by King Coopa J
The soldier was pissed off. His finger vibrated on the trigger.
“Go ahead and do it.” She teased him.
The soldier gritted his teeth to the point where his gums started to bleed. He wanted to kill Janet so bad that he didn’t mind facing Nacho but El’ Nino was the problem. He’s too powerful and would find him where ever he went in the world and would surely slaughter his entire family back in Mexico. “Just move!” he shoved Janet forward as hard as he could and it caused her to fall to the ground. “Get up!” he saw the opportunity and kicked Janet in her chest. The powerful kick flipped her over on her backside.
“Ugh.” Janet was in an extreme amount of pain from the soldier’s brutal kick. “You’re… still… a little bitch.” She coughed out. She began to laugh through the pain.
It made the soldier feel good until she started laughing to piss him off some more. He picked her up by the foot and dragged her through the rough conditions to Nacho.
Nacho spoke. “You didn’t kill her did you?” he then noticed the girl.
“No… she killed Louis.”
Lifted
No Option
Techwas keying away at the computer. Twenty must’ve taken a nap because it’s been thirty minutes and he still hasn’t returned. It’s been ten years since he felt a bed comfortable as that, he thought. No wonder why he’s stuck up there. He figured he would let him catch up on some rest. He had some new ideas for the engine. He needs to do some configuring first. He punched the numbers into the computer. His mind was going one hundred miles per hour. The phone next to him rung ten times before he noticed it. He keyed in the last number and then answered the phone. “Tech’s garage.” He held the phone with his shoulder while he worked.
He heard the panic in a women’s voice. “Tech!” Paula said frantically. “Get Twenty immediately!” she cried. “They took my daughter, I can’t believe they took my daughter!”
Tech was confused for a moment. Then he noticed the voice on the other end of the receiver was Paula’s. She was crying frantically. “Paula,” he responded. “Where’s Jeff?”
“They took my daughter,” she repeated over and over. She was beginning to lose control of her mind thinking about it.
“They took Janet?” Tech asked concerned. He didn’t quite comprehend what was going on yet. Did someone take Janet?
Paula wasn’t getting what she wanted and she snapped from losing patience. “Just get me Twenty on the phone damn it!” she roared through the receiver.
Tech ears popped and he had to remove the phone from his ear. Something had happened to Janet. He never heard Paula sound like this before. She was emotional and pissed all the way off. He remembered her only being this mad and emotional was when Twenty had been sentenced to life without parole. Tech sat the phone down and hurried up the stairs of his two-story garage. He opened the door to the room Twenty was in. He was passed out on the king-sized bed like he had thought. “Twenty!” Tech yelled busting through the door.
Twenty jumped up and aimed his chrome 9 at Tech. He was having a bad dream that he was back in prison and Nacho and that Mexican they call El’ Nino were his new roommates. He woke up in a cold sweat. He was breathing heavily because of the nightmare.
“Twenty.” Tech cried hysterically. “Don’t kill me, man.” He held his hands up. His heart fell to the floor. It probably was still down there beating because he was still alive. He never had a gun pulled out on him before and he never had any pussy. He prayed Twenty didn’t accidently pull the trigger before he had a chance to get some.
Twenty lowered the weapon. “What’s going on with you busting in here? You know I just got out. I could’ve accidently blown your fuckin’ head off. You’re lucky it was on safety because I swear to you. I pulled the trigger.” Twenty got up from the bed.
“Sorry,” Tech regained his composure. “Janet man, somebody got Janet.”
Janet, Twenty thought. Who’s Janet? He didn’t recognize the name, but he soon remembered. “What are you talking about?” he tucked the 9 in his waistband.
“I don’t know. Paula’s on the phone and I heard her say it when she told me to get you. I know something is wrong because she was crying like she was dying.” he informed him.
“What,” Twenty said confuse. “Where’s the phone?”
“C’mon.” Tech led the way.
Twenty followed Tech downstairs to the computer. Tech handed him the phone.
