Well, this beef between two criminal rings has certainly been a deadly one that’s escalated over the course of the season. How is it gonna end? Have Rex and Basilisk Garrison had the last laugh? Only one way to find out…
“Ahh, yes, this is definitely one of the hardest beats ever invented. No jokes there. It literally screams ‘crime lifestyle’…”
Rex leaned back in his chair, a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he poured himself a glass of bourbon. Koni and Benyi were seated on the opposite chairs, with the latter flicking a lighter open and lighting the cigarette. Denny and V.A. stood by the window, arms crossed and bopping their heads to the song on deck.
Rex had chanced upon Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Pt. 2” while calling for his favourite soldiers. As they entered and heard the beat, they excitedly gushed about their undying love for the classic. Rex could not agree more with them, and decided to let the song play out.
“Hehe, you know that line: rock you in your face, stab your brain with your nose bone. That reminds me of you, Benyi,” Rex commented, a look of amusement on his face.
Denny and V.A. laughed. “It’s true, boss,” the latter agreed. “I can easily picture Benyi doing that.”
“Very easily,” Denny added. “This nigga be ruthless as fuck!”
Benyi looked back at them and wagged a finger at them playfully. “Watch yourself, niggas! Or I go take do you now!”
The bodyguards laughed aloud.
A few seconds later, and as the others rapped along, Rex waved his hand. “Hold up, hold up, hold up… this is another favourite line…”
You ain’t a crook, son…
“YOU JUST A SHOOK ONE!” everyone yelled along, bursting into laughter.
As Rex wiped the tears of laughter away, he asked, “You know who that line reminds me of now?”
“The Duplex!” the rest of the squad echoed, eliciting a nod and a chuckle from Rex.
“I swear to god, man,” Koni drawled while blowing smoke, “watching them schoolboys and girls get humbled like that was the highlight of last month. What a lame ass bunch of fucking amateurs.”
Rex chuckled, swirling his glass before taking a sip. “They’re nothing, Koni. Nothing but a second-rate operation run by cowards and whores. They’re not even up to our level. They had to learn their place.”
Benyi shook his head. “They’re so fucking lucky I wasn’t there. I swear I would have made someone bleed. On my life. Stupid idiots! Shooting me coz of some useless old man and some smelly lil bitch? Dema mordas!”
Denny and V.A. looked at each other and smiled rather wistfully. They had been pretty disappointed to find out that Brianna was killed in the sting attack at the Riverview Center. They had truly held out in the hope that she’d land in their beds one day, but clearly, that was never going to happen.
Koni grinned, taking another drag of his cigarette before sitting up when the song began to fade out. “Yeah, so, what’s the deal with the Chinese officials, boss? You mentioned something about it earlier. Guessing that’s why you called us in.”
Rex straightened in his chair, his expression shifting to one of seriousness as he turned the TV off. “Yeah, exactly. So the lead man called me this morning. Xuan Chin. They want us on board for a major assignment, and lemme tell you guys… it’s big. Bigger than anything we’ve handled before.”
The guys sat up, their attention captured by this bold claim. They already did a lot of big stuff, so Rex saying it was this big meant it really was.
“According to Xuan, these guys are coming in for a major deal—real cloak-and-dagger stuff. It’s the kind of operation that could double our profits, maybe even triple it once everything is successful. But it requires precision. So I need every one of our top men to be there for the meeting tonight. So that’s you guys, G-Tack, Mulala, Fareezy, Costo-Dee, Achillas, Quintillus and Munisi. So yeah, that’s the agenda for tonight.”
Benyi nodded, his brow furrowed. “Well noted, boss. Where’s the meeting happening?”
Rex leaned forward. “A place no one would think to look—a little backdoor restaurant on the edge of town. They’ll be there tonight. And we’ll need to be ready for them. Denny, V.A., I’ll just need you guys to head over there and ensure it’s secured before we set off. We need to be safe at all times.”
Denny and V.A. nodded. “Well understood, boss,” Denny responded.
Koni whistled low, shaking his head with a grin. “Man, I’ve always wanted to visit China. Guess this is the next best thing, huh?”
Rex burst out laughing, slapping his hand on the desk. “Oh, Koni, you’re a piece of work. If this deal goes through, though, you’re damn right you are.”
“Goddamn, dreams do come true!”
The room filled with laughter once more.
“Alright,” Rex announced as he drained his glass of the remaining bourbon and set it down. “Let’s focus and get prepared. Tonight’s meeting is critical, and I don’t want any surprises. Make sure everything is locked down. Denny, I’m sending you the location, you and V.A. move there and ensure everything is in order. Koni, you and Benyi let the others know what’s coming up. It’s gonna be a big night for us. Let’s get moving!”
