Kell
As they crept down the hallway toward the back exit, Kell could feel Ty’s nervous energy wafting off him like heat waves in the Sahara. He’d admit he was wired too. Ty was his world already. If someone was coming to do him harm, they’d have to get through him. Which wouldn’t be easy. He wasn’t scared, but he was on edge. A man who ran the block like he was the Devil—using fear and torment—was coming for them. Kell didn’t have his firearm with him but he didn’t need it. He had his demon’s daggers. He’d send each of those bastards to Hell two at a time.
They jogged down the back stairwell and burst out of the back door, moving along the deserted street. Kell pushed his scarf down and unraveled it from around his throat so he could breathe evenly. He double-timed his steps to keep up with Ty’s long strides. It was dark out, but not late, time didn’t matter.
Ty stopped suddenly, squinting at the bright headlights illuminating the alley and dropped his duffle bag at his feet. He kept Kell tucked behind him as a pimped-out, low-riding vehicle and a tinted-up Escalade blocked their way. “Stay behind me, Kellam,” Ty ordered.
Like hell. Kell didn’t speak as four men filed out of the first car and three out of the second. Seven untrained men. Walk in the park.
“Look who it is.”
Kell watched a dark-skinned, heavy-set man with jeans hanging low on his hips and a thick leather jacket move ahead of his entourage and walk toward them. His smooth skin was the color of oil and his eyes as dark as onyx. Kell assumed this was Black Rock. Fitting name.
“Cheddar said you quit working with him and left ATL. I believed him. I thought you’d disappeared like a damn coward,” Rock said. When he talked, Kell got a glimpse of the gold and diamond caps on his front teeth. “You come to a man’s home when he’s not there and trash it. Then leave with his goods. What kind of home training is that? I heard you was one of them brothers that got some ’act-right. I can see folks was wrong.”
Ty stood in front of Kell with his shoulders back and his spine rigid. He hadn’t opened his mouth yet, and Kell knew his partner’s mind was moving fast. Calculating how to get them out of there without killing all these fools. Whatever the plan. Kell would execute it masterfully when ordered.
“I came to deliver what was yours, but you thought being someplace else was more important. Instead of me and you handling our business, you left someone ignorant in charge. He got what he came at me for,” Ty stated calmly.
Black Rock rubbed his hand over his pudgy face. He had gaudy jewelry hanging off him, as if he wanted people to know he had money to waste. Kell bet none of the gold he had on meant anything special.
“You owe me and I’m here to collect. I want my goods and I want my money. I paid Alejandra’s trick-ass to let me know when you showed up. I’m gonna need that back too.”
“Then we got a problem.” Ty widened his stance. He slowly stooped and reached inside his duffle and pulled out a tightly wrapped package about the size of a Kleenex box. Ty tossed it to the man next to Rock. The guy quickly tore it open and showed Rock a bunch of cheap-looking gold chains.
“Good. Now my money,” Rock demanded.
“Leave now. You got what you came for,” Ty said.
“I paid that trick five hundred dollars to watch for you.”
“I’m flattered,” Ty deadpanned.
“Motherfucker, don’t be fuckin’ flattered, run me my damn money!” Black Rock was growing louder, angrier.
Kell was still mostly hidden by Ty’s tall frame as he readied himself to attack. It was unfortunate, but they were two disciplined men cast into a horrible game with dirty players.
“Don’t make a mistake that’s gonna cost your men their lives,” Ty said it so nonchalantly that it took the men standing around a second to realize that they’d just been threatened.
“Yo, man. Check out the ice on the dude he got with him,” one of the men who’d circled around them piped up. “That should cover what’s owed.”
Kell felt Ty tighten.
“That’s a dude?” Black Rock looked back at Ty. “Why you covering him like that, yo? He standing close to you like he your bitch or something. He’s so fuckin’ small I can’t tell. Grab’em and let me see him.”
Ty bristled visibly and closed the distance between him and Black Rock. Kell stood alone, eyes wide, his fingers ready to pull his first blade. He wondered if Ty’s enemy could smell the sex on him. Could smell Kell’s seed ’lotion’d into his skin because he sure could.
Rock’s men took a step back at Ty’s fury, at the brimstone in his eyes.
