He shook his hand trying to ease the pain as he turned to Shaundi. Before he started to speak music started playing from his pocket. He remembered his phone and that neither the cops nor Loren had taken it and left it in his pocket.
He pulled it out seeing an unknown number calling. He hit the answer button and hit the speaker button.
"The body of Mr. Gat will be a message for all who oppose the Syndicate. There is no mercy... Only death. Don't mourn your friend. You'll be joining him soon." The French Fuck hung up.
Shaundi started walking forward down an alley. "Loren's going to pay for this."
The boss followed after her. "We'll need a car... Shaundi do you have any idea where we are?"
Steelport, it's kinda like Bangkok's abusive father."
The boss was surprised of her knowledge of this strange place. "You've been here before?"
She paused for a moment remembering her trip there. "...Spring break."
"Ok what ever... Do you know where we're going." They continued down the alley. They spotted a car down towards the end and the boss checked to see if it was open.
"Look I was really high the last time I was here. Just drive, it'll come back to me." She walked to the passenger side.
He threw his elbow into the window and pushed the unlock button through the now busted hole in the glass. He opened the door and say in the seat as Shaundi got in her side. He pulled some wires from under the steering wheel and pulled some apart in different sections almost sorting them. He grabbed a small bunch in each hand and pushed the exposed wires together. The car flickered a bit then started up.
The boss remembered he was stripped of his weapons and cash. "So about getting a gun..."
"Why don't you just look up friendly fire on your phone."
He pulled his phone but still looked confused, "what?"
He rolled her eyes, "It has GPS right? Check your map."
He clicked through a few things and found the map. He zoomed in on his position and found the nearest friendly fire and set an away point. He then set the phone in front of him and started driving through the unfamiliar streets. He turned to the radio and flipped through a few stations until a news report caught his attention.
"The celebrity of the 3rd Street Saints was put to a violent and destructive test in Stilwater. Patrons of a local bank were subjected to a mock hold-up by this internationally popular gang. However, excitement was replaced with panic when shots rang out and blood began to decorate the lobby. During the ensuing firefight, the bank's vault was ripped from the building, showering rubble down onto the bystanders below. The extent of the damage landed the Saints, like so many celebrities before them, in jail - at least for a few hours. This is Jane Valderamma with your Celebrity Crime News."
The boss then shut it off after it ended and a Nyte Blayde ad started. "We should let Pierce know whats up."
"I texted him, he's bringing the crew." She answered while typing on her phone.
"Looks like well need more guns, any ideas?"
"Yeah we raid the guard armory..." She said it with a sarcastic tone.
"They have on of those here? Right on." He seemed way to excited.
"You can't be serious?" She was now concerned for even giving him the idea.
"We need guns, they have guns... I don't see the problem." Now he was way to calm.
"Getting shot comes to mind." There was no way she could talk him out of it now.
"Blah blah blah bullets blah blah blah... I just flew through a fucking plane." That wasn't a good idea either considering she was scared for her life the whole drop down.
"Also a shitty idea." He really didn't see the risk here.
"Woah Pierce where did you come from I thought I was talking to Shaundi." Now he was just trying to get on her nerves.
"Not cool"
"Cause I mean Pierce, well that guy bitches about everything and..."
"Alright, alright, we'll pick a fight with the military..." She hoped saying it out loud might get him to see her point.
"Good times" Nope, now this just reminder her of when she convinced him to help her break into the police station to hack their traffic cameras and he was concerned.
"Anyone from the spring break days still live around here..." He spoke as he drove and dodged traffic.
"Yeah I keep up with one of my ex's." she typed some more things in her phone.
"His place big enough for the crew?"
"Already offered it to Pierce and the boys." It shocked him how quick and on top of things she was.
"That doesn't really answer the question." He swerved through a bridge.
"I know." She was just giving him short answers now.
They continued driving until they passed a tattoo shop and she looked up, "wow that still exist?"
"What?" The boss followed her eyes.
"That's where I use to score weed." He remembered her past self and it was hard to believe they were the same person.
They passed a few more old buildings turning on the street to their destination. Shaundi just stared out the window to the buildings. "That's where I had my first... Umm.. On second thought that ones kinda personal."
The boss looked over at her and she looked away avoiding his eye contact. He would have question what she was going to say but they pulled up to friendly fire before he could ask. She stepped out quickly and he followed her into the store.
"Here's the cash I have one." She fished out a wad of bills from her front pocket that was probably kept hidden from the cops when she kneed the one doing her pat down.
He took the cash and walked to the counter, he picked out a TEK Z-10 that was sitting under the glass counter. The shop clerk handed him the gun and he placed some bills on the counter and walked out with it in hand.
