Since this is where I left off, I'll put an update here (2021): I've changed some things about the story. They're not huge differences, but I'm tryna make this make sense to me, too, and my original work doesn't make sense to me lol. I recommend rereading the past few chapters before going on. The main plot is gonna be the same, I've changed a few things that build up to it.


"I can't believe we just agreed to do this."

Jazmine sipped on her bottled water as she and Cindy sat together in a different meeting room a few doors away from where she and Cindy had met with Riley and Huey.

Cindy shrugged, "I mean, I always liked their granddad, we can't just leave him to fend for himself." she pointed out, "I know you liked him, too, he was always real nice to both of us." Jazmine nodded, but she furrowed her brow, thinking.

When she got the call from Ed, asking for their help, Jazmine assumed it was because they were finally taking them up on their many offers to pull off a stunt. However, she was shocked when she was instead told that Mr. Freeman, Huey and Riley's grandfather, had been kidnapped from their hotel room that day, and that they needed the help of the girls'. Jazmine was almost going to say no, but something inside her made her stop and think about it.

Not only were the two girls fond of Mr. Freeman, who treated both of them like family in their youths, but this also posed as an opportunity to get the extra help they wanted, free of charge; a favor for a favor, as Jazmine put it.

"You think we'll even be able to find him?" Jazmine then asked.

Cindy shrugged, "I've never heard of the name Azurel before, but I'm sure we can find something on him. I told Sammy to look everywhere for that symbol, but I'm pretty sure it'll just trace back to New York."

"Why do you think that?" Jazmine asked.

"'Cause that's where the boys' been centered at for the longest. Accordin' to them, they moved around a lot. If they settled in New York, whoever was after them settled there too, even if it was in the shadows." Cindy replied.

Jazmine nodded, "You're right, but we'll need to get ahold of that hitman they hired...what was his name?"

"Archie, I think," Cindy scratched her head and shrugged.

Jazmine and Cindy nodded at each other before heading for the exit. They stepped out into the hallway, where a few people were passing by; all of whom worked for the girls'. It was no secret that they delved into many...businesses that they believed would give them profit, and that ranged over multiple outlets. Currently, though, they were trying to pull off a pretty big stunt, one that could be very tricky if they were understaffed. But now…

"You called him?" Cindy asked. Jazmine nodded, "I texted him to be sure our information was correct. She's back in town all right...and just in time, too. I didn't think she'd make it to the party." she cracked a small smile, "But how could she not? It's the birthday of her step-father, after all."

Huey and Riley sat side by side in what appeared to be a waiting area. Ed and Rummy sat across from them, slouched in their seats; Rummy looked ready to fall asleep right then and there, "What's this 'package' they were talkin' about?" Riley asked Ed, breaking the silence.

Ed merely shrugged, "I dunno, I don't keep up with what they do anymore. They've been hinting about this for a while, but I've never bothered to ask any questions."

Huey sighed, "Do you really think they can help us?" he asked. Ed nodded, "They may hate y'all, but they loved your grandfather. Plus, they can use y'all for the muscle they need, since Rummy and I won't do it."

Riley arched a brow, "And why won't y'all do it? I know ya said y'all don't run the game no more, but they were offering you cash, right?" Ed nodded, "Part of whatever they made."

"Then...why not take it?" Riley seemed very interested in hearing what Ed had to say, and even Huey seemed intrigued.

Ed sighed, "We never wanted to be that far in," he replied slowly, choosing his words, "for us, it was just for the money," he gestured to himself and Rummy, "we were only in it to make a quick buck or two. Make something just to get by and live out life. But them?" He rubbed the back of his neck, "Like I said, they totally dived in. It wasn't just about the money for them…,"

"They loved the feeling," Rummy chimed in, still slouched in his seat. His head was leaned back against the wall behind him, and he stared up at the ceiling, "it was about being powerful, about being feared...about destroying people." He smirked slightly, "I think in a way, doing all this was like therapy for them. They were so angry after y'all left, and with what happened to the city, I think this became their outlet for releasing their anger. They wanted to hurt people the way they were hurt...and then some."

This didn't ease Riley or Huey in the slightest. Huey sighed, looking down, "So it was partially our fault," he murmured.

Ed shrugged, "I suppose you could say that," he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, "but this could also just be...them. Who they truly turned out to be."

While this was a possibility, neither Huey nor Riley wanted to even think about it, let alone believe it. How could they believe that the girls they'd fallen in love with as children were always psychotic killers, that their abrupt and unexplained absence only gave them an excuse to act out on their innermost desires? That the entire time they knew them, both girls' harbored these desires, these thoughts, of being feared? To think that Jazmine and Cindy were always bloodthirsty sent chills up their spines.

They heard the familiar sound of heels clicking against the floor, and by the time the four stood up, Jazmine and Cindy stood before them, arms crossed over their chest, eyebrows furrowed in permanent scowls, "Follow us," Jazmine ordered, and the four obliged.

