Starlight Saint

Following the take down of the Vice King’s kidnapping ring, and the takeover of Rebadeaux, Delilah, Starlight’s aunt, decided to spend the next couple of weeks at the mansion her sister’s family was in the process of moving into. Wong also hired a few bodyguards to protect her in case the Vice Kings tried to kidnap her again.

Starlight had managed to calm down after the incident. The next day at the church, Starlight noticed that Paul seemed a little nervous when he saw her again. Starlight was curious about the man’s expression so she asked him, “What’s with the look?”

“You are scary as fuck when you’re pissed off, girl! I saw what you did in that warehouse. It was so bad that I had to blindfold your aunt and those girls to spare them the trauma.”

Starlight chuckled nervously, “Maybe I did get a little carried away…”

Paul spread his arms in exasperation, “Ya think?! Anyways, you and Johnny said you wanted to take care of your mom’s stalker today. What do you know about him?”

“Not much, he started stalking her a month after her first album went public. She receives occasional creepy calls. I started tapping the calls to find out more about him but all he did was make a bunch of sounds like he completely forgot what he was going to say the moment mom said ‘hello’. She also mentioned that someone in a van had been tailing her car sometimes. Mom finally decided to stop answering every call that the Caller ID didn’t identify.

“One time I followed mom to the studio and saw a man in a yellow suit. One of the staff called him Mr. Williams so I’m guessing that was Warren, their numbers guy. I spoke to him about the stalker but he told me that they didn’t have time to be dealing with every lovesick fool who tailed her. Then he insulted me for being a fan of some small-time street gang because he thought I dyed my hair purple. I’m gonna remember that when I see him again.”

“Hey, you got a moment?” Lin suddenly called out as she walked toward them.

“Whatcha need, Lin?”

“A friend of mine needs some help with a project. Remember Samson? He heard what you did for Dennis and he was wondering if you would do the same for him.”

“Sure, we’ll visit him when we have the time.”

“Thanks.” Lin walked away.

Before Starlight could continue voicing her revenge plot against Warren Williams, her phone rang. Her ID showed Wong’s number. “What do you need, Mr. Wong?”

“Could I trouble you for a moment of your time? One of my associates has a problem that requires someone of your skillset. His name is Marcel and said he will be at the Sea Roses Pub in Shivington in a few hours to await my response.”

“Sure, I’ll meet him later.”

“Thank you for doing this for me.” The call ended.

“Looks like our popularity’s rising,” Paul quipped.

“We can deal with those matters after we execute the plan. Let’s go check on daddy before more people come or call asking for favors.”

As they entered the office, Starlight and Paul were greeted with something that felt like a cliche office romance as they walked in on Johnny and Aisha making out, each sharing a passionate kiss.

Starlight groaned as she witnessed the scene. “Seriously, you two?” This caused the couple to freeze and hastily break away, which also caused Johnny to trip over his chair and fall on his back on the floor.

“I dunno, office romances aren’t all that bad,” Paul commented, earning him a deadpan look from his partner in crime.

While Johnny was working on getting back on his feet, Aisha apologized, “Sorry about that, I got a little too excited at the thought of finally being rid of two of my biggest problems today and one thing led to another.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, “Let’s just get this show on the road.”

“Right, Eesh has a recording session in a few minutes so we gotta make her disappear and send the Vice Kings a nice ‘fuck you’ on top of that,” Johnny informed. “And Starlight’s the one with the plan so she can tell you all about it.”

“Alright, so to begin with…” Starlight began.

A few minutes later, Starlight, Paul and Aisha hopped into Aisha’s car. Paul took the wheel and drove them to Samson’s garage. The mechanic was known for his skill in rigging car bombs. The only downside to his work was that his car bombs tended to be unstable so any reckless driving would lead to an explosive end for the driver and passengers.

The drive to the shop was uneventful, though Starlight did catch a glimpse of a van parking on the side of the street as they entered the garage.

