It was a comfortable partly cloudy day over Stilwater.
Li gotten up early and needed to visit with her grandmother, she drove through downtown and picked up Johnny, stopped by the florist on the way getting several bouquets of beautiful roses, then preceded to the Cemetery.
They both placed flowers at Aisha’s plot, then leaving Johnny to speak to Ish, she walked to her Grandmother’s mausoleum and proceeded to clean it, placing flowers in the few vases at the corners of the risen marble casket.
“Hey Nana… ****,” She paused not sure if she should speak this aloud, knowing her spirit would be watching always.
“Sorry… I’m a bit stressed, I called the Akuji clan and I’m considering taking the Ronin over for the greater good. I know it isn’t the life you wanted for me, but the things I have the Saints doing is for the greater good.”
Li had to laugh at herself, how was a demolition mob going to plant trees and flowers? “I hope it will work out for the best, but I will make sure you have flowers while I am gone. Love you and I will be back soon.” Li kissed the cool stone lid and let her fingers slide across the surface as she walked out.
Seeing that Gat wasn’t ready she walked over to her Voxel, leisurely sitting herself on the hood. Pulling her phone out she scrolled through her missed calls, and then through her contacts, stopping on a number made her train of thought derail entirely.
Li sat looking at the phone number in her phone, she did nothing but stare at it for the past half hour, she needed to call it, but something kept her from making the call.
Dexter Jackson was her friend, or so she thought, he dropped his flag but from what she had heard on the tapes, it was like, he never wanted to be a Saint in the first place, and just maybe he knew where Julius is.
Dex threw his hands up in frustration, “Its LOS Carnales, or THE Carnales… you know what never mind, Li come on, this idiot wouldn’t know Spanish if Alejandro himself woke from the dead to talk to him.”
Dex stormed out of the office with Li trying to contain herself with a slack-jawed Troy looking on.
“You should of known better, Dex has been on this for a while, and if I recall, his mother is Hispanic, don’t piss the man off.” Li left a gaping Troy standing to pick his jaw off the floor.
Once outside Li had to ask, it wasn’t like him to blow his top like that, out of all of them, Dex was the most level headed of the group.
“Dex, the hell crawled up your ass and nested?” Li never one for holding her tongue - asked as soon as they settled in the car.
Dex just sighed as he looked out the window of the car, “Nothing, let’s go grab something to eat.”
Dex was not sure if he should even tell Li that he was offered a position with Ultor Corp. It would get him out of the headache that he was already in and make an honest living, instead of dealing with the **** he knew he was too smart for.
“Li, Li?”
Gat’s voice interrupted her thought, snapping her out of her daze, gripping her phone a little tighter she looked up to see Gat looking at her puzzled,
“Baby you a’ight?” He placed his hand on her shoulder - he saw the name briefly and said nothing more.
“Yeah.” Li drawled out, as she put her phone in her hip pocket, she walked around and sat in the passenger’s seat.
Johnny started the car and pulled off towards the mall downtown. “What are you planning?”
That was a simple enough question, with an even simpler answer, “A talk to the mutha**** that killed me.”
Johnny nodded, “Simple enough, I’m coming with you.”
“No.”
“Why the **** not?”
Li refused to answer, she didn’t want Gat coming with her, she needed to do this alone, Julius Little placed her into this, more or less, and she was going to return the favor – permanently.
To do list:
1) Have a talk with Donnie.
2) Take out the Brotherhood – working on it…
3) Kill Julius Little!!
~*S.R 2*~
By late afternoon and great sex with Johnny, Li went in search of an old “friend”. Li had gotten information from Carlos that the Brotherhood’s chief mechanic was still in his old area of Chinatown. After stopping to grab a bite to eat, she spotted the neon sign over the garage.
Exiting her car she walked inside to pay the man a visit,
“Excuse me but is Donnie available, I need him to take a look at my ride, and I heard he was the best.” Li sweetly asked one of the workers who stood gawking after she stepped from her Raycaster.
“Nah, he ain’t here, but I can take a look at it.” The red head worker asked.
“That’s ok, I’ll just stop back by later.” And she walked out in search of Donnie once more.
~*S.R 2 *~
Pulling out her cell she went to give Shaundi a call, maybe the street cams they monitored may had picked up something. Just as she with to call, she spotted a Voxel parked by the water and its driver standing near the edge.
Parking her car she sat for a moment, “Donnie could of saved Lin, stupid ****.” Li got out and walked up to the red clad mechanic.