They followed the two to an elevator that took them higher up the building. Once there, they walked down another hall before entering another room that looked like another waiting room, only it also looked like an office, and was rather large. The back wall was a glass window that overlooked the city; in front of that was a large desk with a single laptop on it. There was a plush purple circular rug that the desk, and the black rolling chair that Jazmine claimed as her seat, rested on. A few feet away from the desk were two black couches that curved inwards with plush throw pillows set neatly on top, along with a coffee table that matched the desk. There were bookshelves along the walls that were filled with different black binders with names on the spines, and there were even a few potted plants and flowers here and there for decoration.

Huey, Riley, Ed, and Rummy were instructed to sit on the couches as Cindy took her place next to Jazmine, sitting on the desk. It was then that Huey and Riley realized that this was most likely Jazmine's office.

"I'm waiting for more information on the symbol," Jazmine began slowly, "but I'll also need the information on your hitman, just to be thorough."

Huey nodded, "I can give that to you," he said, and Jazmine smirked, "Before we get into that, I'm going to give you a brief rundown and the general idea of what you both will be doing," she nodded to Ed and Rummy, "Your part here is done, so you may leave...unless you wanted to join." She cast the two a small smile, but the two men abruptly stood, "Just call us when you're ready," Ed said to Huey and Riley, "and we'll come get ya."

Riley almost pleaded with the two to stay, but bit his tongue as he watched them leave. The door closed behind them with a loud clang, and it grew silent.

This was the first time the four were alone, together.

"Anyways, let's make this brief," Jazmine went on, ignoring the uncomfortable atmosphere. She stood up and casually walked over to the now vacant couch, and Cindy followed. The two sat side by side in front of the boys; Jazmine in front of Huey and Cindy in front of Riley. Riley furrowed his brows, "Well, what is it?"

Cindy sat back slightly, "We've been planning on pullin' this stunt for a while, but we never had the time. We would always get wrapped up in somethin' else, or have a problem to solve," she fixed her hair, "however, because we knew that we would eventually want to pull this off, we sent in a contact."

"And what is it that you both want to do?" Huey asked pointedly.

Jazmine paused for a moment, as if thinking about her words carefully before speaking, "We've noticed that the Mayor isn't as clean as he claims to be," she began. Her eyes shifted towards Cindy, who nodded her way before turning to glance between the two brothers.

"We run most of Woodcrest's Underworld, and some of the civilian world, too," Cindy went on, standing up from her spot, "but we've always noticed somethin'...odd about Greene. He's just very...shady."

"You think he might be involved in some kind of criminal activities?" Huey questioned, to which Cindy nodded.

"Yeah, something like that." she paused, "We don't really know what his game is, and he's only been mayor for a year. At first, we thought he played for the underdogs here in Woodcrest. His campaign made it seem like he was rootin' for everyone, y'know, that whole political bullshit. But now that he's actually in office, things have changed."

"Changed how?" Riley prodded.

"It's clear he favors the rich over the poor," Jazmine chimed back in, "a lot of his new policies are geared towards helping the upper class, but most of them are covered over this facade of helping the poor better themselves. He had a whole campaign against crime, promising to do more to end the crime waves in Woodcrest, but look around," she gestured to their surroundings, "he's not exactly succeeding in what he promised to do."

"So, what exactly are y'all tryna do here?" Riley crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't like where this was going, and judging by Huey's deepening frown, neither did he.

"We've been plannin' on breaking into his estate," Cindy answered, clicking her tongue, "we want to see what it is he has behind closed doors, and judgin' by how much he's upped security over at his mansion, we're assuming he's hiding a lot more than he lets on."

"But, what was this contact for?" Huey asked.

Jazmine couldn't stop a small smirk from forming on her lips, "Well, that's the other part of this job," she and Cindy shared the same smirk, which made the brothers very uncomfortable.

"Greene also happened to have married the wealthiest widow in Woodcrest," Jazmine leaned forward, propping herself on her desk with her elbows, resting her head on her interlaced fingers, "her name is Valerie, and until recently, she was known as Valerie Lizero-Cane. Her husband was on Wuncler's payroll, and dealt with a lot of his businesses here in Woodcrest and abroad."

"I remember that name," Huey noted, his brow still furrowed, "he was one of Wuncler's top lawyers, and dealt with a lot of his legal issues and got him out of a lot of tight situations. He married Valerie when they were pretty young, because she's a Lizero Sister."

"Lizero Sister?" Riley scratched his head, unfamiliar with the name.

Huey rolled his eyes, although he didn't expect him to remember a whole lot about Woodcrest's elite, since they were always in the middle to lower class district, "Valerie is one of four sisters that comes from the Lizero family. They were one of the most powerful families in Woodcrest besides Wuncler back when we lived here; I'm not surprised they're still a big name. Their mother was one of Wuncler's oldest friends, I think."

Jazmine nodded, "That's the family. They've only grown since you two left, especially now that they're marrying their children off to equally rich partners."