Samson, a dark-skinned man wearing a hunter green tank top and his hair done in dreadlocks, was just finishing up on whatever he was working on as some customers arrived. “Hey, Starlight, Paul, wassup? How did you like my last masterpiece?”

“It was as spectacular as I was hoping for Samson. You ready for your next work?”

“Hell yeah! Wait, isn’t that your mom’s car? Isn’t that your mom inside?” Samson asked.

“Yep, it’s all part of my big plan to save her from the Vice Kings.”

“If you say so. By the way, did Lin tell you about my latest project?”

“Yeah, I’m guessing you want me to do you the same favor I did for Dennis?”

“Would you do that for me? I got the list in the back. Take a look while I get to work.”

Starlight quickly found the list that Samson was referring to. She and Paul took a look at the contents of the list and found that there would be some challenges ahead.

First was a Cavallaro domestic sedan which wouldn’t be hard to find, neither would the Keystone sedan wagon, Nordberg SUV, nor the Nelson luxury car, since the downtown area was the best place to find luxury cars. However, the Keystone would require a retro spoiler, the Nordberg would need a sports spoiler and the Nelson would need a street spoiler.

The Quota was a peculiar vehicle that ran on three wheels and only had room for one person. It was like someone installed a small booth on a motorized tricycle. It was also a civic vehicle typically driven by meter maids.

Starlight could only facepalm as she noticed that Samson had also requested one of the FBI’s SUVs. She would have to find a way to enrage the law enforcement again, but she wasn’t about to get Laura involved in that mess again. She had been through enough.

The Mag SUV wouldn’t be easy to find, but the Bulldog SUV would be a challenge since that was rarely seen anywhere in Stilwater. The Mag needed off road bumpers and off road rims while the Bulldog needed a luxury body and stylish rims.

Starlight folded up the list and put it in her pocket while they waited for Samson to finish.

It took about half an hour for Samson to rig the car with explosives, while Aisha had to assure her producers that she was only running late and would be there soon. She also received some anonymous calls which she guessed were from her stalker, but she ignored those.

Once the car was ready, Samson had to warn them that they didn’t have a lot of time and that the explosives weren’t stable so they had to be careful to avoid any collisions.

As they drove out of the garage, Starlight noticed that the van was still there. She could see through the van’s windshield and noticed that there were a number of monitors installed in the back of the vehicle. The driver didn’t look remarkable, just some mediocre person with glasses.

“Aisha, why do you never return my calls?” the guy spoke out loud. “That thug is no good for you. I know I can treat you and your daughter right, better than he ever could.”

Starlight didn’t pick up on what the guy said but she was fairly certain that the guy was the stalker. “That him?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“Honestly, I’m kinda disappointed. He just looks like some lovesick fan.”

Aisha shrugged, “Most stalkers tend to be obsessive fans who don’t get out much.”

While the stalker continued looking at Aisha, he didn’t notice that Paul had left the car and went all the way around the van to meet the stalker from behind. He knocked on the driver side window to get the man’s attention. At first the guy mistook Paul for a cop since he wasn’t aware of his surroundings so he lowered his window to address the man. The stalker noticed that he wasn’t wearing a uniform so he assumed he was some guy wanting something from him. “What do you want?” he asked.

The last thing he saw before black overtook his vision was Paul’s fist.

Starlight got out of the car while Paul pulled the man out. “Can’t believe this loser was the one giving my mom grief all this time.” Her hand glowed, showing that she was casting a spell. “Well, at least I can come back here later and salvage whatever tech he left behind.”

“What do you plan to do with that?” Paul asked.

“Probably hack into the FBI again. Gonna see if I can troll that one agent who found me snooping last time.”

“You need to find a hobby,” Paul remarked.

Once the spell took hold, the stalker got back on his feet and trudged to Aisha’s car where he got into the driver’s seat. Starlight had Laserbeak summon her car and the two were on their way to the studio with Paul at the wheel.

On the way, they spotted a fuel truck that made a bad turn and blocked off the closest road to the northern island along with a couple of police cars who were investigating the incident.

