A GOLDEN EMPIRE

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

INSIDE THE CLUB, ONLY A PARTY of six remains. Three men dressed in identical black suits with red undershirts, the usual attire for the syndicate known as Black Sunset. Black Sunset runs the entirety of the Downtown Los Angeles area. They are ruthless and show no compassion to those who get caught in the crossfire of their activities. They mostly deal with drugs and guns. The syndicate first made local newspapers back in 1991, involved with the assassination of an international crime boss. Soon the gang's reputation grew along with their body count.

The other three consisted of an informant and his female accomplices. This scenario is what you typically see in the movies when the bad guy discovers one of his men was an undercover member of a rival gang. Like any other bad guy, he interrogates the UC then puts a bullet in his head. This bad guy in this case is JAMES HOLLINGSWORTH, Charles's younger brother and co-leader of Black Sunset. He also happens to be the most brutal member. He is currently holding his hand against the UC's forehead and hell, he is itching to pull the trigger, his chuckles are drawn out by the screams of the two girls.

The informant is an overweight white male in his mid-fifties. He is at the point of soiling himself when the younger man draws out his gun. He'd heard many horror stories of how Black Sunset murders people indiscriminately. take out people who cross them, how bodies turn up missing. The man is just lucky he didn't have a hole in his head right now. The man thought it was best to let Jesse talk first, as said man is beyond infuriated.

But before James can get a word out, in walks Charles, clad in a jet black suit and signature glare reserved for traitors etched on his face.

"Tonight, at least someone ambushed five of my men while they were picking up the shipment right off the coast of Newport Beach. The shipment was safe, surprisingly unharmed but the payout, my money, is missing. Now, two months before this incident we allowed you to become a partner in this very reputable organization. Since you've joined, some of our profits have declined..." The informant interrupts him before Charles can even finish his statement.

"Listen, I know exactly where you're going with this but-"

"QUIET! Interrupt him again, I will cut your testicles off and force you to eat them like the irritating fuck you are." James's threat is a promise. He closes his eyes and tries to relax by taking deep slow breaths. Something his therapist taught him to suppress the violent rage inside him. Once he got his temper at ease, he continued.

"Our profits declined. At first, it was just small bills. Then hundreds which turned to thousands and then hundreds of thousands. Now, you can agree that is an awful lot of money to just suddenly disappear within two damn months. While we're losing money, our rival seems to be earning what we lost. Now, I could just jump to conclusions and say that you had something to do with it. But, since I am a fair human being, tell me your side of the story." Charles says, giving the man permission to speak. He really could have killed him right about now.

"I did take your money, but only for investment."

"Investment?" Both brothers speak in unison, looking at him with cocked eyebrows, intrigued.

"The city is dying, property prices have gone down over the last few months. If we invest in some shares and buy out businesses and property just think about the revenue. I know I should have consulted with you but I-"

A bullet to the brain silences the man. His brain matter spread out over the large fish tank behind him. The two girls scream again. Neither Charles nor James acknowledge their screaming. Instead, the latter pulls out his favorite brand of cigars called Black Dragon. It has a smooth rich taste to it. Better than regular tobacco. After one puff, he feels so much better.