"Did you see the size of that limo?" Vic exclaimed as Quang continued down the road. His eyes were practically plastered to the window as he watched the immaculate car disappear behind him.
"I did," Quang replied. He glanced out of his sideview mirror and watched the limo shrink back into the distance. "I've never seen a vehicle like that in Isla Lucrecia."
"That's because you've never been down by Royal's Peak," Vic replied.
"So all of a sudden you know all about this part of town because you roam around here eating scraps every now and then?"
"You don't have to be so mean about it," Vic said softly as he slunk back in his seat. Quang eyed an empty lot north of the construction site. He pulled into the area, turning his lights off as he eased into a corner spot. Selene leaned her head in towards her window as Quang parked his vehicle backwards to make sure that it was facing the exit for a quick getaway.
"Hey Quang!" Selene said. She smacked the side of his arm with the back of her hand. "Does that car over there look familiar to you?" Selene then leaned her head back against her chair and pointed out the side of her window. A lone crimson convertible was parked at the opposite end of the lot.
"Not surprised that she's here too," Quang said with disgust.
"Who?" Vic called out from the back seat.
"Fátima!" Both Quang and Selene said simultaneously.
"That kendo chick? What about her?"
"She's got my necklace!"
"She took it from you?"
"Kind of. She knows it's mine and won't give it back."
Vic shook his head. "Damn. That's low. Really low. I used to have a shred of respect for her." He then looked over at the shiny red vehicle just a short walk away. "Maybe she has it somewhere in her car."
Selene paused as he blinked a few times to process the idea. "Maybe you're right Vic!" she said. "Maybe we could break into it and get my necklace out of there!"
"I guarantee you that car has an alarm just itching to go off. It'll only drawn attention to us. And probably even get us arrested."
"I was only half serious with the idea," Selene replied.
"I'm not against it!" Vic shouted from the back. "I think it's the least we can do considering what she and the Union did!"
"I know Vic, I know," Quang rebutted, poking his head out from the edge of his seat to look into the back. Vic had his eyes set on Fátima's ride as he drummed two rods of his sanjiegun against the back of Quang's seat to a rhythm. "But we need to plan out what we're going to do first. Breaking into Fátima's car and giving away our position by setting off an alarm isn't going to get us anywhere if we get caught!"
"Not to mention, she probably has insurance with how much Belanger probably pays her," Selene added.
"Exactly. Before we do anything, we need to come up with a plan of action. Something other than going in with weapons blazing and making as much noise as possible."
"Then what's your suggestion, chief? Huh? I'm open to do anything that you say if it means delivering a bit of justice to all of them!" Vic unbuckled his seat and propped himself in between the front two seats and faced Quang. "Don't forget that I'm here." Vic pointed towards himself with his thumb. "And I can take on more than my fair share of Union men and Dragon's Bite goons alone. Even if Fátima decides to start something, I can hop in and put a stop to her nonsense."
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"Is he right, Quang?" Selene asked. She leaned forward so she could look past Vic's head and get a clear view of the driver. "Is Vic really as good of a martial artist as everyone says he is?"
Vic turned around to face her, staring at the woman with a face that combined both surprise and confusion. "You think anyone can just pick up a sanjiegun and use it correctly? You know how many years I've spent training to use good ole Shondell? Tell me, when was the last time you've ever seen someone use one of these?" Vic held out one of the rods of his weapon. The moonlight bounced off the metallic surface and made it sparkle.
"I've never seen one in person myself. Except the one on Rodney's weapon rack. Definitely haven't ever actually seen one in action now that I think about it."
"Exactly!" Vic said, putting emphasis on the sole word in the sentence. "Nobody but me! No one in all of Isla Lucrecia besides me and Rodney knows how to use one of these things!" Vic scoffed and then lowered his voice. “And between you and me, I think I’ve surpassed the old man when it comes to sanjiegun technique. Rodney would never admit that.”
"But what does that have to do with what we’re about to do?" Selene asked as nicely as she could. "I don't doubt that you're more than capable of handling a few Union members. But can you take on more than one attacker if things get bad?" Her eyes then drifted down towards the sanjiegun. "And that looks heavy, too. Would you be willing to drop... Shondell... if things got too dangerous?”
Vic lifted up his weapon held it close to his chest. "No way. Shondell stays with me. And I've never ran from a fight because I've never needed to. Never lost one. And I don’t plan on it anytime soon!"
"There have been a few stalemates though," Quang interjected.
"Yeah, but never against just one person," Vic rebutted.
"Trust me, Selene,” Quang said. “Remember? Even Rodney said that Vic has got talent. He's just as deadly without a weapon as he is with one. His Bajiquan is on another level! Learned from Rodney himself and implemented on the low-lives... err... lower-lives... of Isla Lucrecia!"
"I'd show you but there's not enough room in this car," Vic added.
Selene shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. I believe you two. I just didn't want Vic getting over his head after being missing for several months. Wouldn't that be a shame if something were to happen to him not even twenty-four hours after returning?"
Vic placed one of his hands on Selene's shoulders and gave it a shake. "Nah, I get where you're coming from. But believe me, I am the last person you should worry about getting hurt in a fight!"
"It's one of the few things he can actually say he's proud of," Quang chided.
"Lyrics too!" Vic tapped his forehead with his finger. "If you ever need to know what line comes next in any song released between '65 and '69, I'm your man!"
Selene bobbed her head slightly as she let a chuckle escape. "I'm sure that will come in handy one day."
"Alright!" Quang clapped his hands, making all other eyes in the car dart towards him. "You can have a Q and A with Vic some other time! But we've got to start formulating a plan!" He leaned over his dashboard, staring into the brightly lit construction site. Shadows and silhouettes slowly paced around the area. "There's definitely people here. But it looks like they're spread out."
Selene and Vic both looked forward and examined the area for themselves. "You said that one of the Union guys is stuck with Rodney, right?"
"Yep," Quang said.
"So that leaves what? Hudson, Fátima and four others?" Vic asked.
"Don't forget those three students that Fátima has following her around!" Selene added. Vic remained focused on the scene beyond the lot they were parked in as he gave an apathetic wave of his hand towards the other passenger.
"I've had more than my fair share of run-ins with them before. They're not threats so they don't count."
"Six versus three," Quang said after taking a deep breath.
"You got me, so that puts the odds in our favor," Vic turned to Quang, giving his chest a couple of pats with his hands. "I've got the perfect strategy. I go in. Get their attention. Take on as many of them as I can. While they're getting beat down by me, the two of you go in and cause as much mayhem as possible." Vic started using his fingers to count. "Slash some tires. Steal some tools. Break whatever you can. Try to set these guys as far back as possible!"
A small groan escaped from Quang as he pinched his eyes with two of his fingers. "It's as a good of a plan as any. I'm sure we can find a way to keep the behind schedule. In a discreet manner, of course."
"They've got all kinds of heavy equipment, Quang," Selene said, pointing towards one of the big yellow front loaders that slowly traversed the dusty center space of the construction zone.
All three stared at the vehicle in silence as it moved towards a large structure surrounded by scaffolding. "I like how you think, Selene," Vic said, grinning wide as the vehicle came to a halt next to the incomplete building. "I really do!"