"With jacket or without?" I asked as I put it on then took it off.

Honestly, I look really big without. Plus my long curly made me look like a lost king. With the jacket, I look a little slim.

Izzy yawned as she leaned against the doorframe in my t-shirt and purple and black lace panties. "Let me help you or we will be here all night and I want to sleep."

She grabbed my hair and slowly bunched it up as she got one of those pink band things around it. Then she took a comb and pulled out a strand that hung down in my face. She grabbed a black watch off the stand and put it on my wrist. Followed by unbuttoned three buttons and then she stepped back.

"Done. Now you can leave." She pushed me out of the bathroom the next second. "Hu-rry u-p!" She spoke through a yawn.

"Okay babe. Chill, let me grab my shoulder holster and I'm gone." I snatched it off the nail and slipped it on.

I turned to grab a gun out the top dresser but Izzy was already pulling the clip, sliding it back in, and pulling back on the slide. She handed it to me, handle first.

I shoved it into the holster then leaned in for a kiss. "I'll be back later."

Izzy just covered her mouth as another yawn caught her and climbed back into bed. I couldn't help smiling. Looking for love but love hits you with those unexpected guest entrances.

I closed the door quietly and caught Jacob hunched over doing the same. He put a finger to his lips and quietly walked down the stairs. I chuckled as I took it a little loud, dress shoes clacking all the way down.

He spun and gave me a glare but I just patted him on the back.

"Chill. They aren't going to fall asleep that fast." I whispered and grabbed a couple strawberries.

Jacob looked like he wanted to debate that but he just opened the door. I followed him out and closed it behind us. Tyler and Arthur were already standing posted at the stairs.

"Damn, are we in a gang? All dressed in suits." Tyler remarked.

I did a small jig as I took the stairs, added a little spin as I threw my arms out. "I told you I'm coming for your title!"

Arthur just broke out into a laugh. "Keep coming bro but you are still not there yet."

Amala walked up with Scarlett who still had that camera. "I don't know. With him smiling so much, and this new look. He's nipping at your heels."

Arthur waved his hand, "he might have surpassed Tyler here." He smacked Tyler's chest. "But he ain't at my level yet."

Tyler rubbed his chest, "what do you mean surpass me? I'm a blonde blue-eyed prince. He looks like a wild lion. How does that compare?"

Scarlett giggled, "A wild lion is more majestic than a prince. We know he can take us places but what does a prince have? Just wealth?"

Amala nodded in agreement.

Jacob grunted, "Everybody is always dismissing the giant but look at these smooth moves and tell me the rugged giant ain't fire?" He then busted out some dance moves.

Me and Arthur both looked and burst out laughing.

"Bro.. bro.. public perception is often deception but you can always be my wingman. Just hang to the left and be ready to catch my rejects." I said while glancing back as the door opened.

Jacob waved his bear paw at me. "Just jealous."

Tyler raised his hand, "am I missing something but how do I go from pretty boy to a wingman status."

Chloe glanced at us but kept her head down. I walked over and she lifted her head and smile slipped through as I wrapped my arm through hers. Leading her around the building and to the track, using this time to catch up with her day.

Chloe bid me farewell even though I could tell she wanted to talk my head off. I watched her run in those tights before walking back to the group thinking about how much pain her and Nat went through. How much their life changes when they don't even talk around men anymore. When they don't even look into the eyes of men anymore but you can feel the fear and rage sweeping through them.

Sigh, the world really is different from how it seems. Perception is really deception.

Arthur elbowed me, "who is that and the better question but does Isabella know about that piece of ass you keep on the side?"

I slapped his chest and pointed at the two black out suvs pulling up. "Naw, it's not like that. I saved her and another from a group of corrupted cops that had this little kid with a strong ability. There were a bunch of women kept in a bunker. I slaughtered the men and they followed me."

Arthur made an O face as we boarded the cars. Scarlett sat in the back back as she turned on her camera.

"So how are we doing this? Loud and big or silent like how Tyler's wife is when he is going hard?" Jacob asked.

