Status Quo_The Last Ones Standing

by Monique Chanae

  Skip eyed Anthony with a look that could kill as he knelt down beside him and whispered into his ear. “If I were you, I’d tread real light, Motherfucker.” Anthony knew the threat wasn’t an empty and he immediately began tapping his foot feverishly under the table before discreetly digging into his pants and pulling out a small hand gun pointing it directly in Nefertari’s direction. Nefertari saw the glimmer of the small handgun and without flinching she raised a brow and before anyone had a chance to react a red dot appeared on Anthony’s forehead seconds before a bullet pierced his skull and dropped him like a sack of potatoes where he stood. Everyone at the table flinched from his head exploding like a melon in front of them.

  “Where the fuck did that come from?” Knight exclaimed.

  “I need everybody to have a seat.” Nefertari stated once again in a calm yet firm tone. Following her orders, everyone retook their seat and waited for her to speak.

  “To be honest with you, being called out of my name doesn’t bother me as much as it used to. It’s almost like it comes with the territory at this point and I expect it. I expect to be questioned about taking over Sven Power and I even expect for people to get out of line simply because I have a vagina where you all think I should have a set of balls. I get it. However, there are repercussions for everything and before Anthony was dealt his repercussions, another man tried the same exact shit.”

  From the shadows another armed guardsman entered the room holding a wooden lock box in his hands. Placing it on the table in front of Nefertari, she retrieved a key from Skip and opened the box to reveal what was inside to her attendees. When they all bent to see what was inside, they were all taken aback at the grisly sight before them. Inside the box was a human appendage that had been sawed off roughly at the wrist displaying a hand tattoo.

  “I’ve seen that hand tattoo before… A crown sitting on top of the letter, Z…” Rhiannon said tapping her chin as if she was trying to remember a specific moment in time. Turning to her husband, she asked him a question.

  “Hey babe, what was the guy’s name who came into the club with his wife a few months ago? They said they flew in from Vegas and they were blowing money hand over fist.”

  “Carter Ziegler!” Colton snapped his finger the minute he remembered. “I remember because he said he was from the Chi and I got some cousins out this way, cousins that are familiar with the Guerilla Cartel and he said that was his crew.”

  “Keyword: was. Carter and his wife are the reason Trent is no longer with us. I could go into detail on the backstory of that but I’d much rather not.” Nefertari closed the box and continued to speak. “I do not take kindly to people trying to bullshit me or interrupt my business. Don’t bring drama to my doorstep and I don’t send shooters with guns to yours. Like Jason stated earlier, it is time for a change. We are all about to embark on a brand-new path. If you cannot see yourself being led by a woman to the top, then this here is your stop and you are free to leave as soon as you square away any pending business you have with Sven Power.” Nefertari stopped her speech for several seconds and waited for one of them to get up and walk away. She was sure Lorenzo Knight would bow out but when he opted to stay, she knew then that he had made his decision, but she would forever keep eyes on him.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am not here to ruffle feathers, I am primarily here to win and with my leadership standing alongside Jason Hennessey, we are taking Sven Power and its affiliates to a whole other plateau. Today, we are raising the status quo!” she declared with a smile on her face. Each of the rooms attendees applauded the new venture and listened as Nefertari began laying out some of her new plans. Almost an hour later, the meeting ended and Nefertari and Skip saw all of their associates out with the exception of a few. Rell approached Nefertari who was standing in the middle of the room with Skip and Zihao conversing and slightly cleared his throat. Nefertari turned to face him and a smile spread across her lips.

  “You didn’t have to rush back for this little meeting, you know?” she smiled as she wrapped her arms around Rell and embraced him in a hug.

  “I know but it was a family meeting and I had to be here for it. You’re going to make a great leader, Tari. Everything you’ve had to go through these last couple of months got you ready for a day like today and you owned every bit of it. I’m just glad you and Jason decided to keep me around for the ride.”

  “That’s what family does, Rell.” Rell embraced Nefertari in one last hug before he exited and by the time she turned around, she noticed Zihao had left and Skip was now talking to another man. Bringing her earpiece closer to her lips, Nefertari summoned Cori to come from the shadows and join her out on the office floor. Once Cori copied her request, Nefertari headed over to the two men.

  “Perfect, just the man I wanted to see.” She said as she approached them. Will turned around and immediately hugged Nefertari.

  “You truly are stepping up and stepping into your own, T. I couldn’t be prouder of you, sis.” He said to her kissing her forehead.

  “Aww thank you, Will. I have someone I want to introduce you too. I’m glad you could make it.” She said while hugging him. A few seconds later, Skip whispered in her ear telling her he was going to do a perimeter check and as soon as Skip walked away, another set of footsteps could be heard approaching them. The minute they turned around to face the approaching person, Tari heard Will scoff and ask with an anger laden voice.

  “You gotta be kidding me!”

  "What are you doing here?" Cori asked him the minute he turned around. His name was not on the list that Nefertari had gone over with her and she had no idea that the two even knew each other.

  "I was about to ask you the same damn thing." Will stared at her with a look that she couldn’t read.

