“My fault, Nep. I wasn’t judging you. I just wanted to see where your head is at.”
I grinned. “You can’t judge me. I’ve watched you switch out bitches like drawers. You ain’t no better than me.”
“Whatever.” He swatted at the air. “Have you heard anything about what the elders have planned?”
“I don’t pay attention to the whispers.”
“Nigga, cut the act! I know Uncle Ryan told yousomething.”
“If he did, it wouldn’t be your business. Nosy ass.”
I could feel Pluto staring at me, but I continued to focus on the mess I was cleaning up. Though I knew about the move with Kilo, I refused to share the information with anyone. My dad and I butted heads every other day, but I respected him too much to repeat anything he told me in confidence.
“Instead of interrogating me, help me get thisniggain the bin. These body parts won’t dissolve on their own.”
He snarled and snatched the bags of limbs from the mortuary table. “Actually, they will, smartass.”
I opened my mouth to remind the big guy of the IEP he had in school. However, the vision of Kannon coming into the lab vetoed the idea. Her mouth hung open, and her slanted gaze roamed from my face to the blood-soaked apron over my chest.
“Hm. I can come back if you need me to,” she insisted, already pushing the door open.
“If I needed you to, I wouldn’t have asked you to come. I wanted you to see this.”
She played in her big, curly wig. “Why? Is this a subtle threat?”
I walked over, hoping her scent would replace the stench of chemicals on my skin. “I didn’t ask you here to scare you. I did it to prepare you. This is what you want to do, right? Work on the collection side of your brother’s business.”
“Something like that.” She spoke with a slight tremble in her delivery. “You know about my family. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a dead body, Neptune.”
“There you go, speaking with your eyes. Discomfort is all over your face. Keep it together, Kitty.”
She raised her chin and poked out her chest. “I’m comfortable in any room I step into.”
“Yeah, we’ll see. I’m going to walk you upstairs, so you can wait in the reception area while I shower.”
“What the hell type of mortuary is this?”
“Don’t start asking me a million questions. Please.”
I ushered the curious woman to the lobby, then I went to freshen up in the owner’s bathroom. Had the circumstances been different, I wouldn’t have kept the lady waiting, but after handling blood and other DNA, I refused to skimp on cleaning myself up.
“Are you ready to go?” I quizzed when I approached Kannon.
“Go where? I thought we were staying here.”
“We aren’t going far. My cousin’s boxing gym is a few blocks away. That’s where we’re going for your first lesson.”
Kannon’s pink and white Nikes latched to the carpet while she looked at me doubtfully.
“Kitty, bring your ass on before I throw you over my shoulder,” I warned her, though I was already walking out of the door.
The sun greeted us when we hit the block. Since it was Saturday, people littered the streets, visiting mom-and-pop shops and diners in the neighborhood. The more we walked, the more I noticed Kannon was more quiet than usual. I wanted to ask what she was thinking about, but I didn’t want to open a can of worms.
“Are you ready for your first lesson?”
“Lord. I spent so many years in school, I don’t want to think about a lesson.”
“What did you go to school for?”