"Hey man! We all can't be big!" Tyler said with a rare moment of seriousness before he broke out into a smile.

Arthur shook his head, "they came in loud. So we are going to come in loud and put it on the forum. Let these fuck boys know we ain't to be fuck with."

"Hey, did you check with that mechanic crew about what they said about the helicopters?" I asked as it just hit me.

Arthur nodded, "yeah but they don't have the equipment to melt the metal to turn it into the framework but apparently they made the engine. Actually, the prototype in these two suvs. It's as quiet as Tyler's wife during round one."

"Why am I the butt of the joke today?" Tyler said as henscooted up and grabbed the front two seats.

"What? You want us to talk about the two ladies? Come on mate." Arthur said.

"What about the jolly giant?" Tyler probed.

Jacob grunted.

"Jacob is a giant. He gets mad and it's your funeral. Kay looks better and is bigger than you. I'm overall better than all of you, so it falls down to you. Sorry, blame your parents." Arthur slowly explained.

"But I thought the girls said my dick was bigger?" I added in.

"I don't remember that." Arthur shot back quickly.

"I remember that." Amala added in.

"Me too." Scarlett said.

"Hey, shut it! We are already being generous letting you two on a man trip. Don't make me spank you." Arthur said with frequent looks in the rear view mirror.

"I dare you to spank me." Amala said with a boldness that had me looking at her in those tight jeans and even tighter black v-neck.

"Damn, train a girl for a while and she is already testing the ropes. Next, she is going to think she can manhandle the master next." I joked.

"Who would be foolish as to test the master when it's you. I'm sure everybody remembers seeing you explode out with that jab. Even Jacob looks like Tyler compared to you." Amala cajole me real quickly as she leaned forward and put a hand on my arm.

Jacob grunted, "how can such a tiny man pack so much power?"

Tyler scoffed, "I remember that Amala couldn't even move the bag."

Arthut looked confused, "what are you talking about?"

Amala pulled out her phone and played with it for a second before passing it up. Arthur lifted it up to be parallel with the road. You could hear the bang when the bag shot up and followed the bag arc into the sky. When it came back down, the camera looked a little blurry for a second as the bag jumped on spot for a few seconds.

"Damn, this gives me an all new respect for the lion king." Arthur said as he passed it back. "That can't be all from boxing right? I don't remember seeing a lot of people with that form."

"That's what I said. Bro, punch was in a straight line but when you have as much muscle as he does. Your hand will deviate a little anyway but his fist went from point A to point B in a linear line." Jacob said.

I smirked, "I learned it while getting my brown belt in taekwondo and muay thai. It helped reduce drag and thus you were a little faster without losing the power you intended to put in."

Arthur gave me a weird look as he pulled over in the front of a school entrance. The back car doors opened and men in full gear stepped out and shot the two patrol men on the second floor of the school building.

I stepped out and stretched. "Damn! What a good night to set shit on fire!" I couldn't help but shout. "Tyler and Jacob with them. Take the right. No prisoners but don't kill those who don't pick up weapons."

The five man squad moved in a line into the building. Tyler and Jacob right behind them with Tyler hoisting a small camera.

Arthur shook his head as he slid back the slide on his pistol. "This is going to look really bad for them."

I shrugged as I pulled up my beast mode Playlist. "Got hands on her knees when I'm giving her the business.. my momma told me to treat her like a lady.. her eyes start to twinkle when she rides the bus.." my head bobbed as I sang along.

My cane appeared in my but morphing into a rosary with a laughing skull instead of a cross. I took the lead as my group looked at me with side glances.

"Damn, did he just get into the zone?" Tyler asked.

"I didn't know rosary had a skull.. I thought it was a crown?" Arthur said.

Amala rolled her eyes, "you guys better hurry up before he kills them all."

Scarlett was just staring at us, speechless.

I pulled out my glock as I rounded the corner. Heavy footsteps were coming down the stairway while people in classrooms were screaming to be quiet.

