Tone of Deceit

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 25 (The Grand Escape)

Andre sighed heavily as he slowly rose from the bed. His eyes were fixated on Sherri's daughter and his heart was racing. He felt the pressure mounting, imagining the eyes of his father's people bearing down on him and waiting for someone to make a move.

Somewhere, Trina may be racing to their aid; but he couldn't know for sure. How much had Roger allowed him to move? How much time did they have left before they were discovered? These questions plagued his mind with greater force than he could fight.

Sherri may have made her escape had it not been for his brash actions, of this he was sure. She had it all planned out. A plan, more than what he had; and here he was responsible for getting both her and her daughter out of this infernal building. "Is that-" The lump in his throat choked his words and his hands trembled as the small girl's bright eyes studied him. "Is she?"

Sherri turned her head towards her daughter, smacked her lips and returned her gaze to him. "I'm sure that can be discussed once we get out of here." She put her hands to her hips and narrowed her eyes. "Again. Do you have a plan? Did you have a plan?"

"Honest?" He swallowed the lump and shut his eyes. "I expected my cop friend to show up." Sherri put her hand to her forehead, groaning in frustration. "How badly is this place watched?" Sherri rolled her head to the side and narrowed her eyes.

"On a good day? There might be five or six guys patrolling the building, maybe more. I'm not the only girl living in this trashy spot." Her eyes darted to the door and Andre froze as she raised a finger. "Hang on a moment…" He fell silent, his eyes widening as he stared at the door.

A knock came. With the knock, Sherri rolled her eyes and raised her voice to mimic sounds of pleasure. "Oh god, oh yes, yes do it." Andre jerked his head back and waited for a few more seconds.

"Okay," Mikal's voice responded from the other side of the door, "I guess you're still busy in there. Moving along." Andre started to say something but Sherri put a finger to her lips and squinted. He listened to the sound of footsteps fading and then let out a quick breath of air.

"He's an idiot," Sherri muttered, "That was going to be useful to me. I was hoping the other guys patrolling this shit would be gone to their little event. But boss's kid screwing one of the girls means it ain't that simple." Andre chuckled nervously and lowered his head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to mess up your escape. I just thought-"

"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it." She smiled at him and for a moment, he felt a warmth rise in his heart. She put one hand to her waist and dropped her other hand by her thigh, her lips spread thinly across her face, then curved into a smirk. "I'd repay your efforts with a kiss, but I wouldn't want you to lose all feeling in your face."

He winced, wondering how long she likely sat on that one for. "I guess I deserve that." She rolled her eyes and grabbed her daughter out of the crib. Sensing that this meant she was ready to make her move, he started for the door. "So, I don't really have a plan."

"Figured."

"Do you?"

"Had one." She smacked her lips. "Guessing I'll have to stick with the same plan but with a little more sneaking." She pointed to a closet. "I have a baby carrier backpack in there, can you grab it please?" Andre nodded and rushed to the closet, he opened it and looked around until he saw the pack hanging off the shelf.

"This it?" He grabbed it and held it to show Sherri. She nodded.

"Yeah. Put it on." He raised an eyebrow and when she gave him a stern look, he immediately complied. After putting the pack on, with the pack in the front, Sherri started to fasten her baby into it. "Okay Monique," she whispered, "Momma's going to get us out of here." Andre started to sigh. While he was hoping to have the big moment, he was intrigued by Sherri. He admired her for this fire and determination she had in trying to get out.

"I'm glad you're so strong."

She paused, her eyebrow arching high. "Strong? I'm not strong. I'm just trying to get my daughter out of here alive." He nodded slowly, understanding her words and realizing that this wasn't at all about her but about Monique.

Filled with a new sense of determination, he peered down at the child and pressed his lips firmly together. "Let's do this then. You had the plan, I'll follow you." Sherri chuckled softly and carefully pushed the door open. She poked her head out and looked both ways down the hall.

"We'll have to get the other girls," she whispered, "Overpower the guards. Stay low and stay quiet." He nodded and crouched low, keeping a hand on the child's chest while following Sherri out. "They're aware of the plan, but they may not be all that happy with the new situation."

"How many times am I going to have to apologize for screwing up your escape plan?"

"As many times as it takes." They ran along the wall, keeping low beside the banisters and railings until coming to the next door. Sherri gave a knock on the door, three quick raps followed by five long raps. The door opened and a wide eyed Asian woman stared down at her.

"What took so long?" The woman asked. Sherri's eyes narrowed and she poked a thumb over her shoulder. Andre's cheeks turned red as the girl's eyes travelled to him and her face sank. "Oh. Um…"

"This guy decided to try and be a hero. I'm expecting there are more guards than anticipated, we have to be careful." The woman groaned and moved behind them, crouching low.

"Fucking great." Andre could feel the woman's hot glare digging into his backside like knives. He remained quiet and followed until they had at least six other girls with them.

They stopped at a corner intersection and hugged the wall. Sherri put a finger to her mouth and looked around the corner, her body tensed and she looked back, gesturing to a pregnant Latina girl. "Ramona, there are two of them." Ramona nodded slowly. "I need you to distract them, bring them close." Andre raised his eyebrows and listened as Sherri instructed the girls. "Amy, Vixen, you know what to do."