"What happened to Valerie's husband?" Huey inquired.

Cindy shrugged, "He died a few years ago."

"How?" Riley asked.

"Shot in the head walking out a donut shop." Cindy scoffed, shaking her head, "Hardly ever left the safety of Wuncler, but the moment he did, he got his brains blown out on the sidewalk on a Sunday mornin'."

The image made both Huey and Riley grimace, but Jazmine only continued: "Valerie is the only Lizero Sister that stayed in Woodcrest, primarily because of her first husband, and now because of Greene. I don't know if either of you remember, but Valerie has three kids."

When both boys shook their heads, she explained: "Valerie's got two girls and a boy. Her oldest is Vera, but she goes by Vera Jet, and she's about twenty-six or so. She's married to some lawyer named Jackson Jet, and the two moved out of Woodcrest after they got married."

"Her second is Victor," Cindy carried on, "he's a little younger than us, and he's supposed to be away at college, but from what we've been able to gather from all his social media sites, he likes spending his time travelin' instead of being at school."

"Which leaves us her youngest daughter, Venus." None of the names were familiar, but Jazmine was very comfortable saying her name, "Venus is younger than all of us, and she currently still lives here in Woodcrest with her mother and her new stepfather. They live in his mansion on the upper side of the city, under heavy security. She's nothing out of the ordinary; pretty, popular, naïve, sometimes extremely ditzy."

"So this contact you sent in," Huey interrupted, "I'm assuming he's there because of Venus?"

Jazmine nodded, "We sent him in to catch Venus's attention. It would make it a whole lot easier to get her to leave if she was comfortable leaving. Of course, he's not leading her to safety, but she doesn't know that."

"So, it's a ransom thing with Venus?" Huey cocked up a brow.

Jazmine nodded, "Valerie may be a ditzy socialite, but I don't doubt that she cares for her children. She'll do whatever it takes to get Venus back, even if it means...bartering for her."

"And Greene will have to back her up somehow," Cindy added, "since, y'know, they're married now."

"So if he's takin' care of her, what are we supposed to do?" Riley inquired.

"There's a party happening this weekend," Jazmine began, "in honor of Greene's birthday. We were invited to go as guests; we let the city believe that we're just extremely good businesswomen, so Greene doesn't know about our affiliation with the Underworld. You two are going to go as part of the hired crew. You'll be disguised as waiters or busboys, something you'd see at a dinner party like that." She waved off the look of annoyance on both boys' faces, "Once inside, we're expecting our contact to be leading Venus out while both of y'all weasel your way in."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Huey demanded, "It's a dinner party, don't you think it'll be suspicious to see two random waiters poking their noses around the mansion?"

"Not if you know what you're doing." Jazmine shrugged, "You'll need to be disguised as waiters to get into the party, but who's to say you need to stay waiters once inside?" she arched a brow, "You both could pass as just workers or cleaners in the mansion and pretend to be on duty while sneaking around. But, you'll have limited time to actually be inside."

"What 'bout you two?" Riley piped up, "We're the ones doin' all this work, what're y'all gonna be doin' to help?"

"We're going to be socialites." Jazmine had a hint of sarcasm in her tone, and she giggled softly, "We're going to make sure Greene doesn't go checking anything that night."

"How will we know where to go?" Huey asked, "What are you expecting us to find?"

"There's two places of importance our contact's found out about: Greene's private study, and a small library that only he has access to." Jazmine explained, "They're located on opposite sides of the house, and are kept locked. According to our contact, Venus mentioned having gone into the library before, but only for a few seconds. She…told our contact she saw a 'wall move'," she said it with quotations, "if that doesn't scream secret shit, I don't know what does."

"You're lookin' for anything that proves Greene is in some shady shit," Cindy added, "we've heard rumors over the past year of some criminal activity, but nothing explicit."

"And why do y'all care so much?" Huey asked, cocking up a brow, "I know it's not because y'all care about the good citizens of Woodcrest." His tone was sarcastic, and it made Riley smirk.

Jazmine sucked in her cheeks, giving the two a forced smile, "Whatever business he's in on the side…it's nothing connected to Woodcrest, or we'd have known about it. If Greene was involved with the criminals of Woodcrest, no one would be able to shut up about it."

In Huey's mind, it clicked, "You're worried he's strong enough to bring y'all down."

Both girls stiffened, but nodded in agreement, "Essentially. If he works with people outside of Woodcrest, who's to say he won't bring them here?" Jazmine leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest, "Call us paranoid, but we've been one of the top dogs in this city for years...and neither of us are planning on losing our spots."

Huey sighed, processing the information, "Why does it have to be just us? Can't we have some kind of backup or something?"

Jazmine shrugged, "Well, you two are perfect for the job because Greene's never seen you. If it were up to me," Cindy glared at her as she spoke, but Jazmine ignored her, "Cindy and I would be doing the infiltrating, but Greene knows who we are. We can't pretend to be workers or cleaning ladies or anything because, well, everyone would recognize us. It would blow the whole thing."