The first guy who stepped off the stair froze and didn't even move. His heartbeat rose like he was on a Rollercoaster. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple.

"Why did you fucking stop?" The one behind him yelled.

I smiled as I slowly squeezed the trigger. "I'm here to judge you in the name of our lord and savior." I raised my hand that held the rosary and the freaking skull started laughing, That eerie ass laughed.

"What the hell?" The one behind him said as his friend's brains wetted the hallway.

His buddy was smart enough to start spraying as he backed up. Rounds bounce off my barrier as I step over the body of his pal. I put a round in his forehead and walked past him. I tapped play on my phone as I took the steps two at a time.

"I got my wings to carry me.." I sang along as two rushed down the third flight to levied ARs at me.

God didn't give them the grace to pull the trigger before I put a round in their face.

"I thought she was an Indian! Navajo! She be slinging things like a simian! I know you see girl. This ain't sitting really well in my soul." I put my pistol in the holster and grabbed an AR.

I slammed the buttstock into my shoulder and began kicking in doors. I swept the barrel into the rooms, ignoring the pleads from the women who weren't a threat.

Well, until this one kid wanted to reach for a glock on a table. Maybe he didn't think his brains wouldn't be painting the black board. I instantly knew who the kid was by the banshee wailing. The mother only cried from her spot on the floor.

I stepped out and checked the other rooms. I made it to the end of the hall when Arthur and the crew showed up at the stairs.

"Can you leave some for us?" He bent down and relieved a corpse of their AR.

"Courtyard." I said as I blew out the window then jumped out.

They guys running forward heard my music as they all looked up dumbfounded at the guy walking down from mid air.

"Dont just fucking stare! Shoot the fucker!"

Good advice.

It took me less time to squeeze the trigger and aim than it did for them to bring up their guns. But it was more of them than me. Luckily for me, Arthur burst through another window and began firing while free falling.

"What the fuck?!" Someone shouted.

"Rocket!" Scarlett shouted from somewhere behind me.

I curved the rocket into the ground behind me as I touched down. I dropped my empty gun and traded it for another. I checked a corpse for a full mag but these guys weren't well trained. So I had to load a mag from the remnants.

"Boss, they have shields or something. Our bullets aint hitting them! Where are the heavy hitters?!" Some smart guy yelled as I slapped the mag in.

Laughing, we walked them down until this guy walked out of a building with two machetes in hand. He did a stupid show off move and I fired at him in response.

The way he blocked the bullets made me stop and stare. I know I was amazed. So I had to look at Arthur who was looking at me.

"You got him, right?" Arthur said.

"Naw, you got him." I passed it back.

"Bro, I need to reload, so handle that." Arthur said as he bent down to check mags with a serious face.

"You think I ain't on E? Why you think I stop firing. Plus I killed more than you. So you get that." I copied him.

"Listen, we rock paper scissors for it!" Arthur held up his fist.

"Alright." I held up mine.

"Rock.. paper.. scissor! Bro, you cheating! You can't make it after me!" Arthur shouted.

"Bro, I made my paper before you made your fist!" I snapped back.

"Naw! Again!"

"Now you cheating! Again!"

"Draw.. draw.."

Scarlett looked at Amala, "is this the time and place to be playing around?"

Amala raised her hands up, "I'm not with them!"

"How about both you pussies come!" The sword wielder said as he waved for us to come.

Arthur looked at me and I looked at him before we both just shrugged. Golden spears appeared behind me and golden swords appeared behind Arthur.

The machete guy's eyes widened and he took a step back. He held up his hands as the machetes fell out of them. "I surrender?"

"He called you a pussy." I said.

"Naw he called you a pussy." Arthur replied back.

"He called both of you pussies!" Scarlett shouted.

"No, I didn't!" The guy defended himself.

We both shrugged and sent the attack forward. Then turned to look at the boss who had gold teeth and a gold plated gun in hand.

"Dibs on the gun!" I called out.

"Bro, my power is gold. Yours ain't even gold. I should have it." Arthur said.

