Exchange in Disaster
EARLIER THAT SAME DAY…
A little while after the meeting was called off at The Vanilla Unicorn, Franklin walked right out of the door to the back area of the strip club. The only thing on his mind was how he was about to enter the Rancho Projects without having the Vagos wanting to gun him down.
It was going to be a tough feat, but he had to do it. He wanted to go into the area alone and have no weapons. He only asked Michael and Trevor for support in case something was to go down. However, he was hesitant in asking Lamar for support.
"Hey, Trevor, I'll holla at you later," Lamar said as soon as the door opened and he faced inside through the doorway. "Later, dog. Peace."
Franklin stood there in the alleyway facing the streets of Strawberry will of the traffic passing by. All he could think about was the safety of his woman, as well as going in there to try to make a peaceful negotiation. He had a bad feeling, which was why he asked his main friends for help on this.
"Hey, nigga," Lamar said. The moment Franklin heard Lamar's voice, he turned his attention right towards him.
"Oh, hey, dog," Franklin said.
"Look, nigga," Lamar said. "What do you think I should do?"
Franklin took a deep breath as he turned around to face his friend with his back facing the traffic on Strawberry.
"I'll text you to come in if shit gets heavy," Franklin said. "Better yet, I'll tell Trevor to call you to bring the Families OG's if they all try fuckin' with me."
"Well, you know somethin', partna," Lamar said. "I got a reason to be out in the fuckin' war zone if shit was to get hot, ya know? I'm finna bring some of the G's to help shoot up all those Vago motherfuckers who fucked with us. Also, what's this I hear you ain't going in strapped?"
"I'm tryna play this smart, homie," Franklin said with so much determination in his voice. "If I'm heated, then they think I'm finna go in there in and clap that fool Big Queso. I ain't tryna shoot nobody if I don't have to. I just want them to back off. But that don't mean I won't handle Liz's asshole ex."
"You gotta understand, homie," Lamar said as they started walking down the alleyway to find their vehicles. "It would be smart for you get your shit done and then take care of those Vago fools. You see, those cats fuckin' shot up the hood, then we gotta shoot up their hood."
"You must think this is all a fucking game, don't you?" Franklin said as they got close to the parking lot with their vehicles. "My beef is only with that motherfucker Alonzo. That's all I want to take care of. You need to get your facts straight. That fool shot up the hood as a way of sending a message. It wouldn't have mattered if it was me or if it was my aunt, or anybody. I don't want you to go in and start shooting up their hood."
"The fuck you talking about?" Lamar said.
Franklin sighed, "Never mind."
"No, tell me," Lamar said in a demanding tone.
"I know you too well, dog," Franklin said. "You want to be like the gangbangers of the 80s and 90s. Well, you know something. I may have killed a lot of people, but that don't mean that it feels good to do it. I don't do that shit for fun. And I just remembered one thing."
Franklin paused for a few seconds. "When Liz and I were going back to my crib last night, what did y'all do with that fool we tortured and those two bitches?"
"You don't need to worry about what we did with them," Lamar said. "After all, we might need to send a message to those motherfuckers who wanna fuck with us. Shit, dog, you ain't puttin' it down for Forum no more, so I gotta do what I can and get the Gs to put it down. You used to be down, 'member?"
As they continued to stand close to their cars, Franklin sighed once more.
"Listen, I just don't want no shit to go down. You can help, but I don't want you to fuck up shit out there. 'Sides, Mike and Trevor are only gonna help me if shit do get hot out there. They only gonna snipe fools."
Franklin approached his green Bagger and was about to put on his helmet. "Just promise you ain't finna fuck shit up."
Lamar looked away for a bit and sighed a bit. "A'ight, I ain't gonna fuck up any a ya shit. You got my word." He then held his hand out and slapped dap with Franklin.
"Okay, I hope you see shit my way, dog," Franklin said. "I'ma hit you up later. I'll go over the plan with you, Trevor, and Michael before I'ma hit up Rancho."
Lamar nodded his head as Franklin put on his helmet and started up the bike and then moved backwards before he went on his way. Lamar looked on with a look on his face that showed that he couldn't believe that Franklin doesn't trust him. But really, after a lot of things that Lamar put Franklin through, can one really blame Franklin for feeling that way?
After Franklin took off, Lamar's cellphone rang. He noticed it was a fellow Families member calling up.
"Hey, what's up?" Lamar said. "What? Are you fucking kidding me? Those two are fucking dead?! Shit! Look, I'ma be in the hood in a few minutes. Just wait for me, dog."
Franklin lied on the floor of Big Queso's kitchen and looked directly at the floor. He suddenly felt some movement as he lied on the floor and saw that he was moving backwards. It only meant that Queso, Chavo, and Eduardo were dragging Franklin.
