Status Quo_The Last Ones Standing

by Monique Chanae

  “Thanks, Skip.” Nefertari said before disconnecting their call.

  “Why wasn’t I told that you were coming?” Nefertari asked finally letting go of her tension.

  “I don’t know. To be honest with you I just found out about this side of my family a little while ago.” Doing a quick once over of her surroundings, Nefertari suggested that they carry their conversation inside the house.

  For close to an hour, Nefertari and Cori chatted about everything going on with Sven and what they needed to do to reiterate that they were number one on the underground circuit. They agreed that Cori would take on the guise of Tari’s personal trainer to throw off anyone who may be watching them. Once Nefertari agreed, the two women talked more and realized they had a lot in common being women in such a male dominated industry.

  "I'm going to head out and take care of something right quick. I'll be back soon. You should be heading out as well." Cori said walking towards the door.

  “For what?" She followed close behind her.

  "It's time for you to pick up Kiyan." Cori chuckled. Tari flipped her wrist and glanced at her watch. Time had flown by while she and Cori talked.

  “Oh shoot, I got fifteen minutes until Kiyan gets out of school. I need to leave now if I'm going to make it." Tari said as she grabbed her keys and purse.

  "I'll see you later. Remember to watch everything going on around you not just in front of you." She told her. Cori waited to make sure Nefertari safely got off of her block before she too pulled out of her spot alongside the curb.

  Chapter 23

  Nefertari arrived at the school just as they were letting out and stepped out of her vehicle to receive Kiyan when she saw him.

  “Tari! Tari!” a familiar voice called out to her. Swiveling her head in the direction of where the voice traced from, Nefertari looked up and saw her father walking towards her.

  “What are you doing here, Daddy?” she said as she outstretched her arms and embraced him.

  “No, the question is baby girl, what are you doing here? I told you the other day that I was picking Kiyan up and taking him to a ball game with me. Are you okay?” Nefertari thought for a second and remembered her conversation with her father from a few days ago.

  “Yeah, I guess I’ve just been so busy it totally slipped my mind.” Nick looked into his daughter’s eyes and saw there was more to it that what she was letting on.

  “Nefertari Tnicyo Parker-Stevens – what’s going on with you, girl? You know you can’t BS me, baby girl so spit it out.” Nick Parker was not letting up. He could tell there was something bothering his baby girl and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. Nefertari let out a heavy sigh looking down at her shoes for a moment before finally looking up and locking eyes with her father. The warm chocolate that colored his pupils always put her mind at ease and for a moment she almost felt like a little girl again.

  “It’s just work, Daddy. We’re implementing a lot of new changes that a lot of people may or may not agree with and I guess it’s getting to me.”

  “Baby Girl, you’ve always loved a challenge. When you got promoted to general manager, you knew all the added extras that came along with the job and you didn’t let that deter you one bit. You’ve faced huge obstacles before and this is nothing more than another hurdle on the way. You probably just need to relax and breathe. You’re thinking way too hard about it.”

  “I guess you’re right, Daddy.”

  “I know I am. I’ll tell you what; your mother and I have been missing our grandson more than usual so how about we keep him with us for a few days and while he’s spending time with us, you get your head right.” He offered gently tapping her forehead causing her to giggle.

  “Daddy I appreciate the offer but I can’t do that to you and Ma. That’s putting you guys out of your way.”

  “Tari, I’m not asking for permission.” Nick said in a stern and steady tone. Grabbing her by the hand, Nick led Nefertari over to her car and opened the door for her to get in.

  “Go home and get some rest. I’ll let Kiyan call you before he goes down for bed.”

  “Daddy I”

  “Goodbye Nefertari.” Nick closed his daughter’s door and waved to her. Reluctantly she started the car up and drove away. As she drove she thought about how she hated that her father could read her like a book even as an adult but she didn’t lie. Her current stress was due to work; just not the bank he was referring to. Shooting a quick text to Jason, she let him know she was on her way.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Using her own set of keys a short time later, Nefertari let herself into the Hennessey household. Jason stepped out from the living room when he heard her enter the house and walked over to greet her.