  Tari looked between the two of them and asked. "Y'all know each other?"

  "Yes." They both said at the same time while they glared at each other.

  "Okay, that’s still not telling me much of anything; how do y'all know each other?" Nefertari asked as she watched the intense stare down they were having.

  "We were..." Cori started to speak, but Will cut her off.

  "We had a fling, it was nothing serious."

  Tari watched Cori's eyes go from sad to angry at his words. That's when the talk they shared the other night popped into her head. She glanced between the two of them again and her eyes nearly grew in size in surprise

  "This is him?" She asked Cori.

  Cori looked at her and gave a quick nod. Will looked at them both with a curious facial expression.

  "What are y'all talking about?" He asked.

  Cori ignored him. "How do you know him?" She was hoping like hell that they didn't used to mess around or anything.

  "Will is my Godbrother. He just moved back home to Chicago a few months ago. That's why I wanted to talk to the both of you about a business proposal." Tari explained.

  "You moved back to Chicago?" She asked him.

  "Yeah, I wanted to be closer to my family."

  "I thought it was more..." Tari started but he cut her off.

  "Naw, family and business that's it."

  "You seem so heartless now." Cori pointed out.

  "I guess that was something I picked up from you during our fling." He stated flatly with no remorse.

  She didn't respond to his words. She didn't know what to say. In a way that's exactly what she showed him when she left. She showed him what she showed everyone else she met, that wasn't family. That she was a heartless individual.

  "Maybe we should postpone this meeting. There seems to be a lot of unspoken issues lingering between you two." Tari said beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable about being in the middle.

  Cori turned to face her. She was about to say something to Nefertari but before she could her body went flying across the room. Tari and Will's bodies had also been thrown as well. The entire room started to fall apart around them.

  Will spotted Tari as she tried to stand to her fee
t.

  "It was an explosion!" She yelled with blood dripping down her face.

  "Are you okay?" Will asked.

  "What?" She asked as she watched his lips to catch what he said.

  "Are you okay, Tari?" He shouted.

  She nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine. Where is Cori?"

  Will's head snapped around the room in search of her. He spotted her laid out in the corner of the room. He dropped down to his knees when he made it in front of her.

  "Cori!" He yelled but he wasn't getting a response.

  "Is she okay?" Tari asked as she knelt down beside him.

  "She's not responding. There's a faint pulse but she's not responding." He started to panic.

  He lifted her up in his arms. "Cori, baby wake up. I didn't mean that shit I said. I didn't mean it." He placed his forehead against hers.

  Tari placed a hand on his shoulder. "Will, we need to get her out of here. We need to get her some help."

  He stood up with Cori tucked in his arms. When they made it out of the room they were met by Zel, Skip, and Jason.

  "What the hell happened in there?" Jason ran to Tari's side.

  "Someone just tried to kill us." Tari stated the obvious to him.

  "Chicago is about to get a whole lot bloodier if Cori doesn't pull through." Skip said as they rushed to the cars.

  Tari glanced over at her Godbrother as he held on tight to Cori.

  "Chicago streets are going to bleed for this either way. I'm sick and tired of people messing with my family. They want to see a different reaction from me, well they're about to get one. It's about time I start doing what I preach. It's about time I show them rather than just tell them. As of now the status quo has risen and I'm going to show everyone who's against us what happens when you fuck with my family." She spat as they pulled off headed for the hospital.

  Chapter 33

  The moment the car stopped in front of the hospital’s emergency room entrance, Will jumped out cradling Cori in his arms with Nefertari close on his heels. Will’s personal guard Zel stood watch with Jason and Skip as they watched their respective leaders enter the hospital.

  "I need some help over here! She's not responding!" shouted.

  Within seconds doctors and nurses rushed over to her aide. They took her from his arms and placed her on a gurney. When they rushed her through the double doors Will tried to follow behind them, but a hand to his chest halted his steps.

  "I'm sorry sir, but you can't go back there. Only hospital personnel can go through those doors."

  Will glared down at the small petite woman. "Look lady if you don't get the fuck out my way, I'mma know you tired of living." He threatened.

  Nefertari stepped in between them before anymore words could be exchanged. She knew her brother would make good on his word by the look in his eyes.

  "Will, let them do their job. There isn't anything we can do back there for Cori." She said in a soft tone.

  "I don't want her to wake up back there with a bunch of Motherfuckers she doesn't know Tari. I need to be with her." He stressed.

  "No, you need to let those people do their job, so they can save her life."

  He stared Nefertari in the eyes for a few moments. "If she doesn't pull through I'm setting this whole damn hospital ablaze. I don't care who is in it."

  Tari just nodded because there was no use in going back and forth with him. She's never seen him so passionate about someone who wasn't family. At that moment she knew that her brother was in love. She said a quick prayer for Cori to pull through before following Will back out the double doors.

  "What's the next move, Boss?" Zell asked Will. He was ready to set some shit off.

  Will glanced around at everyone. "I need to make a call to her father." That was all he said before walking away while pulling his phone out. While Will placed the call to Cori’s father, Nefertari walked over to Skip and Jason.

