On The Road to Rodgers City
It had been over an hour since the group made it out of Detroit. Police presence along the road was surprisingly light, as the group was able to get out before the police fully locked down the city. They were now driving down the back roads through small towns and discreet countryside. Lincoln couldn't help but find the sights beautiful, as the vast land sat beneath a breathtaking sunset. The dark orange and dark blue sky almost made him forget where he was. He hadn't been out in this area of Michigan, so it was quite a nice car ride for him, ignoring the circumstances.
Chainz drove the van at a steady pace, making sure to obey every road sign and speed limit. He didn't want the police to pull them over since it would very much lead to another gunfight. In the back of the van were Henry and Tommy, both expressing looks of grief at the loss of their friend Jason. Lincoln looked over to the two with sorrow, then back at Chainz.
"Are they going to be alright"? He whispered. Chainz looked at the two in the rearview mirror and sighed.
"They'll be alright. Them biker motherfucka's are like a brotherhood, so when one of them gets popped, it's pretty personal for them. But they'll pull through. They've lost a lot of brothers throughout the years, and they know it's just the nature of this fucked up business," he explained.
"Are you and the Dogs Inferno that close"? Lincoln asked curiously.
"Shit, not really. Us street niggas don't fuck with each other like that. Our gangs ain't really a fucking brotherhood or family. It's just a way to survive and get paid. It adds street cred to your name, so people know not to fuck with you. That's how organizations like the Dogs Inferno, Ballin Heights, and 3 West Side Amigos function. All this shit is just for money and protection. Nothing more and nothing less," said Chainz.
"So, there's no one in this business that you really care about"? Asked Lincoln. Chainz just chuckled a little, as he thought about his years as a criminal.
"Unfortunately, yea, I do. Despite Motherfuckas telling me to not get too fucking close to people in this field, there are a few that I consider friends. Of course, I got my cousin and brother at the mechanic shop, but there are other associates I've grown quite fucking attached to over the years. Tommy's fucking dumbass is one of them. Anyways enough about me, what about you kid? Amongst all the crazy shit we just fucking went through, I haven't had the chance to know you, or ask the burning fucking question of how a fucking little ass kid is mixed up with this fucking shit. You don't look like you were born in no poverty. You look clean and seem educated. So, the fucks the deal man"? Chainz Asked. Lincoln just sighed and slumped down into his seat.
"Well, it's a long story," he said. At this point both Tommy and Henry were now listening to the conversation, still remaining quiet. Despite what they said, they too were curious about Lincoln.
"Shit kid, we still have a long ass drive, so tell away," Chainz said. With that, Lincoln began to tell him everything. The destruction of the meth house, the deal with Mickey and the 54th Mafia, the repo job for Ronney, and the arson job for Misty. While he was explaining this, the smile quickly faded from Chainz's and Henry's faces, as Tommy just stared at the floor in shock. Without any warning, Chainz quickly pulled the van over to the side of the road and whipped out his pistol, pointing the barrel up against Lincoln's head. Henry too whipped out his pistol and placed it behind the seat where Lincoln's head was.
"YOU'RE PART OF THE 54TH MAFIA? MOTHERFUCKER. I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW"! Henry shouted. Tommy immediately jumped up and tried to de-escalate the situation.
"HOLD ON YOU DUMDASS MOTHERFUCKERS, WHAT THE FUCK ARE Y'ALL DOING?" Tommy shouted.
"FUCK THAT SHIT TOMMY. THIS FUCKER IS PART OF THE MILO FAMILY. FOR ALL WE KNOW HE SET US UP AND GOT FUCKING JASON WACKED HOMIE," Chainz shouted. Lincoln meanwhile was cowering in fear, on the urge of tears as he curled up in a ball. He had two guns pointed at his face, in a vehicle with passengers that were now hostile towards him for reasons he didn't know. He was now beyond scared. Tommy quickly lowered both of their weapons with his hands.
"I SAID PUT DOWN YOUR FUCKING GUNS YOU DIPSHIT ASS FUCKING DUMBASSES! Y'ALL NEED TOO FUCKING RELAX AND FUCKING THINK BEFORE Y'ALL JUST GO OFF AND FUCKING KILL SOMEONE," Tommy yelled. Henry and Chainz both looked at each other, then back at the cowering child. They then proceeded to lower their weapons before looking back at Tommy. "I'm not sure if you dumbasses paid any attention to the kids' fucking story, but no, he's not affiliated with the 54th mafia you fucking idiots. For God's sake look at the poor motherfucker. He's scared shitless, he's just a normal fucking child, who is forced to work for Mickey. I fucking doubt the poor kid even understands who the fuck we are or why the fuck y'all just threatened to blow his fucking brains out", Tommy argued.
"Then why'd you invite him to this shit Tommy"? Henry objected.
"I don't fucking know? all I saw was a kid who fucked over the Ballin Heights, whom both our organizations hate with a burning fucking passion. If anyone is fucking crazy enough to provoke them like that, then they're clearly not our fucking enemy." Tommy said. He looked over at Lincoln with a serious look. "Besides, he knows Misty, which allows me to trust him."
