“That’s gonna be one short-lived promotion,” Wrath said, rising to his feet.
“I’m not gonna tell you again to sit down and shut the fuck up,” Sundance growled. Wrath glared at Sundance but did as he was told.
“You need to understand. Wrath and Scrappy were tight,” Sundance explained.
“Tight?” Baby Doll spat out. “I’ve known Dagger most of my life. The Kings wouldn’t exist without him. We’ve drawn and spilled blood together. The guy Lil’ Frisco took out was still wet behind the ears.”
“Blood is blood,” Sundance said.
“Bullshit. Dagger was like a brother to me.”
“Yeah, well Scrappy had a real brother. A brother who would love to get his hands on him,” Sundance said pointing at Lil’ Frisco.
“I told you, he’s off limits. Besides, even if he wasn’t, you still have two of my guys.”
“Who?” Sundance asked.
“Chucky and that other little punk...”
“Leo,” the vaping man said.
“Leo never jumped in with the Kings,” I said. “And neither did Chucky.”
“They’re my prospects and I want them back, along with my merchandise.”
“Call those girls merchandise one more time, fat boy, and I’ll end you,” I said.
Baby Doll smiled wide. His round cheeks nearly forcing his eyes shut. “What’s your name, softy?”
“Jekyll.”
“Well, Jekyll. Now I know whose idea it was to crash the little slumber party I had planned for those girls,” Baby Doll said with a sickening smile. “What’s the matter? One of them your little sister? Or do you have a little sweet tooth, yourself?”
I am a single point of light.
I am smaller than the human eye can see.
I am insignificant.
My light is pure.
It cannot generate heat.
I am a single point of light.
I don’t know how many times the words cycled before the rage subsided. I’d been repeating them for so long now, they’d become more like a mantra than a string of meaningful words. The words first came as a part of an exercise with Dr. Ambrose. Which then became a tool for visualizing and eventually overcoming my anger impulses. I could say the words in my mind a dozen times within seconds in moments of pure rage, and I hadn’t been this angry in a long time.
“I’ve never known you to be in the skin trade before, Baby,” Sundance said, pulling me back to the surface. “What’s the matter? Slinging dope doesn’t pay what it used to?”
“No. Thanks to your kind,” Baby Doll replied. “Legal pot in Colorado has changed the very nature and structure of the heroin and meth markets. And now the Beast is putting the squeeze on everyone that’s ever claimed a corner. Every crew out there is looking for new ways to make money.”
“By selling kids?”
“Kids that no one cared about,” Baby Doll said. “Kids that were lost to the system. Kids that would end up on the streets or dead anyway.”
“So why not sell them assex slaves?” Sundance asked.
“Not all of them,” Baby Doll said, flippantly. “Some of them get lucky and are sold to work as servants for rich bitches in Manhattan.”
