What Should We Say? 
  
By eleven that morning Serhat and his two soldiers, Yavuz and Baris, returned to their Brooklyn hangout. Serhat had yet to call his boss to explain the details of the failed tea shop meeting with Bad Tara’s emissary, the little girl and the Korean boy. He never got their names. 
  
“Serhat, what are you going to tell Ahmed?” asked Baris as the two carried packages out of a building to a back alley.   
  
Serhat didn’t answer right away as the two bruised men stacked the packages. A moment later the third man Yavuz, backed a van into the alley toward them. By then Serhat formulated an answer. 
  
“We’ll tell Ahmed the truth. We went to meet as civilized men and they attacked us like the savages they were!” he growled. 
  
“It’s not the whole truth,” said Baris, as the van stopped in the alley. 
  
Serhat, disgusted with Baris's question barked, “I mean what should we say? A skinny Korean boy beat us to the ground and took our weapons, hunh? How does that benefit Ahmed? Or you? Or me? Hunh? Load the damn van!” 
  
“What are you yelling about?” asked Yavuz as he hopped out of the van and into the alley to help them. 
  
Serhat turned to answer him, “Nothing! I’m going to- ..Ah!” 
  
Serhat watched stunned as a white male in a mask ran up behind Yavuz as he exited the van. The man pushed a gun to Yavuz head and fired point blank. Yavuz dropped like a rock, while the blood from his skull splattered on the building wall.  
  
“Oh shit!” Serhat yelped in Turkish. 
  
He spun one eighty to run from the assailant. But when he turned a second gunman stood in the alley. A black male in a mask who shot the other Turk, Baris, twice in the chest. Baris fell backwards on top of the packages. Seeing his comrades fall, Serhat panicked and attempted to run inside the building, but the two masked men grabbed him and flung him to the ground and promptly shot him in both knees. 
  
“Gaaa! What! What do you want?” Serhat screamed as he writhed in pain. When he glanced around he saw a dark SUV parked in front of Yavuz’s van in the alley. And he remembered the vehicle. In his agonizing mind Serhat recalled seeing this SUV near the tea house, this morning. A white passenger, a black driver. He'd seen them both.
  
Serhat looked up at the shooters, “Who sent you?” he shouted. 
  
The white male cracked Serhat’s lip with the pistol. “Shut the fuck up!” he growled underneath his mask. 
  
“Aaah!” Serhat curled on the ground covering his face, paralyzed with pain. 
  
The fast moving shooters then lifted Serhat by his shoulders and dragged him to their SUV. They tossed him into the back like a sack of wheat as he cried out. As soon as he hit the truck bed they zipped tied his hands behind his back and duct taped his mouth shut. But before they closed the door the black assailant spoke. 
  
“Yo motherfucker, did you really think you was gonna try to put your hands on my little boss and not answer to us? You all fucked up now, homey!” 
  
“Mmmph?” cried Serhat, not knowing who this guy was or what he- 
  
Wait? He said, ‘Little boss?’ So do these men belong to that little girl? 
  
The truck screeched out of the alleyway with Serhat tied in the back, bleeding from both knees. As the vehicle flew out into traffic Serhat figured out the obvious. 
  
This is my last ride. 
  
The Couch 
  
After the incident at the Turkish tea house in the morning, Ko accompanied Rica for the rest of her day as her driver. Being a Sunday, Rica didn’t handle any major business. Just a few meetings with Boss Tara’s people throughout the city. Mainly concerning the Turks. 
  
By eight pm, Ko and Rica picked up Kayla from Reyna, and the trio went back to the safe apartment. As they all stepped in the door Kayla couldn’t stop talking about her day, and how much fun she had with Reyna and Reyna’s boyfriend, Dan. 
  
“Ko, Dan is awesome! He has the PS video game and I played princess carts with Ms. Reyna, and I beat her, but I couldn’t beat Dan. And then we went to the park and I rode the bike-” 
  
“A busy day!” said Ko. 
  
“Oh yesh!” Kayla beamed. 
  
The teens chuckled as the baby bragged about her exciting time. But as they stepped in the apartment Rica instilled discipline. 
  
“C’mere you gabby girl!” She grabbed Kayla and forced love on her. “Kiss, kiss.” 
  
“Nyoooo!” Kayla cried. 
  
“Sounds like you had a lot of fun. And when little tots have fun they get dirty and have to take a bath before bed!” Rica scolded, hugging Kayla with love. 
  
“I no need no bath!” Kayla declared. 
  
“Oh yes you do!” Rica sniffed her head, “Yup, and we’re gonna wash your hair too, stinky!” 
  
“Nooooo!” 
  
“Yes!” 
  
“Only if you take a bath with me?” Kayla cried. 
  
“Eh?” Rica’s eyes widened and she glanced at Ko, “Umm.” 
  
Ko smirked, “This has nothing to do with me.” 
  
Rica squinted at him, “Hmph!” but quickly turned back to Kayla. “Sure baby, we’ll take a bath. I guess I’d better shampoo my hair too,” she said with an, oh well- why not, expression. 
  