  "Anything new?" She asked after giving him a hug.

  "Kumar was able to track both numbers. The IP address attached to the messages Rell's got match up but the one for mine doesn't. It traces back to some spot out in McDonough. I had some guys run by there but they said it's been abandoned. Hasn't seen any action in years."

  "Okay and what about the address for Rell's messages? Where do those ping from?" She asked setting her briefcase on the table and taking a seat.

  "He's looking into that now."

  "Jason, let me ask you something." Nefertari asked turning the conversation around.

  "Shoot."

  "Did Stevens Moving and Hauling get any new contracts within the last 6-9 months?" Jason pondered her question for a minute before responding.

  "Nah, not that I can recall. Why what's up sis?"

  "I was looking over some statements earlier and the same name popped up twice on my reports." Nefertari began shuffling through her paperwork until she found the ones she was looking for and then laid it out on the table for him. Jason picked up the papers and read the name aloud.

  "The Francis Firm. Tari, I never heard of these people before."

  "Me either. Hey Kumar." She called out to him from the other room.

  "Yeah Boss Lady?"

  "If I give you a name, can you search that one without interrupting your tracking?"

  "Yeah, hang on a second...” Kumar said preparing himself to open another program on the computer. “What's the name?"

  "The Francis Firm. And then look up Ken and Ashley Francis. I need to know who these people are."

  "You got it!" Kumar quickly got to work inputting the names into his computers database.

  "Yo! I just got another email." Rell called out from the kitchen. Jason and Nefertari both rushed into the kitchen and surrounded him, watching for him to share.

  "It’s the old mill in Cary, the one we used to use a couple years back."

  "Um, Boss, you might want to take a look at this." Kumar called out. Nefertari and Jason both walked over to him to see what he was talking about. He was referring to the fact that the Francis Firm had bought the Cary mill a little over a year ago and they had been buying property and stakes in different Illinois businesses during that time span and the only business to not sign a deal with them was Stevens Moving and Hauling.

  "Were you able to locate a website for them? They're buying some of everything from laundromats to condos. Who are these people?" Tari asked in great curiosity.

  "Father-daughter team Ken Francis and Ashley Francis have been in real estate for over 10+ years adding growth to some of the world's most cultured areas." Nefertari glanced over at Jason with her face frowned up.

  "Jason didn't you say Carter's wife name was Ashley?" She asked him.

  Jason face became reddened from how angry he was. Looking over at the computer screen, he saw a picture of the father-daughter business duo and flew into a fit of rage.

  "Tari, that's Carter's fucking wife! Francis must be her maiden name. Fuck!" He picked up a chair and tossed it across the room.

  Tari stood there while a million thoughts ran through her head. "It all makes sense now. The reason Carter really chose to stay in town longer than he was supposed to." She m
umbled but everyone heard her due to the fact they were standing within a few feet from each other.

  "That bitch set us up for the okey-doke! I can't believe I fell for his bullshit. Pretending like he was sticking around to show his support. Then I brought my fucking wife around them." Jason stopped and looked at Tari.

  "They have my fucking wife, Tari! Carter and Ashley have Chase! And they kidnapped a fucking baby! That’s low even for Carter’s ass." Nefertari embraced Jason in her arms and tried soothing them but she knew her efforts were futile. Chase was his other half and he was probably guilt tripping about not being able to stop this.

  “If we do nothing else, we will get them all back and they will be alive when we do. If nothing else, Chase is a fighter, brother. There’s no way in Hell she’s going down without giving the fight of her life.”

  “For Carter’s sake, he and his bitch better get ready for a closed casket memorial.”

