Capítulo 65: SUV's
The night had been eventful, and as the van moved through the dark streets, Reese had arrived in town three hours ago, bringing with him a small entourage. They moved around in two cars, both blacked-out SUVs that were hard to miss.
Arell and the others had been trailing them since their arrival. Reese had spent most of his time at a popular club downtown. All the while they watched them from a distance, noting their routines and the security they kept around them.
The van continued to follow the black SUVs at a safe distance, blending into the sparse traffic. Arell's thoughts wandered to his past with Reese. They had once been friends, tight enough to call each other brothers. But things changed. Now, Reese was a problem that needed to be dealt with.
"Where do you think they're headed?" Malik asked from the back seat, breaking Arell's reverie.
Geoffrey, who had been studying the route intently, replied, "It looks like they're heading towards a residential area with an underground parking garage. It's a good spot to ambush them without drawing too much attention."
"So, what's the plan?" Tariq asked, tension in his voice.
Kenny, chimed in. "We shoot up the vehicles as soon as they start going down into the garage. Trap them there. Simple."
Cam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we light 'em up and drive off before they even get out."
Geoffrey shook his head. "No, it's not that simple. If we start shooting, it'll be a mess. Bullets flying everywhere, potential witnesses, and the police will be all over us in minutes."
Malik leaned forward, his voice insistent. "We can't just let them get away. We need to hit them hard and fast."
Jamal added, "We have to be smart about this. We don't want to catch any bystanders in the crossfire. And we definitely don't want to end up with murder charges."
The van fell into a tense silence, everyone waiting for Arell's input. He stayed quiet, his mind racing. He wanted this to happen, especially after all the disrespect from Reese. But he didn't want to kill anyone. He didn't want the blood on his hands. He thought about the consequences, the police, the inevitable escalation of violence. He didn't want to lose himself in the process.
Geoffrey spoke again, his tone firm. "If we shoot them up in the garage, we'll be cornered too. What if we all miss? What if they shoot back? We can't afford to make mistakes. We need to think this through."
"Then what do you suggest?" Kenny snapped, frustration evident in his voice. "We sit back and let them get away with everything?"
Geoffrey shook his head. "No, but we have to be strategic."
Arell's silence weighed heavily on the group. He knew they were looking to him for a decision. His mind flashed back to the times Reese had disrespected him, the betrayal that still stung deep. He wanted revenge, but he didn't want it to cost lives.
"Arell, what do you think?" Tariq asked, his voice cutting through the tension.
Finally, he took a deep breath and broke the silence. "We'll shoot up their vehicles," Arell said firmly. "Aim for the tires and the lower parts of the SUV. We're not trying to kill anyone. We just want to send a message."
Geoffrey nodded, agreeing with the decision. "Alright, we'll move in as they're heading into the garage. Everyone knows their role."
The plan was set. They would hit the SUVs just as they entered the underground garage. The element of surprise was on their side.
As they neared the residential area, which had sparsely any passing cars, the black SUVs began to slow down, signalling their approach to the garage. The van's door was slid open slightly, and glocks were checked and readied.
"On my count," Geoffrey said, his voice low but steady. "Three… two… one… now!"
The van surged forward, its engine roaring as it closed the distance between them and the SUVs. In a synchronized move, the side door of the van slid open, and they took aim.
Arell felt the recoil of his glock as he fired at the lower part of the nearest SUV. The bullets tore through rubber and metal, sending sparks flying. The SUVs swerved violently, the screech of tires echoing through the concrete walls of the garage entrance.
"Keep it steady!" Geoffrey yelled, his own shots ringing out with precision.
The black SUVs jerked and skidded, their drivers struggling to maintain control as the tires blew out. The sound of shattering glass mixed with the metallic ping of bullets striking metal.
For a moment, chaos reigned. The SUVs came to a halt, their tires shredded and smoking. Arell's heart pounded in his chest as the van sped past, the others still firing to ensure the vehicles were incapacitated.
Suddenly, the SUV doors flew open, and Reese's men jumped out, guns blazing. Bullets whizzed past the van, striking the pavement and ricocheting off the garage walls. Arell ducked instinctively, the adrenaline making everything feel like it was moving in slow motion.
"Floor it!" Geoffrey shouted from the back, his voice barely audible over the roar of the engine and the gunfire.
The van accelerated, its tires squealing as it sped away from the garage. Reese and his men continued to fire, but their shots went wide, missing the rapidly retreating vehicle. Arell glanced back, catching a glimpse of Reese's enraged face illuminated by the muzzle flashes.
"Go, go, go!" Geoffrey urged, his hands steady as he reloaded his glock.
The van swerved onto the main road, picking up speed and putting distance between them and the scene of the ambush. The sound of gunfire faded, replaced by the pounding of Arell's heart.
<>
Tavares' heart was racing as he watched the van disappear into the night, his ears still ringing from the gunfire. He lowered his gun, hands shaking with a mix of adrenaline and shock.
"Fuck!" he shouted, kicking the side of the SUV in frustration. "The fuck just went down?"
As the echo faded in the concrete garage, a pained groan cut through the silence.
"Troy!" he called out, rushing to the second vehicle. "Somebody check on Troy!"
