Hey everyone! I hope I still have one or two readers left. I've been really busy with work lately, but I'm going to try and update with a new chapter every two weeks or so. Once again, I have to give a shoutout to the legendary LynGuerra who's constant inspiration is the reason this story got past chapter one. Make sure you check out her fanfiction 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World'. As always, I own nothing and I have no money so don't bother trying to sue me. Enjoy!
Morris and Nicole sat in the hotel room in silence, still trying to comprehend the situation that had just unfolded. Even though he was no longer restrained, Morris felt as though he was unable to move. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Morris rose from his chair and took Nicole by the arm. She wouldn't look him in the eye, but allowed him to guide her by the arm and lead her out the door. After an uneventful elevator ride, they exited on the lobby floor and proceeded to the hotel entrance.
"Hope you enjoyed your stay at the Heron Hotel Mr. and Mrs. Kotter!" The Receptionist cheered as they walked past "We hope you'll come back and visit soon!"
After getting his Keystone back from the bellhop, Morris placed Nicole in the passenger's seat and drove as quickly as he could without breaking the speed limit. If the Saints had been watching his daughter to make sure she didn't run to the police for help, then most likely there might be someone watching him and Nicole right now. It would even surprise him if this 'Mei' woman, Johnny Gat, and the woman they called 'Lily' were watching him speeding down the highway. Morris made sure to pay attention to the speed limit; getting pulled over now might cause the Saints to assume he was trying to signal for help and result in the death of the officer, himself, his wife, or quite possibly all three. Morris didn't say a word to Nicole and drove back to their home; feeling frustrated at his situation with the seemingly reformed-Third Street Saints and his unfaithful wife. In their twenty plus years of marriage, Morris had never cheated or been unfaithful to Nicole in any way whatsoever. He had never so much as flirted with another woman, let alone slept around. But despite that faithfulness, his wife was running around cheating on him with some hotshot Ultor Executive who probably had a corner office and a private jet. The idea that the woman he loved could sleep around with another man filled him with both sorrow and rage. And the fact that she apparently willing some asshole to treat her like some sort of disposable fuck toy made his stomach turn. After an excruciating drive that seemed like an eternity, Morris pulled up into the driveway of their home. With his hands still shaking, Morris turned off the engine and exited the vehicle. He then made his way around the vehicle and opened the passenger door. Without a word, she slowly came out the Keystone and they both made their way to the front door. Inside, they were greeted to the sight of Nicole sitting in the middle of the living room floor curled up like ball weeping silently. She jumped when she heard the door close, but let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was only her parents.
She ran over and hugged them both "I'm so glad that you two are safe! What happened after they let me go?"
Morris led Jessica back to the living room "They waited a few minutes and then released us as well."
"Thank God." Jessica still had tears streaming down her face "Dad…I'm scared…What are we going to do?"
"We're going to the police" Nicole said suddenly from the doorway "They're going to take these collars off us and track down those thugs and throw them back in jail."
Morris shook his head "We're not going to the police."
"Why not?" asked Jessica "If tell them what happened, they could lock up the Saints and then everything can go back to normal. Isn't that what you want?"
Nicole slowly walked over to Morris and Jessica "Maybe your father doesn't care what happens since he doesn't have to worry about his head being blown off."
Morris turned to face Nicole. Instantly, her confidence crumbled once she saw the enraged look plastered on her husband face. She suddenly feared that Morris might murder her in the middle of their living room before the Saints ever got the chance.
"I don't want a lecture about caring from you of all people right now." He said coldly "The reason we're not going to the police is because the Saints will have us butchered in our own home for crossing them. We'll end up just like Alan and his family."
"What are you talking about Dad?" Jessica asked frightfully "The Whittmores were shot and killed when some thieves broke into their house trying to rob them."
Nicole slowly walked towards to her husband, a grim realization suddenly becoming apparent "Morris….what did the police tell you? Did they tell you something about what happened to Alan and his family? Does it have something to do with the Saints coming after us tonight?
Morris froze at her questioning. He wasn't sure he wanted to reveal to his wife and daughter the gruesome fate of Alan and his family. But he knew that unless he told them, Nicole would go running straight to the cops and telling them about everything that happened. And he wasn't about to take a risk that would result in his wife and daughter dead.
Morris took a deep breath "You might want to sit down for this."
Nicole made her way from the door and took a seat on the couch next to Jessica. Morris took another deep breath before grimly glancing between his wife and daughter.
"When the woman first woke up…..I think she called herself 'Mei' tonight…Alan was a bit cocky with her." He explained "Especially since she was restrained to a medical bed. Alan went on to grope her between the thighs and smack her across the face."
"Oh my God…." Jessica whispered
"No!" Nicole shook her head "Alan wasn't nicest person around, but he wouldn't…."
"He would and he did." Morris cut her off "She told him that the smack didn't hurt and that she was trained to handle pain. She then went on say that she would kill him for disrespecting her. I tried getting Alan to back off, but he wouldn't listen. Alan not only laughed in her face but he gave her his full name along with his address. That's most likely how they were able to find him."
"So the Saints showed up and tried robbing the Whittmores only for things to get out of hand." Jessica concluded
"No. The Saints had no intention of ever stealing anything from the Whittmores' home." Morris replied sadly "They went there for the sole purpose of retribution against Alan for disrespecting this woman. The rest of his family was guilty by association. I'm not getting into details, because I'm not going to inflict those sorts of horrors on either of you. But I will tell you this; after they made their way inside, they tied up Alan and his family. The Saints then proceeded to torture them to death in front of Alan before finally killing him as well. They did all of this without leaving any DNA evidence I might add. They police strongly believe it was the Saints, but even they can't prove it. The cops don't want to acknowledge that the Saints are back in business…so they fabricated the robbery story to prevent citywide panic. Nicole…. we have to assume that anyone capable of doing such things shouldn't be underestimated. Otherwise, we might end up just like Alan."
Nicole looked horrified "But they said it was a home invasion on the news!"
