body lay lifeless on the cold concrete floor.
Malik was being guarded by his men as they made their way to the stairs that led to his office. “Malik! Malik are you ok?” Terry yelled from the entrance of the stairwell.
“Terry, go back upstairs!” Malik yelled back to her. “You and the baby don’t need to be down here right now.”
“I was worried about you.”
“I’m good. Now go back upstairs!”
Just then Terry screamed. Malik turned around to see that Brandon had Terry in a choke hold with his gun aimed at her head.
“Brandonnnnn! Let her go!” Malik growled and pointed his gun at his brother. His men had their guns turned on O’Malley, Zane and Brock. No one noticed that Vladimir had slid into the caged stairwell and had made his way to the second floor. The men up there had been taken out during the shootout, so he didn’t have any issues finding his way to Malik’s office.
“This bitch right here?” Brandon smiled evilly and shook his head. “No can do my brotha. You see, I would have enjoyed nothing more than to just kill you and be on my way. But somehow there’s a higher being on my side that made it possible for me to make you suffer first.”
“I should have blown your fucking head off when I had the chance.”
“But you didn’t because you are nothing but a coward. Had to get your man to do your dirty work. You know where he is now?” Brandon nodded his head and looked in the direction where Nasir’s lifeless body lay.
Malik followed Brandon’s eyes. His jaws tightened in anger when he saw that Nasir was dead.
“I have never been one to do a lot of talking, but due to these circumstances, I think it would only be fair to tell you the truth before you die.” Brandon nudged his gun into the side of Terry’s head so hard that she screamed. “You care to tell my dear brother our secret?”
Confused, Malik looked at Brandon and then at Terry.
“Terry?” Brandon nudged his gun into the side of her head again. “Go on tell him.”
“What is wrong with you?” she cried. “You’re sick!”
“Not as sick as Malik will be. Now tell him bitch!”
Terry kept her red and tear-stained eyes down to the ground. “Brandon, please stop this.”
Brandon cocked his gun and said. “That wasn’t a request.”
Malik had all his attention focused on Terry. It was obvious that something was going on that he didn’t know about. “Tell me what, Terry?”
Terry shook her head as if she was trying to wake herself up from a bad nightmare. Malik called her name again and she just about passed out.
“Malik, I’m so sorry.”
Even though he hadn’t heard her reason for being sorry, he felt his gut tighten and anger began to resurface. “Sorry about what? Tell me what’s fucking going on.”
Terry cried and felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t believe that she was about to tell her man, the love of her life, the most devastating news that he would ever hear. She wished that she could take that gun that Brandon held to her head and kill his conniving, crazy ass with it. The longer she lingered the more the news would cut deep, so she took a deep breath and looked Malik in the eyes.
“This baby...is…isn’t yours.”
“What? Whose is it then?” he asked through clenched teeth.
Terry dropped her eyes again. Malik stared at her and then at Brandon and back at Terry again.
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Tell me that you aren’t saying what I think you’re saying.”
Terry just cried. “Malik, I love you baby. I’m so sorry. This was all a mistake. I wish I could take it back, but...”
There was a loud bang and time seemed to stand still for a moment as everyone stood looking in shock at what they’d just witnessed. When Terry’s body hit the ground, Malik felt like his breath had been knocked out of his body.
“As I said, I was never one for too much talking,” Brandon said nonchalantly.
“You son of a bitch!” Was all Malik could muster to say before he started blasting at Brandon. His men followed suit and started shooting at the other officers as they all ran for cover.
“Brandon, you’re dead.” Malik continued firing. Each time he pulled that trigger, he kept seeing Terry’s body fall to the floor.
“I thought you would be more appreciative that I helped you see that bitch for who she really was. She was an unloyal whore.”
Malik had taken cover behind one of the metal pillars. He had his eyes fixed on the crates that Brandon was hiding behind. They both knew that only one of them would walk away from all of this, but they were both determined that it wouldn’t be the other.
“There’s no need to prolong this dance Malik. I’ll tell you what, if you give up, I’ll make your death quick and painless. What do you say?”
Several bullets went flying in Brandon’s direction.
“That wasn’t quite the response I was looking for,” he said with a chuckle.
They shot back and forth at each other until both of their clips were empty. Malik stepped out into the open and summoned for Brandon to show his face.
“Guns are for pussies. We can settle this the old fashioned way.”
“I’m not a little kid anymore Malik. This won’t be like that time when I was running smack for Vice. And Ma ain’t here to stop us. This time I’m going to kill your ass.”
Malik gestured for Brandon to follow through on his threat. Brandon removed his vest and his duty belt. He let those items fall to the ground as he walked towards Malik. He balled up his fist and took a fighting stance smiling at Malik enticingly.
�
��I’m gonna make you pay for killing my girl and my baby.”
“I can see I’ll have to beat some sense into you. That was my baby, bro.”
Malik charged at Brandon and swung, missing his head by an inch. Brandon moved out of the way just in time to come back with a hard kick to Malik’s right leg. That hit caused Malik to lose his footing for a second, but he recovered quickly and came back with a left hook that caught Brandon square in the jaw.
Brandon tried to grab Malik into a headlock and they tussled for a while until Malik was able to break free and throw more punches Brandon’s way. Brandon got some jabs in as well, but none of them were hard enough to stop the raging storm in Malik. He was out for blood and his only mission at that point was to beat the life out of his brother. He had betrayed him and killed the only woman he loved. The only calm to Malik’s storm would be to hear Brandon take his last breath and he intended on making that happen.
“I’m tired of playing games with you,” Brandon said as he wiped the blood from his mouth. He then pulled a knife from his ankle revealing it’s large blade and dared Malik to try him.
“Weak men fight with weapons.”
“And pussy’s cry over dead bitches.”
Brandon swung his blade and it caught Malik’s shoulder. He stumbled backwards, grabbing at his arm. He grimaced at the instant pain it caused. His fingers were painted with his own blood, but he didn’t let that stop him.
When Brandon tried to cut him again, Malik charged him and tackled him to the ground. The hard impact knocked the wind out of Brandon and his knife went sliding across the cemented floor. Malik held Brandon down with his weight while he delivered hard blows to his head. When Brandon tried to block the blows to his head Malik moved his punches down to his chest and ribs.
With blood dripping into his swollen eyes, the disoriented Brandon managed to block one of Malik’s blows and hit him in the temple. That impact made Malik roll off of Brandon and by the time he was able to shake it off, Brandon had already scurried to his feet and picked up the gun belonging to one of Malik’s dead men. He stood over Malik and aimed the gun at his head.