"Besides, you two can handle yourselves," Cindy interrupted Jazmine, as if trying to shut her up, "I'm sure y'all can do somethin' like this."

Both Huey and Riley were silent, processing the information. Neither brother looked too pleased with any of this, "What about our granddad?" Huey asked in a hushed voice.

The two girls exchanged a glance, "While we're in there, our people are going to be looking for him," Jazmine assured the two, "We have no idea if we'll be able to find him before the party, we have no idea if you both will be called for a ransom or anything. Our first step is to understand the symbol you gave us, and what it means." She rubbed one temple for a second, "Next, we have one of our techies hacking into the security system at the hotel. There has to be some kind of footage of this person entering and exiting the place, and of some kind of getaway vehicle in the parking lot."

"From there, we'll have everythin' analyzed," Cindy picked up the conversation again, "we got lots of ways to analyze footage and anyone that comes on screen. There's always somethin' that tells you who a person is."

"It shouldn't be too difficult finding someone taking an older man out of the hotel, although we are expecting that your grandfather was at least drugged or unconscious. I remember him," Jazmine's voice cracked slightly as she gave a small, fond smile, "you and I know that he would've never left without a fight."

Huey and Riley had to smile as well, because they knew full well that their grandfather would have never gone down without a fight, too.

"And from there, we follow leads. We're assuming that both of you are the main targets, not your grandfather. If anything, this person could've taken him as a means to get the both of you to follow, and walk right into a trap." Jazmine went on, shrugging, "We aren't sure just yet, but we certainly can't rule that out."

"What does that mean for him?" Riley questioned, worry in his voice.

Jazmine cocked her head to the side to look at him, "That means that he's most likely not in any life threatening danger. They won't kill him, because they know that he's worth more alive than dead. Our chances of finding him alive are a lot higher than finding him dead."

This seemed to relieve the boys, even if it was only for a moment. Huey glanced between the two girls, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to, or couldn't. He'd been sitting there, listening intently to what the girls had to say.

"You go by Crystal, right?" Riley addressed Cindy, breaking the awkward silence.

The question caught her off guard, but she nodded, arching a brow, "Yeah, I go by Crystal. It's a code name, why?"

Riley smirked sadly, staring into her eyes with his, "I remember when you were just C-Murph."

Huey elbowed him roughly in the side, as if to tell him to shut up. Cindy only crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, "And I remember when you were Young Reezy," she shot back, her voice rising slightly.

Riley scoffed, "I been Young Reezy," he replied.

"We help you, you help us, right?" Huey injected himself into the conversation, stopping the two from pressing any further, "We do this for y'all, y'all help us get our grandfather back...and we go our separate ways again."

Both Cindy and Jazmine nodded together, "That's what we're agreeing on." Jazmine replied, averting her gaze to look down at Huey's body rather than his face. The notion made Huey twitch slightly, and he clenched his jaw.

He stood up, prompting Riley to stand up as well. He approached the desk, ignoring Cindy. Sticking out his hand, he looked dead into her eyes, "Then shake on it."

Jazmine's eyes trailed back up to Huey's as she arched a brow, and a hint of a smile crossed her lips. With a slender hand, she reached over and took Huey's into hers. As soon as she had, Huey's eyes narrowed, and his grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her forwards, causing her to gasp slightly.

Behind him, Cindy lunged forwards, but Riley, despite being in shock at Huey's actions, grabbed her waist and pulled her down, slamming her into the floor onto her back. He pinned her wrists down and put his weight on her, holding her in place. Cindy thrashed beneath him, trying to wriggle out of his grip, but she couldn't fight against his weight.

Huey pulled Jazmine forward so that she was nearly dragged across her desk, her feet leaving the floor. With his free hand, he reached over and wrapped it around her throat, holding tightly. Jazmine's eyes went wide at the sudden action, and her heartbeat quickened as she stared up into Huey's wine orbs, completely vulnerable.

"This better not be a trap," Huey hissed at her, squeezing her neck slightly, "I don't have time for a revenge plot against me and my brother. I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but we are getting my grandfather back alive." His grip tightened again, and Jazmine gasped slightly, trying to breathe.

On the floor, Cindy stared up at Riley, "You're still scum." She spat, her crystal blue eyes furrowing.

Riley only looked down at her and smirked, causing her heart to skip a beat; his smile was still so beautiful and captivating, "You're still a bitch." He snapped back, but he had a playful look in his eyes, the same look Cindy was once so used to seeing.

Jazmine smiled wryly at Huey, "Of c-course." she managed to reply. Suddenly, Huey heard something click, and before he could react, Jazmine had a gun pressed to the side of his head, having turned the safety off. Huey cursed mentally, realizing that he never restrained her other arm.

Almost vulnerable.

Her smile widened slightly at his realization of his error, "I'm not the same little girl you remember, Huey," she moved her finger to the trigger, "you're not the only one with power anymore."