  “This is the hospital Fallon works at right?” she asked Skip.

  “Yeah, she should be coming in for her shift any minute now.”

  “Good, I get the feeling we’re going to need her to work her magic today more than ever.”

  “Tari, you have a gash on your forehead from the explosion. Do you need to be checked out?” Jason asked out of genuine concern for his sister.

  “No I barely even feel it. Did you call to check on Chase?”

  “Yes, she’s already being moved to a hotel as we speak.”

  “Smart… In the meantime, we need to put our heads together to figure this thing out. Somebody knew enough about the meeting to know when and where to detonate that thing. I need answers, now!”

  “Kumar is already on it but its going to be hard for him to collect intel. The place is probably crawling with Chicago PD by now.”

  “That’s true, T. Something of this magnitude is not going to go unnoticed.”

  “What’s our next move then? With Cori down and Kumar unable to really look into it, we’re pretty much at a standstill right now.” Nefertari said for the first time feeling a bit undefeated.

  “I hate to say it, but I think we have to wait it out.” A few moments later, Will reentered the hospital and walked directly over to Nefertari who was waiting for him.

  "I know I asked this before Tari, but I'mma ask you again. Are you ready for what your new status entitles?"

  "Yes." She answered without a hint of hesitation. Tari was tired of people coming for her family and thinking there wouldn’t be any consequences to their actions. She was ready to prove to the world and anyone who doubted her that Sven Power will always reign supreme and come off on top.

  Will nodded his head. "Good, because after what happened today Chicago will never be the same." He gritted.

  He then led her over to the nurse's station so that she could get checked out.

  A few hours had flown by and they still haven't gotten any word on Cori's condition. All they knew was that she was still in surgery. By that time Cori's cousin Alyona and her girlfriend Monica arrived with their friends Katara and Heidi in tow. Will was starting to get frustrated and angry all over again. Tari tried hard to keep him calm, but every time a nurse walked by with no information he seemed like he was seconds away from making good on his earlier threat.

  "I called Mom and Dad to check up on Kiyan. Everything is fine over their way. They're having movie night." Tari said to try and get his mind on something else.

  "That's good, T." He responded.

  "So, you and Cori huh?" she smirked as she nudged him slightly with her shoulder.

  He looked over at her and sighed. "Cori and I met at a time when we both needed someone."

  "How exactly did you two meet?" She asked.

  "We met through Julian." He replied.

  She nodded her head. "Oh."

  "Yeah so during that time we both comforted each other. At that time, we were what each other needed. I don't regret any of it."

  Tari smiled a little. "That doesn't sound like a little fling to me." She nudged his shoulder once more.

  Will smirked a little. "I was just trying to piss her off."

  She chuckled. "Cori is not the type of person you want to piss off, Will."

  "Yeah, I know." There was silence between them for a few seconds.

  "I love her, T."

  She placed a hand over his. "I know." She replied softly.

  Another hour had passed and there was still no word on Cori. At that point Tari was more pissed than Will.

  "I'm going to see what's going on." As soon as she stood to her feet a doctor walked in and looked around.

  "The family of Cori Romanov?" She asked.

  "That's us!" Alyona shouted a little louder than she intended to. She and everyone else stood up and walked over towards the doctor. The doctor explained that the injuries Cori endured proved to be critical ones. She had suffered some serious head trauma and a lot of internal bleeding and the doctor informed them that she may never be able to bear children. Nefertari looked
up at Will upon hearing the doctor’s announcement and noticed that he remained stone faced even though she knew that inside he was hurting. The final nail in the coffin though came when the doctor added that during surgery Cori had slipped into a coma. Cori’s cousin Alyona let out a guttural sob and fell into her girlfriend’s arms. Nefertari intertwined her fingers with Will’s and whispered to him.

  “Cori is a fighter Will. She’s going to pull through.” He replied by saying he knew.

  “I know.” Nefertari rubbed her brother’s back to try and console him but even she knew that the only way he could be consoled was if Cori woke up.

  Chapter 34

  A few hours had gone by with no updates or changes said about Cori’s condition. Will had been permitted to sit at Cori’s bedside and he hadn’t left her yet. Almost ten hours later, a cold chill swept through the hospital’s corridor as five men dressed in bespoke suits stepped off the elevator. Nefertari immediately straightened her posture in her seat and turned to face them. Who she assumed to be the leader, walked directly up to Zel, Will’s right-hand man and spoke to him.

  “Zel, it’s been a while. Is he with her?” Stepan Romanov asked. Zel nodded and informed him that Will hadn’t left her side to while Stepan himself nodded.

  “Good to know.” He said before turning to face the people who had come with him.

  “Give me a minute alone before you all enter.”

  “You got it brother.” Alexei place a hand on Stepan’s shoulder. “During that time, we can check on Alyona. When I called her, she said that she was still here.” Sofia, Alexei’s wife and Alyona’s mother said.

  “Send her my love.” Stepan said before he turned around and entered the room. Stepan pushed the door opened as he entered and spotted Will sitting in a chair on the side of Cori’s bed. They made eye contact as Stepan walked over and stood near his daughter. He gently grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze.