"Royce" Part 10

Click here for previous "Royce."

"Stay out here, woman" Djinn said to lady. "I do not want your help. I do not need your help."

"Nigga, I don't even like you so you need to lower the bass in your voice" Lady said. "Miss Anne and your punk ass boss said we would work well on this gig and I am not in the habit of questioning Anne decisions. But now I am not so sure."

Djinn and Lady stood in the front of a mansion that was surrounded by a twelve-foot iron gate. Behind the gate stood ten Dobermans, just waiting for one of them to try and climb the gate. Mouths foaming like so much water at a beach. 

Lady stuck her metal stump through the gate and three of the dogs jumped at it. Two bit down on it and yelped in pain. Lady smiled as she checked the damage.

"Cool" she said while wiping the saliva from the stump. "I don't wanna be using guns on this even though I fucking hate dogs. Let's try an' do this shit as quiet as we can. Okay?"

"I do not take orders from a woman. Especially one with a handicap that would prevent her from pleasing a man let alone cleaning their home properly" Djinn spat. "As I said before, you will wait here and I will handle this. Is that understood?" He withdrew his two-foot blade from its holster and pointed it Lady.

"Sure, Aladdin" she said as she banged her stump against the fence, sending the dogs into a frenzy. Lights come on inside the mansion and multiple shadows could be seen moving about. "My bad."

Lady backed up a few steps and cracked her neck. She then lowered herself into a three-point stance and launched herself at the gate. She slid her foot into one of the slats and jumped up, grabbing the top of the gate and slowly pulled herself up. As she sat atop the gate she pulled a sharp spike from her pocket and snapped it onto her stump. "Tell me this ain't badass?"

"You fool!" Djinn hissed as he sliced through the gates lock and it swung open almost causing Lady to fall off. He entered quickly, slicing his way through the dogs as they leapt at his face. Lady jumped down and landed on one of the dogs. Two jumped at her and she kicked one in the neck and stabbed the other mid-lunge. 

"I will go inside and get what we came for. Have fun with the guards, woman" Djinn said as he ran towards the back of the mansion.

Lady headed towards the front entrance. Three guards surrounded her just a few feet from the door. One pulled a gun and she threw a blade in his neck causing him to fire shots wildly. One shot hit the second guard causing him to shoot wildly as well. The third guard was hit by one of the stray bullets. Lady stood still and smiled to herself. 

"Must be my lucky fuckin' day" she said as she kicked the door open. Inside at least fifteen guards were positioned with guns trained on her. "Fuck me."

"I don't have it you lunatic!" a man screamed from high upstairs. Lady and all the guards looked upwards. Five of the guards ran to see what was going on.

"Jesus Christ!" a guard yelled as gunfire erupted.

"Help!" another guard screamed.

The last of the guards left Lady and ran upstairs. The upstairs flashed like fireworks were being blown up all at once. Lady felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around with a roundhouse kick. Djinn caught her leg and slammed it down.

"It is done" he said as he ran towards the car.

"Where is it?" Lady asked. Djinn held up a small leather case. "What the fuck you do up there?"

"What needed to be done."

***

"Happy birthday, baby brother" Anne said as she gave Royce a cup of coffee.

"How does it feel to have spent the past fifty years of your life taking lives?" Albany asked, hiding his smile behind his cup of cocoa.

"You should ask yourself that", Anne said for Royce. "Don't ruin the day for our brother. What do you want for a present, Royce?"

"Maybe we should get him a whore" Albany scoffed. "Never even seen him look at another woman. Perhaps he's queer..." Albany wondered aloud.

"Well, it isn't like we see you running around with every trollop that throws herself at you, brother" Anne said. "What happened to that pretty young girl that you were dating for a while? Oh, that's right! She cheated on you for a younger man! How could I forget?"

"Very funny, my chubby little sister. But she did not end the relationship. I did. And they never found the body of that young man. Thanks to our little brother here" Albany said while patting Royce on the shoulder. "For that alone I shall give you whatever you want, Royce. What can I do for you? Ask for anything."

Royce just drank his coffee and stared out of the window. It was many years ago when he killed a man in the middle of the street here. All of the employees that would even place his face with the crime had long since died or quit soon after the incident.

Royce looked at Anne and she smiled at him. He never returned the smile. Albany removed his hand from Royce's shoulder and blew into his cocoa. They sat silently for a few moments before Albany spoke.

"I never thought to ask this brother but have you ever had a relationship?" Anne was about to say something but Albany raised his hand slightly and she stopped. She would never admit it but she had wondered the same question herself. "You can tell us, Royce. We are your family. If you can not tell us who can you tell?"

