by Keon Smith
Montega shook his head. “You so selfish; it’s a shame,” he said with disbelief. “What about Razor, huh?”
Breezy quickly turned away with an attitude when she heard the name.
“Did he deserve what happened to him?” Montega asked, looking at her with pleading eyes. “It’s part of the game, shorty. This is the way it goes. You kill my people; I kill you. Then somebody tries to kill me. It’s called karma. You don’t have to like it, but it will always be what it is. I’m sorry for what happened to dude, but I refused to get left stinkin’ somewhere while someone else moves forward. Only the strong survive, and I’m still breathing.”
Breezy didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. Kev locked in his destiny when he killed Razor, and she knew that. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she tried not to breakdown. Not in front of him. “I still hate you.” She sniffled.
“Awww, c’mon, yo. Don’t cry. If it makes you feel any better, I’m sorry about bol. No, fuck that, I’m not sorry, but I am sorry about hurting you, and… and if you need anything from me, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I don’t want anything from you. Besides… I don’t think you can handle what I need right now, Kenny,” she blurted out unconsciously. She realized what she said and looked up in shock.
Montega’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t know how to respond. He looked back at his plate and continued to eat. By the end of their meal, the wine had loosened the tension and allowed them to speak freely.
“This was really weird,” Breezy admitted as she got up. “But I’m kinda glad it played out this way… I guess I can find a way to stop hatin’ you so much.”
“Thank God.” Montega sighed. “Now I can cross the street without having to worry about you running me over.”
Breezy giggled, remembering her attempted hit and run on him two years back. “You drove?”
“Yeah. Thankfully, I didn’t get a ride from Jazz. My car is in the lot on the sixth floor. Why? Are you going to be a gentleman and walk with me?” she asked, picking up her fur coat.
“Do you want me to?”
“Do I really have to ask? Look at what I have on. All those crazy people out there this time of night and all this ass. I might get mugged.”
Montega stared at her shapely figure and licked his lips. Breezy was thick and curvy, the way any man would want his future wife. Out of all his sisters’ friends, she and Amber had the fattest asses. Too bad neither were meant for him.
“Aight, we out,” he said. He got up from the table and followed her through the dining room to the exit. The fur coat was only a quarter length, leaving everything else in clear view. He watched as her ass bounced from side to side the whole way. The dress she wore left little room for imagination. He couldn’t take his eyes off it until they got outside.
As soon as the cool air hit his face, he looked up and saw a flash of chrome in the dread head’s hand standing across the street.
“There he is!” Gee shouted as three goons pulled out Mac-10s. Montega pushed Breezy to the ground.
“Get down!” he shouted while reaching into his tuxedo and pulling out two black Beretta M9s from their holsters.
The rapid fire from the Macs exploded from across the street. Montega fired two shots before ducking with a bruised Breezy on the other side of a parked car. The restaurant’s front window shattered as the customers got down under their tables to avoid any stray bullets.
As Montega and Breezy took cover on the pavement behind the car, Gee abandoned his position, leaving his shooters, and crept across the street for a better shot. He was surprised by Montega, who fired four rounds into his chest from both pistols. Gee spun like a spinning top before hitting the ground, coughing up blood. More gunfire erupted from Maniac and two other machine guns, causing Montega to pose as a shield over Breezy as glass from the car window showered over their heads. Police sirens rang in the distance. Gee coughed up more blood before his body went stiff.
“Oh my God! Oh my God! We’re gonna die!” Breezy panicked.
“Calm down and look at me,” Montega demanded, cupping her face. Breezy looked Montega directly in his eyes and instantly saw his concern for her safety. She was able to calm down and listen to him.
“We’re not gonna die, shorty,” he said before stuffing one gun back in its holster. “They are. But you gotta listen to me. We can’t stay here. We have to make it to my car. Now, take off your shoes. We gotta run. You go first, and I’ll cover you.”
“Fuck no, are you crazy? They have guns,” Breezy said as her heart slammed inside of her chest.
“Look, Bree. If we stay here, we might as well shoot ourselves. Would you like me to shoot you? Because I’d be damn if I let them do it. Don’t think about it; just run. Now go!”
Montega popped up, shooting at the henchmen who were trying to cross the street before the cops got there. Two shots from his gun struck one in the center of his chest, laying him out in the middle of the street. Breezy gathered up her courage to make a run for it and sprinted down the block. Montega fired four more rounds to keep Maniac off his ass then followed her. They spun the corner onto Sartain Street and continued.
“He’s on the move! Kill him!” Maniac shouted.
Once Montega caught up with Breezy, he took her hand and guided her to the black car with Maniac and his men still in pursuit. Montega hit the remote start button, igniting the engine. The lights beamed on the outside as well as the dashboard, and the navigation screen inside. As Breezy rushed to the passenger side, more shots thundered with angry lead coming in their direction. Montega spun around with one gun aimed. Maniac stopped in his tracks and let the henchmen take the lead just as Montega took the shot.
Boom!
The hollow tip split the henchman’s head wide open, splattering his brains everywhere as his body fell lifelessly. Target practice with Olivia paid off. Montega got into his car, shifted the gear into drive, stepped on the gas and peeled. Bullets pelted the tinted windows like a hailstorm. He and breezy ducked down, shielding their heads from harm’s way, but nothing penetrated.