"I'm black." I simply said.

"What the fuck that supposed to mean?" Arthur said in confusion.

"I'm a minority. So you have to give it to me or I'll riot!." I said with a straight face.

Arthur mouth fell open, "that- that's fuck up."

I shrugged and turned back to the last few guys who hadn't ran yet.

"Why are you attacking us? Shouldn't you be fighting the undead? Shit, even the military is a better target than us? So why are you coming to pick on us small guys?" The guy shouted!

The guy jumped as the men beside him dropped to the ground, riddled with bullets that were a little silent. The crew walked out and Jacob grabbed the boss man, snatching his gold plated gun.

"It's mine." Jacob said as he tossed the poor guy.

My mouth opened but I had nothing to say to that. He snatched it like a real man and I couldn't fault him for skipping over dibs.

"Is that all of them?" Arthur asked.

One of the guards in black armor nodded, "that's all boss excluding the ones that made it over the fence and the women and children."

"Why are you guys doing this?" The kid said from his knees.

Tyler walked over with his hands in his pocket and cig in his mouth. "You asked for it."

Arthur went to check a few corpses before he stood up with a serious expression. "I don't see the black skull tattoo."

I scratched my head, "what?"

You can't blame me for asking that. It's okay for the military to mess up and wipe out a village or two. Or bomb a bus full of kids, technology do be having problems.

But it's different when you wipe out a community but it's the wrong one and it's caught on camera. I turned to Scarlett with a smile.

"We gotta off her. No witness." I said with all seriousness.

She took a step back and hid the camera behind her. Amala took two steps to the right.

"I don't know her." Amala said with a completely innocent face.

Arthur started laughing, "I'm fucking around. We got the right people."

Scarlett's legs dropped from under her. I felt a little bad as I put a round in the last guy's head.

"Alright, let's pick up the weapons and see if they have a decent stock of shit." I said as I went around checking pockets for loot.

"Nobody is going to apologize for making me piss myself." Scarlett screamed.

Tyler let out a ring of smoke. "You really thought we were going to kill you?"

While Amala whispered, "you really piss yourself?"

I was fighting hard not to laugh. Having a group of brothers was pretty decent.

"Fuck you guys! He looked like he was dead ass." Scarlett said while slapping away amala hand.

"I was." I added in.

That broke the camel back because everybody started laughing. Well, except Scarlett who walked away then returned while walking backwards with her hands up.

"You killed my son!" A lady in a dress zero in on me.

Arthur looked at me as he wiped his tears away. "Did you really shoot a kid?"

"Dead center of his forehead. No open casket." I said as I pulled out my pistol and shot the lady who was yelling hysterically at me.

"Bro, that ain't right." Tyler said.

I shrugged, "he shouldn't reach for a gun if he ain't about that life."

Jacob shook his head, "you are fuck up."

Everybody agreed as we split up to search the grounds. Lucky for us, they did rob a gun store or something. They had grenades, flashbangs, and crates full of ammo. Too bad they tried the wrong neighbors though.

We loaded up what we could and drove away with women looking at us like the lost and found.

"Are you really going to leave them?" Scarlett asked.

"Of course not. Jacob and Tyler are back with the other team. They will wait until the bus comes around. We are just going back because too many heavy hitters are alway. We trust the defense but we can't trust other people to not do what we did." Arthur said as he drove a little faster than before.

"Do you guys smell that?" I asked.

Arthur sniffed around, "smell what?"

"Smell like.. someone pissed themselves." I couldn't even say it with a straight face.

Amala was sitting back there vibrating as she covered her mouth.

"Fuck you guys. I never hated someone as much as I do you guys." Scarlett said as she kicked my seat.

I wiped a tear from my eyes but I wasn't the only one crying. Arthur had turned his head so nobody could see him shaking and crying.

"Sorry, love. I just couldn't help myself." I defended my right to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Just fuck off." Scarlett wasn't having it.

