“Candace, Claire, this is Officer Street. The Miami police have the whole place completely surrounded. Please, you can both make this a better situation if you both surrender. Throw out your weapons and come out with your hands up. There is no way either of you are gonna escape. Please give up.”
There was silence. Street turned around and shook her head. She saw the artillery assembled and how Cooksey licked his lips in anticipation.
“Okay ladies, I’m gonna come inside,” Street said.
Street handed the mega-phone back to Cooksey and moved forward to the entrance of the warehouse. She released her service piece and let it fall to the ground.
“What the hell! Are you stupid or something?” Cooksey called out.
“They won’t kill me. I got something in common with them,” Street, cautiously making her way inside the warehouse.
Claire and Candace were watching the detective’s activities from the window. They looked at each other as Street came to the entrance.
“I’m unarmed,” Street said, walking inside. She stood for a beat at the doorway as if expecting someone to invite her all the way in. “Please don’t shoot. I just wanna talk to you both.”
Street walked inside the opened warehouse and stood in the middle of the floor.
“See. I’m unarmed,” she said waving her arms in the air. “No weapons…”
“That’s your stupidity,” Claire fired back.
“Don’t shoot! Please,” the detective said.
“Stand right there where we can see you and don’t try any funny shit. I swear I’ll blast your ass,” Claire threatened.
“You’ve got two minutes,” Candace showed herself and the detective walked over. She could see both sisters now.
“Nobody’s gonna blame you for walking out. You’re gonna be chatted up at water coolers all over the country. You don’t have to end it by being slaughtered.”
“It’s obvious you haven’t been doing your homework, dick,” Candace countered.
“Why?”
“Never again will anyone look down on us. That’s what this is about, dignity and respect,” Claire said, smiling.
“Do what we want, when we want to. The Osorio sisters live by their own rules. Nobody tells us what to do.”
Street listened to the words rolling easily off Candace’s tongue. She was convinced they weren’t afraid of dying. Sheryl reached for her calling card.
“Mimmy loves her two beautiful girls who are her daughters. I know you love her also. She sends her regards. You’ve made your reputation on the streets, now give up and live for her at least.”
“Is that it? Then you’ve delivered your message. Mimmy’s a good woman,” Candace said holding two guns at ready.
“Pat yourself on the back on your way out,” Claire said, gripping an Uzi.
“Detective, don’t you ever come back around us. And you better let Mimmy know that we kept our promise. You can go now, Detective Street,” Candace said, raising her weapons.
“I guess there’s no turning back for you… I mean you could still save your own lives… They are willing to make a deal. You won’t do too much time. Don’t make a negative situation worse by—”
“Detective, we’re through talking. Your time’s up,” she said, cocking the gun and raising the loaded weapon to Street’s chest.
The detective turned and walked out of the warehouse. Candace aimed at her head but didn’t pull the trigger. Street continued outside to where the squads of police waited impatiently to mount a major assault on the Osorio sisters. News cameras and reporters swarmed the area, ravenously seeking the story. They clamored to Detective Street as she made her way back to safety.
“What’s it like in there?”
“Are the sisters gonna give up?”
Uniformed police desperately tried to hold back the wave of reporters.
“How’s it inside there?” Cooksey asked and the detective shook her head. “That grave, huh?”
Cooksey signaled to his units. They converged on him.
“All right, this is it. I want the tactical guys in there. Eliminate and return.”
Claire let off an outburst of automatic weapon fire.
“Everyone git down,” Cooksey screamed.
She smiled when they all scrambled for cover. It was the same power she felt when she was in the park years ago. She never wanted to give up that power again. The squads opened fire and the loud sounds of explosion crashed the temporary uneasy cease-fire. Squads of trained police teams moved in on the warehouse, firing powerful caliber weapons. The resulting explosions spread around the girls like wildfire. The sun was beginning to set.
“A fine pickle we’re in, sis,” Candace said, loading her weapons.
“Are you giving me the sad song?” Claire asked with sarcasm.
