LITMIR.BIZ

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opening his eyes.

      “And you fucking love it,” she whispered.

      It was hard to argue with that.

      He heard shouting somewhere, but didn’t feel like going to investigate. Let the fuckers have at it. If it kicked off then he’d know soon enough, and that would be too soon, given what her hand was doing. He didn’t even know her name.

      Then there was a scream.

      Then silence.

      Whoever played deejay just turned the volume up, drowning out the sobs. He opened his eyes eventually with a damp patch in his lap that wasn’t from the bourbon.

      The girl was gone.

      There was no sign of Tonya or Black.

      He saw Von and Ant arguing in the corner.

      The crew.

      No matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, he was going to miss the niggas he grew up with.

      Gee had crashed out in an armchair with a naked Latina curled up in his lap. She had spectacular tits and very little else going for her.

      Pappy pushed himself up out of the sofa. The stale air was playing havoc with his head. Fuck knows what was floating in it. He needed some fresh air.

      He went over to the window and cracked it open. Fresh air—or as fresh as the shithole that was the city allowed—filled his lungs. He counted to ten, exhaling on each number.

      When he turned around he saw Tonya standing behind him. She had swelling around one eye and a smear of blood—already dried—staining her lower lip and chin like kids’ makeup. There was nothing cute about the image.

      “Fuck, Ton,” he said, reaching out to touch her cheek, “you okay?”

      She tried to force a smile. Even he could see it hurt. She had tears in her eyes. He started to instinctively hold her in his arms, but then he saw Black in the doorway, face like thunder.

      “You and me, we need to talk, Pap,” Black said. He inclined his head toward the door, beckoning Pappy to follow him out of the room.

      Black had that bug-fuck crazy look in his eye. It was a look that Pappy knew well. Now wasn’t the best time to stand up to him. Pappy took another glance at Tonya, but she didn’t peer back at him.

      The bedroom stank of stale smoke and hot sweaty sex. There was no smell in the world like it. It filled up every inch of the place. Alive. It smelled alive. Pappy felt Black’s eyes boring deep into him. Pappy didn’t move. He waited for Black to say something. Black shook his head. Pappy felt the sweat trickle down his back. His empty stomach shrunk down to a fraction of its size.

      “Tonya says I should just let you fuck off and follow your dreams,” he said, finally, as though it was the craziest shit he’d ever heard.

      “We’ve had this conversation. I’ve always said I was going. This place, the whole fucking thing, it’s not me, man. Not anymore.”

      “I know it’s what you said, Pap. But saying and doing, they’re two different things, nigga. You’re my boy. We’re like this”—he crossed his fingers and put them over his heart—“and I need you here, man, you gotta keep me straight. I’ll go fuckin’ under without you, Pap.”

      “I’m sorry, man, I’m done.”

      “No.” Black shook his head. “You’re done when I say you’re done. One last job. That fuckin’ shit today wasn’t a job, it was a fuckin’ piece of shit. You owe me a job. A proper fuckin’ score. I need it, man.”

      “I’m not listening to this shit, Black. Get out of my fucking face, I’m out. Done. Over.”

      Black stared him in the eye. “You owe me, bro. One last job. I can’t do it without you.”

      “I’m not listening.”

      “Of course you fuckin’ are. You haven’t pushed me out of the way, have you? No you fuckin’ haven’t, so cut the bullshit, nigga. We get this one right and I’m gone for good. We both get the life we want. Think about it, Pap. One job. A few fuckin’ hours of your life. You owe me that. We both know I’m fucked. That stupid fuckin’ guard ruined my fuckin’ life. I’m fucked. I mean, proper fucked. Any second now the fuckin’ law will come knocking on the door. They’ve seen my face on the CCTV. I can’t stay here. This ain’t no fuckin’ fortress of solitude, Pap, it’s a fuckin’ squat. And I’m no fuckin’ Superman, you dig? It won’t take them long to find out who I am.”

      Pappy didn’t argue.

      “Some fancy computer will go ping and my name will pop out and they will be looking for me. I need this job now so I can get out of town.”

      “What part of I’m done don’t you understand?”

      “The part where you think you’re saying no to me, bro. Plain and simple, you ain’t saying no. I can’t do this without you, and like I said, you owe me. I’ve been pulling your sorry ass out of the shit since Sumner Houses.”

      “The only thing you’ve been pulling is your own cock, bitch.”

      Black laughed. Hard. “Man, Pap, I’m gonna fuckin’ miss you when you’re dead.”

      Pappy shrugged. “Why the fuck should I, man?”

      “Because it’s me, Pap.” Black held out his hand. “Help me, Obi-Fuckin’-Pappy Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

      “Fuck you,” Pappy laughed. “Obi-Fucking-Pappy Kenobi? Who’s that make you? Princess Black?” He shook his head.

      “Whatever it takes to get the job done.”

      “No guns,” Pappy said, suddenly serious.

      “Man, you don’t even need to be there. I just need you to do the shit you do with your computers to fuck with an alarm system, so I can get in and get out quiet as a fuckin’ church mouse, bro.”

      “I could do that from anywhere.”

      “You could, but I need you close.”

      “You don’t trust me?”

      “Jeez, dude, that’s not what I’m saying. I need my people close. I like to be able to see what the fuck’s occurring as it’s fuckin’ occurring, simple as that.”

      Black obviously wasn’t going to make it easy for him to walk away.

      “How soon?”

      “Couple of days.”

      “Then we cut the cord, man. Separate ways.”

      Black nodded. “A week max. I’ve been planning this for ages, I can’t do it without you. If I could, I would, I swear. And like I said, I’d really fuckin’ miss you if you were dead, man. Know what I mean?”

      Pappy was already starting to think in terms of what real difference a couple of days would make, and how useful the extra cash would be, and he hated himself for it. Every time it seemed like he was seriously getting his shit together and hauling out, Black just reeled him back in with some desperate fucking promise.

      “What’s a few more days?”

      Black put a hand on Pappy’s neck and pulled him close. Pappy could smell sour whiskey and what he assumed was Tonya’s pussy juice on Black’s breath. He wanted to pull away. He had never felt quite so uncomfortable with the man, or with knowing just what Tonya’s honey smelled like. Black was like the sun . . . no . . . he was a fucking black hole. He just pulled you in and pulled you in until he consumed you, just like he’d consumed Ton.

      “Just don’t try to fucking kiss me, nigga,” Pappy said.

      Black barked out a laugh. “I knew I could count on you, Pap. Respect,” he said, his fingers digging in too deep for comfort

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