The main office of the Duplex was a hub of raucous laughter, the lighting of cigarettes and clink of bottles as Darlow, Kofi, Gillie, Brando, Pee-Tee and Anton G – all in high spirits – guffawed over the success of the evening’s mission. Once the quartet arrived at the Duplex quarters, met Darlow and Kofi expectantly waiting outside, and announced that they had sent the message across, it was laughter and cheers from then on.
Gillie, his chest puffed with pride, stood up, his voice booming over the chatter. “Boss, 2IC, you should’ve seen it. We executed the plan like clockwork, chale. Flawlessly,” he proclaimed, his eyes gleaming with triumph.
“Easy kraaa. We give one nigga some two cool bullets for ein thigh,” Brando added, “wey we take dema car down too. We show them ankasa!”
Darlow, lounging in his leather chair, leaned forward, the most pleased of looks on his face. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Now Basilisk Garrison go learn sense. Now they’ll think twice before they even whisper our name. Them go know sey we not be just a threat; we be fucking nightmare if them try we! Fucking nightmare!”
Kofi nodded, his eyes shining. “This sends a message to them. I’m sure Rex and his guys underestimated us before, but now? Forget. Them go know sey we be fearful pass.”
The group cheered, raising their bottles in a toast. Pee-Tee, always the joker, added, “To the Duplex, where we turn plans into legends!”
Everyone laughed and drank up.
As Darlow placed his glass down, his phone buzzed. He stared at the glowing screen, noting the familiar number. He smirked, then gestured at the others to be silent before picking up.
“This is Darlow.”
“Good.” Rex Bruschi’s voice came through, low and simmering with restrained fury. “You and I need to talk.”
Darlow sat back in his chair, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Oh, Mr. Bruschi. Good evening to you. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again. To what do I owe the honour of this call?”
“Cut the fucking crap,” Rex snapped, his tone hardened. “One of my men was shot a few hours ago. By your boys.”
Darlow’s smirk widened. “Really? Oh… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you dare play dumb with me, you stupid prick!” Rex roared, the restrain on his anger snapped by Darlow’s sarcasm. “I know it was the Duplex. Your boys said it loud and clear. And let me warn you right now, young man, you’re playing a very dangerous game here. Starting a feud like this won’t end nicely for you.”
Darlow leaned forward. “Starting a feud?” His tone turned sharp now, cutting through the tension like glass. “Don’t you dare bullshit me, you old dickhead! You came for Mr. Graham. Did you really think there wouldn’t be consequences? Huh?”
“For fuck’s sake, I told you, it was not personal! Business is business!” Rex growled. “Your precious financier’s wife put a price on his pride. I took the job. That’s it. That’s all there was to it!”
Darlow’s laugh was cold and humourless. “And now you’re paying the price. You should’ve known better than to lay a finger on anything tied to the Duplex. If you really wanted peace, Bruschi, you should’ve learned where your boundaries are. You’re a fucking oldie, you should’ve acted like it!”
Silence hung in the air for a moment, the guys around him holding their laughter in at the jab.
When Rex spoke again, his voice was quieter but no less threatening. “You son of a bitch! You’ve made a big mistake crossing me, young man, and trust me, you and your men will regret it soon enough.”
Darlow laughed scornfully. “Give me a fucking break! You think your threats scare us? The Duplex meets everyone boot for boot, old man, and you just saw it for yourself. You’ve just stepped into a shitstorm you can’t control, and trust me, you’ll be in over your fucking head if you think you can handle it. You’re out of your fucking league, Bruschi. Maybe it’s time you understood that, hung up your boots and left the big boy games to niggas like us who still have the balls for it. Don’t ever call this line again.”
Before Rex could respond, Darlow ended the call with a sharp click. Tossing the phone aside, he looked around the room. The others still had their hands over their mouths.
Darlow gestured at them to let go, a grin on his face.
The room instantly erupted into laughter.
“Herh, this guy figure sey we be children or what?” Gillie sniggered. “He figure sey he be scary like that?”
“Make you no mind am!” Anton G scoffed. “We no dey fear am like that ooo. We go match he then ein niggas all boot-for-boot if he try, wey we go make them collect ankasa!”
