"You got something you wanna say to me?" Ashanti asked.

Cain looked at him. "Am I that transparent?"

"Only to those who know you," Ashanti tried to pa.s.s the blunt back, but Cain declined. "Cain, what's your problem? Ever since I got here, you've been acting like I kicked your dog."

"You gotta forgive me if your presence hasn't cause me to bubble over with joy as it has my brother, but I'm still on the fence about how I feel about you being here, especially since you cut out on us when we needed you the most," Cain said.

"Is that what this is about, me traveling with Kahllah?"

"Nah, you're grown and free to go where you please, but a n.i.g.g.a like me, when I'm dedicated to something, I stick it out to the end. I don't go flying around the world when my homies are dying in the streets," Cain spat.

"Cain, homies been dying in the streets long before me and they'll continue dying in the streets long after I'm gone. It's the natural order of things. I been putting in work since I was barely old enough to hold a gun. I've earned my stripes. If I wanna go out and explore other avenues of income it's my right. I don't owe the hood anything."

"f.u.c.k the hood, what about us?" Cain asked heatedly. "Ashanti, you brought us into this s.h.i.t, got us b.a.l.l.s deep in these streets then you just cut out. You left us for dead . . . left me for dead."

And there it was. Cain looked at Ashanti like a big brother and leaned heavily on his guidance. When Ashanti started removing himself from the day to day hustle of the hood, Cain felt lost. Ashanti was still active in King James's operation, but he wasn't on the streets like he had been. If he wasn't on one of his secret missions with Kahllah, he was off doing something with Fatima. Cain tried to understand, but he couldn't. He was like the loyal dog whose owner didn't pet him as often anymore and it hurt him.

"Left you for dead?" Ashanti was baffled by the accusation. "My n.i.g.g.a, I gave you the game and a way to feed yourself. Yeah, I gave you an opportunity, but what you do with it is on you. Now, I know you in your little feelings and s.h.i.t, but you need to suck it up and stop crying about what I didn't do for you and appreciate what I did do. I'm surprised this is coming from you because I didn't raise you to be a crying a.s.s n.i.g.g.a."

"Watch how you talk to me, Ashanti," Cain warned. "I'm not a kid anymore, begging to ride out on a mission. I'm a man now."

"If you're a man then act like it, because right now you sounding like a little b.i.t.c.h," Ashanti shot back.

In a totally unexpected turn of events, Cain punched Ashanti in the face. Before Ashanti could recover, Cain had scooped him by the legs and hurled him through the balcony door and into the apartment.

"Aw s.h.i.t," Abel cursed, when he discovered Ashanti lying in a pile of gla.s.s in the middle of his living room. Cain came stalked in a few seconds later, with a murderous look in his eyes. "Fall back, Cain." Abel grabbed his brother.

"f.u.c.k that. Y'all wanted me to get it off my chest, so I am," Cain struggled.

"Nah, don't hold him back," Ashanti was getting back to his feet. He touched his face and his fingers came away b.l.o.o.d.y. "You wanna dance, young n.i.g.g.a, let's dance." He took a defensive stance.

Abel didn't want it to go down, but he knew that getting it out of their systems was the only way to make peace. He moved the coffee table and anything else breakable out of the way, and stood aside to let them sc.r.a.p it out.

Animal was shocked when he came into the living room to find Ashanti and Cain duking it out in the middle of the floor. He rushed to break it up, but Abel grabbed him.

"What are you doing? If we don't break it up they'll kill each other," Animal told Abel.

"No, if we try and break it up and not let them finally put this s.h.i.t to bed they'll kill each other. This has been a long time coming, let them get it out once and for all," Abel told him.

Ashanti and Cain went at each other like two rabid dogs, exchanging punches. Cain was a good fighter, but Ashanti was older and had more experience. While Cain's blows were wild and feral, Ashanti's were timed. He would let Cain punch himself out then deliver a well-placed blow. Not being able to penetrate Ashanti's defenses infuriated Cain, so he rushed him, which Ashanti had been expecting. He moved, shoving Cain as he pa.s.sed, and let his momentum carry him into the bookcase. Ashanti was attempting to wrap his arm around Cain's neck to put him in the sleeper hold, when he felt Cain's teeth sink into the meat of his forearm.

