Chapter 1- Love Or Death
Inside I was screaming "They're coming, they're almost here, run." But
my body could no longer hold up. Constantly running, hiding and
fighting for the last two weeks. I was too tired. All I could do now is
pray, pray they wont see me. Pray the streets would hold me safe.
I sat there. My pants and shirt soaked in mud, sweat and blood. My hair
like a mop on my head. My ribs screaming pain. My boots feeling like 3
tons of weight. My eyes begging to shut. My body absolutely defying my
mind.
Asking the dark to hold me and keep me. Asking the cold concrete and
unforgiving brick walls full of grime, blood and chalk to hold me and
keep me. Asking the God I've never really known to hold me and keep
me.
I heard footsteps rapidly approaching. I pulled my legs to my chest.
Trying my hardest to control my breathing, and to stay awake. How the
hell did I manage to get here?
The men finally caught up to me. They stood and stared at me, but
weirdly enough they didn't move. At this point I was really worried.
This for all could be the last time I saw the street. The last time I
heard the music of the streets. The last time I did anything. I look up
in the eyes of the men that are about to sign my death slip.
I saw their eyes and they kept looking down at me and then up. I tried
to move my head to see what they were looking at, but my head would not
acknowledge the command my mind was getting. All I could do was look
down. When I did I saw one words, 'Love.'
Love is synonymous with murder out here in Brooklyn. Those words mean
something more then candle lights and walks watching the moon out here,
they mean danger. Love is an all man, well organized gang. The graffiti
on the floor and I'm guessing on the wall means this is their property.
These guys are bad to the bone. They wont think twice about killing you.
They're the bastards you hear about on T.V All they're dirt up in the
air. If you ever want somebody tortured, call on them. That's their
specialty. I'd never do business with them. I've always made sure to
stay away from them.
I snapped out of it when I heard the men running the direction they
came. I tried to get up. Tried to move from their grounds, but my legs
would not hold up. I tried to keep my eyes open, but my eye lids were
fighting me the whole way.
I didn't wake to the cold concrete as I expected. I woke to the op
posite, a nice soft bed. I looked around, the room was massive and it lo
oked really expensive. Decked out in flashy furniture and a massive big
screen TV. I jumped up and immediately regretted it. My ribs were making
themselves painfully clear to take it easy.
I realized that I wasn't in the muddy clothes anymore. That I had silk
pajama bottoms on and my ribs were wrapped up tight. I don't know about
you but I'm getting worried. I past out on Love grounds and I'm still
alive. Oh no, I am a live, right? As if reading my thoughts the door to
my room is immediately opened. I jumped up again and was ready.
In walked this man. Decked out in a Hugo Boss type suit that didn't hide
his muscular physique. About 6ft, 190 pounds give or take. Sunglasses
on and just looking like his name should be smooth! I was in position,
ready to swing, ready to fight. I watched him carefully as he walked
in. Damn he looked good. Hazel eyes, short hair, nice soft complexion.
My eyes trailed a lil bit down but were immediately stopped when I came
across his neck and he had the infamous tattoo of a small heart in
blood red.
No fucking way was I in one of the loves apartment. I looked up and he
had a smirk on his face. His eyes were so soft but that was deceiving,
I knew that. Within a second he lunged at me. His legs flying for my
ribs. His martial arts trainer and the streets did him justice.
Unfortunetly I have no martial arts training. The only trainig I got was
from the streets. I held my own with him barely, but I was rapidly
getting tired. He was whipping my ass to be honest, but not to the
point where he's coming out of this thing without a scratch. All I knew
was If was going to live through him I was going to have to do
something fast.
Then I saw my opening. Their was this scarf laying on the couch in the
room with one leap I had it my hand and with another move I had it
wrapped around his throat. I applied pressure to make him calm the fuck
down. What the fuck am I to do. I know better then to kill a love.
That would be signing my own death warrant. I let the scarf slide
tightly over his chest and once under it I tied it really tight. I
grabbed his legs and tied it with a sheet. The whole time he didn't
even say a word. I know that these ties wouldn't last long, but they
would last long enough.
I needed to get home. Get on my turf. Get onto Predator grounds. I
found my clothes washed and cleaned. I found that odd, but I kept it
moving. Keeping it moving is the determined factor of why I'm still
alive. I went down the laundry shoot and went through the back way. The
pain was almost unbearable. I jumped on a train and was out.