“You want the whole block to hear your screams, Black?” Ty’s voice was lethal and just loud enough for them to hear. “Then get your mind off him.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here, Black, before ’five’o roll up. We got the package,” the one to Black’s left said.
“You better listen to your Lieutenant,” Ty warned.
A shiver of anticipation ran down Kell’s spine. Ty was a force. He was just waiting on the signal while still keeping an eye on the greedy man who was eye-fucking his herringbone. Kell hated that he’d removed his scarf.
“You still owe me. Don’t let me see you on my block again, motherfucker. You’re banned. If I see you, you’re going night-night,” Rock kept talking trash.
Ty stared unfazed.
“I just want that necklace dude got on,” The one closest to Kell said again.
He was hoping the guy would leave and not want to keep picking at him. But he was a hungry thief. All the man could see was that Kell was a small, unarmed white boy on their block. Meaning anything he had on him he forfeited if he couldn’t protect it. The hoodlum’s words were meant to strike fear in him. But Kell didn’t know the man, so he didn’t fear him or care about his life.
He spotted the thief in his peripheral, aiming for his gold. Kell shot his hand out lightning fast, and gripped the man’s wrist. The move was so sudden he didn’t have time to react. With one jerk, Kell snapped the wrist almost in half, then shoved his fingers between his assailant’s and jerked left, breaking four bones in the upper part of his fingers at once. By the time he screamed in agony, Kell jerked right and cracked the four metacarpal bones as well. The simultaneous snapping of bones was a stomach-churning sound unlike any other. The man crumpled to Kell’s feet, clutching his disfigured hand.
Everyone stood stunned. Everyone except Ty. No one knew what the hell to do as they looked down, horrified and afraid, at their friend, still screaming like a girl.
Black resembled a bull-like beast the more infuriated he got. “Yo! Kill that mothefu—”
Ty dropped their leader. A one-hitter that put Black on the ground with his ass in the air and his face in the concrete. Unconscious. Before the rest of them could respond, Ty pulled his hand cannon and pointed the business end at the second man’s forehead.
Kell’s heart beat wildly. These thugs were fake king-pins, used to intimidating weak-minded boys. They’d never encountered a natural-born king. They were all locked in on what Ty was about to say next. He spoke with such calmness and certainty that no one interrupted.
“Your captain is down. Pick him up and leave. And if either of you trifling-ass-thieves go for that gold around his neck or if you even blink at him wrong; your mothers’ll be picking out black dresses tomorrow.”
The men looked confused for a few seconds before their Lieutenant spoke up. “Get Black and let’s go. Now.”
When the cars were down the block and around the corner, Ty turned to Kell and pulled him into his arms, hugging the breath out of him. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Kell rubbed his forehead against Ty’s cheek. “Are you?”
“Yes. Come on let’s get out of here.”
“Back to the hotel?”
“No. Black’s got eyes everywhere. Even when he’s sleep, he’s woke. I can’t lead anyone there,” Ty said, moving them quickly down the street to where hopefully their Lyft was still waiting.
“We can go to my place,” Kell offered.
“Hell no. I’ve made enough mistakes in judgment. The last thing I’d do is lead a war to your doorstep.”
“A war?”
“Yes. I’m gonna get off this damn block and stay off. His threats meant nothing to me since I’d never intended on coming back anyway. But, he won’t let this go. Not after I knocked his ass out in front of boys. Besides that… I’ve also shown him my weakness.”
“Your weakness?” Kell asked, climbing into the waiting Ford Focus in the Bethel Baptist church parking lot.
Ty settled next to him and let out a breath of pure relief and hugged Kell to him again. “You, shorty.”
“I could’ve been anyone with you. How does he know I’m important to you?”
“Because I was willing to kill for you.” Ty looked Kell in his eyes. “Most of these men around here won’t do that for their mistress, won’t do it for their piece of ass on the side or someone they’re casually fuckin. Not even for their damn mother. A man would only kill for his heart. For his one and only. Black knows exactly who you are to me, Kellam. I have to make sure his personal war against me never reaches you again.”
“Then where are we going?”
“Excuse me. I have a change of address.” Ty leaned forward in the seat and spoke to the driver. After the man punched in the new address and took the offered twenty dollar tip, Ty sat back.
“My father always told me, ‘If you’re in a war, then you surround yourself with warriors.’”