“We don’t have time for a detour. Paul, take care of this,” Starlight ordered. “I need to concentrate on the spell.”

Shrugging, Paul pulled out an assault rifle and a bottle of liquor with a cloth in the mouth. He then fired on the fuel truck’s container to create a few holes for the gasoline to leak through before lighting the molotov and tossing it at the growing puddle.

In a moment, a huge explosion rocked the area that likely incinerated the truck driver and the cops around the truck. Starlight was glad that the blast didn’t do much damage to the bridge, at least. “Crude, but effective.” They then continued across the bridge, avoiding any burning debris.

“That’s my usual way of dealing with obstacles,” Paul remarked.

Starlight scoffed, “Are you sure you aren’t some long-lost brother of mine? You sound like daddy when you say things like that.”

They soon arrived at Kingdom Come Records where Starlight had Paul park at a safe place away from the studio while Aisha left her car and entered the building with the stalker following her moments later.

Aisha walked up to the desk clerk who noticed the arrival of their company’s starlet. “Running a little late today?” he asked.

“Hey now, you gotta look good to sound good,” Aisha preened.

“Want me to let ‘em know you’re in?”

“Would you do that for me?”

The receptionist picked up the phone and dialed his boss’s number. He waited a moment for the other party to pick up before he informed him, “She’s here, Mr. Will–.”

As he said that, several gunshots rang through the lobby. The receptionist watched in horror as he saw Aisha gasping as her clothes sported growing crimson stains. She collapsed a moment later.

The receptionist was now panicked as he saw the man with glasses pointing a gun at her, telling him that the man was the killer. “Mr. Williams, call an ambulance! Aisha’s been shot!” he screamed into the phone.

The haze suddenly cleared from the stalker’s mind where he witnessed the scene before him. He saw the gun in his hand and put two and two together which had him panicking. “Oh my God! What have I done!?”

A few moments later, while the two were panicking about what happened, Aisha’s body suddenly vanished. That was the last thing the two ever saw before a huge explosion in front of the building went off and demolished the towering building. Flames soon engulfed the studio. By the time the rescue crews arrived, there wasn’t much of the studio left to save. The crews would later declare that there were no survivors.

In a building a safe distance from the blast, Starlight and Paul observed the studio going up in flames. Paul whistled in awe. “Damn, Samson does good work.”

“All according to plan…” Starlight preened.

“Could you have timed that a split second later?” Aisha sarcastically remarked as she got up from the floor. She wasn’t happy that she was covered in fake blood, but she was still glad that her troubles had gone up in smoke. She observed the damage with the two. “It almost feels like a nightmare coming to an end when I look at it.”

“Seems my talents in arts and crafts paid off here, huh mom?” Starlight asked.

Aisha sighed, “I have no idea how you managed to make such a realistic fake gun, but I’m even more curious as to how you managed to synthesize all that fake blood for this.”

Starlight shrugged, “What can I say? I’m a girl of many talents.”

“You are forty flavors of insanity is what you are,” Paul commented.

“Takes one to know one, mister throws-himself-into-traffic-for-a-quick-buck,” Starlight shot back.

“Well, you are certainly multi-talented,” Aisha pointed out. “Though I can’t help but feel like I reenacted that one rapper from that animated sitcom.”

“You mean The Boondocks?” Paul asked. “I saw that too. That rapper was weird, he got shot a lot and survived each time.“

“Anyways, Johnny will be coming to pick me up soon. Good thing we brought a change of clothes since I need to make myself look as inconspicuous as possible until the Vice Kings are eliminated. You two should go pay a visit to my lawyer, Legal Lee, and tell him what happened. He will get the life insurance company to pay out on my policy. We can use that to make any necessary renovations to the mansion.”

“Alright, we’ll take care of it. Take care of yourself, mom.”

The two didn’t have to go very far since Legal Lee’s office was in the Adept Way neighborhood which was next to their current location, Union Square.