They stood like that for a moment, staring into each other's eyes, with Riley and Cindy doing the same. It was like a death match; whoever blinked first died. But the more they glared, the more they felt the feeling in their stomach churn, and all four felt the same thing, even though no one dared to say a thing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Huey released Jazmine's neck, and she stretched it slightly. As she did so, she slowly lowered her gun, clicking the safety back on. Then, the two began to pull away from each other, and Jazmine landed back on her chair in a huff as Huey released her arm.

Riley released Cindy's wrists and stood up as Cindy jumped to her feet. She rubbed them as she backed away, towards the desk, her eyes darting from Riley to Huey. Huey stumbled backwards to meet his brother by the couches, their eyes never leaving the girls'. Jazmine cleared her throat, rubbing her neck, "We'll call you when we have more information," she said, her voice faltering slightly, "Until then, get out." She pointed towards the door.

Both boys slowly backed away. Huey nodded to Riley, who turned around and darted for the door, opening it. He stepped outside as Huey followed, backing up the entire time. When he finally made it to the door, he slipped out of the room and closed it, the sound almost inaudible.

Once outside the room, Riley shoved a dazed Huey as hard as he could, "Nigga what the fuck was that?" he demanded angrily, "You lost yo damn mind? First the alley and now this?"

Huey rolled his eyes as he regained his composure, "I had to be sure."

"Nigga we ain't in a position to be pullin' this kinda shit!" Riley shot back, eyes narrowed, fists clenched, "They're the only ones who can help us find Granddad, and you wanna try and kill them?"

Huey shook his head, "I wasn't trying to kill Jazmine, Riley, I was trying to make sure I could trust her."

"And how the fuck did nearly chokin' her to death accomplish that?" Riley demanded.

Huey sighed, but he smiled softly, "Because when she lies, she can't look me in the eye." He rubbed the back of his head, "and after all these years, she still can't do it."

"You mean she was lyin' before?" Riley arched a brow, and Huey nodded, "When she said she'd help us, she wouldn't look at me directly. That's why I did what I did, because when she looked me in the eye and swore that she'd help us, I could take her word for it." he smirked, "I didn't know if it would work, honestly, but I'm glad it did."

"Let's just call up Ed and get outta here," Riley grabbed Huey by the arm and began dragging him towards the elevator, extremely annoyed, "before they come out and decide to shoot us."

Inside the office, Cindy was fuming, pacing across the room, "Can you believe that son of a bitch did that?!" she practically shrieked, "We offer them help and they decide to turn on us?!" She turned to Jazmine, who still sat at her desk. However, Jazmine was smiling. It wasn't a happy smile, but a fond smile, like she had just been thinking about a memory.

Cindy stopped pacing to stare at her friend, "Jaz, what the hell's wrong with you? Why are you smilin'?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jazmine chuckled, shaking her head, "He knew," she replied hoarsely, clearing her throat again. Cindy arched a brow, "Knew what?" She came over to stand in front of Jazmine's desk, eyeing her.

Jazmine sighed, "He knew that I was lying." Cindy groaned inwardly, "How could he tell?"

Jazmine thought for a moment, "When I lie to him, I can't look him in the eye, ever," she shook her head, "after all these years, he knew that…," she slouched back in her seat, "and after all these years, I still can't lie to him."

Cindy sighed, frustrated. She flopped down on one of the couches, leaning her head back, "We are gonna to help them, right?" she questioned.

Jazmine nodded, "Yes, for their grandfather only," she crossed her arms over her chest, "a favor for a favor, remember?"

Cindy rolled her eyes, "We always say that."

Jazmine nodded, "This time, we'll have to keep our word."

Meanwhile, a car nearly ran a red light as it was leaving the area, the driver listening intently to a very long winded and rather terrifying story.

"I can't believe y'all did that and she didn't pull the trigger!" Ed exclaimed as he made a turn. Riley called him and instructed him to meet them outside of the girls' building, to which he obliged. He came by, they got in the car, and he took off. The first thing he asked was what happened, and how the little 'meeting' went. Of course, he wasn't surprised when they informed him of their current plans, but was more than shocked when Riley mentioned Huey's little stunt, which caused him to run a red light as he tried to turn around to look at the boys.

"I can't believe my brother's a bigger dumbass than I thought," Riley remarked, to which Huey rolled his eyes, "I already gave you my reasons," he replied, but Riley only scoffed, "Okay and? You still pulled a dumbass move nigga, Jazmine could've fuckin' shot yo dumbass and mine!"

"But she didn't," Huey pointed out. Riley now rolled his eyes, "This time. Next time we won't be so lucky man, you gotta be more careful."

Ed nodded, "Riley's right, I told y'all they're dangerous, man."

Huey thought for a moment, "I think if they wanted to kill us, they would've already. They had every opportunity in there to kill us, but they didn't." Riley opened his mouth to say something smart, but he closed it, realizing that his brother was right; they had every chance, but never took any.