"Again, that's the story they created to keep everything under wraps and to prevent the media circus that would've ensued. What do you think would have happen if people learned that former leader of the Third Street Saints after breaking out of jail not only freed Johnny Gat…..one of the Saints top lieutenants….but also paid a visit to and murdered one of the prison guards who oversaw her after she woke up? Do you want to know what they did to the Whittmores? They told me when they brought me down to the station! They raped Rachel in front of Alan and their boys! They then strangled Rachel to death with piano wire like some Italian gangster in a mobster movie…..again in full view of Alan and their sons. Then the slowly strangled Alan's boys in front of him before finally putting him out of his misery with a nine inch screwdriver that driven into his skull right up to the handle! So you'll have to forgive me Nicole should my desire to not have the same thing that happened to the Whittmores happening to us."
Nobody said anything as his words sunk in. The very thought that they could end up like the Whittmore family left a sense of dread hanging over them. Feeling defeated…Nicole took a seat in the living room and started crying. Jessica took a seat next to her mother and hugged her tightly in an attempt to console her. Morris watched as the two most important women in his life sat there in despair, eying the beautiful but deceptively dangerous chokers that were strapped around their necks. Jessica turned to look at her father with tears running down her eyes.
Nicole sat there in complete shock at not only Alan's actions, but that they ultimately led to the deaths of Alan and his entire family. Jessica looked frightened beyond all belief at what she had just been told and couldn't stop shaking. But then Nicole asked the one question Morris had hoped to avoid answering.
"I understand how she tracked down Alan; he made the mistake of telling this woman his full name and address." She said tensely "But that doesn't explain how they were able to find us."
"Maybe they found our information lying around their house." Jessica offered "Dad and Mr. Whittmore were friends."
"Or maybe Alan ran his mouth about where we lived." Nicole said darkly "Right, Morris?"
"There a good chance that's what happened." Morris said sadly "But considering how they broke in undetected and tortured his family in front of him without leaving any evidence behind, I can't really blame Alan for breaking down and telling them how to find us."
"Are we going to end up like the Whittmores?" She asked quietly
"No! We are not!" Morris said firmly "We're going to limit what we do outside, but continue as normal. The Jane Doe called 'Boss' gave me a cellphone. She's going to call me for a favor and I'm going to do it without hesitation. Once she has what she wants, they'll remove those collars and we'll get as far away from Stilwater as we can possibly get."
"That's your plan?" Nicole asked defiantly "Do what the psycho banger wants and hope that they let us go? If we contact those detectives…."
"…then the Saints will come back here to kill me, you and Jessica!" he finished "Think for a moment, will you? Despite having a police escorting us almost everywhere, the Saints were able to not only watch us undetected…..but they were able to figure out personal details about our lives which they later used to lure us into trap!"
"But Dad…" Jessica started, but her father held up his hand to silence her.
"They know enough about us that they can follow our movements! Even with the damn SPD giving us police protection around the clock, they were still able to kidnap the three of us with ease. Short of going to these people and handing ourselves over to them…I don't think It could've been made kidnapping us any easier than it already was. "
"This woman can't watch us 24/7 non-stop." Nicole argued "We find the chance to slip away and contact the police! Not to mention we could always contact Chief Bradshaw or those two detectives via email. We could simply create a new account and email Bradshaw about what happened! They can't watch every new email account in the world, Morris!"
"She doesn't need to watch us personally Nicole! In case you haven't noticed, she has friends! She even had people watching Jessica to make sure that she went straight home from the hotel without contacting the cops. Its common sense that they're not only watching us right now, but are probably monitoring SPD emails as well! What if they get tipped off that we're trying to contact the SPD for help? We can't take that chance."
"What the hell Morris! She's a gangbanger…not some all-powerful being who can see our every move. Are you really that much of a fucking coward that some little girl has you scared?"
Morris was dumbfounded by what Nicole was saying. He wasn't sure if pure ignorance or fear was motivating what Nicole was saying, but he intended to put his foot down.
Morris took a deep breath as he tried to steady his voice "Nicole, you need to understand this is a dangerous the situation. This isn't some 'little girl' pretending to be a gangster. It wasn't a 'little girl' who was allowed to join the Third Street Saints. It wasn't some 'little girl' who gained the loyalty of Johnny Gat, who was known to be a homicidal maniac even before he joined The Saints. It wasn't a 'little girl' who took on three rival gangs…two of those gangs which have been around for decades…..and wiped them out. And it wasn't a 'little girl' who eventually became the leader of the Saints."
"Morris…" Nicole started
"It wasn't a 'little girl' who killed a bunch of my co-workers mere minutes after waking up from her coma." Morris interjected "And it sure wasn't a 'little girl' who butchered Alan, Rachel, and their boys like fucking cattle! I love you both and you mean the world to me….but you have to understand that trying contacting the cops could end with us being murdered! And from what I've been told by both the cops and the Saints themselves…it won't be quick and painless. I promise you both that I will do everything in my power to protect this family, I just need you both to trust me and follow my lead."
The women went silent for a moment. Finally, Nicole worked up the nerve to ask the question that was running through everyone's mind.
"Morris…what in the world could this woman possibly want with you? She's already broken out of jail, so what could she need that only a prison guard can provide?"
"She might want information on someone who's still locked up." He replied, now think about the matter deeply "Or she might want me to pass along a message of some kind to another prisoner."
"If that's all she wanted, she could have given you that message after they grabbed us." Nicole frowned "You don't think…maybe they want someone inside the prison killed do you? Maybe some rival of the Saints?"
Morris shook his head "The Saints haven't been around for the last five years. Anybody who could've been considered a 'rival' of the Saints was annihilated during their turf war. There's got to be something else that she wants."
"Either way, I think Dad's right about this….we should avoid contacting the police." Jessica said quietly
"You really think your father can protect us from these gangbangers?" Nicole sighed "We're lucky we managed to walk away alive this evening. Letting the police know what's happened is the best thing we can do for ourselves. They might even be able to remove these explosive collars from our necks."
