Jocelyn Turner steeled her shoulders as she entered the ratty massage parlor with ten of her thugs in tow. Anyone who saw her would marvel at the change she'd undergone in the last fifteen years.
Gone was the naive innocent girl with chubby cheeks and freckles on her nose. Jo had grown into a five feet, six inched slender young woman, with chin-length raven black hair and with tattoos on her arms.
Jo was dressed in a sports bra, black leather jacket, ripped jeans and combat boots. A black and white bandana drooped out of her jeans pocket.
The interior of the massage parlor was as ratty as the outside. From the neon lighting and the plastic chairs in the waiting room, one could discern that it was a shady enterprise.
The receptionist, a bleach blonde with a highly voluptuous figure which she managed to squeeze into a miscropic nurse's outfit, let out an involuntary squeal of fear when she saw Jo and her men.
“How may I help you?” The receptionist asked, trying not to sound as scared as she looked, “Would you like a massage? Here's a catalog showing our masseuse and the rates we charge, to help you choose an affordable massage session.” She held out a book with quaking hands.
“Umm, no. We'll pass. I want to see your boss. Tell him that the Street Hawks are here to see him.” Jo said.
The woman nodded frantically and made a phone call, nodding at whatever the person on the other end had to say.
When she disconnected the call, she smiled at Jo, “He'll be down here as soon as possible. He asked me to offer y'all massages, on the house. Pick the masseuse of your choice from the catalog. Happy endings are guaranteed.”
Jo in return, scowled at her.
“Or I'm sure we can find you a masseur or two, depending on your tastes.” The woman added fearfully, not wanting to annoy Jo. Jo was the only female leader of an all male gang in Ganghaven, and for that, she was feared by many. Her gang had the least members, but they were very effective in striking fear into the heart of people. All of Jo's men were burly, bald by choice, and they all had a hawk tattoo on their left biceps.
The Street Hawks were known for destroying any business or store that refused to pay them protection money.
The receptionist was saved from having to deal with Jo when the owner of the massage parlor sauntered in with a huge smile on his face.
“Jo, you look good as always.” He said.
“Too bad I can't say the same 'bout you, Lenny.” She replied.
Lenny Starr, or Massage Lenny as he liked to be called was a short wiry man with beady little eyes and a soul patch. He always wore designer suits no matter the weather.
“What do you want, Jo?” He asked, looking up at her.
“I want my money and don't you dare say shit about how you already paid some other gang, or how you don't have any money, because it won't fly with me.” Jo warned, and her men made sounds of approval.
“Of course, I wouldn't.” Lenny said graciously.
“How much do you want?”
“A thousand.” Jo replied.
“A thousand?!” Lenny asked as his eyes bulged at the sum. “The others are charging half of that.”
“Well, we ain't the others now, are we?” Jo asked, cracking her knuckles.
Again, her men made murmurs of assent.
Lenny swallowed and laughed, “No, you are different from the rest. I'll pop up to my office and see if I can get the money.”
“That's good. Rex here will go with you, to make sure you don't develop any funny ideas.” Jo said.
Rex stepped out from behind and made a motion for Lenny to lead the way. Lenny looked at the hulk who looked big enough to stomp on him, and hurriedly went up to get the money.
Some minutes later, both men returned. Rex held a fat wad of notes in his hands which he gave to Jo. Jo transferred it to one of the men behind her, “Count this, make sure it's complete.”
“He already counted it up there.” Lenny protested, eager to get rid of Jo and her scary crew.
Jo gave him a glare which made him shut up.
The man finished counting the notes and nodded, “They're complete, boss.”
“Good. Lenny, very good.” Jo ssid, patting Lenny's shoulder.
“So you'll be on your way?” He asked hopefully.
Jo laughed sardonically, “No.” She turned to Rex, “Where did he get the money from?”
“A safe.” Rex replied.
“Any more cash in there?”
“Yeah. There were like five of that kind of wad.”