  Chapter 24

  The scent of rusted metal still surrounded the steel mill even though it hadn't been opened or utilized in years. It was one of the first things the Francis father and daughter duo purchased upon setting up shop in Chicago. They had plans of slowly taking over, one property at a time and so far they were doing good but once they got rid of their only real competition things would be moving even smoother.

  The sound of a throat being cleared caused Ken and Ashley to both turn and face the direction in which the sound came from. Ashley smiled at the sight of her husband walking towards them. She loved the way he had bossed up in the last couple of months and standing before her in a black suit, white dress shirt and oxblood colored tie, she was getting turned on by the second. She walked and met him halfway across the room before stopping and standing directly in front of him.

  "The look of commander and chief surely fits you, baby. Did you send out the next set of instructions for Rell? What exactly is our next move?" She asked him. She was anxious with anticipation. The thrill of being a hustler’s daughter and a gangster’s wife made her all the more excited. She couldn’t wait to place the crown of underground royalty on her head like her slain mother.

  "I would like to know the answer to that as well." Her father stated as he stepped closer to them. Carter gently pushed Ashley to the side of him and stood toe to toe with her father. He had never really cared for Ken Francis but once he heard of his clout and the way he got money, he knew it would be better to try and finesse him than to go up against him.

  “Like I said before, Rell isn’t some dumb cat. He knows he’s on borrowed time. Serena and that baby are just pawns. Chase too. But I’ve got a better shot at dragging Jason out of hiding without getting Rell to help lure him.”

  “The wife.” Ashley said as if a light bulb went off in her head.

  “Exactly. He’ll move Heaven and Earth for Chase. And I already sent Rell the address to this place. They’ll be here soon.”

  “Why the fuck would you do that?” Ken barked aggressively.

  “To buy us time and weed them out.”

  “That was real fucking stupid of you, kid.” Ken shook his head at Carter’s carelessness.

  “So far we’ve been able to stay several steps ahead of them all because of the way we sent out clues. Jason is too much of a street nigga to try and track us down himself. He’s probably waiting on a ransom call. So, we give him one from this location. Chase and them aren’t even here anyway. And when they roll up here, we’ll be waiting to take them out. Sven Power will be ours in a matter of days.”

  “You better hope so because I’ve backed you for this long and if I come out empty handed, I’ll be taking your life as collateral instead. My daughter will just have to settle for being a fucking widow.”

  “I have faith in my Husband.” Ashley stepped up in between her father and Carter. “Jason Hennessey will be dead by morning.” She declared.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Chase’s wrist fell limp as she tried for the millionth time to wriggle out of her handcuff restraints. She had been handcuffed to a steel pipe for a few days now and to be honest, she was starting to lose hope. Her mind constantly replayed the day she was kidnapped and for the life of her she couldn’t understand how she got caught so off-guard.

  Her keys jingled as she locked up her fitness studio for the evening. She had sent all her trainers home about two hours ago while she opted stayed behind and go through paperwork. As she stepped onto the elevator to reach the parking structure, her stomach felt hollow but she chalked it up to having skipped lunch that day. As she slowly walked through the parking garage to her car an eerie feeling swept over her but again she ignored it. Mere inches away from her car a figure stepped out of the shadows and called out to her. Chase knew she had never seen this person before a day in her life and the fact that they called her by name immediately sent her body into fight or flight mode and since there was a short distance in between them, she made a run for it. While running she tried to pull her phone out and call Jason on the emergency speed dial but the phone fell out of her hand. Just as she reached the stairwell another unknown person stepped from the shadows and hit her square in the face with their fists. Chase immediately stumbled backward, and the two men swiftly grabbed her arms and legs and carried her down one level before tossing her into the trunk of their vehicle. She had been knocked out cold.

  She felt her legs going to sleep again as she alternated sliding down the pipe to sit and standing back up on her feet. Her self-respect was slowly deteriorating as she had to relieve herself without the proper facilities and she knew one of her eyes was swollen shut from the impact of the punches. She had no idea who had kidnapped her or how long they planned on keeping her for but little did she know, she was soon going to find out…

  Slow clapping sounds echoed throughout the facility through the intercom system which immediately jarred Chase’s attention. The intercom slightly roared with static for a moment before a familiar voice could be heard speaking from afar.