Jessica took a deep breath "I know that Dad will do everything in his power to keep us safe Mom. And it wasn't luck that kept both us alive tonight…it was Dad." Jessica replied defiantly "They were going to kill one us to get the point across that they meant business. Then…. you kept insulting their Boss to the point where Dad offered to die in your place! Dad was willing to face death even after finding out that WERE WE CHEATING ON HIM!"
Tears were streaming down Jessica's face. In that moment she wasn't sure what angered her more: the bomb around her neck, or the fact that her mother had been unfaithful.
"Jessica, calm down." Morris interrupted "Everything is going to be alright, I promise. Why don't you go to bed and get some sleep, ok?"
"OK. Good night Dad." Jessica hugged her father and went to her room without even a second glance in her mother's direction.
Nicole remained sitting on the couch waiting for Morris to make to say something. Finally, Morris walked over and took a seat next to Nicole. Morris took several deep breaths before turning to face Nicole "After this is all over, we'll file the papers for divorce. I understand that you have found someone else that makes you happy. I only ask that I have custody of our daughter."
When she did reply, he continued "I don't know what changed in our marriage that you made you feel like I didn't love anymore. But whatever it was….I'm sorry.
"Morris…" Nicole said softly "I wasn't…"
"Nicole….please no don't!" Morris hung his head "I'd rather not have this conversation right now. I'll be in guest room."
Morris turned and walked away, leaving Nicole sitting in the living room with only her thoughts and her tears.
"I'd rather not have this conversation right now. I'll be in guest room."
Mei and Cassie were sitting at a laptop with ear buds plugged in, listening to the Kotter family's entire conversation.
"I gotta tell you Cassie…between Shaundi and Samson…they're able to create some pretty scary shit." Mei awed "I can't believe they were able to get to install listening devices into their collars."
"Samson always does good work. It's Shaundi who really has me impressed with her skills." Cassie remarked "We'll make sure to have someone listening in on them 24/7 until you give this Morris dude the call. However….what's the plan for the Kotter family after we spring the old crew from jail?"
Mei shrugged "We won't need them after the jail break. Assuming everyone makes it out alive and he doesn't double-cross us, I'll deactivate the collars and let them go."
"Shouldn't we be concerned that he runs to the police after the collars are removed?" Cassie asked "What if this Morris dude decides to run to cops and tell them that we made him help us with a prison break?"
"It won't matter if Morris goes running to the SPD afterword because our people will be long gone by then." Mei replied coolly "Telling the cops what happened will only place him in trouble. After we deactivate the collars, they'll probably want to put a lot of distance between them and their collars. Especially since I don't see his wife and daughter wanting those as souvenirs, so that shouldn't be an issue. Even if they keep the collars, there's no way to prove that anyone from the Saints was involved. The only thing this correctional officer is going to have is a wild story that incriminates him and homemade bombs! Hell…..even now Monica Hughes is claiming the Saints no longer exist."
"Good point." Cassie conceded "Just remember one thing; this woman is not the idiot her husband was when dealing with the Saints. I'm willing to bet that she's got something in the works. And don't forget there's also Troy to think about as well. Julius was careless and let some undercover cop infiltrate the gang without even realizing it. Not only did he let a narc into the gang, but he made this fucking narc one of his trusted lieutenants! This was one of the major factors that ultimately lead to the downfall of the Saints. Troy fucked us over royally and made his career off bringing down the Saints. Troy is probably one of the few people outside the gang to truly comprehend that we're not a gang that should be underestimated. He also knows that we're going to be gunning for him, so he's probably making plans of his own."
Mei nodded "Can't argue with that logic. That's why once the old crew are rescued, we're gonna hit Stilwater so hard that nobody's gonna be able to touch us. There's also another matter that we have to deal with."
"What's that?" Cassie asked
"The new crew of Saints we've recruited. We have to be careful with our recruiting." Mei explained "We don't want anyone outside the gang knowing where this place is. At least not until we have numbers to hold this place and we get safe houses setup in other parts of the city. This place isn't going to be secret location for long, but once we have the numbers to fend of the SPD and other gangs, it won't matter anyway."
"Good point there." Cassie affirmed "But what about canonizing the fresh meat?"
"We go the 'secret society' route and we have them blindfolded when we bring them here." Mei explained "They don't work out, we blindfold them again and drop them off someplace far from here. Also, we search them for cellphones and make sure that nobody's using any devices that can be used to track their location. We also have Shaundi running background checks on everybody."
Cassie smiled "Good to see your thinking tens steps ahead. But do you really think Troy would be stupid enough to try and put someone undercover again? Especially considered how cautious we might be after his own undercover work almost completely wiped us out?"
"Troy thinks he knows us better than anyone and as a result knows the best way to approach us. He might assume he can have someone infiltrate due to 'knowing' what make us tick." Mei said darkly "Assuming that our old friend Troy has enough sense to think twice, Monica Hughes and other politicians might pressure him into trying to send some gullible rookie to infiltrate."
"What happens if we find another narc in the crew?" Cassie asked quietly
"We find another narc or catch anybody informing on the gang, we send the severed head back to Bradshaw." Mei replied in a matter-of-factly tone "Narcs are only good for target practice."
"Boss we gotta problem!" someone yelled
Mei and Cassie both looked up to see Pierce walking over to them clutching a sheet of paper in his hand with a worried expression across his face.
"What's wrong Pierce?" Mei asked
"The weather forecast for the next couple of day is really bad, Boss Lady!" Pierce laid down the piece of paper which turned out to be the weather channel forecast report which had predictions of heavy thunderstorms for the next couple of days "There's no possibility of busting the original Saints out in the weather!"
"Perfect!" Mei replied cheerfully
"Come again?" Cassie and Pierce said in unison
"These are the perfect conditions for the prison break." Mei explained "There will not only be a lack of moonlight, but we'll also have the cover of rain and lighting to mask our approach."