He knew he was in trouble. It was at this moment that he felt that he should have come in strapped.
Big Queso opened a door and turned on the light. Chavo and Eddie picked up Franklin to his feet and then saw that he was in the bathroom. In a matter of seconds, Chavo and Eddie shoved Franklin into the bathtub. He looked up right at the three Vagos.
"Listen, you two," Big Queso said. "We take care of this vato right here and then we go handle shit outside, comprende?"
Big Queso then drew a double-barrel shotgun and pointed it right at Franklin's face.
"You come into my fucking pad and try to call a peace offering?" Big Queso said. "Only for your Family vatos to come in and try to start shit with us? You gonna bleed for this, homes."
Eduardo then turned on the faucet in the tub. Franklin lied in there in an awkward position with his upper body in the tub as his lower body is right out the tub and his legs touched the floor. Big Queso poked the shotgun barrels right to Franklin's face.
"If you're a religious man, ese, you better say one last fucking prayer," Big Queso said.
"Wait, listen to me right fucking now," Franklin said. "I'm telling you right now. I ain't had nothin' to do with that shit outside right now. I only wanted you guys to back off. That's all. I ain't strapped."
"Why should we believe you?" Big Queso said, as he moved the barrel right to Franklin's eyes. "Answer me, god damn it!"
"Listen, I am loaded," Franklin said. "If y'all listen, I can give y'all a lot of money."
"You think that's going to work here, ese?" Chavo said.
"That's the only way you value your life if you pay us?" Eddie said.
"I came in here all by myself, ya hear?" Franklin said. "Y'all know I ain't got no fuckin' weapons on me. Why would I not be strapped if I knew this shit would go down? If I pay y'all 25 Gs, will y'all let me go?"
Suddenly, Big Queso moved the shotgun away from Franklin's face and then looked right at Eddie and Chavo, who gave him looks of skepticism.
"Nah, we gonna blow your fuckin' head off," Big Queso said and then point the shotgun right to his Franklin's face as the water was still running on his face.
"Okay, 50 Gs!" Franklin said. "Look, I'm serious about every damn thing said. I ain't got nothin' with the shit that's goin' on outside. I can wire the money and y'all get the fuck off my back, okay?!"
Big Queso then moved the shotgun way from Franklin's face once again and looked to his two cohorts. "Okay, we got a deal. I will call off the hit."
He then grabbed a towel and tossed it to Franklin's head as Eddie and Chavo pulled him up and got him to sit on the toilet that was nearby.
"Look, I know you got problems with Alonzo," Big Queso said. "I promise that we will not go after Liz or any of your friends. You can handle with your own shit with him. Just do it, but if you ask me where he is, I will fucking kill you."
"Got it," Franklin said.
MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE…
Right when the car crashed into the wall, some of the Vagos that were hanging out in the courtyard ran right towards it and looked inside. The person appeared to be dead and had an arm brace on. It turned out to be Cesar, who was in the driver seat and leaned his decaying head right into the steering wheel and the horn.
Out of nowhere, several CGF members started walking with their guns drawn and started blasting away at several Vagos. Some of them were unarmed and bullets even landed on some bystanders who were just hanging out in the vicinity. It just happened to be in that area, as they didn't go to the other section of the Rancho Projects.
Right up above, Michael and Trevor looked on and saw all hell breaking loose at that very moment.
"Do you see Franklin anywhere?" Michael said.
"No, I don't," Trevor said as he looked through the scope and saw a familiar Face below, along with two other CGF members with two women who were in their underwear. That person was Lamar.
"Oh, fuck," Trevor said.
"What?" Michael said.
"I see Lamar down there," Trevor said. "I'm going down there."
"I'll cover you, T," Michael said. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you or F if I see him."
Trevor heard him but he was so determined that the only thing he cared about was the safety of both of his friends.
He dropped onto a flight of stairs and ran right to his Bodhi to look through his weapon stash. He got out an AK-74 and put a magazine in there and got a few other magazines to carry in the event he needs to reload.
Michael remained on the rooftop as his eye looked through the scope at Vagos coming at the Families members. He squeezed the trigger as he popped one right in the dome of a Vago as he dropped with blood and brain matter splattered out of his head.
Several bystanders who were around just took off running in the opposite direction. Another Vago got out with a Mossberg shotgun and started to blast buckshots right at a few of the CGF members who were close by. They all dropped right on impact from each of the buckshots. There was no getting up from that.
However, that same Vago with the shotgun met a 5.56x45mm slug right to the chest and left a huge hole right in it.
Trevor approached Lamar down below right around the corner by the wall with the Virgin Mary mural away from all the gunfire. "Hey, Lamar, what's going on here?"