***
It was early evening, and the Basilisk Garrison convoy rumbled down the brightly lit streets of the city, engines growling low as the fleet of Jeeps, armored and menacing, sandwiched Rex’s sleek black Mercedes-Benz in the center. With the restaurant given the all-clear by Denny and V.A., the top hierarchy was on their way to meet the Chinese officials, and the excitement among them was palpable, with all of them delighted at the prospect of getting to visit a new country.
In the first Jeep, Koni sat in the driver’s seat while Benyi rode shotgun. At the back were Costo-Dee and G-Tack, the latter of which had his arm slung lazily over the window. He snickered, shaking his head as he remembered something.
“Yo, niggas! Right now wey I kai this matter ooo,” he started, sitting up. “So yesterday, I sheda go pass by the Duplex dema little hideout. Chale, if you see the place, eh… like some ghost town. Barely a soul in sight.”
Benyi shook his head in amusement while Koni sniggered. “Weak ass bitches!” he scoffed.
“I tell you, my guy!” G-Tack laughed. “We really take show them last month. The way boss shake them for the field there… chale, premium shege!”
“World-class shege!” Costo-Dee agreed. “He make them collect ankasa. Them be finished ring. Notin give them.”
“Nothing at all,” Benyi added. “That’s why they’re closed down, and we’re going to China for business. There’s levels to this shit!”
“You ain’t never lied, my nigga!” Koni cheered. “That’s that motherfucking truth right there. Levels! Levels!”
***
In the middle of the convoy, Rex leaned back comfortably, his phone pressed to his ear. His tone might have been smooth and professional, but there was an unmistakable edge of excitement in his voice.
“Mr. Chin,” he stated, “we’re just a few minutes away. Everything is in place, as agreed upon. You’ll find we’re more than prepared to meet your expectations.”
The voice on the other end was calm and measured. “Good, very good, Mr. Bruschi. My associates and I are here now, and we are more than eager to finalize our arrangement. I trust there will be no… interruptions?”
Rex chuckled. “Interruptions? Absolutely not. We own this city, Mr. Chin. No one would dare to interfere with us.”
A pause on the other end, then: “I trust you, Mr. Bruschi. Do not disappoint me.”
Rex nodded, even though the man couldn’t see him. “You have my word.”
He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket, then decided to pull it out. He called Denny.
The bodyguard answered quickly. “Boss.”
“All set?” Rex asked.
“Everything’s in place. We’ve got eyes on the route and the restaurant. No signs of trouble. All is set for a good evening.”
“Perfect.”
As he hung up, he smirked, clasping his hands together. “This deal is going to change everything. By the end of tonight, Basilisk Garrison will be untouchable.”
***
The convoy slowed as it approached the inconspicuous backdoor restaurant, tucked between a crumbling warehouse and a shuttered factory.
The Jeeps pulled over in a practiced formation, each one lining up neatly along the side of the road. One by one, the vehicles behind Rex’s black Mercedes-Benz bypassed it, taking their places in a tight row. The Mercedes, as planned, parked at the tail end of the convoy, its inhabitant waiting for his men to all step out.
Koni was the first out of the lead Jeep, stretching his arms as he looked at the convoy and nodded. “This is it, my niggas,” he declared with a satisfied grin. “Let’s get this show on the road!”
Slowly, the other associates stepped out of the Jeeps, looking suave and dapper in their suits as they stood around, ready for this life-changing meeting to commence.
As they patiently waited for their boss to step out of the car, two trucks rumbled past, their engines humming as they drove by the convoy. Koni, standing next to Costo-Dee near the front Jeep, glanced at them briefly, then turned back to the group.
“Them cargo niggas always be busy at night,” he muttered casually. The others barely gave the trucks a second thought, their low chatter ongoing as they prepared for the meeting.
The door opened, and out stepped a Chinese gentleman in a sharp black suit.
“Good evening gents! Rex Bruschi’s men?”
Koni and others nodded enthusiastically, turning to the Mercedes as they waited for Rex to emerge from the car.
Then came a third truck.
It literally roared into view, moving at a speed far too fast for the narrow street. Its headlights were intensely bright, and the unmistakable rumble of its engine grew louder as it drew closer.
Koni frowned, turning toward the sound. “What the fuck, man? Don’t this nigga know this street’s too–”
Before he could finish, the truck swerved sharply, aiming directly at the convoy.
Koni’s stomach sank.
“MOVE!” he shouted.
The warning came too late.
The truck slammed into the parked Jeeps with a deafening crash, the impact sending the nearest vehicle skidding into the others like a row of dominoes. The Basilisk Garrison men standing around were thrown off their feet, their shouts drowned out by the sound of crumpling metal and shattering glass.
Koni and G-Tack, who had jumped out of the way in time, looked up in horror at the carnage. It didn’t look like Costo-Dee, who was leaning on the front of the Jeep, had managed to jump out of the way in time.