As they headed for Adept Way, Starlight received a call from her father, telling her that he was coming with a crew to pick Aisha up. It was decided that the Saints would move on Union Square during the chaos caused by the destruction of one of the VK’s main holdings. This also allowed the Saints to gain a foothold in the downtown area of Stilwater.

They soon reached the lawyer’s office and entered. The lawyer was a dark-skinned man wearing a black shirt under a yellowish beige suit and tie as well as a pair of glasses. Why he would choose that color, neither Starlight nor Paul would ever know.

Lee was talking to someone on the phone as the two entered. "How many times do I have to explain it to you Miss Jackson, do not walk around without wearing your neck brace. If someone catches you it could severely hurt our chances in court. Just remember: the whiplash has caused excruciating, chronic pain. You got that? Good. Have a good day Miss Jackson."

After ending his call, Lee turned his attention to the two. “What can I do for you, Miss Starlight?”

“Guess my parents told you about me,” Starlight figured. “Anyways, the nearby studio that was blown up, you heard that, right?”

“I did hear the explosion, I take it there’s some legal matters to take care of in regard to that?”

“Sort of, my mother, Aisha, was ‘caught up in the blast and was killed’.” she informed, while using air quotes. “I also heard that she was shot in the back by her stalker before the blast.”

Lee could tell from her body language that Starlight meant that Aisha had faked her death, probably to get out of her recording contract. She was probably here to collect on the life insurance policy. Well, this wasn’t the first time he helped someone defraud an insurance company. “Alright, I’ll handle the matters of the insurance policy. While I’m doing that, perhaps you two might assist me with another matter related to insurance. I heard about what you did to help Seth.”

Starlight had a good idea where Lee was going with this and she still felt a little uncomfortable about it. However, Paul seemed up to the task so who was she to deny him this so-called pleasure in life. “If it’s what I think it is, then Paul here is your man.”

“I take it he was the one who did this before? Very well, I’ll get you set up for this then you may do as you wish.”

“Have fun, Paul. I’m going to pay a visit to Mr. Wong’s associate, then head home.”

“You’re still associated with Mr. Wong?” Lee asked.

“He’s been good to me so it’s only right that I return the favor,” Starlight responded. She left the office in her car and headed for Shivington in the western central part of the city.

The neighborhood was a fairly large one and had few places of note since it was in the ghettos. Starlight’s destination was the Sea Roses Pub in the center of the neighborhood. Once she arrived, she went inside to find the guy she was looking for. Her entry earned her a few stares from the bar patrons but she paid them no mind.

“What’s a kid doin’ here?” one of the patrons asked.

“I’m looking for Marcel. I’m on business from Mr. Wong,” Starlight answered.

The patrons looked at each other and wondered whether they should answer that. However, a voice from another part of the tavern called her to him. “Over here.” Starlight then headed over to take a seat next to the man. The man wore an orange and brown jacket over a white t-shirt and a pair of glasses that made him look like a college student.

“You’re Marcel?” Starlight asked.

“Yeah, I take it you’re the one Mr. Wong sent? Aren’t you a little young to be doing dirty work?” Marcel asked.

“Is your situation not so dire that you can choose who handles your issue?” Starlight countered.

“Fair enough.” Marcel passed a list over to her containing eight names and their descriptions. “One of my homies is in trouble and I need your help. He’s got a big court case comin’ up and the prosecutor has a whole line of witnesses that could put him away. Needless to say, that ain’t gonna happen if you have anything to say about it. I don’t care how you do it, but they can’t be allowed to attend that trial. You know what I’m sayin’?”

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye out for those people.”

“Thanks. It means a lot to me.”

Starlight then left the pub and went to her car before taking a look at the list of targets. First was a bouncer named Dick. He looked tough. Next was an old man named Marty; he shouldn’t be too difficult. Then there was a businessman named Richard followed by a chauffeur named Henry. Next was some western wannabe named Billy Bob and a hustler named Don. The last two were a delivery truck driver named Hank and a meter maid named Louise.

She put the list away and started her car, heading home. Now that her family was secured from the Vice Kings, she was planning on causing the gang all sorts of grief, starting tomorrow.