The Round Man

“Humpty Dumpty, sat on the wall!” Was all Rica Reyes heard in her head. The song lyrics and the sight of the round man with the round head, sitting at the desk in front of her, tickled the pre-teen assassin’s spirit. “Had a great fall, heh, heh!” Rica blurted out loud.

Rica’s mother, Reyna, gave Rica a sharp look, quieting her twelve year old. Rica straightened up. She knew the look Reyna gave her wasn’t a look of, “Be quiet!” No, the look she gave said, “You’re a professional, pay attention to your surroundings!”

Rica focused, and considered their situation. It was 1 am, Reyna and Rica were in Brooklyn. The mother-daughter assassin duo stood in the rear office of the beautiful Brazilian restaurant Maceió. A closed for the night eatery built directly under the Williamsburg bridge and separated from the main street by a quarter of a mile.

A lot of things could happen in an on open space like this, at this time of night, Rica thought.

The round man seated at the desk was the owner of Maceió, Alonso. A mid level Brooklyn crime boss with a heavy Brazilian accent and a penchant for shaking people down. As Reyna and Alonso spoke, Rica could tell they were speaking the language of gangster subtlety. Saying things without saying them. Especially Alonso.

“Reyna, when I heard about, how do you say, this tragedy that happened in the Bronx to Tseka’s crew. I imagined how heavy the hearts of their families, their brothers, must felt. You don’t agree?..”

Reyna saw right through Alonso, she knew he’d figured out who killed Boss Edi Tseka’s men in the Bronx, and now wanted to blackmail her and make her work for him. But The Villain Reyna 鬼 Rai, doesn’t scare easy.

“Agree?..Alonso, when I heard your message I thought to myself, now I know Alonso hasn’t lost his ever loving mind, thinking he’s going to shake me down, but it wouldn’t hurt to find out. Now here I am, talking to a dead man.”

Alonso shot a dry smirk at Reyna while Rica’s eyes shifted to the office door. Rica could hear the restaurant doors opening outside the office, and footsteps, four big men were in the restaurant. Reyna could hear them too, and she whispered one word, “Rica.” and Rica responded.

In one motion little Rica leapt and landed in front of the seated Alonso with her left hand grabbing his neck and in her right her Model 5906 9mm handgun, pressed against his head.

Alonso was impressed at her speed, but he wasn’t afraid of the twelve year old daughter of Reyna. Rica, sensing Alonso’s apathy, talked shit to him

“Oi, Humpty Dumpty, you see this gun (pushed the gun barrel in his temple), his name is Cop Gun! Heee! And if those four men try to come in here I’ll..” Alonso cut her off, he was in no way afraid of Rica,

“Ha, you're a cute little girl, I tell you wha..” Pop! Pop! Pop!

Three shots fired off in the restaurant outside of the office. Startled, Rica took a defensive stance.

“Calm down baby, we were bait for this catch,” said Reyna referring to Alonso. Rica didn’t know what Reyna meant, but the gunfire outside of the office stopped and switched to sounds of crashing and fighting.

Alonso jumped up from his desk and pushed his way past the Reyna and Rica to the office door to find out what happened in his restaurant.

As soon as Alonso opened the door a booted left foot smashed into his face, kicking him backward and onto the office floor. Rica looked up and the kicker appeared in the door, and for a moment Rica was breathless.

The kicker was a boyishly pretty ponytailed Asian girl in jeans and a black zip up hooded sweatshirt, with an evil smile on her face, talking shit to round man Alonso.

“God damn you got fat, Alonso!” said the cute Asian tomboy. She then shot a glance at Reyna, who kept her back to the door.

"Yo, wassup Reyna, hope we didn’t scare ya! haha!" said the Asian tomboy.

Reyna, didn’t turn around to greet the girl, she merely replied, “Hello, Tara.” And when Reyna said this name, Rica's mouth gaped.

"Y..You're Bad Tara!"

Tara, jumped out of the office doorway when another kicked man flew into the door past Tara and onto the ground next to Alonso, unconscious.

“What the hell? Come on, Kitty, you messin up my cool doorway stance, man!” yelled Tara.

Another, higher pitched, female voice yelled back at Tara from outside, “Hey, Shut up!”

Tara left the doorway and ran back into the melee in the restaurant she’d left before kicking Alonso on to the office floor. Rica, hearing the second voice, yelled out to Reyna, “Mom, they’re both here!” and ran to the office door to see the legends for herself.

When Rica reached the door she gasped when she saw the second girl. A fiendishly beautiful shorter Asian girl with long black hair, fighting alongside the ponytailed girl. Rica smiled and knew that these two girls were the notorious Outlaw Sisters, Bad Tara and Kitty! Rock Stars of the criminal elite.