Donnie stood there saying his little prayer to the woman who infiltrated the West Side Rollerz Lin. Donnie didn’t care what side she was on, he loved her for her knowledge of cars, as well as her no bullshit attitude.
He tossed a ring of flowers into the water that was hr final resting place. Li remembered that day well –
~* S.R *~
Li sat in the church with Dex, Troy and Johnny.
“How old are you?” the three men asked at the same time.
“17 my birthday is in a few months, why?” She answered, not seeing how it made a difference, it wasn’t like she had time for anyone, with her constant running around with the Saints.
Troy bit the inside of his cheek, she was young and he was slowly starting to fall for her, but he had his secrets and when he first met her – when Julius was recruiting her, he didn’t want her to be a part of this.
Dex just raised an eyebrow as he shook his head, muttering about how insane Julius was for getting her involved in all of this. “You need to be in school.” Dex voiced as he left to head to his crib.
Taking slight offence to something he didn’t know she shouted after his retreating form, “I finished school, graduated high honors!” hoping she made her point clear.
Johnny smirked, “You don’t look like it, but then again I don’t look like I have a eight inch ****, so I guess we are both full of surprises.” He walked away without another word.
Li stood there shocked that he would even spit that out, but then again its Johnny so one would expect it, Troy patted her on the shoulder and headed for home. Julius walked in just as Johnny left,
“Li said you are doing a hell of a job with the Rollerz, keep it up, have you heard from Lin?”
Just then Li’s cell rang, “Yeah, its her.” She answered the phone.
“Hey, we were just talking about you.”
There was a brief pause before Lin answered, “Yeah, meet me up at the pool hall, the Rollerz are getting into something big.” The conversation cut off before Li could ask anything else.
Li looked up at Julius with a confused look, “That didn’t sound like her, I mean…”
Julius nodded, “Don’t let me hold you up, you know how she hates waiting.”
“Yeah, I’ll catch you later.” Li headed for the pool hall.
~* S.R *~
When Li arrived at the hall, it was empty, unusual for a weekday, and she saw the door to the back room cracked open,
“Hello?”
No answer, Li poked her head in with her hand on her gun, Lin was unconscious tied to a chair – Li looked around for anyone who maybe trying to sneak up on her,
“Lin?” Li gruffly whispered, as she went to untie the Lieutenant, “Lin, wake up.”
Just as she had gotten the last knot undone, she was struck from behind by something heavy. Groggy Li turned over, she could make out two people, as she groaned in pain. She heard the name Sharp.
That was the Uncle of Price, the next thing Li was struck again and she blacked out.
Li felt herself being kicked, it was dark and she could hear Lin calling to her.
“Li, yo, say something, ****, wake the hell up.”
Li kicked Lin in response, “Damnit woman, you didn’t have to kick me.
“Ow… ****, I guess you’re alright. Damnit, wait you hear that?”
“Yeah, that a car pulling up?”
“Shh...”
They could both hear the muffled talking of two people, as they came closer to the trunk they could hear Donnie.
“Ok, we will be alright, don’t worry.” Lin was always thinking on her feet.
The trunk opened and a rush of fresh air came in, Donnie looked in the trunk and saw Li and then gasped as he saw also Lin.
Lin couldn’t finish her plea before she was shot in the stomach, Li couldn’t scream, she looked at Lin then turned to see Sharp turn the gun on her.
Li blacked out from the pain.
Lin was holding on, “Li, wake up girl. You can’t let a little wound like that stop you. WAKE THE **** UP!”
“I’m awake, you aight?” Li sucked in hard to hold in some of the pain.
“Li, did you hear what that **** Donnie said… he called me… his…. Girl.” She was gone.
Li struggled past the pain as she twisted to bring her hands in front of her. Once she managed she fished around in the darkened trunk and found a crowbar, franticly she chipped at the lock from the inside, she finally popped it – water rushed in once the trunk lifted.
As Li grabbed onto Lin’s arm she started to swim to the surface her pant leg caught Lin’s body floated to the surface and Li struggled once more to free herself
With her hands still bound she slid the pants off. Having struggled the way she did she lost so much blood she passed out.
Li coughed up water, she continued to cough the offending water from her lungs, she gripped her side, her mind went to the last thing she remembered.
“LIN!” Li screamed as she struggled to get free, Troy grabbed the squirming girl by the waist as the air bubbles from the spot where the car sank, Lin’s lifeless body floated facedown her hands tied behind her, with her lighter gripped tightly in her hand.
“Lin… no..” Li cried into Troy’s shirt.