"It seems like a big risk." Pierce said nervously "Should we really be taking this chance?"
"We don't have a choice." Mei declared "Since we've already approached our friendly neighborhood prison guard for help, we have to move forward before he decides to grow some balls and runs to the cops. Has the crew completed all the necessary preparations?"
"We've got Becky and McCormick getting the last of the ammo order from one of my contacts." Pierce replied proudly "Once they get back, we can roll out whenever you want."
"Perfect!" Mei smiled "Good work Pierce!"
"Not that I have a problem with it….but why are we getting from one of Pierce's hookups?" Cassie asked "I thought Carlos already put us in contact with his buddy Luis."
"We should avoid getting too much ammo all from one source." Mei explained "Just in case someone is watching our movements, I don't want them thinking any of our people have something planned. Remember, everyone's doing the 'hiding in plain sight' thing and not wearing purple yet to avoid attracting attention to themselves."
"And if someone with supposedly no gang affiliation starts buying enough guns and ammo to start a war, people are going to notice…and so will the police." Cassie concluded "That's good thinking Boss Lady!"
"Thanks!" Mei turned her attention back to Pierce "Send word out to everyone: I want everyone her and on standby for the next forty-eight hours. Once that storm comes in, we'll make our move."
"Will do Boss! We're stocking…"Pierce suddenly had his attention drawn to something else "Boss? Gat's coming over here and he looks pissed, so I'm gonna bounce!"
"Same here!" Cassie followed Pierced "If Johnny's pissed about something despite all the potential murdering we're planning, then it's probably bad."
"Alright then." Mei shrugged "I'll catch up with you two later."
Gat walked up to her making a futile attempt to control his obvious rage "Yo Boss! Gotta a minute to talk…in private?"
"Follow me." She replied as her and Gat made their way upstairs to the presidential suite.
As Mei opened the door, Gat quickly darted inside and abandoned all pretense of trying to seem calm. As she closed the door behind her, Gat approached her and spoke with barely controlled rage "What's this shit about me being 'backup'? If any assholes are getting popped, I wanna be there!"
Mei knew this conversation was bound to happen, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to it. If this plan was going to work, everyone would have to be onboard with the assigned roles. Regardless of how much they were looking forward to some action.
"Gat, you were there when I making up the plans." Mei sighed "Why are you making a stink about this now?"
"Hey! I'm not gonna up a question you in front of the others!" Gat retorted "If one of the original Saints starts disrespecting you and questioning your decisions in front the gang, the new members might get the idea of doing the same. And that would end with someone having to die. So again, is there a reason I'm out of the action here? Don't you trust me?"
"Gat, that's probably one of the most hurtful things you've ever said to me." Mei replied scornfully "When you got nabbed by the Vice Kings while helping me escape, I tracked you down and rescued you. The minute I woke up and heard they were going to send you to the electric chair, I came and busted you out of there!"
"Ok, I get it already! No need to get your panties in bunch." Gat snarled "Just tell me why I'm on the fucking sidelines and while you're charging head on into the prison going head-to-head with a bunch of pissed of guards and a corrupt prison warden who all want you dead!"
"We can't afford to risk you. I need you on standby in case anything goes wrong." She replied bluntly "And should the worst come to pass and I get killed, I know you're more than capable of rebuilding the crew from the ground up again. That's why Cassie and Monster were placed with the backup squad as well. I know you'll need them both for rebuilding the crew."
"Hey! Ain't anybody dying during this shit!" Gat glared at her intently "So don't make any plans of going out in a motherfucking blaze of glory either!"
"I don't intend to Johnny, I'm just covering all my options." Mei explained
"You don't have options! You're coming back alive along with Becky, McCormmick, Pierce, Shaundi, and all the other little shits we just canonized!" He barked "Because if you get yourself killed, I'm going to find a way to bring you back so that I can kill you again! Ya Got that?
"Ok, Johnny. I promise not to deprive you of a chance to shoot me while I'm still breathing." Mei joked "That's means you're going to have to watch my back."
Gat snickered "Anytime, Boss. Anytime."
Mei stood in the middle of her room double-checking her weapons and body armor. This was the moment she had been waiting for since she woke up from her coma. It had been two days since tropical storm Marylyn hit Sitwalter we the city being place under a state of emergency. This made her decision to have the new crew bunker down in the hideout a smart move. She knew that now there would be no risk of someone getting hurt or killed during the storm trying to get the hideout, or worrying about someone being arrested for breaking the city's imposed travel restrictions due to the storm. But even with everything in place, Mei could help but feel nervous. If they pulled this off, the Saints would be stronger than ever with more numbers than the other three gangs. But should anything go wrong….it would be the end of the Saints entirely. Mei thought back to the look in Becky's eyes at the idea that he brother might killed in prison for profit. She suddenly felt her resolved strengthened at the thought of saving Rodney and the other Saints. Her thoughts interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Since when do you knock Lily? Come on in!" she called
Lily opened the door and was surprised at the sight that greeted her. Mei stood there wearing full combat tactical gear from the neck down. Unlike the standard gear that most S.W.A.T teams wear, Mei combat equipment was black and purple with a fleur de lis engraved on the chest.
"I don't even know where to start." Lily awed "What are you wearing?
Mei smiled "Pretty cool huh? It's a Damascus Gear FX-1 FlexForce Modular Hard Shell Crowd Control System. I had Carlos' friend install enhanced plating so I can withstand sniper fire while still being lightweight. And since I'm recusing the Saints, it only makes sense that rep Saints purple. And check out the best part!"
Mei turned around to show Lily the back of tactical vest. On the back was an engraving of another fleur de lis with angel wings.
"Ok. I gotta say that does look pretty cool."
"Thanks. No one's gonna question whether or not the Archangel was the one who broke into Stilwater Penitentiary."
"You look like the criminal version of the Punisher!" she complemented "Still doesn't explain how you knew it was me. I thought only Carlos and Becky knocked?"