"Aw s.h.i.t," Ashanti rained blows on Cain's head until he let him go. He took a minute to examine his arm. There were deep teeth marks in it, but Cain hadn't broken the skin. "I can't believe you bit me! That was some dirty s.h.i.t."

Cain snickered. "Ain't no rules in a street fight. You taught me that, remember? That was just a nibble; I didn't even break the skin. Now quit crying like a little b.i.t.c.h and let's get to it," he moved in and attacked Ashanti.

Animal wasn't sure how long they had been fighting, but it felt like forever. Both Ashanti and Cain were breathing heavy, and dragging their feet. After a while it got to a point where neither of them were even trying to defend themselves anymore, they were just exchanging punches to the face. They were both exhausted, but neither would quit. They grabbed each other around the shoulders and began tussling.

"Quit Cain, I don't wanna hurt you," Ashanti heaved, barely able to keep his grip on Cain.

"Nope," Cain said, trying his best to keep his legs under him. He was dead tired, but determined.

It was obvious that they would both have kept fighting until one of them died from exhaustion, so Animal and Abel decided it was enough, and broke it up. Ashanti took a step back towards Cain, but Animal held him.

"Let it go," Animal told him.

"It's over, Blood. I ain't gonna swing on the homie," Ashanti promised. Animal waited until he was sure he would keep his word then let him pa.s.s. Cain got his second wind and advanced on Ashanti hostilely. Abel went to intervene, but Ashanti waved him off. "I ain't gonna fight you no more, Cain. If you got more you need to get off your chest, then handle it, but I ain't gonna fight you."

Cain raised his fist, but the blow never fell. Instead he dropped his arms to his side and let out a deep sigh. "I needed you and you weren't there, Ashanti . . . you weren't there."

"Cain, I always have been and always will be there. We're more than homies, we're brothers and that's a lifetime commitment. Sometimes you need a change of pace to keep you from going nuts. I know you don't understand right now, but when you've been out her for a while longer, you will. Now let's put this behind us and get back to being family." Ashanti extended his hand.

Cain just glared at Ashanti's hand, breathing heavy. He was still angry, but more at himself than Ashanti. He'd let his emotions get the best of him. Cain slapped Ashanti's hand away, and everybody thought they were going to fight again, but instead Cain hugged him.

"If you kids are done kissing and making up, we've got a kidnapping to finish planning," Sonja said.

Animal looked at her and shook his head. It amazed him how she could go from an emotional wreck one minute to her regular, hard as nails self. Sonja had the ability to change from a p.o.r.n star in the bedroom to a cold-blooded killer in the streets in the blink of an eye. She was always in control. These were the qualities about her that attracted Animal in the first place and the very reasons he needed to put distance between them as soon as possible.

FIFTEEN.

KAHLLAH WAS NEARLY ASLEEP ON her feet by the time she got back to the house. Her body was tired from the round robin of a.s.s kicking she'd been doing, but her mind was also tired from trying to unravel the mystery that had her trapped like a fly in a spider's web. The more she struggled to solve it, the more the web tightened around her. There were so many variables, so many unknowns. This was truly one of her most complicated a.s.signments.

She crept upstairs to check on the kids, and found them sound asleep in T.J.'s bed, where she'd left them. T.J. was stretched out, with his mouth open, snoring like a grown man. Celeste lay on the other side of him. Her brow twitched, and she tossed and turned restlessly. Even in her dreams, her life was a constant fight. Kahllah felt bad for Celeste, because of all she was going through. She was no stranger to a turbulent childhood. It was the things she endured as a kid that shaped her into the woman she had become, which could've been taken as a compliment or an insult, depending on who you asked. Kahllah covered the kids with the blanket, kissed them both on the foreheads and crept out.

Kahllah went downstairs to check on Gucci next. She listened to the door and didn't hear anything, so she a.s.sumed Gucci had finally gone to sleep. She had been through a lot already and would likely be asked to endure more before it was all said and done. Kahllah knew that Gucci loved Animal and would ride for him against all odds, but she often wondered if she understood the magnitude of what they were facing. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was worried to death about her and Animal. Poppito was a dangerous foe, and even as thorough as the band of killers was who Animal was leading against him, they would still need an act of G.o.d if they hoped to stand even the slimmest chance of winning the coming battle.

