Animal 4.5

by K'wan

  “Man, you can’t blame me for that.”

  “Indeed I can, Jewels. You were the broker for this little deal. Look I ain’t trying to argue with you, lil’ nigga. You can either take what I’m giving you or go fuck yourself.” K-Dawg pretended he was going to put the money back.

  “Okay,” Jewels relented, as K-Dawg knew he would. When he went to open the envelope to count the money, K-Dawg stopped him.

  “Don’t count it out here, too many eyes. Unless you don’t trust me?”

  “Nah, I trust you, K-Dawg,” Jewels assured him while stuffing the envelope into his back pocket. It was a lie, he was really too afraid of K-Dawg to raise a real stink over it. Even if K-Dawg did burn him, there wasn’t shit Jewels would be able to do about it.

  “Say, Jewels, you didn’t tell anybody about this did you?” K-Dawg asked.

  “Hell no, man! I could get clipped for going against the grain. This is a secret I’m taking to my grave,” Jewels promised.

  “Indeed you will,” K-Dawg said, before raising the gun he’d been hiding and shooting Jewels in the face. By the time Jewels’ body hit the ground, K-Dawg was long gone. He wasn’t worried about doubling back to retrieve the envelope because there was no money in it, only cut up scraps of paper. Jewels was a dead man the minute he agreed to aid K-Dawg in his scheme.

  K-Dawg waited until he had put a bit of distance between himself and the crime scene before slowing his vehicle down. He coasted near the curb and tossed the gun out the window into a nearby trashcan. Two things he had learned from experience were that you didn’t keep dirty burners or leave loose ends. Jewels was a loose end. The men who had tried to kill Ashanti and Zo were dead, leaving Jewels as the only remaining link between K-Dawg and the assassination attempts so he had to go. It was very possible that Jewels might’ve actually kept his mouth shut, but K-Dawg figured why risk it? K-Dawg wasn’t so much worried about Jewels running his mouth to the police, but he didn’t want King James to catch wind of it. The young gorilla learning of K-Dawg being back in the States was a card he wasn’t ready to play just yet.

  K-Dawg’s cell phone chirped on the passenger seat. He didn’t recognize the number, so he was hesitant about answering, but he did anyway. When he heard who was on the other end of the phone, a broad smile spread across his face. “Of course, I’d be willing to help you,” he responded to the question that was asked. “Do you have a pen so you can write it down?” After making the caller read back the information K-Dawg had just given him to make sure there was no confusion, he ended the call. All K-Dawg could do was laugh when he thought about the predictability of certain types of people. The universe had just thrown him a way to kill two birds with one stone, literally.

  CHAPTER 17

  Peter had been drinking heavily since he’d seen his mother earlier that night. He was angry at her for the way she had spoken to him at the house. Peter was a general and commander of her army, but she scolded him as if he was an unruly child in front of his men. To make matters worse, she had killed Angel. Angel was not only one of Peter’s best soldiers, but also a good friend.

  He couldn’t understand why she was so upset with him. Granted, his mother hadn’t ordered him to murder Animal’s wife, but he reasoned she had it coming. Had she had just cooperated things would’ve have gone smoothly, but she pulled a gun and turned a kidnapping into a multiple homicide. The only regrets that Peter had about that day was that he’d only gotten to fuck Gucci once before he killed her.

  To him, it seemed like his mother was more concerned about the wrath of the man called Animal than the woman he’d killed. In all the years, he’d been privy to his mother’s secret life; he’d never seen anything that remotely resembled fear in her eyes until this business with Animal. It disgusted him the way his mother and the others spoke about Animal as if he was some type of god of death. Peter had seen his work and respected him as a killer, but he was still just a man and therefore not invincible. If he could bleed, he could die. If he could present his mother with the young killer’s head, it would put him back in her good graces. With this in mind, Peter went against his mother’s wishes and set out to prove her wrong about him and Animal.