Rica watched from the office doorway as the two sisters brutalized the remaining three of Alonso’s goons with punches, kicks and lightning speed. Tara fought two goons at once, but not for long as Rica watched Tara hop straight up and Muay Thai crack her knee into one the goon’s nose, sending him down on the ground bleeding. The next goon, she lined up for fun.

“Yo Kitty, watch this!” Tara yelled as the goon threw a strong right punch directly at Tara’s face. Tara waited for the punch, then spun into and away from the punch 360 degrees and delivered a whipping roundhouse kick to the goon’s temple, knocking him clean out!

Tara then looked over at little Rica, who watched the spectacle, and yelled to her “Yo, little Rifle Girl, did you see his head spin? Haaa haaa!” amused at her own handiwork. Rica, happy to be a spectator blurted out to Tara “Oh, yes! Wow!” as Tara grinned in acknowledgment .

Kitty saw the exchange of Tara and Rica and wanted to show off her own skills to Reyna’s pre-teen child. Kitty’s opponent, the biggest and strongest of Alonso’s goons, fought stifled. Every punch he threw at kitty she evaded and countered with hard slaps to his face. Slap!

Kitty wasn't trying to take the goon down, she was humiliating him and showing off in front of Rica, who watched in amazement. The goon Kitty fought was Alonso’s last goon standing and he was beyond angry, beyond outraged, and Kitty slapped him again and asked him, “What’choo gonna do big boy, cause you boring me now!”

In a rage the man charged at and threw two monster punches at Kitty. Unfazed, Kitty ducked the punches then dropped down and kicked the goon in his nuts, hard. The big man yelped and fell with a thud, holding himself. The last of Alonso’s four goons was down, and he would not get back up.

“Jeezis Kitty, the jewels?” laughed Tara

“Hey, he kept moving around and pissing me off, he’s lucky I didn't break anything!” barked Kitty slapping five with Tara. The sisters amused at their own violence.

When the last man went down, six big dudes waiting outside the restaurant entered. These six dudes brandished guns, keeping all of Alonso’s beaten goons on the ground. These six dudes were Tara and Kitty’s crew, and they knew better than to interfere when Boss Tara and her little sister, (little boss) Kitty, wanted to beat people up.

Four of Eight

With the restaurant secure, the sisters walked into the office and extended greetings to everyone. But Kitty focused on one person, little Rica.

For Rica it was love at first sight. Kitty was a beautiful Cantonese girl, and young, with a light voice full of mischief. With a smile Kitty spoke to Reyna while staring at Rica.

Kitty: Ray-na! Where did you get such a cute loli? I so want one!

Rica: Eh? did you call me a loli?

Kitty: Yes I did, do you protect Reyna?

Rica, nervous in the presence of the legendary Kitty, looked at Reyna for confirmation to answer. Reyna nodded and Rica engaged with confidence.

Rica: Yes, but my mother.umm..Reyna, is pretty tough. She doesn't need a bodyguard..except when she does need one.

Kitty: Except when she does? Kawaii nya!

Rica: Eh? ..did you just say, “Kawaii nya?”

Kitty: (giggle) Maybe! What’s your name?

Rica: I’m Rica..um...Hajimemashite! (*nice to meet you in Japanese*)

Kitty: Cool! You speak the kawaii language, Dōzo yoroshiku! (*another way of saying nice to meet you in Japanese*).

Rica: Yaan! Did you take classes?

Kitty: No, just a lot of anime!

Rica: Whaaa! Me too!

Rica was enamored with Kitty and Bad Tara was super cool too. But there was no time for this as Tara, who had been harassing Alonso turned to Reyna.

Tara: Yo Reyna-Reyna, the boys and me need a few minutes with Alonso here, seems he thinks he knows what’s going on in the Bronx, isn't that right you Fat Fuck!

Alonso: Tara! It’s not like that, I don’t know anything you..

Tara: Oh Yeah? Well we gonna find out what you know right now.

Alonso snapped shut. He was in trouble, and in no position to toy with Boss Tara. And it was not lost on Alonso that in his office, at that very moment, stood three legendary killers.

Rica knew it too, and swelled with pride, as she was well aware that Tara and Kitty were two total bad asses.

Tara- 兔 The (Wild) Rabbit

Kitty- 貓 The (Feral) Cat

Reyna- 鬼 The Ghost

Rica- 貓鼬 The Mongoose

Tara switched from evil boss to friendly girl to address the evil Reyna who ignored her.

Tara: Hey Reyna-man (smiling) I guess I’m asking, can you and your pretty little daughter meet us at the studio in an hour? Yeah, maybe, Rifle Girl, hm?