~* S.R 2 *~
Donnie turned around to a gun nestled right between his eyes, and at the end of the polished steel was the Saints leader. He looked up the barrel of her gun he paled.
Donnie’s eyes went wide. “Oh, s**t.”
“You haven’t seen me since Sharp had Lin and I tied up in the trunk of Lin’s ride and all you can say is “Oh s**t?” p*ssy.”
Donnie swallowed hard, “You’re supposed to be dead.”
Li smirked, “That’ll work.” Li grabbed Donnie by his collar and threw him in his car.
“Oh god, don’t kill me, what do whatever you want, just please don’t kill me!” Donnie whined as he squirmed in the passenger seat.
“Shut the f*** up, I’m not going to kill you… yet, You’re going to help me out first.” Li’s cat grin would make milk curdle.
Sitting in her office in Purgatory, Li was going over paperwork of the new prostitutes she politely relived Maero of, getting them cleaned up and looking some-what decent was a task. Pierce had come in with another stack of papers in hand, grinning ear to ear.
Li raised an eyebrow and just watched as he placed himself in the chair across from her,
“Oh, come the hell in, I’m doing nothing in particular, have a ****in seat. What is it Pierce I am working.” She bit out.
Li then went back to reading. She was almost done – still early enough for the sun to be up, and needed to check up on a few more things before she met up with Johnny.
“Nothing much Boss, just the accounts from the last two weeks, and with numbers looking this good, I think it is time we… You could start investing in a few things.” He waved the stack he held in his hand.
Li looked up and waited for the man to continue before she kicked him out, she was already having a nagging feeling and didn’t need Pierce’s chipper attitude to further spoil her mood.
The dark skinned man cleared his throat, “Right, well, the profits from the hos are turning out great, and I saw this shop that could be a front, it was the bar down by the College… we could buy it and make twice as much.”
Li nodded slowly.
“As far as investing, you look good, and I know I look good, and there are some people who we pass out on the streets and they try to dress like us…”
Li just stared at him, she felt her phone vibrate, looking to see whom it was she immediately picked up.
“Meet you where? Yeah, I’ll be there soon. Later.” She hung up, slipped on her shoes, and headed to the door, knowing Pierce was in the middle of talking she finished his thought for him.
“Pierce, make it happen, Saint Street Wear or Planet Saints right? Just make sure it sells.” Li left to meet with Carlos.
Standing on the platform waiting for the train was not something she had in mind when she drove to the waterfront. She called to have her car picked up and was still waiting for the train when her car was on its way back to the garage.
Around five minutes later she is boarding the train, looking to see her youngest lieutenant isn’t where he said he would meet her.
“Damn.” She muttered under her breath, she looked from one end of the car to the other, she sighed and saw someone during her second sweep closing the door of the next car.
The man was wearing a black shirt and royal purple track pants, black sneakers with dark shades, Li raised an eyebrow when the man nodded at her then turned his back.
“No ****.” Li smirked, as she knew how the man was, “Just play along.” She walked up to him and turned her back.
Trying desperately not to laugh at how amusing this situation is she figure what-the-hell,
Clearing her throat – and containing her laughter, “The Saint of all Saints stands?”
The man with a mild Hispanic accent answered, “In Purgatory.”
Li’s eyes rolled in her head as she took a deep breath, her nostrils flared as tears filled her eyes.
“Seriously, you are lucky as **** it’s you.”
“I thought someone was following me.” Carlos answered.
“Too many spy movies, what reason have you dragged me out here?”
Carlos looked around, “I got nothing, after what you did with Donnie, no one is talking.”
Li sighed, “You have nothing at all, there has got to be something we can work with.”
Carlos thought for a few, and he leaned in a bit closer to his friend, “I did hear something about a shipment, but other than that, I have no details.”
Li nodded, “That’s better than nothing… wait a minute…” Li stood staring out of the window of the train.
“What is it boss.” Carlos looked out and saw nothing but the nuclear power plant across the ocean.
The train pulled to a stop, the other passengers got off, Li grabbed Carlos’ hand and led him out into the night air.
“Maero said he has a lot of canvas left, I’m about to splatter paint all over it.” Giving Carlos’ hand a squeeze she pointed to a car, she popped the lock as they drove to grab a bite to eat.
“Carlos don’t worry, I’ll make a banger out of you if it kills me.” Li did her best to reassure the youngest member of her crew.
Carlos just hung his head, felling that he may not be cut out for this life, all he seems to do is disappoint Li.
The day after tomorrow Maero was going to have a awesome new tattoo, courtesy of the Third Street Saints.
A/N Next chapter next week.