“Walahi! Wotowoto seasoning!” Brando laughed.
Darlow gave a nod, his smile sharp and satisfied. “Forget him, chale. We’ve made our mark, and he knows that. Now he knows the Duplex no be pushover. But, chale,” his tone shifting to one of caution, “don’t let this make us complacent. Nibbies like this, some counter-attack fit dey in the shadows. Make we look sharp. Gillie, double the security around our operations, rotate the guards, and keep eyes everywhere. Brando, check the perimeters, make sure our safe houses are secure, and keep the communication lines tight. We don’t want any leaks.”
The two nodded solemnly, taking their boss’ orders to mind.
With those security measures spoken, Darlow’s demeanor lightened. “Now, once you’re done,” he continued, “go and celebrate! We pulled off a major score tonight, so chale, go and enjoy! Smoke some weed, fuck your favourite bitch, chale! Enjoy the moment. Tomorrow is another day.”
The men cheered, their laughter and chatter filling the room as they prepared to secure their borders and celebrate their victory of the night.
***
The shatter of glass rang through Rex’s office as the tumbler previously in his hand smashed against the wall, sending shards skittering across the floor.
“FOOLS!” Rex bellowed, breathing heavily and his face contorted with rage. “HOW DARE THEY? HOW FUCKING DARE THEY? THEY FUCK AROUND WITH ME LIKE THIS? HOW DARE THEY?”
Denny and V.A. flinched slightly but remained silent, their expressions blank and unreadable as they stood near the door. Koni, seated in a corner chair with a cigarette hanging from his lips, flicked ash into a tray before turning to his enraged boss.
He was every bit as pissed as Rex was. His favourite car was damaged, his favourite guy was badly injured and had to stay in the infirmary for a couple of days, and just like Rex, he could not understand for the life of him why these guys were taking things so personal.
“Darlow and his guys,” he spat, the disgust in his voice apparent as he spoke, “such a pathetic bunch of fucking emotional twats. I swear to God I ain’t never seen such bitchery on display. Can’t handle a simple transaction without gettin’ all hot and bothered. We teach one guy a lesson, and now they’re shooting our niggas? Really?”
Rex jabbed a finger in Koni’s direction. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! And they have the bloody audacity to think they can pull a stunt like this and think I’ll roll over? Pretend it didn’t happen?”
Koni shook his head vehemently. “Fuck no! That ain’t never happening. Nobody fucks around with Basilisk Garrison and gets away with it. Absolutely nobody. The day that happens, the whole fucking world explodes!”
“Damn right!” Rex growled, his voice low but brimming with menace. “Oh, they don’t know what they’ve started, but I swear they’re gonna wish they had never touched you and Benyi. Because I don’t just want to hurt them, Koni. I want to cripple them. By the time this is over, the Duplex won’t just regret this—they’ll be begging for mercy.”
Koni smirked, already imagining the chaos to be visited upon the Duplex. “Oh, it’s gonna be bloody as fuck, boss. They wanna throw stones? We’ll hit them with fucking boulders!”
“Absolutely!” Rex growled, running his hand over his clean shaven head. “No fucking mercy whatsoever. None at all. Now listen to me, Denny, V.A., go check up on Benyi in the infirmary, and find out the little you can gather from him on the fuckers who shot him, and bring that info back to me. ASAP!”
“Consider it done, boss,” Denny and V.A. responded simultaneously, nodding before stepping out of the office.
Rex then turned to Koni. “Koni, dig up everything on their operations and movements. Leave nothing to chance. You hear me? I don’t care what it takes or how much it costs, just get it done. And make plans. It’s time to make them bleed, and remind them who they’re dealing with.”
Koni stood up, flicking his cigarette into the ashtray and nodding. “You got it, boss. We’re making this personal now. Duplex won’t know what hit ‘em. Those elementary school pricks are gonna be scared to death when we’re done with ’em.”
Rex’s eyes burned with fury as he nodded, gripping the edge of his desk. “Good. They wanted a fight? They’ve got one. Let’s show them what happens when you mess with Basilisk Garrison.”
Uh-huh. Like I said, this is about to get real ugly…