Mei smiled "That true. But the footsteps were to light to be Carlos or Becky. Also, you're the only person I know that wears Caron's Poivre perfume."
"Wow. That's amazing!"
"Thanks! But I know you didn't come here to check sense smell. What's up?"
Lily walked up Mei with a forced determination "I just wanted to say thank you. For not only saving my life, but letting me join the Saints."
"It's no big…"
"It's a big deal to me!" Lily interrupted "If it weren't for you and Gat, I would be dead right now. Best case scenario I would be in the city morgue with my body unclaimed. And that's assuming that Joey and the other Entourage rejects didn't dump my body in a shallow grave someplace."
Mei noticed her starting to shiver, no doubt from remembering what happened that day. She walked up to her and placed her arms around her.
"No worrying about stuff like that." Mei said softly "You're alive, they're not. That's all that matters when it's all said and done."
"Thanks Boss." she replied "Just know that I down for whatever!"
Mei released her hold on her "You've more than proven that. Let's get this party started!"
As they exited the room, Mei could see the other Saints getting ready. McCormick and Monster were double checking the scopes on their sniper rifles. In another corner she could see Becky, Cassie, and Carlos was carefully packing up the explosives. Shaundi and Pierce were in the middle of the courtyard double-checking that all the Bluetooth headsets were working. And Gat simply sat at the bottom of the stairs cleaning his knife, so calm you would've thought they were going for an afternoon drive rather than breaking into a prison during a hurricane.
"Everyone listen up!" Mei yelled "I got something to say before we head out!"
All the Saints stopped what they were doing and moved closer to hear Mei. Everyone gathered around her, most of them finally wearing purple for the time. She wanted them to all feel like true Saints going to rescue other Saints. Mei also reasoned that the incarcerated members might be more willing to listen to someone wearing gang colors. Once everyone was gathered around, she continued speaking.
"This is purple." She said, pointing to fabric on her arm "A few years ago, this was 'Saints Purple'. Nobody saw this color and didn't think about our gang. But we're going to fix that tonight. No motherfucker walking our streets is going to see purple and not think 'Oh Shit! Saints Purple!'. So I want you all to know that no matter what happens tonight you're all as much a part of this gang as Me, Johnny, Cassie, or anyone else who joined up in the beginning. Now….let's get the rest of people back!"
These words were answered by a resounding cheer from all the new Saints gathered, with many chanting 'Saints! Saints! Saints!' over and over. As Mei walked down and made her way through the crowd, she spotted Cassie and pulled her in close so she could hear her over the chants.
"You got that burner for me?" she asked "It's almost time to call my old friend Morris."
The Saints made the way from the hideout to the private dock where they had their boat stashed. While Pierce wanted each group to take different routes for security reasons, Mei shot down the idea in favor on moving as a large convoy. While she would have preferred Pierce's suggestion, she didn't want to take the chance of one of the teams being stranded someplace due to the weather or cops. Mei was riding in the backseat of a Frenzy with Carlos driving and several other Saints riding along.
"Listen up! I expect everyone to stick to the plan!" she barked "We pull this off and nobody will be able to Saints are back in business!"
Some of the group responded with cheers and fist bumps. Becky was riding up front with Carlos in the passenger seat, not saying anything. Pierce originally wanted to keep her in the backup squad as well, but Mei decided against this so that she could be there to free her brother.
Mei tapped her shoulder "Look alive Becky! Your big brother gonna lose his fucking mind when he sees you."
"I know Boss." Becky replied quietly "So let's show these motherfuckers why you don't mess with the Saints!"
Mei was impressed. Becky had come a long way from the timid girl who joined up a few weeks earlier. She had been to getting lessons in hand-to-hand combat from Gat and Cassie while Monster was teaching her techniques for handle shotguns. She smiled inwardly at the idea that another 'mini-Gat' was in the making. She was brought out of her daydream by the Frenzy suddenly coming to a halt.
"We're here Boss." Carlos declared
"Good work!" she replied "Everyone grab your weapons! It time."
As Carlos, Becky, and the other Saints exited the vehicle, Mei pulled out her burner phone and called Morris. He answered the phone immediately after the first ring.
"Hello." He said solemnly
"Good to see you kept the phone close. Are you ready to earn the freedom of your wife and daughter?'
"Yes." He replied grimly "Tell me what you want so we can get on with our lives."
"Good to see you're on board." Mei laughed "Here's what you're going to do: First, you're going to open all the cell doors and security doors in the prison at the main security station. Next, you're going to sabotage the panel so that no one comes along and reverses your good deed. After that's done, just stay somewhere safe and stay out of the way."
"The only guards with access to the main security station…."
"….are the only that are assigned there during guard rotation." she finished "Which makes it good news for you that you're currently there right now. It'll save you the trouble of having to leave another post and show up someplace where you don't belong."
"How did you know I was assigned there?" he asked nervously
"Morris, there's no way you can be serious. Considering everything I've done and everything you've witnessed…are you truly that surprised?" she replied tauntingly
Morris sighed "No….it's not."
"Good. When you've completed everything that I've asked, I'll have the collars deactivated. Make sure you lose this number. You can keep the phone though."
Mei hung up the phone as she exited the vehicle. She then removed the battery and memory card before throwing all three into the water. Walking up yacht, Mei could see her crew loading the last of their weapons and gear onto the boat. As she came on board, Cassie came up from the lower deck with a nervous expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" Mei asked "Is there a problem? Is some of the crew missing?"
"No! It's nothing like that." Cassie reassured "We're all set to proceed."
"Ok." Mei replied cautiously "Then why do you look like someone who about give bad news?"
"I'm still worried about this Kotter guy." She explained "What if he gets cold feet at the last…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of alarm sirens filled the air. They both turned towards the direction of Stilwater Penitentiary. Even from the dock they could see alarm lights and bullet fire flashing against the dark night sky.
Mei made no attempts to hide the smug expression on her face "You were saying?"