“Good. Take him back upstairs and retrieve the rest.” Jo ordered.
“B-b-but why? I gave you what you asked for.” Lenny stuttered, confused and afraid.
“Oh, poor Lenny. Word on the street is that most of the girls you've hired to 'give out massages' aren't here of their own accord.” Jo said smoothly, trying to hide her anger. Just the other day, she'd found out that Lenny was forcing young girls into prostitution without paying them.
“And we heard you've got minors here, too.” Jo continued.
“Those girls, their families owe me money. They're just working off their debts.” Lenny said defensively.
“They'll have to do that another way.” Jo said.
At the same time, Rex pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Lenny, “Move, Tiny.”
Lenny began to shed tears as he went back upstairs.
When they were gone, Jo looked at the receptionist who had observed everything and growled, “Leave!”
The woman ran away as fast as she could, splitting the seam of her outfit in the process.
Then, Jo and her team brought out baseball bats and spray cans with which the vandalized the reception.
When they were through, they entered the massage rooms, disrupting the 'massages'. Men and women in all stages of undress ran out.
When Rex and Lenny returned with a bulky bag envelope, Jo and her crew were on hand to welcome them.
Lenny looked at what had become of his beloved establishment and let out a sob, crumpling to the floor.
Jo walked up to his sitting form, “Lenny, if I ever hear that you're using forced labour to run this place again, you'll wish you were dead.”
With that threat, she and her crew left. When they were outside, Jo gave the bag envelope to Rex, “Find out all the girls who were forced to work there and give the money to them.” She ordered.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the block, another gang leader was about to wreak havoc on another enterprise. His name was Asher Mason, but everyone called him Ash. He was tall and lean but still with enough muscle to indimidate people if and when he wanted.He had brown hair, a sculpted jaw, full sensual lips and green eyes.Many women came onto him, wanting to be his baby mama or mistress, but he sent them all away.His gang, called the Sopranos, was also another gang to be feared in Ganghaven. At first, people hadn't taken them seriously, but after Ash had singlehandedly put eight men in the ICU without any weapon, people had learned to respect them.Asher and his crew of five men knocked on the door of a storage facility and waited.“Who's you?” Someone asked from inside.“It's the Sopranos. Open up, we've got business to discuss.” Ash said.“Shit!” The voice exclaimed.“Now, now.
Jo marched into one of the most reputable diners in Ganghaven, Jacob's. The place was near empty, with only a few couples at various tables.The proprietor, Jacob came forward to greet her.“Jo, you're welcome! You need a table?” The burly man asked, wiping his greasy hands on his stained apron and offering Jo a handshake.“Yes. I need a table for three. My friends will be here soon.” Jo replied, declining to shake hands.“Well, you can sit at any table of your choice.” Jacob said.Jo thanked him and plopped herself down at the farthest table in the diner.“Except that one.” Jacob murmured.“Did you say something?” Jo asked.He shook his head, deciding not to tell her about his regular customer who always came at the same time each day, and sat on that chair. He prayed his customer wouldn't come that day. Instead, he changed the topic “What would you like?&
Ash was actually very angry as he entered the diner. His friend and contact in the police force had been posted to patrol the streets of Gulden, not Ganghaven. Ash didn't understand why the cops left a place that was in dire need of their presence, and went to a place that was already full of 'em. It was grossly unfair, if you asked him.Ash shook his head and sighed. That was the problem, nobody cared enough for Ganghaven, he thought. He wondered if it was a crime to be born into a low-income earning family.His scowl intensified when he saw that his usual table at the diner was taken. Upon further examination, he found that the three women who'd taken up his space were actually beautiful. That wiped the scowl off his face. Maybe he could join them; flirting with beautiful women always put him in a good mood.As he walked up to them, he saw that one of them had a tattoo sleeve. But that wasn't his problem. His problem was one of the tattoos. It was one of a haw