Claire looked on as Candace clutched the weapons.
“How is it?” she asked.
“We’re running out of ammo,” Candace answered.
“I hear you, sis,” Claire said.
“I’d be damn if I’m gonna be cooped up in anybody’s prison,” Candace said.
“Me too, sis, me too,” Claire agreed.
“I’m not afraid as long as you’re with me, Claire. I know Mimmy will be sad that we went out like this,” Candace said.
“People got to do what they got to if they want to make it. There are no right or wrong ways, sis,” Claire said.
“Oh man, what a nice day to go out,” Candace said.
“It’s time,” Claire said, looking at the trap door.
Candace scurried over to it and attached the explosive device to the latch on the door. She grabbed an M203 and fired a grenade, which landed in the center of the squads moving forward. They quickly fell back, ducking behind cover, and returned fire. Bullets crashed through the warehouse with deadly accuracy. One hit the explosive device on the lock. There was a major explosion. Flames and debris were hurled everywhere.
“Take cover, take cover!” the squad leaders sounded off.
There were simultaneous explosions. The situation was being closely followed by the news as well as a black sedan parked a little away from the scene.
“If those two were in there, then they gotta be deep sixed now. C’mon, let’s get the fuck outta here.”
“Ya right. Nobody, not even my girls could’ve survived that. Shame, shame, shame, they had so much talent, them two.” Melanie pulled out a handkerchief and swabbed her eyes.
“Hey Goldie, let’s go find us a spot with some nice peppers and sausage.”
“That’s a good idea. Pauli, get me the fuck outta here.”
“I know the perfect spot,” Melanie said.
They drove off as the tactical teams rushed into the demolished warehouse and began searching through the rubble.
“I’m sorry, there’s no one in there,” the lieutenant said.
“They deserve whatever they got,” Cooksey said triumphantly.
Street sat on the hood of the cruiser and whispered a silent prayer for the two sisters. She shook her head when she saw the level of destruction.
Blinded by the explosion, Street and the other officers were totally unaware that the collapsed warehouse led to a tunnel on the other side of the street. The Osorios crawled from underneath the rubble and climbed up the manhole. They peeked left and right before walking up a short ramp and into the sewage canals. The sisters emerged underneath a Mall in downtown Miami. Their tattered clothes and messy appearances were eyesores, but they were happy to be alive. Despite the upturned noses of the downtown shoppers greeting them, the sisters laughed and skipped joyfully away.
CHAPTER 29
The next day, the Miami police led by Lt. Cooksey and Street, who was operating on a tip from Jacque, busted into a large storage warehouse rented by the Osorio sisters. The police had searched for the bodies and couldn’t find any evidence of the sisters. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. No corpses, no ashes, no remains were found. The in
cident had the police baffled and searching for answers. Police however, did find the location of the storage used by the sisters.
The entire unit was filled with racks of new clothing from all the major stores and designers. Thousands of shoes boxes were found stacked neatly. A glass case filled with top shelf watches from Rolexes to Movados. There were thirty large televisions, DVD players, laptops, video game players, and Xboxes accompanied an assortment of electronic devices.
“These girls boosted and bought a whole warehouse of shit on stolen credit cards!” Lt. Cooksey said when he saw the sisters’ bounty.
“Yeah, they won’t be big pimpin’ anymore,” an officer joked.
“Goddamn!” the lead officer yelled. “No way are we gonna spend a whole month sorting through all this stuff. This is where the feds come,” Lt. Cooksey laughed.
He got on the horn to the chief of the federal agents as his officers wandered through the place in jaw dropping awe.
“The Osorio sisters were no joke. Too bad they’re not gonna need all these items anymore.”
“You’d think those two girls were some kind of rich aristocrats, renting a damn storage filled with millions of dollars worth of stolen items.”
“Yeah, they tried to be rich but sometimes things don’t work out the way you plan,” an officer said.
“You gotta plan to be around in the end, that’s all.”