When Montega looked up to see that the glass hadn’t broken, he sighed in amazement. “It’s cool. The car… it’s bullet-proof. That’s why the windows don’t roll down,” he said, turning left down Camac Street then a right onto Spruce.
“Thanks. I really feel safe now,” Breezy replied sarcastically.
The engine gargled 625 horsepower through the dual exhaust system.
Just when they thought it was over, two Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8’s with 6.1 leader V8 Hemi engines appeared with shooters in ski-masks hanging out the windows armed with AK-47s spitting fire like blow-torches. Montega whipped another right turn on 13th Street and floored it. The Impala’s powerful supercharged LT4 V8 Corvette engine raised the front up like a boat on the water. It raced across Market Street from one side to the other. The vibration trembled the interior like a NASCAR race car.
Montega swerved in and out of a few cars, causing the suspension to bounce. He took another strong right and almost lost control as he drifted onto Filbert Street, fishtailing the big body with spinning tires. The dual exhaust chrome pipes growled, and the motor screamed through the slits of the Ram air hood. Montega remained calm and in control. He checked his rearview every now and then until the two jeeps drew close once more.
“Shoot out the tires!” the driver instructed one of the shooters.
Montega whipped another left onto 9th street before the shooter could get a shot off. They flew past the Gallery just before he turned left once more onto Arch Street.
Eeeerrrbbb!
The tires screeched as they ate up the black street with a hunger for distance. Maniac and the rest of the henchmen did the same in the Cherokees. With the Convention Center on their right and the Criminal Justice Center to their left, they had no respect for minor traffic.
“Where are the cops when you need them?” Breezy asked, looking around.
As one of the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s drew closer, the window rolled down again, and a henchman stuck half his body out, ready to shoot.
“Look at this dickhead,” Montega said, looking in his side mirror. He slammed on the brakes and whipped right back onto Broad Street.
The Impala’s wide ass drifted to the other side of the intersection. The Jeep Grand Cherokee lost control. It slid across the intersection and went head-first into a McDonald’s that was on the corner of Broad and Arch Streets. A cop that was on post quickly got on his radio and called dispatch just as the other Cherokee SRT-8 came screeching around the corner in pursuit.
“What does he have in that bitch?” a henchman asked before rolling his window down to shoot. They could hear the engine from the safety of their own vehicle. It was deafening and exotic.
“Move out of the way and let me get him,” Maniac replied, sticking the Uzi out.
Breezy ducked down again as bullets thudded against the back window. Montega turned left, swerving into oncoming traffic on Vine Street and headed for the Schuylkill Expressway. By that time, red and blue lights were flashing. Behind the Crown Victoria were three patrol cars. He whipped a strong right on 16th then advanced on.
“Put your seatbelt on,” Montega advised as they turned onto a clear expressway.
Breezy obeyed, curious as to what he was up to. Montega put the gas pedal to the floor. The speedometer rose to 160 on the dashboard. Watching him from the passenger side, she noticed him flick on a switch under the dashboard. It was the switch that he had been dying to use. The red button on the steering wheel next to his thumb was blinking on and off.
“Kenny, what the hell are you about to do?” Breezy asked nervously.
“You ever been in a spaceship?” he asked.
As the Cherokee tried to gain speed, Montega hit the button and almost got whiplash. The car rocketed forward. Hitting speeds of over 180 miles per hour within seconds.
“What the fuck! Speed up!” Maniac ordered as he watched the black car with blue flaming pipes get smaller and smaller by the second.
“I’m goin’ as fast as I can,” his driver replied, looking at the dashboard.
Breezy watched with both hands glued to the armrest as everything went by so fast that she felt herself become dizzy. Bracing herself, she planted her feet to the floor. Montega, however, remained calm with one thing on his mind—getting away.
Once he’d done that, he could try to answer the question, how did they know where I was? He hated to believe it, but only one person knew his whereabouts, and that was the person he was supposed to meet. Dee. It hurt him to think that way, but if she was involved in this, then she, too, would have to die.
Hate, Lust, And Revenge
“Why are you so crazy?”
BREEZY
Kia sat on the comfortable leather sofa in her two-bedroom home in West Philadelphia, watching the Channel 10 News. She had been riding around the city all day with her girlfriends, Ebo and Amber, and she needed some rest. This was the only time she could get some peace. Most of her time was spent at her job, trying to sell houses that her brother’s construction company built. It was a shame her boyfriend Larry went back to the Army. She really missed his company. He always kept her laughing.
She knew if a man wanted to win her heart, making her laugh would be half the battle. As Kia kicked her feet up with a bag of microwave popcorn, live footage appeared on the screen.
“Channel 6 is live in front of a Chestnut Street restaurant, where just a few minutes ago, heavy gunfire erupted. As you can see, police officers are recovering two dead bodies. One was found in the street and the other between two parked cars. Police have yet to find a suspect, and there were numerous gunmen involved. Police believe that the shooting evolved into a car chase that left a mass trail of debris throughout the Center City area. Take a look at the footage picked up by the local street cams.”