Twenty answered and Paula told him what had happened. He didn’t let her get the chance to explain the part about Nacho telling her to convince him to do the job. He immediately told Paula he was on the way and hung up not wanting to waste any time.
Tech saw the heated look on his face. “What happened?” he sounded concerned.
“Someone kidnapped Janet!”
Twenty and Tech rushed over to Paula and Jeff’s house. Tech floored his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution SE the entire way. He had fast and the furious road rage. Tech skidded the Lancer up to the house almost popping the curve. Twenty got out and bolted to the front door. He left Tech behind, getting to Paula was the only thing on his mind. What Paula told him over the phone ripped a piece of his heart away. Somebody had kidnapped Janet. He opened their front door frantically inviting himself in. Thinking this was the worst day in his life when it was supposed to be the best day in his life. He spotted Paula on the couch crying her eyes out. He rushed over to comfort her.
Paula immediately embraced him. She held him close while crying in his arms. “They took my daughter Twenty, my baby. They took her from me.”
Twenty held her by the head while noticing Tech coming through the door. “Paula,” he muttered. He thought for a moment not really knowing what to say. He didn’t want to fill her with hopes and dreams of her daughter’s safety. There were a million guys in prison. He knew how those animals acted. Most of the time the outcomes were bad. Rape and murdered, only 10% of the girls or women were left unharmed. He hoped Janet was a part of that percentage. “We’re going to find her. We’re going to get her back.”
Tech noticed that Jeff’s truck wasn’t parked out front. He wondered where his friend could be at a time like this. “Where’s Jeff?” Tech walked over to them. “I thought he was coming home.”
Paula didn’t respond. Twenty lifted her head a little. Her eyes were puffy and red, tears were streaming down her face. Twenty’s love for her made him angry that this had happened. Someone had hurt the only woman he has ever truly loved. This was something he would go back to prison for. “Paula,” he whispered.
Paula looked into his eyes. Tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Where’s Jeff, was he here when this happened?”
“No, he… he came after… ” she stammered. She tried to gather herself. “When they had left. He had just pulled up. I… I told him what had happened and he rushed out of the house after them.” She began to cry all over again.
“He went after them?” Twenty asked. “How long has he been gone?”
Paula sniffed and Twenty wiped her tears away before she spoke. “About,” she thought for a quick second. “About ten minutes before y’all got here. Maybe, sooner.”
“Paula.” Twenty spoke seriously. “Have you called the police?” he notice the police hadn’t shown. Maybe Paula was traumatized and forgot to phone them. They should’ve been here by now.
“There’s no reason to.” She looked up at him with teary eyes. “That’s what I was trying to tell you before you hung up the phone. They said my daughter would be dead if I called. They were here for you, Twenty. A big Mexican man. He told me to deliver the message that his boss name El’ Nino, is waiting to make a deal for her. There’s a job for you to do that requires your service and you know what it is. He said you got to the end of the day to answer him or my daughter will be sold for prostitution. He said he’ll be at the restaurant.” Paula broke down in tears and placed her head in his chest.
Twenty held her head thinking about everything Paula
just laid on him. This was his fault. He had no choice but to fix it. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t. El’ Nino had Janet and he vowed to himself to bring her back to Paula safely. He wouldn’t be able to look himself in the mirror without killing the image looking back at him. “Paula, I’m going to bring her back to you safely. I promise.” He got up from the couch.
Paula held her head in her hands. “Please, you’re the only hope for my daughter’s safety.” She cried.
Twenty walked over to the Bible that was resting on a tall stand in the living room. He put his hand on it and closed his eyes. “God forgive me for I am about to sin.” He opened his eyes. He pulled his 9 from his waistband and cocked it before he left.
Lifted
We’re Hiring
Twentyand Tech pulled up to the Mexican restaurant that belongs to that Mexican they call El’ Nino. Twenty noticed the limousine parked outside. He gripped his chrome 9. “This the spot.” He told Tech.