“Yay, I’m gonna get the toys!” Kayla jetted into her little bedroom, leaving Rica and Ko alone. 
  
“I guess you gotta keep your word now,” Ko said with a mischievous smirk. 
  
“Oh please, who said I didn’t want to. However, if I’m going to get that comfortable I’ll spend the night.” 
  
“Oh?” He shot a surprised look, “Don’t you have school in the morning?” 
  
“Yeah, but I keep a school uniform here, so no worries,” said Rica. 
  
“Ok, I’ll sleep on the couch,” He pointed at the living room. 
  
Rica chuckled at him, “Aww, look at you a gentlemen. But not necessary,” she replied with a sly grin. 
  
He felt her piercing gaze, “So, should I sleep in the bedroom?” 
  
“Yes.” 
  
He glanced about. “Where will you sleep?” 
  
Rica smiled with evil, walked up to Ko and lifted his chin with her finger. “Where do you think I’m sleeping?” 
  
“Uh..” He pondered the question before it hit him, “Ah! You’re sleeping with Kayla, yes?” 
  
“Hm hm hm hm, well give that boy a prize for figuring that mystery out, heh heh,” she laughed, gently smacking his face. “Listen, I’m going to tell you a secret.” 
  
“A secret?” 
  
“Yes. I have another friend living here. He’s special to me as well so I want you to be nice to him.” 
  
Him? “There’s another guy staying here?” Ko asked confused. 
  
“Ayup. But don’t worry he’s really quiet. Until he gets going.” 
  
Ko raised an eyebrow. “Who and where is he now?” 
  
“Haha! His name is Jack Rabbit, if you must know.” 
  
Ko squinted his eyes at Rica, “I’ll try to be civil with him, boss.” 
  
“Well you do that, soldier.” Rica moved closed to Ko and clutched his face, as if to kiss him, but instead whispered a few words in his ear. 
  
Ko stood still listening, before he responded to Rica with, “Oh, how about that.” 
  
Rica backed off grinning. “Well yeah. Isn’t it logical?” she asked, referring to the information she spoke in his ear. 
  
Ko nodded. “Yes. Makes sense to me.” 
  
“But of course!” she agreed. “Now you have fun with that. I’m gonna go take a bath with Kayla.” 
  
“Ok.” He nodded 
  
“Oh, one more thing!” she half turned, “That was really exciting how you handled those men today, with your Kung Fu.” 
  
“Hapkido,” he corrected. 
  
“Right! Like I said,” she turned and pranced away, “Exciting!” 
  
“Hmph,” Ko muttered with a smirk as he watched her slim frame strut through the apartment. 
  
Bath 
  
Ko waited a good ten minutes for the girls to get comfortable in the tub. When he heard them splashing in the water, having fun, he stepped into his bedroom to investigate the information Rica whispered in his ear. One last listen to make sure Kayla wouldn’t come out and catch him, before he entered the bedroom’s closet.  
  
On the closet’s right side wall Ko spotted a gap where he could stick his fingers in. From there he carefully removed the section of wall in the closet and flashed his phone light in the small dark hole he uncovered. And there, inside the hole, lay an object of desire. 
  
Just as Rica said.   
  
Ko reached in the closet hole and retrieved the item. Carefully removing it from it’s resting place. Cradling it. 
  
“Well aren’t you pretty,” he whispered to it in his arms as he gazed at a well maintained, U.S. Army M4 Carbine Rifle. A weapon known to most Americans as, the AR-15 Assault Rifle. This one belonged to Rica, and it’s name was… 
  
Jack Rabbit. 
  
For Rica, like all Rifle Girls, named her weapons. Personifying them, and caring for these death tools, as if they were children. Ko understood as he lay the unloaded rifle on the bed. He reached inside the hole and discovered lethal accessories. Seven thirty round magazines filled to the top, a muzzle suppressor, and two incendiary grenades. 
  
Ko smirked at the arsenal. “Typical mechanic,” he muttered before putting Jack Rabbit back where he found him, and repairing the closet wall facade. 
  
Soon the shower turned on in the bathroom, meaning the girls would finish shortly. Ko took the down time to veg-out. He brewed tea, then switched on the television to watch the news. 
  
Two men were gunned down in Brooklyn today in what police believe was a robbery gone wrong….The victims….Yavuz…..and…. Baris…. 
  
The news displayed the photos of the two murdered men. Ko squinted his eyes, instantly recognizing them as two of the three Turks he beat up in the tea house. Just a few hours later, they were murdered in an alley. 
  
“Talk about coincidence,” Ko muttered in jest, as he remembered Rica’s words after he confiscated their guns and said he would keep them: 
  
“...Those two certainly won’t need them again, I assure you...” Is what she said to him. 
  
At the time the words meant little. But now the statement proved to Ko, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his new boss Rica Reyes was certainly a villainous little bitch. And honestly… 

...that turned him on.