I opened the door after we passed through the gate. "Alright, I'll see you guys later." I quickly slipped out the door and closed it.

Arthur slammed on the break as he rolled down the window. "Bro, what are you doing over here? Does Isabella know?"

I smirked as I stepped on the sidewalk. "I have to get something for Demi and she knows."

Arthur mouthed demi name several times as he stared at me down. I didn't wait for him to slowly roll past as I ran up and knocked on the door.

With the morning light out, it felt a little moist. Plus someone needed to cut the grass. Shit was taller than my ankles. It took a few minutes before someone came and opened the door. The raven head lady from yesterday in a mickey mouse pajama set. Not something you see everyday.

"You here for Sophie?" Margaret said with a sleepy face.

"Can't I be here for someone else?" I asked.

"Do you even know the name of someone else?" She questioned me like I really didn't know.

"Margaret," I said as I raised my chin.

She rolled her eyes in response. "Come on in." She opened the door wider and I walked in.

The living room was a mess but I expected that. You only clean up when you have guests over often. Margaret closed the door behind me and led me to the back room.

"Last door." Margaret said as she slipped into a room with two other girls inside.

I man up and knocked on the door, then opened it and walked in. Sophie was spread out under a thick white blanket. I closed the door behind me and took a glance around the room. Honestly, you could tell that this was a woman's room before. The dressers were used and worn. The closet door had the paint worn a few inches above the doorknob. And the closet was full of clothes that wouldn't fit Sophie.

"Why are you here so early?" Sophie mumbled as she shifted about.

"Just finished a raid and thought I might grab it now instead of later." I replied.

"Ugh, it's in the bag." Sophie pointed without looking.

Of course the bag was obvious too. I opened it and saw the women's products and closed it.

"This is it, right?" I asked.

"Yes, unless you are asking for more than I have to charge you for wasting time." Sophie said like she wanted me gone quickly.

"Is that an offer?" I started kicking off my shoes.

Sophie lifted her head and studied me. "Why are you dressed up like a mobster? I thought you were going to raid those guys who shot at the gate guards?"

I crawled into bed the moment I tossed off my pants. "We did. We killed them and now I'm back." I scooted on over to her and she raised an eyebrow as she watched me.

"Did they have a reason for attacking?" She asked.

"No idea. We didn't ask a lot of questions. Just went to make our point and leave." I said as I tested my head on my palm.

Sophie rubbed her eyes and then took my pistol from the holder and set it on the bedside table. "Isabella is not going to try and punch me like Riley right?"

I shrugged, "she might not but who can read minds. I just know she and a few other wives think we men need another sex partner. So I'm making this judgement call with a blessing. And a little lust involved."

Sophie laughed, "so I'm a side piece?"

"Okay, we are the same type of people. So what do you want?" I said as I placed a hand on her thighs.

"You know what I want, which is the same as everybody else." She placed a hand on top of mine.

"I don't know what everybody else wants. Only what I want and I'm manifesting my wants. So how about you be a little clearer?" I said with no hint of a joke.

"Oh, well then I want power. I don't want to be a piece of meat that can be tossed aside. So you provide me with decision making power and we can talk." Sophie pushed my hand away.

I couldn't help laughing. Power wasn't something someone gave you. It's something you grasp in your hands. This is a new era.

"What's so funny?" She sat up.

"You are. You think I can give you power?" I wiped a tear away. "This little community has power built by me and Arthur very beings and you want some decision making power because you brought some useless white coats? Because you look like a dime? It's funny because I just wiped out a gang of dumbasses and I'm talking with another."

Sophie looked at me for a minute and said nothing.

I shook my head and threw the cover off. "If you want power, then show me you what you have." I stood up and took off my holster.

Sophie pulled the cover over her chest. "Okay, maybe I was making a joke. Then how about turning me into someone who can grasp power and I'll be yours to do with as you please for ten years?"

I tilted my head and smiled, "now we are speaking a little more intelligently." I crawled back into bed and leaned against the headboard. She slid into my lap. "Lets celebrate."