“Shit,” G-Tack whispered. “Costo–“
Koni’s stomach recoiled in horror as he was instantly silenced by a bullet.
Before anyone could gather themselves, a relentless sound of gunfire lit up the place.
Duplex associates jumped out of the truck, strapped with shotguns and rifles, firing at will and yelling with frightening bloodlust.
Totally caught off-guard by this, most of the Basilisk Garrison guys were slow to react, leaving them at the mercy of merciless Duplex guys, who were quick to unalive them with direct shots.
Loud, deafening bangs reigned supreme as Darlow and his team gunned down virtually every guy in sight. Before any Basilisk associate could grab his gun, a bullet had gone through his heart or head.
Koni sat up and trembled violently as one of them, Darlow’s second-in-command, glared at him before aiming.
“Die, motherfucker!”
Those were the last words Koni heard before his brains were split apart.
***
Rex was about to open the door and join his men when a sudden shockwave jolted the car violently. He was thrown forward, his head smacking against the seat in front of him.
“Aaargh! What the fuck!” he yelled. “What’s going on?”
Fallos, instantly panicked by the sudden turn of events, yelled, “It’s an ambush! We’ve been ambushed!”
Rex’s jaw dropped.
Ambush? But how? Hadn’t Denny and V.A. said the place was secure? How was this happening?
“What the fuck do you mean it’s an ambush?” he demanded. “How the–“
The sound of gunshots silenced him, confirming that Fallos was not lying. He ducked for cover, crouching behind the seat.
“Shit! It’s the Duplex guys!” Fallos continued, ducking for safety. “Fucking hell! Boss, this is an ambush! These bastards–“
POW! POW!
Rex yelped at the sound of those shots. Their proximity and Fallos’ subsequent silence only meant one thing: he had been caught in the crossfire.
Before he could fully process this, the door next to him opened.
A set of hands roughly pulled him out.
“BOSSSS! NO–“
The unmistakable sound of Benyi’s yell in his ears was silenced by a loud shotgun blast.
He found himself in the grip of a young man. One with a vicious blaze in his eyes.
The next thing he felt was the stinging sensation of this young man’s fist on his left cheek. Before he could process the pain, another heavy blow landed on his right cheek.
Dazed and stunned, he dropped to his knees. Pain weakening his senses, all he could notice in front of him was what appeared to be a curvy female figure in shorts.
He looked up, and saw a young woman, clearly of Middle Eastern heritage, in a military cap and blouse.
Wielding a baseball bat.
The last thing he saw was that bat flying towards his nose before a crushing agony sent him into a blackout.
***
“WE DID IT! WE FUCKING DID IT!”
Darlow high-fived Kofi and Brando excitedly as they drove away from the gruesome scene. Two more minutes of gross violence, a petrol bomb or two, and by the time the Duplex guys left the scene, it was beyond macabre.
Aside from Rex, who had been knocked out by Romie, every other person who had arrived there with Rex had been gunned down, with the crew ensuring each body got a headshot to ensure they were well and truly extinguished.
“Chale, the way I had been waiting for this day, eh! The way I was itching to do this shit!” Kofi proclaimed passionately. “Massa, I feel so at ease right now. Walahi, I feel at peace. Nonsense! You come and fuck up our man, kill our people, and you wanna claim kingship over us? Bullshit!”
Brando shook his head as he guided the truck along the road. “Boy, now I see why Mr. Graham talk that thing. He talk the first time, na I figure sey ibi cap. But chaleeeeee… the man talk sense waaa!”
“Uh-huh,” Darlow nodded. “Giving them that false sense of victory and laying low was a sweet move. Initially, na I no dey like the idea kraaa. Especially after that bullshit apology thing we go do. Herh, elef small, like I dey back out. But chale, the man was right. Shit worked like a charm. Now we really show them! We fucking showed up and showed them!”
“Oh yes!” Kofi chuckled. “Them figure sey them show we shege, eh? This one, ibi shege Pro Max!”
The trio laughed.
“Chale, once we catch base, eh… that Romie girl,” Darlow declared, a glint of passion in his eyes, “I go give am the dicking down of a lifetime. Herhhhh!”
“Guy, nothing less than that! I swear, she do am! She fucking do am! Shooting Rex’s driver then knocking him out with the bat?” Kofi marveled. “Massa, if I no hear ein moans for the outside there, then you no dey do anything!”
The trio roared with laughter once again as they sped on, content with the vicious ambush they had just sprung on Basilisk Garrison.
Their ruse had worked like a charm, with Mr. Graham working out the Chinese official angle perfectly. And now, they had taught Rex and his men a huge lesson.
With the most vicious power play these streets had ever seen.