Lamar turned around and saw Trevor. "Where the fuck is Franklin? I'm finna go in there and find the fool that got him."
"What's with the girls?" Trevor said.
"We finna make a little exchange," Lamar said. "These girls were our little insurance policy. If they got Franklin in there, then these Vago assholes can have these two bitches back."
Trevor leaned right around the corner of the wall and saw that bodies have dropped, until more of them continued to come out and then saw a guy with a yellow football jersey and a yellow rag around his head on the roof of one of the buildings on the other end. His eyes widened the moment he saw that Vago draw what appeared to be an RPG-7.
"Oh, fuck me!" Trevor said as he saw more CGF members coming out on the opposite side of where he, Lamar, the other two CGF members with the two girls. The moment they walked into the courtyard, a rocket-propelled grenade had exploded the moment they stopped. Trevor and Lamar saw that the Vago aimed the rocket launcher towards them.
Trevor signaled to Lamar and the others to back up and then saw more Vagos come in but they were didn't go any closer to in order to stay out of sight of the rocket launcher-wielding gang member. Trevor looked up and saw that Michael was nowhere to be seen on the roof. There was no time to complain as a friend's life was at stake.
It didn't matter to Trevor, as he walked right into the danger zone with his AK.
"COME ON, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!" Trevor yelled. "COME AND GET SOME!"
In less then a second, he sprayed a lot of rounds into the chests of four Vagos who were in the courtyard, as their bodies had dropped near the other bodies of other Vagos and fallen CGF members. A fifth Vago popped out through the door of an apartment with a shotgun and blasted a shot right towards Trevor, who then noticed that it barely missed him by a few inches. But that didn't stop Trevor for popping six rounds into that man's chest as blood sprayed right out of there and then he dropped right to his front with the screen-door open next to his body.
There was only one left standing and that was the man on the roof. Trevor looked right at him as he saw him reloading the rocket launcher. Trevor then loaded a new magazine right into his assault rifle.
He signaled to the Vago on the roof with an expression of "Come on! Come and get me!" When that happened, the Vago was getting ready to aim the rocket-propelled grenade right him. Trevor drew his rifle and aimed it right at him. The Vago was ready to squeeze the trigger and then BANG! A slug went right through his leg. Being that he stood close to the edge of the roof, the Vago then tumbled and fell right from the roof and to the ground below.
Trevor turned around and saw Michael standing around the corner of the building on the other end of the courtyard. The building was close to the parking lot of the projects.
"I thought you ditched me at first, amigo," Trevor said.
"I had to be out of that guy's sight," Michael said. "He would have blown me up."
It wasn't long until a couple of more gunshots were heard, but it wasn't like they were being fired towards anyone. The shots sounded like they were single shots each time. In fact, they sounded like warning shots.
It turned out it was Big Queso, as he was letting Franklin go the moment all of the carnage had stopped. But that didn't stop Lamar from drawing his 9mm and pointing it right at the Vagos.
"Lamar, put the gun down!" Franklin yelled and started walking towards . "I got my shit taken care of."
"That don't fuckin' matter, dog," Lamar said. "These fools shot up the hood. We need to take 'em out."
Big Queso said, "What happened here just got out of hand. We don't need to have any problems. Your friend made a deal with me."
Lamar then looked towards Franklin who had just walked up.
"Oh, so now you making deals with the enemy?"
"I told you not to start any shit, remember?" Franklin said. "Some of the Gs died from all this shit. Look out there!"
Several corpses were laid out on the courtyard from all of the carnage that had just occurred.
"That shit don't matter, nigga!" Lamar said. "You wanna know something! I got a call and they told me that Tonya and JB got shot up earlier. They dead, fool!"
"What? JB and Tonya are dead?!" Franklin said as he raised his hands and put them to his head.
"Look, you and I are gonna have a few words about this," Franklin said. "I need to go see my girl now. Then I'm finna handle all that shit with her ex."
"How's that gonna go down if you kill one of these cats?" Lamar said.
"Like I told you, I made a deal with the shot-caller," Franklin said.
Big Queso said, "Hey, all of you get the fuck out of here!"
"Wait," Franklin said. He signaled to the other two CGF members who had the two girls. "These are the girls that were with your boy. Don't worry, they ain't hurt her." He then looked to Lamar and talked under his breath. "Y'all didn't do any of that shit to them, did you?"
"The fuck?! Hell no!" Lamar said. "We don't do that shit!"
"Whatever, dog, let's get the fuck out of here," Franklin said.
As Franklin, Trevor, Michael, Lamar, and the other two CGF members were walking out of the Rancho Projects area, a yellow Tornado was parked around a corner and then started to move the moment they saw them walk.