"I am sure Royce has made many women happy in his spare time" Anne said. "No one can spend all his or her time just killing and driving around, right?" she laughed to herself. She looked at Royce and he was looking at her right in the eyes. 

"Maybe in Japan he met some nice little gook. I bet he did, the old wolf!" Albany said while nudging Royce on the shoulder. "What happened over there, brother? Meet a nice little woman and give her the best four minutes of her life?" he laughed to himself. Meanwhile Royce sat with his eyes fixed on Anne. Suddenly he stood and walked away from the table.

"Oh, do come on! I was jesting!" Albany said to Royce.

"Royce, where are you going?" Anne asked as he left the diner. She was about to go after him but Albany grabbed her arm. "We have to get him."

"No, we do not. Let him go. He is in one of his moods. I prefer this one" Albany said.

"Oh really? And what are his other moods?" Anne asked.

"He only has two, Anne-Marie" Albany replied. "Killing and not killing."

***

"I expect you all to behave as professionals" Albany said to all gathered at his office. "Anyone that decides that this meeting is too adult for them may leave now." He scanned the table and everyone stayed seated. "Very good. Now the reason..."

"Why this muthafucka here?!" Oberon shouted while pointing at Van Housen. "Whatever you want done Djinn and me can fuckin' do!"

"I am here because you people obviously lack the skill required to handle the task that Mr. Danish needs accomplished" Van Housen said. He sat next to Solomon who was smiling like a proud father.

"What you mean 'you people'?" Oberon asked.

"Here we go again..." said Djinn.

"Sorry to confuse you" Van Housen said. "By 'you people' I mean 'niggers.'"

"You did not just say that" Oberon growled. Someone cleared their throat.

"Why am I here, Senor Danish? I was under the impression that this was supposed to be a meeting to discuss a very important matter. Not watch los chicas argue. I will be leaving now" Juan Baptista said as he placed his hat back on.

"Please, sit back down, Mr. Baptista" Albany said. "Oberon, if you are going to continue behaving this way I will have to ask you to leave."

"Tell this crackuh ass muthafucka to stop actin' like a lil' punk bitch!" Oberon shouted.

"Behave" Albany said. "Now." Oberon sat down. He looked at Djinn who smiled at him and shook his head.

"Fuck you, too" Oberon whispered at Djinn. "You 'sposed to be my backup."

"I promised no such thing" Djinn replied.

"'I promised no such thing.' Ass" Oberon said.

"I notice that Anne, Royce, and Lady are not here. Would this meeting have anything to do with them?" Solomon asked. "Not that I am upset. Too many coloreds here as it is."

"Come the fuck on!" Oberon said.

"He is just trying to get under your skin, Oberon. Solomon, please. Can we just behave for just a minute?" Albany asked. "This is very important."

"You want to kill your brother" Djinn said and everyone looked at him. "I have known this for quite some time. While I do not agree with it I am under contract with you and have little or no say in the matter. I just pray that you are making a decision that you can live with."

"Is he serious?" Van Housen asked aloud. "How do you plan on doing that? I have shot that crazy old bastard so many times I think he is immune to bullets now!"

"If he can bleed, he can die", Juan Baptista said. "I have cut him. I have looked him in the eyes many times. He is not alive in the traditional sense, like you or I. He is like a demon. If he is to be killed I will not be able to rest until I have his head on my shelf."

"That's fuckin' nasty, dude" Oberon said.

"Many of you may not know it but when my brother was born my dear mother died while giving birth. Royce himself was dead for over ten minutes before he...woke up" Albany said. "For ten minutes that 'demon', as you call him, was not alive."

"Golum" Solomon said.

"That is what I was thinking" Djinn said.

"'Make a human image of clay and thus you will succeed in frustrating the evil intentions of the enemies of Israel'" Solomon said. "'And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.' That's from Genesis 2:7."

"Gollum? Like that 'Lord of the Ring' shit?" Oberon asked.

"No, idiota" Juan Baptista said. "Like a being that should not be alive."

"More Jew bullshit. No offense, Solomon" Van Housen said.

"I am sorry I even brought this up", Albany said. "The point is that Royce should not be alive. I want him dead. Soon." Albany stood, leaning on his cane for support. "Royce, Anne-Marie, and Lady. I want them killed. I don't care how. Whether if it at the blades of Juan Baptista. The sword of Djinn. The hands of Van Housen. Or the bullets of Oberon. I want them killed. And Juan?"

"Yes?" Juan replied.

"I get their heads."