It's been a couple of weeks since the shooting at the Hustlers' warehouse in Oak Park, where every member of the Hustler gang lost their life. So far, no one in the neighborhood knows that Bryan managed to survive the attack. He's really good at disappearing without a trace.
The streets have been very quiet and cold, with police sirens echoing through midtown Sacramento, and the locals seem to enjoy it. The name of the Devils is barely mentioned, and a bunch of people linked to them have already been arrested as the police investigation went full force.
James Stacks, the tough and fearless leader of the Devils, only escaped a police raid on their safehouse at midnight by a whisker, The other gang members there weren't so lucky.
Drake has gone silent for two days now, and there are rumors that the Iron Teeth Cartel kidnapped him… though James hasn't confirmed that yet. But he knows exactly who's behind all this... "that bastard Bryan," he thinks to himself.
James is currently hiding in a creek in Brentwood, California, controlled by the Colombian runners, and he's lost everything—now all he has left are his instincts. In this unfamiliar territory, he repeatedly tried to call Malik, but there was no answer.
He thought of Dean, who had gone to visit his grandmother in Baltimore when the Police raid occurred. Just then, he managed to reach Dean on the phone.
"Hey Dean, you good?" James asked, hoping for some good news.
"Yeah, Jammie! Thank God! I've been trying to reach you for ages—your phone was off," Dean replied, grinning.
"Meet me in Brentwood at the Colombian creek tomorrow... 8:00 PM," James said, exhaling with a sense of relief.
The next day, James took some time to walk around the streets of Brentwood and get a feel of the area.
At exactly 8:00 PM, Dean showed up, dressed in a long black coat and a cowboy hat, doing everything possible to conceal his identity. He approached the creek, underneath a small bridge across a shallow river.
"Jammie! Good to see you!" Dean greeted, shaking James's hand in a unique Devils gang way.
"I can't reach Malik and haven't seen or heard from Drake, obviously the Iron teeth got him" Drake said.
"Those motherfuckers, what do they want? we haven't had a war for a long time." Dean ask with a worrying tone on his voice.
"Bryan have a hand in this, I'm very sure, secondly the Iron teeth has been the underdogs for awhile so probably the felt now ia the best time to strike us" Said James
"Cowards" Dean cuts in almost interrupting James.
"The envy us, the have Drake to get first hand information on all our dealerships and how we clean money so neat." James said getting up from his wooden chair to fetch a bottle of dry gin mixed with weed-their Colombians host favorite drink.
Turning around facing Dean with a small glass filled with the drink he continued "The first task is to find a way to break through and get Drake out"
"But we do not have soldiers, how are we going to fight them," looking a bit worried.
" We ain't bringing back the old Devils, at least for now... We are building smarter and more quiet, don't forget we still have the Police on our tails "
"That Bryan, he took my products, sold it off, split the cash with the Iron Teeth Cartel to get them on his side, and with the money from my own product, they put a bounty on my head... but I'm gonna hit them back like a hurricane, I swear I'll wipe them out," he said, knocking back his gin in one go, clearly furious.
James and Dean had shifted to a new game plan—no more street corner hustles, no flashy cars, no soldiers. They stashed their cash in crypto wallets since their personal and business accounts were frozen after the police got a court order backed by the evidence from that device Xin Yi handed over.
James brought on a Mexican ex-con named Santiago, who got kicked out for drug offenses, to gather intel on how to take down the Iron Teeth right in their own territory. Within a week, Santiago was back with maps, CCTV footage, and all the weak spots in the well-guarded Iron Teeth cartel hideout, which also served as a mechanic shop...
All Hands on Drake
The Iron Teeth Cartel, led by the a Mexican drug lord El Chapo, had taken over so much territory after the downfall of the Devil that every street boys wanted to associate with them, especially with a million-dollar bounty on James's head for anyone who could track him down.
The rescue mission was already in full swing.
James brought out a sac tied with a rope on its mouth disguised to look like a bag for a mechanic tools with grease all over it , he untied it and poured the content facing the sac down on the floor he picked up the guns and magazines assembled them one after another, later on he put on a night vision eyeglasses, wore his gloves smiling as he threw Dean his bulletproof vest, guns and night vision glasses and silencers.
"How did you get all this?" Dean asked looking so curious "from Santiago... He's worth every penny I've thrown at him.James said enthusiastically.
Once they were fully kitted James brought out a map "The spotlight scans every ten seconds, but the "only blind spot is the east wall, just two yards from the edge. That's our launching point, we breach them from there."
Dean asked "You really think Drake's still alive in there?"
"Sure, James replied, his voice laced with excitement. "If they wanted him dead, he'd be gone by now. They're after information, and Drake is a tough nut to crack."
Dean grinned. "Great, let's go make them wish they'd finished him off."
They set off to meet up with Santiago, who was ready to drive them back to Midtown for the rescue mission. They needed to choose the best route, steering clear of police checkpoints. Soon enough, they rolled into Midtown.
It's game time!!