"Oh, for fuck's sake Tommy. I love Misty too, we all do. She's like our little sister. But we all know she does shit for our fucking enemies, including the motherfucking 54th fucking Mafia. Just because this little shit knows her doesn't mean she herself trusts him. The only motherfucker in that entire fucking organization that she trusts is Ronney, and even then, that's pushing it. Besides his story could be a fucking lie," Henry retorted. Just then Tommy's phone began to ring. It was an incoming call from Misty. Everyone in the Van looked at each other, then down to the phone. Tommy answered it and immediately put it on speaker.
"Yo, Mist, what's up," Tommy answered.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS! ARE Y'ALL FUCKING DENSE? WHY WOULD YOU FUCKING BRING LINCOLN WITH Y'ALL"? Misty shouted.
"Wait Mist, answer us truthfully. Do you actually know this fucking kid like that? Is he actually forced to be in this life or is he just another scum fuck in the Milos circle jerk of a fucking family"? Chainz asked.
"What? Oh my God, you fuckers better not be threatening the fucking child. Yes, he was forced to work for Mickey. No, he's not part of the 54th mafia, and yes, I'm fucking cool with the little shit. I swear to fuck y'all better not be giving him a hard fucking time," Misty answered. Chainz and Henry both Looked at Lincoln, before sighing and putting their guns away, allowing Lincoln to ease up.
"Sorry about that kid, it's nothing personal," Henry said. Lincoln just calmed himself down, wiping his tears as he cursed under his breath for letting himself look weak. Chainz began to feel bad, as he felt upset for letting his anger take hold of him. Tommy just sighed, before raising the phone up again.
"Everything's fine here Misty. What's wrong"? Asked Tommy.
"You fuckers caused a shit show. Detroit's on an entire fucking lockdown after the fucking mess y'all just fucking caused. Y'all just got new bounties too, here." Misty proceeded to send over Tommy's, Henry's, and Chainz's new bounties, causing the three men to look over at the phone in excitement.
"$600,000? That's it. Man, what a load of shit fuck," exclaimed Chainz at his bounty.
"$850,000? Not bad, not fucking bad at all," said Henry.
"$980,00? FUCK YEA, I'm finally higher than you bitch! Is that why you're mad? You're just jealous your big bro did a big fucking job without you"? Tommy teased.
"No, I'm fucking pissed at you for this," Misty retorted before sending the group Lincoln's bounty.
"Holy shit, hey kid, looks like you're famous," Tommy said as he eagerly showed Lincoln the phone. Lincoln's eyes shot open, as fear began to stream throughout his body.
"Oh my God. No way! $300,00? This can't be real," He began to say in worried. Henry placed his hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down, but to no avail.
"Shit, that's fucking higher than my first bounty," Chainz said.
"Yea looks like the police aren't fucking around," Tommy said.
"Yea, no shit they're not fucking around. Lincoln just killed a fucking cop and ran off with 80 fucking kilos of fucking heroin. What the fuck did you think was going to fucking happen"? Misty said. She took a deep sigh, trying to quell her nerves. "How is he? Is he okay? Is Taylor with y'all"? Misty began to ask.
"Yea he's okay. Though we may have given him a little fright. Though, with you calling, I think that's all fucking gone now. And who the fuck is Taylor"? Tommy asked.
"Don't worry about it. Lincoln, can you hear me"? Misty asked. Lincoln hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Yea…I can hear you Misty," he timidly responded.
"Kid are you alright? Fuck I wish you'd fucking call me first or something before you agreed to go with them. Fuck kid," Misty said.
"Is…is Mickey going to get pissed"? asked Lincoln nervously.
"No, don't worry about that. He won't give a shit as long as you pay him a fucking percentage of whatever you make. Just try not to get killed, alright"? Misty asked. Lincoln responded yes before moving back to his seat.
"Yo Misty, I'm shocked. You seem to be pretty sweet on this boy", Tommy teased.
"Shut the fuck up dick. I'll deal with you later. Just hurry up and deliver those drugs and get the fuck back here. Y'all need to lay low after this shit. Especially Lincoln. The little bastard has been doing major crimes for three days straight. If the police fucking connects him to the repo job and the arson job, his bounty is going to skyrocket, and the fucking FBI is going to get involved with him. By the way, the police frequency channels I hacked mentioned two other guys who were killed. Who the fuck were they"? Misty asked.
Tommy, Chainz, and Henry faced each other nervously, before looking back down at the phone.
"T-Dawg got gunned down at the entrance…And Jason took a fucking bullet to the throat when we were inside the room," Tommy said. There was a moment of silence from Misty, as the group could hear her begin to sob.