The officers all laughed. They turned their attention to tagging the items and moving them out of the warehouse storage one at a time. There was a whole bunch of boxes of everything that didn’t add up to much for the Osorio sisters.
CHAPTER 30
When Sheryl pulled up and parked she could see all the cars. Most of the mourners were still at Mimmy’s apartment. As she walked in, everyone was eating and drinking heartily. Mimmy hobbled around making sure everyone had eaten. Then she sat in her chair in the living room and coldly stared when Sheryl Street approached.
Others recognized her and the tension in the room hit the ceiling. Melanie and a crony jumped in her path, but Mimmy waved the angry Latina off.
“Let her come close.” The grieving woman’s voice trembled with anger.
Sheryl Street had waited long enough and walked directly to Mimmy. She pulled up a chair next to her and took a deep breath before speaking.
“I’m so sorry…” she started and broke down crying.
“You were doing your job,” Mimmy said, touching her hand.
After a few minutes, she gave Sheryl a glass of water. On this early fall day when the leaves had changed, they spoke and wept together. Jacque was the first to come by.
“Hi Sheryl,” Jacque said, interrupting the impromptu meeting between Mimmy and Sheryl.
“You’re not to be blamed solely, Sheryl. We all should’ve helped their spoilt asses.”
Mimmy shook head and anguish clouded the frown on her brows. “I wouldn’t have all that tomfoolery. Maybe I was too protective of them,” Mimmy mused. “Get her something to eat, Jacque,” Mimmy said graciously.
Sheryl and Jacque walked away, hand in hand. Jacque led her out the now crowded living room. Settling for an almost private hallway, Jacque and Sheryl hugged for a beat. It was the first sign of sincerity that Sheryl had experienced since her return.
“Somebody is looking real good,” Jacque smiled when they were alone in hallway.
“Hey Jacque, thanks,” Sheryl said, embracing Jacque again.
“You know these people in the Heights don’t forgive so easily. But they’ll get over it.”
“I’m not worried about anyone, but Mimmy. She’s been through a lot,” Sheryl said. “There’s nothing else I could’ve done, but I feel like there was so much more that I could’ve done, Jacque,” she continued. “Trust me when I tell you she didn’t really know them like I do,” Sheryl said.
“She knew them. Mimmy just loved them too much to care about what they were doing. Mimmy thought they were actresses doing a movie in Cali until you blew them up.”
“I know she really had no way of knowing. They were out in L.A. alright but it wasn’t doing movies.”
“Yeah, you know I knew the deal. I knew the real deal on that,” Jacque said, reminiscing. “I remember too well when I went out there and visited them.”
Candace was sitting in the bathtub while Claire gently applied soap to her naked back. Suds dripped down her honey shade depositing in the softness of her crevice. She was back working on perfect breasts. Two pairs of nipples, hardening to the touch like ripened fruits. Candace did likewise, a sensual bath for her sister. The sisters served each other with loyalty. Applying makeup to each other, they chose dresses for each other. Adoration was mutual, admiring in a huge mirror showering each other with compliments.
“Why Miss Candace, you look sumptuous.”
“Why thank you Miss Claire. I’d say you’re looking ravishing.”
Playfully laughing at beauty, their tone changed to a more serious one. They continued admiring each other in another set of mirrors.
“Really though, the world isn’t ready for this,” Claire said, smacking her sister’s sexy derrière.
“On that note, let’s go,” Candace said.
Grabbing Luis Vuitton handbags, they would go racing out the door. Their red Ferrari was downstairs in the parking lot. With Candace at the wheel, they speed away.
“Alright, strap yourself in, big sis. Rodeo Drive, here comes the Osorio sisters.”
Summer sales always attracted shoppers. At Wilshire and Rodeo, they slowed, Gucci frames shielding their eyes, they looked for parking. Stores were receiving fall merchandise and were busy. The strip was always crowded. The sales staffs and security were running around, trying to meet the demand. The girls drove north on Wilshire and covered Rodeo.