Ramona walked into view of the hallway, grabbed her stomach and started to scream. "Oh god, help me!" The two men looked her way and she started to crouch. "I think I'm having my baby."

"Oh shit!" exclaimed the men. They ran towards her. Sherri held her hand up, instructing the girls to hold. Amy and Vixen had small pipes they'd picked up off the floor ready to wield as weapons.

Once the men surrounded Ramona, Sherri swept her hand forward. Amy and Vixen sprang to life, raising the bars in the air. Vixen swung the bar down, striking one of the two men hard in the face. She swung again, knocking the man unconscious.

Before the second man could come to his aid, Amy slid behind him and moved the bar to his neck. He grabbed the bar with a loud cry and looked over as Ramona, now finished with her acting, punched the metal bar with as much strength as she could. The man's body jerked and his eyes went towards the ceiling. Amy let him sink to the ground, then with a sneer, she shoved the bar into the back of his head.

"If they've got weapons, grab them." The girls did as instructed, grabbing two knives and two guns. Sherri let out a heavy sigh and walked forward, stepping over the two men. "Sorry Monique has to see such violence." One of the men groaned and his eyes fluttered open in time to see Sherri glaring down at him. "But alas, I was planning on all of you being gone tonight." She kicked the man in the head, knocking him out once more. "Enjoy the concussion, asshole." Sherri narrowed her eyes and turned her head. "Let's go, down the stairwell. Forget the elevators."

They hurried through a door where and began moving down a flight of concrete stairs. Eventually they heard someone coming up, so they crouched low while Sherri instructed the Asian girl, Yvonne, to hide on the other end.

Yvonne did so, waiting as the man-who was looking at his cell phone-walked onto their level and stopped in time to see everyone crouching in wait. Yvonne, now behind him, shot up and pushed the blade of her knife into the small of his back. She cupped a hand over his mouth as he let out a muffled scream. "Move and I dig it in deeper," Yvonne hissed. The girl looked to the others and gave them an affirmative nod. Sherri waved her hand through the air, guiding the girls down one at a time before making her own move. "Ooh, what's this?"

Andre stopped and looked back to see Yvonne removing a pair of handcuffs from the man's back pockets. A wide grin spread across the girl's face and she slapped the cuffs around the man's wrist and onto the still railing. "What?" The man yanked his wrist forward and cried out in alarm. "Wait, don't-"

"Don't speak." Yvonne moved her knife down to his crotch and he caught his breath. "Don't even move. You move, you make a single sound, I come back and chop of your little chicken mcnuggets. Got it?" The man whimpered fearfully and nodded, watching as Yvonne walked away backward and shook her head at him. "Not a single peep."

Andre let out a low whistle and continued to follow the girls, understanding now his place in all of this. Sure, he wanted to be the hero; but he was just fine being a follower at the moment. These girls were scary, and it made sense considering they were quite literally fighting for their lives.

"Three down," Sherri said with a growl. They made it to the bottom level and Andre took the initiative to open the stairway door and peer through. He saw two men in the open area, one was standing at the regular stairs and scratching his head while the second was laying on a dirty brown couch. "What's it look like out there, Dre?"

"One guy's standing at the stairs, has his back turned. Probably waiting for the two that went upstairs to come back." He looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with her. "Second guy's asleep on the couch." Sherri pressed her lips together and sighed.

"Okay." Sherri looked through the door and furrowed her brow. "Yvonne, Amy, and Vixen. You girls handle the guy on the couch. Ivy, Alice, you two come with me." Sherri slowly pushed open the door and the two taller girls followed her out. The remaining three girls made their way towards the couch.

Andre stepped out with Ramona, curious if he ought to help one of them. He glanced over in time to see Ivy and Alice grab the man's arms and shove him into a wall. Sherri put her hand over his mouth and glared into his widening eyes.

As this struggle occurred, the man on the couch opened his eyes just in time to have Amy shove a pillow over his face. Yvonne and Vixen held his arms down and he began struggling under their hold.

He was skinny, but thrashing enough that he could throw them. Andre nodded at Ramona and the two ran for the man, grabbing his legs and holding him down. "What are we going to do about this one?" He asked.

"I got this." Vixen removed the gun she took from the people upstairs while Amy lifted the pillow to let the man take a breath of air. Vixen sneered at him. "This one likes to whip his girls with a pistol, right?" She raised the pistol high and the man's eyes enlarged. "Let's see how he likes it." She brought the butt of the pistol down, striking him hard in the face.

Andre turned his head away as blood splattered from the man's nose. He looked over to see that the other girls had somehow managed to knock out their guy.

"That should be all of them," Sherri announced, "Though I didn't see Mikal anywhere. Either way, let's get the hell out of here."

Andre nodded and made his way to the front door. Once he opened it, he waited for the girls to exit and followed them out.

Their joy was cut short when they saw several men standing at the curb. He froze under the sneering glare of his father, standing beside Mikal. "I figured as much," Roger said with a snarl, "Did you honestly think I wasn't onto you?" Andre narrowed his eyes and watched as his men began to surround the girls, taking their wrists and holding them in place.