Kahllah had considered reaching out to the Brotherhood for a.s.sistance, but that wouldn't have been the wisest course of action, considering she had no idea what her standing was in the order at that point. She was sure that there were still members of the Brotherhood who would support her, but to aid Kahllah would be to go against Khan and whoever else he enlisted in his coupe. No, she was on her own until she could figure out who was playing for which side.

Kahllah sat on the couch and kicked her shoes off. She'd intended on watching the news for a while before going to bed, but within five minutes of her a.s.s. .h.i.tting the plush sofa, she was fast asleep.

Kahllah's sleep was anything but peaceful. She had been plagued with nightmares since she closed her eyes. The last one was the most intense. She dreamt that she was a young girl again, back at the hovel the slavers kept the girls in. She was curled up on a dirty cot, listening to the screams of the girl being raped in the next room. That night, just as every night she was there, she prayed for death, but it never came. A few minutes later, her door creaked open and several men walked in. It was her turn to be conditioned, as they called it. They wanted their girls to be tight for their clients, but not too tight, so they broke some of the fresher ones in. Kahllah had been a virgin at the time.

She fought the men with everything she had but there were too many of them. Two of them bound her arms to the bed, while a third forced her legs open. Kahllah pleaded for mercy, but she knew that mercy was a foreign concept to these men. When he forced himself inside her, Kahllah felt like she had just been ripped in half. The first man did his business and freed his seed inside of her, before moving aside to let the next man have a go. Kahllah lay there, by now numb to the pain, and detached, while the men dripped sweat onto her frail body. She could still feel their rough mouths fighting to suckle her underdeveloped b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She wanted nothing more than to cry, but would not give the rapists the satisfaction.

There was a crash coming from somewhere behind them. Kahllah's vision was blocked by the man who was on top of her. There was shouting, followed by the retort of guns. Blood was everywhere, including in Kahllah's eyes. She tried to rub them clean, but it only made the blood seem to stick. She could feel herself being s.n.a.t.c.hed from the bed and the wind whipping past her face like she was falling from a rooftop. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of the ground below, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer at the hovel, but in a church.

She was older now, maybe about thirteen. She was wearing a pretty white dress and white Mary Jane shoes. She was on her knees before an altar, but she wasn't worshipping. Her arms were spread and tied to it. She struggled against the leather straps, but was no match for them.

"The enemies of G.o.d are the enemies of his sword." She could hear someone behind her in the dream saying. "Those who would stand against the one true G.o.d, must be made to feel the sting of his blade."

Fire shot through Kahllah's back as a whip was brought down across it. Blood now stained the arms of her pretty white dress and her back throbbed, but she knew that was only the beginning. It only hurt in the beginning.

"The will of G.o.d is the only law." The voice continued, "Man has been corrupted and the wrong must be righted. Who has been chosen for this?"

"The sword," Kahllah could hear herself say in the dream. "The sword must cut the weeds so that the wheat may grow." Another blow fell across her back, but she refused to scream out.

"And it is the sword who has taken the sacred oath," the voice continued. "It is the sword who has spoken the words before G.o.d and pledged to put the needs of man and the lord in front of their own. Speak the words!"

Kahllah lips moved but she couldn't speak. What were the words?

Another crack of the whip landed across her back. This one was so intense she felt like it had taken off her skin. She felt a strong hand grab a fist full of her hair and lifted her head. Kahllah still couldn't see who it was speaking to her, but she could smell him. He wore the unmistakable smell of death like a designer fragrance. She could feel the cold touch of steel from the blade that was now pressed into her neck. "Only the evil cannot speak the words. And as decreed by my lord and savior, the evil must be purified by blood and steel."

Kahllah was startled awake by T.J. jumping on the couch. Her brain was still clouded by the heavy fog of sleep, so she reacted more by instinct than thought. Moving lightening quick, she was on her feet and had the little boy gripped about the arm. His happy expression was placed by a terrified one and he started crying.

Celeste appeared at Kahllah's side and began tugging at her wrist, trying to free her little brother. She bared her teeth like she was going to bite Kahllah if she didn't release T.J. The little girl was naturally protective, just like her father.

