"Royce" Part 11

Click here for previous "Royce."

"Drop the fuckin' knife or I swear to God I will blow your goddamned head right the fuck off!" Lady screamed at Juan Baptista. "Do it!"

"Chica, I am gonna make sure you have a matching set of hands!" Juan said as he jumped at Lady. She fired two shots and clipped his shoulder. He grunted and jumped behind the couch. "I found my blades, mujar" He said. "I am gonna chop your head off now." 

Lady ran into the kitchen and hid behind the counter while reloading her gun. Anne's house was very small and did not leave much space for cover. "Donde estas, corazon?" Juan sang in a singsong voice as he twirled his blades in the air. Juan Baptista, also known as John the Baptist, had a weapon that few could understand let alone fight against. 

Two butchers knives connected with leather straps.

"Fuck you, Baptist!" Lady said as she jumped up firing shots at him. "How dare you fuckin' attack me here? There are rules!"

"Fuck rules, nina. There are no more rules. Didn't you hear? 'The War' is about to begin" Juan said. "So I figure, 'Juan, why not take out your enemies before 'The War' starts?' So here I am." Juan twirled the blades in circular motions before throwing them through the air towards Lady so fast they made a sound.

"I thought you was different, Baptist!" Lady said as she threw her gun at Juan, hitting him in the nose. "Shoulda known not to trust your bitch ass!" she said as she swung her metal stump at his face connecting with his jaw. Juan shouted and kneed Lady in the gut, dropping her immediately.

"Putamadre!" he said as he wiped his chin. Blood ran out of his nose and down his mouth giving him an almost clownish appearance. "Let me get 'Las Chicas' to finish you off." He spat his blood on her back as she lay on the ground holding her stomach and sucking in air as best she could.

"What's the matter, 'esse'? Can't fight a woman on your own?" Lady taunted. "Do it ya self, bitch ass nigga..." she said. Juan kicked her hard in the ribs, cracking them. Lady rolled with it and brought a knife down on Juan's foot. He screamed and fell down, the knife so far in his foot that as he fell it sliced from the middle of his foot until it exited between his large toe.

Lady heard gunfire from outside and shouting. Juan tried to get up but Lady grabbed a bowling trophy of Anne's and slammed it hard across Juan's face knocking him out cold. Anne burst into the room shortly after breathing heavily.

"Jesus! I need to move into a place on the first floor!" Anne said. "What the hell is going on here?" She walked over to Lady and slowly helped her up. "Is he out?" Lady nodded that he was indeed unconscious. "Better make sure" Anne chuckled as she sat on his chest and punched him repeatedly in the face. She stood up and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Are you okay, Ladine?"

"Yeah. Sumbitch cut my shoulder and spit in my hair. Lucky I didn' kill his monkey ass!" Lady said while rubbing her ribs. "I think he broke a few."

"Damn it!" Anne shouted.

"What's wrong? My ribs will be fine" Lady said.

"Not that! Did you have to use my bowling trophy?!"

***

"I heard something, brother", Anne said to Royce. They were at Anne's place drinking coffee. "Something bad." Lady returned from the kitchen with a glass of milk and a pack of Oreos.

"I don't believe that shit for a second, Anne. I don't even know why you wanna mention it to Royce" Lady said. "Albany and his flyin' monkey's ain't stupid enough to start a war with us."

"Albany has been getting reckless, Lady. You know that. You don't think he was the one that sent John the Baptist for you?" Anne asked. "This has been a long time coming. I just didn't think he would be the one to start it" Anne said while looking at Royce. "I'd hoped it would be you, Royce."

"If 'The War' does start, how the hell are we gonna fight it? There are only three of us" Lady said. "Goin' against one of 'em is hard enough. Imagine all them niggas comin' at us at once."

"That doesn't concern me as much as the fact that Albany is choosing to use outside help. I didn't think he was stupid enough to bring Solomon and his super Nazi Van Housen into this. The Baptist can't be trusted and the fact the he was sent to attack you alone means that he knows it. Otherwise you would have been killed by Oberon and or Djinn. Fuck." Anne placed her coffee down and rubbed her temples. "Can you heat this up for me, dear?" Anne asked Lady. Lady took the cup and headed to the kitchen.

"Royce, we must strike first..." Anne began.

"Oh! Don't forget about those chola bitches The Baptist brings with him everywhere he be goin'!" Lady shouted from the kitchen.

"I took care of them while they were waiting for The Baptist to be done with you" Anne replied.

"What you do?" Lady asked.

"I shot them in the neck. They wont be able to help Juan eat solid food soon let alone try to attack us. Anyway, Royce. We need to get them before they get us" Anne said. Royce just continued drinking his coffee. Anne took it from him.

"Ladine? Can you heat up Royce's coffee as well?" Anne gave the cup to Lady who sighed in annoyance.

"His lanky ass can heat his own coffee up. Like I'm some damned slave or something..." Lady muttered as she returned to the kitchen.

"Royce, you have to help me do this. I can go and attack Albany at his place. But he has so many cameras and weapons there that I would be killed before I reached the lobby" Anne said. Royce looked at the kitchen door. "Lady can you bring his coffee, please?"

"Jesus, okay! Here! Hope you burn ya tongue" Lady said. Royce just stared at the coffee. "I didn' put anything in it!" Lady shouted. "Look" she said as she took a sip. "It's fine." Royce took the cup and poured it out on the floor.

"Was the really necessary?" Anne asked. "You're both like children sometimes. Right now is not the time for us to begin fighting each other. We need to be stronger and closer than we have ever been." Anne sighed and took Royce's hand. "Brother, do you still love me?" Royce took a napkin and dropped it on the puddle of coffee that was soaking into the carpet.

"Is that a yes or no?" Lady asked.