"Where's this armory?" He asked Shaundi as she followed him to the car.
"Not far its on the GPS." He set his away point again and turned his radio on again and heard an updated report.
"Like some hellish children's book, the sky has fallen in Steelport. Ten people are dead after several cars came raining out of the sky, crushing an apartment building in a fiery blaze. Dozens of bodies, along with a number of crates and mangled vehicles filled the streets nearby. Looters raided the scene before the police arrived, salvaging car stereos and sex dolls from the debris. The city morgue has not released the names of the victims killed in what seems to be a mid-air accident, and no plane wreckage has been found. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Disaster Report."
Again after was a Nyte Blayde as an the boss shut it off. They drove in silence until the reached the a bridge.
"Alright the guns should all be in that warehouse." Shaundi pointed at a heavily guarded building.
"Great...how are we moving everything?"
"Maybe you should have thought about that before attacking an armory." She was always seeing the fault in his plans.
"Yeah yeah... Seriously how are we going to do it." He would have been screwed if she didn't have a plan.
"Don't worry Pierce has it covered." And again she set something up saving his ass.
"Guess they're not letting us in." The boss plowed his car through it the first guard station.
"Shooting them probably doesn't help change their minds." She said this sarcastically as she watched her boss drive around them shooting through the window.
He rammed down the gate and stopped the car after hitting a few guards. They then both got out and proceeded with their weapons drawn shooting anyone in sight. Shaundi wielded a shotgun while the boss shot down people with his pistol.
"Gez look at the size of that thing... Bet that's a hell of a way to end a gun fight." Shaundi pointed out what seemed to be a massive bomb in the middle of the warehouse.
"Good idea, we'll take it with and find out." Now he was insane.
"Yeah right.. Wait your serious aren't you?" She laughed at first then saw he was indeed serious and out of his mind.
They cleared the rest of the warehouse if guards as they checked around for anything useful. They spotted crates of weapons they would soon be taking a searched for more. The boss heard some more guards yell out specifically to protect the bomb so there was no way he was leaving it now. They found more crates and Shaundi searched them
"Here's the weapons cache and these look like UAV drones controls over here." She pointed to some weird technology things on a desk that looked important.
"Looks like UAV drone controls? Who the fuck says that?" he was confused of how she figured out what it was so quickly.
"Ok is this really the time?" She yelled at him over the sirens that had been going off since the boss drove through the first gate.
"I'm just saying..."
They heard more yelling in the distance nearing their position. The boss reloaded his gun as he saw more guards now running. They shot down many and just as they thought they could hold the rest a tank rolled through stopping in front of the warehouse. They were going to need serious help and quickly. Luckily for them the tank could not make it past the large crates in front of the building.
Again as they thought they were in the clear men with riot shields slowly paced to the front line. The boss got lucky hitting a few in the foot before they dropped in pain and the boss hit a kill shot on the now exposed person. He turned just in time to see Shaundi shooting at a guard who deflected all her bullets and smacking her with the shield sending her to the ground. The boss quickly came to get rescue and shot into the guards unprotected back.
He then knelt down lifting Shaundi off the floor and into her feet. "Yeah this really seemed like a better idea earlier on."
"You think." She brushed herself off and picked up her gun.
The boss put his pistols away and now joined Shaundi in a shotgun assault to anyone in range. They soon had their backs against the wall, literally. Shaundi phoned Pierce as the boss covered her.
As soon as he answered she yelled into the phone shooting with one hand. "Pierce where are you."
"You know me..." The sound of a helicopter neared. It was very close now and might have been right above the building. Before any guards entered the building further there was a storm of bullets flying from the sky exploding anything it hit to chunks of metal or flesh flying in the air covering the pavement in blood. "I like to make an entrance."
The path still wasn't clear for the Boss and Shaundi to make their escape. The sounds of more tanks and military personal was heard preparing.
"If we're staying maybe it's time to try those UAV drones." Shaundi pointed the controls out on the counter to the boss.
"Again with the UAV drones."
"Just shit up and use the damn things." She yelled at him with frustration.
He was not about to start an argument with her here and found it funny when she yelled at him. He grabbed one of the screens with the controls attached and started playing like a video game. There was a view if the warehouse and it's surrounding and he aimed it around seeing what they were dealing with outside.
"Why aren't we getting the hell out of here." Pierce yelled at them over his mic.
"The boss won't leave without the bomb." Shaundi answered back watch the boss over his shoulder.
"You got to be kidding me.." He shouldn't have been surprised the boss would do something like this.
"Less bitching more shooting." The boss yelled as he aimed for one of the military cars. He laugh as he heard staff over his headset yell about who was firing the missiles. He continued blowing up anything that crossed the bridge into range.