"Fine, fine. You were right" Cassie exasperated, throwing her hands up in defeat "That just means we better not fuck up or a lot of new and old Saints are going to be locked up or six feet under."
Mei nodded "We didn't come this far to fail. Based on the blueprints Shaundi Ex was able to get us, the section of the prison with the Saints is still fully functional. It seems that the warden wanted full control and only he can open the cells."
"Good thing we have our own set of 'keys' for the place." Cassie joked "I wish I could see the look on Troy face when he finds out."
"All in due time Cassie." Mei proceeded to pull a face mask over her lower half of her face "Let's move out."
"Aye Aye Captain!" Cassie said jokingly as she saluted her. She then made her way to the wheelhouse where Carlos and Becky were waiting.
"Boss said it's time to get moving!" Cassie declared "Everyone into position!"
As the yacht made its way to the South side of the prison island, she reviewed the plan in the Saints on board.
"One last time so nobody fucks up or gets some killed." Mei barked "We going to use the chaos from the prison riot to bust out the other Saints. We all this commotion, the special guards that the warden has on stand-by for the D-block section will be too busy trying to assist with restoring order to the rest of the prison worry about the inmates still locked up. Shaundi's going to hack into the security system remotely to disable the cameras and tear gas spray."
"Nothing to it girl. I got this." Shaundi reassured them
Mei winked "Good to hear. After the security is disabled, we're going to blow holes in certain areas along the back wall. Then we get inside and start blasting open the cell doors with the C4. Anyone not blasting open cell doors will be guard the surrounding area."
"What about the all those nail bombs we loaded onto the boat?" asked a Saint with blonde hair and blue eyes named Jason
"Don't worry. I full intend to maim some motherfuckers with those bombs. We're going to rig the D-block with those bombs…a sort of 'Fuck You' to the both Warden O' Riley and Chief Bradshaw. I'll cover the hallway into the section in case anyone tries getting in. Once everyone's out, we make our way back to the boat and hightail it back to the hideout. Monster and sniper team are covering our escape from the shore in case we have any pursuers."
"Boss, we're here!" Cassie called over the ship intercom
"Alright! This is it!" Mei looked around at Saints gathered "I consider everyone with me here and now as family. So watch each other backs, be careful, and we'll be back to the hideout celebrating before anyone even knows we were here."
They pulled the yacht up to the south end of the island and used an old boat dock to disembark. Despite the danger of the situation Mei couldn't help being excited about what they were about to do. How many people could say that they broke an entire cell block of prisoners out all at the same time? Bringing herself back to the task at hand, she turned to face her crew.
"Jason, you and Shaundi stay with the boat and keep turned in for any SPD reinforcements coming to. The minute the security system in D-block is down, we'll start blowing holes in the walls. Cassie, you and the others start planting the bombs so that they're ready to go once the security is disabled. Pierce, you and Lily will take your squads and spread out and stay in cover amongst the large rocks on the coast. Just remember avoid going too far out. There's no point in providing cover fire if you can't make it back to the boat."
As Mei issued her instructions, her crew moved in position with everyone assumed they're assigned role. As everyone prepared to for the final push into the prison, she took the opportunity to check over her weapons one last time. Wanting to have mobility and well as firepower, Mei decided to bring with her an AR-200 assault rifle with a grenade launcher attachment. She also decided to pack a GAL-43 submachine gun and Vice-9 with extended magazines just to be on the safe side.
"Boss! All the explosives are in place and ready to go once the security systems goes down." Becky called out
"Security's down Boss Lady!" Shaundi declared "Let's get this party started!"
"Good work ladies! Everyone get ready and take cover" Mei turned Cassie who was holding the detonator "Do it!"
Cassie pushed down on the detonator button and several simultaneous explosions went off along the prison wall. As the smoke cleared, large holes started to appear amongst the rumble. Mei wasted no time in relaying orders.
"Okay Saints!" she yelled over the rainfall and thunder "Let's get our brothers out of there and get them home."
Cheers erupted from the Saints as the move into the blasted holes and into D-block. As Mei entered, the prison block instantly erupted in cheers!"
"It's the Boss!"
"I must be seeing things….there's no way the Boss is here!"
"The Boss came for us!"
"I can't believe the Boss came for us!"
"The Boss is busting us out of here!"
"The Archangel is here! We're free!"
"It's good to see you all, but we're not in the clear just yet!" She cried "I got some new Saints here giving me a hand. They're going to start blowing open the cell doors. Once they do that, make your way for the boat outside."
The Saints started making their way towards the cell doors and blasting off the locks with C4. See then noticed Cassie and two other Saints waving her over to them. As she approached, Mei noticed two bodies amongst stone and rubble from one of the blast holes they created.
"Hey Boss!" Cassie giggled "I think we got an unexpected bonus."
One of the bodies was that of Warden O' Riley, who had tried to auction off the lives of her fellow Saints. The other person was a woman with a bleach-blonde pixie haircut and a pale complexion.
"Talk about luck! This saves us the trouble of having to hunt down this motherfucker!" Mei glanced at the woman "Who she is supposed to be?"
Cassie shrugged "No idea. We hacked his site, so he shouldn't be getting anymore clients for his 'side business'. They got caught in one of the breaching explosions, but only got knocked unconscious."
"What should we do with them, Boss?" one of the Saints asked
"We'll take them back with us. I know some of the original crew will be looking forward to getting their hands on this asshole. As for the woman….."
"Boss! Whatever you do, please don't hurt Alice!" a voice called out
"Rodney!" Becky cried out "It's really you!"
Mei turned around to see Rodney locked in a cell right next to one of the blast holes. He looked the exact same way he did when they first met, right down to the rubber-bands in his short dreadlocks.
"Good to see you home!" Mei walked over to his cell "Sorry it took so long to bust you and the rest of the crew outta this fucking hellhole."