Well-dressed and beautiful, the sisters were part of the young sexy women walking the streets. Their long legs attracted a fair share of attention on Daytona. They investigated the boutiques and went into Robinson’s on the west. The girls went through Amelia Gray’s before hitting Saks on the east corner.
All the high-end boutiques were their playground. Quickly they went through the sales racks, avoiding the salesgirls. Sweeping through Polo, carefully inspecting every piece of merchandise they lifted. Their game was boosting and they played it well.
“The sales staff is really busy,” Claire noted, walked out of a store.
“It’s too crowded for me to operate like I want to, big sis.”
“Let’s head over to Saks, Candy,” Claire suggested.
“I want Gucci today…” Candace answered.
“When we’re finished, Gucci will still be here. I promise you, Candy.”
After exiting Saks with shopping bags, Candace and Claire strode into the Gucci store.
“Good day ladies, may I be of some assistance?” a salesgirl greeted.
“No thanks you,” Claire responded.
“Very well... Enjoy.”
“Thanks,” Candace smiled.
Browsing, they spotted BCBG outlet. The girls hurried inside and went straight to the rack of leather pants.
“Candace, check out these riding pants,” Claire exclaimed.
“I want to see the shoes,” Candace said.
“We can see that on our way out,” Claire said, examining the leather pants.
All items had security locks individually attached, but the sisters were not deterred, they were just scouting for cameras.
“This leather is really hot,” Claire said.
“Yes,” Candace nonchalantly replied.
“Let’s go to the shoe department,” Claire said, shaking her head. Candace followed, wearing a smirk.
The doormen greeted them with a big smile and tilted his hat, helping them with the door, items on their shopping lists, slipped easily by security. Their arms filled with the days’ bounty, they made their way out of store after store. Everyone treated them well.
“Let’s put these in the car and have lunch,” Cl
aire said.
They strutted back to the car. Candace and Claire shared lunch outside at the Santa Barbara Biltmore. A glass screen door shielded them from direct wind off the Pacific coast.
“What would we be doing if we weren’t doing this?” Claire asked between sips of sherry.
“We’d be busy playing with the law in New York,” Candace chuckled, toying with the rare sirloin in front of her.
“You’re getting much too sentimental for my taste. Let’s just pay the tab and go,” Claire said.
Candace boosted an expensive bottle of perfume while Claire distracted the salesgirls. Not to be outdone, Claire stole an expensive bottle of men’s cologne from Elizabeth Arden store. During the transaction at the cash register, Candace paid for a small bottle of cologne and Claire stole a couple more bottles of fragrances. The girls regularly returned to the scene of their crimes.
“Will that be all today, Miss?” the salesclerk asked, ringing up and packing items in a bag.
The Osorio sisters walked out the store and into their Ferrari. Along the way, they spotted the Prada store.
“Oh don’t tell me you’re gonna stop in there? We’ve been in there too many times already,” Claire said.
“You know, a girl can’t have too many,” Candace winked and smiled.
They both hurried inside and loitered, touching the merchandise. Their chic look amazed one of the salesgirls.
“I’m sorry to intrude but I couldn’t help but ask. Are you two sisters? I know I’ve seen your faces before. At a modeling affair, maybe…?”
“Could be,” Claire responded off handily.
“I know,” the salesgirl smiled. “I’ll keep your secret.”
She was impressed and left Candace and Claire with a shopping bag and carte blanche to take as many items as they wanted into the dressing room.
Once inside, the Osorios worked as a team, moving rapidly but disciplined and deliberately. Claire took care of the security tags from all the items except one. They removed their clothing and cut the clothing label. Using a Sharpie, they marked the items as if they were defected.
Claire and Candace slipped into the new garments, placing their own clothing in the bags, with the unaltered items on top. The beautiful duo exited the dressing room and them by showing them some new suits. They ignored the sales person attempts to engage them. The sisters were gone before the sales person realized what was going on. Before the day was over, they would hit several more stores that evening, including Giorgio’s and Versace. They stole several thousand dollars of merchandise and then went to the car as dusk drew near.
Street Chic Page 14