Kahllah took him lovingly in her arms and rocked him. "Auntie is sorry, T.J., you just scared me. See, I'm not going to hurt him, Celeste," she tried to a.s.sure the little girl, but she looked less than convinced.

Hearing her son crying, Gucci came flying out of the kitchen. "What's going on? I heard T.J. crying."

"It's my fault, Gucci. We kinda scared each other," Kahllah told her.

"Did he wake you up? I'm so sorry, Kahllah. I told this boy to let you sleep. I know you had a long night and you needed the rest," Gucci took T.J. from Kahllah.

"It's cool. I needed to get up anyway," Kahllah stretched. "Any word from Animal?"

"Yeah, I spoke to him. They made it to New York safely, but I didn't want to hear anything else he had to say, so I banged it on his a.s.s," Gucci said.

"Gucci, you need to stop acting like that. You know all Animal wants to do is the right thing," Kahllah explained.

"Staying at home with his family would've been doing the right thing," Gucci fired back.

Kahllah shook her head. "As usual, there's no arguing with your stubborn a.s.s." She got up and went to the bathroom to clean up and change clothes.

Gucci went about the task of making breakfast for the kids. She scrambled up a couple of eggs and fried them some bacon. She wasn't sure if Celeste ate pork or not, but for as long as she was under her roof she would eat whatever they had. She placed two snack trays with the food on it in front of the kids who were sitting on the couch. For a minute Celeste just stared at the food, as if she was afraid that it might've been poisoned. She picked up a piece of bacon, examined it, before taking a small bite. Her eyes lit up when she tasted the perfectly cooked strip of pork.

"Thank you," Celeste said, which surprised Gucci. The little girl had been silent for so long that it never even occurred to Gucci that she could actually talk. Her voice was small and soft, but had the same scratchy edge to it that Animal's did. Hearing her voice put Gucci in her feelings again and she needed to excuse herself.

Gucci went into the kitchen and braced her hands against the sink, taking slow deep breathes. She felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Gucci was a ball of emotion. She had so many thoughts running around in her head that she felt like it would explode if she didn't get them out. Kahllah had been a rock during Gucci's hard times, and she was always willing to listen when Gucci needed to talk, but Gucci and Kahllah had only known each other a few years. She didn't know Gucci like most people did. Times like that she missed being able to get on the phone with Tionna and vent, but those days were long gone. Tionna was no longer with them and her kids were orphans, and Gucci couldn't help but feel partially to blame.

It was right after she'd gotten out of surgery. Gucci had been the recipient of a stray bullet that was meant for someone else, and it almost killed her. For a while it was touch and go, and no one was sure if she was going to make it or not, but Gucci had always been a fighter. After several surgeries and round the clock prayers by her family, Gucci was out of surgery and in her room recovering.

Unbeknownst to Gucci, while she was in recovery, Animal had come back to New York and was waging a personal war on the streets against those responsible for her being shot. In an attempt to get to Animal, his enemies came for her. Tionna had walked into the hospital room in time to discover two men putting something in Gucci's IV. The men held Gucci and Tionna at gunpoint, demanding that Gucci get on the phone and call Animal. They were laying a trap for Gucci to set Animal up, and she refused . . . but Tionna didn't. She was willing to sacrifice Animal to save her own life.

At the time, Gucci had been mad at Tionna. They had grown up like sisters and the fact that she was willing to betray the man Gucci loved, cut like a knife. It wasn't until she had T.J. and became a mother herself that she was able to better understand Tionna's thinking. Animal was Gucci's man and Tionna had no such attachments to him. She had two small kids to take care of and so she did what she had to do to keep them from being motherless, but unfortunately it didn't work out quite the way she'd planned it.

There was a heated exchange on the phone between Animal and the man Gucci would later learn was named Angelo. Gucci couldn't hear what Animal was saying on the other end, but from the angry expression on Angelo's face she knew it wasn't going well. She was afraid for Animal, but also afraid of what they might do to her if things took a turn for the worse, which they did.

Angelo had tired of Animal's defiant att.i.tude and intended to show him who was really in charge. "You still think you're calling the shots, huh?" Gucci heard him ask, before putting the phone on speaker. "You listening, li'l fella?"

"What're you playing at?" Gucci could hear Animal's voice come over the speaker. He was nervous.

