His hand lifted, attempting physical contact. I left that motherfucker in the air. Silently, I took another pull from my blunt, never taking my eyes off the nigga. He dropped his hand, realizing there wouldn’t be a warm welcome.
“They told me to talk to you.”
Silence.
“About Hyphen. Hyphen Stone. You know her?”
He struggled to speak. His words were slow to exit his body. But, the moment they did, I wanted to put him out of his misery.
Too many witnesses.
I hadn’t opened my mouth to speak, but he was asking about something that belonged to me. I’d be damned if I remained quiet. I needed answers.
“Who wants to know?”
“Sid.”
“Sid, if you don’t want that unbearable burn in your chest, I suggest you not ask about her.”
“I–”
“You won’t make it this time,” I warned.
He tossed his hands in the air. “You got it homie.”
I slid from the hood of the car as he started in the other direction.
“Fuck done got ahold of that nigga?”
“Me if he keep asking ‘bout Hyph.” I pushed out a cloud of smoke. “And he ain’t surviving the fire I got for his ass.”
“Sid. Nigga, who the fuck Momma names them Sid.”
“He’s lying,” I explained.
“Oh, I know that nigga lying.”
I watched as he climbed into the G-Wagon. Before he closed his door, he called over the only person standing within earshot.
Hot Dog mosied her way toward him, scratching her arms and twisting her mouth. She was in need of a hit and would give him any answers he was searching for if he promised to give her the bread to get one. My stomach knotted as the twenty was transferred from his hand to hers.
I lifted my pistol and applied that pressure. A warning shot flew past the buildings that surrounded us, crashing into the back window of the wagon. As I watched him duck, I adjusted my pants, pulling them up on my ass as I headed in his direction.
The rubber of his tires burned as I approached. Hot Dog was left in the dust. By the time it cleared, I stood in front of her.
“Fuck he ask you, Hot Dog?”
“Hm?”
“Fuck he ask you?”
She shrugged. Her wiggly frame was infuriating.
“I’m gone ask you one more time… Fuck he ask you? Act dumb again and I’m going to have these hoes on your head for a quick ten.”
“Don’t do that, man. I just got out of the hospital last week.”
“You going back if you don’t start talking.”