Sherri remained beside Andre, growling and baring her teeth like a bloodthirsty hound ready to spring. "When did you figure it out?" Andre asked. Roger chuckled softly and began to remove his handgun.

"Oh, around the time my goddamn bartender was picked up by the cops. I knew you'd been talkin' to her." He tapped the muzzle of his handgun to his cheek and started to hum. "Now the only question I have is…why?"

"Why?" Andre sliced his hand through the air, raising his voice. "Because you're an asshole. You murdered my mother, murdered my family all because you wouldn't let her go." Roger's eyebrows flattened over his eyes and he tilted his head.

"Huh, I was wondering which kid you were. Pity, your mother was one I actually liked." Roger took a step forward and stretched out his arm, his eyes narrowed while Andre held his firm posture despite the gun being inches from his face. He couldn't show fear, he couldn't let the man have this moment. "You could've been something, couldn't you son? Instead, trying to infiltrate my club and make off with my girls."

"Fuck you."

"It's an insult…" The man pulled the hammer back on his gun. "That I can't forgive." Andre closed his eyes, waiting for the dark to come.

A gunshot rang out and Andre's body flinched, he opened his eyes to see that Roger had pulled the gun away and was looking around in surprise.

Across the street were three police cars. On either ends of the street were two cars blocking the path. Trina was crouched behind her patrol car's door with her smoking gun at her ready. "Put the weapons down," she instructed. David was on the other side of the car, leaning over the hood with his gun aimed.

Each of the police cars were similarly set up, with every officer training their guns on the men. "Son of a bitch." Roger growled and grabbed Andre by his hair. He let out a yell and Roger pulled him close to his body while aiming his pistol at his left temple. "I'll shoot him right here, right now."

"My baby," Sherri cried, reminding Andre that Monique was still strapped to his chest.

Roger smirked and glared as Trina returned his gaze with a sneer of her own. "Want to take the chance little lady?" He cocked his head to the right. "Sorry. 'Officer'. I'm supposing I have your friend here to thank for your oh so wonderfully timed presence."

"Let him go," Trina ordered, "You see he has a child with him. I won't negotiate with a child murderer." Roger laughed.

"Oh but you already are. Just none of your pathetic men in uniform could pin it on me." Trina raised an eyebrow and Andre groaned. He didn't know what to do, his entire body was frozen in place and he was running several scenarios through his head.

After a few minutes, Yvonne broke from her captor by biting his neck with as much force as she could muster. The man cried out in alarm, slapping his hand over the bite and causing Roger to snap his head over in surprise.

Yvonne raced forward, screaming at the top of her lungs as she whipped her knife from between her breasts. Roger's eyes widened as she plunged the blade deep into the center of his chest. This bought Andre time to flee Roger's grasp. Thinking fast, he slammed his foot hard into the man's left knee, causing him to drop to the ground.

"Goddamn you." Roger started to turn the gun towards Andre, hissing through his teeth; but before he could do anything, the police opened fire. Roger flinched, jerked and convulsed from the bullets until they stopped. Sherri hurried to Andre's side, whisking her daughter out of her pack. She took one last look as Roger breathed in and out, his hands trembled and his eyes rolled up towards Andre. "I-"

"That's for my moms," Andre growled, "And for subjecting me to a psycho paranoid grandma for the last decade of my life." He spit on the ground and watched as Roger fell back, collapsing in the street.

All the men that had been with him stared in shock and each raised their hands into the air and dropped to their knees. The police sprang from their vehicles and rushed over while the girls ran towards them, as though running to freedom.

It was a surreal sight to see, and in that moment, Andre never felt prouder as a weight fell from his back. Trina stepped alongside him and stared down at Roger with narrow eyes. "Next time you decide to be brave," she said under her breath, "Let the police handle it. Goddamn."

"Hey, it's not all bad…" Andre swallowed heavily as Trina glared sideways at him. "He told me a lot of information. Info that might help with our other case?" She crossed her arms and nodded.

"It can wait. First, let's get you guys to the station." She took one last look at Roger's body, growled under her breath, and turned away. "Jesus."

"Hold on," Sherri said with a smile. She approached Andre, to his surprise, his heartbeat quickened as she leaned upwards. "Thanks for your help, 'hero'." Andre's eyebrows rose as she quickly kissed his cheek. The blood ran to his face and he mustered a smile.

"I think I just lost the feeling in my cheek." He put his hand to his face and Sherri rolled her eyes, smiling wider. A weary sigh fell from his lips and he turned away from his father's body, not wanting to see the blood and death everywhere. "I think I'm ready to go home now."

So, quite the fight. The girls won, though Yvonne may be certifiably terrifying. Andre may not have gotten the heroic rescue that he was hoping to have given, but he did well. Even if his actions led to more guards than anticipated. Looks like Sherri's daughter was the reason for her fight. Those girls can live, however, and the information Andre received from Roger means the organization will be torn apart by the police. The prostitution ring is done for, and many more girls will be rescued. Hero indeed. What are your thoughts here? I know we wanted to see Roger arrested, but I felt like the direction was being led towards a big clash, he had to die.