  Finding Animal proved to be tricky. He knew his mother had spies watching Animal and his crew, but those spies were loyal only to her and he doubted they’d share the information with him without tipping her off to what he was planning. Not being able get what he needed from them, he took a stab in the dark and reached out to the only other person who might have an idea where to find him. He’d expected some resistance or at the very least a bunch of questions, but K-Dawg proved to be quite forthcoming. He not only gave Peter the address of the building they were rumored to be held up in, but he also provided him with the apartment number. Peter had never really cared for K-Dawg, but in light of how helpful he’d been, he thought maybe he had judged him too harshly.

  Peter and his men had been watching the building for the last hour or so and so far had only seen the twins come or go and a man who he didn’t know. Their presence confirmed that K-Dawg’s information was good, but there was still no sign of the prize. This changed about ten minutes prior to that point when Animal finally showed up at the building. Peter started to move on him as he was entering the building, but decided to wait until after he entered the apartment. He would wipe them all out at the same time.

  Peter donning the delivery uniform had been a result of him having to improvise to get into the secure building. He could’ve just shot the security guard on duty in the lobby, but the sounds of gunfire might’ve alerted his enemies. He spotted a delivery man chaining his bike up outside and had a brilliant idea. The security guard hardly paid any attention to him when Peter came in wearing the uniform and carrying the box. He didn’t become fully aware of his presence until Peter grabbed him from behind the desk and strangled him to death. With the security guard out of the way, Peter’s men were able to get into the building undetected.

  Peter got off the elevator on Cain and Abel’s floor. The whole ride up his heart thudded in his chest in anticipation. By the time he got to the door, his adrenaline was pumping so hard that it began to sober him up and the realization of what he was about to do set in. A part of him began to wonder if it was the best course of action. Maybe his mother had a point and he should wait. When he heard footfalls nearing the door from the other side, he knew it was too late to turn back. “Fuck it,” he said before removing the machine gun he’d been hiding in the box and shooting through the door.

  *

  Brasco could feel his insides shift as he neared the door. He was a big man and needed at least three square meals per day to keep his strength up. Animal and the others were welcome to keep scheming on empty stomachs if they wanted to, but he was about to tear off into that pizza.

  He heard Sonja shout something at him from the kitchen, but couldn’t quite make it out. He called back for her to repeat what she’d said and dropped his blunt on the floor. No sooner than Brasco bent down to pick it up, a bullet whizzed over his head.

  “We got company!” Brasco shouted a warning to his comrades, scrambling back down the hall on his hands and knees as the high powered machine gun punched holes in the door. He pinned his back against the living room couch, protecting his head from the spray of glass and plaster from the bullets shredding everything they struck.

  Sonja was the first one to emerge from the kitchen. She made it to the living room just as Peter became visible in the doorway. When their eyes locked, there was a spark of something that passed between them. The momentary pause allowed Sonja enough time to dive out of the way just before he let off another burst from the machine gun. She crawled across the floor and took cover next to Brasco.

  “Please tell me that isn’t another one of your crazy ex-boyfriends,” Brasco said, sucking a piece of wood when a bullet struck the arm of the couch.

  “I wouldn’t fuck that psycho with your dick,” Sonja said in disgust. “He’s not an ex, but a
rival,” she added, snatching the cushions off the couch. Brasco watched her, wondering what she was doing, until he saw the stash of guns hidden in a secret compartment of the couch. She remembered Abel showing it to her when they’d first arrived.

  “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about,” Brasco said excitedly, grabbing a Tech-9 from the stash. Sonja selected a baby 9mm. Brasco waited until he heard a pause in the gunfire before popping up from behind the couch. “Now I’m ready to play!” he yelled before cutting loose with the Tech-9.

  Peter was barely able to hit the floor and get out of the way of the Tech’s bullets when they came speeding at him. Two of his men weren’t quite as lucky. Peter watched from a crouching position as their bodies danced like puppets on strings before finally hitting the floor. Peter returned fire, scooting back through the door, and the first wave of his men forward.