"You think we got enough guns?" Shaundi asked as she over looked all the crates in the warehouse.
"No such thing." The boss smirked as he took out a tank with a single bullet. Nothing was getting anywhere near them.
"So once we're loaded up we're going after Loren... Right?"
"Don't worry I got a plan."
This concerned her if it was an other plan that involved getting them almost killed. She stopped questioning and watched as he blew up more stuff with the missiles.
The boss could see Pierce loading up outside the building with his sky view. "How's it coming Pierce."
"Almost packed up"
"The sooner the better." He smirked again as he hit three cars in a row sending then flying in the air.
After a few more cars and tanks Pierce called for them. "We're all set get in the copper."
"On our way." The boss reluctantly shut off the controls to the UAV but took them with him. He was having to much fun to leave it behind.
The boss motioned to Shaundi to leave. They ran to the chopper that hovered a few feet from the ground. The boss tossed the controls inside and turned to Shaundi. He stood behind her and placed his hands on her hips lifting her up. She grabbed the edge if the plane and hoisted herself up. He tried keeping his eyes from her ass as she lifted herself above him but quickly shook the thought. She pulled herself to safety and turned to see the boss had already jumped and was pulling himself in.
The sat in the plane and the pilot each handed then a headset. They sat calmly until they heard something coming up quickly behind them. Helicopters.
"Damn it, these guys are a pain in my ass." Pierce yelled over the headset.
The boss and Shaundi both turned to the back of the chopper and dug through the crates they just stole. Luckily they found a heavy duty assault rifles. They both sat at the edge of the open door and watched the enemy near.
"We can't let them blow up the bomb... or Pierce... That'd be bad." Shaundi yelled over the noise of the helicopter as she aimed for the enemy plane.
"I'm on it." The boss aimed his own weapon.
"It'd be easier if these things weren't moving so fast." Shaundi yelled as she tried shooting towards the enemy and missing.
"I'm getting hit here." Pierce complaining again.
They finally synced their shots and hit the propellers of the first enemy vehicle sending down and out of sight in flames.
"Pierce just keep going, we're clearing them out." Shaundi yelled as she fired into more helicopters following behind. A few more appeared from behind some buildings.
"What's taking so long to get those things down." Pierce bitching again.
"Fuck keep it steady up there." Shaundi tried keeping her gun steady.
Another direct hit and one more plane fell into a building. An other disappeared behind tall buildings. It finally emerged in the distance and was shot down before it got to close. As soon as it few two more rose up taking its place.
"What you guys waiting for" Again Pierce bitching.
After weaving through more tall buildings the two picked them of one after an other sending the ball of metal and flames out of control and smashing into something.
"I see my ex's place. Take it down over there." Shaundi pointed to an apartment building in the distance.
"There's going to be enough room for this shit right." Pierce noticed the buildings small size.
"Maybe..." The boss wasn't too sure either.
The helicopter carefully set the bomb on top of the building and unhooked it. Next the boss and Shaundi landed taking as much cargo down with them. Shaundi guided them down the stairs and to the floor of their new apartment. The boss dropped his crate in the living room and explored the small building.
There was the living room right in front with couches and a tv. A small kitchen was attached to the side. There was a single door leading into a bedroom with a mattress in the corner and a busted tv in front. It wasn't much if a place but it would do for now. By the time the crew unloaded the cargo the apartment had even less space as every corner was filled with a crate and weapons leaning on the wall and every surface had guns laid out on it.
The rest of the crew left and all that was left was Pierce, Shaundi, and the Boss. Pierce and the boss had finish laying out the rest of the weapons when Shaundi came.
"So what's next?" She picked up an assault rifle laying near her and inspected it.
"What's next is you go back to Stilwater." He placed a hand on her shoulder and the other on her gun trying to pull it away.
"What? No, this is my fight too!" She jerked the gun back out of his hand and shrugged his hand off her shoulder.
"Girl, you don't get messy. Let us take care of business." Pierce was leaning against some boxes checking the inventory.
"Fuck you, I'm doing this for Johnny." She pointed a finger at him and her eyes started to water once more.
The Boss stepped between them. "Alright. Well, if we're gonna bring in the boys, we're gonna need a new place."
"You're worried about real estate? We have guns, let's use 'em." She shook the gun in the air.
"Relax, Shaundi. We got it all covered." He lowered her weapon.
She set it down on the table. "So I guess we're stuck here for the night."
The guys both nodded setting their weapons down. Pierce looked at the only bedroom in the small space. "I call the bedroom."
Shaundi scoffed and shoved passed him. "In your fucking dreams. You boys can take the couch." She walked into the room and slammed the door behind her.
Pierce looked at the boss and he just shrugged and sat on the couch. Pierce followed not having anywhere else to sleep. At least there was two different couches. They searched the tv channels as the boss listened to Pierce bitch about. "Why can u have the bed, why I gotta take the couch, and I'm always on the couch." The boss ignored him as he continued to search until they found a channel with the news.
A light rain can refresh the soul and wash away the stains of the day. When that rain is several tons of metal, the stains are all that's left of the people caught in the downpour. Several National Guard helicopters suffered from some form of malfunction during what officials are saying was a training exercise. Though several eye witnesses report one helicopter carrying what looked like a bomb, no confirmation is being given. The wreckage is being cleared away and taken for further analysis in the hopes such an event will never happen again. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Breaking News.
The boss smiled and highfived Pierce as they were in the clear now. Nobody would look for them in this shitty apartment now. But then they both heard a sound that stopped their cheering and they looked at each other confused. The boss hit the mute button of the tv. They heard the sound now louder, it sounded someone was crying and sniffling. The boss looked at Pierce confused and Pierce just motioned with his head to Shaundi's room. He just nodded and stood up.
Pierce whispered to him, "should we do something?"
The boss tossed the remote to him, "I'll handle this." And he walked up to the door.
He knocked lightly, "Shaundi, I'm coming in"
He heard her try and say something in protest but she couldn't form complete words. He open the door slowly and stepped in shutting it behind him. There on the bed sat a women almost broken, trying to clean the running mascara from her face and stop her crying, at least while she was in front of her boss.
He sat on the edge of the bed with her and pulled her head to rest on his shoulder. With his other hand he rubbed her back trying to sooth her. "Shaundi, everything's going to be fine. We are going to find that fucker and make him pay. I give you my word, if he's still breathing we aren't going to stop."
She nodded and shut her eyes as tear came from her face but she didn't say a single word or sound. He just brought her in closer and hugged her. "Johnny wouldn't want you like this, he wouldn't want you to mourn. He would want payback."
She nodded again and wiped tears from her face as they slowed. The boss place a hand under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. With his thumb he wiped the rest of her tears away and stared into her eyes. Her face softened and she smiled back at him. "You're right." She spoke softly almost in a whisper.
He smiled back and tucked her head back to rest on his chest. "Am I ever wrong ?"
She laughed and looked up at him, "yeah well there's the time when..."
"Ok shhh we don't have to make a list." He moved his hand from her back. "You should get some sleep. We have a lot to get done tomorrow." He stood up started to walk. He felt something grab his hand stopping him and turning him around. "Can you stay? ...It will make me feel better."
He stared into her eyes and studied her. "Sure." She smiled and released him as she backed up on the bed releasing her hair from her ponytail and getting under the covers. He removed his shoes and got into the bed shutting off the lamp light next to him.
There already wasn't much room in the bed but as soon as his head hit the pillow she crawled even closer next to him. He just laid back with his arms bent above him as his hands supported under his head. He felt her come even closer and laid her head on the crook of his neck as her arm came across his chest. Not long after her leg was draped across his mid section bent at her knee. He dropped the arm on the side she was laying on to wrap around her and rest on her lower back. His other hand landed behind her knee on the leg that was on him and pulled her closer.
Not a word was said but the boss felt her nails lightly scratch on the side of his ribs just barely touching his skin. Without thought his hand on her lower back slowly moved down lightly touching her and down cupping her ass. Her hand came down and smacked his away quickly and he rested it back on her back. "Sorry, it's a habit."
"Mmmhhh"
After a few minutes her fingers stopped moving and her breathing slowed. The only sound that was heard was coming from cars driving by, her soft breaths, and the loud snoring of Pierce in the other room. He shut his eyes listening and feeling every time her chest raised and lowered on his. He tried clearing his mind and falling asleep but every few minutes his thoughts changed to earlier that day. He kept getting images of what went down in that plane. Of his best friend on the other end of the mic talking to them before being killed. That was the last time they would ever see him and he sacrificed himself to save them.
He felt horrible but he had to take his own advise and not mourn for their loss. He wanted to join Shaundi when he saw her and break down but he couldn't, he wasn't allowed to. He had to stay strong for the rest of his crew, it was more important for the saints. He was their rock right now and if that meant no emotions then he would let it eat him inside for on the outside he must show no emotions. Emotions in this gang business was dangerous and could get you killed so he took it and laid the rest of his sleepless night in silence for the woman on him and the rest of the crew depending on him. He knew there would be many more nights like this but hopefully killing Loren would ease the pain in his chest just a little before it built up to the point of him snapping. That's all that he thought of the whole night as he stared up at the roof.