Andrea Levi sent up a silent prayer as she entered Lieutenant Baines' office, hoping that he'd listen to what she had to say.When she entered, she saw him walking on the treadmill in his office, sweating and counting under his breath. His office was furnished with state-of-the-art furniture, giving it the look of that of a senator or governor. Baines' office was his pride and joy, so he rarely left it.“Levi.” He said in acknowledgement, stopping the treadmill and taking a nearby towel to his face.“Sir.” She replied sharply.Baines took a bottle of water, twisted off the cap and put it to his mouth, almost finishing the bottle's contents in one one gulp.After that, he gave a loud burp before he sat in his chair, not bothering to excuse himself.“What do you want?” He asked impatiently.“Sir, I've come to call a certain illegal operation to your knowledge.” Andrea said as she slid a fi
“Mum, there's a huge drug deal going down in Ganghaven during the weekend.” Jo said as she sat down and grabbed a fork, waiting for her mother to dish her share.“Have you informed the cops?” Ruth asked as she divided the pie into two unequal shares, leaving the smaller part for herself and sliding the larger part over to Jo.Jo dug into her pie, taking some huge spoonfuls before she replied, “Yes. But they don't seem to be interested in whatever happens here,” with her mouth full.Ruth looked terrified, “Jo, you might be the leader of one of the most feared gangs in Ganghaven, but you're still my daughter and you'll act like it! Don't talk with your mouth full.”“Sorry, Mum.” Jo said, before she caught herself and covered her mouth. After she'd swallowed the sweet pie, she spoke, “The police aren't interested.”“That's sad. We're always treated differently down her
Finally, Saturday had approached, Ash thought. Throughout the rest of the week, Ash had devoted his time to studying the layout of the building where the deal was going to happen, and training his men on stealth, something most gangsters wouldn't know if it hit them in the face.Before they left for the bust, he gave them a serious talk, “We've been doing all we can to clean up the streets of Ganghaven without letting people know, and today will be no different. On this op, there'll be no bandanas, no slang, nothing that can lead people to identify us as the Sopranos. If that happens, we'll have the dealers on our backs, and believe me you do not want that.Also, you know that rule I gave you guys, the one that says 'do not instigate or escalate violence without being attacked first'?”His men nodded.Ash continued, “Good. Today, just for today, I want you to fuck that rule.”His men murmured and laughed.“I'm s
“You were saying?” Jo asked smoothly.This time, it was Ash who got incensed, “Look, as much as I'd like to stay and play turf war with you? My men and I have something important to do here!”“And I don't?” Jo replied, not giving an inch.“I know you're here to steal the drugs and the cash for yourself, but that's not happening.” Ash said.Jo wondered why he thought the worst of her motives, “You're an idiot,” She replied, “And we're going nowhere.”“Well, it seems there's going to be a shootout.” Ash said, his mouth drawn into a hard line.Capo stared at him and Ash grimaced. He wasn't actually planning to shoot at the Street Hawks, he was just trying to scare them into leaving.“You won't shoot at us. It'll blow your cover. When they arrive here and see the damage you'll do, they'll up and leave immediately.” Jo said, unworried.As
When the two gangs crawled away to a safe place, an argument ensued between both leaders.“This is all your fault!” Jo accused Ash, shooting him a furious glare.“And how is that?” Ash replied coldly.“If you and your men had kept away from the deal, there would have been zero glitches.” Jo said.“I could say the same thing. If you and your greedy merry gang of men hadn't come to the building to steal the drugs and green for yourselves, we wouldn't be in this mess.” Ash accused.One of Jo's men, a man whose biceps looked like tree trunks stepped in front of her and glowered down at Ash, “That's enough,” which brought Capo to Ash's side. Although the other man was huger than Capo, he wasn't intimidated.Jo sighed and said to the man, “It's okay, Rex.”Rex nodded and stepped to her side.To Ash, she said, “It's very ridiculous of you to jump to such stu