I sighed a relief when I came to my stop. Now all I gotta do is make it
two blocks and I'm home. Of course shit wouldn't be that simple. As
soon as I came off the train who should I see, the fucking ass holes
from last night. All nine of them looking desperate.
They knew if I got home, they would never see home again. They were
desperate to find me, kill me, bury me and hope nobody saw us together.
I looked at them and was off. I jumped into the train terminal and was
out, they followed of course.
I silently thanked my friends who I use to play in the terminals with
when I was young. I knew this terminal, I knew all the train terminals
in New York like the back of my hand.
When we got to a place with no lights. About a half a mile or so in the
terminal. I grabbed two rocks on the floor and leaned up as close as I
could in this little dip in the wall. I threw both rocks as far ahead
as I could. Which made the nine stupid asses take off running full
speed in that direction. Completely passing me. And they say you cant
learn anything from TV. I of course did a slow silent jog towards the
train stop.
As I jumped out the terminal they saw me and took off running, but they
were too far to catch up with me. I ran those two blocks as fast as I
could, and as soon as I reached I howled twice. This was to let all my
brothers know that their lone wolf was home and in pursuit.
My brothers must have been worried when I didn't come back last night.
This was all needed. I stepped into the shadows of home. I waited for
the sound I knew would come. I heard it, nine gun shots rang clear in
the night and was finished off by a howl.
Contently I walked into home with a chorus of howls, barks and bird
calls echoing through the air. My brothers were welcoming me home, were
giving me respect. We had a tight little alley way. Seven buildings all
together. Three on each side and one at the dead end.
I walked into the furthest apartment building, the one at the dead end.
It was the biggest and most well protected. You had to pass all the
others to get to this one. So of course this is where all the top
figures of the gang laid their head. Outside it looked terrible as did
all of them, but it was a complete different story inside. Inside all
of them looked like a four star hotel. Decked out in the finest
furniture, leathers, glass and wood.
I took the elevator up to the top floor. On the top floor held four
apartments. These apartments could make apartments in Manhattan feel
jealous. Three of the apartments were for the heads of the gang.
In the beginning it was three individual gangs. The first was the
RotWilders, known for being loyal and wild. Ready to go to war at the
drop of pin, but they were mischievous.
The second was the Birds, known for knowing everything that went on in
the hood, but they weren't the best fighters. Anything that happened
they knew about though. Someone got killed, and didn't want any one
knowing about it. They pay off the Birds. One of your boys got robbed
you go to the birds with a small fee and they tell you on the spot who
did it.
The third was the Wolves, known for being swift and calculating. Out of
all three they were the best, we are the best. We got the most respect
out of them all. We've even been hired by the government a few times to
look over a few politicians in harms way.
The three of us were allies for a long time. Then the heads just decided
to join together. Thus naming us the Predators.
The ding from the elevator snapped me out of thought. I walked out into
the hall and into the fourth room. This was where they met, talked
business and chilled at. As I walked in the three of them stood looking
at me.Their was a man I didn't know beside them.
He was banging, sexy. Decked out in an Iceberg valor suit that would
run for a lot of money in a store. The soft material was the complete
opposite of his body. If their was a rock about 6.2, 200 pounds give or
take it would be him. He was huge and just oozed out sexiness. He had
the softest brown skin. His hair was curly and long reaching down to
the small of his back. His eyes an intense gray. I couldn't quite pin
point if he was black or Latino, probably mixed.
I stood firm, my head up high. Looking them all in the eye. Trying to
tell my 'partner' that he didn't need to stand at attention as
well. Thank God for baggy pants!
"Rafael this is Lovin, Lovin this is Rafael."
My mouth dropped open and my 'partner' dropped down as well.
Lovin was the head of Love. A cold murdering prick. I immediately came
on alert. I positioned myself between him and my bosses. Never taking
my eyes off him. This made everyone in the room laugh but me.
"Rafael if I were going to kill them don't you think I would have tried
something already." He said in a voice that drove me wild. He had a
good point but that still didn't mean shit to me. I continued standing
there looking dead at him.
"I mean honestly do you think you could protect them from me if you
wanted. Your in bad shape as it is. You only slept 4 hours. Your ribs
are soar and you've been on your feet minus 4 hours for two weeks. Do
you think you could hold me" he said.