"Just don't do that shit again." Riley chided his brother, turning to look out of the window.

Huey rolled his eyes, but he frowned. Rummy could see his face in the rear view mirror, "Somethin' wrong?" he called over his shoulder to Huey.

Huey sighed, shaking his head, "Well, I don't really know," he admitted, "It's just...what Jazmine and Cindy said about the Mayor."

"Oh, so they've got you doin' that one." Ed now rolled his eyes, "When Jazmine pitched me that idea a few months ago, I thought she was crazy. All this time, she's had that under her sleeve, just waitin' for the right moment."

"Yeah, but I mean, another dirty mayor?" Huey bit his bottom lip slightly, "No offense, Ed, but Wuncler wasn't exactly clean either."

Ed nodded, "No, yeah, my grandfather was as dirty as they come. Him and my dad, they swindled and lied their way to the top."

Huey shook his head again, only it was slight, "How did someone like Greene become Mayor of Woodcrest?"

Rummy now shrugged, "I dunno man, Greene just promised a whole bunch of shit he wasn't planning to keep. Y'know how politics are, these candidates just say whatever to get their name out there."

Riley glanced between his brother and Ed and Rummy, "Why is Woodcrest so fucked up now?" He asked, although it was a rhetorical question, like he wasn't planning on receiving an answer.

Ed chuckled sadly, "Honestly, guys, Woodcrest took a turn no one thought it would take," he admitted, "and people like Jazmine and Cindy fueled it even more."


Jazmine stepped out of her shower, the scalding water on her body dripping down to the floor. The cool air met her skin and sent a shiver down her spine as she dried off her body. She then grabbed another towel and began drying her hair carefully, wrapping the first towel around her body. She moved from her bathroom to her bedroom, where she approached her large, walk-in closet and picked out a pair of night shorts and a matching t-shirt with her slippers, slipping them on as she let the towel fall to the floor.

"This the first time you called," a voice said from the bed. The owner of said voice stood up, pulling on his shirt after he'd buckled up his pants and slipped on his shoes.

Jazmine stepped out of her closet and closed the door, wet towel in hand, turning off the lights, "Yeah, well, I've been stressed lately." she replied flatly. She draped her towel over her computer desk chair and stood stalk straight, crossing her arms over her chest, "Where're you going next, Cindy's?"

He shook his head, "Naw, she still mad at me from the other day," he looked her up and down, licking his lips hungrily, "but...I could stay here if you want me to…,"

Jazmine shook her head, "You know my deal," she replied shortly, walking out of her room. Frowning, the man followed, grabbing his car keys from off the floor, where he'd tossed them earlier.

"This wouldn't happen to be because he's back in town, huh?" he inquired. He knew he'd hit the nail on the head when she froze at the front door, her hand on the doorknob. However, she shook her head, "Just go already, T-ba." she ordered sharply.

T-ba smirked, shaking his head, "I knew it, is that why you called me over here for the first time in months?" He stood behind her now, and she quickly turned around, staring up at him. T-ba could read her a little too well, and he knew exactly why he'd been called over to her place at such a late hour for the first time since the previous year. He arched a brow, "You thinkin' about that Freeman boy when I'm fuckin' you?" he asked.

Jazmine scoffed, "He wishes I did." she snapped, "Just get out already, all I wanted was some dick."

T-ba chuckled, "You run a pretty mean game," he commented as she opened the door.

Jazmine smirked now, "You do, too." She replied back smartly.

T-ba raised his hands, "I mean, we all gotta have some game, right?" He cast her a cocky half-smile, but she didn't even flinch, "See you later." she mumbled, closing the door and locking it behind him. Jazmine raced back to her bedroom, quietly closing the door. It was dark; she hadn't turned on a light yet.

For a moment, her mind crept back to the previous hour. She called T-ba earlier that night, inviting him over for sex, which was something she rarely did. T-ba mainly fucked with Cindy, and that was because they'd been friends long before this predicament ever happened. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't almost called him by another name multiple times, and even though the sex was good, it wasn't great.

Jazmine rarely had sex like Cindy did, and it wasn't because she was just too upset to. It was because no one interested her anymore. No one stuck out to her, no one actually made an impression on her, enough for her to call them up frequently. They were all pretty much the same to Jazmine, who grew bored quickly as time went on. Their touches were cold, their lips were harsh, their strokes were feeble. No one seemed to satisfy her anymore, no one knew how to. There was only one person who knew…

"Fuck him," she scoffed. She ran to her bed and jumped onto it, burying her face into her pillows. She wasn't even going to say his name aloud, but deep down, she was screaming it: Huey.


"Jazmine, it hurts so bad," she cried out, grabbing a hold of her stomach. Jazmine, who sat beside her, grabbed onto her arm, "It'll be okay, Cin," she replied encouragingly, "just breathe…,"

Instead, Cindy let out an ear piercing scream that echoed throughout the room. She gripped onto the railings on the bed, leaning her head back and letting out another wail as the doctor maneuvered around in front of her. There were two other nurses in the room, both of which had somber, upsetting expressions on their faces, along with fear. They knew who Jazmine and Cindy were, and they knew this might get ugly.

