Thuggz Valentine

Chapter One

February 14

6:15 p.m.

Thuggz Valentine, mutherfuckaz!" The ground shook from the explosion.

Kabooooooom!

The blast rattled the ground like an earthquake, igniting cars and SUVs, shattering store windows, knocking out the power, and setting off car alarms within a two-block downtown Newark radius. Several bystanders were killed, including a few police officers who'd had the two suspects surrounded, as well as every person inside the overturned bus, which was the source of the blast. People thought it was a terrorist attack.

It wasn't.

It was a standing ovation for Bless and Ebony. They embraced death on their own terms. They lived their last day on the edge and to the fullest. Even though it was filled with murder and mayhem.

Three minutes earlier . . .

6:12 p.m.

"Fuck y'all!" Bless managed to yell out, despite the burning sensation of the bullet wounds and a natural sense of impending doom. His head rested on Ebony's lap while her back leaned against the underbelly of the overturned bus.

Ebony stroked his head. "Shhh baby. Save your energy." Muffled cries and yells of anguish echoed from the passengers trapped inside. There was no escape. The bus had landed on the door side, destining everyone inside to a fiery fate. Desperate, the imprisoned riders beat furiously on sealed windows, too dazed and hurt by the crash to even come close to shattering them. Their hysterical eyes gazed at all the police surrounding them in a half moon formation. Officers shielded themselves behind open doors with automatic weapons, pistols, and shotguns all trained on Bless and

Ebony. High above, a police helicopter hovered.

"It's over." Bless closed his eyes.

"No, baby, not yet. Remember what you said? Real gangstas never give up," she reminded him.

He forced a smile onto his lips. "You . . . you, could've saved yourself."

With tears running down her cheeks, she stroked his face. "Today has been the best day of my life. Before you, I didn't know what it really meant to be free. I am feeling totally alive. Anything after this would be a disappointment. I love you, Bless," she expressed, but she knew he hadn't heard her. She felt his body convulse, tighten, and then relax. She knew he was gone. She had been speaking to his soul. A soul she knew much deeper than even she was conscious of. Ebony held back every tear but one, which escaped down her cheek. She closed Bless's lifeless eyes with two fingers that resembled the peace sign, and then laid her gun on her leg. A tall, black detective stepped out of the police mob with his arms raised. He advanced slowly.

"Listen to me, Miss. Please. This can all end peacefully. I want to walk you out of this alive," he pleaded.

"Believe me . . . I plan to," Ebony said.

"That's good. Very good," he replied, missing the significance of her tone.

Ebony reached into Bless's pocket and pulled out his crumpled pack of Newport's and matches. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! It's just a cigarette!" she bellowed at the itchy trigger-fingered officers.

Just a cigarette . . . She didn't smoke.

She put it in her mouth, lit it up, then inhaled a satisfying stream of smoke. When she exhaled, all the fear that she was harboring vanished.

"Now, I'm going to ask you to toss the gun over, okay?" She inhaled. "Not yet."

He shook his head. "No! I said now! Look around you." She did.

"It's over! There is nowhere to go!" he warned her. Ebony glanced at all the stone-faced police squinting

through scopes, with her head in the crosshairs. She took in all the gawking downtown onlookers, all while hearing the stifled cries of the people on the bus. And lastly, she looked up at the beautiful blue sky.

"Yeah, you right. There's nowhere to go . . ." she remarked, and then struck another match. "But up."

She and the cop exchanged glances. Yet, he strained at the match. The realization hit him when he saw the leaking gas from the overturned bus pooling in the street and settling like a beached whale. His brown eyes widened in horror, taking in the implications of the lit match.

"Nooooo!" he yelled.

But it was too late . . .

"Thuggz Valentine, mutherfuckaz!" she screamed, laughing as if life was one big joke.

Then . . . she tossed the match.