  At the other end of the hall, Peter saw the prize emerge from the kitchen. Bullets and debris flew all around Animal, but he barely seemed to notice. His lips were pulled back into a fierce sneer as he calmly picked off Peter’s soldiers. From his vantage point, crouched in the doorway of the apartment, Peter had a clear shot at Animal. As if he felt the pending danger, Animal’s eyes landed on Peter. That was a split second before Peter tapped the trigger of his machine gun, with intentions on sending Animal to his final reward.

  *

  Everyone in the kitchen jumped when they heard the gunshots. Sonja was out first, shouting at Brasco, with Ashanti and Cain on her heels. She had just made it through the kitchen door and Ashanti was about to step out, when Cain grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Cain pulled him back just as a wave of bullets ate up the doorframe of the kitchen, narrowly missing Ashanti’s face.

  “What the fuck is going on out there?” Zo asked, getting low. In his hand, he clutched his trusty .357.

  “We’re being invaded,” Abel pointed at the television screen. Just outside their door they could see more than half a dozen heavily armed men dressed in black.

  Animal was standing with his back against the kitchen wall. From that angle he could see Brasco and Sonja crouching behind the sofa and taking heavy fire. From the way pieces of fabric and wood were flying from the sofa, he knew the couch wouldn’t hold up much longer. Seeing the mother of his daughter and one of his best friends in the line of fire reminded Animal of Gucci, Noki, Kastro, and everyone else dear to him whose deaths he hadn’t been able to prevent. He couldn’t sit idle and watch it happen again. Before anyone could stop him, Animal had stepped out into the living room and started shooting.

  “Animal, no!” Ashanti tried to go after him, but Cain kept him pinned.

  “Not like that, Ashanti. There’s too many of them,” Cain told him. He waited until he was sure Ashanti wouldn’t do anything stupid before letting him up.

  “We can’t just hide in here and wait for them to come and kill us!” Ashanti said angrily.

  “If you know anything about me, it should be; the beast hides from no one,” Cain said and began rummaging for something under the kitchen sink. He came up holding two shotguns, one of which he tossed to his brother. They locked eyes and communicated silently as only twins could. Abel took up a position near the kitchen door, while Cain opened a small panel in the wall on the side of the refrigerator that housed a dumbwaiter. With the shotgun tucked to his chest, he climbed inside. “Wait for my signal and then I want every muthafucka in this kitchen to come out hitting.”

  “Wait, how are we supposed to know what your signal is?” Zo asked.

  “Trust me, you’ll know it when you hear it,” Cain told him before sliding the panel back down and disappearing.

  “I sure hope your brother has a sound plan,” Zo said to Abel.

  Abel didn’t even respond. He just clutched his shotgun and waited.

  *

  What happened next seemed to take place in slow motion. Animal was firing his pistol trying to back his attackers up long enough for Brasco and Sonja to get clear. He was locked in a fire fight with two men trying to flank him, when he spotted another man in a crouch by the door. It was the fake pizza delivery guy. He had Animal dead to rights. The gun barked, and the bullets seemed to trickle out, heading in Animal’s direction. He was too far away from the kitchen entrance to turn back, and not close enough to the couch to take cover. In short…he was dead.

  A blur of motion drew Animal’s attention. Suddenly there was something between him and the man in the pizza delivery uniform. No, not something…someone. Brasco tackled Animal just as the bullets that had been meant for him tore through his friend’s body. They both collapsed to the floor with Brasco landing on top of Animal pinning him.

  Animal frantically tried to push Brasco off him, but he was too heavy. He felt like dead weight. Animal feared the worst, but he could feel his friend’s heart still beating so there was hope. From beneath Brasco’s body, Animal couldn’t see what

  was going on, but he spied shadows of the men in black on the wall, drawing closer. They were coming for him. Animal had just managed to free his shooting arm and was about to fire blindly when he heard what sounded like thunder coming from the hallway.

  *

  Peter couldn’t believe how rotten his luck had turned. He had Animal right where he wanted him and had his fat friend not gotten in the way; he’d be presenting the young killer’s corpse to his mother. No matter, he still had time to finish the job. He was on his hand radio about to order the second wave of shooters to rush the house when he saw the stairwell at the other end of the hallway open and out stepped a man with a head full of long braids and the face of a monster.