Finally, the doctor pulled away, his blue gloves soaked in blood. Cindy took long, heavy breaths, trying to calm herself down and regulate the pain she was feeling in her lower abdomen. The nurses tried to give her something for the pain, but whatever they gave her wore off quickly, because it wasn't long before the pain began radiating through her body.

"Are you done?" Jazmine asked the doctor.

The doctor wiped his brow and nodded, "Yes ma'am, we're finally done." He stood up, allowing a nurse to take his spot as she began to clean up Cindy, wiping away the blood that had splattered onto her thighs and dripped out of her womanhood. The doctor pulled off his gloves and threw them away in the trash before heading over to a sink to wash his hands. He then returned, clipboard in hand, as the nurse finished up.

"I know this was hard," the doctor began softly, trying to not anger Cindy, who looked horrible, to say the least. Her face was pale, her lips were chapped, and she looked like she wanted to die. She had sweat along her forehead and brow, and Jazmine took a damp cloth to wipe at her face, trying to cool her down.

"What h-happened?" Cindy croaked, looking up at the doctor.

He sighed, "Well, it looks like this was due to trauma," he replied grimly, flipping through the clipboard, "it says here you were in an…'accident'?" He didn't seem convinced, but Jazmine only nodded, "Yes, earlier," she said quickly, "was the damage that bad?"

The doctor nodded, "Yes, whatever 'accident' you were in caused an extreme amount of damage...which in turn caused the miscarriage." He set the clipboard down on a nightstand beside the hospital bed, "We're terribly sorry this had to happen," he went on, "but we could not keep the baby inside you any longer."

Cindy felt tears fall down her face as Jazmine hurried to wipe them away, "What was it?" she asked in a clearer, but still feeble, voice.

The doctor arched a brow, "The sex of the baby?" he asked, and Cindy managed to nod. He bit his bottom lip slightly, "From the looks of it, I'd say it was a girl."

Cindy closed her eyes just as a few more tears slipped down her face, her lip quivering. Jazmine turned her attention back to the doctor, "How long will she have to stay here?" she demanded.

The doctor looked at his watch, "She can leave later on tonight when she feels like she can walk again," Jazmine nodded, "Good, I'll have your money brought to you while we wait." The doctor nodded softly.

Jazmine looked back down at Cindy, who still had her eyes closed, "Can we be alone for a minute?" she asked. The doctor hesitated, but he nodded. He turned to the nurses, who merely followed him out of the room, never once looking back at the two girls. They closed the door silently behind them.

Jazmine turned back to Cindy, "How do you feel?" she asked.

Cindy scoffed, "Like h-hell," she managed to reply, licking her lips, "Everything hurts."

Jazmine smirked, "I can imagine."

Cindy opened her eyes to stare up at the ceiling, "But it all happened so fast," she whispered, barely audible. Jazmine grabbed ahold of her hand, "I'm sorry, Cin," she said in a low voice, "I should've been there…,"

Cindy shook her head, "Wasn't your fault," she replied simply, sadly, "I shouldn't have tried anything at all, I should've just let you or someone else handle it."

Jazmine could tell that Cindy was beating herself up over this, "Do you wanna sleep?" she asked, and Cindy nodded after a minute, "Just for a little bit…," she yawned, rubbing her eyes, "...wake me up...when it's time…,"

Her eyes slowly opened, and she realized she'd been crying in her sleep. The pillow she'd been laying on was stained with her tears, and she wiped the remaining ones off of her cheeks. Gingerly, she sat up, her head slightly hurting as her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of the room. Slowly, she leaned over and turned on her lamp.

Cindy had that nightmare often, even though she claimed she didn't. It had only been two years since her fateful miscarriage when she was twenty-three. There was an altercation, which Jazmine labeled an "accident". Nonetheless, Cindy had to go to the hospital. She had a quick surgery under the counter by a doctor Jazmine paid off, and that was that. She never buried her baby, Jazmine made sure Cindy never saw the remains, and it was never spoken of again.

A part of her wished she had seen the baby. A part of her wished she'd seen her little girl at least once before she was taken away. If she could go back and change it, she would. But she couldn't.

Cindy never spoke about it to anyone, and sometimes she wondered if that was a mistake. But she could never bring herself to speak to anyone, even Jazmine, over what happened, because all it did was remind her of one of the most painful times in her life, more painful than when Riley left her.

So, she decided to remain silent.


It was dark and quiet, and he couldn't hear or see anything. He knew he was sitting up, and he could feel his hands behind his back, tied together by something, maybe rope. Around his eyes was something like a bandana, to keep him from seeing. The air smelled of gasoline and death, like something had recently died in this enclosed space and no one properly cleaned the remains. He stirred slightly, and tried to move around, but was limited due to the restraints put on his wrists and ankles. He grunted; his mouth was still able to move freely.

"Ughh," he groaned, stirring again, "Wh-where am I?" He flexed his arms, trying to rotate his hands, but he couldn't. He was met with no answer. He tried to wriggle his head, but every time he moved even the slightest bit he felt like his world was turning, and he couldn't even see anything, "H-hello?" He tried again, a little louder.

Finally, he heard footsteps, and he heard the clicking of someone smacking on gum fill the air, "Well, well, you're awake," a dark voice mused. A hand grabbed the back of the man's head, and his blindfold was ripped off.

Robert Freeman could now see; his glasses were still conveniently perched on his nose, although they were smudged from the blindfold. It was blurry and hazy at first, but after a moment his eyes got adjusted to the lights. He blinked a few times, clearing his mind, although it still hurt to look around. He glanced to his right and spotted a tall young man, maybe his eldest grandson's age, who wore all black and carried a gun at his side. Robert grunted as he tried to move again, "W-who are you, where am I?" he demanded.

The young man chuckled lowly, "Easy there, old man, my job ain't to provoke ya. I'm just here to watch ya."

Robert arched a brow, "Watch me?"

The young man nodded, "Yup, that's what I was assigned to do. As long as you don't cause trouble, we'll be just fine." Robert rolled his eyes, "Who are you?" He asked again, having received no answer the first time.

The young man smirked as he squatted down in front of him now, his eyes meeting his, "You can call me James." he replied. The man, James, was white; he had ashy blonde hair and fair skin, and eyes bluer than the sea. He cocked his head to the side as Robert studied him, "You thirsty?" he asked. Robert managed to nod weakly.

James moved to pull something out of a backpack lying on the floor a few feet away from where they were. As he did, Robert took the chance to glance around, observing his surroundings.

It looked like he was in some kind of warehouse; it was a large enclosure with high ceilings, although most of the area was dark. He could make out boxes stacked here and there, and they seemed to be near an office that was closed. James came back with a bottle of water in his hand, and he opened it, placing it to Robert's lips and allowing him to take a few swigs before pulling away.

Robert squirmed a little more, "What do you want?" he now asked, "You holdin' me for ransom?"

James chuckled, "After all these years, I'm surprised you haven't pieced it together yet," he leaned against a sturdy stack of boxes and crossed his arms over his chest. Robert narrowed his eyes, "I know who ya work for...you work for him." He spat angrily, almost growling.

"At least you know," James smirked, "but I'm not going to hurt ya."

Robert now arched a brow, "Why not?" he asked, "Ain't that what y'all criminals do, hurt people?"

James let out a low laugh, "Well yeah, that's what we normally do, but this's...different," he shrugged, "I was told to not hurt ya, he wants ya alive and well."

Robert snorted, "And uncomfortable, too," he proceeded to squirm, "Can't ya let a old man lie down? My bones hurt."

James rolled his eyes, but he walked away for a moment. Robert didn't have the energy or the strength to try and wriggle out of his restraints, so he instead waited patiently for James to return. A few moments later, Jame came back, hauling a large mattress behind him with a pillow on top. Both items looked new, which Robert was thankful for.

James let the mattress fall to the floor. He positioned the pillow on one end of the mattress, fluffing it up slightly. He then returned to Robert. Gently, he grabbed him and hoisted him into the air, grunting as he did so. Carefully, he moved Robert to the mattress, lying him down so his head rested on the pillow. Robert squirmed around slightly before he found a somewhat comfortable position and remained still, "Why are you bein' so nice?" Robert inquired.

James shrugged, "You an old man," he replied simply, "I don't entirely agree with him choosin' to take you, but you were the easiest target, and the most accessible, so I get why."

Robert grunted, "My boys will be comin' for me now," he said, trying to warn James, "you don't know what they're capable of."

James chuckled, "I'm sure they're mighty tough," he replied evenly, but he was unfazed by the threat, "but I know my boss, and he knows your boys." James knelt down so he was a little closer to Robert, his piercing eyes never leaving his, "He knows they'll do anythin' to protect their granddaddy, even if it means givin' up somethin' it return."

Robert scoffed, "They'll catch ya first," he said confidently, "I know my boys better than ya boss knows 'em. I know exactly what they can do and they'll get me outta this in no time."

James laughed aloud, "From what I've been told, they're the reason why you're here in the first place." He shook his head, "What was his name, Huey? Yeah, he's the one who got y'all stuck in this situation in the first place; he went lookin' into business he shouldn't have been."

"Can't help if my boy's curious over the death of his parents," Robert shot back, "he just wanted to look into it a little more."

James rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and he got a little too close." He stood back up and walked over to a single chair a few feet away. He sat down, making himself comfortable, "I think you should get some rest," James then said, "tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

Robert sighed as he averted his gaze. Mentally, he was cursing himself and his grandsons; himself for convincing them to leave New York, and his grandsons for stumbling into something bigger than themselves.