"Don't sweat it Boss! I figured you'd make a stop after you got enough beauty sleep" Rodney joked
Becky ran over with C4 to plant on Rodney's cell door "I'll have you out in a second. Stand back!"
After attaching the explosives, Becky stepped to the side blew the security lock off the door. Moments later, Rodney walked out of his cell and hugged his sister.
"Never thought I would see the day where you would be rocking Saints colors." He said "You were always the on the straight and narrow."
"Things changes and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches." Becky replied tearfully
"I hate to be a bitch and break this up, but we have to move quickly." Cassie interrupted "Also, what's the deal with this girl Rodney."
"She's a friend who saved my life and the lives of some of the other here." Rodney explained "She was a doctor for the main facility, but got fired for saving my life. I got into it with another prisoner and I shanked from behind. Alice worked on me for about 3 hours straight to save me. "
Cassie shook her head "Doesn't explain why…"
"Cass, he can fill us in later!" Mei interrupted "Just grab them and tie them up for now on the boat."
"Boss, Everyone out of their cells and all the bombs are in place!" a female Saint yelled "we can leave…."
Her words were cut off by the sound of loud machinery. Mei ran towards the direction of noise and stopped at the security door leading into the cell block. At the other end of the hallway, she could she sparks flying blowtorch that was cutting through the door. Mei knew instantly what was happening.
"Everyone get to the boat right now!" She yelled "Once everyone is onboard start pulling away, I'm gonna cover the escape!"
"Boss you can't"
"You'll be killed!"
"Let some of us stay as back up."
"I'll be fine. Don't sweat it." Mei reassured them "There's only one way in for them and I'm not exactly defenseless."
Mei shouldered her rifle and turned to Cassie "You oversee the evacuation until I make it back to the boat. You got that nail bomb for me?"
"Right here." Cassie handed a cylindrical device to her "You just make sure to keep your ass alive."
Mei patted her on the shoulder "You to Cassie. I see you in a little bit."
As she watched the Saints falling back to the yacht, Mei took seconds to assess the situation. There was only one way into D-Block, which made things a little more manageable for her. If there were any alternates, the response teams would have come through already. Which meant that short of circling around the prison and face off against the Saints getting onto the yacht, they had to go through her.
"Time to see if this armor is half as good as they say." She said to herself as she opened the hallway door
Just as she opened it, the prison response team kicked in the door they had been cutting through with the blowtorch.
Mei instantly flipped the timer switch on the nail bomb and threw it at the prison guards. She ducked back into D-Block with just enough time to shut the door before the bomb went off. Mei felt the walls shake as bomb went off. She quickly opened the door again and was greeted to the sight of several officers lying dead or dying from the explosion with pieces of nails, metal shards, and glass lodged into their bodies. Mei aimed her AR-200 at the doorway, waiting for more reinforcements to arrive.
"What was that noise!" a voice "Peterson! Martinez! Are you guys alright?"
Suddenly several officer in riot gear came through the door and realized very quickly that they were someplace they didn't want to be. Before anyone could react, Mei opened fired at point blank range and shredder the riot gear to pieces.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Mei turned around to see a guard still alive from the nail bomb explosion. Before she could react, more officers came through the door, armed with rifles and riot shields.
"DON'T MOVE!" one of them yelled "DROP YOUR WEAPONS OR WE WILL USE LEATHAL FORCE!"
"Then use it motherfuckers!" she replied coyly before opening fire on the responding guards
As the guards began shooting, Mei returned fire while taking shots to her body armor. Mei was killing them easily enough with the armor piercing rounds in her AR-200, but she could hear the protective plating in her armor starting to give way. As more guards poured into the narrow hallway, they were slowed the bodies of their fallen guardsmen and Mei's returning fire. Mei retreated once more into the D-block and lodged the door shut with a piece of rebar. She dropped the now empty AR-200 and switched to her GAL-43 and ran towards one of the holes they made earlier. As she made her way to the dock, she could hear the sound of explosions going off behind her. No doubt her pursuers has set off the nail bombs they planted to cover her escape. The storm had picked up intensity and the dock was starting to move and shift with the hurricane winds.
"Come on up Boss! Everyone else is on board and accounted for!" Pierce yelled over the thunder and wind as she climbed on board.
"Good to hear." She turned to Lily "Any casualties?"
Lily shook her head "No fatalities or injuries, which is a welcoming surprise. No guards ever came to this side of the island and outside of the prison I don't think anyone knows what happened yet."
"That's not going to last much longer. Let's get the hell out of here and get back to the hideout" She replied "Then…..we take back what's ours."
"You know it!" Lily "By the way, someone named Rodney wanted to talk to you when you got onboard. I think something to do with the woman we brought with us."
"Sure thing. Tell him to meet me on deck. " Mei made her way to rear of the ship
Moments later, Rodney joined Mei at the front of the ship. Rodney walked over and gave her a hug.
"Thanks again for coming to bust us out." Rodney said quietly "Even if the others are too macho to say it…it really means a lot to us that you didn't forget about us."
Mei shook her head "You shouldn't be thanking me. If I hadn't slipped up, you and the other wouldn't have ended up in jail. If I had done a better job, half of the crew wouldn't be in the grave right now."
"That has more to do with Troy than it does with you." He waved her off "Troy was a narc….and even worse….Julius made that fucker his right hand man. The only way Julius could have fucked up more would've been to make Troy the leader instead of you."
Mei smiled "I see where you're coming from with that. But I'm still gonna bust my ass to make sure we're running Stilwater again. Now, tell me more about the chick we got tied up next to O' Riley."
"Like I said before, she was working as a doctor in the infirmary. She got fired because she saved my life. Apparently someone paid off the warden to have me killed. Her saving my life ruined those plans and apparently cost the warden a nice paycheck. Of course…..since he was going to auction off killing us to the highest bidder, her saving my life was going to make him even more money."
"How did you know about that?" Mei asked "I thought his little murder-for-pay website was supposed to be under wraps."
Rodney smiled grimly "He told us about it after moving us to D-Block. Since he cut off communication with the outside world, he figured it didn't matter if we told us what his plans were. After he fired Alice, he brought her back as a private doctor for the D-block wing. Sometimes he would bring some guards in rough up me and some of the guys just for kicks. Alice always tried to step in….and got beaten up many times by O' Riley and the other guards for it. And since we seemed to have gotten rid of that rule about women in the gang…."
Mei held up her hand "I can't just give her a spot in the gang…even if she did protect you and the others."
"I…..I understand." He said quietly
"However, if she wants to be canonized, that's a different story." She smiled "And regardless of whether or not she says yes or no…I promise we'll take care of her. Consider it a 'Welcome Back' gift from me."
"Thanks Boss!" he pulled her in for another big bear hug "I promise you won't regret this."
"Don't worry about all of that. Why don't you go down below and see your sister? I know you two probably have a lot of catching up to do."
As Rodney made his way back below deck, Mei pulled out her phone and made a quick call to Gat.
"Yo! Your ass still in one piece?" Gat asked as he answered
"Very funny. Yes, I'm still in one piece and everyone made it out." She replied "How's our approach looking?"
"You're in the clear. No one seems to be following the boat. I doubt that anyone's going to be coming out there before the storm passes." He replied
"I'm not taking any chances." She said sternly "Once we get back to the dock, we'll strip our gear out of the boat and sink it before we head back to the hideout."
Gat laughed "Sounds good to me. See you soon Boss."
"Sounds like everything is coming together nicely." a voice said behind her
Mei turned around to see Cassie standing there with a smug expression on her face
"Still can't believe we pulled this off though." Mei admitted "Also, go ahead and deactivate the collars we put on Kotter's family. We're still going to keep tabs on them though."
"How come?" Cassie asked "We already got what we wanted."
Mei smiled "True. But you never know when we might need someone who can enter certain places that we can't."
After another hour on the open water, they finally arrived back at the dock where Gat, Monster, and the other Saints had several transport trailers standing by to take the Saints back to the hideout. Due to the increased rain and wind, it would take another two hours before they would make it back to the hideout. Once they arrived, the former Saints embraced with their new members. Mei stood in the middle of the courtyard with Gat, Lily, Cassie, Shaundi, and Pierce at her sides. Finally, the Saints fell silent and all eyes were on their leader.
Mei took a deep breath before addressing her gang "Listen up! After what we accomplished tonight, we just put the entire city on notice that the Saints are back in business. As of right now, there is no more 'low profile' policy. You were you're fucking purple and you wear it proud!"
Cheer erupted from the Saints gather once more. Mei waited for them to settle down before continuing.
"This city was in chaos before the Saints came along. We took down the Vice Kings, the Westside Rollerz, and Los Carnales. And by doing so, we claimed the city as our own and made it safer for everyone living here. The cops basically used the Saints to destroy the other gangs and then swooped to arrest us after we did their jobs for them! And then they hunted down every member of the crew until they dropped their flags, got locked up, or wound up dead. There was barely anyone left still calling themselves a Saint when three new gangs came along started the whole cycle all over again. Which just goes to show who really keeping Stilwater under control and safe for everyday citizens. Don't worry…..WE GONNA REMIND THESE MOTHERFUCKERS WHO REALLY RUNS THIS TOWN!"
Even louder cheers broke out amongst the Saints gathered. Once again, she waited for the cheering to subside before continuing.
"So let's things started." Mei proclaimed "Bring them over here."
Rodney and Joey-D dragged O'Riley with his wrist bound behind his back into the center of the courtyard with Alice following close behind them.
"Here are two people I want you to meet!" Mei cheered "This piece of shit here is here Warden Richard O' Riley, the motherfucker who not only beat up on our fellow Saints….but gonna auction off their lives to the highest bidder!"
O' Riley trembled with uncontrollable terror as the gangbangers booed and hollered at him. Alice, while not in restraints seemed uneasy but wasn't terrified. She also wasn't sure of what to make of the fact that O' Riley was restrained and she wasn't.
"And this young woman here is Alice Kendal." Mei gestured towards her "The woman who saved the lives of our fellow Saints and protected them from this sick pig!"
As cheers erupted from the gather Saints, Mei waved Alice over next to her.
"Alice, you're a very strong and unwavering woman." Mei told her "The sort of woman who I would like to welcome to join the Saints. So Alice…..are you in?"
"I…Yes! I wanna be a Saint!" Alice glanced around "What do I have to do in order to join the Saints?"
"Usually we would canonize a new member." Gat explained "But seeing as how you took more than your fair share of beatings protecting Rodney and the rest of the crew….we don't think that necessary."
"However, we gotta make sure your down for the crew." Cassie chimed "So we have a special little 'test' for you."
"Ok. I think I'm ready." Alice said nervously "What's my test?"
"It's a rather simple test really." Mei stepped forward and handed her a switchblade "All you have to do is O' Riley."
Alice shrugged "That it? And here I was worried it would be something more difficult."
"Wait a minute." O' Riley pleaded "You don't have to do this!"
"You and the guards beat up on the Saints constantly." Alice growled "You and the guards beat the shit out of me repeatedly for speaking up. And you even threatened to let some of the guards take turns gang raping me if I got out of line. So yes Richard….I have to do this….I need to do this…..and most importantly….I'm going to enjoy doing this."
Before he could even say another word, Alice plunged the blade into O' Riley heart. The warden fell to his knees gasping and choking on his own blood. After a few more seconds, O' Riley collapsed on the ground dead in a pool of his own blood.
"Welcome to the Saints!" Mei walked over and hugged Alice "Let's dump this fucker's corpse someplace where Bradshaw can find it. Then, we celebrate! And the tomorrow…..we take back our city!"
The Saints erupted into the loudest cheers yet. As she watched her fellow Saints celebrating , she saw Rodney and Gat dragging O' Riley's lifeless body out of the hideout. And for the first time since waking up, she left like she was amongst her family once more.