"Fuck you, Tommy, just call me when y'all are done," Misty said in a shaky voice before hanging up the phone. The three men looked at each other with uneasy expressions. They knew Jason's death was going to hit Misty. Tommy knew he was going to have to deal with her the next time he saw her. Meanwhile, Lincoln just sat in his seat quite, still shaken up about what just happened. He thought about Misty, and what she told him regarding their friendship and how it would never happen. Although he preferred the two never getting close, he still wanted to comfort her. Though his mind was preoccupied with the bounty that was now on his head. $300,000 was a lot of money. It was a price he knew for a fact was beyond his family's household income. It honestly terrified him that the police were offering such a high reward for his arrest. He was now a wanted criminal, and the paranoia and dread he felt were now at full heights. Although he was happy that Taylor wasn't there or else, she would have received the same fate, he wanted to see her again. Though, in the back of Lincoln's mind, he knew that a bounty was eventually going to happen. But still, suddenly he didn't know if the $400,000 was worth it. He hadn't expected such a high price on his head. But he did in fact kill a police officer. Something he was still trying to process.
"Alright guys, let's just focus on the fucking mission. Let's keep going. We'll get to Roger City, cross Lake Haroun, drop the drugs off, and get a fucking motel room somewhere in Toronto Canada. Then get the fuck back home and lay low for a bit," Tommy said. The rest of the men nodded their heads in agreement, while Lincoln just stared at the window. He was uncomfortable, and he was beginning to feel hot. He could feel his knotted stomach urge to vomit. He wanted to go home to his family. He wanted to see his sisters again. He wanted his only worries to be school and getting tangled up his sister's shenanigans. He could feel his heart begin to race as his mind wandered off into paranoia. He was suddenly snapped back to reality by Tommy's hand resting on his shoulder. "Hey kid, relax. The fucks gotten into you. You all fucking good man"? He said. Lincoln shook his head no, as he curled up back into a ball and hid his face.
"No Tommy, I'm not okay. I'm scared, and I just want to go home. I want all this to be over. I want to hug my parents and my sisters. I want to see my friends again. I want my life back. I'm scared, and I feel sick. I'm scared just being in this van. I feel like one of you is going to kill me or the police are going to arrest me. I just want to hide," Lincoln wept. Tommy looked up at Chainz and Henry with a look of anger, while Henry and Chainz just looked down in shame. They were so caught up in all this that they had forgotten that Lincoln was just a child. Tommy also felt bad for wrapping him up in all this, and felt it was on him to comfort him. As he stared at the crying child, he couldn't help but remember the first time he met Misty when she was a little kid.
"Alright Lincoln, come back here and we'll talk. Henry take his spot", Tommy said. Lincoln sniffed his nose and wiped his tears, before hopping out of the seat and moving to the back of the van, where he sat on the other side of Mickey with his knees to his chest. Henry moved up and sat at the front with Chainz. "Look kid, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this shit to end like this. I didn't know you were being forced into this. I shouldn't have been so ignorant. It may shock you, but a lot of kids are in this fucking shit fuck of a fucked up business. I guess I didn't find it suspicious when you were involved in it". Tommy said
"I just want my life back. I don't want to be a bad guy anymore," Lincoln wept. Tommy sighed, as he patted Lincoln on the head.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think you have any choice in the matter kiddo. All you can do now is survive." Tommy said. "This'll all be over soon. I'll get you something to eat once it's all done and take you home. I won't let anyone hurt you kid. I promise." Tommy said. Lincoln began to feel a little less tense at Tommy's words. He even gave him a light smile.
"I want to see Taylor. I miss her. She would hug me and tell me that we would pull through this together. Doing these things without her just makes me feel scared and empty." Lincoln admitted.
"She's the one that's wrapped up in this fucked up shit with you right? Shit kid, why didn't you invite her along? I would've been okay with it," Tommy said. Lincoln just laughed a little as he wiped more tears from his eyes.
"No, I wanted her to enjoy her day. She's been up for the past two days risking her life and keeping me safe. I didn't want her doing another dangerous thing." Lincoln said. Tommy smiled as he thought about his past with Misty. He could see why Misty liked Lincoln. At first, he was shocked that she expressed concern for him since Misty was one of the most cold-hearted and closed-off people he ever knew, at least to anyone outside of the biker gang. But now he understood. Lincoln was a lot like her when she first started. And in a lot of ways, similar to himself when he was a kid.
"Lincoln, do you feel guilty about what you've done recently? Be honest," Asked Tommy seriously. Lincoln looked up at him with glossy eyes, and slowly nodded his yes.
"I do. I keep thinking about the people I killed. Even the Heights gangsters at the apartments. I just feel, so trapped. So, claustrophobic in guilt and shame. Don't get me wrong, I think I'm now passed the point of whether I can kill or not. I mean, I get that I have to. But with each person I kill and hurt, the further away I feel from my family and myself. I don't like it," He said. Tommy sighed, before taking off his leather jacket and wrapping it around Lincoln.
"You're a good kid Lincoln. As long as you keep thinking like that, I'm sure one-day forgiveness will find you. Just take a nap kid, I'll wake you up when we get to Rogers City," Tommy said. Lincoln nervously looked over at Chainz and Henry, then back to Tommy. "Relax kid, no one's going to hurt you. I may not be Taylor, but I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll be right here." Said Tommy. Lincoln nodded his head and smiled, before closing his eyes and laying down. He covered himself with Tommy's leather jacket, letting it wrap around him like a blanket. Slowly he began to drift to sleep, wondering what would happen next.