***
A thousand tiny hammers knocking heavily against his skull.
That was the sensation in his head as Rex came to, groaning in pain. His nose was a throbbing mess of blood and swelling, causing each breath he took to send a sharp spike of agony through his face. He tried to move, but the world spun vigorously, and for a moment, he thought he might pass out again.
He remained still for a moment before slowly rising to his feet. The scene before him, blurry for a minute, cleared up, revealing a most horrid picture to him.
His sleek, black Mercedes-Benz looked like it had been through a war zone, pockmarked with bullet holes and glass from the windows scattered all around. All the Jeeps belonging to his trusted men were engulfed in flames.
And most shockingly, bodies lay scattered across the side of the road. The bodies of his most trusted men.
They were all now lifeless.
Breathing in and out, Rex remembered Fallos’ last words before he was shot dead.
Shit, it’s the Duplex guys!
His disoriented mind struggled to fathom this claim. It couldn’t be. Surely they had been silenced by him, right?
He pulled out his phone from his pocket. His hand trembling, he checked the screen.
A message from Darlow was waiting for him.
Surprise, motherfucker!
Rex gasped.
It was not a joke. The Duplex was indeed behind this.
Caught in the middle of grieving and seething, he slowly dialled Darlow’s number, trembling violently.
Before the first ring was done, the call was answered. “Wakey wakey, motherfucker! Had a good nap?”
Rex was speechless, scrambling for words as Darlow and a female voice laughed over the line.
“Are you alright? Got some ice for your nose? You took quite a smack with that bat, didn’t you? Well, better a broken nose than a bullet-riddled body, am I right? About that, by the way, that was Romie behind it. Top-notch swing, innit? I just finished giving her some intense backshots for that, and I swear, she can still feel my dick in her guts. Don’t you, love?”
“Uh-huh. Fuck, you just destroyed me, Darlow darling.”
Rex continued to tremble, anger taking over as he surveyed the decimation before him. He muttered unintelligibly.
“What was that, Rex? I didn’t hear you oo.”
Breathing in and out, Rex growled. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?… Do you have any idea what you’ve done?… DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE?”
“Oh, of course! I know exactly what I’ve done,” Darlow replied, his voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. “I know very well, Rex. You don’t need to tell me. But tell me, what did you expect? You thought you could humiliate and undermine me and my operation, and walk away unscathed? No, no, no. Forget kraaa. That apology thing was never real. We just gave you a lil ego rush before crushing it.”
Rex’s hand tightened around the phone, his knuckles white as he gritted his teeth in rage. “You are gonna regret this, Darlow, I swear you’re gonna–“
“Oh, fuck off, you Vito Corleone ass wannabe! Always babbling like some Al Capone regen or whatever. You ain’t shit, Rex! You ain’t shit! Now you listen to me, you shriveled-up dick, you started this when you came for Mr. Graham. You should have stayed in your lane, but your stupid ass pride prevailed over your brains. Now guess what? The war is on. That’s right. And trust me, I’m going all out now. No holds barred, motherfucker.
“And when it’s over, there won’t be a single shred of Basilisk Garrison left to remember. Me and my boys… we’re gonna bury you and your piece of shit six feet deep, and we won’t stop until you see your shit garrison burned to the ground and you beg for death to take you away. We’re just getting started with you. Get ready. See you in hell, motherfucker.”
The line went dead with a sharp click.
***
Rex lowered the phone, his arm falling limply to his side. He turned, his eyes scanning the scene before him.
“Koni? Benyi?” he called out weakly. “Denny? V.A.? G-Tack?”
No response from any of the names called; their bodies lay sprawled across the street in pools of blood.
This was a massacre. A downright brutal massacre.
A wave of helpless fury surged through him as he dropped to his knees amidst the carnage. His hands clawed at the floor, trembling with rage and grief.
His breath came in ragged gasps as reality began to dawn on him.
In all his years of ruling the crime scene, he had never tasted a defeat this heavy. He had experienced a few knocks in his early days, but nobody could ever stand to beat their chest and proclaim victory over him. Nobody.
He was the untouchable one. The one who nobody ever wanted to mess with. The one with the army that would obliterate any gang that tried him.
But now, that was gone. His air of superiority… gone.
His perfect track record… gone.
His team of deadly and cruel soldiers ready to run through walls for him… gone.
His pride… gone.
He threw back his head and let out a primal roar.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”
Did you see that coming? Did you?? We might have guessed they’d get back at them, but to this extent? Man, this was beyond vicious! What a ruthless power move by Darlow and his men!
What’s gonna happen in Season 2, now that Basilisk has been stripped of most of its toughest soldiers? What is Rex gonna do? And will the Duplex continue to ravage them? Well, the battle lines have been drawn, and this will be one helluva war to witness!