"I doubt I can but I'll die trying." Was my only reply.
Again everyone broke out in laughter again which got me a little heated.
The bosses are smarter then this. You cant trust a Love. Especially not
the head of Love. While they were laughing I took a look behind me, but
I kept an eye on him. Which he must not have saw because I saw his hand
coming straight at my ribs.
I immediately jumped to the side and it was on from there. We were in a
full battle. He was fast and skilled. More so then me. I was lacking on
speed and skill and also tired so I had to use my head. Felt like I
was playing chess all over again with my grandpa. "Always know what's
going to happen 5 steps ahead" I heard his crisp tired voice saying in
my head.
The fighting must have went on forever I was getting so tired, so beat
down. He threw a dagger at one of the heads and I didn't trust myself
to grab it out of the air being so tired. So I did the only thing and
jumped in front of it and howled at the top of my lungs. My brothers
would need to come take care of this after me.
I know what your thinking why didn't I howl before? I would have howled
before but the heads like to keep things on the low as much as
possible. If a matter can be solved without every one knowing, then
that's the best way.
I braced myself for the knife. When it hit me in the chest I was in
complete shock. It was rubber. It bounced off my chest and fell to the
ground.
The apartment got swamped with predators. Some came through the window,
front door, secret doors and what not. They were all ready. They
grabbed him quick and had a knife at his neck in no time. The heads sat
there with not so much as sweat on their brow.
It was so silent. I was still touching the skin the fake knife touched
and was wondering what the hell was going on. All of a sudden the heads
dismissed everyone with their hands. Everyone was reluctant to go, but
would never disobey an order. The man holding Lovin was the last to go.
He sat down with a smirk on his face, that I would love to just cut
right off his face.
"Take a seat Rafael" Bird said. I was looking between Lovin and the
heads and was completely confused.
"That's an order Rafael."
I grabbed a seat and put it between Lovin and the heads which made them
chuckle. By now I was tired and frustrated.
Wolf, one of the heads stood up and came by me. He patted my back like a
father would do a son and gave my shoulder a squeeze. Wolf was the head
I was most fond of. I'm part of his entourage. I'm one of his personal
guards. When I lost my family, him and his family became mine.
"He's no threat to us son. We have a special job. We needed a strong
man. Someone who is intelligent, resilient, skillful and trustworthy.
Those nine men weren't...regular... street thugs. They were nine of the
best hit men in New York outside of Predators and Love. A million a
piece they would have gotten if they were successful in killing you.
Plus we had birds watching you the whole time. You managed to shake
them off more then once. Which never happened to them before." Said
Wolf while he made it back to his seat and gave Bird a smug smile.
"For two weeks they made sure to keep you as far as possible from
predator grounds. They constantly kept you on the run, pursuing you.
Chasing you out of Brooklyn into Queens, Bronx and Harlem. No matter
how tight of a situation you came in you always seemed to get out of
it." Bird informed me.
"Lovin here was there when you showed up on his doorstep. He was in a
window in back of you the whole time with a few friends pointing loaded
weapons at them while you passed out on their grounds. It was decided
to give you a little break before we really tried you. We put you in
the heart of Love's quarters. The first person we put on you was
Lovin's head bodyguard. After only four hours you were ready again.
Somehow you made it out of their alive." Rotwilder added.
"We tipped the nine hit men about you being on the train heading for
grounds. Then again you showed your skills and made it home. We thought
that by the time you actually made it in here you'd have trouble
standing up. That wasn't the case at all. You had enough heart to
fight Lovin who is more then a handful. Even though it was clear that
you were tired, in pain, hungry. If this situation was real you would
have probably died, but so would have Lovin. Which shows us that your
the man for this position. We have a spare room made up for you over
then son." Wolf finished off.
"We'll tell you all about it in the morning" said Lovin.
I was completely in shock after hearing all that, but I was too tired to
actually think about it. So with that I gave Lovin one more unsure look
and limped my sagging remains into the room Wolf pointed to. I flung
myself on the mattress and was out before touching it.
I ran and ran as fast and as far as I could, but I couldn't anymore. I
saw an alley way that was almost pitch black. I ran to it, to safety,
but I only made it by the entrance. My body collapsing against the hard
black brick wall.
*****
To Be Continued...
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