Reyna wasn't amused with Tara.

Reyna: You ask a lot, Tara.

Kitty: Sure she does, but you gotta lot to pay for, don't you Reyna?

Reyna glared evil eyes at Kitty, who smiled back.

Rica could tell that Reyna wasn't friends with the Outlaw Sisters. It seemed Reyna just tolerated them, but agreed to their terms.

“Let's go, Rica, we gotta stop in Chinatown, ” said Reyna.

Rica wasn’t sure what happened but went with the flow.

“Yes, ma'am!”

Tara and Kitty waved goodbye to Reyna and Rica with squint eyed smiles, and Rica waved back like a proper groupie!

“Cool, cool, see you guys later!” said Tara

Reyna never said goodbye or looked back as she and Rica exited the restaurant, and Alonso to his fate with Tara.

The Ride To Chinatown

Reyna and Rica drove over the Williamsburg bridge into lower Manhattan heading for Chinatown. Rica, not sure of what just happened, questioned Reyna.

Rica: Mom, what’s going on?

Since events were in motion, Reyna felt should could answer.

Reyna: Baby, you know who those girls were right?

Rica: Of course I do! Those were the Gun Girls Bad Tara and Kitty aka, The Outlaw Sisters, The Wild 兔 Rabbit and The Feral 貓 Cat! Oh my god, did you see the way they fought? They were so freaking awesome! (stars in her eyes all groupie-groupie)....But what do they want with us?

Reyna: What does anyone want with us?

Rica: Eh? You mean they need mechanic work? But I didn't think fellow Gun Girls needed our services.

Reyna: They don’t. Tara is just a pain in the ass.

Rica: I’m sure she is but the way she handled everything you can tell she’s the boss. And the way you spoke to her. Hmm..Mom, were you and Bad Tara ever...lovers?

Reyna: What? That self-serving bitch Tara will never love anyone outside of her crew and her damn little sister. Hmph! those two girls take blood and water to another level, let me tell you.

Rica didn’t understand what Reyna said as a sentence, but what Reyna conveyed in her statement was that Tara and Reyna may have been close at one time, but not anymore.

Rica: I see, so why did we go to that restaurant?

Reyna: A lot of people paid attention to all of the noise we made fighting with the Tseka crew in the Bronx. And now that Tseka’s crew is gone, and the Gashi crew crippled, a power vacuum formed in that area.*

(NOTE * All of what Reyna just said about Tsekas crew happened in the last book. The point is Reyna now owes Tara a favor to shush all of that trouble from the first book up. The trouble that Rica actually caused, but of course Reyna will pay the debt for Rica. Mommy loves her baby).

Rica: But isn’t Tara the boss of all of the Bronx?

Reyna: Ha Ha, yes and no baby. Tara and her crew are certainly the strongest crew in the Bronx, especially the North Bronx. But she’s certainly not a Queen, as she'll have you believe. And remember the Bronx is a large borough with a lot people and a lot of smaller crews wanting to make names for themselves.

Rica: Oh, so since we killed all those Tseka guys, different crews want to take their place. So we kinda caused trouble for Bad Tara’s crew, huh?

Reyna: Oh please, it’s nothing she can’t handle. But still, we need her help to squash any problems with any bosses in the bronx.

Rica: Do you still love her?

Reyna: What? I never! Rica! get your mind out the gutter...like I could love a tomboy flirt like Tara.

Rica: But Mom, you tell me to flirt all the time, but to make sure I don't give up any of my, "sweet goodness!"

Reyna: Ha, ha, sweety I do tell you that, but you're twelve, Tara's not!

Rica: Heh, heh, but she's got your number!

Reyna: And only calls when she needs something. Hmph!

Rica: That's not what I meant! Anyway, you know that Kitty she’s really a nya-nya otaku, and she's the prettiest Chinese girl I've ever seen!

Reyna smiled and touched Rica’s face.

Reyna: Yeah she's cute enough, and she knows it. Well, I see you’ll get along with those two dizzy blondes just fine.

Rica: Eh? But their hair was black like ours?

Reyna: Ha, ha, see, I rest my case!

Rica: Eh? I don't get it! @[email protected]

Reyna continuing laughing and squeezed Rica’s cheeks in a you’re so cute way.

Reyna: Baby, that's why you're my clever girl!

Joking with Rica in the car lifted Reyna’s ill feelings about Tara and kitty. It was one thirty am as the duo crossed the bridge from Brooklyn into Manhattan, heading for Bad Tara’s Kung Fu studio in Chinatown.

.....

Reyna and Rica

Bad Tara and Kitty