As they walked, the Tornado started rolling towards them and a Vago on the passenger side held an Uzi right out the window and started blasting. Almost everyone ducked the moment the shots started firing. The two CGF members got up and drew their weapons. One who was wearing a green hoodie and blue jeans drew a Mac-10. The other who was wearing a green Feuds jersey and Feuds hat drew a 9mm pistol and started firing at the Tornado. Several bullet holes were shown in the trunk area of the car as it continued to roll on out of there.
The two CGF members turned around saw Franklin tending to Lamar, whose stomach was bleeding from the shots from the Uzi. Blood then started oozing out of his mouth.
"Come on, Lamar, you got to fight to fight this," Franklin said, as he breathed and tear trickled from his right eye.
Trevor and Michael were nowhere to be found, until a red Bodhi pulled up. Franklin was not about to go get his Buffalo as the only thing that mattered was getting Lamar some help. The closest ones were the Central Los Santos Medical Center and the Pillbox Hill Medical Center. However, one was closer, and that was the Pillbox Hill one.
Franklin carried the wounded Lamar and Michael went onto the bed of the truck and helped lie him down. Franklin then climbed onto the bed by climbing over the tailgate.
Trevor stepped on the gas and ran several red lights. He didn't care. He wanted to take Lamar to the hospital. Franklin held Lamar in his arms.
"We gonna get you some help, dog, just hang in there!" Franklin said.
"Franklin…," Lamar slowly said. "Hear…this…homie."
At that speed, it didn't seem like Lamar had that much long.
"I'm…sorry…for," Lamar said as he continued to try to breathe and fight for his life.
"Sorry for what, dog? Just tell me!" Franklin said.
"All…of…this," Lamar said and then his hand dropped from Franklin and his head dropped to his right.
"Lamar, Lamar! Say something, nigga!" Franklin said.
He looked at Lamar some more, who was pretty much gone at that point.
"Come on, dog! Say something!" Franklin yelled as his voice started cracking a bit. Michael then turned around and saw that Franklin started crying over his fallen friend. Franklin told Trevor to keep going to the hospital so that they could drop off Lamar's body. He didn't think that it would get this out of hand, but it did.
Later on, after they had dropped off Lamar's body at the hospital, they took Franklin back to Rancho so that he could get his car.
"I'll hit you guys up later," Franklin said. "I got a lot of shit on my mind right now."
As he walked away, Trevor and Michael looked at their friend with so much worry on their faces.
"You think he's going to be okay?" Michael said.
"He'll be alright," Trevor said. "I know that Franklin and Lamar have had their problems, but I know that deep down he cared about him. We need to leave him alone for a bit. Come on, let's go. I'll drop you off at your house."
Franklin slowly walked towards his car. He opened the door to the driver seat and sat down with his head down. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He wasn't sure that it was bound to happen sooner or later, but it did. Everything got out of hand. It was possible, if likely that Lamar would still be alive if he hadn't gone in like he did. He did want to make the exchange, but what caused hell to break loose was the car crashing and the CGF members going in and start blasting.
He got out his phone and went right to his contacts and then reached Liz. He called her. It didn't take long for the call to get through.
"Hey, baby, what's going on?" Franklin said.
"Well, hello…Franklin," a male voice said.
"Hold up, who this?" Franklin said. "Why do you got Liz's phone?"
"Oh, don't worry, Liz is fine," the man said. "She is right where she belongs, with me!"
It dawned on him on who he was talking to.
"Alonzo! Where is she?!" Franklin said.
"She's close by, but she can't get to the phone right now," Alonzo said. "Why don't we meet up somewhere so we can have a nice chat? Meet me under the Olympic Freeway, where you took me that one time. We need to talk."
"You better not fucking hurt her," Franklin said.
"Oh, I won't, at least not yet," Alonzo said. "You better come alone. I heard that you putas shot up our pads. That's not cool, pendejo. I'll see you in a bit."
Franklin immediately hung up the phone. First he loses his best friend, now his girlfriend has been kidnapped. This has been a rough few days for Franklin Clinton.
Author's note: Yes, Lamar bit it. I was a bit hesitant to do this, but a friend gave me this idea, but it was different than what he suggested. Besides, while it was tragic, it was kind of karmic. I'm not saying he deserved it, but sometimes the life you lead while catch up to you. Besides, a lot of these sequences were inspired by Training Day, Menace II Society, and also Set It Off. Also, the part about calling off the hit was sort of inspired by the first John Wick movie, but I am not sure if a confrontation between Franklin and Big Queso will happen. It's unlikely as the deal was made. Plus, the part about him letting Franklin go handle Alonzo was a bit inspired by the 2007 movie Death Sentence.
The final confrontation is near, by the way. I will do that in the next chapter and I think I might end it at 22 with an epilogue. I shall see.