Lyric rears back and stares at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “That’s your question?”
I nod as I fidget with my hands. “I don’t remember a lot of things, an?—”
“And sex is one of those things,” he says.
“Yes.”
He continues to stare at me for a second before he leans forward and presses his lips to my ear. Lyric whispers dirty words from “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, sending a shiver through me.
He cups my cheek, turns me to face him, and presses his lips to mine. The kiss is soft but potent. It’s full of promise and passion and a shared history that I frantically need to remember.
His touch doesn’t last, and when he pulls back, I whimper, which causes him to chuckle.
“You tell me, Mellie,” he says. “Was the sex between us good?”
14
LYRIC
“What the fuck do you want?”
Zombie and I stand outside the cell Loco’s being held in. The on-duty officer didn’t want to let us in, but he also has a known drug habit I was happy to use to our advantage. The fact that he also turned off all the cameras in the station is an added bonus. We don’t have long until the officer is done shooting up in the bathroom, so I get straight to the point with the Shadow Sixes shot caller.
“Cray Cray,” I say. “Did he cause the wreck that killed Rowdy?”
Loco unflinchingly holds my stare as he snaps his fingers. “Rowdy… Isn’t his funeral today?”
Zombie reaches through the bars and yanks Loco until he hits his head on the steel. “Answer the goddamn question, or you’ll leave here in a body bag.”
The gang leader laughs. “I think I’ll take my chances.”
I shove Zombie out of the way and replace his hands with mine. Over and over, I slam Loco against the bars until his head is a bloody mass of flesh, hair, and brains. Finally, the haze of fury subsides, and I release Loco’s corpse.
“What the hell?”
Zombie and I whirl around to see the officer standing a few feet away. His pupils are dilated, he’s rolling down his right sleeve to cover a blown vein, and his face is ashen.
“What?” Zombie counters. “Afraid of a little blood and brains?”
The officer moves fast for a man high on heroin. Vomit spews from his mouth just as he reaches a garbage can. The smell permeates the air, and I have to breathe through my mouth in order not to puke myself.
I close the distance between us and bend to get in his face. “I suggest you clean this shit up. Wouldn’t want word to get out that a prisoner was killed on your watch.” He nods frantically, and I pat him on the back. “Good man. Breathe a word of any of this, even in your prayers, and you’ll be next. Understood?”
“U-understood.”
Zombie and I leave the mess for the officer and head home to get ready to bury my dad.
“Please, Pres, give the order.”
Staring through the window of Death’s Door, my eyes narrow on the Shadow Sixes members standing across the street. I open my mouth to do as Trick requested, but a small hand squeezes my arm.
Mellie’s eyes are wide with apprehension as she shakes her head. “Not here. Please?”
I wasn’t sure she would even come to Rowdy’s funeral, but she did, and I’ve never been able to refuse her anything.Returning my gaze to the small crowd outside, I groan with frustration.
“No,” I finally say to Trick. “This isn’t the time or place.”
“Rowdy would wan?—”