  “Can I have your attention please?” Cain shouted from down the hall. Instinctively, the shooters turned. “Thank you,” he said before letting loose with the shotgun.

  Peter was familiar with the inner workings of nearly one hundred types of guns and their ammunition, but whatever the shotgun was packing was like nothing he’d seen before. The bullets tore cantaloupe-sized holes in his men, burning away their skin and clothes where they struck.

  “Dragon-Mouth rounds,” Cain said answering the question plastered across Peter’s face. “Very exclusive and very messy,” he said before letting off another burst.

  Peter looked on in horror as the scarred young man advanced on them, laughing maniacally and cutting through his men. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. Animal’s crew had regrouped and gone on the offensive, coming out of the kitchen blasting with guns of different shapes and sizes. He knew when he was beaten and figured a good run beat a bad stand, so he took off running towards the other staircase. He had just made it to the door when one of the Dragon-Mouth rounds struck the wall near his head sending burning embers flying into his face. As he staggered down the stairs, half blinded by the embers, he thought of what his mother would do when she found out about his latest blunder.

  After dispatching the last of Peter’s men, Cain stepped into the apartment to rejoin his friends. He surveyed the ruined apartment and shook his head sadly. “There’s no way in the hell we’re getting our security deposit back after this.”

  *

  With some help from Zo-Pound, Animal was finally able to get Brasco off him and rolled onto his back. Animal knelt over his friend and checked the extent of his injuries. Because he’d been shot in the back, Animal could only see the wounds that had managed to exit through his chest. From the amount of blood pooling beneath him, Animal knew it was bad.

  “Fool ass nigga, why would you jump in front of a bullet like that?” Animal asked angrily.

  “Blood, you’ve been jumping in front of bullets for me for years. It was the least I could do. Besides, you’re the star of our little soap opera. I couldn’t let them write you out of the script just yet,” Brasco joked. He was trying to be strong but couldn’t hide the pain in his face. His breathing was heavy and his eyes rolled around in his head as if he was having trouble focusing.

  Ashanti came to kneel beside
them. He didn’t have to see Brasco’s injuries to know how badly he was hurt. The dark expression on Animal’s face told him all he needed to know. They were about to lose another solider. Brasco and Animal had been instrumental in Ashanti’s life growing up. They’d always taken care of him like he was their little brother. Knowing that Brasco was about to die was too much. He tried to fight it, but couldn’t stop the tears from welling in his eyes.

  “Lil’ nigga, if you start crying I swear on the set I’m gonna get up from here and knock you the fuck out,” Brasco warned Ashanti.

  “I wasn’t about to cry. I got something in my eye,” Ashanti lied.

  Sonja came over and joined them on the floor beside Brasco. She reached out to touch him but the murderous look Animal shot her gave her pause. “Animal, you know I’ve got medical training. Let me help.”

  Brasco turned to Sonja and mustered a weak smile. “I appreciate it, little lady, but I wouldn’t waste my time if I were you. I’ve been shot enough times to know when I ain’t got it in me to get up no more. Hey, Ashanti.”

  “Yeah,” Ashanti answered, trying to swallow the frog in his throat.

  “Let me see your hammer,” Brasco tried to raise his arm, but didn’t have the strength. Ashanti placed his gun into Brasco’s hand and closed his fingers around the handle. This seemed to please Brasco. “That’s what I’m talking about. We die the same way we lived, with pistols in our grip. Ain’t that right, Animal?”

  “Yes, a soldier’s death,” Animal said, thinking of the mantra Gladiator had taught him and he in-turn had taught to each member of the Dog Pound.

  “Can I ask you something, Animal?” “Anything, Brasco.”

  Brasco paused as if he was trying to organize his thoughts. “Why’d that bitch ass nigga have to shoot me in the back? I’d have liked to have seen it coming,” he said, before taking one last breath and then going still.