The black Impala sped across an intersection with two Jeep Grand Cherokees following. The windows were tinted black, making it impossible to get a visual on the driver.
Kia knew that car from anywhere. “Oh my God,” she gasped out.
“This black Chevy Caprice or Impala was last seen traveling north on the expressway. Police say the car was under heavy gunfire before it evaded the suspects at high speeds. The Jeep Grand Cherokees seen in the chase also got away after a shootout with the police. We will bring you an update as information becomes available…”
Kia’s mouth dropped, thinking about Breezy, who had said she had a date at that very same restaurant. And the black car… Could it really be her brother? She then rushed to the phone, but before she could pick it up, she heard a knock at the door. Knowing it had to be her best friends stopping by to tell her about the whole incident, she sighed, stopped, and turned for the door. Without asking who it was, she opened the door, expecting to see Breezy’s face. To her surprise, it wasn’t Breezy.
“Shug, how did you—”
Smack!
Kia spun and fell to the floor after getting slapped without a word spoken. Shug walked inside and kicked her in the gut. She rolled over as he shut the door behind him. “I’m gonna enjoy this,” he said, removing his shirt.
As Kia tried to get up, Shug punched her in the face. She dropped back to the floor. He repeatedly hit her. Her vision faded. She was on the verge of blacking out. Grabbing her split, long, white T-shirt, Shug ripped it, exposing her bare breasts and red boy shorts. Shug licked his lips and unbuttoned his pants.
“I got a message I want you to give to your brother for me. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to tell him, but by the time I’m finished with you, he’ll get the point,” Shug said.
“Fuck you!” Kia spat just before finally blacking out.
With a smile on his face, Shug said, “My point exactly.”
The black Impala came to a stop in front of Breezy’s house. The sound of the transmission kicked in. The car went in reverse and parked. Breezy was so amazed with everything that she had just been through. It had her in shock. To be able to live to tell someone about a heavy gun battle and car chase would be exhilarating.
“Can I ask you a question?” She panted, looking over at him. “Why are you so crazy? I mean, those people were just tryna kill you, yet you’re so calm about it right now. What you got? A death wish?”
Montega kept his eyes glued on the full moon that shined brightly in the cold, dark sky. “Sometimes, you gotta be a little crazy to survive in a crazy city like this. Yeah, you might think I don’t have a clue, but I’m not stupid at all. I’m just real. If somethin’ hurts me, I feel pain. If somebody tries to kill me, I’m bustin’ at ’em, and if I feel I’m outnumbered, I’m runnin’, point-blank. It’s called surviving on instincts. My instincts are my best friend. They never let me down.”
Breezy nodded in agreement. “You know, your sister really worries about you. I swear, if a person didn’t know you two were related, they would think you were her dude the way she talks about you all the time. Perhaps more than she talks about Rafeek. You should be thankful for her. Not too many sisters give a damn about their brother.”
Montega smiled as he thought of Kia. “That’s my heart right there—believe it or not. She know that too. I’d give my own life to save hers, and I can’t say that about a lot of people right now.”
“Wow, Kenny Montega does have a heart hidden somewhere in that chest of his,” Breezy replied, patting his chest.
Montega grabbed her wrist firmly, and, just like that, time froze. The two made eye contact. Neither knew what the other thought, but their bodies were magnetic. Breezy blinked shyly, but before she knew it, their lips met. Tilting her head to the side slightly, she allowed his tongue to enter her mouth. Her heart
pounded with both fear and desire. It was like being in some sort of weird dream. Why is he doin’ this to me? she thought. The kiss was wet and aggressive but didn’t last long. Just as quickly as it began, it ended.
Once she was out of the trance, she snatched herself away from him. She wiped her mouth while looking over at him, unsure of what she had done. Montega’s tongue slithered over his lips, sucking her saliva from the surface. He still managed to remain cool. He took a deep breath and sat back in his seat. Breezy continued to watch him. She just couldn’t figure him out. She had never met someone as bold, daring, confident, ambitious, and charming as he was. On the flip side, he was arrogant, foolish, and careless. Tonight, she was seeing a different side of him.
Montega drummed on the steering wheel, waiting for her to get out. Truthfully, he wanted to check on Dee.
“Do you want me to walk you to the door?” he asked, wondering why she hadn’t made a move.
“No,” she replied. “I want you to walk me inside.”
Her reply caused him to look over at her to make sure he heard her right. She was staring at him with sultry eyes. He had seen these eyes before on most women he’d been with. He couldn’t deny her.
When the two entered the house, Breezy quickly reset her alarm and turned on the chandelier in the dining room. Leaving it dim, she walked over to the stereo to turn on some music. It was way too quiet. “You can make yourself comfortable. I have some Coronas in the refrigerator. I have to run and freshen up,” she said.
“I’ve heard that before. You don’t have any machine guns lying around, do you?”
Breezy frowned. “No,” she said, snorting out a laugh. “What type of bitches have you been dealin’ with?” she asked before walking up the steps.
“The kind that set you up to get rocked by your enemy,” he mumbled while pulling his guns out of their holsters.