  “By now you’re all probably wondering what it is you’re doing here.” Ashley’s voice echoed throughout the old factory building via intercom. Chase’s eyes immediately grew at the sound of her voice as she tried to wriggle her way out of her ropes.

  “That raggedy bitch!” she shouted as if Ashley were standing before her and could hear her.

  “To be honest, you are all just pawns I need to reel in the big fish. Consider yourselves shark bait.” She cackled. “No matter how hard somebody has tried to take down Sven Power, they always manage to come out on top… But that so called solid reign is about to be over.”

  “Carter! I knew there was something up with him wanting to reconnect with all of us all of a sudden. It was all just a setup!” Chase shouted.

  “Oh Chaseeeeeeee.” Ashley sang into the intercom only to annoy Chase more. “I can see you squirming but give it up. You won’t be leaving here until I give you the greenlight.”

  “Oh bitch I hope you can hear me to. As soon as I get out of these cuffs, you’re a dead bitch!”

  “Carter did say you were a fiesty one.” Ashley chuckled having heard Chase from a microphone that was meticulously placed inside the room. “Relax, Chase, if you play your cards right I might just let you live but try some funny shit and you get the first bullet.”

  “You’re talking awfully big shit, Ashley. Tell me what part you play in all of this.”

  “Let me enlighten you a little on my background, Chase. I’m not just a nurse. I’m the Boss. Head bitch in charge. You see, when I turned eighteen, my father gave me my own empire. With 100k in my bank account, I was able to partner with my father to create the Francis Firm – on paper we’re just a real estate duo but behind closed doors we own stake in every single illegitimate business from here to Vegas. Remember how I told you Carter and I ran in the same social circles? Hustlers rock with hustlers, love. I was initially only trying to blindside Carter but after going out a couple of times, I knew I could do so much more with him. He told my f
ather and I about his old stomping grounds here in Chicago and how he could finagle his way to being the man out this way so Daddy made him a deal he couldn’t refuse; get full control over Illinois and they’d merge our two businesses. Guerilla Cartel and The Francis Firm.” She boasted with pride.

  “Wow. So you really think you and Carter will be some kind of power couple huh, girl? Chase asked her.

  “Naturally.”

  “I see I’m not the only pawn in Carter’s little game.” Chase scoffed. “You really think Carter’s going to keep you around after he gets what he wants?”

  “He’s my Husband and he loves me.”

  "Carter doesn't love anyone, but himself. You see what happens to the people he pledges his loyalty to. The moment they don't do things his way he tries to cut them out. I'm dying to see how that plays out for you."

  "You won't live long enough to find out, bitch!"

  Chase chuckled and gave her a simple reply, "We'll see about that."

  Chapter 25

  "I'm telling you, that address is bogus!" Cori exclaimed as she sat in the living room of the Hennessey residence and listened to all the details of their current situation.

  "I tried telling them that." Tari shook her head and replied. For the last two hours she had been trying to talk them out of rolling up to the Cary mill ten cars deep but her talking seemed to have fallen on deaf ears until Cori Romanov stepped through the front door.

  "But Tari what if it's not?” Rell spoke up and asked. The look in his eyes read fear mixed with the emptiness of not knowing and as a parent, Tari felt his pain. “What if my baby is locked in that factory, cold and alone wondering where her parents are. I don't know how Carter and his wife rock but who's to say they haven't already killed them?"

  "Rell, I understand what you're saying, believe me I do but Carter is all about mind games. He likes to fuck you up that way. There's a reason it's taken us so long to realize who was behind all of this. He gave us just enough to get us going and right when we think we have him, he pulls the rug from under us, every single time." Tari explained to him.