Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
It was a shotgun house that was long and narrow with peeling paint and had old, rusted cars parked in the back. It wasn’t as bad as some, but it was in a rough state. I wasn’t exactly surprised. It’s hard to get a mortgage for a decent house when you’ve got no proof of employment, but it was more than that. This was the life he knew, and he wasn’t looking to change that any time soon.
It was already dark by the time I parked and started up to his front porch. There were no lights on, and even though it didn’t look like anyone was home, I pounded on the door. I waited, then knocked again.
I could hear some kind of music playing inside, so I knew someone was there. I knocked again but quickly grew impatient. I tried the door, and when I found that it was unlocked, I stepped inside. Tyrone was laid back on the sofa, watching TV in a haze of smoke. His eyes were glazed over, and he looked completely out of it. The chick next to him didn’t look much better.
I walked over to the TV and ripped the plug from the wall, and the room fell silent. “What the fuck!”
Tyrone shot up and started over to me but stopped the second he realized who was standing in front of him. “Hello, Tyrone.”
“Aw, shit.” He took a quick step back. “I don’t want no trouble, Grim.”
“Who said there was going to be trouble?” I motioned my head over to his friend. “You need to get rid of her.”
“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” He rushed over and gave the chick a hard tug. “Come on, baby. You gotta get outta here.”
“I don’t wanna go,” she pouted. “My show ain’t over.”
“I don’t give a fuck about your show. You gotta get out of here, and you gotta get out of here now! Get on home, and I’ll be over later.”
“Fine, I’ll go.” She stood with a wobble. “Your friend looks mad.”
“It’s okay. He always looks like that. Now, git.”
She grumbled something under her breath as she swayed over to the door. Seconds later, she was gone, and it was just me and Tyrone. I kept my voice low and steady as I told him, “I hear you’ve run into some trouble with this month’s take.”
“It’s coming. It’s coming. There’s just a little delay.”
Tyrone wasn’t a small guy. He was at least six-two and had a heavy set with a thick neck and thicker biceps. On the regular day-to-day, he could hold his own, but at that moment, he was high, and I was pissed. That wasn’t a good combination—at least, not for him. I charged toward him, grabbed hold of his throat, and slammed him against the wall. “I don’t like gettin’ dicked around, Tyrone.”
“It ain’t on me. I swear it. My handler has had some issues. I don’t even know what they are, but it ain’t because of me. I’m here and sitting on go.”
“Who’s your handler?”
“You know I ain’t got a name. My guy has a guy who has a guy.”
“I want names!” I tightened my grip on his throat. “You’ve got twenty-four hours to get them to me, or our partnership is done!”
He didn’t argue. He simply nodded and said, “I’ll get it.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
I stepped back as I released my hold on his throat. As soon as I got back out to my bike, I messaged Prez and told him about my conversation with Tyrone. I had a shift at the Vault that started in less than an hour, so I decided to skip going back to the clubhouse and headed to work.
When I arrived, Ghost and Goose were already there and standing at their posts. I walked over, and as soon as he spotted me, Ghost shook his head and said, “We could’ve used you a few minutes ago.”
“Oh? What was going on?”
“A couple of drunk assholes thought it would be a good idea to start throwing punches.”
I was a little disappointed that I’d missed it. I was still on edge after my conversation with Tyrone and could’ve used a chance to let off some steam. But it was only a matter of time before something else came up. On nights like these, when it wasn’t all that crowded, folks tended to lose their shit and start bullshit they had no business starting.
I stood at my post, waiting and watching for any potential issues, and just as I’d expected, it wasn’t long before I spotted a familiar face at the bar—a face I shouldn’t be seeing. Enraged by his fucking nerve, I charged over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder, whipping him around as I snarled, “Wanna tell me what the fuck you’re doing here?”
“Nothing, man. I was just having a drink.”