Two of his guys were already at the SUV, yanking open the back door. Troy was slumped against the seat, clutching his stomach with one hand and his shoulder with the other, blood seeping through his fingers.
"Aw shit, Troy got hit bad!" One of the guys called out, helping Troy sit up.
Tavares felt his stomach drop when he saw the blood. "Damn, Troy! How bad is it?"
Troy grimaced, his face pale with pain. "Shoulders fucked up. Caught one in the gut too. Shit hurts like a motherfucker."
Darius shook his head, helping Troy out of the car. "Man, Reese, we shouldn't have come to Atlanta. This city ain't for us."
Jay nodded in agreement. "For real, dawg. We shoulda stayed in Chicago. This Atlanta shit is too hot."
Troy coughed, wincing in pain. "Nah, Reese, ain't just on you. We all agreed to come. But damn, they don't play down here."
Tavares shook his head, trying to steady his thoughts. "We gotta get him to the hospital. Now."
They moved quickly, loading Troy into the least damaged SUV. Tavares slid into the driver's seat, Darius in the passenger seat, and Jay in the back with Troy. As they sped away, Tavares's mind was racing.
"Who the fuck knew we were here?" Tavares muttered under his breath, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, taking in the tense faces of those in the backseat. "Arell... it had to be him. But how?"
Darius glanced at him, worry etched on his face. "You think Arell set this up? How'd he even know where we were?"
Tavares clenched his jaw, thinking back to their movements. They had been careful, but maybe not careful enough. "I don't know, man. But we got eyes on us, that's for sure."
Jay leaned forward, his voice low and urgent. "You think someone's talking? One of us?"
Tavares's eyes narrowed as he looked through the rearview mirror. It was a possibility he couldn't ignore. The thought of a rat among them made his blood boil.
As they approached the Hospital, Tavares's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The pride that had driven him to come to Atlanta was now the same pride that wouldn't let him back down. He didn't want to admit defeat, to go back to Chicago with his tail between his legs. "We ain't leavin' just yet," he muttered.
Darius turned to him, confusion and concern in his eyes. "Reese, you serious? We just got lit up."
Tavares shook his head, a determined glint in his eyes. "Nah, we ain't runnin'. We came here to handle business, and that's what we gonna do. Ain't no bitchin' out."
Jay and Darius exchanged worried glances but knew better than to argue with Tavares when he was like this. They pulled up to the emergency entrance, the SUV screeching to a halt. They hurried to get Troy out, shouting for help as they carried him inside.
Hospital staff quickly surrounded them, a gurney appearing as if by magic. They loaded Troy onto it, his pained groans echoing through the sterile halls. As the medical team wheeled him away, Tavares's mind was already working on a plan to retaliate.
<>
The van screeched to a halt in a dimly lit alley, for a moment, only heavy breathing and the tick of cooling metal broke the silence. Then Kenny let out a whoop, his face split by a manic grin.
"Did y'all see that? We tore their shit up!" He slapped the seat in front of him, riding high on adrenaline.
Arell whipped around, his eyes blazing. The euphoria of their escape evaporated as anger surged through him. "What the hell was that, Kenny? I said shoot the tires, but you were aiming for the glass!"
Kenny's grin faltered, replaced by a defiant scowl. "What's your point? It got the job done, didn't it?"
"That's not the point!" Arell snapped, his voice echoing off the alley walls. He ran a hand through his sweat-slicked hair, trying to keep his composure. "We agreed on something specific. This wasn't about killing anyone, just sending a message."
The tension in the van was thick enough to cut with a knife. Malik shifted uncomfortably, while Tariq, Cam and Jamal exchanged worried glances. Devon stared at his hands, still trembling slightly from the firefight.
Kenny rolled his eyes, unbothered by Arell's anger. "Man, you always making it about you and Reese. It ain't just about you, Arell."
Arell's face darkened, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "This is my beef. Reese disrespected me."
The words hung in the air for a moment before Kenny's patience finally snapped. He leaned forward, getting in Arell's face. "You think you're the only one he disrespected? We all got shit to settle with him. But it's always about you. Your plan, your revenge. We all out here risking our necks for you."
The two glared at each other, the air crackling with tension. Geoffrey, who was impassively watching the scene then signalled for Malik to step between them.
Malik, hesitated for a moment before stepping toward the two, his voice calm and firm. "Both of y'all need to chill. We can't be fighting each other right now."
As Arell opened his mouth to respond, Devon spoke up, his face pale in the dim light. "Something about this just doesn't sit right with me. I feel bad for some reason." He swallowed hard, the reality of what they'd just done settling in his gut like a lead weight.
Juan, still gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled hands, glanced back at the group. "So, what's next? Where do we go from here?"
Geoffrey, who had been silently assessing their situation, finally spoke up. His calm voice cut through the tension like a knife. "We're close enough to the apartment. We can walk the rest of the way. Let's not stay in this van any longer than we have to." He turned to Juan, his expression serious. "Take it back to the scrapyard, Juan. Make sure it gets a makeover."
As the group began to file out of the van, the weight of their actions hung heavy in the air. Arell was the last to exit, pausing for a moment to collect himself. The anger at Kenny still simmered, but a new emotion was creeping in – doubt. Had they gone too far?
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