"I ain't playing at s.h.i.t," Angelo told him. "I'm actually quite serious, and I'm about to show you how serious I am. Ayo," Angelo called to his henchman, "since these b.i.t.c.hes think they're so fly, let's see if they got wings."

Gucci watched the henchmen drag the kicking and screaming Tionna across the floor to the hospital room window. Gucci knew what was about to happen, but her brain still hadn't accepted it. "Please don't!" Gucci called out frantically.

Hearing her voice made Animal panic. "Don't you do it!" Animal pleaded on the other end of the phone.

"You wanna roll with the big dogs, then you need to know how it feels to get bit," Angelo spat venomously at the phone. "Do that b.i.t.c.h!" he ordered his henchman.

"You ain't gotta do this!" Tionna clung to the henchman for dear life.

"Sorry, shorty. I got my orders." He took a step back and kicked Tionna as hard as he could, sending her through the window like a battering ram and into the cool night air.

Gucci had never felt more helpless than the day she witnessed Tionna's murder. She had always known that dealing with Animal wasn't without risks, but seeing Tionna go out that window brought everything into perspective. Thinking of her friend made Gucci weep. Gucci reasoned that Tionna was wrong for being willing to give up Animal, but had it not been for trying to be a good friend to Gucci she'd have never had to be in a position to make the choice.

The hot shower helped to wake Kahllah up fully and wash the soot off her from the night before. She had a busy day, and possibly night, ahead of her and she wanted to get the ball rolling.

For her hunt for the notorious Panama Black she would employ a different tactic. Instead of jeans and combat boots, she opted for a pair of tight fitting hot-pants, black stiletto booties and a leather jacket that hugged her frame. It wasn't what Kahllah would've normally worn, but for different prey you had to set the traps with different bait. For as restricting as the outfit might've looked, Kahllah was able to move quite freely in it. The weather was a bit warm for the jacket, but it was the only thing she had that would hide the weapon's harness strapped to her body.

When she came back out, she found Gucci in the kitchen washing dishes, while T.J. and Celeste were sitting in front of the T.V. eating breakfast. One of the characters on the show they were watching said something funny, which made Celeste laugh. It was the first time she had seen the child do anything other than scowl since she had arrived. Celeste was young but smart and Kahllah was sure she'd picked up on the fact that there was something going on. It seemed a crime for a child so young to have to endure so much. Kahllah knew first-hand the lasting affects of stolen innocence. She just hoped her brother got everything sorted out soon so that Celeste could go back to living a normal life, but she reasoned growing up with Red Sonja as a mother was probably anything but normal.

"You want something to eat?" Gucci asked over her shoulder when Kahllah entered the kitchen. She didn't want her to know that she'd been crying.

"Nah, I'll probably grab something when I hit the streets," Kahllah told her, taking a seat on one of the stools.

Gucci wiped her face with a paper towel and turned to Kahllah. "Kahllah, do you ever stop moving?"

"Not really. I like to keep busy. Idle time is a tool of the devil."

"Idle time isn't the only thing that's a tool of the devil," Gucci nodded to the harness peeking out from beneath Kahllah's jacket. Knowing Kahllah it was probably packed with all sorts of hidden goodies. "You and Animal might not be related by blood, but you might as well be. The both of you love to tempt fate."

"I don't believe in fate. We create our own destines." Kahllah patted the gun in her harness. "Do you think you guys will be okay here while I go out for a few hours?"

Gucci shut the water off in the sink and gave Kahllah her full attention. "Yes, why wouldn't we be? Kahllah, the way you keep hovering like you're expecting something to happen is starting to make me nervous. Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"I don't mean to scare you, Gucci. It's just that this situation doesn't feel right to me. There are too many unknowns for my tastes. I just want to make sure that my loved ones are safe. Sorry if I'm being a mother-hen about it."

"No need to apologize, I'm used to it by now. Animal is the same way when he's home. You know, he's been removed from the streets for years, but he still carries himself like he's at war, constantly checking the house to make sure it's secure. And don't get me started on all the d.a.m.n guns he keeps stashed around the house. I made him stash most of them in the garage, but he still insists on making sure there are at least three in the house at all times," she grabbed a box of cereal from the cabinet and removed a small .22 from it. "Who the h.e.l.l stashes guns in the Captain Crunch?"