Tech had never seen Twenty’s face look so violent. However, this situation went. He had Twenty’s back until the end. He would ride for him even though he wasn’t the violent type. Hopefully, he wouldn’t do anything stupid, like kill somebody. “Let’s be smart when we go in here. Who knows what type of monsters are in there?” Tech being Tech, always looking for reasoning.
“Right,” Twenty said sarcastically exiting the Lancer. He heard what Tech said in one ear but it exited out the other that wasn’t listening. He didn’t give a fuck what went down. He never feared anyone and wasn’t about to start. He had one thing on his mind and that was getting Janet back to Paula even if he had to kill someone.
Twenty held the 9mm in his right hand hurrying to the front door. He heard Tech scrambling to keep up with him. He forced the door open to the Mexican restaurant. He resembled a beast standing in the doorway. Every eye in the place was on him. He stepped in scanning for the huge Mexican or El’ Nino. He was immediately greeted by the host speaking in Spanish. Twenty had his right fist balled tight and he struck the host nose with his backhand quicker than a snake striking its prey. The host dropped to the ground. It happened too fast for anyone to actually know what had happened. Blood gushed between the host hands uncontrollably. Forgetting John Kim had trained him to be a deadly weapon wasn’t useful. He scanned the room listening to the people mumble amongst themselves. “I’m looking for El’ Nino!” he yelled angrily.
Tech had entered the Mexican restaurant. He noticed the host laid out by the door and was being cared for by a co-worker. Blood was all over his uniform. He looked like he was about to die. Both of his eyes were black and his nose seems to have a piece of bone showing. At first, he thought Twenty had shot the guy in the face. It was confusing because he didn’t hear any gunshots. Broken nose, he thought. He heard Twenty yelling for that Mexican they call El’ Nino. He stepped over a puddle of blood.
El’ Nino emerged from his office. He noticed Twenty standing front center with a weapon. “You’re looking for me?” he said nonchalantly.
One thing you don’t do. Try a man on his own turf. About fifty guns clicked. Everyone in the restaurant had a gun pointed at Twenty. Even though they are guest just eating in his restaurant. They’re loyal crime lords as well.
Tech watched the entire scene play out. “Oh shit,” he muttered at all the armed guest with their weapons pointed at Twenty. He slowly walked up to his best friend. He tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey man, we got a problem.”
Twenty didn’t care if he had a million guns aimed at him. His mission was to get Janet back. “Where’s the girl,” he asked El’ Nino sternly.
El’ Nino began to laugh. “Are you that crazy my friend? What would you get from killing me? Look around you. You kill me, you not only get yourself killed but your friend behind you. Don’t forget about him. He’ll die and the girl would die too, your call. I’m ready to die anyway, are you? I’m going in my office. Hopefully, you will make the right decision.” El’ Nino turned around not afraid to die and entered his office.
Twenty thought about what he said. He lowered the gun and followed him into the office with Tech trailing behind.
El’ Nino took a seat behind his office desk. Nacho closed the door behind them for privacy. He walked over to his boss and stood by the desk. His private waitress brought him a cigar, she clipped and lit it for him. He puffed on the Cuban cigar. “Have a seat.” He offered them.
They both took a seat at the front desk. Twenty spoke up. “Where’s the girl?” he asked. “Just give me the girl and I’ll handle the business you need me to do.”
El’ Nino smirked puffing on his cigar. Thinking, he must think that fuckin’ Mexican they call El’ Nino is stupid? “My friend, if I give the girl back and you don’t do the job for me. Do you know what I will do to every single person around you? That’s serious, what you just asked me to do for you. I tried to reason with you before all of this my friend, but you know what you said to me. You said, fuck that Mexican El’ Nino. Then you spit, not in my face but on my fucking thousand dollar loafers, alligators too. You disrespected me, my friend. I get you out of a life sentence. I offer you a simple job and to make you a rich man. How simple is that, no violence involved. You pushed me, my friend. Now you ask me for another favor. Release the girl. C’mon, you haven’t done anything for me and I’m steady doing for you. Nacho, what do you think?” He asked his bodyguard.
Nacho stood next to the desk like an enormous statue. “He needs to work. Then get the girl.”
“All I want is to make sure she is safe.” Twenty pleaded. “I’ll do the job. You have my word. The girl has nothing to do with this. She’s innocent.”
Tech sat in the chair soaking up the two going back and forth. He was scared to death. He was ready to go. Nacho was looking at him like he wanted to practice wrestling moves on him. El’ Nino wasn’t going to give the girl back. Tech knew that. Twenty needed to agree to do the job and hopefully, get the girl back. He saw it as Paula’s only option to get Janet back. He feared if he disagreed. Twenty, Janet and himself were all going to die today. El’ Nino might go for as killing Jeff and Paula. Just to rid us all. He kept repeating in his head, just agree, just agree, just agree…
El’ Nino puffed his cigar eyeing Twenty. After a moment, he let him know exactly how he felt about what he said. “I’m thinking more like if I keep the girl. You will do the job. It adds pressure to the whole thing. If I give you the girl, I see problems ahead. I don’t like problems, my friend. This is my last offer for you. Do the job or don’t walk out of here alive. I’m going to be serious with you. I hate to play cat and mouse my friend. How do you black guys say it? You-feel-me-shawdy.” El’ Nino joked.
Nacho had a smirk on his face. Listening to El’ Nino sound black with a strong Spanish accent.
“Did I get it right that time Nacho?” El’ Nino asked.
Nacho nodded.
“Good, I try to keep up with the kids these days.” He turned his attention on Twenty. “What’s it going to be?”
Twenty was thinking about pulling the gun out and blowing El’ Nino’s head off. He put him in a situation that he never wanted to be in, lifting cars. He promised God that he would never do another job again. On the other hand, he promised Paula that he would do whatever to get Janet back. God would have to understand. He turned to Tech. Tech had a look on his face like he wasn’t ready to die. Everyone, would die on is count. He looked at El’ Nino with all the hate in the world. “I’m hired.” He spoke through clenched teeth.
El’ Nino smiled. He had his man. “Nacho, provide him with the list.”
Nacho pulled the list from his pocket and handed it to Twenty.
Twenty stood and put the list in his pocket without looking it over. It didn’t matter what is on the list. He was going the get the job done, he had to, for Janet. “How long?”
“One week, you finish. You get one million and the girl back. You don’t… everyone is dead.”
Lifted
Th
e Hit List
Twentyand Tech mad it out of the restaurant safely. Twenty ask Tech for his cell phone as he settled in the passenger seat. Tech closed his door and handed him the phone. He took the phone and scan the contacts list for Jeff’s name. He pushed the send button. The phone rang three times before he answered. “Twenty,” Jeff spoke frantically. “Where are you guys?”
“We paid El’ Nino a visit. We’re on the way to the garage now.” Twenty signaled for Tech to start heading that way.
“What happened, were you able to get my daughter back?” Jeff sounded emotional. “Please, tell me you got my little girl back?”
Twenty heard Paula in the background asking the same question while crying her heart out. He felt bad. The words were hard to form. How could he tell them that he didn’t get her back? That would crush them. They were a family, he knew it was his fault. “No,” he muttered. He was hurt and saying the words felt like a sharp sword slowly piecing his heart. “I’m sorry, I had no choice but to take the job. When the job is complete, he assured me that he would hand your daughter over safely with a million dollars. I have a week to finish the job or everyone is dead. I promise Jeff, I’m going to get your daughter back safely.”
Jeff was silent for a moment. “I’m going to help you.”
“Jeff, you know what you’re asking?” Twenty spoke. “You could go to prison.”
“Twenty, I’m coming to the garage,” Jeff told him. “This is my daughter we are talking about. I would die for her. I’m going to help.”
Twenty heard Paula in the background. “I’m going to help.”
Twenty thought for a moment. He was going to need help. El’ Nino said there were thirty vehicles on the list. He knew how tough it would be by himself. If he didn’t get their help, he was asking for a family funeral. They all would die.
